Thought Paper #8

Eva Dunn

Professor Stacy Asher

Art 195

November 10, 2012

Acceptance (Week Ten)

This week we visited the Castro, a district in San Francisco well known for it’s large gay community.  This was actually my first time at the Castro, surprisingly, and I absolutely loved it. All throughout San Francisco, one can see the liberal nature of its occupants; however, the Castro radiated acceptance and love, something I highly believe in.  It’s hard not to feel happy when surrounded by so much color and love.  Speaking of color, I feel as if color plays a huge role in the Castro district, and I will discuss why.

When walking into the Castro district, I noticed a dominance of the rainbow pride flags.  These flags represent diversity and acceptance of the LGBTQ community.  I saw these flags in shop windows, on t-shirts, on a huge flagpole which overlooks the Castro district, and so on.  The rainbow flag, which some call the “freedom flag,” has such a meaningful significance behind it. It has this whole underlying theme of understanding, acceptance, love, and hope.

These flags are not only prevalent in the Castro, but they are significant, as well. These flags, in all different places, and of all different sizes, are directed at people—all people.  Anybody who sees one of these flags is conveyed a message. They can even mean different things to different people. For example, a rainbow flag can say, “We accept you.”  Or it can mean, “LGBTQ people deserve respect and rights.”  It can even convey, “Everyone deserves the freedom to love whoever they please.”  These are messages that are heard by everyone. They are heard by gay people, they are heard by supportive people, they are even heard by close-minded people. These flags serve as an important message dealing with politics, close-mindedness, and love.

The Castro is an incredible area of San Francisco. It accepts. Isn’t that what we’re all looking for? A little acceptance?