All You Need Is Love 2 is a “Help Is on the Way” valentine benefit on February 8 (Monday at 7:30pm) at Marines Memorial Theatre. And the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation (REAF) producers Joe Seiler and Ken Henderson have pulled together a star-studded cast from stage and screen!
The...

A Primal Benefit for the AEF and the PRC

A crush of primal, handsome men with lots of exposed tattooed skin, bulging muscles, and panther-like stances and movements welcomed the kickoff for the 2011 Bare Chest Calendar at the Powerhouse bar on Jan. 21. The high tension...

Members and friends of the queer Mardi Gras group, Krewe de Kinque, celebrated Mardi Gras early this year during their Twelfth Night Castro Bar Crawl on Jan. 9, starting at the Edge bar. Traditionally, Twelfth Night is a festival in some branches of Christianity marking the coming of...

By Mike Ward

Two of dancedom’s greatest Divas hit the Castro Theatre for a New Year’s Eve to remember: Thelma Houston and Taylor Dane in Rrazz Entertainment’s Dance the Night Away and Welcome in 2010!  This dynamic duo brings in the groove and brings in the noise for a...

What better way to ring in the New Year than with laughter? And there aren’t many people on the planet who are wittier than SF’s favorite funny lady Marga Gomez. Named “Best Comedian 2009” in the SF Bay Guardian readers poll, she has appeared on stage, film and...

The Annual Holiday Leather Brunch benefit for Positive Resource Center began when Krewe de Kinque founder Gary Virginia was Mr. SF Leather 1996. KdK took over production of it when Virginia was too taxed to do it alone. KdK’er Mark Paladini produced it in some years. This year...

This year’s version of the European Dance-Along Nutcracker took us to the American wild wild West with a McCoy/Hatfield theme. Explanation is required. Since 1985, the annual Dance-Along has been a major fundraiser for the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, where witty skits are presented with special themes...

Christmas Crap-Array Is Cumming To Town!

If you’re like me, you develop a twitch each year when “Jingle Bells” starts playing in department stores. You dread the cheap gifts that get passed around in December like swine flu. Do you love Christmas but can’t resist substituting naughty...

Tranny Fest, the nation’s first transgender film festival is back for its 12th year, offering up short underground films and live performances by transgender and gender-queer artists. Everything from the taboo to the profane, and from the political to the drag-tastic power of mascara will be featured. The...

This Monday, Oct. 26 at 7:30pm, the SF cast of the smash musical, Wicked, along with members of the local arts community (and beyond), come together for one of the most important events of the year – Defying Inequality: The San Francisco Concert.  This one-night-only show benefits Marriage...

It was the 26th annual Folsom Street Fair, bringing back some wonderful memories for me, having attended every single one of these luscious leather-fests since the inception of such an event occurred over two and a half decades ago. That was when Sister Mysteria of the Holy Order...

By Spooky Sister Dana Van Iquity 

Just in time for pre-Halloween horror, Thrillpeddlers are presenting their tenth annual Grand Guignol terror theatre spectacular, Shocktoberfest! 2009. This new bill of one-act horror plays and macabre diversions features two world premieres, The Torture Garden translated for the first time into...

The Good Vibrations 4th annual Independent Erotic Film Festival screened on Sept. 17 at the Castro Theatre. IXFF featured eleven outstanding filmmakers from around the world showcasing their talented bodies of work for a night of pleasures of the flesh. There was a full spectrum of sexuality and...

“This is the biggest crowd we’ve ever had at Maitri,” said Tim Patriarcha, executive director of the hospice, gathering the crowd into the spacious living room on Sept. 21. He explained this is the home of 15 people who are at an end of life experience. The house...

The Ruth Mahaney Tour of the GLBT Historical Society Exhibit

GLBT Historical Society board member Ruth Mahaney led a tour of the society’s exhibit at 18th and Castro Streets on the evening of Sept. 4, with an emphasis on lesbian history. Mahaney has served on the Society’s...

Ever wonder what you might see if people made their own sexy films? Find out for yourself when Good Vibrations presents its Fourth Annual Independent Erotic Film Festival (also known as IXFF) with a week’s worth of screenings and parties culminating with the premiere of the 2009 IXFF...

Fans of rock musicals were invited on Aug. 21 and 22 to Brava Theatre for a reading of a brand new offering that will be completed and ready for the public in latter March through April 17. The rock-out show, SCALPEL!, by writer/ director D’Arcy Drollinger features a...

Two kissers do their part for the wider acceptance of public affection amongst same-sex couples. Just shy of 100 kissers gathered in Union Square Park last Saturday morning, in support of a nationwide “kiss-in” organized locally by Anna Conda and Queerer Nation. The LGBT community, which is still...

Runway 21 was the 21st annual Mr. and Miss GAPA Pageant, held on Aug. 1 at Herbst Theatre and produced by the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance. The always witty, lovely Tita Aida again served as femcee. The show opened with the amazing magic of Chin-Chin in blazing red...

Poet Jeffrey Lilly read from his new poems The Butterfly Flies at Congregation Sha’ar Zahav on Aug. 2, accompanied by composer and pianist Jonathan Comisar. The sizable audience found themselves in the temple’s sanctuary, an immense space with a vaulted roof and burnt orange and natural wood-toned surfaces....

As the years pass, it is getting harder and harder to find something new at the annual leather fairs. As the saying goes: “Nothing new under the sun.” But I did manage, on July 26 under the sun at the Up Your Alley street fair, to find something...

Del Shores knows how to write laugh-out-loud funny material. Award-winning plays such as Southern Baptist Sissies and Sordid Lives – which in 2000 became a gay classic film and in 2008 a LOGO television series of the same name – are proof of this. Now the comedic genius...

Patty Duke made an in-person appearance at the latest Mark Huestis fundraising production, “Sparkle, Patty, Sparkle!” on July 21 at the Castro Theatre. This was a gala tribute to the Academy Award winner as a benefit for New Leaf Services, NAMI Walk, and Mental Health Association of SF. Before screening...

Folsom Fair’s sleazy little brother, Up Your Alley Leather Fair, is back and bigger than ever before. Due to the crowds that this infamous fair has been drawing, they have had to nearly double its size. Up Your Alley street fair (UYA) continues into its third decade as one of...

July 19 Pageant Shows Court’s Diversity with Drag, Burlesque & Camp for a Good Cause

Most Monday nights, San Francisco’s reigning Grand Duchess Landa Lakes hosts a potluck dinner in her home. Members of her ‘drag family’ the House of Glitter, a sprawling mass of performers both male and female, drag...

Actress Linda Blair Kicks Off Final ‘Season’ July 10 at The Bridge Theatre

All good things come to an end, they say. So it goes with Midnight Mass. After a dozen years at The Bridge Theatre, the San Francisco summer midnight movie tradition hosted by Goth Goddess...

The Frameline LGBT Film Festival honored its volunteers at a gala appreciation party on July l at the Stud. Officially there were 400 volunteers at the festival this year, and they were thanked at the beginning of every film, either by the Festival Director Jennifer Morris, the Executive...

... of The SF Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. 

With City officials delaying necessary permitting for the annual Pink Saturday “non-event” (as often referred to by insiders) just two weeks ago, the San Francisco Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. were just about to pull out of...

The GLBT Historical Society unveiled its first artist-in-residence, E.G. Crichton, in a debut of her new project, “LINEAGE: Matchmaking in the Archive: a Collaboration between the Living and the Dead” at an evening reception on June 19 at the Society facilities in the Mission. The exhibit opened on...

The landmark “Maud’s Reunion! - 20th Anniversary of Maud’s Closing” event will take place on June 27. This is an official 2009 SF Pride event. It was timed to coincide with the 2009 San Francisco Pride parade and celebration - 20 years after the famous dyke bar, Maud’s,...

An unusually rich literary event occurred at the San Francisco Main Library on June 9. Hostess Michelle Tea pulled together a program of superstar writers for the 6th Anniversary of her Radar Reading Series that drew a full room at the library’s modernistic Koret Auditorium. Shawn Stewart Ruff,...

Theatre Rhinoceros is going through a tougher time now than any time in their 32 year history. So what do they do? Why, put on a show, of course! Theatre Rhino rounded up a lot of their regular talent on June 14 and presented “The 2009 Rhino Benefit...

Shhh! Don’t tell your mother 
 Dessert First! Some of the Bay Area’s most talented pastry chefs assembled once again for Project Open Hand’s Ninth Annual Dessert First event at the W San Francisco hotel on June 7. POJ Executive Director Tom Nolan said this has been Open...

Army of Lovers presented “Formerly Known As,” two nights of art, video, and performance by 30 men who have worked in the sex industry. Sister Dana attended the June 3 edition at Center for Sex & Culture. Co-presented by the San Francisco Sex Worker Film, Music and Arts...

The AIDS Emergency Fund scored another fundraising success with their County Fair at San Francisco’s County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park. The Western theme was picked up and run away with by chanteuses Connie Champagne and Arturo Galster and of course studly Bill Holt in a pink...

The 6th annual San Francisco Sex Worker Film, Arts, and Music Festival will be occurring May 30 through June 7. This year they will focus on documentaries, sex worker portraits, and activist shorts. The movies represent new trends in sex worker cinema, the intimate focus on individual sex...

Cinco de Mayo was celebrated two days later on “Siete de Mayo” at the SF LGBT Community Center on May 7. It was sponsored by The Center, the Latino Forum, COLAGE (Children of Lesbian and Gays Everywhere), and All Our Family Coalition. The fourth floor of The Center...

On April 29 the sun was shining brightly on the grand opening of the Castro’s Farmers’ Market, which will occur every Wednesday from 4-8 pm in the closed off area on 16th between Market and Beaver Streets in front of CafĂ© Flore. The Castro Farmers’ Market is a...

The GLAAD Media Awards will be held on May 9 at the SF Hilton. The ceremony will recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of the LGBT community and the issues that affect their lives. I am thrilled that my all-time favorite talk show...

AIDS Housing Alliance/SF recently held its 5th Anniversary Extravaganza on Jan. 31, but months later has had to move its headquarters to a much larger space because of the increased demand for housing. The nonprofit’s programs include housing referrals, emergency financial assistance, shelter for homeless people with HIV/AIDS,...

The Metropolitan Community Church celebrated their 39th anniversary entitled “We’re 39... Really!” on April 24, where the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. were presented with a “Saints Alive” award in recognition of 30 years of service. The church has been host to two incarnations of Sister Bingo in...

An Inspiring Event for LGBT Seniors on a Beautiful Day

The grandeur of the St Francis Hotel’s Alexandra 32nd floor Penthouse was the setting for openhouse’s fifth annual Spring Fling luncheon on April 19. Sixty-foot floor-to-ceiling French cut windows were breathtaking, with magnificent San Francisco views and...

Bingo was a little different with The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence this month on April 22 at the Herbst Green Room. For one difference, Bingo was held on the fourth Wednesday instead of the usual third Wednesday; because the customary date was too close to Easter and all...

Three great occasions on April 25 unofficially opened Trigger, the newest nightclub in the Castro. First it was lesbian activist Betty Sullivan’s birthday; then fundraisers for New Leaf Services; then Under One Roof. Lord Martine, director of marketing and creative, showed this reporter and Sullivan around the new...

Several of us Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence received a call from a rider in the upcoming eighth annual May 31 – June 6 AIDS LifeCycle event, a 570 mile bicycle ride from SF to LA for 7 days, which is a fundraiser for SF AIDS Foundation and AIDS...

Notorious Sainted
Glamazon About Town

For the better part of three years, I was a daily crystal meth user. From the time I woke up in the morning until I passed out, whenever that might be, I was high. It was nothing I was proud of, even at that...

Dolores Park fairly overflowed with an estimated 40 – 50,000 visitors all celebrating The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. 30th anniversary on Easter Sunday. The event began with Children’s Easter (proving we Sisters ALSO have traditional values) with egg rolling and storytelling by Sister Reyna Terror. Then at...

Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

At 26-years-old, I was tired of my ho-hum existence and dead-end job working as a production assistant for a major consulting firm in Cleveland, OH.

During a birthday vacation to San Diego, I fell in love with California and immediately upon returning requested a...

This Easter weekend, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. will celebrate their 30th anniversary with a series of public events and installations. An archive installation curated by Sister Mary Ralph opened on March 20 at the San Francisco Public Library’s James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center.

It...

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) announced at a festive cocktail party held at Dzine on April 3 the exciting news that frisky, risqué comedian Chelsea Handler of E-TV will be hosting the 20th Annual GLAAD Media Awards on May 9 at the Hilton San Francisco....

Boylesque is bringing the boy to burlesque every month at Das Kabarett, and on March 31 the troupe’s theme was “Wicked: the Seven Deadly Sins.” I knew it was going to be a religious experience when a handsome priest escorted me to my seat, saying, “Enjoy the service,”...

The 31st annual Mr. SF Leather Contest was held on April 4 in the Hotel Whitcomb Ballroom. Mr. SF Leather 1992 Lenny Broberg the cop and former Empress and today’s gal about town Donna Sachet were the emcees. Donna blew a whistle and rushed to the stage festively...

Academy Award-winning screen writer Dustin Lance Black will add Hollywood star power to the March 28 fundraising gala for the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center, “Soiree 7: a Three-Ring Evening of Inspired Fun.” It’s hard to believe that the LGBT Center will be celebrating its...

“Does This Piano Make My Ass Look Big?” starring Kitten on the Keys in a one-woman performance has its world premiere on March 27 and runs for two weekends only at Mama Calizo’s Voice Factory. I had the opportunity to get the words straight from the kitten’s mouth.

(Bay...

Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

“What number are you performing for Trannyshack: Reno?” Heklina asked backstage at last Wednesday’s debut of Mary-Go-Round, the new weekly drag show I cohost with Suppositori Spelling and Cookie Dough at Lookout. When I told her it was the same one I took with...

Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

“I have a secret to tell you,” read the text message from Ongina.

Though we had never met before I saw her on RuPaul’s Drag Race, I sent Ongina a Facebook friend request the night she won the show’s MAC Viva Glam challenge and revealed...

What’s this I be hearin’, then, that ye’re not plannin’ on celebratin’ the good St. Paddy’s Day in true Irish style? Shure and the curse be upon ye now of a score of Notre Dame nuns whackin’ yer knuckles raw with rulers, if such be the case with...

By Rink

The new Mr Hayes Valley Leather, Bryan Duke, was chosen by a panel of tough judges at Marlena’s bar on Sunday, March 8. Duke has been in San Francisco for nine years and lives in the Tender Nob. He said that he is single and dating, but...

Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

Though the debut of San Francisco’s latest Saturday night hot-spot just two weeks ago received rave reviews from all who attended, I can’t deny misgivings about its location. While leaving The Castro is an all-too-welcome idea, 181 Eddy - smack-dab in the center of...

The venerable haircutting establishment, Joe’s Barbershop, moved from the heart of the Castro to several blocks away, due to the bane of every renter’s existence, a giant rent increase. In his newer digs, proprietor Joe Gallagher has created a bigger and better barbershop, and therefore held a huge...

Charity fundraising champion Don Ho Tse’s surprise birthday party at 440 Castro. Mama Reinhardt was there with Don Ho Tse and his celebratory cock cookie from Hot Cookie. He never says no to Mama’s requests to help out nonprofits.

...

Coronation 2009 was billed as “A High Fashion Evening on the Red Carpet,” and it was that indeed - from the actual red carpet (not soaked with rain, thank you Mother Nature) traipsed upon by a bazillion queens dressed to the nines, to the final announcement of Emperor...

By Pollo Del Mar Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

Long before I entered the Gift Center along a red carpet last Saturday night, I knew I would cause a scene at San Francisco’s Imperial Coronation.

Wearing an absolutely outrageous outfit borrowed from The City’s resident Latina diva Alexis Miranda...

Promoted as a “Star-Studded Black Gay Inaugural Read,” the celebration of President Barack Obama’s ascendancy and African American political activism drew more than 80 people to the San Francisco Main Library  to hear host Marvin K. White join Brian Freeman, Alan Miller, Jay Frazer, and Kevin Simmonds on...

The House of Garza presented a benefit for the St. James Infirmary at Café Flore on Saturday Feb. 21, co-hosted by Garza and Sister Gladys Pantzaroff. BUMP, an anti-crystal meth San Francisco Department of Public Health project, sponsored the event. A crush of supporters joined a variety of...

Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

Sometimes the only thing that can get me out of bed on a wet and dreary day is the same thing I’d prefer to be there with - a handsome man. This past Oscars Sunday, since the much-needed rain started long before I woke...

Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

More at home working a circuit party in hot-pants and cleavage-baring T-shirts than an evening gown, when it comes to hob-nobbing with A-Gays at the city’s finer see-and-be-seen events – to use an old redneck phrase I once heard — I stick out like...

sValentine’s Day is on its way. If you are like so many other queer folks who are currently without a significant other, a domestic partner, a spouse, a lover, a permanent trick - it can be a very lonely day. And for those who are fortunate/miserable enough to...

Mission Station Officer Lisa Frazer was honored at a Merchants of Upper Market/Castro (MUMC) party at the Eureka Restaurant on Sunday, Feb. 8. Frazer was promoted to sergeant and MUMC financed the new gold sergeant badge, which she and partner Nicole Miller held onto tightly. Speakers talked about...

Krewe de Kinque, San Francisco’s kinky Mardi Gras fundraising organization, brought Mardi Gras to the City a little earlier than usual – kicking off the annual New Orleans Fat Tuesday on Feb. 7 at the Hotel Whitcomb with queer style and fashion. Starting with the kinky deejay sounds...

I have found a tremendous gift for yourself and/or your lover this Valentine’s Day. The creator of Boy Butter lubricants has come up with a fabulous sexual enhancement product that is both an aphrodisiac and a hard-on booster. It’s called Boy Butter Bonerz with Boy-Agra. It’s a clever...

Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

Paul “Maka” Poole is the “Elizabeth Taylor of the Castro.” At least that’s what I’ve jokingly called him since we met nearly two years ago. In that time, the adorable Hawaiian who works the door at Badlands several nights a week has met, “married”...

This Valentine’s Day, why not give the perfect gift for your lover; or better yet, the ultimate gift for yourself?!

Co-facilitators Jallen Rix and Mark Hollenstein are offering the “Maximizing M2M Pleasure: Enjoying More Slices of Your Sexual Pie” workshop on Feb. 14. Their delightful workshops are designed to facilitate...

By Rink

More than 80 anti-HIV activists gathered on Feb. 2 to discuss action against the rising tide of infections among African American men who identify as gay or bisexual, and men who have sex with men (MSM) at a Black HIV Summit. There was a tremendous amount of information dispersed...

By Rink

The guys from SF Boylesque were joined by other stunning performers to stage an amazing spectacle at Madame Calizo’s Voice Factory on Jan. 27. An added attraction were three women in the show, since the Boylesque’s Diva Truly Scrumptious is usually the only one.

Newcomer...

By Pollo Del Mar Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

Growing up in Houston, Texas I discovered three things I loved:  barbeque, journalism and professional wrestling. While the first two might appear quite obvious to most, the third - one of my guiltiest pleasures - always seems to catch many...

By Rink

FTM activist/pioneer Lou Sullivan’s life was celebrated and illustrated with dance at the sold out Jan. 29 opening of Fresh Meat and the Queer Cultural Center’s “Uncovered: The Diary Project” at Dance Mission Theater. Choreographed and written by Sean Dorsey, the audience was drawn into the magic dance movements...

Notorious Sainte Glamazon About Town

Last summer, Sister Roma and I had front-row tickets to see Kathy Griffin.  So with a group of friends, we loaded into the car and headed north to Santa Rosa’s Wells Fargo Center for the Arts. When we arrived, though, a surprise was waiting. Though there...

A huge crush of celebrants enjoyed announcements, drink specials, appetizers, and dancing. It was so crowded that dancing was really more like people rubbing up against each other. The HIV Research Section of the SF Department of Public Health wanted to thank their supporters with a Gratitude Celebration...

Continuing their fine tradition of celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany in kinky Castro style among their membership and friends, the Krewe de Kinque partied on Jan. 9 at the Imperial Palace of Donna Sachet, decorated to resemble a Bourbon Street pub right out of New Orleans. Krewe...

Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

Two summers ago, using money I earned from the first run of The Golden Girls: The Play, I flew my mother and niece to San Francisco. After eight years on the West Coast, it was the first time members of my family came to...

Acclaimed British historian Sheila Rowbotham read from her major new biography, Edward Carpenter: a Life of Liberty and Love, on Jan. 8 at the San Francisco Main Library. The event was co-sponsored by the SF Public Library Hormel Center, the Edward Carpenter Forum, and the SF GLBT Historical...

Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

As a San Francisco resident, I know it’s taboo and socially unacceptable to admit, but something about Los Angeles has always intrigued me. Whether it’s the lure of Hollywood, the way the city’s seedy underbelly has spawned so many heart-wrenching stories or that the...

Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

Whomever started the tradition of kissing that special someone in your life at midnight on New Year’s Eve needs a good, old-fashioned bitch-slapping!  As a modestly superstitious soul, the whole idea - you know, that not swapping spit with the one you love at...

...

Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

Dear Santa:

So many times in the past I have been greedy with my holiday demands. More often than not, I fired off Christmas lists filled with seemingly unobtainable wishes and simply expected you to somehow make those come true. The only thanks I traditionally...

Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

When I moved here from the snowy Midwest nearly ten years ago, San Francisco winters barely phased me. Now, as my waistline thickens, it appears my blood is thinning. Every time the temperature drops below 60 degrees, it sends me scurrying for the blankets....

This year the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band put a new twist to their classic annual fundraiser, Dance-Along Nutcracker, by surmising what might occur if they combined A Christmas Carol by Dickens and The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky. The delightful result was a combination Ebenezer Drosselmeyer (played in...

“It’s almost winter and we want to have our party,” the invitation read from Magnet – the Castro’s hub of health and wellbeing for gay/bi men. “Help us usher in all those holidays (and those that have nothing to do with ‘holi...’) by stopping in to share your...

Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA) held their 20th anniversary celebration, “Urban Jungle,” at the SF Zoo on Dec. 6, featuring keynote speaker, comic actress Margaret Cho, and some lively singing and dancing. Tita Aida emceed the awards banquet and introduced F.U.S.I.O.N. (Funky Unique Styles In One Nation); GAPA...

Notorious GlamazonAbout Town

When Cyndi Lauper released She’s So Unusual, her career-making, Grammy-winning 1983 opus featuring “She Bop” and chart-topping smash “Time After Time,” I was only ten years old. At the time, Cyndi ranked a close second to Madonna as a childhood icon. Never would I have imagined...

The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus joined Holly Near and friends and family of Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone to gather on Nov. 28 to commemorate their tragic assassinations. The sidewalk of City Hall could not hold the estimated 1,000 mourners and celebrants of those...

Impresario Marc Huestis and The Mill Valley Film Festival presented “A Tribute to Tony Curtis,” with the legendary star live in-person at the Castro Theatre. Screen icon Curtis was presented the MVF4F Award for his lifetime achievement. The Mill Valley Film Festival, now in its 31st year, is...

It’s nearly 10 p.m. The Golden Girls:  The Christmas Episodes opens in less than two days, and we’ve been working on the set for nearly four hours.

Right now, I’m far from the cheery St. Olaf native I’ve played for over three of the last 18 months. At...

Grassroots Gay Rights West (GRGR/West) has announced record proceeds from REAL BAD XX. Ticket sales from this year’s nine-hour leather celebration allowed for five beneficiaries to share the $160,000 donation, which includes AIDS Legal Referral Panel, Dimensions Clinic, openhouse, 360: The Positive Care Center at UCSF, and The...

Wanted:  Civil rights movement seeks photogenic, well-spoken, “straight-acting” same-sex-loving, nonthreatening Caucasian male able to blend in, not rock the boat, play it safe and appeal to all.  An upstanding suburbanite with a white collar job, long-term relationship and possible Ivy League education needed to show that “gays are...

Honoring people and organizations that build and protect the queer community and make Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club an effective community contributor, the annual Alice Awards reception was held at Lime. Alice celebrated a family of leaders. This year’s honorees included the Hon. L. Willie Brown, the...

Gay DJs of Energy 92.7 FM Greg and Fernando were emcees at the free public showing of MILK, the bio-pic of slain Supervisor Harvey Milk, on Nov. 10 at the Castro Theatre. The house was packed, literally to the rafters, with people who had picked up their free...

Notorious Glamazon About Town

Sometimes the universe has plans for us we could never imagine. Just ask any of the more than 60 people who left their homes, offices, family and friends Friday afternoon for a 5:30 p.m. rally against California’s Prop. 8 only to find themselves still protesting...

Acclaimed lesbian author and leftist queer activist Sarah Schulman introduced her new book The Child at Modern Times Bookstore. A provocative thinker, she spoke about the controversies of same sex marriage, her next book about gentrification and AIDS, and her new novel about teenage sexuality.

The event began...

Good Vibrations, the legendary destination for sex-positive products, held the Third Annual Good Vibrations Amateur Erotic Film Festival at the Castro Theatre. Our hostess, Peaches Christ, welcomed us to the 1970’s Sherman Oaks porn scene on Oct. 30. We donned our sleaziest duds to enjoy eight short films...

Notorious Glamazon About Town

I have always deeply identified with Diana Prince. Royalty on her native Paradise Island, against the suggestions of friends and family, Diana gives up nearly everything to head to the big city in an effort to win and protect the man she loves. There she...

The long awaited world premiere of the Harvey Milk docu-drama, MILK, screened at a very special fundraiser at Castro Theatre on Oct. 28 – raising over $200,000 for the charities - with the full-on red carpet treatment of local politicos, film stars, and the real people from Milk’s...

2Transgender Law Center held its 6th anniversary event, “Transitioning California: EqualiTy, UniTy & JusTice at AsiaSF.” The event honored heroes and trailblazers that are expanding civil rights for the transgender community every day - vanguards like Yosenio Lewis; partners like the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, TGI...

Two-and-a-half years ago – April 27, 2006, to be exact – I walked out the door for the very first time as Pollo Del Mar. As luck would have it, I found my way to Harvey’s as a first-time audience member at The Monster Show with hostess Cookie...

Celebrity fashion designer Jack Mackenroth from the hit reality TV show, Project Runway, emceed Evening of Hope, benefiting Project Inform on Oct. 15 at the new InterContinental Hotel in San Francisco. As the final presidential debates were being held and the seasonal finale of Project Runway was being...

Once again it’s time for the HIV-era Veterans Healing Party. This year, the focus will be on the people who work on the front lines in prevention, treatment, and support. The event will be hosted by American Legion Alexander Hamilton Post 448 in conjunction with RichTrove.com. Are you...

By Tim Gaskin

The Olympic diving champion and activist talks Greg Louganis is coming to San Francisco for tonight’s “Embracing Tomorrow Forum - HIV & Aging in the time of Uncertainty” 360 – UCSF forum, where he will share his experience of living with HIV. Louganis is a long-term...

Notorious Glamazon About Town

Sometimes breaking up isn’t hard to do.  Last Saturday night, midway through his Adonis party presenting international recording sensation Lady GaGa to hundreds of enthusiastic fans, club promoter extraordinaire Gus Bean ended a nine-year relationship on the spot. It was impressive, really, but I’m getting...

Under One Roof held a Desperate Divas Calendar signing party on Oct. 17 with several of the calendar divas present. Each month of the glossy 2009 calendar displays a different Desperate Diva, having been selected at a series of preliminary contests. “The animal-themed 2009 Calendar is the most...

Notorious Glamazon About Town

It isn’t often I find myself with a weekend off. By some twist of fate, though, I opened my calendar to find last Friday and Saturday completely free. It was a terrific opportunity to exercise the rest of my life, trade in the dresses for...

The theme of this year’s Castro Street Fair on Oct. 5 was “Harvey Milk Lives.” The promoters made this quite clear in the official program and on the main stage; but very few of the vendors had any reference in their booths regarding the first openly gay...

Frameline presented the fabulous “John Waters LIVE! This Filthy World - Dirtier & Filthier” on Oct. 6 at the Castro Theatre to zillions of his filthy fans. The wondrous Waters brought his one-man “vaudeville” free-flowing, nonstop stream of consciousness, marvelous masturbatory monologue to the Castro for one...

Notorious Glamazon About Town

Each week when I sit down to write this column, I generally don’t think about where it could end up or who might read it. Were I to focus on who it reaches or how I might be interpreted, I would...

It was the 25th anniversary of the Folsom Street Leather Fair. That means I have gone to the Fair for twenty-five years in a row. I was looking for something new under the sun. Had I become jaded over the years? Or would this intrepid reporter find a...

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. held a grants dispersal ceremony on Sept. 27 at Café Flore. Grants Chairnun Sister Dionna Cross and Sister Sarah Femme emceed the event, speaking a few sentences about each beneficiary. The money was raised from collecting donations at the leather fair gates....

Notorious Glamazon
About Town

It’s safe to say my neighbors – even in my rather quiet, out-of-the-way neighborhood — have grown accustomed to drag queen sightings. Most Wednesday nights they see me head to  BRAIN FARTS, the weekly trivia night I cohost at Lookout. Weekends are dotted with performances,...

Every third Wednesday night, The SF Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. put on their Bingo fundraiser in the Green Room of the War Memorial Building. The theme for the Sept. 17 event was “Wedding Bells Bingo,” benefiting Marriage Equality USA, working on “No on Proposition 8,” the attempted...

In commemoration of the 53rd anniversary of the untimely death on Sept. 30, 1955 of one of America’s most revered actors, killed in an auto accident in Cholame, Calif. at the age of 24, the Castro Theatre will honor James Dean’s legacy by presenting a short but impressive...

By Pollo Del Mar
Notorious Glamazon About Town

Though a San Francisco resident for nearly 10 years, it wasn’t until I slipped on a pair of platform heels that I first felt like I made an impact in our community. Standing at the corner of 18th and Castro this...

Sr. Bella de Ball invites everyone to sup with The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. at Eureka Restaurant and Lounge on 4063 18th Street in the Castro on Sept 25, 6-10 p.m. Join Sisters Delta Goodhand, Lily White Superior Posterior, Maryly Onward, Miera Miera Ondowall, Sara Femme, and...

A formal fundraiser gala on Sept. 20, featuring the legendary Joan Rivers, will help kick off San Francisco Leather Week (Sept. 20-28). The week itself offers an expanded range of social, artistic, historic, and cultural options for the community. “The gala is the first of its kind for...

I never had the pleasure of seeing Steve Lady perform live.  In fact, all I know of her I learned from the Trannyshack documentary Filthy Gorgeous and the legacy she created as the winner of the first-ever Miss Trannyshack Pageant.  Now, unfortunately, she is gone.

Monday evening, a table...

Under One Roof’s huge September off-site sale is in full swing at 2278 Market Street. They have a huge selection, and the prices are incredible. There is lots of merchandise still left, so UOR organizers are asking patrons to stop by, have a fun time shopping, and support...

The “NO on 8” PACs of National Center for Lesbian Rights and Equality California have received a very generous pledge of $100,000 to defeat Proposition 8 - if they are able to match it with donations. This incredible contribution comes from a local San Francisco family that is...

The San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band will present “Bands Across the Sea” as the 2008-09 Community Concert Series season opener on Friday, September 12th at 8 p.m. at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 678 Portola Drive (near Twin Peaks). The admission is free.

The guest conductor will be Michael L....

It’s interesting what some people consider “helpful.” Earlier this week, for example, I was surprised by a call from an old friend. After a heart-to-heart chat airing some potential personal conflicts, her tone changed. “I just want you to know,” she continued, her voice concerned, “People are talking...

Story & Photos by Rink

The Hairrison Street Fair, San Francisco’s Bear Fair, was a huge success on Sunday Aug. 31. August went out with a bang at the fair, and there were long lines all day to enter the street bacchanal that celebrated big hairy men. Last year’s...

How girls like Donna Sachet and BeBe Sweetbriar make appearances all over town, seemingly popping up in multiple locations simultaneously, still amazes me. Perhaps with sufficient practice, I’ll get the hang of it.  At this point, though, I’m just proud I managed to navigate from last Friday’s Reacharound...

For the third year in a row, Donna Sachet held “Splash,” a fundraiser for Equality California at her Imperial Palace on Aug. 23. The two years before, these were poolside parties. Of course the pools were no more than 6x4 feet and were above-ground. Still, it was nice...

Every third Wednesday, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. put on wacky Bingo nights for charity in the Green Room of the War Memorial. On Aug. 20, the theme was disco - bringing back the glorious late ‘70s to early ‘80s era of tacky clothing and fast-paced discotheque...

On Aug. 23 at the Regency Center, the very last final never ever to be seen again ever Trannyshack drag show went out with a bang – after 12 years at the Stud – a Kiss-Off Party featuring four headliners performing new pieces and about a dozen past...

It’s a safe bet my drag will never receive a Tony Award nomination like Justin Bond. Hell, I’d go so far as to say I won’t even achieve the “Best Drag Act” designation Katya Schmirnoff-Skyy received at the recent SF Bay Guardian “Best of the Bay Awards.”...

Even the sweat, tears and condensation dripping from the ceiling couldn’t dampen the mood Aug. 12, when Trannyshack held its final Tuesday night extravaganza.  Packed beyond capacity, The Stud Bar said good-bye to Heklina and her legendary drag club in spectacular fashion with a line-up of its all-time...

Director Peter Griggs Discusses First Production from Burning Monk Collective

There was a time not so long ago when queer theatre challenged audiences to reconsider belief systems and examine their truths, says Peter Griggs. While this has become less a priority for many modern productions, Griggs hopes...

As it began, so too did it end. 

While that might sound overly dramatic, it’s also a perfectly appropriate description of my last Trannyshack performance. With the club ending its weekly tradition after more than 12 years this past Tuesday – and capping things off with a...

As I headed to Hayes Valley last Thursday for lunch with Marlena, I received an array of text messages wishing me luck. While I socialize respectably in group settings, friends know I often feel awkward one-on-one with new acquaintances. Factor in dining with one of the city’s most...

For the past 25 years, the Folsom Street Fair has been a central institution of leather life. Once a year, hundreds of thousands of kinky folk from around the world fill 13 city blocks in the South of Market neighborhood. Fairgoers are immersed in the sights, sounds, textures,...

As usual with Up Your Alley and Folsom Street Fairs, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from all over the world (but mostly EssEff) were diligently working the gates to collect donations for many many queer and AIDS-related beneficiaries. It was refreshing to see that the entire Fair was green...

Growing up in a Chicago dance studio/hair salon, underneath her gay art teacher/astrologer uncle, his boyfriend and their menagerie of animals was Marilu Henner’s introduction to “show business.”

Since then, the gorgeous redhead has gone on six Broadway productions, countless film and television roles, including a career-defining stint...

On Sunday morning, I was awakened by an apologetic text message from RuPaul. The night before, swamped by fans at the Midnight Mass showing of her new camp classic Starrbooty, “The Supermodel of the World” and I barely had a second to speak. She wondered if I had...

As they look forward with eager anticipation to their Triangle Games #20 and Martial Arts Gala in San Francisco at the beginning of August, members of Triangle Martial Arts Association are already preparing for participation in Gay Games VIII that will be held two years from now in...

This year’s GAPA Runway Platinum on July 19 was surely the funniest, naughtiest, longest pageant yet. The show at Herbst Theatre ran three and a half hours with 20 contestants vying for the coveted title of Mr. and Miss GAPA 2008. The mission of GAPA (Gay Asian/Pacific Alliance)...

ByFolsom’s sleazy little brother, Up Your Alley Leather Fair, is back and bigger than ever before. Due to the crowds that this infamous fair has been drawing, they have had to nearly double its size by moving the Magnitude dance area over to 10th Street. Up Your Alley...

The theme was “Bingo Goes USO” for the second smash installment this year of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. Bingo on July 16, also presented by the Alexander Hamilton Post 448 of the American Legion (made up of LGBT veterans). It was a little past Independence Day,...

Notorious Glamazon About Town

The rhinestone and ballgown scene makes me nervous. Maybe it’s a deep-seated fear my jewels, dress, look - that I — wonn’t measure up. Maybe I’m simply more comfortable in something
well, more comfortable. Whatever the reason, events where attendees from far-and-wide line up...

On July 13, Grass Roots Gay Rights West (GRGR/West), producers of the annual Real Bad fundraising dance party that follows San Francisco’s world-renowned Folsom Street Fair, announced the beneficiaries and DJ for Real Bad XX - the twentieth installment of the legendary party. Their slogan is: “Be bad....

A bunch of busy little elves have decorated Under One Roof for the holidays – but, oops, they’re a few months early - so UOR folks have put all that great stuff on sale before they put it back in storage until November. On July 11, Donna Sachet...

In celebration of the creative expression and highly evolved concept of Burning Man, Free Run Pictures is planning a premiere screening of its documentary, Burning Man: Voyage in Utopia, at the Castro Theatre on Friday, July 18, with show time at 8 p.m. Prior to the screening, there...

For as long as I can remember, I’ve suffered from “F.O.M.O.” – fear of missing out. That feeling that just when I might go to sleep is when something magical, special, fun will happen frequently keeps me awake late into the night. Often pushing myself to the...

Virginia Trembles is thrilled to be presenting “Blush: Wall to Wall,” a solo exhibition of her current, rather pornographic paintings and ceramic plates during July at Magnet, the 18th and Market Street Castro hub for health and social well being. When asked about her bio, Trembles replied enigmatically:...

Life is full of sordid details. Gossip. Innuendo. Tawdry hearsay fills our tabloids, TV and, to some degree, even this column. Though I love indulging in these as much as the next person, generally speaking, I try to shy away from these here - a decision which was...

Gary Virginia and Donna Sachet presented the 10th Annual Pride Brunch, honoring the Grand Marshals of the SF LGBT Pride Parade on Pink Saturday, June 28 at Hotel Whitcomb. The event was a benefit for Positive Resource Center. The banquet room was decked out in arches of balloons...

Charo Brings Her “Cuchi! Cuchi!” Back to Planet San Francisco

Charo realizes making the rounds on talk shows, variety shows and such TV staples as The Love Boat and Fantasy Island throughout the ‘70s cemented her image, for good or bad, in America’s minds. Yet there’s far...

Porn’s Baby-Faced Brent Corrigan Hosts ‘Another Gay Fundraiser’ June 26 at Lookout

Don’t let his youthful looks fool you. Brent Corrigan has, in his own words, already “weathered a shit storm.” Though he’s only 22 – and looks even younger - the controversial entertainer fought for the...

By Sister Dana “0-69” Van Iquity

After having been removed from MCC Church because the building was condemned from earthquake damage; and after being ousted by the rabid San Francisco Archdiocese from Holy Redeemer hall; the San Francisco Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. finally found a permanent (god/goddess willing)...

Glide is hosting a pool party at the Cathedral Hotel (Van Ness Avenue at Geary Street) with Donna Sachet, the Extra Action Marching Band, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and DJ David Harness of The Endup’s Super Soul Sundayz. This is the party before the party. Pink Saturday...

Comic Kicks Off Lookout’s New Lesbian-Themed Party

It’s barely 8 am West Coast time, but Suzanne Westenhoefer has been up all night. The veteran lesbian stand-up is in Washington, D.C. to host an AIDS benefit, then she’s on a plane back to California. Thursday, June 19,...

By Pollo Del Mar Notorious Glamazon About Town

Collapsing into a seat on the patio, Saturday brunch at Luna seemed like a perfect way to relax. After several hectic days leading to its Pride Season return, opening weekend of The Golden Girls: The Play - The Gay Episodes was...

The San Francisco Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. recently held a secret conclave; watched the pink smoke rise from the Vatican; and can now officially announce the return of their anything but sacred Monthly Bingo Games starting Wednesday June 18 at 7 p.m.

Yes, clutch your rosaries, because...

After a series of sold-out runs in 2007, The Golden Girls: The Play returns with two gay-themed episodes of the popular sitcom just in time for San Francisco's world-famous LGBT Pride season. Starring Heklina, Cookie Dough, Matthew Martin, and Pollo Del Mar as television's favorite Miami retirees, this...

By Pollo Del Mar
Notorious Glamazon About Town
Sitting in front of a West Hollywood Starbucks Friday afternoon, on the eve of the City’s annual LGBT Pride celebration, I witnessed a swarm of honest-to-goodness paparazzi descend a half-block away. Amid flashing cameras, a pencil-thin redhead, botoxed cheeks sunken...

By Pollo Del Mar

Notorious Glamazon About Town

Over the weekend, I realized exactly how much life is like riding a mechanical bull. It’s about learning to hold on and let go all at once. Of course, that statement might make more sense to the hundreds who...

The House of Crawford presented Joan Crawford Texas and her friends at home at the Metro bar on May 23. ACT I opened with Joan lounging around in her mink, black large-rimmed hat, and black full length gown – just what you’d expect her to wear for a...

By Pollo Del Mar
The Notorious Glamazon on the Town

Crawling with hot men, lovely ladies and local celebrities, the Recovery Party at LookOut was a raging success. From Bevin Shamel – who demanded I pump gooey deliciousness down his hungry throat (it was a jello shot, people!) –...

SF Native Alec Mapa Makes Bay Area Return for Gay Day at Great America

Well before landing his role as Ugly Betty’s roving fashion reporter, Alec Mapa and I met at the 2005 GLAAD Media Awards. Surprisingly, the San Francisco native not only remembers, he describes in...

The biggest movie of the summer at the best movie theatre in the City: it couldn’t get any better than that! At one time, not in a galaxy far, far away, but right here in the glorious city of San Francisco, there were neighborhood movie theatres like the...

Many artists shy away from the “pop music” label. Few admit to consciously shaping a “hit record.” Lady GaGa has no problem with either. “I really wanted my first album to be just ‘pop-tastic,’” admits the New York club favorite, “I wanted this fire-breathing pop record, just smash-after-smash,...

By Pollo Del Mar

The Notorious Glamazon About Town

Since last Thursday’s landmark decision by the California Supreme Court to allow gay marriage, I have been hunting for my first honest-to-goodness, legalized husband. Though few candidates reared their heads, the weekend provided a valuable reminder that love comes...

“If the red pumps were outside the door, we knew Issan had been out and had a good night.” So described the founder of Maitri, Issan Dorsey, attributed to Annie Somerville, owner and chef of Greens Restaurant. And that perfectly describes the nature of “Bliss,” the annual fundraiser...

Mecca SF, in the Castro District, has announced the new “Around the World in Wine” Dinner Series, hosted by Betty Sullivan - featuring wines of selected regions from throughout the globe presented by wine industry expert Vivien Gay, CEO and founder of Vinum Global, and paired with the...

By Pollo Del Mar
The Notorious Glamazon About Town

Waking Thursday morning in a stranger’s bed, my cell phone battery dead, the charger and my laptop locked in The LookOut, utterly unprepared for a celebrity interview just hours away was not my finest moment. As I began piecing events...

Fundraiser This Week for Irene Soderberg

San Francisco is known, among many things, for its diversity, beauty, and generosity of spirit, especially when it comes to helping those in need within our community. So says Jimmy Strano, producer of two fabulous fundraisers for one fabulous outstanding fundraiser...

By Pollo Del Mar
The Notorious Glamazon About Town

Hundreds of hot daddies, furry cubs, leather men, muscle queens and horny, curious spectators make the annual Bare Chest Calendar Finals one of San Francisco’s must-see spectacles. DNA Lounge was packed wall-to-wall for the enormous event Sunday, May 4, which...

Trannyshack Reunites NYC Drag Superstars Arias, Sherry Vine April 29

For nearly a quarter-decade, Joey Arias has changed how the world sees drag queens. In the ‘80s, Arias led the New York City club kid craze. Later, after being coerced into drag to attend a friend’s Halloween...

Larry Hashbarger and Skip Young, proprietors of AsiaSF invited friends to a private celebration on April 21 recognizing a decade of fabulous food, award winning wine offerings, superb service, and extraordinary entertainment. This was an opportunity to proudly announce the opening of AsiaSF Hollywood, as well as to...

Big Gay Frat House really took off on April 12 as they presented guys who could really take it off. It was a fundraiser, where every penny went directly to SF Boylesque to help them compete in the Miss Exotic World Pageant. We got to see hula dancers,...

Michael Johnstone is presenting his colorful photographic exhibition at Magnet all April long. Johnstone and David Faulk have been life partners for 14 years. Together they formed a dynamic, expressive duo, Mr. Tina and Mrs. Vera, respectively, with an unapologetic passion for fun – celebrating the kitsch and...

Cheer San Francisco held a fundraiser at the weekly Jock at Lookout Sunday sports event on April 6, featuring the DVD release of porn star Jake Deckard’s steamy new video, Jock Itch. Jake danced on the stage in naught but engineer boots and a jockstrap, occasionally topped by...

WeHo Award-Winning Comics Perform at Harvey’s Tues., April 15

Whether together or separately, Teddy Margas, Mikey Scott and Cory Schneider are a tough interview. You trying getting a “straight” answer out of the West Hollywood’s Queers of Comedy. As far as this hilarious trio is concerned, everything...

SF’s Mariah Hanson Goes Global with Acclaimed Lesbian Weekend

When asked how she made the jump from local San Francisco club promoter to the mastermind who made The Dinah Shore Weekend an international sensation, Mariah Hanson blames the “folly of youth.” The Bay Area native admits it...

Take 110 drag queens, mix in plentiful alcohol and, one might suspect, a sprinkling of illicit substances, pour into two tour busses and put it all on the open highway for five hours to marinate. That is a recipe for disaster – and Trannyshack: Reno, the drunken drag...

This Easter, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. will be celebrating 29 years of service to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and straight-but-not-narrow community in the form of activism, theater, education, and fundraising. It might be proper to have a little history 
 er 
 Sistory lesson,...

Trannyshack & Peaches Christ presented “The Big Sleazy” on March 15 at the Lookout, featuring Jell-O shots, Mardi Gras beads, raffle prizes, and oh yeah, drag performances. Being a charter member of the Mardi Gras fundraising club, Krewe de Kinque, naturally I was intrigued. There were also N’awlins...

Singer Wendy Ho Kicks Off SF Appearances Sunday at Octavia Lounge

Pretty, professional and blonde, Wendy Jo Smith looks like many other executive assistants.  Few would suspect by night she is “Wendy Ho,” the raunchy New York cabaret sensation whose hilarious songs and a brash in-your-face style...

 You’ve forwarded all your clocks one hour. You’re feeling the fever of springtime right around the corner. You’re wondering what there is to do with yourself on Friday night, March 14? Gather your finest in green-wear, stuff your wallets with greenbacks, and get yourself to the N’Touch Bar...

Are you tired of marching in those boring demonstrations against the War in Iraq? Sure, it’s important to show our protest against “THE WAR TO END ALL PEACE,” but we’re more creative than that, aren’t we? Most of us are lovers, not fighters. So why not express ourselves...

Frameline celebrates the return of the Festival Pavilion, and announces AT&T ’s Grand Sponsorship of Frameline 32, the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, which will be held June 19 – 29. Frameline is the producer of the world’s first, largest, and most respected LGBT film festival.

AT&T...

It’s sure taken a while, but the San Francisco Opera’s “cinemacast’’ productions are finally coming to a home town movie theater, and it’s the Castro. Opera queen alert. Opera queen alert. The Castro theatre series begins on Monday, March 17, with Puccini’s La Rondine starring Angela Gheorghiu. New...

‘L’ Word Actress Joins Star-Studded Lesbian Weekend in Palm Springs

Whether juggling media interviews, a call from her veterinarian - her cat is recovering nicely from thyroid surgery, thank you for asking - or wrapping a role in Carol Burnett and Michael Keaton’s upcoming feature Ticket to...

After being closed for nearly a month - serving as Harvey Milk’s camera store for the filming of Milk - the gift store that took over Harvey’s camera store, Given, reopened on Feb. 29 with a gallery of artists’ works. “Hollywood has had its way with us and...

Comedian Brings National Tour Home to SF’s Warfield March 14-16

For Margaret Cho, her upcoming three-day engagement at The Warfield is a double homecoming. Not only does it bring Cho back to the Bay Area, it returns the San Francisco-born stand-up comedian to the artform which made...

Hi simply hi from Tinseltown North from your fearless reportress Sister Dana! Rumors of hurricane-like weather did not stop everybody who was anybody from attending the 28th annual Academy of Friends gala on Oscars night. Now we have proof that god, goddess, godette loves AOF and fizzled out...

The Imperial Court of San Francisco Inc. in conjunction with H.M.I.M. Emperor Michael Dumont & H.M.I.M. Empress Chika presented “Coronation 2008: Star-struck, Be Jeweled, Be Dazzled” on Feb. 23 at the Gift Center Pavilion. In the opening number, reigning Miss Gay, BeBe Sweetbriar, almost became victim to a...

Emmy-Winner Judy Gold’s One-Woman Show Lands at Marine’s Memorial Theatre March 11

One moment, Judy Gold is bantering with enthusiasm about 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother. The openly-lesbian comic can’t help but gush about bringing her critically-acclaimed one-woman show to the Marine’s Memorial Theatre beginning March...

Newly appointed Nikki Calma, the first TG named to the SF Commission on the Status of Women, thanks Mayor Gavin Newsom as mayoral aide Jason Chan looks on. This was a historical moment for SF and Nikki, also known as Tita Aida. She is the queen of Asia...

National Center for Lesbian Rights held a kickoff cocktail party on Feb. 6 at Slide bar as a way of gearing up for the 31st anniversary celebration on May 31st at Westin St. Francis and the Metreon. NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell excitedly announced that California is poised...

Members and friends of the queer Mardi Gras group, Krewe de Kinque, celebrated Mardi Gras (French for “Fat Tuesday”) on Feb. 5 rolling along on two brand new bus limousines. We met at the Edge bar, rolled out to Trax on Haight Street, then to the Cinch on...

Are you sick and tired of that stupid Hallmark Cards version of Valentines Day -where lovers kiss and exchange candy and flowers and sweet nothings in each other’s ears? Well then, has the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco ever got the perfect show for YOU! Love gets smacked...

Maybe love is better the second time around. On Saturday, Feb. 9, PINK magazine is sponsoring the second annual “Cupid’s Back” party, a benefit for the GLBT Historical Society. The extravaganza is a private Valentine’s Day party that goes from 8pm – 2am at Lookout bar (the old...

The Cookie Dough Monster Show last Saturday night was actually two shows ‘rolled’ into one, with the regular Monster Show gang, as well as a very talented lineup of Desperate Divas vying for the last slot in the Desperate Divas 2009 Calendar for SF AIDS Housing Alliance. All...

Most people toss away the cap, cork, and wire cage after they pop open the champagne. Not artist Charles Sands. He fashions clever little champagne chairs out of the leftovers and sends them to charities for their use at auctions and fundraisers. On Monday, he held a fundraiser...

A song from the musical, Mame, is entitled “The Man in the Moon Is a Woman.” Such was the case at the Jan. 12 Full Moon Contest held by Krewe de Kinque at the new Metro bar, when the winner of the bare butt contest was a woman....

Krewe de Kinque was founded in San Francisco on Mardi Gras night 2004 at the Castro’s Edge bar. Since then, the charitable/social club has held a Twelfth Night party every year exactly 12 days after Christmas to kick off Mardi Gras season. While hundreds of similar krewes in New...

For the past 14 years Impresario Marc Huestis of Outsider Productions has been privileged to bring many special moments to the Castro Theatre - whether Debbie Reynolds, Jane Russell, John Waters, Ann-Margret, Joan Baez, or in their last public appearances Ann Miller or Sandra Dee. He is thrilled so many...

Miss Gay San Francisco 2007-2008 BeBe Sweetbriar and Miss Trannyshack 2007 Pollo Del Mar battle it out every week at “Brain Farts,” their new weekly trivia contest at The LookOut (formerly the Metro, 3600 16 Street at Market). Hosted by the reigning queens, “Brain Farts” is a free interactive pop...

Sisters Give Out Grants To Organizations During Saturnalia

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. held their annual Saturnalia Grants Giveaway Ceremony at Harvey’s bar on Dec. 20, distributing $18,075 to 25 recipients. “Once again, The Sisters bring Mary to Merry Merry,” said Sister Dionna Cross, grants committee chairnun. “Our grants...

Project Open Hand honored those individuals and corporations whose support of its vital services has remained exceptional throughout the year. Each holiday season, Open Hand hosts the “Hand to Hand Luncheon,” a spectacular fundraising feast prepared by a couple dozen famous local chefs. The 16th annual event was held at...

It was yet another amazing Marc Huestis living legends production when Randy Jones, the one and only original cowboy member of The Village People, graced the stage of the Castro Theater on Dec. 22 – part of “A Very Merry Disco Christmas” event. Yes, they decked the halls with disco...

Donna Sachet has hosted “Songs of the Season” for 15 years now, benefiting the AIDS Emergency Fund, which has given over $25 million to people with AIDS. It has become a holiday tradition among the truly cool Yule school. The Rob Evans Quartet opened the show with jazzy sounds. Then...

...

San Francisco’s first and only CircusDragBurlesque festival, “Frolic,” returned for its second year, after a sold-out run last year had assured a regular place in CounterPULSE’s programming. “Frolic” was a whirlwind of queer burlesque, drag queens, and spectacular circus - all for a good cause: helping CounterPULSE support cutting-edge artists....

Habitat by Sweet Can is a dumb show, but only because the six performers do not vocalize. The four-piece combo that accompanies their clever, frenetic activities sings one song, but otherwise, no words are spoken, and that’s OK, because the show is all about physicality, and it’s theme is expressed...

Healing Waters held an evening of recognition entitled “Splash!” at Mighty nightclub on Nov. 28. Since their first trip in 1996, Healing Waters has gone on outdoor excursions for individuals challenging AIDS and HIV. They are dedicated to taking men, women, and children on emotionally and physically safe outdoor trips,...

At the Opening Night Gala of the 2007 “Dance-Along Nutcracker: RAT-ified!,” everyone got a rat’s-eye-view of the classic ballet, surrounded by the elegance of a Rat Pack-style holiday party. On the weekend of Dec. 8 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum, the SF Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band laid...

3Holiday celebrants gathered on Nov. 26 in the Bank of America plaza for the annual lighting of the Castro Christmas tree. Members from the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco, the Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, and GLAM Youth Choir performed carols.
The choruses...

Thomas Rakewell leaves his Anne Trulove for the distractions of the big city in the libretto written by W. H. Auden for Igor Stravinsky’s score of The Rake’s Progress, now at SF Opera. Auden set the scenes in England, but Cirque du Soleil director Robert Lepage stages this...

Now in its 29th year, The Women’s Building Celebration of Craftswomen offers a unique opportunity to find gorgeous, one-of-a-kind holiday gifts, fine crafts, and contemporary art - all created by women. The show features the work of 300 female artists - 150 different artists each weekend. For the...

Trannyshack, now in its 12th award-winning year, is San Francisco’s longest-running weekly drag and performance hotspot. Held on Nov. 17 at The Gift Center, the annual Miss Trannyshack Pageant drew hundreds of tranny-loving fans to see who would take the coveted crown. Heklina, draped in gold and in...

Nov. 8 was 30 years to the day that Harvey Milk won election to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was the first out gay man elected to office in America. Although he was assassinated just over a year later, Milk’s time in office represented great leaps forward...

Grassroots Gay Rights West (GRGR/West) held a party on Nov. 8 in the Eureka Valley Recreation Center auditorium to announce the donation of record proceeds from “Real Bad XIX.” Ticket sales from this year’s nine-hour leather celebration allowed for the beneficiaries, Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center (LYRIC)...

Whether you’re dressing up or dressing down, Community United Against Violence wants you and your loved ones to stay safe this Halloween. In past years, Halloween celebrations have been cut short by violence and anti-LGBTQ harassment. Below are a few suggestions to keep yourself and those around you...

The San Francisco Gay Men’s Community Initiative held their first annual fundraiser, “Community Heroes: Honoring Volunteer Leadership” at Foreign Cinema in the Mission. According to their mission statement: “SFGMCI is a socially activist organization of San Francisco queer men. We are helping to bring the many different communities...

The cool ghoul of the San Francisco underground arts scene, Vinsantos, brings his Goth-inspired sights and sounds to Mama Calizo’s Voice Factory at 1519 Mission Street for “Macabaret,” a combination of the macabre and a cabaret. This decidedly dark affair with creepy special guests will run for two...

Scores of people gathered at Harvey Milk Plaza around the rainbow flag (which was flown at half-mast) on a warm Saturday noon for a memorial for Trevor Hailey, founder of Cruisin’ the Castro Walking Tours. Hailey was an educator, historian, community leader, friend, Castro merchant, and more.

First...

This year’s Tour De Castro II - a race, bar crawl, and costume contest - will once again be helping AIDS Lifecycle Riders in need of donations to reach the minimum on registration day. Each year some Lifecycle riders, despite a year of fundraising efforts, fall short of...

After a “Balls Out Ball” of 2006 that people are still buzzing about, there just had to be another Ball to blow everyone away and raise funds for the San Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club. The Big Gay Frat House presented the Ball on Oct. 13 at Danz...

I used to call the annual Castro Fair lame, dry, and repetitive, complaining, “I can only see so many macramĂ© plant hangers, wind chimes, and rainbow gewgaws every year. Yawn.” But ever since Sugar Valley has come along, I have found renewed interest in the fair. This is...

Given, the new gift store that now occupies the former site of Harvey Milk’s and Scott Smith’s Castro Street Camera store at 575 Castro, hosted a reception there on Sept. 28 to inaugurate its new Harvey Milk mural by artist John Baden. Daniel Nicoletta, who used to work...

It was the 24th annual Folsom Street Fair. Having attended every single one of these leather-fests since its inception almost two-and-a-half decades ago, and having written all of them up in various queer periodicals every year, it becomes harder and harder to find new stuff to write. I...

By Scandalous Siste Dana Van Iquity
Cummin’ again, and twice as naughty as last year, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. invite you to come really stir up your Folsom Street weekend at “Scandalous Behaviors 2xX”. This is a benefit to raise money for sex worker healthcare. The...

Since everyone is so hell-bent on celebrating the Summer of Love and psychedelics, it was only natural that the Cookie Dough Monster Show would jump onboard the hippy train with its special drag reinterpretation. Of course the audience looked like total Woodstock wannabees. But this was a very...

“It’s gonna have more fur than a Russian fashion show,” says Pete King, founder of Hairrison, the big bear block party taking place this Sunday in front of the Eagle Tavern on Harrison Street.  Billed as the biggest one day bear event in the world, the fair is...

The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus hosted a Celebration of Song in Memory of Dick Kramer on Aug. 25 at St. John’s Episcopal Church. Kramer was the founder of, among other choral groups, the SF Gay Men’s Chorus. In 1978, he was appointed by Jon Sims to be...

When almost anyone thinks about the Castro district, that person – gay or straight - immediately pictures the glowing glare of the gaudy but glorious neon sign (that keeps on breaking down, no matter how many times it gets refurbished) on the Castro Theatre. On Friday, Aug. 10, the old...

The Big Gay Frat House threw their monthly fundraising bash, “Girl Drink Drunk,” on Aug. 4 to benefit CUAV (Community United Against Violence), with Ethel Merman taking over the femcee duties while Trauma was accompanying Judy Garland at the New Conservatory Theater. Hey, I just realized how in so many...

The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation mounted their annual fundraising show, “Help Is on the Way,” acclaimed as Northern California’s largest annual star-studded gala concert. This year it was held on Aug. 5 at the Palace of Fine Arts, where the theme was “Going to the Movies,” and featured entertainers singing memorable...

Impresario Marc Huestis presented “Bad Boys of Runway” as a kickoff to his weeklong “Fabulous Fashion in Film” series at the Castro Theatre. The Bad Boys gala event on July 27, which was a fundraiser for Community United Against Violence, featured a live interview with couturier designers Santino Rice (season...

By Master Sister Dana Van Iquity

It’s now called Up Your Alley Fair. They used to call it the Dore Alley Fair; but after that hot July 29 day this year, it should be named Dick Alley Fair. Dicks, dicks, dicks 
 everywhere you looked there were big, hard, gorgeous dicks! Viagra...

For the month of July, Magnet’s art gallery is currently displaying the works of photographer Mark Grantham. This was the first time his work has been shown in San Francisco. Magnet’s executive director, Stephen Gibson, spoke about the marquee that he had earlier installed outside the building, reading: “It’s not...

It was “surf’s up” for the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation (REAF) and all the party people at a festive event entitled, “Where the Boys Are.” Just days before the 4th of July, REAF was the beneficiary of a special benefit TGIF affair with the gay men’s group, MAX (Men’s Associated Exchange),...

Beginning July 6, Sundance Saloon enters a new era with the introduction of Friday night dancing. And it is expanding its offerings to include not only country-western two-stepping and line dancing, but karaoke and a retro disco event as well. Organizers say Sundance Saloon will become San Francisco’s only weekly...

The Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Historical Society has announced the opening of “Out Ranks,” the nation’s first historical exhibit on the experiences of gays in the military. The one-year exhibitionwhich opened June 14, is free to the public. The exhibit occurs as Congress begins planning hearings on the “Don’t Ask/...

Dedicated to Queer Activist And Historian Trevor Hailey

Frameline, the world’s premier showcase of queer cinema, opened the 31st annual San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival on June 14. First the audience got to see trailers from years gone by, which readers can locate at frameline.org/now-showingonline/festival-trailers.aspx.    

Check out 1999 for a...

Comedian Says National Queer Arts Festival “Represents People Who Aren’t Represented”

Though Hollywood’s representation of gays is improving – “We can see some actors who are actually queer working,” says Marga Gomez – the lesbian comic notes we still have a long way to go in achieving equality. Says the Bay...

The impossible has happened. Heklina, co-founder of Trannyshack, the weekly midnight drag-athon at the Stud, has turned 40. No, we’re not talking about her waist size. She celebrated her four decades by NOT hosting, but instead watching and enjoying from the sidelines on a barstool next to mine. “Despite my...

Raging Stallion Studios invited VIP porn folks to a party and viewing of the studio’s latest blockbuster, Mirage, (which Sister Dana has already reviewed and found to be a sizzler! The event was held at the Nob Hill Theatre and featured four of the gorgeous actors in Mirage: Jake Deckard,...

Hot House Entertainment has announced the schedule of events and appearances by The Men of Hot House during the 2007 San Francisco Pride Celebration, June 22-24. Representing The Men of Hot House this year are Lifetime Exclusive Alex Collack, Hot House Exclusives Francesco D’Macho, Vinnie D’Angelo, C.J. Knight, Ty LeBeouf,...

Photo archivist Rich Stadtmiller displayed and taught his technique of capturing photographic moments at “The RichTrove Image Archive: the Importance of Preserving Memories” at the Blow Buddies community room last week during the Leather Discussion Group. LDG meets there the first and third Wednesday each month. For this session, Stadtmiller...

The Big Gay Frat House in the Castro put on yet another stellar evening of “Girl Drink Drunk” with fabulous talent femceed by Trauma Flintstone and sponsored by Michael Daniels of Young’s Market, providing an open bar of festive girlie drinks. No paper parasols as yet, but I’m working on...

As part of Queer History Month in June, Bay Times staff reporter Rink is exhibiting his photography through decades of documenting queer events and persons. On Saturday, June 2 a special reception will be held at 6 pm in the SF LGBT Community Center on the third floor. This is...