Two major gay nightclubs in Washington D.C. and Baltimore are set to shut their doors.

In D.C., Eric Little, the owner of Cobalt nightclub, said that infrastructure costs were high and suggested the rise in gay dating apps was partially to blame for the closure.

Wrote Little on Facebook: “With the combination of the sale of the buildings, the start of demolition, costly infrastructure repairs and upgrades that we would need to shoulder to remain open for the short remainder of our lease (without an opportunity to extend the lease) along with a slow decline in sales we decided it was the right time to close the business to focus on our other businesses and some personal family needs….The gay bar industry has been changing over the past few years with the popularity of dating apps, changing social norms, and pop-up parties/events at non-gay venues and we applaud these evolutions as positive progress. And it is our hope that patrons will encourage these businesses to support the greater LGBT community to continue the good work and social change that Cobalt and all of the many other gay bars, restaurants, and businesses (past and present) have worked so hard to achieve.”

And in Baltimore, Maryland, the city's largest gay nightclub Grand Central, announced it had new owners.

The Baltimore Sun reported: “The Mount Vernon property was sold to Baltimore-based Landmark Partners for $1.4 million, Davis said. Davis originally asked for $1.85 million. The turn-key sale included the furniture, equipment, sound system and liquor license. The bar's liquor inventory was sold separately. The sale was finalized Feb. 28…[new owner Jon] Pannoni declined to elaborate whether plans for the property included an LGBTQ nightclub.”