Conclusion

The conclusion examines efforts in the 2010s and early 2020s to remember (and forget) queer and trans histories on Polk Street and the Mid-Market corridor, two sites where the kids’ performative economy took root. The conclusion shows how the city and business interests are using the arts and historic preservation—including historical murals, museums, street renamings, and historic districts—in a way that distorts, rather than preserves, the history of the kids on the street. It also documents initiatives that seek to commemorate the Tenderloin’s history in a way that might counter gentrification and contribute to forms of mutual aid, including the Compton’s Transgender Cultural District, founded by queer activists and black trans women in 2017.