‘I’m Gonna Miss It’: Inside One of AsiaSF’s Last Live Cabarets in SoMa

They’re called the Ladies of AsiaSF.

On a recent Sunday night, they danced and sashayed on the bar counter-turned stage of this cabaret and restaurant while the crowd clapped, snapped and whistled. The ladies lip-synched and emoted songs by Rihanna, Madonna and Beyoncé. And just like those pop icons, they’re known only by their first names.

“It embraced me like nobody else. It gave me a place to be who I really am,” Karmina said while folding napkins before the guests arrived.

For more than a quarter century, AsiaSF has been a pioneer in supporting and showcasing transgender performers like Karmina.

She started working at AsiaSF in 2000 while volunteering for the Asian HIV-AIDS educational group called the Rice Girls. Living as a gay man before, Karmina said, “It never crossed my mind that I could live my authentic life … Karmina was born here.”

But in February, the beloved San Francisco institution announced it was closing its doors on March 31, the Transgender Day of Visibility.

The news jolted the city’s LGBTQ+ community and generated overwhelming support for the club. AsiaSF had to add dates and show times that kept the venue open until April 28.

“When we made the announcement, the community has come forth,” said Larry Hashbarger, founder and CEO of AsiaSF, in his office behind the club in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood.

Still, it wasn’t enough to save the iconic institution.

“The whole nightlife scene has changed dramatically since COVID, so the dynamics of running a nighttime business has been challenged,” Hashbarger said. He added he was ready to retire and, along with his co-owners, decided it was time to close the shop.

But Hashbarger said that since news of the closure became public, every show sold out. For the last three months, Asia SF has operated like it did in its heyday. And on the night I attended the show, the club was packed.

I spoke with Blaire after she got ready for the performance. At first, Blaire came off as shy and somewhat reserved. She transitioned during her teens, so by the time she got to AsiaSF at 24, she said she felt confident in her identity. But she spent a decade doing hair and had never performed before. Now, eight years later, she’s a pro.

“Learning how to perform has been, more so, learning how to embrace myself on the stage,” said Blaire, who served as emcee that night. She pumped up the crowd, no longer as bashful as she first seemed. And with every prompt to cheer, the room got hyped, ready to embrace their favorite ladies.

Besides the performances, audience engagement was one of AsiaSF’s specialties. On intermissions and at the end of the shows, the performers mingled with guests as they served drinks and closed tabs.

While most dinner shows offer salads and pastas, AsiaSF took pride in its California-Asian fusion menu, a three-course meal of dishes like tamarind chicken satay, blackened tuna sashimi, orange lamb, “baby got back” ribs and green tea cheesecake. Signature cocktails bore the personalities of the performers: Karmina’s Kiss, Blair’s Temptation and Gia’s Espresso Martini.

AsiaSF opened in April 1998, when the dot-com industry was just bubbling in San Francisco. The city was home to a handful of venues like The Motherlode, Finnochio’s and The Stud that featured what was then called “drag shows.”

Inspired by his travels to Thailand, where Hashbarger saw transgender women performing, he had a flash of inspiration. He decided to bring a piece of Southeast Asia to San Francisco — hence, AsiaSF. Co-founder Skip Young worked as an investment and advertising executive.

“When we first opened, the word transgender wasn’t even in our vocabulary. AsiaSF evolved with the language,” Hashbarger said.

Karmina said words like “drag,” “transvestites,” “TG,” “transsexuals” and “gender illusionists” were used to describe the performers. “For the latter part of our existence, they called it cabaret. For us, it’s just [the] AsiaSF experience.”

Over the years, AsiaSF has stayed true to its mission of bringing love and diversity to the city. When it finally closed, it marked a 26-year legacy as a haven for transgender women and a place that touched and transformed lives.

Hashbarger said AsiaSF will continue as a pop-up performance troupe beyond the walls of its San Francisco home. But employees said the club’s closure is heartbreaking.

“It’s scary. It’s sad. I don’t know what I’ll be doing after this,” said Violet, who at 25 is the youngest and last-hired performer.

Many staff, like Karmina, have worked here almost as long as AsiaSF has been open. It became a family — the same feeling they wanted the audience to leave with.

“The whole essence of AsiaSF is, like, we connect with people, hosting their parties,” she said. “They cheer for us. It validates who you are. I’m gonna miss it.”