Robert’s Lafitte, the legendary Galveston dive bar known as the oldest gay bar in Texas, could be days away from its final last call unless the community can help keep it open.
Staff say the 61-year-old institution is facing a combination of deferred maintenance, repair costs, permitting issues, and financial pressure. While none of the problems are impossible to fix on their own, bartender Terry Michael Fuller told Houston’s Chron.com that together, “they’re things that cost quite a bit of money.”
The bar’s employees and patrons have now rallied to raise funds, passing around a ten-gallon hat on Saturday night and organising a benefit drag show and silent auction.
Fuller said the bar needed at least $10,000 to cover urgent repairs and permitting.
By early Sunday morning, Robert’s Lafitte announced on Facebook that nearly $20,000 had been raised in donations over the week. It was unclear whether that amount included a GoFundMe campaign, which had also raised more than $11,000 of its $14,000 goal by Sunday afternoon.
Community rallies around Robert’s Lafitte
As the building’s issues worsened, longtime show director Tiffany de la Vega had been using her own money to help cover repairs, Fuller said.
Then the bar was reportedly referred to the Galveston County Health District and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
“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.
He added that de la Vega had done everything she could to help the bar survive.
“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 said. “But she realised 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.”
A landmark in Texas LGBTQ+ history
The first Lafitte’s, named after French pirate Jean Lafitte, appeared in Galveston city records in 1965.
After several moves, the bar eventually settled at its current location on Avenue Q and 25th Street, close to Galveston’s historic Pleasure Pier.
In 1970, Robert Mainor bought the tavern, added his name, and looked to the Stonewall Inn as inspiration for creating a space where everyone could feel welcome. Mainor died in 2022.
For decades, Robert’s Lafitte has served as more than just a bar.
“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.”
“It’s like our second home,” Fuller told The Independent. “It’s our safe place.”
A beloved dive with deep roots
Robert’s Lafitte has often been described online as “dated,” “old,” “dirty,” “cramped,” and “overly loud for the space”. But for regulars, those qualities are part of the charm.
The classic dive bar has earned a devoted following, with patrons drawn to its history, drag shows, community spirit, and welcoming atmosphere. It even has a tiny swimming pool out the back.
Last weekend, the bar’s regular Sunday Funday afternoon drag show turned into an impromptu “pre-benefit”, raising about $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 told Chron.
“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.”
For staff, performers, and patrons, the fight to save Robert’s Lafitte is about more than preserving a nightlife venue. It is about protecting a piece of LGBTQ+ history, a community gathering place, and a safe space that has welcomed generations of people through its doors.
