URBAN SOCIOLOGY (SEMESTER-5) Cultural Identity, Sexual Liberation and Urban Structure: THE GAY COMMUNITY IN SAN FRANCISCO

Immanuel castells , in his seminal work Cultural Identity,  “Sexual Liberation and Urban Structure: THE GAY COMMUNITY IN SAN FRANCISCO”, published in 1983, shows how gay movement led to the reconstruction of urban spaces in America. Plus how do city spaces provide terrain for social mobilization.

San Francisco is known as the world’s gay capital. It has been the city where gays have uniquely succeeded in building up a powerful, complex ,independent community at spatial, economic, cultural and political levels. Gay men particularly have been able to achieve certain amount of power within the institutional system after movements.

This relationship between the gay movement and the city has major consequences

1.    The gay territory develops according to the relationship between the emerging movement and the counteracting forces and not by forces dominating social and functional patterning of space.

2.    Gays need a spatially defined community for a long period where culture and power can be reformulated in a process of experimental social interaction and active political mobilization. A city emerges within a city in a process that transforms established cultural values and existing spatial norms.

 

Gender aspect-

A fieldwork was conducted in San Francisco, between 1980 and 1981 with the collaboration of the gay community which provided the gender dimension of homosexual movement. It was recorded that gay movement got momentum in san Francisco whereas lesbians were excluded. The reason for not including lesbians was-    Lesbians tend not to concentrate in a given territory but establish social and interpersonal networks because;

a.     They are poorer than gay men.

b.    They have less choice in terms of work and location.

c.     Their politics is less directed to the established political system.

Hence, they are less likely to achieve local power.

Major difference between men and women in their relationship to space-

Men have sought to dominate, and one expression of this domination has been spatial. On the other hand, women give more importance to relationships and their networks are ones of solidarity and affection. They tend to create their own rich, inner world and a political relationship with the higher societal levels.

While spatial communities and local power seem to be fundamental to gay men’s liberation in San Francisco, they are clearly not  so for lesbians who are more concerned with the revolution of values than with the control of institutional power.

 

The historical Development of the San Francisco as Gay city

San Francisco has always been an attracted city and a place where people were welcoming all with their own personal fantasies. Homosexuals were scattered there also but In the 1920’s San Francisco decided to emerge as the cultural capital of the west, and grow up in authoritative shadow of Catholic Church, so deviants were punished and so, homosexuality was also mentioned as a evil in the eyes of religious morality.

About 1.6 million homosexual men and women were suddenly uprooted; many were also discharged from military for homosexual identity. Harvey Milk, a graduate of New York state university, was not able to teach because of his discharge in 1956, for homosexuality like many other gays.

As they were not acceptable in society openly, bars and cafes became their place of meetings, so an  specific ideology raised from this bars  like ( the Black Cat ) which played a major role in first stage of gay movement as people gathered there, and discussed about homosexuals rights.  

 

CHRONOLY OF THE DEVELOPEMENT OF MOVEMENT

Homosexuals developed bars as their place of meeting and this caught the attention of media which also helped to fillip gay movement across san Francisco. But the main reason Homosexuals started their movements was bar networks and counter-cultural movements. And finally in the 1959 Mayor, George Christopher declared and allowed the city to become then national headquarters of organized homosexuals in America.

The local press criticized him for harming the image of the city. But now gay community was strong enough to stand for the homosexual’s rights, 30 gay bars that existed around the city actively participated in movement i.e. by challenging police by publicizing some cases of corruption, but police responded with more repression, but the community was strong enough and unstoppable, so organized marches also in California and Sacramento in defense of gay rights. But Still homosexuals suffered.

In 1955 the first openly Lesbian organization was found it in San Francisco by The daughters of Bilitis, in 1962 in order to protect themselves against police the owners of Gay bars organized the Tavern Guild which became one of the basic financial and political supporters of all gay activities in San Francisco. This along with few other developments opened new vistas for gay community-

1 - for the first time an openly gay leader Harvey Milk, became a public official leader.
2- in June 1978 senator Briggs was suggested to banning homosexuals from teaching in public schools, after Harvey milk became a major political figure, through  campaign with the help of liberal democrats and neighborhood activities gay community won, and in November 1978 Briggs suggestion was rejected by 58 percent of the Californian voters and 75 percent of San Francisco, the local political culture had thoroughly supported  gay rights,
3-In the April 1978 board of supervisors approved a very liberal Gay rights sentence , at the sometime two Lesbian leaders, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon received a certificate of honor for their civic services including for Lesbians from the city of San Francisco

But this success came after spate of miseries. On 27 November 1978, Dan White an ex-policeman killed mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk by shot them in their office at city hall. The gay community marched with candles in silence, but Dan white sentenced to seven years prison, the lowest possible penalty. And still they are agitating , though not with that gusto , for their rights.

 

SOCIAL MAKING OF GAY TERRITORY

During cultural revolt of the 1960s, Gay of San Francisco, their spatial organisation shifted to specific neighbourhood from bars & street. The urban residential structure was profoundly altered. The gay territory expanded according to a logic the understanding of which will be a key element for establishing the relationship between cultural transformation & urban form. 

They could not afford living in san Francisco posh areas.  A growing proportion of middle class gays ridiculed the idea of setting up in a ghetto.  They began to locate themselves, in a very pointed move in the lower sections of the fashionable pacific heights, literally on the threshold of San Francisco’s elite.

Mid 1970s Two major developments took place -

1.    The Castro ghetto grew and expanded dramatically in all adjacent areas.

2.    In a different way, gay households developed in the working class areas of Bernal heights and Potrero Hill.

In Late 1970s, a new expansion of gay residences took place on the borders of the middle which represented a sexual oriented, a cultural revolt, & a political party.

But To be a society within a society, they had to organised themselves spatially to transform their oppression into the organisational setting of political power. It brought together sexual identity, cultural, self –definition, and a political, project in a formal organised around the control of a given territory.

The Renovation of Housing & Urban Space by the Gay Residential

The process of urban renovation in San Francisco has been largely triggered by gay people,  as a result property values in gay residential areas have been considerably improved. Commercial & Business development took place through the gay residential areas.

Three different intervention have contributed to Urban Renovation in San Francisco-

1.    Affluent gay professionals, desiring to move into the gay territory, hired skilled renovators to do the job for them once they had bought the inexpensive houses.

2.    Gay realtors & interiors decorators discovered the possibilities of a new housing market & decided to use it as a way to earn a living. They bought property in low cost areas & repaired and renovated the building in order to sell them for a high profit. They discovered the hard way how to survive the tough San Francisco housing             market, the gay community provides 90percent of labour in renovation and restoration in central San Francisco neighbourhoods.

3.    Majority of the gay community could not afford to buy a house in San Francisco. So they formed collectives to either rent or buy inexpensive buildings and fixed them up themselves.

Gay people have raised the physical standard and economic value of the space they have occupied.

 

 

 

During 1970’s , when gays felt relatively safe in their space and in their city as a result of the political influence they had acquired, they founded  a whole range of gay organizations , dancing groups, poetry clubs, art galleries, counseling clinics.

Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA), the world’s first business organization founded by the LGBTQ community encourages individual autonomy  and personal freedom that gays feel are the basis of their own development.

 

Gay Power - Transformation of the Local  political system

 

By 1980 gay community transformed to a political power. This transformation started in 1972, when George McGovern’s presidential campaign opened way for their election. This was the time when many social issues were coming in movements and the Gay rights were among them.

In order to obtain support from the gay community, he started a gay-oriented political organization under the leadership of Jim Forster which was named as ‘’Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club. On the other side, the opposition parties were also started campaign to gain votes in their favor.

Harvey Milk started his own campaign to establish an autonomous political platform for gays and got 17,000 votes in 1973 and 53,000 votes in 1975 but lost the election as he only received 45 percent of the total votes. During this period,  “Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club” decided to established another Gay Democratic Club where explicit gayness became the symbol of these manifesto. And so in 1976, Harvey Milk also established another club which became the largest and the most active-single gay community club. Several supervisors elected in the period of 1975 to 1980 needed the support of the Gay community which led to the rise of the Gay community in power.

Later on, Harvey Milk got elected as the supervisor of the local political system who was murdered. But after his murder HARRY BRITT replaced him, who was appointed by Harvey. Harry Britt was one of the active supervisors on variety of possessive issue. He was highly supported by the gay community as he clearly represented them. Thus, the club support and endorsement allowed him to be easily elected in 1979 and re-elected in 1980. But still  in his presence on supervisor’s post, the influence of the gays were not correspond in the political system as their influence was based on the threats given  by their opposition. Then In 1979, Diane Feinstein joined in this mayoral race where she was against a gay candidate but still got elected because the votes were mostly given by the gay  community in exchange of some promises. This also included giving them recruitment in the police department and shows how gay community made their position prominent in political arena.

 

Emergence of gay as a political power and urban development-

The changes triggered by the expansion of gay culture because major contribution towards the improvement of the city quality of life. New gay households account for a significant proportion of the renovation of old building, for repair and maintenance of other sections of the city.  Apart from this, the impact can be seen in the well-being designed treatment of semi-public spaces between the front door and the pavement. In short, architectural improvement took place.  

 

Changes in the urban space

The improvement of the urban space which is brought by the gay community might be a representation od a new form of residential displacement and social inequality. During 1970, there were decisively street life, popular celebrations, joyful feasts got increased as the consequence of the gay presence. Although, most urbanists seem to value public life, street activity and intense social interaction was one of the most distinctive positive dimensions of city life.  While in history, cities have been spaces of diversity and communication. And when the communication ends, or diversity is swallowed by social segregation – the urban culture is endangered.

 

In 1981, the ‘sadomasochist culture’ got famous. The movement rapidly increased and was used as gay component during that time. As this movement got increased as an ideological movement as the gay leaders were trying to showcase the society the ‘define norms which was socially accepted’. The movement got ‘no limits’ as there was violence, attack, slave auctions, leather dress, Nazi uniforms, chains and whips were more than sexual stimuli or games.  Although, there was also a fact that sadomasochist movement have a tiny part which support the gay community while mostly of sadomasochist movement participants are heterosexual. So, in the cultural ghetto, the gay community is unlikely to accomplish the sexual revolution which is its majority social project.

 

The Political Movement

As said, the bridges between the gay community and the social change could be built by the ‘political movement’. There were two possible forms of political collaboration between groups.

Firstly, the American culture of coalitional politics in which interests are defined and everybody tries to benefit from the political bargain. The experience of San Francisco made it almost impossible situation for the gay community to reconcile its interests to all the other organization and institutions.

Secondly, a political alliance could have been established on the basis of long –run political interests which was based on the common and essential concern of transforming the cultural-economic structure which was at the same time sexist, homophobic, sexually-repressed and capitalist.     

The gay community didn’t proceeded in the direction given by the political movement. Instead of building new hegemonic culture including the homogenous based on ideologically and politically that led to transformation.

So, it tries to develop an autonomous power to negotiate its demands within the institutional and political system.Thus, this strategy could be successful if the demands and interests of the gays were compatible with the dominant American culture.

And this is not been so  because they implicitly attack a basic social institution which is the family. If the gays are strong enough to replace the family with another form of human organization that would expand at a social level.