SF Castro's flag: Activists want more say on it

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 4/26/11 | Will Kane, Chronicle Staff Writer

[SmithL]

Nothing says San Francisco like a fight over Elizabeth Taylor, Harvey Milk and flying the American flag.

A loose band of community activists in the Castro district say they are tired of a powerful local merchants group controlling the gay rights rainbow flag that flies at Castro and Market streets.

The fight started last month, when a handful of Castro residents asked the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro to fly the flag at half-staff to honor Elizabeth Taylor, the Hollywood-star-and icon to gays who died in March.

The merchants group, which has maintained the flag since the late 1990s, declined that request

[SmithL]

Michael Petrelis thinks a merchants group has too much control over the flagpole in the Castro where the famous rainbow flag flies.

[PzLdr]

Hissy Fit!!

[therightliveswithus]

SF is long the weirdest part of the country

[NWFLConservative]

Jeez, I'll bet you can hear his little benny boy lisp a hundred meters away.

"Thith isth fasthism! We want the flag at half mastht!"

[NWFLConservative]

Actually I think Berzerkely takes the top billing as the weirdest, most counter-culture city in the country, but since it's all part of San Fransickness, you could argue both!

[RightGeek]

Just imagine all the drama and excitement! Not to mention shrieking!

[Lazamataz]

You know, maybe the armed forces DO need homosexuals.

They could all be Petty Officers.

[andy58-in-nh]

You know, maybe the armed forces DO need homosexuals. They could all be Petty Officers.

Or Rear Admirals.

[ssaftler]

Actually I think Berzerkely takes the top billing as the weirdest, most counter-culture city in the country

You've never been to Davis, CA, about 20 miles west of Sacramento. Berkeley at least has a few small enclaves of sanity. The few times I've been to Davis, I'm not sure I've found anywhere that isn't stuck in the 60s or just plain nuts.

Went to an arts festival on the UC Davis campus a couple years ago (a friend was exhibiting there, went to say hello) and I needed THREE showers when I got home to remove the stench.

Did get a laugh though. As we were walking back to the car, I heard a couple UC Davis students talking about all of the weirdos in the park where the festival was happening. I figure they must have been Veterinary students there, being that normal.

[hattend]

The fight started last month, when a handful of Castro residents asked the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro to fly the flag at half-staff to honor Elizabeth Taylor, the Hollywood-star-and icon to gays who died in March.

The merchants group, which has maintained the flag since the late 1990s, declined that request

Good Grief. It's not like a rainbow flag really means anything. Homosexuality, like liberalism, is a mental disease.

[NWFLConservative]

You have me there, never been there. But I have been to Berzerkely and San Fransickness and when we left I felt like I needed to step into a decontamination shower to wash off the disease. That place gave me the creeps.

The worst thing about San Fransickness is it is a beautiful town, physically. It's just that liberalism has gone completely amok there and has made it a very ugly place.

I was watching my favorite show, The First 48, a few nights ago and one of the homicides profiled was in Southside Detroit. If ever there was a perfect example of liberalism gone completely amok, it's Detroit. The place was in an advanced state of decay; physically, morally and socially. The overwhelming number of kids born there have three strikes against them from the start. Drugs, gangs and violence rules the place. The kids there grow up in a typically dysfunctional family, with parents who refuse to discipline their children or where you have several children, all of different fathers, where the fathers have no inclination whatsoever to be part of their children's upbringing. The detectives, with one exception, were black and they went on and on about how the whole generation they are dealing with are totally lost. One of the detectives came from that part of town and remarked that he was so grateful his father was a strict disciplinarian or else he might very well have wound up as one of the kids he was sworn to protect the public against. The people put up signs in their yards “Stop the Violence” but when the officers talk to them, they won't stand up and be counted, mostly due to fear of retaliation. They have become a big part of the problem.

[Americanexpat]

You know if you burn the American flag nothing will happen to you. I bet if you burned this rag you would be charged with a hate crime and jailed. The whole frigging country is turning queer.

[dfwgator]

You got that right.

[dfwgator]

I imagine when Babs Streisand passes, everyone in the Castro will be wearing black armbands.

[sportutegrl]

Catfight.

[wbarmy]

Maybe he should sit on the flagpole in protest. (Think about it!!)

[NEW YORKCITYGOPMAN]

I have always felt that perhaps better than a constituional amendment, burning of an American flag should be a hate crime. By burning the symbol of our great country, you have not just burned a piece of cloth, you have defamed a whole class of people: the American people.

Your post here is excellent.

[ExCTCitizen]

Not only the weirdest part... Key West & Ybor City are the weird parts of Florida. The business association of Ybor is called GAYbor Chamber of Commerence.