The Stud (bar)

Last updated
The Stud
The Stud bar in San Francisco - mural.jpg
The Stud in 2019
The Stud (bar)
Address1123 Folsom Street
San Francisco
U.S.
Coordinates 37°46′34″N122°24′30″W / 37.77613°N 122.40843°W / 37.77613; -122.40843
Type Gay bar
OpenedMay 27, 1966
Years active57 years in business (not continuously; has been closed before)

The Stud is a gay bar currently located on 1123 Folsom Street in San Francisco. [1] [2]

Contents

It was started by associates George Matson and Alexis Muir (Muir was a transgender woman then known as Richard Conroy) on May 27, 1966. [3] [4] According to George Matson, it was a "bar for people, not just pretty bodies". [3] Originally, the Stud was located at 1535 Folsom Street; in 1987, it moved to Ninth and Harrison Streets. [3] [5]

The Stud closed in May 2020, due to financial troubles stemming from a shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; [6] [7] [8] however, the Stud reopened on April 20, 2024, on 1123 Folsom Street. [1] [2]

History and ownership

This mural was painted on The Stud in 2017 by Xara Thustra and collaborators Monica Caniao and You Go Girl The Stud bar in San Francisco - full view.jpg
This mural was painted on The Stud in 2017 by Xara Thustra and collaborators Monica Caniao and You Go Girl

The Stud was originally started by George Mason and Alexis Muir in 1966. (Alexis Muir was a transgender woman then known as Richard Conroy; her surname Muir may be a reference to John Muir, who was her great-uncle.) [4] In the early 1970s, George sold his half to Alexis. Alexis then sold it to Jerry "Trixie" Jones, Heidi Steffan, and Jan Hill. Jerry "Trixie" Jones was also a partial owner of Hamburger Mary's, an iconic gay restaurant, across the street. In 1974, the Stud was bought out by Jim "Edie" Fleckenstein. [3] Edie died in 1994, leaving the Stud to his partner and resident DJ Larry Holloway aka LaRue and his accountant Ben "Fiesta" Guibord. They then partnered up with Michael McElheney. [3] LaRue died in the 1990s due to complications from HIV/AIDS. [3] Ben "Fiesta" Guibord died in 2011, at the age of 63, also due to complications from HIV/AIDS. [10]

Originally, the Stud was located at 1535 Folsom Street; in 1987, it moved to Ninth and Harrison Streets. [3] [5] In the summer of 2016, the Stud was given a very large rent increase and Michael McElheney decided it was time to retire. When the bar was faced with closure, members of the local community began to organize in hopes of preserving the historic bar. [11] This organizing resulted in the formation of a collective of nightlife professionals, which bought the business from Michael McElheney. [12] Members of the collective include artists, DJs, and performers such as Honey Mahogany, Siobhan Aluvalot, Vivvyanne Forevermore, and Rachel Ryan. [13] The collective took ownership of the Stud on December 30, 2016, making it, according to collective member Nate Allbee, "the very first co-op nightclub in the United States." [11] [12]

The Stud closed in May 2020, due to financial troubles stemming from a shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; [6] [7] [8] however, the Stud reopened on April 20, 2024, on 1123 Folsom Street. [1] [2]

South of Market gay culture in the 1960s and the Stud's significance

In the 1960s, San Francisco's primarily gay areas were Polk Street, the Tenderloin district, and South of Market. [5] South of Market became the hub of the leather subculture in the gay community in 1961 when the gay bar the Tool Box opened its doors as the first leather bar in the neighborhood. [14] [5] When the Stud, along with Febe's, opened up on Folsom Street in 1966, other gay leather bars and establishments catering to this subculture followed creating a foundation for the growing gay leather community. [5] The Stud and the other establishments in this neighborhood created a safe space for gay people to gather, be themselves, and create a community. [15] The Stud was also originally a Hell's Angels hangout; by 1969 it had become a dance bar for hippies on the margins of the leather scene and had a psychedelic black light mural by Chuck Arnett.

Trannyshack

One of San Francisco's longest running drag shows, Trannyshack, was started in 1996 by Heklina, a well known San Francisco drag queen. Many famous drag queens and celebrities graced the stage at Trannyshack, including many contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race and RuPaul himself. Due to controversy over the use of the word "tranny", the show's name was called into question, prompting Heklina to end it and rebrand. [16] In 2008, Trannyshack ended its run at the Stud. [16]

Honors

Alexis Muir, a cofounder and former owner, was honored in 2017 along with other notables, named on bronze bootprints, as part of San Francisco South of Market Leather History Alley. [17] [18]

The Stud is part of the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors established the district with legislation signed into law by the mayor on May 9, 2018. [19] [20] A ribbon cutting was held on June 12 that year outside the Stud. [21] [22] [23] [24] [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leather subculture</span> Subculture involving leather garments

Leather subculture denotes practices and styles of dress organized around sexual activities that involve leather garments, such as leather jackets, vests, boots, chaps, harnesses, or other items. Wearing leather garments is one way that participants in this culture self-consciously distinguish themselves from mainstream sexual cultures. Many participants associate leather culture with BDSM practices and its many subcultures. For some, black leather clothing is an erotic fashion that expresses heightened masculinity or the appropriation of sexual power; love of motorcycles, motorcycle clubs and independence; and/or engagement in sexual kink or leather fetishism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South of Market, San Francisco</span> Neighborhood in San Francisco, California, US

South of Market (SoMa) is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, situated just south of Market Street. It contains several sub-neighborhoods including South Beach, Yerba Buena, and Rincon Hill.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI), also called Order of Perpetual Indulgence (OPI), is a charitable, protest, and street performance movement that uses drag and religious imagery to satirize issues of sex, gender, and morality and fundraise for charity. In 1979, a small group of gay men in San Francisco began wearing the attire of Catholic nuns in visible situations using camp to promote various social and political causes in the Castro District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folsom Street Fair</span> Kink and leather fair in San Francisco

Folsom Street Fair (FSF) is an annual kink, leather subculture, and alternative sexuality street fair, held in September that concludes San Francisco's "Leather Pride Week". The Folsom Street Fair, sometimes referred to simply as "Folsom", takes place on the last Sunday in September, on Folsom Street between 8th and 13th Streets, in San Francisco's South of Market district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trannyshack</span> San Francisco drag club

Trannyshack was a San Francisco drag club started by drag queen Heklina in 1996 as an offshoot of Klubstitute, and was a weekly fixture at The Stud bar in San Francisco for 12 years, drawing large crowds on a regular basis. The Tuesday night performances at The Stud ended on 12 August 2008, with Trannyshack resuming as a monthly event at DNA Lounge in March 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compton's Cafeteria riot</span> 1966 protest for transgender rights in San Francisco

The Compton's Cafeteria riot occurred in August 1966 in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. The riot was a response to the violent and constant police harassment of trans people, particularly trans women, and drag queens. The incident was one of the first LGBTQ-related riots in United States history, preceding the more famous 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. It marked the beginning of transgender activism in San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sister Roma</span> American drag queen and activist

Michael Williams,, known professionally as Sister Roma, is an American drag queen activist, gay pornography director, fundraiser, entertainer and event host/emcee. He has been a member of San Francisco's Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence since 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heklina</span> American drag queen and actor (1967–2023)

Stefan Grygelko, best known by the name Heklina, was an American actor, drag queen, LGBT rights activist and entrepreneur based in San Francisco, California. Born in the Minneapolis area, Grygelko's mother was Icelandic; he lived in the Nordic country for a period of three years in the 1980s, with the name "Heklina" being created after an Icelandic volcano, Hekla. Heklina founded the iconic San Francisco LGBT/drag nightclub and live show Trannyshack in 1996.

I think that drag queens are still the eunuch clown that's safe to laugh at. It's definitively not shocking anymore. So I don't know if America's really embraced it. The early 90s was when RuPaul [was becoming famous] and it was the first time any drag queen had mainstream exposure. I don't really see a drag queen breaking out like that [again].

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pollo Del Mar</span>

Pollo Del Mar is an award-winning American drag queen performer, pro wrestling personality, journalist, activist and recording artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Arnett</span> American artist and dancer (1928-1988)

Charles "Chuck" Arnett was an American artist and dancer who was born in Bogalusa, Louisiana and died in San Francisco. His best-known work is the Tool Box mural (1962).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ culture in San Francisco</span>

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) community in San Francisco is one of the largest and most prominent LGBT communities in the United States, and is one of the most important in the history of American LGBT rights and activism alongside New York City. The city itself has been described as "the original 'gay-friendly city'". LGBT culture is also active within companies that are based in Silicon Valley, which is located within the southern San Francisco Bay Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folsom Street</span> Street in California, U.S.

Folsom Street is a street in San Francisco which begins perpendicular to Alemany Boulevard in San Francisco's Bernal Heights district and ends perpendicular to the Embarcadero on the San Francisco Bay. For its southern half, Folsom Street runs north–south, but it turns northeasterly at 13th street. It runs through San Francisco's Bernal Heights district, Mission District, SoMa District, Yerba Buena District, and South Beach district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esta Noche (gay bar)</span> Bar in San Francisco, California, USA

Esta Noche was the first Latino gay bar in San Francisco and notably contributed to queer Latin culture. It operated from 1979 to 2014, and was located at 3079 16th Street between Valencia Street and Mission Street in San Francisco, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco South of Market Leather History Alley</span> Monument in San Francisco, United States of America

The San Francisco South of Market Leather History Alley consists of four works of art that honor the history of gay and lesbian leather culture in South of Market, San Francisco. The art is embedded in Ringold Street, an alley between 8th and 9th Street. The installation opened in 2017. The alley is part of the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District</span>

The Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District is a cultural district in San Francisco's South of Market (SOMA) neighborhood commemorating the history and culture of the leather subculture active in the area for approximately half a century. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors established the district with legislation signed into law by the mayor on May 9, 2018. A ribbon cutting was held on June 12 that year outside the Stud on 9th St.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Eagle</span> Gay bar in San Francisco, California, U.S.

San Francisco Eagle is a gay bar in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood, in the U.S. state of California. The bar caters to the bear community and the leather subculture. Lex Montiel is one of the bar's owners, as of 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blow Buddies</span> Gay sex club in San Francisco, California

Blow Buddies (1988–2020) was the largest gay sex club in San Francisco, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Eagle (bar)</span> Name shared by multiple gay bars

The Eagle is a name used by multiple gay bars. It is not a franchise or chain of gay bars, but rather a name adopted by bars inspired by The Eagle's Nest, a leather bar in New York City. Bars that use the name "Eagle" typically cater to a clientele of gay men in leather and other kink subcultures. As of 2017, over 30 gay bars in locations around the world operate under the name "Eagle".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Utah (San Francisco, California)</span> Historic building in San Francisco

The Hotel Utah is a historic mixed-use building known as a saloon bar, live music venue, and residential hotel, built in 1908 and located in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco, California. It is known for its diverse open mic nights, which have historically attracted some people who have later become famous. It is also known as The Utah Inn, The Hotel Utah Saloon, and simply The Utah.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "About". The Stud.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Stud's return: historic bar's triumphant third time's a charm". Bay Area Reporter.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Freeman, M. (1994). The Stud: A Dreamspace for Queer Angels. The Bay Area Reporter.
  4. 1 2 "Healdsburg Tribune, Enterprise and Scimitar 21 November 1977 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". Cdnc.ucr.edu. 1977-11-21. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Brook, J., Carlsson, C., and Peters, N. J. (1998). Reclaiming San Francisco: history, politics, culture. San Francisco: City Lights
  6. 1 2 "2020". The Stud.
  7. 1 2 Kost, Ryan. "The Stud to permanently close its SoMa bar location due to coronavirus losses".
  8. 1 2 "The Oldest Queer Bar In San Francisco Closes Its Doors". www.npr.org.
  9. Barmann, Jay (2017-06-22). "Photo(s) Du Jour: The Stud's Rad New Mural". SFist. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
  10. Laird, C. (September 29, 2011). "Memorial Sunday for Stud co-owner Benjamin Guibord". The Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  11. 1 2 Kukura, J. (December 7, 2016). "The Stud Announces New Two-Year Lease, And Plans To Move To New Location After That" Archived 2017-05-09 at the Wayback Machine . SFist. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  12. 1 2 Kane, P. (February 15, 2017). "How the Stud was saved". SFWeekly. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  13. "The Stud Is Saved, For Now, As 15-Member Co-Op Secures Funds To Purchase Historic Club: SFist". SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports. 2016-08-04. Archived from the original on 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  14. "Leather History Timeline-Leather Archives". Leatherarchives.org. Archived from the original on 2012-04-21. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
  15. Achilles, Nancy. (1967). "The Development of the Homosexual Bar as an Institution". In Gagnon, John H. and William Simon. New York: Harper & Row.
  16. 1 2 Barmann, J. (May 21, 2014). "SF Institution Trannyshack Changing Name Amid PC Pressure" Archived 2017-03-26 at the Wayback Machine . SFist. Retrieved (April 20, 2017)
  17. "Ringold Alley's Leather Memoir". Public Art and Architecture. 2017-07-17. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  18. Paull, Laura (2018-06-21). "Honoring gay leather culture with art installation in SoMa alleyway". J. JWeekly.com. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  19. "File #: 171019". Sfgov.legistar.com. City and County of San Francisco. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  20. 1 2 Sabatini, Joshua (2018-05-02). "SF expands cultural districts to include SoMa's gay and leather community". The San Francisco Examiner. Archived from the original on 2019-03-14. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  21. "Victory Party for Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District". The Stud. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  22. Brenden Shucart (2018-07-31). "Protecting Queer Spaces". The Fight Magazine. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  23. Highleyman, Liz (2018-06-13). "Leather cultural district cuts ribbon". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  24. "Leather Community Celebrates Designated District At This Year's SF Pride". CBS SF Bay Area. 2018-05-24. Retrieved 2018-06-24.