Guide to the Tavern Guild of San Francisco Records,
1961-1993
Processed by Martin Meeker and Heather Arnold.
© 2003
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society. All rights reserved.
Guide to the Tavern Guild of San Francisco Records,
1961-1993
Accession number: 1995-02
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society
San Francisco, California
- Processed by:
- Martin Meeker and Heather Arnold
- Date Completed:
- July, 2003
© 2003 The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Tavern Guild of San Francisco Records,
Date (inclusive): 1961-1993
Accession number: 1995-02
Creator:
Tavern Guild of San Francisco
Extent:
21 boxes, 2 folders
Repository: The
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.
San Francisco, California.
Abstract: Minutes, correspondence, financial papers, membership materials, ephemera, photographs, and banners, 1962-1993 (11.25 linear
feet), document the work of the Tavern Guild of San Francisco in promoting the interests of gay bars in San Francisco as well
as the growth of the Tavern Guild into a well-known service and fundraising organization.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright to unpublished manuscript materials has been transferred to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Tavern Guild of San Francisco Records, 1995-02, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.
Acquisition Information
Donated to the GLBT Historical Society by Stanley Boyd in 1995.
Organizational History
The Tavern Guild of San Francisco (TGSF) was founded in 1962. The organization had its roots in an informal gathering of gay
bar owners and employees who met regularly to socialize and to share news of interest to members of the gay bar community.
Phil Doganiero, a bartender at the Suzy-Q bar on Polk Street, was elected the first president of the nascent organization;
he was followed by others such as Bill Plath (owner of the D'Oak Room) and Darryl Glied (owner of the Jumpin' Frog). In
Wide Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965, historian Nan Boyd writes,
The Tavern Guild had initially formed to bring business to alternating bars on typically slow Tuesday afternoons, and the
original members stressed the importance of drinking--and gossip. But within its first year, TGSF instituted a number of policies
that helped protect bartenders, bar owners, and patrons from continued problems.
(p. 223) These problems included patrons who wrote bad checks, police harassment, Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) actions
against bars, and the chronic unemployment faced by bartenders whose jobs were subject to the whims of patrons and the actions
of police. While the core of the Tavern Guild was bar owners and employees, members of the homophile movement were involved
(like Hal Call of the Mattachine Society) and helped provide the Tavern Guild with an organizational structure in its early
years.
Along with protecting gay bar owners and employees, the Tavern Guild reached out as a charitable organization and staged fundraising
events for homophile organizations like the Mattachine Society, the Daughters of Bilitis, and the Society for Individual Rights,
and, later in the 1960s, for non-gay organizations like the United Farm Workers and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Funds were most often raised at events such as auctions, dances, and other social gatherings. Perhaps the most important of
these events, the annual Beaux Arts Ball, was first held in October 1963. At the October 1965 Beaux Arts Ball, José Sarria
was named queen of the ball; in a Napoleonic gesture, Sarria responded by declaring himself "Empress." The Empress title stuck
and at the following year's ball a new Empress was elected to lead the recently formed Imperial Court--an official "project"
of the Tavern Guild that became the locus of many social and benevolent activities.
The San Francisco Tavern Guild Foundation (SFTGF) was created to be the organization's fundraising and philanthropic arm.
The foundation identified organizations and causes worthy of financial support and distributed funds to those organizations
and causes. The SFTGF consisted merely of a board of directors, so the actual events, though sponsored by the Foundation,
were organized and staffed by volunteers from the TGSF membership. While both organizations had non-profit status, the SFTGF
was a tax-exempt entity, so it was not allowed to give money to the TGSF, except as seed money for fund-raising activities.
The SFTGF spearheaded several fundraising and service-oriented projects, including the Godfathers (ca. 1984), Operation Concern
(1974), and the Community Thrift Store (1982), the latter two of which eventually were spun off into independent organizations.
The membership and, consequently, the influence of the Tavern Guild grew from the 1960s through the early 1980s. From the
handful of members in the early 1960s, in June 1980 the Tavern Guild claimed a member base of at least 184 individuals and
86 businesses, mostly gay and lesbian bars. Other gay and lesbian communities around the country adopted the Tavern Guild
model and name in the 1970s and 1980s. For many reasons, including a pronounced generational divide and the widespread death
and community fragmentation as a result of the AIDS epidemic, the Tavern Guild lost members and influence throughout the 1980s.
The organization disbanded about 1995.
Reflecting upon the source of the longstanding power and influence of the Tavern Guild, bar owner and Tavern Guild member
Rikki Streicher said in an interview with Nan Boyd,
The Tavern Guild was probably singly the reason why bars achieved a success politically. Because a buck is the bottom line
at all times. And the bars had commanded an enormous amount of money in terms of the city. So when they began to invite politicians
to their meetings, the politicians realized that here's an organized group and that, number one, they have money and, number
two, they have votes.
(
Wide Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965, p.226)
Scope and Content of Collection
Minutes, correspondence, financial papers, membership materials, ephemera, photographs, and banners, 1962-1993 (11.25 linear
feet), document the work of the Tavern Guild of San Francisco (TGSF) in promoting the interests of gay bars in San Francisco
as well as the growth of the Tavern Guild into a well-known service and fundraising organization. The collection reveals how
the organization was run, how it changed through the years, who its members were, and its activities, goals, and methods.
It also gives insight into the San Francisco bar scene and the changing concerns of the gay community in San Francisco from
the 1960s through the 1980s.
The first series contains documents such as constitutions, by-laws, and organizational histories that provide an overview
of the organization and its mission. The Meeting Minutes Series reveals who was active in the organization, how it was run,
and concerns of members, as well as what events, programs, and projects the Tavern Guild was involved in. Series 9, Administrative
and Miscellaneous, contains a few items related to the running of the Tavern Guild office.
The third series, Correspondence, is relatively small (nine folders) and contains a wide range of topics. The Financial Series
includes financial reports and other summary financial data as well as a sampling of receipts and invoices. Income tax returns
and applications for tax-exempt status can also be found here. The Membership Series could be mined for data regarding the
demographics of San Francisco bars. Included on the membership forms are the names, addresses, and owners of bars, and the
names, addresses, and places of employment of bar employees. Meeting attendance lists show who attended each meeting.
Series 6 and 7 concern events, programs, and projects the Tavern Guild of San Francisco and San Francisco Tavern Guild Foundation
were involved in. Some were ongoing or annual, such as the Beaux Arts Ball and Community Thrift Store, and others were more
short term. Financial documentation, correspondence, and ephemera comprise the bulk of these series. Photographs of some events
can be found in series 10, Photographs.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into 11 series:
-
General
-
Meeting Minutes
-
Correspondence
-
Financial
-
Membership
-
Events
-
Programs and Projects
-
Political Subject Files
-
Administrative and Miscellaneous
-
Photographs
-
Banners
One box of legal-sized materials is found at the end of the collection (box 20).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Nightlife
Homophile movement
Politics and elections
Separated Material
Items removed the collection totaled about two cartons and included the following materials:
-
Ephemera: Flyers for events and bars were removed to the Ephemera Collection.
-
Duplicates: Duplicate financial information was removed from the collection, but examples of receipts as well as summarized financial
statements were retained.
Related Material at the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society
Title: Scott Bishop Papers,
Identifier/Call Number: 1990-11
Title: Matthew Brown Papers,
Identifier/Call Number: 2001-23
Title: Robert Cramer Papers,
Identifier/Call Number: 1996-19
Title: Golden Gate Business Association,
Identifier/Call Number: 1990-06
Title: Henri I. Leleu Papers,
Identifier/Call Number: 1997-13
Title: Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Papers,
Identifier/Call Number: 1993-13
Title: Don Lucas Papers,
Identifier/Call Number: 1997-25
Title: People's Fund Records,
Identifier/Call Number: 1988-06
Title: Q.T. Bar Records and Artifacts,
Identifier/Call Number: 1997-70
Title: David Root Slides,
Identifier/Call Number: 1990-07
Title: José Sarria Papers,
Identifier/Call Number: 1996-01
Title: Wide Open Town History Project Records
Title: GLBTHS Sites Database
Title: GLBTHS Poster Collection:
bar and Beaux Arts Ball posters
Title: GLBTHS Ephemera Collection:
Organizations/Groups; Recurring Events; Sites
Title: GLBTHS Oral History Collection:
Don Lucas; José Sarria; Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin; Otto Bremerman; Bill Plath
Note
A copy of the collection register is kept in the first box of the collection (1/21).
Box 20 contains legal sized material.
Series 1:
General,
1964-1993, n.d.
Physical Description:
13 Folders
Scope and Content Note
This series includes the constitution and by-laws of the Tavern Guild of San Francisco and the San Francisco Tavern Guild
Foundation, a history of the organizations, information about their establishment, relationship, and boards of directors.
The awards include two plaques: a Cable Car Award and an award from the Godfather's Service Fund.
Box-folder 1/1
History and Pamphlets,
1966, n.d.
Box-folder 1/2
Tavern Guild of San Francisco Constitution and By-Laws,
1969-1975, n.d.
Box-folder 20/1
Tavern Guild of San Francisco Constitution and By-Laws, Legal Size,
1970, n.d.
Box-folder 1/3
Tavern Guild of San Francisco Constitution and By-Laws Proposed Changes,
1967, 1982, n.d.
Box-folder 20/2
Tavern Guild of San Francisco Constitution and By-Laws Proposed Changes, Legal Size,
1970, n.d.
Box-folder 20/3
Tavern Guild of San Francisco Articles of Incorporation,
1964
Box-folder 1/4
Tavern Guild of San Francisco Member Guidelines,
n.d.
Box-folder 1/5
San Francisco Tavern Guild Foundation Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws,
1972, 1981, n.d.
Box-folder 1/6
Minutes of First Meeting of Incorporators and First Board of Directors of San Francisco Tavern Guild Foundation,
1972
Box-folder 1/7
Coexistence Rules and "Fiscal Agents" Memorandum,
1982, n.d.
Box-folder 1/8
Tavern Guild of San Francisco Board and Elections,
1975-1993
Box-folder 1/10
Rules and Regulations of Peninsula Guild,
n.d.
Series 2:
Meeting Minutes,
1962-1993, n.d.
Physical Description:
3 Boxes
Scope and Content Note
This series includes meeting minutes for both board meetings and general meetings, and door sign-in sheets for general meetings.
Minutes and attendance sheets have been filed separately, each chronologically by year. Because the general meeting usually
occurred the same day as the board meeting, the minutes of the two meetings were combined and distributed together, in a document
that the Tavern Guild called its "newsletter." These newsletters often included enclosures of various kinds, including flyers,
financial statements, memoranda or letters, and bad check lists. We have tried to keep these items in the Meeting Minutes
Series because they were distributed with them. Handwritten notes from meetings or first drafts of minutes have been kept,
when these existed, and filed with the final copy.
A wide range of topics are covered in this series: administration of the organization as well as events, programs, and projects.
Box-folder 1/11
Spiral Notebook of Minutes and Correspondence,
1962-1963
Series 3:
Correspondence,
1964-1993, n.d.
Physical Description:
9 Folders
Scope and Content Note
This series includes incoming and outgoing letters and telegrams arranged chronologically. While an effort was made to keep
enclosures with correspondence, some may have been separated into other series. Correspondence about donations made by the
Tavern Guild is included in this series, but receipts and items treated as invoices by the Tavern Guild were removed to the
Financial Series. For example, a letter asking for a donation is in the Correspondence Series unless a check number and amount
paid is noted on it, in which case it is in the Financial Series.
Correspondents include lawyers, Tavern Guild members, other community groups, and vendors. Additional correspondence with
Accountants and the Internal Revenue service may be found in the Financial Series. A notebook containing a small amount of
correspondence can be found in the first folder of the Meeting Minutes Series.
Series 4:
Financial,
1964-1993, n.d.
Physical Description:
3 Boxes
Scope and Content Note
This series includes financial documentation for both TGSF and SFTGF. Due to the nature of the relationship between the two
organizations, it was often difficult to separate the material intellectually and impossible to separate it physically because
it is printed on the same pieces of paper. Types of material include monthly, quarterly, and yearly financial reports, check
registers, statements, invoices, and receipts. Topics include the Hungarian Hall and 170 Valencia purchases, tax-exempt status,
and donations made by the TGSF/SFTGF. Their fiscal year was July 1 through June 30.
This series was weeded extensively of receipts and invoices, with a small number retained as examples. The summarized information,
such as financial statements, was retained in all cases, except duplicates. Financial documentation that pertains to events,
projects, and programs of the organization can also be found in the Events Series and the Programs and Projects Series. Because
the non-profit and tax-exempt status of the organization depended on the money-making activities of many of these projects,
however, some of this documentation is in this series. One folder of carbon copies of receipts, mostly for membership dues,
can be found in the Membership Series.
Items that were treated as invoices by the Tavern Guild are filed as such. For example, a letter asking for a donation is
in the Correspondence Series unless the check number and amount paid is noted on it, in which case it is in the Financial
Series. Thank-you letters for donations are in the Correspondence Series, but receipts for donations are in the Financial
Series, even though they are often very similar in format to letters. Correspondence with accountants and the IRS that came
with the financial material was left in this series. Additional correspondence with accountants may be found in the Correspondence
Series.
Box-folder 5/6
List of Grants and Other Donations Made by Tavern Guild/Foundation by Year,
1975-1981
Box-folder 5/7
170 Valencia Purchase,
1974-1976
Box-folder 5/8
Hungarian Hall Purchase,
1987
Box-folder 5/9
Mission Rebels in Action, Inc. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) Bills,
1968
Box-folder 5/10
Bank Documentation,
1971-1989, n.d.
Box-folder 5/11
Atlas Savings and Loan Passbooks for SFTGF Building Fund,
1982-1986
Box-folder 5/12
Correspondence with Accountants,
1974-1984
Box-folder 5/13
IRS Correspondence,
1974-1987
Box-folder 5/14
State of California Tavern Guild of San Francisco Tax Status,
1964-1987
Box-folder 5/15
State of California San Francisco Tavern Guild Foundation Tax Status,
1972-1979
Box-folder 5/17
TGSF and SFTGF Documents for Tax-Exempt Status,
1974-1990
Box-folder 6/5-6/9
SFTGF Forms 199, 990, CT-2
Box-folder 7/13
Financial Report 1985 San Francisco Tavern Guild Foundation,
1985
Box-folder 8/6
Check Register,
1979-1982
Series 5:
Membership,
[1962]-1992, n.d.
Physical Description:
6 Boxes
Scope and Content Note
This series includes membership applications, membership lists, copies of receipts from 1974 membership dues, and examples
of membership cards and signs. Business memberships were for bars or other businesses and individual memberships were for
employees of bars. Memberships could be regular or associate, and during some years there were honorary members as well. Associate
and honorary members were not eligible to vote.
The applications are a particularly rich source for the history of the demographics of San Francisco bars. It is possible
to trace the names and addresses of bars as they came and went, the names of owners and managers of different bars, the names
and addresses of employees, and where they worked. This series also shows some of the Tavern Guild's membership procedures.
Box-folder 8/7-14/5
Membership Applications, New and Renewal
Box-folder 10/1
1984, Associate Memberships
Box-folder 10/3
1985, Associate Memberships
Box-folder 10/7
1988, Associate Memberships
Box-folder 10/9
1989, Associate Memberships
Box-folder 13/5
1984, Associate Memberships
Box-folder 13/7
1985, Associate Memberships
Box-folder 14/4
1989, Associate Memberships
Box-folder 14/6
Membership Lists,
[1962]-1992
Box-folder 14/7
Carbon Copies of Receipts (mostly membership dues),
1974
Box-folder 14/9
Member Communications,
1973-1991
Box-folder 14/10
Membership Cards,
1985, 1987, n.d.
Box-folder 14/12
Blank Membership Forms,
n.d.
Series 6:
Events,
1961-1993
Physical Description:
1 Box, 7 Folders
Scope and Content Note
This series contains budgets, financial statements, receipts, contracts, agreements, notes, correspondence, ephemera, seating
charts, maps, a button, and clippings relating to events with which the Tavern Guild was involved. Included are events put
on by the Tavern Guild, such as the Beaux Arts Ball, Picnic, and Coronation, as well as events that they participated in but
did not sponsor. More information about events may be found in the Financial Series, Correspondence Series, and Meeting Minutes
Series. Godfathers' events are in the Godfathers subseries of the Programs and Projects Series.
Box-folder 15/25
Shanti Project/KS Foundation Fundraiser,
1983
Box-folder 15/26
S.F. AIDS Fund/Shanti Project Benefit,
1983
Box-folder 15/28
Metropolitan Community Church National Conference Tavern Guild Souvenir Guide,
1974
Box-folder 15/30-15/34
General Event Information
Box-folder 15/32
Ordinance Regarding the Regulation of Poker Games,
n.d.
Box-folder 15/33
Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC),
1961-1991, n.d.
Series 7:
Programs and Projects,
1973-1992, n.d.
Physical Description:
2 Boxes, 7 Folders
Scope and Content Note
This series contains material relating to a number of community service projects and programs with which the TGSF/SFTGF was
involved.
Subseries A:
Godfather Service Fund,
1984-1989
Physical Description:
8 Folders
Scope and Content Note
This subseries concerns the Godfather Service Fund (GSF), an all-volunteer AIDS support program and "a standing committee
of the San Francisco Tavern Guild Foundation." Financial information, correspondence, minutes, and publicity materials from
the GSF reveal the methods by which this committee raised money and dispensed care packages to AIDS patients in various hospitals
around San Francisco. Of particular interest in the Correspondence folder are thank-you notes from patients and patients'
families. Included are special events with which they were involved as beneficiaries, such as the AIDS Bike-a-thon, several
beer busts, and a Solo Supermarket event.
Box-folder 16/2
Correspondence,
1985-1988
Box-folder 16/6
Sunday Brunches,
1984-1985
Subseries B:
Community Thrift Store,
1982-1992, n.d.
Physical Description:
1 Box, 2 Folders
Scope and Content Note
This subseries documents the establishment, administration, and work of the Community Thrift Store. Materials include quarterly
financial statements, correspondence, news releases, legal material, documents relating to tax status, receipts, bank statements,
profit distribution lists, memos, flyers, clippings, an employee manual, and a Thrift Store Operations Agreement. Three Polaroids
of Double Feature Video, the proposed location for a satellite operation called Community Thrift Bookstore, have been moved
to the photographs series. One folder (approx. 1.5") of Organization Histories details the amounts paid to each participating
organization from 1989-1994.
Box-folder 17/9
1984
Note
**RESTRICTED until 2039**
Box-folder 17/13
1991
Note
**RESTRICTED until 2046**
Box-folder 18/1
Organization Histories,
1991
Subseries C:
Other Programs and Projects,
1973-1990, n.d.
Physical Description:
6 Folders
Scope and Content Note
This subseries includes documents relating to six programs and projects of the TGSF/SFTGF.
- The AIDS Hospice Campaign:
- memoranda, clippings, and proposals about the establishment of the campaign
- East Bay AIDS Fund (also called the East Bay Assistance Fund):
- financial documentation, correspondence, and case files relating to auctions and other fundraising activities
- Imperial Court:
- documentation relating to campaigning and voting, as well as some financial material
- LAST CALL:
- a letter regarding an organization called Learning Alcohol Service Techniques for Control Against Liquor Liability
- Operation Concern:
- constitution and by-laws, financial documentation, and correspondence relating to raising funds for mental health care
- San Francisco Prevention Project:
- material from a workshop series to prevent substance abuse
Box-folder 18/2
AIDS Hospice Campaign,
1984
Box-folder 18/3
East Bay AIDS Fund/East Bay Assistance Fund,
1984-1986, n.d.
Box-folder 18/4
Imperial Court,
1974-1990, n.d.
Box-folder 18/7
San Francisco Prevention Project Workshop Series,
1973-1977
Series 8:
Political Subject Files,
1963-1991, n.d.
Physical Description:
14 Folders
Scope and Content Note
This series includes files on political topics of importance to the Tavern Guild such as material from the San Francisco Human
Rights Commission relating to racial discrimination within the gay community.
Box-folder 18/8
Human Rights Commission Hiring Discrimination,
1984-1985
Box-folder 18/9
Racism and Discrimination in San Francisco Gay Bars,
1982-1985, n.d.
Box-folder 18/10
Community Guild Business Association,
1974
Box-folder 19/1
Orange Juice Boycott,
1977
Box-folder 19/4
Golden Gate Gay Liberation House,
1976, n.d.
Box-folder 19/6
Gays in the Military,
1966, n.d.
Box-folder 19/7
Mattachine Society,
1963, 1966, n.d.
Box-folder 20/8
Central City Community Organization,
1973-1974
Box-folder 20/9
Guidelines for Establishment of a Legal Defense Fund for the Gay Community,
1974
Box-folder 20/10
Order Denying Rehearing in Case of Various Homophile Groups v. Pacific Telephone and Telegraph,
1970
Box-folder 19/8
Miscellaneous Political,
1973-1989, n.d.
Series 9:
Administrative and Miscellaneous,
1964-1993, n.d.
Physical Description:
16 Folders
Scope and Content Note
This series includes material relating to running the TGSF office, bad check lists, a San Francisco Bar Directory advertising
order form, and health insurance information. In addition, this series contains flyers, notes, clippings, press releases,
and legal documentation. The second folder of clippings in this series contains an entire issue of the San Francisco Banner
that published a large number of Fictitious Business Name Statements that list the names and addresses of business owners
and their businesses.
Box-folder 19/9
TGSF Blank Letterhead,
n.d.
Box-folder 19/10
Application for Employment Listing,
1989
Box-folder 19/11
Tavern Guild Office Administration,
1986, n.d.
Box-folder 19/12
Bar Directory Advertising Order Form,
n.d.
Box-folder 19/13
Bad Check Lists,
1971, n.d.
Box-folder 19/14
Health Insurance for The Spoiled Brat, Inc.,
1984-1985
Box-folder 19/15
Information Bulletin Regarding Charitable Solicitation,
1985
Box-folder 19/16
Capitol Tire Offer to Members of the SFTG,
n.d.
Box-folder 19/18
Legal Documents,
1978, 1982
Box-folder 19/19
Clippings 1/2,
1964-1983, n.d.
Box-folder 19/21
Polk Street Slaying,
1974
Box-folder 19/22
San Francisco Tavern Guild Press Releases,
1977
Box-folder 19/23
Wayne Friday Speech about Harvey Milk,
n.d.
Box-folder 19/24
Miscellaneous,
1969-1990, n.d.
Series 10:
Photographs,
n.d.
Physical Description:
2 Folders
Scope and Content Note
This series includes color portraits of past presidents, including Don Banks, Dick Gersbach, Bill Plath, and Darryl Glied.
It also includes unidentified portraits and events. Identifiable figures include Dianne Feinstein and Harvey Milk. In addition,
this series contains three Polaroids removed from the Community Thrift Subseries and two photos of the Community Thrift store
at 623 Valencia before and after painting.
Box C Oversize Photo
Seven 11X14 photos of past presidents,
n.d.
Box 2 of Photos from Manuscript Collections
Miscellaneous Photographs,
n.d.
Series 11:
Banners,
n.d.
Physical Description:
1 Box
Scope and Content Note
This series includes four banners, each approximately 3 ½ ft. by 10 ft. All are made of brownish-orange canvas and blue painted
lettering, with grommets around the edge for hanging. One says "Tavern", another "Guild", both in plain lettering. A third
says "Welcome" in Medieval-style lettering. The fourth has the Tavern Guild logo on the left one-third of the banner.
