The Episcopal Diocese of California will hold a special Pride Evensong at Grace Cathedral Thursday (June 15), beginning at 5:15 p.m.
Following the choral service, sung by the Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, a panel of clergy and lay people will talk about the early struggles for equality and dignity in the diocese, the responses to the AIDS epidemic, and the diocese's role as a national leader on LGBTQ religious issues, including ordinations and same-sex marriage.
One of the panelists is Sara Yoe, an intern at the diocese who has spent the last several months digging through diocesan archives and conducting interviews for an LGBTQ history project that is now online. Yoe's work explores the largely untold history of ministry for the LGBTQ community that the diocese has been doing for nearly 40 years.
After the evensong service and panel discussion there will be a reception in the cathedral dining room. Memorabilia, photos, and other documents will be on display.
Grace Cathedral is located at 1100 California Street. For more information, see the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/110892559481681/. To view the diocese's online history project, visit http://diocal.org/living-history-ministry-lgbtq-community.
Financial boot camp for arts orgs
Intersection for the Arts will hold a financial empowerment boot camp for arts organization leaders Saturday, June 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its offices, 901 Mission Street, Suite 306 in San Francisco.
Led by Yesenia Sanchez and Jericha Senyak, the workshop will help attendees transform financial concepts and abstract lists of numbers into hidden stories that underpin an organization's work or an individual artistic practice's values, goals, successes, and challenges.
Attendees will review fundamental financial concepts, identify needs for financial sustainability, and learn how to tell stories about their organizations based on real, hard numbers.
The cost is $60 for the public, or $30 for members of Intersection's fiscal sponsorship program. Limited space is available. To sign up, visit https://www.flipcause.com/widget/event/MTkxODc=/11865.
Huckleberry block party
As part of its 50th year celebration, Huckleberry Youth Programs will hold an old-fashioned block party Sunday, June 18 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1292 Page Street in San Francisco.
Organizers said the event will include community mural painting, tie-dying, food trucks, Zumba, jewelry-making, a photo booth, face painting, button-making, and more. There will be a DJ, rescue animal adoptions, a bake sale, and resources from community partners. Admission is free.
Huckleberry will also provide tours of its 24-hour crisis shelter.
For more information, visit www.huckleberryyouth.org.
Castro bookstore marks first year
Dog Eared Books will celebrate its first anniversary at its Castro location with a special program Tuesday, June 20 from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at 489 Castro Street.
Store staff said that gay activist Cleve Jones will be a featured reader. This week, Jones won a Lambda Literary Award for his gay biography/memoir "When We Rise: My Life in the Movement."
"I wrote this book because the LGBT movement saved my life," a Lambda Literary news release quoted Jones saying as he accepted his award. "And I'm ready to keep fighting."
At Dog Eared, Jones will be joined by Charlie Jane Anders, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, and Jeff Chang. Additionally, artist Faluda Islam (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) will be the emcee and their artwork will be on display in the store through the end of the month.
The lesbian-owned store was voted best bookstore by Bay Area Reporter readers in this year's LGBTQ Best of the Bay readers' poll.
Science event explores evolutionary connections to gender
The Leakey Foundation's Science Speakeasy program this month will celebrate LGBTQ Pride by studying evolutionary connections to gender.
The event takes place Tuesday, June 20 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Public Works, 161 Erie Street in San Francisco.
One of the featured speakers will be Dr. Stephanie Meredith, who will discuss the development of sex-typical behavior in non-human primates. She has done long-term research on sex-typical behavioral development in ring-tailed lemurs in Madagascar and is now working on research focusing on hamadryas baboons in Ethiopia.
"We can connect primate behavioral sex differentiation to humans in just the same way that we connect primate morphology to that of humans," Meredith said in a news release. "We share a common ancestor, so we may share some processes of behavioral development with our primate cousins due to our relatedness."
The Leakey Foundation is a nonprofit that funds scientific research exploring the many facets of human origins and shares that information through its public programs.
The cost for the program is $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Attendees must be 21 or over with valid ID. For tickets, visit https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1468895/tfly.
Rainbow Honor Walk reception
The Rainbow Honor Walk and the Human Rights Campaign store will have a community reception to celebrate the 24 new walk honorees Tuesday, June 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the HRC store, 575 Castro Street in San Francisco.
The event is free and open to the public.
The honor walk salutes the achievements of noted LGBTQ people throughout history. The first 20 plaques were placed in the sidewalks of the Castro district a couple of years ago.
The new class includes Jose Sarria, founder of the Imperial Court and the first out gay person to run for office in the world, campaigning unsuccessfully for a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1961. Sarria's plaque will be on display at the reception.
For more information on the project, visit http://www.rainbowhonorwalk.org.
Pacifica to hold Pride BBQ
The Traveler Swim and Surf Club in Pacifica will hold a bring-your-own Pride barbecue Thursday, June 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the store, 5450 Coast Highway.
Organizers said that people are welcome to come and connect with the area's LGBT community. The outdoor and adventure-inspired store is located just steps from Linda Mar Beach.
To RSVP, email [email protected].
HIV study looking for Native American male participants
The Indigenous Wellness Research Institute at the University of Washington in Seattle is conducting an HIV prevention study and is looking for Native American male participants.
The Virtual Two-Spirit project is a culturally-grounded, online HIV intervention for Native American and Alaska Native men who have sex with men. The intervention facilitates positive sexual health behaviors and promotes HIV risk harm reduction strategies, a news release stated.
Eligible participants who complete the three-week intervention and online assessments can receive up to $190 in incentives.
The intervention utilizes a computer downloadable virtual reality world, where participants create their own avatar and go through experiential modules in learning about HIV testing, harm reduction techniques, condom use and condom use negotiation, and behavioral role play. The expected outcomes for participants include an increase in HIV testing, more reliable condom use, and awareness and practice of harm reduction behaviors. Results of this study will be used to further refine and tailor the intervention for a larger study.
Eligibility criteria include being or identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native; at least 18 years of age; having an email address; male (or identify as male) who has sex with men; and HIV-negative or do not know current HIV status.
The study is supported by funding from the National Institute of Health and Health Disparities. The principal investigator is Karina Walters, Ph.D., at the University of Washington.
To learn more about the study, or to check on eligibility, contact [email protected] or (971) 251-0402.