A death in the Leather Family.

The San Francisco Eagle Tavern’s been around for 30 years. And it seems tonight was its last night.

Why? Standard SF bullshit.  Gentrification. More bars-restaurants-condos-coffee-shops and pricey boutiques, fewer queer-kinky- funky-arty affordable places to be.

I find this trend kind of depressing. SF is a cool and wonderful city but I feel that moments such as these are a sad reminder of how that uniqueness is quietly being eroded.

Yeah the Eagle was a bar. And in addition to that it was a place where the Leather community had a home. I can’t rhapsodize about it all that much and I’m not incredibly sentimental. But I do know that the beer busts, fund-raisers, Titleholder parties and the like were a staple, and a  reliable location for such events is tough to find.Even in my 15 years in SF I have seen a radical shift in the kink world. When I first moved here there were a dozen or so leather bars along Folsom Gulch. Now I think there are…what…five?  There were five or six kink and BDSM party venues that I frequented regularly in SF alone. Those are all gone.  Aside from the SF Citadel (long may it thrive) to-purpose open kink playspace is almost non-existent here.  Gone are the days you had to fret about WHICH party you would attend on any given Friday night. Now you have to make sure you are carrying the right plumbing to go to the ONE open party happening.

Maybe this is part of the cycle of life. Things do change. And hey, thanks to gentrification, I no longer hear gunfire 3-5 nights a week in the Mission, there hasn’t been a dead body cooling on the sidewalk  on my block in a while and the  Norteños vs. Sureños thing has simmered down to almost invisible subtlety played out in graffiti wars.

But I miss the Power Exchange, the Castlebar, the parties at the Fairy House, hanging out with friends at  Daddy’s, the House of Differences…yeah. And I’m not even all THAT old.  I can’t imagine how it must feel for the people who have been here since the 60’s and 70’s when the shit was really popping off!

I am sorry to see the SF Eagle close.

I’m sorry SF’s flavor is changing yet again. A little less spicy. A little blander. A little less like me.