Say goodbye to yet another institution: the Tea Room Theater, one of San Francisco’s oldest gay porn theaters, is calling it quits.
Blame goes to the usual suspects: the internet, hookup apps, and a more open culture that no longer forces queer people to hide. These days, porn is practically something you can find out in the open — especially in San Francisco.
There was a time when porn theaters like these were one of the primary ways that men hooked up. You’d spend a few bucks to slip into a grubby theater, or loiter in a hallway, or watch a live dancer. If theaters weren’t your thing, you could also poke your head into certain bathrooms; or hide in the bushes down by the ocean. Half a century ago, for a lot of men, there simply weren’t any good clean wholesome ways to meet each other — and for some people, that was just fine.
Time have changed, though, and the guys still going to porn theaters are the real devotees from a bygone era. You’d have to be intensely devoted to such an establishment to keep coming back, especially at a time when it’s far easier to meet people online. They remain important internationally, though, in countries where oppressive regimes still make it difficult for LGBTs to congregate.
Related: Bathhouses And Beyond: A Brief History Of Gay Cruising
Most of the Tea Room’s clientele is elderly, reflecting the slow waning of interest in going to a store for sexual gratification. It’s tucked away in the Tenderloin, which was once the epicenter of SF’s queer culture but is now mostly the epicenter of crime and poverty — especially as the rest of the city is converted into corporate housing for Silicon Valley.
A few other options remain for naughty gay men: There’s the Nob Hill Theater, which is unfortunately quite a schlep up the hill from Union Square. And there are also a smattering of porn shops and leather establishments sprinkled around SOMA, though their days are probably numbered as well.
So now what’s to become of the Tea Room? A few bits will probably be sold off, and then it’ll likely become home to a fancy coffee shop, or maybe a place to buy sofas that cost more than most people make in a year. Every now and then, someone will find out what it once was, and giggle about it.
jjdeg
Great photo of the old Tea Room Theatre. Think it was either on Turk or Ellis Street in San Francisco. Although I was never there its claim to fame was that it was ultimately owned by the Catholic Church. Someone died and left it to them and they had to abide by the terms of the lease and let it stay open!
MarionPaige
in big urban areas, or cities with large numbers of gay men, there were DEDICATED GAY adult theaters. However, adult theaters everywhere else was where men went to have sex, even if that meant just j/o. Things may have been out in the open in GAY adult theaters but, men had sex with men at adult theaters even if the theaters weren’t showing gay films.
stranded
Isn’t easy to say its technology’s fault? I mean did this theater do anything encourage young men to show up? Did they work with popular porn studios for premieres with popular models meeting fans? Did they have retro nights where they showed beefcake shorts of the 50s and classic porn. College student discounts, an active social media page, update the theater with new seats, a bar? Moving beyond porn and showing the wonderful queer cinema in the US and beyond. I mean I’m 30 and I have no interest in going to a porn theater just to see porn or to find a guy to hook up with but if there was an I
Event going on then I would go.
QJ201
Porn shops with booths in some cities still seem to be around…jus’ sayin’
Poncho Sanchez
I would say gay men are losing civic space in second tier cities, I suppose there will always b a gay scene in NYC, Chicago, LA, Ft. Lauderdale because a large base population and tourist always want to explore
Bob LaBlah
Just as the VHS/dvd rental stores killed it for gay adult theatre online VOD (video on demand) has done in what was left of the gay adult book/arcade stores. Even though they were strait and have long since closed their doors I remember many of the marquees of the Pussy Cat Theatre; Bodacious Tatta’s, Talk Dirty to Me, Pretty Peaches, The Erotic Adventures of Candy, Candy Goes to Hollywood.
For those of you who remember her Georgina Spelvin is still alive. Now that was one wild woman.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
I’m guessing the only option ever is for the salty butter popcorn
lykeitiz
@stranded: OK, I was totally agreeing with everything you said up until the end, where you started with “Moving beyond porn….” If you take the porn element out, then you’re really just looking for an arthouse theater, something I’m sure SF has plenty of.
Before that though, your ideas were great! It’s sad there isn’t a way to keep these places going in modern times.
ShaunNJ
They still exist in smaller numbers. There are all the reasons they may seem obsolete but remain an outlet for some. Married and/or closeted men use them as an option for release when they have the need. Gay men who want a quick and direct fix may patronize them. Some people (especially older men) find them a familiar option especially when online options aren’t friendly.
Downtown Newark NJ (for now) has the lively Little Theater which hosts men of all stripes, young and old, every race, from stunningly handsome to not so much. Of course, you may not find your type when you’re there….It may eventually disappear as the neighborhood changes ex: the Whole Foods under construction two blocks away.
Billy Budd
When I lived in Sao Paulo in the early 2000’s I used to go to a porn theater that played straight movies. But ONE HUNDRED percent of the audience was composed of men looking for men. It was awesome. But now I am committed and dedicated to my single boyfriend.
stranded
@lykeitiz: true, lol. Thanks, though 🙂
onthemark
@ShaunNJ: the Little Theater! Not actually THAT little. (Is it still 2 floors?) I haven’t been there in years, had some fun there. So scruffy old Newark is getting gentrified? Those hipster light rail trolleys = there goes the neighborhood.
Kangol
@onthemark: Not really the trolleys gentrifying Newark, but the area near the university, the affordable housing along the subway/trolley line, and the increasingly exorbitant rents in New York City are leading to Newark’s gentrification.