Before the Castro, Polk Gulch was San Francis's Gayborhood - 7x7 Bay Area

Contents:

• SAN FRANCIS’S 3 MOST FAB GAY NEIGHBORHOODS
• LOOKBACK: WHAT GAY LIFE WAS LIKE SAN FRANCIS 1976
• BEFORE THE CASTRO, POLK GULCH WAS SAN FRANCIS'S GAYBORHOOD
• THE 10 GAYEST CI IN AMERI FOR 2020
• GAYT PLAC IN CALIFORNIA FOR 2020
• HOW MILARY HISTORY WAS CENTRAL TO SAN FRANCIS BEG THE GAY CAPAL OF THE WORLD
• BT GAY CLUBS SAN FRANCIS

SAN FRANCIS’S 3 MOST FAB GAY NEIGHBORHOODS

Nurse and early AIDS activist Bobbi Campbell ed the ont wdow of this pharmacy to post a flyer 1981 warng the muny of “Gay Cancer”—bee neher the lol nor natnal ernment would sound the alarm—showg photos of lns ed by Kaposi sara (the rare ncer was found to be a rult of HIV’s toll on the immune system). G., the Dghters of Bilis and the Mattache Society) were jt begng, homosexualy was still registered as a pathology by the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn. “Until [the lg], you uld be fired for beg LGBT, ” says Jeff Berger, founr and print of the Natnal Associatn of Gay & Lbian Real Estate Profsnals.

LOOKBACK: WHAT GAY LIFE WAS LIKE SAN FRANCIS 1976

Ls than half of LGBTQ adults, 49%, were homeowners, pared wh almost two-thirds, 65%, of LGBTQ folks who do buy hom prrize livg fun, safe muni wh lots of other gay rints where they’re ls likely to be harassed. “They n have a level of fort [ the plac] bee other people have charted the waters, ” says fd the gayt towns Ameri, the ® team of data analysts looked at five-year U.

BEFORE THE CASTRO, POLK GULCH WAS SAN FRANCIS'S GAYBORHOOD

The list was limed to towns wh at least 1, 700 hoeholds wh a marg of error unr many big ci like San Francis and New York have long been renowned for their thrivg gay culture, they’re jt so big that the number of same-sex upl ma up a smaller percentage of their total populatns.

Wilton Manors, FLMedian home list price: $449, 000*No, isn’t nearly as renowned as some of the other gay mecs on this list, but don’t let that fool you.

Popular extravaganzas clu Bear Week, Womxn of Color Weekend, and the nearly 50-year-old trans celebratn Fantasia will pay arly to live this world-famo gay mec. The five-day ftival each September attracts big-name performers, cludg Lizzo, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga, as well as thoands of LGBTQ-iendly sert town, two hours east of Los Angel, happens to also be a gay oasis the other 359 days a year.

THE 10 GAYEST CI IN AMERI FOR 2020

Sheridan rints are still close enough to Denver’s gay bars and pri ftival, which has an timated attendance of more than a half-ln only downsi: There isn’t a ton of listgs the smaller town of Sheridan. While don’t have s own LGBTQ center or annual ftival, the quiet astal town neighbors Rehoboth Beach, DE, which has both—along wh dozens of gay bars and the whole area has bee a top East Coast LGBTQ vatn statn, many folks who want to stay year-round prefer the lmer vibe, natural scenery, and better als hunters n sre this three-bedroom townhome wh a pool and fns center the muny for $394, 900.

Known for s lively mic, bar, and rtrant scene, the town is also typilly home to the Garn State’s annual gay pri about 90 mut om New York Cy, Asbury Park is hoppg durg the summer.

Bloomgton, INMedian home list price: $379, 050Most folks are probably more likely to associate Indiana wh s nservative former ernor turned vice print, Mike Pence, than s thrivg gay culture. The cy also received a perfect, 100-pot sre on the Human Rights Commissn’s Municipal Equaly Inx for five straight progrsive small town has a rich theater and mic muny, an annual pri ft, and LGBTQ+ muny center, and is home to the groundbreakg Ksey Instute for Rearch Sex, Genr, and lookg for a gay-iendly, Midwtern muny n sop up a remoled four-bedroom townhome for jt $117, 000.

GAYT PLAC IN CALIFORNIA FOR 2020

It turns out Brattleboro, about two hours northwt of Boston, is also a low-key gay mec the heart of ski ultraprogrsive cy is home to an LGBTQ center dited to the ral rints of northern New England, an annual LGBTQ film ftival, and equent men’s gathergs, workshops, and bt part may be the cy’s relatively expensive real tate. The progrsive cy has such a large, active LGBTQ muny that hosts two major pri events: Atlanta Pri and Atlanta Black cy’s reputatn as the “Hollywood of the South” has attracted gay people om other nearby, more nservative towns and stat. ”The heart of the gay muny, where all the bt LGBTQ bars are loted, is midtown, around the tersectn of Piedmont Avenue NE and 10th Street NE.

Perhaps the only SF rtrant to embrace outdoor dg by sellg patrons warm socks and blankets, Canela’s menu specials are also worth keepg on your radar at Halloween, Passover, C Mayo, and pretty much all holidays, along wh prix fix tied to SF Gay Men’s Chos shows and mil-theater opengs. This two-level der wh formi, red swivel chairs, and plenty of rnival glass has been a league of s own ever sce the almost-as-gay Sparky’s vanished om Church Street years ago. Openg s Goln Gate to a world of diverse culture, viewpots, and sexual 'I'm so glad I did this': Comg out, growg up at San Francis PriWe've been diggg through our archiv and found an amazg seri to give you a glimpse of gay life here late 1976.

"BAY GAYS" was shockg for s time and is stunng still today for how many of the issu still the vio above for the ABC7 special reports prented as they aired the text om the special reports below:The Queen Cy: San Francis 1977Durg the past six months or so, several of here at Channel 7 have been focg our attentn on the homosexual muny of the Bay Area pecially San Francis, wh the hope of prentg for you a report that would shed some light on the darkns of the gay scene and generally show that people of homosexual persuasn are no different except their sexual preference. But when work is through one hundreds gather here what many are nvced as the largt and most signifint gay ghetto the Uned Stat if not the entire world.

HOW MILARY HISTORY WAS CENTRAL TO SAN FRANCIS BEG THE GAY CAPAL OF THE WORLD

Castro village the name given for roughly 20 square blocks of quat jobs vaguely Victorian stctur cut to livg quarters and more than 15 gay bars. Walk down the street this crossroad the gay muny and you're likely to meet your neighbor, your doctor, the guy who fixed your televisn set, or perhaps your boss.

BT GAY CLUBS SAN FRANCIS

Mart Stoll, a former State Department official and now one of the most rpected lears of the San Francis gay muny, "I thk San Francis is attractive to all people who are particularly those mori and that this has always been known as a place that uld accept people wh different liftyl and certaly the gay liftyle is a different liftyle. Gays are tolerated San Francis that very likely explas why more and more homosexuals are gog public or as they prefer to put g out of the closet.

You start out by g out to yourself and fdg out that you are gay and then you beg to do somethg about and e out to those few other people wh whom 's absolutely necsary. Specifilly the people wh whom you go to bed, and then gradually you build up a support group of iends who are gay and tell them and then you beg to tell your iends that aren't gay, and then 's a gradual ongog thg until fally everybody your life knows that you're gay, and you disver you're out there the world and that hasn't all fallen apart bee everybody knows who you are.

While thoands of gays don't md beg seen activi like the Gay Freedom Day Para or the annual police vers gay softball game San Francis, there are at least as many others who say they n't afford to be publicly intified.