Petrelis Files

Castro's Giant Rainbow Flag is Lowered;
Milk Plaza Beacon Gets a Black Stripe

Early yesterday evening, the San Francisco LGBT and allies community held a well-attended rally on the steps of City Hall. Afterward, the crowd marched past the state Supreme Court building on McAllister Street, then proceeded down to Yerba Buena Gardens at Mission and 4th Streets.

Instead of joining that march, my friend Nadia and I rode our bikes up to Harvey Milk Plaza in the Castro, because we wanted to be in our spiritual and political home. We also knew that after a few speeches at Yerba Buena Gardens, the crowd would head up Market Street to the Castro.

As we waited for the march to arrive, I snapped a few shots of the enormous rainbow flag in the center of the plaza. It had been lowered, I assume, because of the court's ruling upholding the will of the voters regarding Prop 8 and gay marriages.

The flag was not quite at half-staff, and a black stripe, to symbolize mourning perhaps, flew on top of the rainbow flag.

The marchers got to the Castro a bit after 8 PM, and it felt good to participate in the spontaneous shut-down of the intersection at the plaza, listening to people on bullhorns articulate their anger and calls for justice, while the flag waved above us.

Two shots from last night:

Photo taken with the Pink Triangle Park behind me, looking toward Milk Plaza and the top of the Castro Theatre marquee.

From the subway entrance, looking up