"I can't tell y'all how much a relief last Sunday's Castro Street Fair was. I stopped by every booth, picked up way too much free candy (and condoms), and had to convince myself not to buy every t-shirt I saw. I wasn't alive for Harvey Milk's first fair half a century ago. As I scrolled through the photos of this year's event, I laughed to myself imagining what naughty pix he would've developed at his Castro Camera storefront."
"I genuinely wonder how Harvey would have responded to everything that's happened this year? Would he be terrified that a sitting president wants to send US troops into our city, or would he welcome the fact that our information age would mean every horrible beating would be recorded? What would he say about Denim Danny sticking his head in the sand as marginalized folks-trans folks, in particular-oscillate between "scared to death" and "take to the streets!" every minute? Hell, how would he react knowing that The Castro Theatre is now only a theater in name only?"
"Everyone I've ever met who knew Harvey made it clear exactly what he'd do: He'd lambast a sell-out like Wiener, he'd make life hell for the militarized police force, he'd want to fly to DC to heckle the Supreme Court trying to un-ban conversion therapy. In short, he'd make a spectacle of himself. He'd do that because it would put a face to the people the Dan Whites of the world want to have erased."
Castro Street Fair delivered relief through communal celebration, booths, free items, and visible bodies that comforted attendees. Nostalgia for Harvey Milk mixes with speculation about how he would respond to contemporary threats, militarized policing, and political posturing. Concerns focus on public officials who seem to ignore or undermine marginalized communities, especially trans people, and on cultural institutions losing identity. The piece emphasizes direct confrontation as a means of making vulnerable people seen, and highlights the fair's diverse attendance as an affirmation of community resilience across ages, identities, and social roles.
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