Gail's Bar is the first documented gay bar in Green Bay.

However, some report that it was already a gay gathering place during its previous incarnation (Phil's Friendly Bar, operated by Phil Walton.) Walton moved the Friendly Bar from 907 Main Street to 1101 Main Street in 1957. On November 7, 1961, his license was transferred to Gail Rachals.

Gail's was run by Gail Meyer Rachals Meunier (1934-2017,) second wife of former Mayor Otto Rachals (1897-1984,) and opened during Rachals' first of two terms. The couple had been introduced by Alderman Eddie Bodart at his family tavern (1149 Main Street.) There was nothing "really romantic" about the introduction, Gail later told news reporters, but she was convinced they could "make a very good life together." Gail's parents did not approve of the union and did not attend the wedding. Her father, Albert Meyer, was on the Shawano County Board of Supervisors and a prominent local businessman.

At the time of the wedding, Otto was a 59-year-old politican and Gail was a 21-year-old waitress at Bob's Lunch (607 Main St.) The wedding was a quiet and private ceremony with a reception in the Walnut Room of the Northland Hotel. The couple lived at 1151 Reber Street. They had no children, nor did Otto have children from his first marriage.

"I have always been a firm believer in the fact that marriage and a good family life is the greatest of American institutions. The time has now come for me to practice what I preach," wrote Mayor Rachals in an official announcement. This seems a very curious statement for a future gay bar owner to make.

The Green Bay Press-Gazette reported that Mayor Rachals "seemed nervous" at the altar, while his bride's voice was barely audible during the ten-minute wedding ceremony.

The marriage was not a happy one. Gail was hospitalized at St. Vincent's Hospital on December 5, 1968 for "self inflicted wrist wounds."

The couple divorced in 1971. Gail remarried, started a new family, and launched a new career. Customers remember Otto Rachals living in apartment behind the bar after the divorce, and sometimes appeared in the bar in drag.

At some point, the Rachals sold the bar to Michael Bellin, who still held the license when the building was razed in 1977. The block was replaced with a surface parking lot.

Was the Rachals wedding a "lavender marriage" organized to protect Otto's political career? We may never know. It is, unusual, however that Gail was introduced with paid advertisements in the Green Bay Press-Gazette and on TV channels 2 and 5. These promotions merely announced "See Mayor Rachals and WIFE!" without ever mentioning Gail's name. One might wonder: was it more important to introduce Green Bay to its new First Lady -- or simply create a perception of Mayor Rachals as a heterosexual family man?

When Gail passed away in 2017, her obituary made no mention of Otto Rachals or Gail's Bar. It was as if it never existed -- even though it was the most visible and well-known gay bar in northeastern Wisconsin for 16 years.

We welcome any available information about this location, Michael Bellin, Otto Rachals, or Gail herself.