A group of bicycle riders will follow the route of one of the original AIDS rides when it takes place next month, and interested people can sign up to participate.
The Double Bay Double 6/Dolly Renegade Ride, produced by Different Spokes San Francisco, will be held August 12-13. The route goes from San Francisco to Guerneville and back, said Emily Mariko-Sanders, one of the organizers.
Funds raised from the event will benefit Project Inform.
Mariko-Sanders said this is the sixth ride the group has organized, and the second that benefits Project Inform. (The event did not take place last year.)
"This year's marks the 35th anniversary of Different Spokes San Francisco and this ride recreates one of the first AIDS rides they did 30-plus years ago, which went from San Francisco to Guerneville," she said.
The ride begins at Sports Basement Presidio, 610 Old Mason Street.
The group is hoping for a maximum of 50 riders. The fundraising minimum is $300, according to the event's website. Riders are urged to raise at least $1,000 so that $50,000 can be raised for Project Inform, which provides HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C treatment information and does advocacy work.
Most of the participants have done the AIDS/LifeCycle ride, which raises money for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
In addition to raising funds for Project Inform, the riders and other volunteers are asked to pay for their own meals and lodging.
The first day officially ends at the Casini Ranch right on Russian River, just outside Guerneville. The campsite has been paid for the group so that people can camp together. Riders and roadies simply pay a $15 camper fee. A catered meal is also planned, organizers said.
For more information and to register, visit http://www.doublebaydouble.org/.
Muni subway shutdowns in progress
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency wants to remind riders that the Muni Metro subway is shut down at night and on the weekends as new train cars are being tested. This will likely affect people going to the Up Your Alley street fair in the South of Market neighborhood Sunday, July 30.
Underground stations from West Portal to Montgomery close at 9:30 p.m. weeknights (last trains at 9) and weekends through August 20 (with the exception of August 11-13 because of the Outside Lands festival). During the closure, SFMTA said that bus bridges will operate between Embarcadero station and St. Francis Circle, making stops at the subway stations. Riders will need to allow extra time to get to events.
The new train cars are already being tested at street level. The underground testing is necessary before the cars can be put into service.
For more information, visit www.sfmta.com/calendar/alerts/new-train-testing-muni-metro-subway.
Berkeley Kite Festival
The annual Berkeley Kite Festival till take place Saturday and Sunday, July 29-30 at Cesar Chavez Park at the Berkeley Marina. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This free event includes kite competitions, the "Octopile," candy drop, kite battles, a kids' zone with pony rides, bounce houses, and more. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.
There will be demonstrations of all the latest products from Revolution Kites and Prism Designs and free kite-making for kids. There is a designated area for families to fly kites.
The event is for all ages. Parking is $15 in the marina or at Golden Gate Fields. There are free shuttles from both areas to the festival grounds. Bike parking is free. For more information, visit www.berkeleykitefestival.com.
LGBTQ group launches trans mental health survey
The National LGBTQ Task Force has partnered with Trans Lifeline to launch the nation's first transgender mental health survey. The research is intended to provide a deep insight into the mental health care experiences of trans people in order to improve advocacy efforts. All people over the age of 18 living in the U.S. that identify as transgender are encouraged to take the online survey.
"Forty-one percent of transgender people have attempted suicide, yet not enough is known about the experiences of transgender people when seeking or receiving mental health care," Victoria Rodriguez-Roldan, trans/gender non-conforming and disability justice projects director for the task force, said in a statement.
Rodriguez-Roldan noted that other studies have revealed information about medical discrimination faced by trans people. Now, the task force wants to gather mental health information.
According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, 33 percent of trans people report negative experience with health providers, but it is not known how this data correlates to mental health care.
To take the survey, visit www.transmentalhealthsurvey.org. It takes between 15-30 minutes to complete.
Gay rights retrospective in San Jose
Gay Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager will hold a retrospective screening and reception on early South Bay gay history Monday, January 31 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Isaac Newton Senter Auditorium at the Santa Clara County Government Center, 70 West Hedding Street in San Jose.
In an email to constituents, Yeager said that in 1979, the year after the assassination of San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk, equal rights were at the forefront of debate nationwide. When an LGBT anti-discrimination ordinance was put for a vote in Santa Clara County, the supervisors were at a crossroads.
Yeager gathered together four of the five supervisors at the time for an interview with Terry Christensen on CreaTV's "Valley Politics." It's that episode that will be screened next week, and looks at Measures A and B on the 1980 ballot.
There is no cost to attend. To register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/equality-gained-equality-lost-a-free-retrospective-screening-reception-tickets-36423422437?aff=mailchimp0721&mc_cid=83a6f56e84&mc_eid=860f9c050a.
Hep C meeting
End Hep C SF will hold a community meeting, "Tales from the Cured" Thursday, August 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Glide building, 330 Ellis Street in San Francisco.
The event, which observes World Hepatitis Day, will feature current hep C updates in the city and discussions around hep C treatment experiences and advocacy.
As the Bay Area Reporter noted in an article a few weeks ago, End Hep C SF recently released a report estimating that nearly 13,000 people in San Francisco are living with hepatitis C, with people who inject drugs, gay men, and baby boomers being disproportionately likely to carry the virus.
There is no cost to attend; refreshments will be provided. People are asked to RSVP by contacting [email protected].