Twin Peaks Tavern, at the corner of Castro and Market, is known for its large plate-glass windows. When Mary Ellen Cunha and Peggy Forster took over the bar in 1972, they uncovered the windows that gay bars had traditionally kept blacked out to protect patrons’ privacy and safety. It is often cited as the first gay bar in the country with full-length open windows facing the street.
Letting people be seen was a statement at a time when being identified at a gay bar could cost someone a job or family. The bar was named a San Francisco landmark in 2013. The stained glass and the windows remain.
Part of a self-guided walking tour
