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Yahoo
an hour 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
3 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
3 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.'
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Pride flag damaged in Norwich
Damage was caused to a Pride flag at a school in Norwich on May 25. Two individuals attended the school on Jerdon Street at approximately 12:30 p.m. and damaged the flag. The investigation is currently ongoing, and police are reminding the public that theft and vandalism may lead to a criminal charge.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pride in Norwich: June events celebrate identity and community
The Rose City Pride Committee is hosting a series of events in June for Pride Month. According to a community announcement, these events aim to promote community, wellness, creativity, and visibility. While the City of Norwich is host to several Pride-related happenings this month, the following events are organized and presented directly by the Rose City Pride Committee. The first event is the First Friday Flag Raising on June 6 at 6 p.m. at David Ruggles Courtyard outside City Hall, located at 100 Broadway. This event will feature the raising of the Pride Flag and a performance by the Rose City Pride Singers, with rehearsal starting at 5:30 p.m. Following this, the First Friday Art & Craft Exhibit will take place at 7 p.m., showcasing LGBTQIA+ and allied artists and crafters. Registration is required, and tables will be provided for participants. On June 7, the Rose City Pride Committee will have a presence at the GNACC Annual Duck Race at Fireman's Field in Yantic. Community members are encouraged to stop by the committee's table during this event. A Pride Service will be held on June 8 at 10 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Norwich, located at 67–69 Main St. This interfaith gathering is open to everyone and aims to be affirming and inclusive. On June 12, the Otis Library will host a Pride Beading Craft from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event is designed for youth ages 8 to 18 and will celebrate Pride through art. The 'Be You, Be Well: Self-Care is Self-Love' Wellness Fair will take place on June 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Otis Library Community Room. This event will feature gender-affirming organizations and self-care resources. On June 21, the Traveling Queer Movie Night will screen "Late Bloomers" at 7 p.m. at Park Congregational. The month will conclude with a Drag Queen Bingo Fundraiser at Bella Fiore Restaurante on June 23. Doors will open at 6 p.m. for buffet ticket holders, with the show and bingo starting at 7 p.m. Ongoing throughout June, there will be Pride window displays in collaboration with the Rose Arts Festival and an Otis Library Pride Book Display. For more information, contact Please note: Events listed on June 3 (UCFS Pride Day of Reflection), June 7 (Slater Museum Pride Celebration), and June 14 (Strange Brew Pride Party) are community events occurring in Norwich during Pride Month, but are not organized by the Rose City Pride Committee. This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@ with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at or share your thoughts at with our News Automation and AI team. This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: What's happening for Pride Month in Norwich? Here's your guide
