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Marsha’s, Philly’s First Queer Women’s Sports Bar, is Closing

By Matt Schultz

Published: Oct 16th, 2026 · 10:34 AM EDT

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Marsha’s on South Street, Philly’s first queer women’s sports bar, announced on Thursday they’ll be closing for good:

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After opening the bar in September 2025 with hopes of making “Marsha’s an anchor for Philadelphia — for the queer community, for the sports community, and for anybody that just wants to go out and have fun and feel safe and be seen,” according to a press release Marsha’s released at the time, the closure comes just a little over a year since first opening the doors.

Reading through the Instagram comments, I got the sense that the closure isn’t a massive shock to Marsha’s regulars considering the year the bar has had.

Despite only being in operation for 13 months, Marsha’s waded through a handful of controversies, making the already-challenging prospect of running a business that much tougher.

From the Philadelphia Gay News, detailing the litany of challenges Marsha’s faced during its run:

In February, approximately a dozen Philadelphia and Pennsylvania State Police officers entered Marsha’s during a late-night compliance inspection. (Owner Chivonn Anderson) questioned the scale of the police presence, which came alongside allegations of underage drinking and licensing violations.

A separate January inspection had identified licensing and fire-code issues that were subsequently addressed, but no citations resulted from the February inspection — including for any underage drinking, which was not substantiated.

Just a few months later, Marsha’s was in headlines again due to a very public workplace dispute which included allegations of racism, transphobia, misogyny and discrimination.

Former manager and bartender Olivia Rhodes — a Black, trans woman — accused the bar’s leaders of fostering a hostile work environment. Rhodes alleged that management made disparaging comments about women and employees of color and that she was terminated after raising concerns about workplace practices. Other former employees also raised allegations about management and workplace conditions.

The controversy had tangible consequences. Philly Black Pride and other organizations planning to partner with Marsha’s canceled or relocated scheduled events following the allegations, and some community members publicly questioned whether they would continue supporting the establishment.

It’s worth noting that there’s no officially stated cause for the closure, so wondering if any of that stuff has something to do with it is just speculation. Whatever the case, Marsha’s last day will be Sunday.