Before the Castro - LGBTQ+ History of the Barbary Coast Walking Tour - SF

Explore the locations of dozens of queer-friendly spaces as far back as the 18th century in SF's original "gayborhood."

Decades before Stonewall, the rainbow flag, or Harvey Milk, queer-friendly entertainment venues were all over the Barbary Coast, providing some of the earliest prototypes of LGBTQ+ spaces and often showcasing revolutionary gender non-conformity.

You'll learn about how a Latinx drag queen, who outwitted the police, became the first openly-gay candidate for office; a Black bisexual singer who lit up marquees with salacious lyrics; and scores of queer womxn who resisted the Lavendar Scare. This walk guides you through the historic and scenic sites of the Jackson Square district. Learn how brave queer people made visible the “unspeakable vice” of the Victorians and—through the process—gained a voice.

The walking component of the tour lasts 90 minutes and ends at an historic, formerly queer, North Beach watering hole where we will proceed to optional (but highly recommended!) drinks and networking.

Our tour begins at 5:00 PM sharp, rain or shine, outside the SF Historical Society, 608 Commercial Street, (cross street Montgomery). Public transit: the venue is a 5-10 minute walk from Montgomery BART/Muni station.

Our tour ends at approximately 6:30 PM at an historic, formerly queer, North Beach watering hole where we will proceed to optional (but highly recommended!) drinks and networking. Refreshments to be purchased separately.

Due to the fluid nature of this unique walking tour, we highly encourage you to set aside extra time after the published end of the tour.

Wheelchair Accessibility:
We do our best to plan routes that are accessible and inclusive. If you have any special considerations, please let us know ahead of time and we can alter the route to be even easier to follow.

About Our Guide

Shawn Sprockett is founder of Unspeakable Vice, an independent tour run by queer locals in the community. Shawn is a local gay designer who began studying his neighborhood's queer history in 2018. Qualified guest hosts may run the tour when there are scheduling conflicts.

Unspeakable Vice has featured on Bay Area Reporter, SF Historical Society, and GLBT Historical Society. Check out more of their tours to see how the “unspeakable vice” of the Victorians gained a voice during a turbulent century.