For 18 rowdy years, the Lexington Club was the only women-centered queer bar in the gay mecca of San Francisco. Ten years after its closure, WE BELONG tells the story of the bar, the patrons that found safety and strength in its walls, and with it, three eventful decades of Queer rebellion.

An Icon Closes

Ladies Night, Every Night

In 1997, 25-year-old Lila opened the Lexington Club as "your friendly neighborhood dyke bar," in San Francisco’s Mission District. The Lex was immediately iconic; the only “lesbian bar” in this “Gay Mecca”. Lila and her cohort of young rebellious DIY punks were out, tough, sexy Dykes. They weren’t just trying to make a safe space, they were trying to change the world.

Four people crouch and pose for a picture in front of a white blanket that isprotecting the wood bar behind them. The two in the middle are butch, and the other two look more femme. One holds a cute border collie.
A small room is in the middle of being painted. There is a wooden bar and columns that are not yet stained and covered in construction supplies and dust.
TheLexDoc_Still.png

Radical Change

The bar, like so many of its patrons, transitioned, becoming a space that centered women, but was also for queers and trans people across the spectrum. San Francisco was changing too, with an influx of tech and rising rents; in early 2015, Lila announced the Lexington would be closing. Two months after the raucous closing parties, marriage equality was affirmed.

Queer and Now

Now, almost ten years later, WE BELONG reconnects with the Lex community to reflect on their role as catalysts to the rapid rise in queer visibility, the subsequent backlash, and how each new generation continues to create joy and spaces that center their queerness.

People stand in the street, including a few young children playing, in front of a gray building with the Lexington Club sign. In the foreground, a white masc person wearing black holds a handdrawn sign that say "Where is our Queer Space?" .

Be A Part of Queer History

We would love you to be part of getting this important history out into the world. This film is about community, made by the queer community, and we need community support to make it to the finish line.

Tax deductible donations through our fiscal sponsor, BAVC, can be made on our site, or by check sent to 145 #101 San Francisco, CA 94103. Please make a note that it is for Susannah Smith, We Belong project.

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