Fourteen men and six women have been chosen to be the first group of 20 LGBT luminaries to be honored with plaques along the sidewalks of the Castro, San Francisco's gay neighborhood, the Bay Area Reporter has learned.
The list includes the famous, such as the poet Allen Ginsberg and pop artist Keith Haring, to unsung heroes few people may know, such as Jane Addams, the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, and Japanese playwright Yukio Mishima.
Known as the Rainbow Honor Walk, the project is aimed at showcasing the extraordinary achievements LGBT people have made toward human society despite the hatred and lack of rights they faced due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.
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Other local LGBT leaders chosen are Harry Hay, who founded one of the first gay rights groups in the U.S. called the Mattachine Society; pioneering lesbian rights leader Del Martin; San Francisco Chronicle journalist Randy Shilts, one of the first out reporters to cover a gay beat; and Gay Games founder Tom Waddell.
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They have raised roughly $1,100 to date to help cover the costs of designing, creating and installing each of the plaques. A Facebook page will launch today (Thursday, February 3) to help raise more money and educate the public the world over about the project.
The next step is for the committee to determine the look and size of the plaques. Once that is done, the city's arts commission will need to approve the design. The Board of Supervisors, which gave initial approval to the project last year, must sign off on it one last time before the first plaques are installed.
While there is no timeline for when that might happen, Perry said, "It may be possible to lay the first plaque by gay Pride in June."
Anyone interested in making a donation or finding out more information about the project should e-mail mailto:rainbowhonorwalk@gmail.com.
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