Kirkus Reviews wrote that "Shilts' interwoven account of the emergence of San Francisco as a gay mecca--and the accompanying rise in gays' political clout--is first-rate."[1]
In April 2007,Participant Media closed a deal withWarner Independent to turn the book into a film.[4] However, the film appears to have stalled in "development hell," as no further news about development, casting or production has emerged. The intended adaptation was unrelated to theAcademy Award-winning fictional film about Harvey Milk's life,Milk, or to an earlier documentary,The Times of Harvey Milk.
In 2009,Audible.com produced an audio version ofThe Mayor of Castro Street, narrated byMarc Vietor, as part of itsModern Vanguard line of audiobooks.