2:00 - 3:30
Explore North Beach and reveal the locations of dozens of queer-friendly spaces as far back as the 19th century in San Francisco's original "gayborhood." This walk guides you through the historic and scenic sites of the Jackson Square district.
Join Shawn Sprockett, a local queer professor and independent researcher, as he details the sights, sounds and scandals that shaped emerging queer identity in early San Francisco. Decades before Stonewall, the rainbow flag, or Harvey Milk, queer-friendly entertainment venues were all over the Barbary Coast, providing some of the earliest prototypes of LGBTQ spaces and often showcasing revolutionary gender non-conformity. Learn how a Latinx drag queen, a Black bisexual "bomber" and scores of misfit bohemian allies banded together to resist anti-vice oppressors and give voice to that "unspeakable vice of the Greeks."
Please note: The tour group will meet outside of the SF Historical Society (608 Commercial St.), NOT the library. It will start at 2 PM sharp.
Space limited to 20 attendees. Reservations required: sign-up online (starting September 22).
Connect: Unspeakable Vice Tours | Website
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LGBTQIA+ Interest
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For more resources, the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center is the gateway to the Library’s broader collections documenting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual history and culture, with a special emphasis on the San Francisco Bay Area.