Digital Transgender Archive

Vicki Marlane 3rd Anniversary at Mint

A photograph of drag performer Vicki Marlane at the Mint's 3rd Anniversary celebration. The Mint was an LGBTQ bar in San Francisco which opened its doors in 1968. It was locally known for its annual tricycle race, in which community members decorated their trikes and wore campy costumes. The Mint later became a popular karaoke bar under the same name. Vicki Marlane (1934-2011) was a legendary San Francisco drag queen and transgender woman. Marlane had a long career; starting in the 1950s, she performed as a female impersonator, stripper, and carnival sideshow performer, and she continued to perform in drag almost until her death in 2011. In her last decades, Marlane led the Hot Boxx Girls, the in-house drag troupe at Aunt Charlie's Lounge. This item comes from the Vicki Marlane Papers at the GLBT Historical Society.