ABSTRACT
Born and raised just blocks from Castro Street, the heart of San Francisco's gay community, Baird had watched as the ranks of the gay community had swelled, and he suspected that its political and economic power had grown as well. The Teamsters' local was striking six distributors who were refusing to sign a proposed contract. Baird had already recruited a federation of Arab grocers and a second group of Chinese grocers to refuse deliveries from scab drivers. Signing on San Francisco's gay bars would tip the balance. Milk agreed to organize the Coors boycott in San Francisco's gay community, but only if Baird would find "gay" jobs in the Teamsters. They had a deal. This was the first time an elected labor leader had taken a public stand in favor of gay rights.
