The Alley Cat (San Francisco Gay Cruise Bar/70's to 90's) Color:Soft Cream Madonna redefined how women could

Madonna redefined how women could command sexuality and power on their own terms

and instantly recognizable to anyone who grew up in the tri-state broadcast zone

all-thrills bar that thrived on sweat

the silent

and a little lawless

The Alley Cat (San Francisco Gay Cruise Bar/70's to 90's) Color:Soft Cream Madonna redefined how women couldThe Alley Cat was the kind of hot whispered gay cruising bar tucked into a narrow back alley in San Francisco (dates lost to time, but most active during the mid 1970s through early 1990s). With red light neon signs barely visible from the street, a thumping bass from hidden dance rooms, and the clinking of drink orders passed quietly in dark corners, Alley Cat was both refuge and risk. For many queer people of the era it offered something precious: