San francisco gay night clubs
San Francisco’s fabulous LGBTQIA+ scene is no surprise if you know anything about the city’s history. SF is acknowledged for electing Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the US, and is still known today for its thriving queer community.
At the epicentre of it all is San Francisco’s Castro District, full of performative shows, bars and great restaurants, but there’s plenty more to discover throughout SF (and Oakland) if you recognize where to glance. Whether you’re looking for friendly queer woman bars, balls-to-the-wall Latinx dance parties or a very remarkable drag show, these are the optimal gay bars in SF right now.
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This manual was written by Bay-Area based journalist Clara Hogan. At Time Out, all of our journey guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.
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5 Historic San Francisco Gay Bars We Wish Still Existed
Needless to say, it didn’t take distant for authorities to start surveilling goings on at Fe-Be’s. Starting in 1967, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Govern (ABC) held multiple meetings about the activities of staff and patrons at Fe-Be’s. In 1969, the ABC accused the bar of “behavior contrary to public morals,” including close physical contact amongst men, below the waist. At another hearing, when accused of having sex toys on the premises, Geist (somewhat comedically) claimed that they were merely being used as novelty swallow stirrers.
In 1970, when the bar was closed down for a year, the community that Geist and Kissinger had so lovingly built rallied around Fe-Be’s, with fellow venues holding fundraisers and offering vocal endorse . In December 1971, the bar roared back to existence and stayed deposit until 1986. In the end, it wasn’t legal scrutiny that put an end to Fe-Be’s; it was the toll of the AIDs epidemic on San Francisco’s lgbtq+ community. Kissinger died in 1988, Geist in 1998.
Fe-Be’s lives on today via the Leather David. When Geist and Kissinger first opened
POWERHOUSE BAR San Francisco
For events and hours, visit the Powerhouse facebook page at this link
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Dore Streetway Sunday:
Powerhouse Bar
1347 Folsom St
San Francisco, CA 94103
Visit the Powerhouse facebook page at this link
Midnight Sun
Est. 1971
Servicing the Castro over 50 years
Midnight Light began its journey in the vibrant 1970s at 506 Castro Street, most recently home to the now-closed Body Shop. In 1981, we moved to our current location around the corner at 4067 18th Street.
Originally a windowless plumbing warehouse, the recent venue transformed into a lively social hub, pioneering the concept of a video bar at the same time as the rise of MTV. Our screens showcased music videos, interspersed with clips from popular shows like Gay as Folk and Sex in the City.
While Twin Peaks Tavern made history in 1972 as the first gay bar in San Francisco to install plate glass windows, Midnight Sun bookended this history in 2011 by becoming the last gay block in the Castro to add windows, embracing openness and visibility, and contributing to the rich tapestry of San Francisco’s LGBTQIA+ history.
RSVP
THU – FRI | 2pm – 2am
SAT | 12:30pm – 2am
SUN | 1pm – 12am
MON – WED | 2pm – 12am
4067 18th Street
San Francisco, CA 94114