So much of San Francisco's gay history was bubbling to the surface during this time. While the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club (now the Alice B.
Toklas LGBT Democratic Club) was already well-established and known by political insiders to be a club of lesbians, gay men, and their straight allies, SF Gay's claim to fame was that it was the first Democratic club to have the word "gay" in its name.
This was in 1976 when the gay community not yet evolved to embrace bisexual or transgender members of our rainbow, and lesbians fought for visibility, leadership, and representation equal to gay men.
Some out-and-proud lesbians and gay men viewed the Alice club as semi-closeted because recognition that it was a gay club depended on knowledge that.