Tess's Café Internationale

Tess's Café Internationale, also known as Tess's Continental, was a lesbian nightclub owned and operated by Elmer and Tess Wheeler. Entertainment included early male impersonators such as Tommy Williams and Jimmy Renard. Renard also performed at the lesbian nightclub Mona's in San Francisco. According to historian Lillian Faderman, Williams brought actress Marlene Dietrich to the club, where Williams sang love songs to her. The Navy banned sailors from the premises in 1942, which led state authorities to revoke the club’s liquor license. Tess later opened another club after the war.