GOOD TIMES IN SAN FRANCISCO

GAYS AROUND THE COUNTRY STAND UP FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

Across the country gays gathered to protest the right to marry AND the religious right want to battle.

Last night at dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant Poesia in the Castro neighborhood we heard a lot of commotion outside. The owner of the restaurant came over and told us that there were a group of Mormons praying for the gays at the major intersection of this famous gay neighborhood. After dinner we met up with some friends who told us that the gays in the hood were blowing whistles and yelling at these religious freaks to get out of the hood. At one point some of the gays bought some fabric from the store along the strip and circled the Christians so no one could see them. TV crews came to the scene quickly, there was more cops than pedestrians once we made it onto the scene.

This whole thing has blown up because our government can't decide on whether we should be governed by the bible or not. I thought we lived by the constitution not by the morals of others religious beliefs. I hope these peaceful protests open people's eyes throughout the country! Equality for all! Gay, straight, black, white; marriage is a civil right. That's right, a civil right!

SAN FRANCISCO: A DIVERSE CITY FILLED WITH CULTURE

I took a "Cruisn' the Castro" tour yesterday for work. I learned a lot about San Francisco's LGBT community, the history of homosexuals, how Harvey Milk started the Castro neighborhood and where the gay flag got its start. I never really gave much thought about why gays are who they are the and this history lesson ultimately made me proud of who I am.

From the gold rush to why streets are named for famed prostitutes to the AIDS epidemic spreading through the gay neighborhood like the plague to why transexuals are still popular in the city today to how S.F. became the gayest city in the country (arguably the world), I learned a lot!

Volunteering as a docent for the Chicago Architecture Foundation was a really great experience, it taught me just about everything I needed to know about a city I really love. This tour confirmed the reasons on why I enjoy living in another culturally diverse city and I am looking forward to learning even more through future tours!