In 1978, police raided the Liberty and arrested men for “lewd conduct in a public space.” The Liberty Baths also served as a place for gay artists to feature work, and the walls were reportedly covered with gay murals. “Toad” was a charming and respectable but wayward frog a misfit who didn’t quite fit into the community of quiet, hard-working, rural creatures, nor could he handle the fast-paced, hectic role of a city dweller. He was willing to allow a gay bar in his building, but he knew that the good priests at “Most Holy Redeemer”, the church around the corner, would not tolerate a bar named “The Iron Nun”! So the bar was named “The Toad Hall” after the home of “Toad” in the children’s stor y “Wind in the Willows”, written by Kenneth Grahame in 1908. He was a fair-minded but conservative man as well as a Catholic. A pharmacist named Eugene Longinotti who worked at “Star Pharmacy” and was part owner of the building, refused to allow the name. Tom Sanford, who was known to many by the nickname “Sally”, had a metal statue of a Nun in his yard and wanted to call the bar “The Iron Nun”. When the other bars began to catch up, Toad Hall installed a booth and hired a DJ. The Toad was the first dance bar in the Castro and was one of the first bars anywhere to use taped music instead of a jukebox, not just taped music but well-planned programs of songs that flowed into each other seamlessly. Open for business from 1971 through 1979. Twin Peaks is also now one of two historic landmark bars in San Francisco. The bar still stands to this day, although under different management.
To combat any unwanted attention from the public or police, the bar had a strict “no touching” rule, giving the establishment a more social environment then a pick-up arena. Many LGBT individuals worried that they may be fired, or could become social outcasts if their orientation came to light. This was a big deal because at that time, the LGBTQ community was under fire. Not only did this allow for bar patrons to look out into the streets of the Castro District, but allowed for the public to look into the bar itself.
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Twin Peaks is known for its large full length, open plate glass windows considered to be the first gay bar in the entire nation to do so. The Twin Peaks Tavern was first established in 1935, but came under new management around 1971 in the form of Mary Ellen Cunha and Peggy Forster, both of whom are lesbians.