Gauntlet II was a major stronghold of the Los Angeles Leather Community for 22 years, and the bar's history goes back even further. Gauntlet I was formed in the late 1960's by Dale Habberstad and business partner Zack, and was located on Highland Blvd. in Hollywood. Around 1969, they closed the doors and moved on to other endeavors.

In 1984, the original founders wanted to reopen the Gauntlet. They purchased the property in Silver Lake where the Eagle LA stands today. Prior to this, the location had served as home to many gay bars since 1972 and was best known as The Outcast, just before it became Gauntlet II.

One club night that popularly featured queercore bands in the 90s was the "The Freak Show" at the Gauntlet II. Edward Hibbs, aka Gogo-Eddie emceeed and hosted events such as The Freak Show, which featured local queercore bands like Best Revenge, IAMLOVED, and Nick Name and The Normals (aka Kent James). Best Revenge, a popular LA queercore band and regulars at The Freak Show, was formed by Ryan Revenge (vocals/guitar) and KT (bass/vocals) in 1998.