The Castro in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Tom Waddell

(1937-1987)

— Rainbow Honor Walk —

Tom Waddell Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, September 9, 2016

1. Tom Waddell Marker

Inscription. Physician, decathlete and founder of the Gay Games which created an international community of LGBT athletes and helped to shatter stereotypes of LGBT people worldwide

Thomas F. Waddell

Erected 2014 by Rainbow Honor Walk.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Sports. In addition, it is included in the Rainbow Honor Walk series list.

Location. 37° 45.669′ N, 122° 26.096′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in The Castro. Marker is on Castro Street north of 18th Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 495 Castro Stret, San Francisco CA 94114, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Federico Garcia Lorca (a few steps from this marker); George Choy (within shouting distance of this marker); Leonard Matlovich (within shouting distance of this marker); Oscar Wilde (within shouting distance of this marker); Tennessee Williams (within shouting distance of this marker); James Baldwin (within shouting distance of this marker); Alan Turing

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(within shouting distance of this marker); Allen Ginsberg (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.

Also see . . .
1. Story of man behind the Gay Games (ESPN, 8/8/2014). (Submitted on September 24, 2016.)
2. Tom Waddell Bio, Stats, and Results (sports-reference.com). ...Waddell had known of his homosexual leanings in high school and in the early 1970s, after his athletics career ended, he settled in San Francisco, and explored his sexuality fully. He had several long-term relationships, but he is best known for starting the Gay Olympics in 1982, which had to be changed to the Gay Games, after the USOC protested the use of Olympic in the games' name. Waddell won the 1986 Gay Games javelin throw title. Waddell was well-known as a gay activist, and a medical clinic in the Mission District of San Francisco has been named for him. He died of AIDS in 1987, one of the first Olympians to succumb to that disease. A biography of him was written by Dick Schaap, entitled Gay Olympian. Schaap wrote of him, "He may have been the impressive human being I ever met. Certainly, he was the most impressive athlete." (Submitted on September 25, 2016.)

Additional keywords.

Tom Waddell Marker - Wide View, Looking North up Castro image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, September 9, 2016

2. Tom Waddell Marker - Wide View, Looking North up Castro

LGBTQ

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 24, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 539 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 24, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.