In 1954, police raided Tommy’s Place in San Francisco. Newspaper headlines declared it a lesbian vice academy.
Over the last two years, writer and visual artist Katie Gilmartin has dug into the history of the raid on Tommy’s Place and other LGBTQ bars in the 1950s and 60s, working closely with her collaborating organization Openhouse on interviews with community elders and with the GLBT Historical Society. She now is sharing her writing and research through three events: on May 9 at 4 p.m., community members will share stories at Openhouse; on May 19, Gilmartin will lead a lost queer history walking tour, starting in North Beach (meet at Jack Kerouac Alley behind City Lights Bookstore at 2 p.m.); and on June 13, Gilmartin will share her archival research and read brief fictional excerpts from the manuscript for Thrill Spot.