Along with the entertainment and momentary comfort, gay bars have broadened my perspective on what it meant to be gay while certainly leaving more questions than answers. Jeremy Atherton Lin in his book “Gay Bar” observantly states that “…the men didn’t come to the city to be who they’d always been, but who they wanted to be. They didn’t move to a place they knew as a reality, but inscribed on their imagination…” Was I really embracing myself in these experiences, or doing my best to become who I thought I should be? I became interested in exploring how places, especially those frequented by gay individuals, have an impressive power to either build up or tear apart our notions of personal identity. It is this motivation that has inspired my travels and provides context for my learning throughout the globe.