Latest news with #Castro
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
How San Francisco's Castro district became the capital of LGBT America
In 1965, Life magazine declared San Francisco the capital of gay America. And the Castro was its beating heart. Arguably the single most famous 'gayborhood' in the United States, some of the country's best known queer artists and activists settled there in the 20th century. It was where the first out gay male politician in the US was elected, where the Pride flag was born, and where many gay, trans and nonconforming people estranged from their biological families created new ones of their own. At the time, the Castro was known as Eureka Valley, or Little Scandinavia. Amid the tumultuous 1960s, which were marked by protests against US involvement in the Vietnam War and the dawn of the hippie movement, young people flocked to San Francisco. 'The Castro neighborhood has been made famous for its incredible welcoming of LGBTQ people. And I think that that built through word of mouth,' says Roberto Ordeñana, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society. The San Francisco institution was founded in 1985, at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Its goal was to collect as much memorabilia and ephemera as possible — today, its collection includes everything from back issues of queer zines to the original Pride flag. The man who became the most visible symbol of the LGBT rights movement in the US was Harvey Milk. Born in New York state, he moved to San Francisco in 1972 and opened a camera shop on Castro Street. The neighborhood gets its name from this street, which is its main artery. Milk became politically active, founding the Castro Village Association, one of the first predominantly LGBTQ-owned business groups in the country. His biographer, Randy Shilts, dubbed him the 'Mayor of Castro Street.' In 1977, Milk was elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors, making him the first openly gay male politician in the country. He was among the leaders who worked to quash Proposition 6, a bill that would have required schools to fire gay and lesbian teachers. '(Milk) crystallized the political hopes and dreams of a generation of out gay people in the aftermath of the gay liberation movement,' says Timothy Stewart-Winter, associate professor of history at Rutgers University-Newark, who specializes in LGBTQ history. Less than a year after being elected to office, Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by a fellow city supervisor named Dan White. Following his murder, 'he became a martyr,' says Stewart-Winter. Like John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr a decade before, the timing of Milk's assassination froze him in history against the political and social turmoil of the era. Since then, Milk's name has become synonymous with the LGBTQ community. In 2019, the US Navy named a ship after him, a full circle moment considering that Milk — who served in the Korean War — was forced to resign from the Navy due to his sexuality. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has also named a terminal in honor of Milk. However, Ordeñana cautions against allowing Milk to be the sole representative of a large, diverse community. 'It's important for us to celebrate Harvey Milk and all of these other individuals that have done such incredible work for our community. But yet, there are stories like Sally Gearhart, who was a contemporary of Harvey Milk, who worked with him on the Proposition 6 campaign, whose story has been relegated out of mainstream narratives,' says Ordeñana. Gearhart was a writer, teacher and activist who founded one of the first women's studies university programs at San Francisco State University. 'We want to make sure that we are lifting up the histories of people that have been most vulnerable in our community,' adds Ordeñana. 'That includes seniors, that includes young people, that includes women and trans people in particular.' It has been 50 years since Harvey Milk set up shop in the Castro, and some could argue that the area has become a victim of its own success. 'The Castro on the one hand, it is paradigmatic, it's a place people associate with gayness. It's a place where people go to be gay, but it's also a place that is incredibly expensive, and where the contradictions of late capitalism are played out. The larger housing affordability crisis all over the country has been really bad in San Francisco,' says Stewart-Winter. 'The tech industry has transformed San Francisco,' he adds, pointing out that this neighborhood gentrification is not a recent phenomenon. The Italian clothing brand Diesel opened a shop on the Castro's main thoroughfare in the 1990s. These days, Apple and Starbucks hold court alongside locally owned taquerias and art galleries. Harvey Milk's camera store is still there at 575 Castro Street, an official city of San Francisco landmark with a plaque in front and a mural of Milk on the wall. In a rapidly growing and gentrifying San Francisco, Ordeñana says that the Historical Society also wants to keep the Castro's gay history in the present tense. The organization was able to raise enough money to buy a permanent home in the neighborhood. 'Obviously LGBTQ people live everywhere. We are part of every community. We are part of every neighborhood. The Castro continues to be a destination for people coming in from all over the world, which is why it was important for us to open this museum in the Castro that's available for global tourism and city residents alike.' 'I was born and raised in San Francisco,' Ordeñana says. 'I never left. I love traveling the world, but this is home.'
CNN
11 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- CNN
How San Francisco's Castro district became the capital of LGBT America
In 1965, Life magazine declared San Francisco the capital of gay America. And the Castro was its beating heart. Arguably the single most famous 'gayborhood' in the United States, some of the country's best known queer artists and activists settled there in the 20th century. It was where the first out gay male politician in the US was elected, where the Pride flag was born, and where many gay, trans and nonconforming people estranged from their biological families created new ones of their own. At the time, the Castro was known as Eureka Valley, or Little Scandinavia. Amid the tumultuous 1960s, which were marked by protests against US involvement in the Vietnam War and the dawn of the hippie movement, young people flocked to San Francisco. 'The Castro neighborhood has been made famous for its incredible welcoming of LGBTQ people. And I think that that built through word of mouth,' says Roberto Ordeñana, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society. The San Francisco institution was founded in 1985, at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Its goal was to collect as much memorabilia and ephemera as possible — today, its collection includes everything from back issues of queer zines to the original Pride flag. The man who became the most visible symbol of the LGBT rights movement in the US was Harvey Milk. Born in New York state, he moved to San Francisco in 1972 and opened a camera shop on Castro Street. The neighborhood gets its name from this street, which is its main artery. Milk became politically active, founding the Castro Village Association, one of the first predominantly LGBTQ-owned business groups in the country. His biographer, Randy Shilts, dubbed him the 'Mayor of Castro Street.' In 1977, Milk was elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors, making him the first openly gay male politician in the country. He was among the leaders who worked to quash Proposition 6, a bill that would have required schools to fire gay and lesbian teachers. '(Milk) crystallized the political hopes and dreams of a generation of out gay people in the aftermath of the gay liberation movement,' says Timothy Stewart-Winter, associate professor of history at Rutgers University-Newark, who specializes in LGBTQ history. Less than a year after being elected to office, Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by a fellow city supervisor named Dan White. Following his murder, 'he became a martyr,' says Stewart-Winter. Like John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr a decade before, the timing of Milk's assassination froze him in history against the political and social turmoil of the era. Since then, Milk's name has become synonymous with the LGBTQ community. In 2019, the US Navy named a ship after him, a full circle moment considering that Milk — who served in the Korean War — was forced to resign from the Navy due to his sexuality. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has also named a terminal in honor of Milk. However, Ordeñana cautions against allowing Milk to be the sole representative of a large, diverse community. 'It's important for us to celebrate Harvey Milk and all of these other individuals that have done such incredible work for our community. But yet, there are stories like Sally Gearhart, who was a contemporary of Harvey Milk, who worked with him on the Proposition 6 campaign, whose story has been relegated out of mainstream narratives,' says Ordeñana. Gearhart was a writer, teacher and activist who founded one of the first women's studies university programs at San Francisco State University. 'We want to make sure that we are lifting up the histories of people that have been most vulnerable in our community,' adds Ordeñana. 'That includes seniors, that includes young people, that includes women and trans people in particular.' It has been 50 years since Harvey Milk set up shop in the Castro, and some could argue that the area has become a victim of its own success. 'The Castro on the one hand, it is paradigmatic, it's a place people associate with gayness. It's a place where people go to be gay, but it's also a place that is incredibly expensive, and where the contradictions of late capitalism are played out. The larger housing affordability crisis all over the country has been really bad in San Francisco,' says Stewart-Winter. 'The tech industry has transformed San Francisco,' he adds, pointing out that this neighborhood gentrification is not a recent phenomenon. The Italian clothing brand Diesel opened a shop on the Castro's main thoroughfare in the 1990s. These days, Apple and Starbucks hold court alongside locally owned taquerias and art galleries. Harvey Milk's camera store is still there at 575 Castro Street, an official city of San Francisco landmark with a plaque in front and a mural of Milk on the wall. In a rapidly growing and gentrifying San Francisco, Ordeñana says that the Historical Society also wants to keep the Castro's gay history in the present tense. The organization was able to raise enough money to buy a permanent home in the neighborhood. 'Obviously LGBTQ people live everywhere. We are part of every community. We are part of every neighborhood. The Castro continues to be a destination for people coming in from all over the world, which is why it was important for us to open this museum in the Castro that's available for global tourism and city residents alike.' 'I was born and raised in San Francisco,' Ordeñana says. 'I never left. I love traveling the world, but this is home.'
CNN
11 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- CNN
How San Francisco's Castro district became the capital of LGBT America
In 1965, Life magazine declared San Francisco the capital of gay America. And the Castro was its beating heart. Arguably the single most famous 'gayborhood' in the United States, some of the country's best known queer artists and activists settled there in the 20th century. It was where the first out gay male politician in the US was elected, where the Pride flag was born, and where many gay, trans and nonconforming people estranged from their biological families created new ones of their own. At the time, the Castro was known as Eureka Valley, or Little Scandinavia. Amid the tumultuous 1960s, which were marked by protests against US involvement in the Vietnam War and the dawn of the hippie movement, young people flocked to San Francisco. 'The Castro neighborhood has been made famous for its incredible welcoming of LGBTQ people. And I think that that built through word of mouth,' says Roberto Ordeñana, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society. The San Francisco institution was founded in 1985, at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Its goal was to collect as much memorabilia and ephemera as possible — today, its collection includes everything from back issues of queer zines to the original Pride flag. The man who became the most visible symbol of the LGBT rights movement in the US was Harvey Milk. Born in New York state, he moved to San Francisco in 1972 and opened a camera shop on Castro Street. The neighborhood gets its name from this street, which is its main artery. Milk became politically active, founding the Castro Village Association, one of the first predominantly LGBTQ-owned business groups in the country. His biographer, Randy Shilts, dubbed him the 'Mayor of Castro Street.' In 1977, Milk was elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors, making him the first openly gay male politician in the country. He was among the leaders who worked to quash Proposition 6, a bill that would have required schools to fire gay and lesbian teachers. '(Milk) crystallized the political hopes and dreams of a generation of out gay people in the aftermath of the gay liberation movement,' says Timothy Stewart-Winter, associate professor of history at Rutgers University-Newark, who specializes in LGBTQ history. Less than a year after being elected to office, Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by a fellow city supervisor named Dan White. Following his murder, 'he became a martyr,' says Stewart-Winter. Like John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr a decade before, the timing of Milk's assassination froze him in history against the political and social turmoil of the era. Since then, Milk's name has become synonymous with the LGBTQ community. In 2019, the US Navy named a ship after him, a full circle moment considering that Milk — who served in the Korean War — was forced to resign from the Navy due to his sexuality. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has also named a terminal in honor of Milk. However, Ordeñana cautions against allowing Milk to be the sole representative of a large, diverse community. 'It's important for us to celebrate Harvey Milk and all of these other individuals that have done such incredible work for our community. But yet, there are stories like Sally Gearhart, who was a contemporary of Harvey Milk, who worked with him on the Proposition 6 campaign, whose story has been relegated out of mainstream narratives,' says Ordeñana. Gearhart was a writer, teacher and activist who founded one of the first women's studies university programs at San Francisco State University. 'We want to make sure that we are lifting up the histories of people that have been most vulnerable in our community,' adds Ordeñana. 'That includes seniors, that includes young people, that includes women and trans people in particular.' It has been 50 years since Harvey Milk set up shop in the Castro, and some could argue that the area has become a victim of its own success. 'The Castro on the one hand, it is paradigmatic, it's a place people associate with gayness. It's a place where people go to be gay, but it's also a place that is incredibly expensive, and where the contradictions of late capitalism are played out. The larger housing affordability crisis all over the country has been really bad in San Francisco,' says Stewart-Winter. 'The tech industry has transformed San Francisco,' he adds, pointing out that this neighborhood gentrification is not a recent phenomenon. The Italian clothing brand Diesel opened a shop on the Castro's main thoroughfare in the 1990s. These days, Apple and Starbucks hold court alongside locally owned taquerias and art galleries. Harvey Milk's camera store is still there at 575 Castro Street, an official city of San Francisco landmark with a plaque in front and a mural of Milk on the wall. In a rapidly growing and gentrifying San Francisco, Ordeñana says that the Historical Society also wants to keep the Castro's gay history in the present tense. The organization was able to raise enough money to buy a permanent home in the neighborhood. 'Obviously LGBTQ people live everywhere. We are part of every community. We are part of every neighborhood. The Castro continues to be a destination for people coming in from all over the world, which is why it was important for us to open this museum in the Castro that's available for global tourism and city residents alike.' 'I was born and raised in San Francisco,' Ordeñana says. 'I never left. I love traveling the world, but this is home.'
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin lands $3 million state grant to build Fox River Trail underpass at Kimball bridge
The city of Elgin has been awarded a $3 million state grant to build an underpass along the Fox River Trail below the Kimball Street bridge. Gov. JB Pritzker announced $139.2 million is being awarded to 66 projects across the state, including the Fox River Trail underpass, through the Illinois Department of Transportation Enhancement Program. The program is part of Rebuild Illinois, which is designed to help make travel safer and more accessible in the communities that need it most, Pritzker said in a news release. With the funding being the largest amount in the program's history, bike lanes, sidewalks, trails and other improvements are going to be built, he said. 'This is just one part of the state's larger efforts to reverse decades of disinvestment and create more connected communities,' he said in the release. State Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, helped secure the funding. 'This project will enhance the overall accessibility and usability of the Fox River Trail, which is important to me and something I think everyone can get behind,' Castro said. The underpass will not only enhance local travel and improve mobility, it will make the trail safer, she said. Cyclists and pedestrians 'won't have to exit the trail, cross the river at Kimball Street and then reenter the trail,' Castro said. The Fox River Trail is 45.7 miles long, starting in Algonquin and ending in Aurora. It is interrupted just before the Kimball Street bridge and then picks up again south of the bridge. Elgin is planning to replace the Kimball Street and Chicago Street bridges over the next five years. State inspectors found both spans safe but functionally obsolete, and the city is in the process of doing engineering and environmental studies to rebuild them. 'The underpass resolves current safety concerns by removing the need for pedestrians and cyclists to cross multiple lanes of traffic, making the trail significantly safer and more accessible,' city spokesman Jeff Knox said. Work on the underpass 'will be coordinated with upcoming improvements to the Kimball Street bridge to minimize disruption and maximize the impact of both projects,' Knox said. The village of Streamwood is also receiving a grant for more than $1.5 million to build a 1.1-mile, 10-foot-wide multiuse path along Irving Park Road. The path will connect with existing bike and pedestrian paths. Both grants are part of IDOT's commitment to improving nonmotorized transportation options and supporting local infrastructure development across Illinois, Castro said. 'Dollars we continue to put toward Illinois' infrastructure are revitalizing aging roads and bridges, creating jobs and growing the economy by increasing mobility across the northwest suburbs,' she said. 'Getting much-needed improvement projects over the finish line is a win and will benefit our communities for years to come.'
GMA Network
3 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Palace: Sara Duterte impeachment trial beyond President Marcos' reach
The impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte is beyond the reach of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Friday. 'Maliwanag po ang sinabi ng Pangulo na sa simula po ay ayaw niya talaga po ng impeachment dahil maaaring mayroon pong ibang mga legal na pamamaraan para mapanagot ang dapat mapanagot. Pero ngayon po, ang Bise Presidente po ay impeached na, wala na po sa Pangulo ito,' Castro said during a Palace press briefing. (What the President said is clear from the very start. He does not favor impeachment because there may be other legal remedies to hold public officials accountable. But now that the Vice President is already impeached, this is out of the President's hands.) Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives on February 5, with over 200 congressmen endorsing the complaint against her. She was accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes mainly over alleged misuse of around P612.5 million worth of confidential funds and threatening to kill Marcos, First Lady Liza, and the President's cousin and Speaker, Leyte First District Rep. Martin Romualdez. 'Iyon naman po ay kaniyang suggestion lang, kung maaari ay ayaw niya ng impeachment. Ang sabi po ng Pangulo, proseso,' Castro added. (What the President said is a mere suggestion. But he favors due process.) Further, Castro said that the President does not have the authority over any impeachment proceeding. 'The impeachment trial is not the business of the Executive. Hindi po makikialam ang Pangulo patungkol po diyan, pero sinabi po niya na dapat umandar ang proseso, irespeto ang due process,' Castro said. (The President won't meddle with the impeachment process, but the President also said the process should be followed, with respect to due process.) 'So, ito po ay nasa kamay na ng mga prosecutors, nasa kamay na po ng Senado. 'Pag sinabi po nating proseso, dapat sundin ang batas,' she added. (The impeachment is in the hands of the prosecutors and the Senate. And when we say process, law should be followed.) Castro also said the ultimate judge of the public officials' performance, whether it is the Vice President, senators or the House prosecutors, is the people. 'Ang taumbayan na po ang titingin at maghuhusga sa mga taong nasa loob or maaaring gumalaw para sa impeachment trial. Ang mga prosecutors dapat gampanan ang kanilang trabaho bilang prosecutors; ang mga senador bilang judges ay dapat ding gampanan ang kanilang trabaho bilang senators-judges. Proseso po ang nais ng Pangulo,' Castro said. (The public will be the one to judge those involved in the impeachment trial. The prosecutors should do their job as prosecutors, the senators should do their job as senator-judges. At the end of the day, what the President wants is due process.) The Vice President, for her part, said she is looking forward to her impeachment trial in the upcoming 20th Congress because she 'wants a bloodbath." —AOL, GMA Integrated News
