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Eureka Valley / Harvey Milk Memorial Branch Library and José Sarria Court (1 José Sarria Court at 16th and Market Streets) - In 1981 the S.F. Library Commission officially changed the name of the Castro neighborhood’s branch library to the Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Memorial Branch Library to honor the slain Supervisor and gay activist. The library houses a special collection of Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender (GLBT) materials, which includes lesbian fiction, gay men's fiction, books about/for gay teens, nonfiction, periodicals, newspapers and videos. Across the street (facing the library, on the back wall of the Bagdad Café) is a huge mural featuring images from the neighborhood’s gay history including the Gay Freedom Day march, a rainbow flag, and the AIDs crisis.
In 2006, the plaza in front of the library and the adjacent block of 16th St. were named José Sarria Court in honor the S.F. drag performer and gay activist who from the late 1940s on vigorously fought police harassment of homosexuals. Dressed in full drag during a period when female impersonation was a crime, José sang, performed and hosted shows at the Black Cat, a popular S.F. gay bar. From the 1940s through early ‘60s, the Black Cat was regularly raided by the police but José defiantly kept performing. He closed each show by leading the patrons in a rousing chorus of "God Save Us Nelly Queens!” sung to the tune of “God Save the Queen."
In 1961, José ran for the city’s Board of Supervisors, losing the election but collecting an amazing 5,600 votes. In the 1960s, he created a flamboyant drag character he called “The Widow Norton, Empress of San Francisco.” The Widow Norton, also affectionately known as “Mama José,” helped establish the drag Imperial Court System, which raises money for charity by electing yearly a drag empress of San Francisco and hosting drag events. The Imperial Court now has chapters throughout the United States, and in Mexico and Canada. In the 1970s, when some gay and lesbian leaders warned Harvey Milk that his campaigns for supervisor as an openly gay man would antagonize the community’s straight political allies, José encouraged Harvey to run and gave his public endorsement. The library and José Sarria Court are currently closed for a $5.4 million renovation and will reopen in late 2009. For more information, http://sfpl.lib.ca.us
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