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Finding Fe-Be's - Rediscovering the history of an iconic bar

Finding Fe-Be's - Rediscovering the history of an iconic bar

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Sep 25, 2019

One thing about Fe-Be's that most people know it is that it was the first leather bar on Folsom Street. If there is a second thing people know, it's that the bar was the place that the iconic "Leather David" was born. But there's more to the bar's story.

Robbie Robinson makes history: former bartender and barber reveals a lost gay San Francisco

Robbie Robinson makes history: former bartender and barber reveals a lost gay San Francisco

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Aug 28, 2019

James "Robbie" Robinson visited San Francisco while stationed at Parks Air Force base in the East Bay in 1957. After being cruised on Market Street, the man led him to the Silver Dollar Bar. His visit began a gay journey in creating community.

Taking the Detour: Fond remembrances of a sexy cruise bar

Taking the Detour: Fond remembrances of a sexy cruise bar

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Jul 24, 2019

Fourteen years after the original Detour Bar closed, mention of it evokes strong memories for patrons, especially after news of a new very different bar taking its name. Let's recall the sexy, cruisy original.

From Stonewall to the White Horse: The Bay Area's part in uprisings that changed the world

From Stonewall to the White Horse: The Bay Area's part in uprisings that changed the world

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Jun 26, 2019

Unlike 1969's Stonewall, disturbances in San Francisco started over job rights. Because the disturbances spread and issues multiplied, they would eventually include at least three bars, including Oakland's White Horse.

The Raid on Tommy's Place - a case of Cold War anti-queer crackdowns

The Raid on Tommy's Place - a case of Cold War anti-queer crackdowns

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • May 16, 2019

Paranoia, red-baiting and homophobia swept across the United States in the early 1950s like a cold fire, and San Francisco was not exempt from its reach. The vile Joseph McCarthy and his toady Roy Cohn engaged the country in the Army-McCarthy hearings.

Fickle Fox's founder, Don Cavallo - The multi-talent also created community

Fickle Fox's founder, Don Cavallo - The multi-talent also created community

  • Apr 10, 2019

Don Cavallo, a multi-talented restaurateur, actor and singer was also one of the first writers for the Bay Area Reporter. He seized the scene in San Francisco and made it his own from his 20s on, including opening the Fickle Fox.

Ann and Maxine Weldon — allies from before Stonewall to the AIDS era

Ann and Maxine Weldon — allies from before Stonewall to the AIDS era

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Mar 6, 2019

Ann and Maxine Weldon from Bakersfield, performed in clubs beginning in the 1950s, and developed relationships with their gay audiences that came to benefit both the audience and the performers.

Life during wartime - Melissa Hawkins' nightlife photos at the GLBT History Museum

Life during wartime - Melissa Hawkins' nightlife photos at the GLBT History Museum

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Feb 13, 2019

The GLBT Historical Society and Museum is presenting the exhibition 'SoMa Nights: The Queer Nightclub Photography Of Melissa Hawkins,' curated by photographer Hawkins and nightlife historian Marke B.

Lenny Mollet — The Godfather of Chez Mollet and other bars

Lenny Mollet — The Godfather of Chez Mollet and other bars

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Jan 24, 2019

Lenny Mollet was a Grand Duke of the Ducal Court, the president of the Tavern Guild, and one of a generation of gay men who fought for a place of their own in the city. He owned a gay bar in San Francisco a decade and a half before the Stonewall riots.

Ministers, homophiles and raging cops - How a raucous New Year's Day ball changed San Francisco

Ministers, homophiles and raging cops - How a raucous New Year's Day ball changed San Francisco

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Dec 26, 2018

History sometimes seems ruled by events with unintended consequences. That certainly is the case with the Mardi Gras Ball at California Hall, which happened on January 1, 1965. It's an event that's been called 'San Francisco's Stonewall.'

A Celebration of Streetbar - How the first gay bar in Palm Springs signaled a change

A Celebration of Streetbar - How the first gay bar in Palm Springs signaled a change

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Nov 28, 2018

Palm Springs has been associated with the gay community for a very long time. But it wasn't always friendly. Streetbar became a pioneering business by breaking new gay ground in 1991.

When Polk Street Exploded: Tear gas, murder and the tradition of the Halloween buses

When Polk Street Exploded: Tear gas, murder and the tradition of the Halloween buses

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Oct 24, 2018

Mention Halloween violence in the LGBT community, and most people think of events of the last decade, which ended the closing of Castro Street for the holiday. But history does repeat itself, as the '60s and'70s Halloween celebrations prove.

Live from the Stud! - Etta James, Sylvester and more - when live music first ruled Folsom Street

Live from the Stud! - Etta James, Sylvester and more - when live music first ruled Folsom Street

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Sep 19, 2018

When we think of entertainment in our bars, the chances are that we think of drag performances or DJs more often than live music. But from the 1960s to the 1980s at the Stud (then at 1535 Folsom Street), live performances often ruled the night.

Charles Pierce: a male actress to remember

Charles Pierce: a male actress to remember

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Aug 22, 2018

Charles Pierce's connection to San Francisco history is easily lost due to his larger than life personality and his talent.