Following the Stonewall Riots, San Francisco’s Castro District gained a reputation for its relative openness and soon emerged as a gay haven. During the 1970s and 1980s, a group of predominantly white, masculine-presenting gay men gained prominence for their uniform aesthetic, characterized by closely cropped hair, well-groomed mustaches, denim attire, and a rugged, hyper-masculine appearance.
In this episode, we’re exploring the origins and characteristics of this archetype, referred to as the Castro Clone, along with some famous Clones, and how this subculture both challenged and perpetuated narrow ideals of masculinity.
Full Episode:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/104-the-castro-clone-wars/id1619338054?i=1000657009411
Related Episodes:
Listen to Episode 19. The Queer History of Disco
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/19-the-queer-history-of-disco/id1619338054?i=1000577073123
Listen to Episode 24. Gay Villages: Won't You Be My Gaybor?
https://podcasts.apple.com/fj/podcast/24-gay-villages-wont-you-be-my-gaybor/id1619338054?i=1000580773743
Listen to Episode 81. Are Mustaches Gay?
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/81-are-mustaches-gay/id1619338054?i=1000633980771
Listen to Episode 82. Gay Gym Culture
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/82-gay-gym-culture/id1619338054?i=1000634753158
Listen to Episode 86. Turn Off Your Code-Switching
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/86-turn-off-your-code-switching/id1619338054?i=1000642614551
Listen to Episode 92. Metrosexual Madness
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/92-metrosexual-madness/id1619338054?i=1000648056196
Additional Resources:
Castro Clone
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castro_clone
Castro District, San Francisco
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castro_District,_San_Francisco
The History of the Castro
https://www.kqed.org/w/hood/castro/castroHistory.html
Cruisin’ with the Mustache Crew
https://www.thecut.com/2019/04/cruisin-with-the-mustache-crew.html
Arthur Evans
https://lgbtqreligiousarchives.org/profiles/arthur-evans
How the '70s “Clone” Look Paved the Way for the Queer Clothing of Today
https://www.gq.com/story/70s-clone-look-queer-clothing
The Incredibly Gay History of Manly Clothes
https://www.stitchfashion.com/home//the-incredibly-gay-history-of-manly-clothes
Afraid You're Not Butch Enough?
https://commiepinkofag.org/post/112371436647/satirical-red-queen-leaflet-by-arthur-evans-sf-1978
The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, the Music, the Seventies in San Francisco
https://archive.org/details/fabuloussylveste00gams/page/221/mode/2up
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