A new generation needs to learn of its past., and the history of San Diego cannot be complete without the voices and stories of its LGBTQ residents. It’s important that we rediscover and bring to light stories from the history of LGBTQ San Diego while there are still voices left to tell them firsthand. These advances provide new landscapes of exploration for those interested in discovering lesser-known but unique and significant contributions that LGBTQ San Diegans have made both to the city, and to the larger social and cultural history of California. But as LGBTQ acceptance has grown both locally and nationally, a new San Diego audience has become more receptive to learn about the history and contributions of local LGBTQ institutions and individuals. Additional historic images were obtained through the San Francisco Public Library and the GLBT History Museum.Īs a military town and a historically conservative city, San DIego has (until recently) not always properly recognized the contributions of its queer community, and in the past, some have viewed the community as a step-sister to the larger, more liberal, and more visible queer communities in Los Angeles and San Francisco. I also contacted bar owners, managers, and bartenders and used photos from their personal albums.
#GAY BARS SAN DIEGO THURSDAY ARCHIVE#
Many of the photographs from bars had already been digitized by Archive staff and thus were searchable in the Archives’ computer system, but many were not, and instead were found amidst piles of unrelated materials, and each time it was like finding a gold nugget in a pile of hay. Many hours were spent searching through their collection of archival materials.
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We also held fundraisers at local gay bars, and it was heartwarming to hear people’s excitement about the project, as everyone involved was supportive and helpful.Ī major part of creating the documentary was researching and collecting the visual evidence of historic bar culture (photos, footage, bar advertisements, etc.) and the San Diego Lambda Archives was an invaluable resource for that.
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My project was one of 4 chosen by KPBS for production funding out of 180 submissions. In November 2016, I entered KPBS’ Explore San Diego program, an open competition to solicit ideas for documentaries, podcasts, and webisodes from local media content producers. I have always been interested in making films that explore the diagonal lines that run counter to the norms of society, and expand people’s perspectives.