San Francisco's oldest lesbian bar, The Wild Side West, is in the Bernal Heights neighborhood. It's been open since 1962 and has a long history of offering sanctuary to a community that hasn't always felt welcome elsewhere. As lesbian bars around the Bay Area have been closing, the Wild Side West has survived in part because of dedicated regulars, like Timotha Doane, who has been going there for over fifty years. She just celebrated her 80th birthday at the bar!
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Additional Reading:
- San Francisco's Oldest Lesbian Bar Has Been A Safe Space For More Than 60 Years
- 5 Historic Lesbian Bars We Wish Still Existed
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This story was reported by Ana de Almeida Amaral. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.
