Has SF always been gay-friendly??

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

I can't answer for APtor, but I would say we have higher standards for some things, like aesthetics, beauty, fashion, etc. I know that's a stereotype, and I definitely have gay man friends who have no sense of aesthetics at all, but in general, I do think gay men have a good sense of beauty.

However, we have lower standards in lots of other more important ways. I know I'll get flamed for this by someone, but we really do sleep around a lot more than straight/lesbian couples do. I believe our relashionships really are more prone to breakup than straight/lesbian couples as well. I hope that will change. Unfortunately, I don't see that gay men (collectively) are really willing to own up to a lot of our problems. We're still stuck on blaming an outside enemy for everything.

Interesting and yes, you are going to get royally blasted, but I had a boss in Dallas that was also a good friend, he was gay, said about the same thing when it came to the gay, sexual life style.. My present boss, on the other hand, who lives in the bay area has been with his partner many years as have some of my favorite clients.

Nita

[AnUnidentifiedMale]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

It's not like San Francisco was the only place that did this.

Yes, I know that. I was just pointing out that SF hasn't "always" been a gay-friendly place, as one poster suggested.

[happ]

I think some clarification is needed. The fact that homosexuality was once considered a vice crime meant that the police could enter gay bars & harass people. This was the case everywhere in the U.S. [remember the Christopher St riot in New York?]. Because San Francisco has had a very large gay community per it's overall population is why these violations of human rights were well-known. Keep in mind, that Harvey Milk was the first openly gay public official in any city. San Francisco voted in gay people before other cities would even consider such a thing.

San Francisco is most definitely a "gay mecca" as it has been for decades. Gay people vacation there from all over the world. Just because Los Angeles and NYC have larger gay communities isn't because they are more gay-friendly but that they are much larger cities than San Francisco.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by happ

I think some clarification is needed. The fact that homosexuality was once considered a vice crime meant that the police could enter gay bars & harass people. This was the case everywhere in the U.S. [remember the Christopher St riot in New York?].

And yet, despite Stonewall, NYC was more gay friendly than anywhere else in the US at that time - as long as gays stayed in a couple of neighborhoods.

Because San Francisco has had a very large gay community per it's overall population is why these violations of human rights were well-known.

Actually, the large scale busts and mini riots that occurred in late '60s SF (and LA) are pretty unknown even in California - they're overshadowed by what happened in NYC.

[happ]

Originally Posted by majoun

And yet, despite Stonewall, NYC was more gay friendly than anywhere else in the US at that time - as long as gays stayed in a couple of neighborhoods.



Actually, the large scale busts and mini riots that occurred in late '60s SF (and LA) are pretty unknown even in California - they're overshadowed by what happened in NYC.

I forgot that it was called "Stonewall" [don't know where I got "Christopher Street"? But I don't think gays were more accepted in NYC compared to San Francisco. The Bay Area passed anti-discrimination laws to protect gays well before New York. The city of New York & the state of New York have been quite slow to recognize gay issues.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by happ

I forgot that it was called "Stonewall" [don't know where I got "Christopher Street"? But I don't think gays were more accepted in NYC compared to San Francisco. The Bay Area passed anti-discrimination laws to protect gays well before New York. The city of New York & the state of New York have been quite slow to recognize gay issues.

The Stonewall Inn, where said riot happened, was on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village.

The acceptance of gays in NYC was more along the lines of "they can do their thing as long as they stay in their neighborhood and make the right payoffs". IIRC, the Stonewall Inn was raided because they'd fallen behind in their payoffs to the cops.

Also, re: New York, John Lindsay was the first big city mayor to address gay concerns at all by meeting with gay groups - his SF contemporaries John Shelley and Joseph Alioto saw gays as a threat as did most of America at the time.

The resulting riots are known worldwide, whereas the similar and earlier gay riots at Compton's on Turk and Taylor and the first gay riot anywhere in the world, at the Black Cat in Los Angeles (Silver Lake), are very obscure even in California.

[happ]

Originally Posted by majoun

The Stonewall Inn, where said riot happened, was on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village.

The acceptance of gays in NYC was more along the lines of "they can do their thing as long as they stay in their neighborhood and make the right payoffs". IIRC, the Stonewall Inn was raided because they'd fallen behind in their payoffs to the cops.

Also, re: New York, John Lindsay was the first big city mayor to address gay concerns at all by meeting with gay groups - his SF contemporaries John Shelley and Joseph Alioto saw gays as a threat as did most of America at the time.

The resulting riots are known worldwide, whereas the similar and earlier gay riots at Compton's on Turk and Taylor and the first gay riot anywhere in the world, at the Black Cat in Los Angeles (Silver Lake), are very obscure even in California.

Thanks for the historic perspective [you are a walking encyclopedia of information