Tag Archives: Gay Bar

SF Eagle to Re-Open!?

It’s been over a year now, and the City of San Francisco has been without one of its iconic Leather bars, The SF Eagle. This site’s most popular post ever heralded its loss. In a city where real estate is at a premium, the expansive patio had for years provided a big outdoor space where Old Leather and New Gear, club brothers and Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Queers of all spots and stripes and even friendly str8 hipsters and visiting moms could all relax, if not quite mix. For the last year, a group of die-hards has occupied other bars for monthly Eagle in Exile events. Now, it seems, the bar is set to re-open…under gay ownership. There has been a lot of weird back-room politics on this one, and there was a moment when it appeared that the place would be delivered to straights. And now?

The New SF Eagle states on their website:

“It will take a couple of months to do the much-needed repairs and upgrades that the property requires, but some upcoming events are already in the works prior to the opening of the bar. Please check this website periodically for new announcements coming soon.

The bar and patio located at 398 12th Street has long been a special place, not only to the LGBT community, but to the entire community for decades, not to mention the live music community as well. We just couldn’t let such a historic place like this disappear!

We will continue to host fundraisers for all the organizations from the past, as well as welcoming new ones to make the S.F. Eagle the pride of our community once again.

We look forward to seeing all of you very soon!”

Well…Cool! Looking forward to the re-opening with (guarded) optimism!

Eagle Poster by Uyvari, 1981. This poster, and lots of other hot, hard art will be on display at the Tough Love exhibit in San Francisco during the month of September. Cum out and see sum!

Jackhammer Bear

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Bear friend shot in Mendocino County. Vintage T-Shirt from the former Jackhammer bar in San Francisco.

English Riots close Bars in Birmingham Gayborhood

Big Gay Blogger Joe My God reports that the unrest in England has spread beyond London to Birmingham, shutting down businesses in the Gayborhood there. Popular bars that have shut their doors on the advice of local police include Missing, The Loft, The Equator, Purple Bar and The Angel. More here.

Endangered Leather Species Alert: SF Eagle gone, NYC Eagle threatened…

Gay marriage passes in NYC. On the same night, the Eagle NYC is raided. Some insiders think this is the beginning of the end for the bar. Will this be the latest Leather institution lost to the forces of gentrification? Jeremiah from Vanishing New York seem to think so.  Unicorn Booty reports from Gotham. For the death throes of the SF Eagle, click here, here, and  here. For the graffiti that sprouted after the doors shut, here.

Stay Gay! SF’s Eagle Bar sprouts Critical Graffiti Wall – Big Slide Show

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It has been  a few weeks now since the SF Eagle closed its doors. No bikes out front, no men inside, chained shut, it sits empty. But not silent. Its walls speak. In several languages, actually. Graffiti farewells and protests decorate the outside of the once vibrant gathering place. What comes next, no one knows. For more on the demise of the beloved San Francisco Leather bar, click here, here, here, and here.