October has been a month packed with annual fundraising events for many SF LGBT community groups, challenging even the most organized partygoers, and proving that generosity is not dead, even in these difficult economic times. Last Friday, we started at the Transgender Law Center's 8th Anniversary Celebration at The End Up. Executive Director Masen Davis and Legal Director Kristina Wertz focused on the countless challenges faced by transgender individuals each day, presenting awards to Senator Mark Leno, Supervisor Bevan Dufty, Minami Tamaki and El/La Program Para Translatinas and the SF LGBT Community Center. Shannon Minter and Tita Aida, nationally recognized transgender leaders, received vanguard awards, followed by performances by Veronica Klaus and Josh Klipp. The lively crowd included Allison Laureano, Rebecca Goldfader, Ruby Cymrot-Wu, Joseph Peralta, Martin Rawlings-Fein, Cecilia Chung, Michael Daniels, Rebecca Rolfe, Empress Tiffany of Alameda Co.'s Imperial Court, and a host of elected officials and those hoping to be elected in November.
Next stop was Mezzanine for Queens Are Wild, Stop AIDS Project's casino and costume-party fundraiser, hosted by glamorous Juanita More! In a welcome demonstration of team spirit, all four major candidates for District 8 Supervisor Bill Hemenger, Rafael Mandelman, Rebecca Prozan, and Scott Wiener, and District 6 Supervisor candidate Anna Conda volunteered as blackjack dealers. We were assured that winning pay-offs were completely unaffected by political affiliation. Adult-film star Michael Brandon gathered a bevy of other industry professionals to add tantalizing eye-candy to the event. Among the costumes and gamblers were Terry Gauchat, Dennis Richards, Mike Smith, Stephen Taylor, Jason Riggs, Tom Taylor, Kelly Hart, and Executive Director Kyriell Noon.
The Human Rights Campaign and co-chairs Melissa Morgan and Densil R. R. Porteous II pulled out all the stops for their 26th Annual Dinner & Gala at the Fairmont Hotel on Sat. night. Few arrivals compare to pulling into the porte-cochere of the elegant Fairmont Hotel and sweeping into the richly appointed, cavernous lobby. We caught up with HRC President Joe Solmonese, City Treasurer Jose Cisneros, Juan Barajas, John Marez, Mark Rhoades, Joy Bianchi, Richard Morehead, Andrea Shorter, and Eric Hanson at the VIP reception and silent auction. We settled at our table in the Grand Ballroom for the dinner and awards in the company of Frank Woo, Pat Martel, Richard Sablatura, Janine Shiota, Linda Scaparotti, Bob Michitarian, Julius Turman, Sean Livingston, John Williams, and Craig Crawford. There were moving speeches from guests Meredith Baxter of NBC's Family Ties and Mike Manning of MTV's The Real World, and awards given to Scott Wiener, Ted Allen of Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and Kimpton Hotels. Auctioneer Lenny Broberg used humor and panache to raise thousands in the live auction, and Cheer SF brought the evening to a rousing conclusion.
Sunday night, a lively crowd surprised Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation's Ken Henderson on his birthday at Martuni's. Joining in a birthday refrain were Nick Mills, Stephen Valentino, Adam Sandel, Lawrence Helman, David Gallagher, Al Treuter, Gary Thackeray, Beth Schnitzer, and Ken's partner Joe Seiler.
Tonight, Thurs., Oct. 28, is the GLBT Historical Society's Silver Anniversary Gala at the Green Room of the War Memorial Building, honoring 25 historic pioneers, including Jose Sarria, Cleve Jones, Audrey Joseph, Harry Britt, Willie Brown, Roberta Achtenberg, Tom Ammiano, and Ruth Brinker. Expect an extensive silent auction and complete details about the soon-to-open museum space on 18th St. in the Castro, showcasing a revolving exhibits from the society's archives. We proudly salute this organization's commitment to the preservation and elevation of our ongoing historic journey.
Even this sporting-event neophyte has been caught up in Giants fever and will be attending Game Two of the World Series at AT&T Park, thanks to the incredible generosity of a cherished friend. If you are concerned for our safety and comfort, never fear, since we'll be warmly ensconced in a celebrity box.
On Fri., join the SF Gay Men's Chorus for Pardon Me, Boys, a cabaret show with solo voices from the chorus singing timeless songs from the 1930s and 40s at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, 1187 Franklin St. Local singer Carly Ozard hosts. This concert repeats on Sat. at 5 and 8 p.m., with the matinee benefiting Larkin Street Youth Services.
Then Halloween is upon us! Try to include the Sat. Midnight costume contest at The Edge in your plans, where we'll be emceeing. And don't forget it's Halloween: wear a costume!
Finally, we urge you to mark the following Sat., Nov. 6, on your calendar as Miss Ritchfield 1981 returns to SF in a rare appearance and fundraiser, 8 p.m. at St. Aidan's Episcopal Church, 101 Gold Mine Dr. Well known for her Atlantis Cruise gigs, this is one drag queen who knows her stuff and insists on sharing it with you!