Gail's Bar is the earliest known gay bar in Green Bay.

The bar 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. At the time of the wedding, Otto was 59 and Gail was only 21. 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.

"I have always been a firm believer in the fact that marraige 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 gay bar owner to make.

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.

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.

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 -- but for 22 years, it was Green Bay's most visible gay bar.

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