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SF GAY HISTORY
Photos: Gay and Lbian Historil Society of Northern California. The Black Cat Cafe on Montgomery Street beme home to a gay drag revue starrg José Sarria. Sarria was born San Francis and performed each Sunday afternoon for fifteen years to full ho of 250 or more, g his role as Madame Butterfly to sermonize about homosexual rights and leadg a sg-along of "God Save the Nelly Queens...
When fally closed 1963, The Black Cat had broken the barriers that prevented overtly gay bars om existg eely. A 1951 California Supreme Court cisn banned the closg down of a bar simply bee homosexuals were the ual ctomers. Sarria for Supervisor, 1961, first openly gay person to n for office San Francis.
Manuel Castells nvcgly argu The Grassroots and the Cy that The Black Cat had also tablished an important cultural precent for the gay muny: fun and humor. At a time when the Castro District was a blue-llar, fay-oriented neighborhood, the legal right to operate a “gay bs” was won for the first time right here at 710 Montgomery Street.