As many of you know a lot of my history posts tend to lean more towards New York City’s gay history mostly because that is where I hail from. With that being said I would like to share with you a very interesting and great documentary I stumbled upon about the history of the Castro neighborhood in San Francisco.
Originally shown during the Gay and Lesbian Pride Month in 1996, The Castro is a 90-minute documentary tells the dramatic story of how a quiet corner of San Francisco became the cornerstone of a movement-an international symbol of gay liberation.
Using rare archival film and fresh contemporary footage, the story of the Castro’s transformation and history is told by the people who lived it: young and old, straight and gay. They bring to life a history ranging from the discriminatory world of the 1950s, through the flowering of “gay power,” and into the age of AIDS.
The Castro, was produced by KQED San Francisco/PBS and won the George Foster Peabody Award, a CINE Golden Eagle Award and was screened at numerous film festivals in the United States and abroad.
Its a must see to understand our past and why the community is so different today..
Wow, wow, wow. A superb documentary on the gay history of the Castro. Unfortunately, it is not that gay anymore, I am told. I visited San Francisco many times on business during the 1970s and 1980s, and hung out on Polk Street (THE gay street pre-Castro) and the Castro. I do remember seeing the affect of AIDS, around 1990, with far fewer guys walking around, and many with canes, compared with previous years.
David: You are right – Polk Street “Polkstrasse” was the center of San Francisco gay life – it began to be eclipsed by Castro Street around late 1975 – early 1976.