While I believe there will always be a need for LGBT bars, the writing is on the wall for the need for so many LGBT bars. We have evolved a long way since 1974 - the Police no longer raid gay bars, HIV and AIDS (for most) are chronic but manageable diseases that no longer unites us in fear, or separates us from the straight community because of ignorance and intolerance, everyone has access to affordable health care, straight bars are safer and more inviting for us, and the Internet has made “other” aspects of our lives “easier.” Think back to the number of LGBT bars that existed 10, 20, even 30 years ago, as opposed to how many LGBT bars are in Montrose now. The Montrose community has changed much in the last ten years, and it is at a significant crossroads. "Any bar, like most good things, has a shelf life, and it is better to end this adventure while things are good," he wrote, adding, But he posted a detailed letter on the bar's Facebook page confirming the closing. The current owner did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. There is also speculation that the property could be demolished to make way for a townhome development. The bar, in a prime location behind Buffalo Exchange near the intersection of Dunlavy and Westheimer, has been sold to a California development company, which plans to renovate the building into a hip restaurant and bar, a longtime bartender told CultureMap. After more than 40 years as a Montrose institution, the bar is closing on June 30, after Houston's annual LGBT Pride Festival and Parade weekend. The latest casualty of the changing times is EJ's Bar, a neighborhood dive known for go-go dancers, drag shows and a freewheeling clientele. As Montrose land gets pricier and more attractive to affluent Houstonians at a time when gay and lesbians have become more assimilated into mainstream society, its scruffy alternative establishments continue to be snuffed out.