The artist/nightlife collective owners have announced that The Stud, which lays claim to being San Francisco’s oldest gay bar, will not reopen at its current location when COVID-19 restrictions are eventually lifted.
The collective has retained the bar’s license, and will continue to perform together at special events in other venues until they are able to purchase a new bar. An online drag funeral will be held on Sunday, May 31, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.
The bar has been in operation for 54 years, including 33 in its present location.
The Stud opened in 1966 at 1535 Folsom Street at what is now the Holy Cow. The original owners, George Mason and Alexis Muir, opened it as a cowboy-themed macho bar, but soon shifted to cater to the queer hippie culture emerging in The City. Muir, the grandniece of naturalist John Muir, was a pioneer as a transwoman bar owner in a neighborhood where the hyper-masculine gay bars at the time weren’t supportive of women, drag queens, or gender-noncomforming patrons.
In 1987, The Stud moved from Folsom Street to the corner of 9th and Harrison Streets. There is was home to a number of well-known parties and events, including Trannyshack, Heklina’s Tuesday night drag show that was later reborn as Mother at Oasis; the drag party Some Thing; Lucky Pierre, a monthly party that featured patrons playing games of strip poker; Gus Presents’ Hot Mess and its infamous lube wrestling; Planet Big for heavy guys and their admirers; and so many other parties and events.
The bar nearly shuttered in 2016 when the owner, facing a steep rent increase, decided to retire. A co-op of performers, DJs, and others came together to purchase the bar as a collective.
The Stud’s website has an excellent history of the bar on their homepage.
In the meantime, here is a sampling of photos taken at the bar over the years.
Photos at The Stud
Sources
Ferrannini, John, “Online Extra: COVID-19 leads to closure of the Stud, SF’s oldest LGBT bar,” The Bay Area Reporter, May 20, 2020.
Katz, Leslie, “SF’s historic Stud to close down in style with drag funeral,” San Francisco Examiner, May 21, 2020.
Preserving LGBT Historical Sites in California (Facebook group).
Provenzano, Jim, “Online Extra: The Stud’s closure ends an era, for now,” The Bay Area Reporter, May 21, 2020.
The Stud homepage, accessed May 31, 2020.
I am a native San Franciscan . While growing up in the City I had a few high school friends that were gay .
i remember going out to the funnest clubs in town . We would go to Hamburger Mary’s , The Stud , The City on Montgomery. The End Up Rainbow Cattle Co, We went to all the gay clubs in San francisco.
i remember hanging on Polk street and ending the night at The Haven . or Chez Mollet on Bryant st.
Growing up in San Francisco was the best .
It was magical.