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Yeah, yeah, remain an acceptable part of civilized societies throughout history. Now, after hundreds of years of people hating quote fags and queers, a city has emerged where homosexuality is not only tolerated but thrives. What are the implications of this dramatic change in attitude, a change that

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defies history? What you are about to see is a special report that examines important social change, a glimpse of one of those most astonishing phenomenons of our times. Gays and the San Francisco experiment. Virtually every large city in America is, to some extent aware of the

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subculture of the homosexual. Perhaps in no city is it more evident than in San Francisco. Sometimes labeled with a sly caption. Queen City of the West, I've been terribly alone and forgotten in Manhattan. I'm going home to my city by the baby. Yeah, San Francisco has

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changed a good deal since 1965. Today, fully 15% of the city is estimated to be gay. In fact, there are more homosexuals per capita in San Francisco than any other city in the world. Conservative estimates put the gay population of this city and nearly 100,000, although

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we don't know how many were gay. 300,000 people showed up last year to take part in the gay Freedom Day parade. More are expected this year. They have a lot of cloud and they call the shots, and I think that's sad. I think it's frightening. Maybe

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gays don't call the shots, but in San Francisco they have power, political and economic. I think it's sad when a particular um group of people, whether no matter what they are, so are able to dominate, particularly in the political arena. Thank you. I think the gay

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community is a viable political force in San Francisco, which wants to be consulted and should be consulted on major issues. Uh, and I think the No on six vote in California was a very effective test of the political power of the gay community. I had a

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letter from someone asking me what I have done for gay rights, A very vituperative letter, and I just wrote back. I stood up for the principle of gay rights. Well, you were probably still in the closet. I've signed an executive order to ban discrimination based on

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sexual orientation. It's probably the first states in the nation to do that. And that reflects the growing political power. Gays in the society. In New York, when Mayor Cash talked about gay rights, the firefighters got very upset and took to the streets and said, Never in

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San Francisco, the firefighters helped put a gay person in the office. Once they get their foot in the door, they're not going to stop there. That part bothers me. Uh huh. I think there's been a substantial economic plus, um, forged out of the gay community. Uh,

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in business. I remember when Polk and Castro Street in terms of commercial endeavor, we're struggling. And then there was an influx of new activity. A large part of it was gay activity. Because of that, the neighborhood has grown very rapidly in its economic health. Gays in

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San Francisco have made considerable advancements to the city and contributions to the city in the professions, in the sciences in the arts, Uh, in beginning the remodeling of San Francisco's Victorians. Mhm, Yeah, Mhm, Yeah, yeah, mhm. Mhm. We have a tremendous gay population who are very

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involved in businesses. Large property holders, large landlords, uh, involved through all of the spectrum of the financial district, the banking industry. So we have a tremendous clout moneywise tax dollar wise, which gives you a political base. If that's what the people in San Francisco wants, that's

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their choice. You see, the people of San Francisco have made a choice allowing gays to develop political and economic power. That power will inevitably impact the message that San Francisco sends to the rest of the nation. Yeah.

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Mm, yeah, yeah, yeah. A romantic scene. Young lovers on the beach. But this couple is different, for this is San Francisco, and the couple is homosexual. Being gay, a homosexual will tell you, is not just being allowed to be free in the privacy of one's bedroom

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that sex gay sex is only a small part of homosexuality. They believe being gay is having the freedom to love who you wish, how you wish. Ultimately a gift of security, happiness and home mhm sons of tycoons or sons from the farms. All of the Children

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ran from your arms. They tend to be a little younger than the average San Francisco adult, perhaps more liberal in their politics. But really, the only one common factor is the appreciation of male sexuality. Males attracted to males. Lesbians are very different from gay men because

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of the fact that we're women and we live lives that are very different. Our our problems are different. Problems are relationships are different kinds of relationships are professions are different professions. It's not the same thing at all. We are together with our gay brothers only on

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the basis of the fact that this society has labeled us together with them homosexual. In San Francisco, you're talking about 60 to 80,000 gay people who are integrated throughout society into life, everything from politicians to doctors to ditch diggers to bus drivers. Yeah, What I see

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the gay Liberation Movement is about is addressing that question of the male or the masculine cult, the masculine code that says that men have to be inhuman and alienated from themselves and holders down and oppressors of women and of other folks. And I furthermore believe that

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the reason that gay men are hated in this society is because gay men are like women. They do the things that women are supposed to do. They love men and men aren't supposed to do that. Women are supposed to do that and any of the gestures

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or behaviors that gay men have that are in any way soft or gentle. Our behaviors that are supposed to be associated with women. And so, by God, we're going to hate them for that. Yeah, San Francisco is in a kind of golden age, a period of

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incredible cultural flourishing and richness. That's a golden age like Paris of 1900 or Athens of the fifth century BC. How can I express to you what it's like to be a professional woman hiding who it is that she really is mhm in an attempt to do

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her job and being frightened every day of her life, that she is going to be blackmailed? And indeed, I have been blackmailed in contrast to being able to come to this city and being able to say that word lesbian out loud in relationship to myself, that

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that's an incredible gift. Uh, it's a challenge. It's a place for them to be a place for the live to come out of. The small Hamlets in the small towns are coming from the Midwest and the South, and some of the Texas areas where there's tremendous

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racial prejudices in sexual prejudice on their heads. But it stands as a symbol for freedom all across this country and indeed all over the world. For people who are different, and that doesn't mean just gay people. It means anybody who does not fit the norm of

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what a monolithic culture wants us to be. And what's happened in San Francisco is that the 15% or 10% of the population that is gay is open about it. Education process has taken place. People have learned to accept, learned to get over the stereotypes there to

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get over the prejudice. And it's a healthy, healthy atmosphere that's taking place mhm. As president of the Board of Supervisors, it's my duty to make this announcement. Both Mayor Moscone E. And Supervisor Harvey Milk have been shot and killed