In Cannes, France, such a bar had already opened in 1885, and there were many more in Berlin around 1900. It is not clear which place is the first gay bar in the modern sense. The site was the scene of alleged gay marriages carried out by the Reverend John Church.

The raid led to the executions of John Hepburn and Thomas White for sodomy. The White Swan (created by James Cook and Yardley, full name unknown), on Vere Street, in London, England, was raided in 1810 during the so-called Vere Street Coterie. Reports from as early as the 17th century record the existence of bars and clubs that catered to, or at least tolerated, openly gay clientele in several major European cities. Gathering places favoured by homosexuals have operated for centuries. The Mixei nightclub in Tammela, Tampere, is the oldest, still operating gay bar in Finland, having first opened its doors in 1990.