Opening in 1970 and within sight of Galveston’s Historic Pleasure Pier, Robert’s Lafitte is reportedly the oldest continually operating LGBTQ+ bar in Texas.
Chris Gray/Chron
The clock is ticking for Robert’s Lafitte. The historic dive bar, a cornerstone of Galveston’s queer community for more than half a century, will close within 30 days unless it receives a sizable infusion of cash, according to its employees.
Bartender and events coordinator Terry Lynn Fuller told Chron Monday that the 61-year-old bar was facing a “laundry list” of repairs that more or less need to be done immediately, including bringing the back bar up to code and assorted issues with the ceiling and plumbing. None would be insurmountable on their own, but taken together, “they’re things that cost quite a bit of money,” he said.
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The bar’s employees and patrons are planning a benefit this Saturday night (May 9), including a drag show and auction. To many, Robert’s is an island institution whose symbolic importance echoes far beyond Texas.
“Robert’s Lafitte has always been a mixed crowd: gay, straight, bi, trans, people of all walks of life,” Fuller said. “People come off the cruise ships and go there. It’s the oldest continuously running gay bar in Texas, and there’s so much rich history.”
The bar needs a “laundry list” of repairs within 30 days in order to remain open, bartender and events coordinator Terry Lynn Fuller told Chron Monday.
Chris Gray/Chron
Fuller said that the bar’s show director, Tiffany de la Vega, has been using her own money for the repairs to this point but would need help to continue. The work is underway, he added, but the timeline accelerated unexpectedly when someone reported Robert’s to the Galveston County Health District and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
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“One little red flag and they come in and start seeing other things that obviously are on a list to get done, and it just kind of snowballed,” Fuller said.
“Poor Tiffany has done her best to make sure that we’re getting Robert’s Lafitte back up to what it used to be,” he continued. “But she realized that day when this happened, she can’t do it on her own anymore. And we really need the help of our community to keep Robert’s Lafitte alive.”
Fuller estimated that the bar’s supporters need to raise at least $10,000, but probably more, to cover the necessary repairs and permitting. He’s hopeful the deadline could be extended with a good-faith effort, but at this point doesn’t want to leave anything to chance. As the CEO of Pride Galveston, Fuller—also a cast member in Robert’s drag shows—knows his way around a fundraiser. His nonprofit has a major event, Pup Weekend, coming up the weekend of May 15-17, but said it would be unrealistic to redirect those proceeds towards bringing the bar up to code.
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“It’s kind of hit us all in a very horrible spot,” Fuller said. “Usually, my events bring in a ton of money, but they’re just not coming quickly enough, and we had to do something now to get the ball rolling.”
Originally opened in 1965 as Lafitte’s, the bar is located on Avenue Q and 25th Street, within sight of the Historic Pleasure Pier. It acquired its current name five years later when it was bought by Robert Mainor, who was profiled in the 2015 documentary Before You Know It. Inspired by the Stonewall Inn riots in 1969—the flashpoint of the modern gay-rights movement—Mainor wanted a place where everyone felt welcome, and by all accounts succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. (He died in 2022 at age 83.)
The fence to Robert’s pool area is covered with whimsical signs.
Chris Gray/Chron
Now, a place that means so much to its community needs that community right back. Besides Saturday’s benefit, Fuller said the fastest way to help is to donate through peer-to-peer payment apps, such as Venmo and Zelle. He and de la Vega have posted QR codes on their Facebook pages.
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Efforts to save Robert’s, which Fuller says is one of only two LGBTQ+ bars on the island, are off to a promising start. Fuller turned yesterday’s Sunday Funday afternoon drag show into an impromptu “pre-benefit,” and watched it run long past its scheduled end time as his fellow cast members ultimately raised around $2,000.
“Me and the other queens in the cast yesterday, we all just decided, ‘Nope, we’re gonna give every amount that we make today,’ which a lot of them really can’t afford that,” Fuller said. “But they are like me. They’re like, ‘If we don’t save the bar, then we’re really gonna have no place to go.’ So the outpouring of love and support yesterday was just really amazing.”
Chron Culture Editor Abigail Rosenthal contributed to this story.
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