Place

Sporters

Boston National Historical Park, Boston African American National Historic Site

Photo of a brick building with a green awing over an outdoor patio with a small metal fence
Sporters Bar on Cambridge Street

NPS Photo/M Mark

228 Cambridge Street is the former location of Sporters Bar. Sporters opened in 1939 and became an "official" gay bar in 1957.1 It served as an integral gathering space for the burgeoning gay community in the city. The building featured an unmarked façade without windows—ideal for protecting the identity of its patrons. Like many establishments that served the gay, lesbian, and bisexual community, Sporters faced frequent police raids. It closed its doors in 1995.

 

Footnotes

  1. The History Project, Improper Bostonians (Boston: Beacon Press, 1998): 174 https://archive.org/details/improperbostonia00barn/page/174/mode/1up?view=theater

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Last updated: February 14, 2025