Gay bars were often hidden, unmarked enclaves for only those in the know. Often veiled behind tinted glass, with narrow entrances to allow doormen to screen patrons, they needed to hide the goings-on within from the general public, and the police, as a matter of survival. In the late 1960s they started coming out of the dark, announcing themselves with neon signs. These photographs, chiefly by Henri Leleu (from the GLBT Historical Society Archives) capture a dawning of San Francisco's gay bars and clubs, circa 1960s-1970s.
Register to watch the recording on YouTube June 10 through June 17, 2022.
Tickets: $10 | $5 for members of the Tenderloin Museum and the GLBT Historical Society.
Hosted by Jim Van Buskirk with guests Al Barna and Randall Ann Homan of SF Neon. In proud partnership with the Tenderloin Museum and the GLBT Historical Society.
Jim Van Buskirk was the founding Program Manager of the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center at the San Francisco Public Library, and has advised and collaborated with San Francisco Neon. He co-authored Gay by the Bay: A History of Queer Culture in the SFBA and Celluloid San Francisco, and co-edited Identity Envy: Wanting to Be Who We're Not and Love, Castro Street: Reflections of San Francisco. Having contributed to various newspapers, magazines, anthologies, websites, blogs, and radio broadcasts, Jim currently works as a book group facilitator, writer, editor, public speaker, exhibit curator, and collections manager.
Banner photo: Al Barna, Twin Peaks Tavern. Photo below: Randall Homan, Lexington Club.
