GLBTQ Film Festival

The Conference was finally over and I was ready to see as much as I could of San Francisco before we had to depart the next day. We decided to have dinner in the Castro and see a movie at the Castro theater. There were several theaters hosting the GLBTQ film festival.

First we went to the Gay & Lesbian historical museum. A cute little place with some interesting exhibits. Next we had dinner at Harvey's which has an interesting history. Fred Rogers (no, not the one I adore from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood) and David Manducca opened the Elephant Walk bar/restaurant in the space formerly occupied by Anderson's Pharmacy at 500 Castro St . During that time, Castro neighborhood merchant, Harvey Milk owned and operated a camera shop up the street from The Elephant Walk. He praised the bar and hailed it as a place where the gay community could meet, feel safe and secure while at the same time be visible to the whole world. Milk soon became known for his passion and was dubbed the "Mayor of the Castro" --a title that suited him well and permitted him to be a voice and heart for the community.

The Elephant Walk bar began to thrive as people within the community embraced their sexuality. The Elephant Walk brought the community together and in the 1970s became a venue for internationally renowned singer and performer Sylvester . As gay culture grew and the neighborhood took shape, Milk became increasingly inspired and motivated by his community's support. It wasn't long before he progressed from the Mayor of the Castro to becoming the first openly gay member elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Not only was this promotion a feat for Milk and his career, but for the gay community as well.

Harvey took office on January 8, 1978 and his new role on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors was not without controversy. Tragically, on November 27th, 1978, both Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone were shot and killed in their City Hall offices by fellow board member Supervisor Dan White. After Harvey Milk was murdered, his camera shop space was taken over by the Human Rights Campaign. They have a few of his ashes under the sidewalk outside.


The Elephant Walk continued to thrive until December 2, 1988 when a fire nearly destroyed the building. It took four years and a lot of work to complete its restoration, and in 1996 the owner of the building reopened the bar as "Harvey's", in memory of the Great Harvey Milk. He was known the community over as a fun-loving person who would have loved the thought of a place where gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people could thrive, raise gay consciousness and a sense of our history.

The Castro theater was quite elaborate inside, rather like the River Oaks theater, only it hasn't been divided up into 3 cinemas. The balcony still stands as it did originally. About 10 minutes before the movie started, this organ and man emerged from the stage. It was a hoot!

When he finished playing, the show began. It was about a country singer named Chely Wright who came out as a lesbian. She and her fiance made a surprise visit and were introduced at the end of the movie for a Q&A with the producers.

Not being a big fan of country music, I'd never heard of her. But her story of struggle coming to terms with her sexuality and living honestly were fairly universal.

After the show we dropped in on a cookie shop next door for some late night treats, then took a taxi back to the hotel.