If you're a lonely collegiette looking for some Grease-style summer lovin', look no further! Summer romances are not just for the heteros, and while lovely queer ladies may be harder to find than men, they could be waiting just around the corner! Here are some summer hot spots that are perfect for meeting cute girls, as well as some tips for starting the conversation that could lead to your steamy summer romance.
1. A gay bar or club
A gay club is an obvious place to meet girls, especially a club catered specifically toward lesbians. A lot of club patrons are there to meet potential partners, so there's a good chance a girl you approach will be looking to meet girls, too. If you see a cutie across the dance floor, buy her a drink or just start dancing with her—don't be shy! It's not an uncommon practice to flirt with strangers at nightclubs or bars, so no one will think you're a weirdo.
2. A party
Since birds of a feather tend to flock together, parties hosted by queer people are usually full of queer cuties. Hit up your LGBTQ+ friends and find out if they know about any local parties going on. If you can't find any, you can even throw one yourself! Parties are made for socialization, so tell your friends to bring their friends, find a cute girl and turn your charm on. A little flirtation, a little booze and some bumpin' music go a long way.
3. The mall
If the party or club scene isn’t for you, try hitting up the local mall. Chances are you'll come across a few queer girls, especially if you stick around stores that sell pride gear or cater to alternative audiences, like Spencer's.
Does hitting on a girl at the mall sound intimidating? Don’t worry. An easy way to approach a cute girl is to check out the products she's looking at. Try making a comment on how pretty a shirt she's buying is or ask her about a CD she's checking out. If things go well, you can even ask her on a date to the food court conveniently located in the very same building! And if you don't find a girl, at least you got the chance to shop for a new summer wardrobe.
4. Your local gay and lesbian center
Local gay and lesbian centers are particularly awesome because almost every girl there is guaranteed to be queer. If you're not sure if your city has one, you can check out this database for an LGBT center near you. These centers create a safe space and a laid-back environment for LGBTQ+ people to meet one another and partake in activities like arts and crafts or an open discussion. The best part about them is that they usually offer support groups and meetings so you can meet lots of like-minded queer people in an intimate setting.
Dr. Reece Malone, clinical sexologist and author of ShoutOut Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia and Heterosexism and Your Questions Answered. Gender Identity in Schools, encourages girls to check out all the events gay and lesbian centers have to offer, like Dyke Marches, recreational outings, sports events and conferences.
"Summer is also conference season for many cities,” Dr. Malone says. “Checking out an LGBTQ conference can be fun.”
5. The Internet
We live in a digital age, so we may as well take advantage of it! Why not pick up chicks from the comfort of your own home? Planet Sappho andLDate.com are two popular lesbian dating websites you could try.
Megan, a collegiette from the University of Missouri—Kansas City and blogger for Lez Girlies, says Facebook is even a good website to use if you're looking to meet girls. There are tons of groups and pages made exclusively for queer girls.
"My city has a group just for lesbians in the area," Megan says.
For the girl on the go, dating apps are also a viable option to meet hotties. Brenda and Pink Lesbian Dating & Chat are exclusively lesbian dating apps, but popular apps like Tinder also have options for women seeking women. Just send a cute girl a message and see where it goes from there! An added bonus: you can do this in your pajamas.
6. A softball field
Alright, alright; we don’t want to play into stereotypes here, but there’s no denying that softball is a very queer-girl-oriented sport. Most softball teams are made up of all girls, which creates a sense of female empowerment and camaraderie. There are also a lot of gay leagues out there, like the SFSF (Sports Foundation of South Florida) League and the Big Apple Softball League. The North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance actually keeps an ongoing list of gay softball leagues affiliated with them so you can find one in your city.
Whether you just want to check out a game and flirt with the team members or join a team yourself, the softball field at a local park is a great summer spot to meet girls. Just be wary of dating a girl on the same team as you, because a bad breakup could not only ruin a good relationship, but also a whole team.
Love can be found in a lot of different places (even hopeless places, according to Rihanna), but some locations are more fruitful than others. These locations will be helpful for finding the girl of your dreams and avoiding another loveless summer!