Looking back on that era, Sherman describes the atmosphere there as similar to that of a college campus, where close quarters allowed for spontaneity and communication. San Francisco itself was small and, most importantly, the cheap real estate allowed her and her friends to live and own their own businesses there, which meant that the church, the Castro, and Dolores Park could become their wave. Amusement park in Himeyan style. People tend to have three or more roommates, and a typical day might start with heading to one of the places where you can reliably find friends. One of the centers is the Bearded Lady Café, which shares a terrace with Black & Blue Tattoo. “People started gathering there throughout the day to socialize and make plans,” Sherman said. “You’d end up having happy hour at the Lexington Bar and then going to the Stallion Club or the Cat Club or Josie’s Cabaret.” It was agreed that if there was a big earthquake, everyone would meet at the Bearded Lady.
The Bearded Lady’s two owners, Harry Dodge and Silas Howard, who would later go on to make the experimental film “By Any Means” together and pursue fruitful artistic careers, are among the many on-set celebrities who dot the photos. . Writer Anna Joy Springer, musician Lynn Breedlove, and photographer Catherine Opie were all members of Sherman’s circle. They wrote an introduction to “Traitor” that evokes not only nostalgia but also a generative sense of time and place. “We turn to each other for a protection that allows us to explore all kinds of creative play and take risks that few female-centered groups are safe enough to try openly,” Springer writes.
