From pride march to the first gay bar and much more. We tell you why San Francisco is rightly regarded as World's gay mecca
Pride March in San Francisco
San Francisco is the city ruled by love and celebration of diversity. Which helps explain why the city has come to be known as the epicenter of the worldwide LGBTQ community. Here are some of the reasons why San Francisco became the world's gay mecca:
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The Castro at Night
Castro Neighborhood
Take a walk through history in one of the original U.S. LGBTQ neighborhoods and make your way right to the LGBTQ center of San Francisco. Every store, restaurant, bar, and nightclub in this district welcomes you with open arms, with none of the stress you typically have when you're trying to figure out if a business is LGBTQ-friendly in other cities. Make some time to explore the GLBT History Museum and learn more about the struggles of the past, then party the night away at the QBar. Find a hotel in the Castro neighborhood.
1974: Castro Street Fair:
Another highlight of the Castro District is the Castro Street Fair, held every month in October. This street celebration dates back to 1974 when founder Harvey Milk brought artists, vendors, and artisans together in this community fair. Today, you can buy handmade goods directly from LGBTQ makers, find your way to the dance floors, or enjoy the music coming from multiple stages.
2017: Rainbow Honor Walk:
Forget the Hollywood Walk of Fame. You need to check out the Rainbow Honor Walk that recognizes prominent LGBTQ individuals who made a long-lasting impact throughout their lives. Swing by the intersection of Castro St. and Market St. to find these plaques. As you walk along the blocks in this area, you will learn about many people who excelled in their fields, performed the activist work needed to make the LGBTQ community what it is today, and contributed their hearts and souls to this cause.
Pride March in San Francisco on 24th June'2018
Pride
1970: First Pride March:
Thirty courageous people risked it all to march down Polk Street to City Hall in a time when any association with homosexuality risked discrimination and worse. The following day a “gay-in” took place in Golden Gate Park drawing hundreds more. Combined, these mark the genesis of the Gay Freedom Day Parade. Today, Polk Street is home to a wide range of LGBTQ-friendly restaurants, bars, nightclubs and Disco Diva clubs, such as the Cinch and the Lush Lounge.
Politics
1977: Harvey Milk:
Harvey Milk is elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay elected official in California history, only to be gunned down, along with beloved pro-gay Mayor George Moscone, by fellow supervisor Dan White, on Nov. 27, 1978.
2016: Harvey Milk Democratic Club:
Openly gay Assemblyman Mark Leno serves his 14th year. San Francisco is full of the openly gay city, county, and state officials including Board of Supervisor David Campos, and former Board of Supervisor, now current California State Assemblyman, Scott Wiener. Two of the city’s most prominent political clubs include LGBT-centric Harvey Milk and Alice B. Toklas. It is impossible to get elected to citywide office without LGBTQ support.
Rainbow Flag
Changing The World For the Better
1964: Gay Capital of America:
San Francisco is touted as the "Gay Capital of America" in 'Life' magazine. Activists of all stripes flock to San Francisco to start the fight we know today as the gay rights movement, and to take it first to the rest of America and then the world.
2016: Marriage Mecca of the US:
After a series of victories and defeats for California’s Proposition 8, the U.S. Supreme Court makes same-sex marriage legal across the United States, invalidating every last ban. San Francisco first issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004 and was recently voted LGBTQ “Marriage Mecca” by GayCities members.
2017: Gay Men's Chorus' Lavender Pen Tour:
When the new Trump Administration began rolling back LGBTQ protections and rights, San Franciscans immediately took action with demonstrations for equal rights. While many took to the streets of San Francisco in peaceful protest, others, such as the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus decided to fight hate by taking their message of love to several red states this October. The Lavender Pen Tour is an attempt to support and encourage LGBTQ+ people and their allies by promoting acceptance and love through music.
The 40th Annual San Francisco Gay Pride Parade
Into The Night
1908: First Gay Bar:
Among the first “notorious” gay bars in San Francisco was a dark, secretive place known The Dash, known only to insiders. Waiters cross-dressed and for $1 would perform sex acts in private booths. In 1972, Twin Peaks Tavern opened its door and windows to the public. Gay bars in the Castro now often boast as many non-gay patrons as gay ones, with people of all sorts enjoying the open, nonjudgmental atmosphere.
2016: Best Gaybourhood In The World:
Castro and SoMa were named the world’s best Gaybourhoods by GayCities members in 2016. Any given night, you can find bars packed and clubs hopping with a mix of locals and tourists who come to gay it up in the city. The original gay center was Polk Street and parts of the Tenderloin, both of which still boast gay bars, but transitioned to make the Castro and gayest neighborhoods anywhere, with at least a dozen gay bars within a few blocks of each other on Castro, Market and 18th Street. The South of Market Area is also a new hot spot for LGBTQ bars, clubs and festivals, such as the Folsom Street Fair.
San Francisco earns its name as the gay mecca of the world, whether you're looking to step foot in the oldest gay bar or you want to learn about the history of the LGBTQ community. The thriving gay neighbourhoods are warm and vibrant, and they give you some of the most unique events you'll find anywhere.
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