San Francisco
San Francisco
San Francisco has many times become synonymous with gay pride and the gay rights movement. In the 1970s, the city became a center for the gay rights movement with the emergence of The Castro as an urban gay village, the election of Harvey Milk to the Board of Supervisors, and his assassination have made San Francisco a very important aspect of the gay rights movement. The Castro District, commonly known as The Castro is a neighborhood in San Francisco. Many believe that The Castro is the world’s best known gay neighborhood having transformed from a working-class area in the 1960s and 1970s. The Castro in San Francisco has remained a symbol and source of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender activism and events. The Castro is San Francisco’s gay village and the surrounding districts such as Corona Heights and Haight-Ashbury all have a strong LGBT presence. The Castro, San Francisco became a predominantly gay area because the United States Military offloaded thousands of gay servicemen in San Francisco during World War II after they were discharged for being homosexuals. They began to settle in The Castro. This is why; so many gays flocked to The Castro, San Francisco.
The Castro
The Castro emerged as a gay center after the Summer of Love in which thousands and thousands of hippies converged in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. Today, statisticians estimate that 25-30% of San Francisco’s population is homosexual. The annual LGBT Pride Parade and Celebration is one of the biggest events in the city. San Francisco also has a lot of restaurants, bars, and recreational activities that are very gay friendly. Though the immigration of homosexuals to The Castro district is what made everything more mainstream, San Francisco has always been known for its alternative sexuality when cross dressing women were a common sight during the Gold Rush. After that, gay and lesbian bars opened their doors in the 1920-30s.
A Liberal City
Today San Francisco is home to many gay friendly and gay rights organizations, the city has also played an important role in the AIDS quilt because in the 1980s, the city had an extremely high population of people infected with HIV. On a lighter note, San Francisco has always been an accepting and alternative town in that they have pushed the envelope before most other cities in the United States. It is now one of the most liberal cities in the country and the gay scene in San Francisco will rival none other. 