Clash of Cultures & the Discovery of Gold      123456

To San Francisco in the 1970s

Gay men and lesbians have been part of every society, whether or not they were recognized as such, and large numbers of them came to California with every major wave of migration. But it wasn't until the decades between 1950 and 1980 that a strong gay rights movement was established in San Francisco and the city came to be seen as a beacon of hope for gay men and lesbians around the world. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, homosexuals were generally considered lawbreakers and sexual perverts, but by the late 1970s they had become a recognized minority that contributed to the city's culture and that elected officials to the highest public offices.

The 1950–60s and the First Homophile Groups

Early gay rights organizations and advocacy groups such as the Mattachine Society (established in 1953), and the Daughters of Bilitis (established in 1955), published magazines for gays and lesbians (including the male-oriented Mattachine Review and the lesbian-focused The Ladder) and were part of what was then called the Homophile Movement. Their publications offered inspirational messages to men and women across the nation and around the world. They seemed to say, "Come to San Francisco. Here there is hope." The Mattachine Review continued to publish into the mid-1960s, and the final issue of The Ladder appeared in 1972.

Often isolated in small towns or feeling alone in other large cities, homosexuals learned about San Francisco with great interest. Many in the 1950s and 1960s decided to see for themselves if they could find kindred spirits in the City by the Bay. Perhaps one turning point came in June 1964 when America’s largest-circulation family magazine, Life, published a revealing article that proclaimed San Francisco the nation’s "gay capital."