Whew!..
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen so many men comfortable only wearing socks on their cocks as I have in the Castro. The queer culture is something I haven’t ever experienced before. And I thought I lived in some pretty open-minded and accepting places like Portland, Oregon and London. This place goes well beyond the status quo for an accepting place to be- the stereotypical coverage in Pride flags, though here, is just a small piece.
In my first 72 hours here, I saw a male couple walking around in the nude with small pieces of cloth covering their genitals, a nudist rally with 50+ people ranging in age and gender, a fully naked skateboarder blasting music and flying down the street, and a group of musicians dancing on the street in thongs hoping to gain some attention. The willingness to express ones’ body is actually really a beautiful thing and can be empowering for someone that had to spend a large part of their life conforming to the assigned gender roles or normative straight behaviors that are so frequently pushed on the queer community.
One of the most unique things I’ve noticed is the amount of resources in San Francisco, and the Castro alone. ~ For those of you who may not know, the Castro is the queer district in San Francisco, but it was not always the case. Rewinding to the 1950’s and throughout much of the 60’s, it was similar to any other large city. The queer community, for safety, remained underground. This was for fear of persecution by law enforcement, which was not limited to just a ticket. A queer person could be beaten, raped, jailed, etc.. It was very much not socially acceptable to be an open member of the LGBTQ+ community at that time. We can thank heroes and community leaders like Harvey Milk, George Moscone, Anne Kronenberg, Danny Nicoletta, Cleve Jones and many many more of which I could not possibly name.~ The impression left of the Castro will forever remain. Among the resources I’ve ran across, most of which are free or based on income, include access to HIV and STI testing, legal advocates for queer immigrants, information and medication referral for PREP ( Pre-Exposure prophylaxis), queer mental health support groups and resources for men living with HIV/AIDS. I know I am missing many, but these are simply the few I have seen without looking for them.
Another aspect of life here besides the freedom of body expression (cock socks), and queer resources mentioned above, is the diverse individuals you see at EVERY store, restaurant and bar here in the Castro. Queer couples are holding hands everywhere, same-sex individuals are kissing in the streets, queer themed discos, dance parties, drag shows, and karaoke is all around. I’ve seen glimpses of this elsewhere but not to this extent.
My time here has been filled with lots of film watching but I have also found time to eat at an enormous amount of restaurants. My favorite so far was Sqaut and Gobble Café and Crepery which has great savory crepes, and my favorite is the Italian. Second to that would be Hot Cookie (only serves cookies, but TOTALLY counts as a restaurant). Third in line, which surprised myself, is Dapper Dog. Dapper Dog is an inexpensive hot dog restaurant that has a Rueben dog that is soooooooo yummy. Hot dogs are usually very unappealing to me, but not these ones! Finally, Super Duper Burger has, what many consider the best hamburger in San Franscisco. If you want something fast, inexpensive, and greasy as hell, give this place a try. I left feeling fat and happy.
If you are looking for a place to go and be yourself freely, eat some great food, be surrounded by fabulous members of the LGBTQ+ community and alleys alike, no need to look outside the Castro 😊
