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Opinion
Queer survival in Mississippi and the bars that saved us
On Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, gay bars weren’t just nightlife but sanctuaries where queer Southeners risked everything to exist, to dance, and to be seen, writes Mark Burr.
Oct 27, 2025
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Mark Burr
Mark Burr is a queer Korean American poet from Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He is the editor of Secret Coast Review and a 2025 Mississippi Arts Commission Fellow in Poetry. His work explores inheritance, language, and belonging in the American South. Through his writing and community work, he seeks to amplify the voices of Southern queer and Asian Americans. You can find him on Instagram at @mark_burr or on Facebook at facebook.com/mark.burr.9461.
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@ 2026 Equal Entertainment LLC. All Rights reserved