Pride in Places: Oldest gay bar in America gets a new owner and fresh programming
White Horse Inn was a gay bar when it first opened in Oakland in 1933, most likely because queerness was illegal and homosexuality was considered a mental disorder.
Although the establishment might be considered the oldest running gay bar in America, it didn’t identify as a gay bar throughout its existence.
There wasn’t a word yet for queer allies.Its first owner, Abraham Karski, purchased White Horse Inn alongside an impressive hospitality portfolio that included the Grand Lake Theater, another Oakland landmark, and the see-and-be-seen bastion Leamington Hotel.White Horse didn’t cater to queer people but served them without prejudice.
Karski couldn’t have predicted that the bar would manifest into a neighborhood watering hole for inclusivity. The type of patrons that frequented the venue were neighborhood college kids, Oakland punks, and the discreet gay residents of the area.As the years went by, it became an infamous spot where working-class East Bay men, sailors, and soldiers got “friendly”.
