feature image photo by Roux Ali/Marsha’s

At 11:36 p.m. on Friday, February 20, over a dozen police officers entered Marsha’s, Philadelphia’s first queer women’s sports bar, to conduct an allegedly routine compliance check. For many in Philly’s LGBTQ community, the incident echoed homophobic tactics long used by the Philadelphia Police Department to harass and intimate queer residents.

In a video statement posted on Instagram, owner and founder of Marsha’s Chivonn Anderson said: “Authorities advised us that the inspection followed a second anonymous complaint received within thirty days of a prior call. The complaint alleged that Marsha’s was serving underage patrons, selling alcohol after permitted hours, and operating without proper licenses.”

Anderson went on to categorically deny any wrongdoing by the bar: “All licenses were currently in place and approved. No citations, cease and desists, or closures were issued. Marsha’s is and will continue to remain in full compliance with city and state regulations. We operate with all required licenses and approvals. Responsible alcohol service is a top priority for our team.”

Marsha’s opened in September 2025 and in six months has quickly become a center of sapphic and queer community life in Philadelphia. In addition to women’s sports events, the bar hosts weekly karaoke, trivia, and bingo nights and partners with LGBTQ groups in the city for frequent events. As one of the few brick-and-mortar queer spaces in the city, Marsha’s is already beloved by many for its welcoming and inclusive atmosphere.

Named after Black trans icon Marsha P. Johnson, Marsha’s is located on South Street, historically a center for queer and trans community life. “In Philly, we’re all about honoring our founding fathers. Here at Marsha’s we’re supporting and loving our founding mothers,” reads a statement on the bar’s website.

I spoke with Chivonn Anderson to hear more about her experience and what prompted her to make a public statement about the incident:

“I had to say the quiet part out loud,” she tells me. “Yes, we have everything, and we’re gonna always operate within those legal standards because of Marsha’s being high profile, being Philly’s first women’s sports bar, and being owned and operated by queer people of color and people in the trans community. You know, you got to lead by example and make sure that you have everything set up ready to go. That’s why I wanted to release that statement, as a way to reassure our community, and our neighbors, and my staff, and everyone that we’re always going to operate the way that we’re supposed to. Marsha’s is here to stay, and we want people to know that they’re gonna be looked after and taken care of when they come to our space.”

Anderson’s comments underscore the obstacles marginalized entrepreneurs and professionals often have to strategically navigate when operating within white supremacist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic systems. “We were kind of prepared for this because haters gonna hate,” she told 6ABC Action News.

Queer Philadelphians are expressing their outrage about the incident online. “As someone who was there- it was excessive, period, let alone for an alleged license check,” Philly drag artist @misssthinggg wrote in a comment on Instagram. She then shared that one of the police officers joked about dropping his gun in the bar: “not to mention the masked officers, the officer who dropped his gun and joked about it going off, and the fact that their presence cleared out a newly opened bar on south street on a Friday night before midnight. messing with their business; there’s no way to spin their approach other than intimidation and flaunting of power. an apology would be the least they could do!”

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Instagram user @verdantvulcan chimed in: “10 vehicles with a legion of officers covering their faces!? I wouldn’t believe a GD thing they say to save face. Completely unnecessary and meant to intimidate….. very obviously.”

The Philadelphia Police Department has a long history of harassing and intimidating of LGBTQ residents and raiding LGBTQ bars in particular, often under the guise of violations to liquor laws or other operational issues.

Questions remain in the community as to what triggered the February 20 compliance check. Authorities told Anderson that the inspection resulted from anonymous complaints; however, when I contacted the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) department to ask what prompted it, PSP Press Assistant Chris Caracino responded: “The Philadelphia Police Department initiated the compliance check, and three PSP BLCE [Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement] officers participated in the detail to provide operational support.”

At this time, it is unclear if the Philadelphia Police Department initiated the compliance check on their own or in response to anonymous tips. “PSP is unable to disclose confidential information about active investigations,” Caracino said.

Meanwhile, the community is rallying around Marsha’s to show their support. “Everybody’s been extremely supportive. Like 98% of the comments have all been supporting Marsha’s and letting us know that people love and care about us,” Anderson says.

For Anderson, it’s personal: “Philly is all I know. Growing up in this city, you develop this pride about it, and I always wanted to make my city proud…I used to go to South Street a lot as a teenager. It was where you go shopping, where all the alternative places were, and people that just were living [as] their true selves. To be able to come and do this full 360, to actually own a queer space on South Street, is an amazing feeling.”

Anderson is hoping to move forward in order to celebrate all that Marsha’s has planned, which includes promoting events for March Madness, opening the second floor of the bar, and celebrating Marsha’s first birthday later this year.

“We’re invested in South Street, we’re invested in Philly, we’re invested in our community, and we’re gonna be around for as long as we possibly can,” Anderson said.