Queer Voices Lecture Series

When the Bar was the Only Place in Town

Every city has its meeting places, where like-minded people go to socialize. For nearly a century in pre-Stonewall, pre-liberation San Francisco, bars were the only public places where gays and lesbians could meet openly. Those storefronts created a sense of community by establishing a “neighborhood” feeling that came from a shared identity rather than geography.

Discover the forgotten history of San Francisco’s gay bars from the 1890s through the 1980’s in this entertaining talk by historian Ellen Klages, author of the award-winning queer SF novel, Passing Strange.

Lecture: $10

Lecture and 2:00pm Tour: $20 ($5 savings)

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