Opened over 55 years ago, The Stud was a touchstone for queer frivolity set inside a neon-bathed building in the now Leather District. But, the coronavirus crisis sealed its fate along with countless other San Francisco institutions. And now, one of our city’s most beloved LGBTQ watering holes will cease to exist (at its current location) by the end of the month.
The following reads in one of the handfuls of press releases slung into inboxes Wednesday evening:
“The Stud is the country’s only cooperatively owned LGBT venue and has been in operation for 55 years. Because of a lack of revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the historic bar will be announcing that they are permanently closing their location and will be holding a drag funeral to honor the end of an era of LGBT nightlife.”
Alas, in the text wedged between those latter-placed parentheses — “at its current location” — is where local news coverage went astray. Or rather: took a clickbait-able headline and ran with it, sans pause and contemplation. The Stud is No More, those titles read in varying iterations.
(It’s an opinion both I and Eater SF’s Eve Batey appear to both agree on.)
It’s true that The Stud is closing; yes, it’s COVID-19-related; certainly, it’s another somber outcome we can collectively add to the pandemic’s panorama of disenchantments. But, The Stud will emerge from the ashes. Bigger, brighter, better off because, as co-owner and 48 Hill’s publisher-journo Marke Bieschke pens: “[it’s saving] itself for the future.”
It’s a detail of hope that one co-owner and multi-hyphen — RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 5 contestant, renowned social worker, tireless optical activist, etc. — herself Honey Mahogany shares, grateful for the lessons learned along the way. And teachings she intends to carry with her into The Stud’s next chapter.
A post shared by The Stud Collective (@studsf) on May 7, 2020 at 7:46pm PDT
“I think we have learned a ton, and most of us didn’t own a bar, so many of us had never bartended before, and somehow we managed to survive and give this one hell of a go,” She tells Bob Cut Mag. “I think the most important thing we will take with us though is the knowledge that this is possible. That we as a collective can do something that none of us could really do individually. I’m excited to continue working with this incredible group of people to perform our next miracle and find a new home.”
But where that home will exist remains uncertain. “We haven’t found a building yet,” Mahogany pointed out in conversation with the Bay Area Reporter’s John Ferrannini. “But at some point we will reopen.”
Just four years ago, the Stud was in danger of closing because of a steep rent increase. After a cohort to LGBT businesspeople and personages joined together to form the aforementioned collective, they began working with then-Supervisor Jane Kim to rescue the venue from near-certain annihilation. That impending cataclysm, however, ushered in a new era for the Stud, a period marked by incredible drag creativity and offering a Masterclass in uniting community activism with an ever-evolving nightlife scene.
Though venue regulars and infrequent patrons alike are rightfully despondent, the outpouring of support and aid has been as refreshing as it’s been encouraging.
“I think it’s been incredibly bittersweet,” Mahogany tells us. “None of it really seemed real until we announced it and we saw the community’s response […] we are all mourning this together. But I do take comfort in the fact that we helped create so many insanely magical memories and to build and uplift our community through our little neighborhood bar. I’m looking forward to a time when we’ll be able to create more.”
And The Stud’s next creation will be fully supported by District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney.
“The Stud is a San Francisco icon,” said Supervisor Matt Haney, whose district includes SoMa and the Leather District, in a press conference Thursday about the Stud’s closure. “Ask any local, gay or straight, and they’ve got a story that starts with, ‘one time at the Stud.’ This is a huge blow to our city’s culture, music, and social scene, especially for the LGBT community. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure the Stud reopens at a new location.”
Per KPIX, The collective is still continuing their Save the Stud Stabilization fundraiser on GoFundMe to raise money for future building plans. As the fundraiser’s page notes, those plans include the possibility of “Mobile Stud parties, pop-ups, appearances, and more” becoming a reality amid a socially distant reality.
// A digital “Drag Funeral” is slated for May 31st, with additional information to come later; the Stud’s virtual drag show, “Drag Alive,” will still stream every Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on www.twitch.tv/dragalive. Feature photo courtesy of The Stud.
