A news site that covers the postal service revealed this week the design for the long anticipated Harvey Milk stamp.
According to Linn's Stamp News, it features a black and white photo of Milk, the first LGBT person to be elected to public office in San Francisco when he won a seat on the Board of Supervisors in 1977, surrounded by a black background with his name spelled out overhead in white type. In the upper left-hand corner is a vertical band of rainbow colors representing the LGBT community's pride flag.
The image appears to be taken from a photo by Dan Nicoletta, a photographer who was a friend of Milk's. In the original photo Milk's hair is slightly tousled by the wind, whereas his hair appears combed in the stamp image.
Asked to confirm if the image was correct, postal service spokesman Mark Saunders told the Bay Area Reporter Tuesday that the agency has "nothing to announce at this time."
Stuart Milk, the gay nephew of Harvey's who co-founded the Harvey Milk Foundation, did not respond to the B.A.R. 's request for comment by press time.
The Milk stamp release is expected to be May 22, Milk's birthday and an unofficial state holiday in California. The 49-cent forever stamp will be the nation's first to honor an American for their role in the fight for LGBT rights.
Milk was a community activist, business owner in the gay Castro district, and a political columnist for the B.A.R. during the 1970s. His life and that of then-Mayor George Moscone came to a tragic end on the morning of November 27, 1978 when disgruntled former supervisor Dan White killed the progressive politicians in City Hall.
The idea of a Milk stamp first arose in the late 1980s, when San Francisco artist Jim Leff, a gay man who knew Milk, painted a mock-up of what such a stamp could look like. In 2005 San Francisco's 11-member Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution calling on the U.S. postmaster general to issue one for the gay rights leader.
But it wasn't until 2009, when the B.A.R. began reporting about a Facebook campaign calling for the creation of a Milk stamp, that the idea began to gain momentum. The coverage spawned a nationwide campaign urging the postal service to issue the stamp.
Four years ago the B.A.R. broke the news that the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee had contacted Milk's family about a potential stamp. And last May the paper disclosed that leaked documents obtained by Linn's showed the advisory committee had voted to release the Milk stamp in 2014.
Benefit set for Trans March
Organizers of the 11th annual Trans March will hold a fundraiser Sunday, April 6 beginning at 4 p.m. at Aunt Charlie's Lounge, 133 Turk Street in San Francisco.
A drag show is scheduled to start at 5 and performers are welcome. There will also be food, and a raffle with prizes, including a $100 gift card, tickets to Beach Blanket Babylon, and more. There will be an auction of a Carmen Miranda dress straight from Palm Springs.
The Trans March gives visibility to the transgender community and its allies, and this year takes place June 27, the Friday of Pride weekend.
Sacred cocktails set to return to SF
Imagine a place where you can relax with friends over your favorite drink and listen to fascinating and uplifting stories in a lively discussion or just sit back and become inspired by what others have to say.
The place, beginning Monday, April 7, will be the Lookout bar, 3600 16th Street at Market in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood. The event is Sacred Cocktails, which returns after a one-year break and features the Reverend Tommy Dillon, rector at Saint Aidan's Church, and deacon Diana Wheeler of San Francisco Night Ministry/Sacred Space San Francisco. People can gather at the bar for drinks at 6:30 p.m. and get caught up. Then, from 7 to 8, the group heads to a quieter area of the bar for the monthly program, where guest speakers will share their faith journey, followed up by a group discussion.
Dillon said that whether one drinks alcohol or not, folks are welcome to join the sessions, which will be held the first Monday of the month.
Sacred Cocktails allows participants to voice not only their stories of faith, but their questions as well. The program strives to provide all a space where all are welcome, where the discussion of God's love in the world doesn't fit into a one-size-fits-all model but revels in the sometimes irreverent, oftentimes highly moving search for meaning in a hectic and impersonal world.
There is no cost to attend. Food and drinks are available for purchase.
For more information, contact Dillon at [email protected] or (415) 285-9540.
Plant sale to benefit Delancey foundation
Macy's Union Square has announced a special plant sale following this year's "The Secret Garden" flower show Monday, April 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pier 30-32 in San Francisco. Profits from the sale will benefit the Delancey Street Foundation, a leading residential self-help organization for former substance abusers, ex-convicts, homeless, and those in need of help.
The plant sale will include potted plants, flowers, and small trees that were featured inside the Macy's store during the flower show. Prices range from $5 or less for the smaller plants to around $35 for larger shrubs and small trees.
For more information, visit www.macys.com/flowershow.
Open Hand to launch pilot study
Project Open Hand is teaming with researchers at the UCSF School of Medicine to launch its Food=Medicine pilot study and a meeting will be held Thursday, April 10 so that people can meet the research team and learn about the study. The meeting will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Open Hand's offices, 730 Polk Street in San Francisco.
The goal of the study is to demonstrate that providing medically tailored nutrition to people living with critical illnesses has a positive impact on their health and well being, which in turn, can reduce medical costs.
The study will help position the agency, which provides meals and groceries to people living with HIV/AIDS and other illnesses, at the forefront of research demonstrating health care benefits of food and nutrition services. That will enable Open Hand to better serve existing clients and expand to serve others, which in turn, attracts new partners and funding opportunities, said Executive Director Kevin Winge.
Study participants will receive three meals a day for four to six months from Open Hand. The meals will be tailored to meet 100 percent of participants' nutritional needs and integrated into their overall health care. The study will include up to 60 participants, clients who are mildly and severely symptomatic with HIV/AIDS, clients with diabetes, and clients with a dual diagnosis of HIV and diabetes.
Scheduled panelists at next week's meeting include Dr. Frederick Hecht, professor at UCSF School of Medicine; Kartika Palar, Ph.D., of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health; Mark Ryle, LCSW, director of client experience at Open Hand; and Dr. Sheri Weiser, MPH, from UCSF School of Medicine.
Attendance is free but space is limited. RSVP to [email protected].
Atmosqueer networking event
A networking event called Atmosqueer will be held Saturday, April 12 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street.
The event is not a street fair, said organizer Emily Mariko-Sanders, but more of an opportunity to get people connected with others and organizations. People might find volunteer opportunities, companionship through participation or service, or simply be made aware of work that local organizations do in the community.
Community groups, a live DJ, food trucks, and drinks will add a festive atmosphere to Atmosqueer's Spring Fling. There is no cost to attend.
The event is sponsored by Bridgemen, the LGBT center, and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
World Pride coming up
This year's World Pride event is quickly approaching and will take place in Toronto June 20-29.
Organized by InterPride, World Pride is held every few years in different cities, the last one was in London in 2012.
Headliners include lesbian country singer Chely Wright. Other performers include Melissa Etheridge, Mark Jacob, Steve Grand, and many more. Musical genres from rock, pop, dance, hip-hop, R&B, country, and more will be live on 10 free-to-attend stages throughout the festival's footprint.
This year's World Pride is being presented by Pride Toronto and is shaping up to be one of the biggest international events and will be the first held in North America. There will be 10 days of queer celebration, parades, and parties.
For more information, visit www.worldpridetoronto.com.
Matthew S. Bajko contributed to this report.