What: the first gay club in the United States
Though historians say the White Horse Inn likely operated for several years as a speakeasy before officially opening in 1933, that opening date gives White Horse Inn the title of oldest LGBT-oriented club in the United States.
The club kept a low profile throughout the mid-twentieth century as the LGBT-rights movement began to ramp up. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, this likely aided in the club's longevity.
“The history of the White Horse is not quite so dramatic," writes reporter Carolyn Jones. "It was never raided, largely because local politicians and police chose not enforce the anti-gay laws, and it was never a hotbed of political action. It's never been particularly raunchy.”
This low-key vibe also set a standard for clubs being places where the LGBT community could come to feel comfortable, which set up the community to organize and push for other rights within the private sector.
"They were a public place where gay people could meet and start to have a conversation" says Gerard Koskovich, curator at the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society in San Francisco, to the Chronicle. "From that came culture, politics, demands for equal rights."
However, White Horse Inn’s distinction as the oldest gay club in the country isn’t without dispute: Café Lafitte in New Orleans also claims to be the oldest gay club (it also officially opened in 1933 but later changed locations).
