Observing the brewing controversy over the rainbow flag installation in the Castro, I may be in a unique position in that I helped Gilbert Baker in getting his work of art installed in 1997, tried to landmark it when I was supervisor, and also sponsored the legislation establishing the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District.
I know that one question underlying the controversy is fundamental and of extreme importance — the identity of the Castro as a neighborhood.
The Castro must be welcoming to everyone. I applaud the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District for challenging the status quo. I think it would be distressing to Baker, who died in 2017, to see his one permanent work of art, the rainbow flag installation, in the middle of this struggle. Beginnings