January 5, 2021
The Castro's Twin Peaks Tavern Reaches Fundraising Goal, Hopes to Avoid Closure
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
Twin Peaks Tavern, a Castro landmark, has met its $100,000 GoFundMe target, hopefully avoiding – at least for the moment – the fate that has befallen so many other gay bars around the country.
As previously reported, the famed establishment has set up a GoFundMe campaign that had money coming in from supporters as the final days of 2020 wound down.
"We are closed due to the Covid-19 virus and need your help to get us through this difficult time," the bar's owners posted at the GoFundMe page. "All funds raised will contribute toward rent and monthly operational obligations for an established business with expenses and no income."
Added an update at the page: "It might feel easier for us to just give up. However, as the owners of this profoundly beloved historic landmark, we feel an obligation to fight for the place that means so much to so many."
The establishment's fans and patrons rose to the occasion: As of Jan. 5, the GoFundMe campaign had exceeded its $100,000 goal by just over $5,000.
The current lockdown marked the second time in a year that the establishment was temporarily shuttered due to COVID restrictions.
In operation since 1972, Twin Peaks made history by featuring large windows that offered passers-by a good look at what goes on inside a gay bar: Friends gathering for a drink and a laugh, the same as happens in any other bar. That innovation was celebrated in a recent documentary about Twin Peaks Tavern, "Through the Windows."
The bar officially became a city landmark in 2013, noted local radio station KCBS.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
