By Honey Mahogany–
San Francisco’s oldest queer bar is ready for yet another act. The Stud has been a San Francisco staple since 1966, and after a four-year-long IRL hiatus, the Stud is back, and it’s here to stay.
Anyone who’s lived in San Francisco for any significant amount of time has a Stud story: someone’s wildest night was at the Stud, another person’s first time in drag was at the Stud, a couple who’s been together for 30 years met at the Stud.
For me, my earliest memories of the Stud come from driving by the iconic venue located at the corner of 9th and Harrison as a child. The boldly painted sign that read STUD with a rainbow flag proudly flying above it left no question in my mind that this was somewhere I needed to be. The Stud was the first gay bar I ever had a drink in—it was the place that made me realize I wanted to start doing drag—it was my home away from home.
Over the years, the Stud has been home to countless people, parties, and scenes. And while I only ever knew the Stud at its 399 9th Street location, many from the generation before me remember when it used to be located at 1535 Folsom Street. But good vibes, even better music, and incredibly wild parties could always be found at the Stud, regardless of its location.
Sadly, the Stud was forced to close in 2020 due to the pressures of the pandemic, but the Stud Collective, a group of artists, bartenders, DJs, and nightlife aficionados have been keeping the dream of the Stud alive. It took the Stud Collective four years to find the perfect space in the Stud’s historic home of SOMA, but the Stud has finally found its new forever home at 1123 Folsom Street.
If that address sounds familiar, it’s because the Stud’s new location was once the home of Julie’s Supper Club. Some might also recall the urban legend that Patty Hearst was kept locked in the basement of this same building back in the 1970s. The space has played host to other venues and ventures, including the sports bar Trademark and the recent Golden Girls pop up.
The new venue will be double the size of the old Stud space with two separate bar areas, and an outdoor patio. While the Stud will be open this month, the Collective has plans to remodel the space—getting rid of the kitchen to expand the dance floor, install a stage in order to host its legendary drag shows, and build drag queen-sized dressing rooms. But the full remodel and realization for the space will take more money than the scrappy collective currently has on hand. Fundraising efforts for the remodel are ongoing.
The Stud Collective is planning a huge comeback party for Saturday, April 20, 2024, where DJs will be playing music spanning over the last six decades in honor of the Stud’s rich musical legacy.
For more information about the Stud, the grand opening party on April 20, and to contribute to fundraising efforts, make sure to visit https://www.studsf.com/
See you at the Stud!
Honey Mahogany, the first openly transgender person to serve on the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee, is a member of the Stud Collective. She is a Co-Founder of the Compton’s Transgender Cultural District, the first legally recognized transgender district in the world. Also a talented performer, she was a “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star and is now part of the queer metal band Commando.
San Francisco’s Oldest Queer Bar Set for Epic Comeback
Published on April 4, 2024
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