1951 – The Why Not opens at 518 Ellis, becoming the City’s first leather bar.1950 – The Nob Hill Club becomes the first gay bar in the Polk.
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At this point, San Francisco has at least 34 gay and lesbian bars. To protect drag queens from being arrested for impersonating the opposite sex with the intent to deceive, he gets them to wear labels that said “I am a boy” to prove that they did not intend to deceive. 1950s – Jose Sarria, now working as a cocktail waiter at the Black Cat, begins performing in drag at the bar, becoming known as the Nightingale of Montgomery Street.1946 – Mona’s moves to 140 Columbus Street.It becomes a hangout for the bohemian and Beat crowds and starts to attract a homosexual clientele, particularly after World War II when gay soldiers stay in the City rather than returning to their hometowns. 1940s – Sol Stoumen acquires the Black Cat in the 1940s.1936 – Finocchio’s, known for its gender illusionist drag performances, moves to 506 Broadway.It closes in 1980, the last of the gay bars on the island where Market Street meets Turk that had also been home to the College Inn and Pirate’s Den. 1935 – The Old Crow opens at 962 Market Street.Waitresses and female performers wear tuxedos in contrast to many gay bars where women were expected to wear skirts. 1934 – Mona’s, the nation’s first lesbian bar, opens on Union Street.
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The Black Cat Café reopens at 710 Montgomery Street before the end of the year.