Introduction
"The Castro: The Story of San Francisco's Best-Known LGBTQ+ Neighborhood" is a detailed look into the historical and sociological factors that contributed to the development of the Castro gayborhood. Drawing on a wide range of voices, including lesbians, people of color, and transgender individuals, "The Castro" illuminates the rich and nuanced history of the neighborhood, challenging the idea of a singular or monolithic past. This fifty-four page booklet is available for purchase online and at local San Francisco bookstores.
The Castro is named after politician José Castro (1808–1860), who served as governor of Baja California from 1853 to 1860. Born in Monterey, California, under Spanish colonial rule, Castro was an ardent supporter of California's full independence from Mexico and right to self-rule. The Castro, a neighborhood within the larger residential area of Eureka Valley, began to form as a distinct place during the late 1880s with the construction of a railway line that linked the neighborhood to downtown. Over time, the Castro came to denote a specific cultural district within its broader geographic area, particularly from the mid-twentieth century onward with its association with San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community. The neighborhood is located in central San Francisco and is nestled between Duboce Triangle to the north, Twin Peaks to the west, the Mission District to the east, and Noe Valley to the south.
Tina Valentin Aguirre (they/them) is the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District Director. Tina holds a B.A. in Communication from Stanford University, has worked in nonprofit grant-writing for decades, served as Chair of the Board of Directors for the GLBT Historical Society for four years and has made documentaries, produced arts festivals, and is published in a poetry anthology. A seasoned curator, they curated the Chosen Familias exhibition on LGBTQ Latinx family photo albums (June 7-October 20, 2019) at the GLBT Historical Society Museum, along with the Giving Them Their Flowers/Living Lesbian Legends exhibition (November 1, 2024-January 31, 2026) at Queer Arts Featured. Most recently, Tina co-curated Conjuring Power: Roots & Futures of Queer & Trans Movements, with Caro De Robertis (March 13-August 23, 2026) at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Tina has lived in San Francisco since 1987.
Gerard Koskovich (he/him) is a public historian and book dealer who divides his time between San Francisco and Paris. A founding member of the GLBT Historical Society and a member of the Centre d’Archives LGBTQI+, Gerard has worked for more than four decades to create LGBTQ+ archives and museums. Koskovich has curated numerous exhibitions and has presented and published widely in both English and French, with his work translated into Czech, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. He is a life member of the LGBTQ+ History Association and a full member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers. Koskovich received the 2020 Clio Award from the GLBT Historical Society for his contributions to advancing the understanding of LGBTQ+ history.
Jen Reck (she/they) is an Associate Professor of Sociology at San Francisco State University and earned their Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2005. They teach courses in sociological analysis, queer studies, interdisciplinary research methods, and applied sexuality studies. She co-authored the text Social Research Methods (Oxford University Press, 2021) and has conducted extensive research on lesbian intimate partner violence, debates over marriage equality, and marginalization of unhoused LGBTQ+ youth in San Francisco’s Castro District. Their current work involves community-engaged research focusing on the Castro’s history and current status as an LGBTQ neighborhood, examining placemaking, equity struggles, and queer displacement in the context of neoliberal urbanization.