8PM Dusk arrives as the crowd continues to arrive. Photo: Stephen Scaperotto
Yesterday was a historic day for the LGBT marriage equality movement throughout the United States after the Supreme Court's ruling that left California's Prop 8 without a leg to stand on and dismantled key parts of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act essentially killing it.
Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter were lit up in celebration. Twitter reports that at the time of the Supreme Court announcement there were 9,188 tweets per minute regarding the ruling.
San Francisco and nearby neighboring cities, however, stepped away from their computers late in the day and travelled to the Castro for a huge block party. By 9PM there were an estimated 40k people in Castro proper between 17th and 19th on Castro and between Hartford and Collingwood on 18th.
Men wearing wedding dresses and rainbow suits, dogs with rainbow outfits, women with their faces painted and signs in hand, a hippy from a past generation with a dildo around his neck, young couples walking hand in hand, and activists reminding us the fight is not over. This is what the Castro looked like during this life altering celebration yesterday.
While many couples will soon be free to tie the knot, other single LGBT folks gave real thought to the possibility for the first time. "I never gave much thought to getting married," said San Francisco resident Stephen Scaperotto, "but now that I know I can, it's something I can really consider. That's a cool feeling."
Local merchants and businesses faired well, too. Celebrations in the Castro went on till 2 in the morning at many of Castro's bars where there were lines out the door to get in. Walking past local restaurants, each one was packed with people, long waits and lines as well.
It was a great day for Castro and another long awaited step forward toward full equality in the United States for all LGBT Americans. Take a look at some of the photos we were able to shoot from the celebration:
