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noizemagazine - Index

noizemagazine - noiZe Magazine Issue 60 May 2009 - Index

Baghdad by the Bay: America’s Gay Mecca
by Steve Kleine
Baghdad-by-the-bay, Sin Francisco, the Gay Mecca, Frisco … whatever you want
to call San Francisco one theme is constant: hedonism. Packed into seven square
miles is a world of places to go and things to do that rivals cities ten times its size,
including a world-class symphony and opera, innovative museums, some of the
world’s best restaurants, and an intense dance scene. And then, of course, there’s
the gayborhood to end all gayborhoods, the Castro.
Surprisingly, the Castro was not the first neighborhood to have a high population
of gay men and lesbians. Polk Street, still (in)famous for its leather and tranny
scene, was where it started. There are a few versions of how the Castro became
“the” gay neighborhood. Some say the U.S. military offloaded thousands of
gay servicemen during World War II after being discharged for homosexuality.
Others say it was the rise of the gay rights movement and the increased level of
acceptance brought on by the hippies’ Summer of Love in 1968 in nearby Haight-
Ashbury. Still others say that people with progressive attitudes grew weary of the
drug use and crime in the Haight and moved to the Castro as a safer alternative.
In any event, gay men replaced Scandinavian immigrants, and the Castro has
become a beacon of the gay rights movement.
Some say that the area has become too commercial over the years (yes, there is
a Pottery Barn). But the majority of businesses still have a gay focus. The restaurants
are full of hot gay boys. And day or night one will find every type of gay bar
packed to the rafters.
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Happy Am I! Healthy Am I! holy Am I!