San Francisco prides itself on being the origin of new and important ideas in America. A beacon of civil rights and independent thought. And in many ways it has been.
In the sixties, the hippies flocked in San Francisco. Even before the summer of love in ‘68 the US had a new national anthem with Scott Mckenzie’s 1967 hit single “San Francisco (be sure to wear some flowers in your hair)”.
Today, Harvey Milks old house on Castro Street has a picture of him painted in a window and his quote: You gotta give 'em hope!
In the seventies and eighties the civil rights movement found its biggest supporters in San Francisco. In ’76 gay politician Harvey Milk lead the fight to get district elections in stead of city-wide elections, which made it possible for people in different districts (China Town, Castro etc.) to get local candidates into office. Up until then the city council had consisted mostly of the wealthy white protestants who dominated all of the US. This story has a tragic part though. In ’78 Harvey was murdered by white conservative family man, former firefighter and police officer and sitting member of city council, Dan White
Castro has the gay rainbow flag hanging from the street lights and a giant one on top of the Castro Station.
The struggle for gay rights also makes (most) San Franciscans proud. But in fact gay communities in the city, such as Castro, started out as a story of gay discrimination.
Many gays joined the military in WW2 to show that they were patriots. However, at the end of the war the military was looking to get rid of a lot of enlisted soldiers without paying the benefits promised to them when they joined the army. This lead to a large amount of gays being thrown out with a vaguely defined reasons for their “Dishonorable discharge”. The place where these discharges took place was San Francisco. Many, being embarrassed to return to their home regions and meeting other gays in a liberal city, stayed and a gay community formed. After the war the progress for gay people in the US has come largely from San Francisco:
Gay bars and hangouts had been hidden in cellars due to fear of gay hate crimes. In San Francisco the Twin Peaks bar by Castro Station (a cool and mellow place which I visited yesterday) was the nation’s first openly gay bar with big windows and a gay audience who did not hide their sexuality.
Twin Peaks - a cool place to be. Last night there was an ugly half naked man, lovely.
A proposed bill (Proposition 6, also known as The Briggs Initiative) in 1978 was going to legalize firing not only gay people because of their sexuality but also friends and family members of gay people and people who sympathized with the struggle for gay rights. Initial polls showed a 90% majority of the population in favor of this law (guess people were afraid to speak out for gay rights) but after a struggle stemming from demonstrations in San Francisco the bill was turned down 51 to 49%. And of course gay marriage was first introduced in San Francisco. Now people are awaiting a national decision which could either recall this progress or spread it.
One of the sad sides of SF is the many homeless. Here a lonesome old geezer I photographed on the way home one night.
What really pisses me off about gay rights is that they have come so late and are still so controversial. It should be a given thing yet there are Californian cities which have stopped having weddings altogether because the priests do not want to marry gay couples. And up until the nineteen-seventies and even eighties being gay was illegal in several American states (not surprisingly, Texas was one of them). You could go to jail for your sexuality! How insanely absurd is that?
Hmm, maybe I should join some gay community and fight for their rights. This stuff really makes me angry. Anyway, back to the beacon thing.
Riding through a slightly foggy night on a cable car - SF is magical
During the nineties, digital creativity in Silicon Valley right next to San Francisco gave birth to the modern computer industry and in the new millennium the eco wave in the US began in San Francisco. Right now there are posters all over town engaging people in the climate change struggle with the slogan: “The fight against global warming is coming home”.
In spite of San Francisco’s glorious achievements it still has purist aspects which confirm some of my general prejudice about this country. It is mostly minor things which I interpret as signs of a fundamental difference in what Americans and Scandinavians/Danes view as a desirable way of life. For example:
My first real encounter with a Jesus Freak was by the entrance at the Outside Lands Festival in the Golden Gate Park on Saturady. I went to see Ben Harper and Cake.
Speaks for itself.
People really dig God. Folks from other states, I am sure, regard San Franciscans as godless heathens but to me it is strange to see how he is everywhere. How a store on every street sells your basic God supplies (bibles, candles, icons and whatnot – God has also been raped by capitalism). How – when you go to a concert – at the entrance there will be some nut screaming at you not to love music more than Jesus. How people on the street pass you little booklets telling you how to see the light and get salvation.
Alcohol is dangerous. Many of my fellow students cannot come to the pint nights because they are not 21 yet. And they take this extremely seriously. The general rule is that if you look like you could be under 30 years of age they have to ID you. So I have to show my driver’s license in all the stores and bars I go to buy alcohol. Also, absolutely no one is allowed to serve alcohol after 2 am. The party just stops there unless you brought a flask or a bag of beers. You are not, however, allowed to drink alcohol publicly. We have the same law in Denmark but back home it is not enforced. It is here. So if you plan to drink beer or red wine in a park be sure to hide it. This is the reason for all the brown paper bags in American movies.
On the roof of a building (where there was a party) by Washington Square.
And then there is a general fear/dislike of naked skin and curse language. People are very offended by it compared to Denmark. So no one enjoys the sight of a dick or naked breats on the beach, only on the internet. There is plenty of violence on tv (infants being blown up and so forth) while parents will cover the eyes of their children if anything resembles intercourse or someone dares to say the s- or f-word. I find this ridiculous and hypocritical in a country that prides itself of being the land of the free.
Finally took a picture of some of those random shoes I wrote about last time.
Last, there is the everlasting American ignorance when it comes to the rest of the world. Many are confused about which language I speak when I tell them I am from Denmark because they don’t believe that Danish is a language but rather some sort of cake (Danish Pastry). Also, they continuously confuse Danish and Dutch people and believe me to be from that country where pot is not illegal.
And even though God seems more important to Americans than Danes in general some are confused about religion as well. Today on my way back from campus I was talking religion with one of the American girls from SFSU and she said that most Americans are either Christians or Catholics – as if Catholics were not Christian. Even when I explained to her that they are, she did not believe me. Jesus!
My view up 22nd Street when I leave for campus in the morning.
So San Francisco may well be a beacon in America but it still embraces some of the American values that lay the grounds for my prejudice against this country. Still love being here though.
