ned just sent me this article from the sf chronicle about the castro and the way that it is changing
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/02/25/MNG2DOATDK1.DTL
the gist of it is that while the castro became a gay (possibly the gayest) neighborhood in the late 60s as people fled from non-supportive communities and families, it is slowly becoming a very mixed place as straight people move in. many of the straight people (including many families) interviewed said that they didn’t really think much about the gay population, they just wanted a safe neighborhood with nice amenities and good weather. the article also interviewed many gay residents who talked about the castro being a neighborhood that is known around the world and that has a history which should be preserved for future generations to understand. it is true that in many parts of the world that gay life is becoming very mainstream, but in other parts of the world the community is still very marginalized. i’ve written here how different gay life is from gay life in places like san francisco, and of course places like egypt aren’t anywhere near as safe as things are in bangkok.
what really stands out in reading the article tho, is how important i think it may be for the castro to slowly become a mixed neighborhood. the article interviewed people who were raising small kids there, but it didn’t really point out how important it will be for those kids to grow up seeing gay couples as normal. or that parents weren’t afraid to raise kids in a neighborhood that advertises new gay porn releases on bus billboard kiosks. when i moved to san franciso 10 years ago, what really struck me wasn’t the castro but that that sight of two men in suits holding hands in the financial district didn’t really elicit any strange looks.
so maybe the castro will fade away as a gay neighborhood, but when the whole bay area becomes an area where gay people are comfortable to live that might actually do much more for the world’s perception of the gay community. it’s easy for people to be accepting of other people leading a certain lifestyle in a separate community, but when people are comfortable with it anywhere that’s a different (and much more important) issue.
I so agree. Gays need to be part of the warp and weave of every town, however small or large-If people can just have the opportunity to know gay people they will quit being fearful,quit noticing. I’ll never forget you telling me about the men in suits walking holding hands in San Francisco. Why can’t it be like that everywhere?
As a straight person who lived in the Castro for 3 years I guess I might have a somewhat unique perspective on this one…especially given that I moved from there to Nashville, a place sometimes referred to as the buckle on the bible belt.
I loved living in the Castro for the easy access to many useful amenities, the beauty of the neighborhood and its diversity. One of my regrets about leaving is that I can’t so easily expose my daughter to the mind opening influences of San Francisco in general, or the Castro specifically. I suppose on occasion I may have felt like I was trespassing in a place I didn’t belong, but the community is so accepting that it would have been a rare occasion.
I somewhat disagree with the idea that as the Castro culture takes over San Francisco as whole that it will cause many waves in the outside world. The religious nuts I encounter out here believe San Francisco already is that way. And maybe they’re right about that at least. What they don’t get is that you can’t be immersed in a culture like that and not come away empathetic. And for the reason, the more the ripples spread out from the Castro, the city, the bay area, etc…the more the country will benefit.
Nissan just moved its corporate headquarters to the county where I live now, which has transplanted hundreds of California management types to my new neighborhood. I sure hope they have a significant and positive influence.