At the stroke of midnight uniformed cops burst into the bar, billy clubs swinging. Sixteen patrons were arrested inside the Black Cat, and police chased two more men into New Faces, another gay bar nearby. 31, 1963, a dozen plainclothes policemen observed the New Year’s festivities inside the Black Cat, a gay bar in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood. Its owner, Sol Stoumen, refused to pay off the police for protection against harassment, and his bar was routinely raided and fined from the 1940s through the early 1960s. All the poets went there.” At a time when homophile organizations like the Mattachine Society were largely conciliatory to the police and to city officials, the Black Cat was noteworthy as a site of resistance. The poet Allen Ginsburg, who knew it in the ’50s, described it as an enormous bar with a honky-tonk piano that “everyone” went to: “All the gay screaming queens would come, the heterosexual gray flannel suit types, longshoremen. The bar plays house music while patrons dance with their shirts off it's arguably the most popular gay bar in San Francisco.It wasn’t until after World War II, when gay men and lesbians swarmed San Francisco after service in the Pacific, that the Black Cat assumed a “gayer” personality. Search results are sorted by a combination of factors to give you a set of choices in response to your search criteria. When they say anything goes here, they really mean it. SuperPages SM - helps you find the right local businesses to meet your specific needs. The bar draws a mixed crowd of men and women of all types who enjoy the large heated patio, drag shows, and never ending debauchery.Īnother SF staple is Powerhouse, located in SoMa. Meanwhile, Moby Dick is a classic Castro neighborhood dive bar that's been around since the 1980s and has a more relaxed environment, with pinball, pool and conversation.įor the true San Francisco experience, no self-respecting gay man could visit the city without at least stopping by The Eagle. This is San Francisco’s clubbiest gay bar. Select dates for your trip Sign up Log in Become a host Gay Travel New York City Gay Accommodations NYC. How we can help LGBTQ refugees in Ukraine. Read moreīar-wise, Badlands serves wonderful drink specials while techno, disco, and 80s dance music bumps over the stereo system, transforming a civile happy hour into a sweaty dance pit!įor beers, beards, and all kinds of scruff, 440 Castro offers mature men in their 30s, 40s, and older (as well as those who want to be in their company) a riotous space to let loose in on regular underwear nights.Īt The Café, a mixed crowd of men and women get down beneath strobes and spotlights. Where are the gay bars near me :cocktail: Heres your comprehensive guide to San Francisco gay bars & cafes with exclusive local tips, reviews & maps. SoMa, meanwhile, hosts more alternative gay crowds and fetish-loving communities.īar-wise, Badlands serves wonderful drink specials while techno, disco, and 80s dance music bumps over the stereo system, transforming a civile happy hour into. Not surprisingly, the historic Castro neighborhood is home to most of the gay bars San Francisco has to offer. Each chapter focuses on one particular gay bar (jumping from London to Los Angeles to San Francisco and back), its history and its place in the trajectory of Atherton Lin’s life. This city surrounded by water is also infused with libations.