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The Polly Polaroid Paradox: Tracking down the woman behind the legend

The Polly Polaroid Paradox: Tracking down the woman behind the legend

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Jul 14, 2020

Polly Polaroid was a presence for around two decades in the gay bars of San Francisco — and yet no one seemed to remember her story. She would make her rounds in the bars, saying "Photo to remember the evening?" to all patrons — and yet she disappeared an

Hearing their stories: Queercore Podcasts share LGBT history

Hearing their stories: Queercore Podcasts share LGBT history

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Jul 13, 2020

The QueerCore Podcast, hosted by August Bernadicou, elucidates radical, LGBTQ activists' dark histories. It is a spotlight on the catalysts who fought in the front-lines, in the back-lines and in the trenches of civil rights.

Mapping the Gay Guides Project highlights historic queer spaces

Mapping the Gay Guides Project highlights historic queer spaces

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Jul 4, 2020

A new scholarly project at Cal State Fullerton, created by Assistant Professor Eric Gonzaba, maps LGBT bars, cafes and hotels from the historic Bob Damron's Gay Guides.

Memory's River: vibrant pre-AIDS history revealed in Mark Abramson's 'River Days, River Nights'

Memory's River: vibrant pre-AIDS history revealed in Mark Abramson's 'River Days, River Nights'

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Jun 23, 2020

The town of Guerneville and the Russian River area are lovingly portrayed in Mark Abramson's latest, 'River Days, River Nights.' The memoir covers the period from 1976 through 1984, an era of considerable change for the region.

Thanks to matching offer from anonymous donor, Bay Area Reporter extends fundraising appeal

Thanks to matching offer from anonymous donor, Bay Area Reporter extends fundraising appeal

  • by Michael Yamashita
  • May 1, 2020

Thank you very much, it has been both humbling and encouraging receiving your generous support when so many are also in need of help. So far, we have raised just over $25,000 and are just 15% away from reaching our goal of $30,000.

The Forgotten Pandemic - Echoes of AIDS History in COVID-19

The Forgotten Pandemic - Echoes of AIDS History in COVID-19

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Apr 28, 2020

Flurries of articles contrasting COVID-19 with HIV have been published in the past few months. None of them initially drew my attention, as the pandemics seem quite different from one another.

You can help support the Bay Area Reporter fundraising campaign

You can help support the Bay Area Reporter fundraising campaign

  • by Michael Yamashita
  • Apr 15, 2020

San Francisco is one of 11 US cities that is fortunate to have a legacy LGBT publication by us, for us, and about us. Help preserve the BAR as an historic and important community institution for the future.

Remembering Esta Noche as queer, POC spaces shutter

Remembering Esta Noche as queer, POC spaces shutter

  • by John Ferrannini
  • Apr 15, 2020

The long illustrious life of the Mission bar Esta Noche, its recent closure and the more recent loss of Club BnB marks a loss of LGBTQ People of Color venues.

Charlotte Coleman: Gay bar superstar: lesbian entrepreneur's 45 years of success

Charlotte Coleman: Gay bar superstar: lesbian entrepreneur's 45 years of success

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Mar 25, 2020

Charlotte Coleman's bars grew from the harassment of the 1950s. But the unintended consequence of losing a job was that she wasn't just a bar owner: she had such business acumen that some of her bars still exist till today.

Big Glass Half-full - LGBT life in the Fillmore of the 1950s and '60s

Big Glass Half-full - LGBT life in the Fillmore of the 1950s and '60s

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Feb 19, 2020

"We used to go to jazz clubs after 2am and drink liquor out of coffee cups. Relations between blacks and whites were excellent. They were glad to have us out in the Fillmore. We were treated like queens, and I don't mean in that sense!"

10th annual readers' poll starts

10th annual readers' poll starts

  • by Cynthia Laird
  • Jan 29, 2020

This year marks the 10th annual Bay Area Reporter readers' poll, the Besties, and voting begins Thursday, January 30.

Tim Lewis: the jazz musician and graphic artist's 'gift of sound and vision'

Tim Lewis: the jazz musician and graphic artist's 'gift of sound and vision'

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Jan 8, 2020

Tim Lewis has been making music and defining the visual landscape of San Francisco for over forty years. There have been peaks during this period when he was playing as many as three gigs a night, and lows where it has been weeks before performances.

Harry Partch at Opus: How the iconoclastic composer performed at a 1950s San Francisco gay bar

Harry Partch at Opus: How the iconoclastic composer performed at a 1950s San Francisco gay bar

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Nov 26, 2019

On the list of things that made composer Harry Partch unique, sexuality is admittedly a minor factor. More unusually, he gave two talks on his music at Opus One, which was both a classical music bar and gay bar in North Beach.

When Doris Fish Resurfaced - 'Blonde Sin' silkscreens at the 2007 Castro Street Fair

When Doris Fish Resurfaced - 'Blonde Sin' silkscreens at the 2007 Castro Street Fair

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Oct 30, 2019

Found treasure that tells the tale of personal history is a story that has been repeated many times. When some silkscreens of drag performer Doris Fish were discovered, a lost legacy became reborn.