The s-long stggle for equal rights for the gay muny clud an unlikely transformatn wh a lol Catholic church that is now thrivg San Francis's Castro District.
Contents:
- REMEMBERG THE GAY SAN FRANCIS CHURCH THAT WAS TORCHED OUT OF HATE IN 1973
- SAN FRANCIS'S LARGT GAY PARISH TO GET NEW PASTORS
- DO A POIGNANT PHOTO OF GAY MEN'S CHOIR SHOW DEVASTATG IMPACT OF HIV/AIDS?
REMEMBERG THE GAY SAN FRANCIS CHURCH THAT WAS TORCHED OUT OF HATE IN 1973
The Metropolan Communy Church San Francis was one of four gay church burned arsons between 1973 and 1974, the same year of the adly UpStairs Lounge fire new Orleans, which was also ... * gay churches in san francisco *
We, of the Metropolan Communy Church of San Francis, are a beloved muny jog together om diverse spirual backgrounds and misterg primarily wh the Lbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgenred Communy as a hoe of prayer of all people and a home for queer spirualy. The parish offers a spirual home to all: senr cizens and youth; sgle people and fai; those who are straight, gay, lbian, and transgenr; the healthy and the sick, particularly persons wh HIV/AIDS. Followg the attack on Pulse nightclub Orlando Sunday that took the liv of 49 victims, most of them Lato gay men, the New York Tim remds of earlier attacks on the gay muny, among them an famo arson se at a gay-iendly church San Francis the summer of 1973.
The bar was known as a place equented by parishners of the Metropolan Communy Church (MCC) a gay-found relig anizatn that began wh a "mother church" Los Angel, which self fell victim to an arson attack January of that same year. The fire at the UpStairs Lounge June, which a person or group of people who were never found doed lighter fluid all over the stairs leadg up to the send-story bar, was a horrific nflagratn that claimed the liv of 32 people, many of them gay parishners at the nearby MCC. Many of the people who died were unintifiable, not only bee the fire srched their bodi, but also bee, spe the celebratn of gay liberatn, many gay men were not out of the closet and ed fake IDs and alias gay bars.
Thankfully no one was jured the blaze, and the nearby Missn Prbyterian Church at 23rd and Capp Streets ved all the MCC's gay and lbian parishners to their service that Sunday, and the entire group marched om the burned-out church that eveng sgg jt as SF mourners did last night at Cy Hall "We Shall Overe. " And as they reunt on this timele, they passed out flyers gay bars the early 70's sayg "brg a trick to church, " and even held Easter Sunday servic at a SoMa bathhoe, "replete wh baptisms and 'fellowship. Gay bars were also the targets of firebombgs and arsons this era.
SAN FRANCIS'S LARGT GAY PARISH TO GET NEW PASTORS
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“This clud workg wh gays, sex workers, ‘young chickens, ’ youth, hippi, gangs, dg addicts, and others. ) Anti-black discrimatn exists the gay muny and the Castro. This famo bar was a regular for gay men of lor who didn’t feel wele at other predomately whe clubs.
DO A POIGNANT PHOTO OF GAY MEN'S CHOIR SHOW DEVASTATG IMPACT OF HIV/AIDS?
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). Tw Peaks Tavern go down history as the first gay bar Ameri wh wdows, meang patrons weren’t hidn om outsi view.
The wdows allowed gays and lbians to sip cktails whout shame while lettg the sunshe and nightlife vibe . G., the Dghters of Bilis and the Mattache Society) were jt begng, homosexualy was still registered as a pathology by the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn.
Operated by Harvey Milk om 1972 to 1978, the store beme the center of the neighborhood’s growg gay muny. Rough, sual, and sparsely rated, the first gay bar the Castro opened pre-Stonewall way back 1963. Over the next few s, approximately 30 more gay bars and shops opened around the Mule.