Imperial Coronation celebrations: voting and parties fill the royal roster

On February 19, residents of San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo Counties will have the opportunity to vote for a new Empress and Emperor of San Francisco. Voting will take place at the Cinch, 1723 Polk Street, from 11am to 4pm, at the Castro Muni Station from 12 noon-6pm, and at the Powerhouse, 1347 Folsom Street, from 1pm-5pm. All voters must present valid ID proving residency in one of the three counties. Several related events are scheduled for the next two weeks.

It was quite a year for outgoing Empress Juanita MORE!, who reigned over San Francisco with wit, glamour and compassion alongside her Emperor David Glamamore. Both have reigned since April 25. 2021. As she prepares to step down, MORE! looked back on her reign with pride.

"The Emperor Mr. David Glamamore, The Court of More is MORE!, and I have worked tirelessly throughout this very challenging year to fundraise, create a bigger family, and build a stronger community," MORE! told the Bay Area Reporter. "We have created one of the most diverse courts in the history of the Imperial family."

MORE! said she will never forget her year on the throne. "It has been an honor to serve San Francisco in this capacity," she said. "I will forever be grateful."

Soon a new empress will be crowned, and in less than a week we'll know who she is. For Empress candidate Ehra Amaya, this is an exciting time, a time of hope and reflection. Amaya came to this country eleven years ago from the Philippines, and for a time struggled to find her place in the community. But that soon changed. Amaya found a welcoming home with the Imperial Council.

"The members welcomed me with open arms," she said. "The organization has a long history of supporting our community and people who may feel that they don't belong, people like me."

One of Amaya's role models has been MORE!

"She has always been amazing to me and definitely achieved what she set out to do," Amaya said. "Juanita has shown a much needed spotlight on the organization, both in person and online. And naturally, she's bolstered our ranks with a lot of fresh new faces and perspectives."

Amaya has high hopes for her reign should she win. She has set a fundraising goal of $100,000 to support the work of the organizations that will benefit from the council's ongoing efforts to build a better community.

"Should the wonderful people of San Francisco elect me their Empress, my mission will be to connect LGBTQIA+ people who need immigration, education and healthcare assistance with organizations that can help them," she said. "Nonprofits that will offer stability, security and opportunity."