Twin Peaks Tavern (401 Castro St)

There were gay bars in the 1940s and 1950s scattered throughout San Francisco. They were extremely secretive, To get to them you usually had to walk down an alleyway, knock on a door, and arrive at a bar without any windows. Many people were terrified to go to these bars, they were often raided by the police with cameras who would subsequently publish your photo in the newspapers. People would lose their jobs and their families.

Twin Peaks opened in 1971 as a gay bar. This place has large windows and sits right on the corner of two main streets. For the first time, patrons could see the sunlight and people outside the bar could see in. This was one of the first bars of its kind in the entire world. A place where people could finally come out of hiding and be proud.