LGBT Senior’s News On the Positive Side with Cora Berke
News on the Positive Side- by Cora Berke
Texas Patrons Rally to Save Gay Bar
“Alone we can do so little, together, we can do so much.” -Helen Keller
Galveston Texas, also known as “The Queen City of the Gulf”, is a barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Texas. During the 19th. century it was a major port and haven for Caribbean pirates. One such pirate was Jean Lafitte, who started a colony in Galveston in 1817. Among the many romantic pirate tales, his name remains legendary and some believe there is still buried treasure on the island.
It is no wonder that when Cal LeBlanc opened a bar in Galveston in 1965, he named it “Lafitte’s”. Five years later the bar was sold to Robert Mainor who changed the name to “Robert’s Lafitte” and welcomed the LGBTQ+ community in honor of Stonewall. Robert Mainor passed away in 2022. The bar has been a mainstay in Galveston and is the oldest gay bar in Texas.
Fast forward to May 2026. An inspection of the bar revealed that it was not up to current city codes. The bar, ceiling and plumbing were cited for violations and given 30 days to either be repaired or Robert’s Lafitte would be closed.
Terry Fuller, bartender and events coordinator said, “They’re things that cost quite a bit of money. Robert’s Lafitte has always been a mixed crowd, gay, straight, bi, trans, people of all walks of life. It’s the oldest continuously running gay bar in Texas, and there’s so much rich history.”
Show director Tiffany de la Vega was trying to keep the bar from closing by subsidizing the repairs herself, when the staff realized they needed outside help. Both customers and staff put together a benefit on May 9, with a drag show and an auction to raise the much-needed funds. They estimated they would need to collect at least $10,000.
Their Instagram post read, “Thanks to our beloved Robert Mainor, he started this bar for all in the LGBTQ+ community as well as everyone else. He gave many of our Ladies of Lafitte’s their start at doing drag and let them be themselves. We will not let anyone get us down nor take that away from us!”
With donations pouring in during the week and passing around a ten-gallon hat at the benefit on Saturday, May 9th, they raised a total of $20,000! The pre-show for Sunday’s drag show raised $2,000 with the drag queens giving back what they made.
Terry Fuller said, “If we don’t save the bar, then we’re really going to have no place to go. The outpouring of love and support was just amazing!”
Travel writer Kayla Stewart wrote about the first time she went to Robert’s Lafitte. “I’m returning to Galveston for the first time as an openly queer woman. I am reminded of what helped me come out after all those years, and what’s sustained me through life’s changes: being myself. All great bars provide space for that. At some, like Robert’s Lafitte, it feels like a gift waiting to be opened.”
It is not certain if Robert’s Lafitte will be able to complete all their repairs in time. The staff and community are still hard at work, determined to keep it open for all to be themselves.