Queerguru’s new Travel Editor Richard Bolton is in California this week so that he can be witness to the (sad) closure of one of San Francisco’s greatest queer institutions. The city’s beloved AsiaSF dinner theater and cabaret that features the world-famous transgender Ladies of AsiaSF is shutting its doors for the last time, just days after ts 26th Anniversary.
Started in 1998 by Larry Hashbarger and Skip Young, the restaurant, cabaret and nightclub quickly became an iconic entertainment landmark. AsiaSF President/COO, Aaron Nelson. told Queerguru “AsiaSF has been a visionary pioneer in supporting the transgender community through empowerment by creating a safe space and unique employment opportunities that showcased our beautiful transgender stars, the Ladies of AsiaSF. For almost 26 years, The Ladies of AsiaSF, our star performers and hostesses, have continually made our audiences laugh, blush and just be in awe of their talent and beauty.”
“This sisterhood of diverse performers has mastered the art of celebrating,” said Young. By being their own authentic, welcoming selves, the Ladies of AsiaSF have always provided a warm, welcoming atmosphere that has made AsiaSF “Celebration Central for the Bay Area.”
Larry Hashbarger summed it up “One of our missions of AsiaSF has always been to create a trans-positive environment that educates and raises awareness about living your truth and being your authentic self while at the same time providing our guests with a ‘time of your life’ experience.”
AsiaSF’s last night is March 31: International Transgender Day of Visibility : if you want to go for one last time www.asiasf.com
Thank you ASIA SF for all those happy years, like Beach Blanket Babylon who closed in 2019, you wll be sorely missed
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