Marlena’s was a Hayes Valley gathering place that helped knit the city together through good cheer and glitzy drag numbers.
Ten years ago, just as gentrification was heating up in San Francisco, the bar's namesake announced it would be closing.
David Boyer spent the final months at the bar as the community of regulars came to terms with the final days and crowds came to say goodbye.
In honor of Pride, KALW is re-airing “Marlena’s Curtain Call” on the Tuesday Night Special.
If you want more stories like this one, support KALW's new Queer Story Fund to help train the new generation of queer and trans storytellers.
