With Pride Month quickly approaching, organizers of the giant pink triangle installation atop Twin Peaks are asking for volunteers to help with many aspects of the project. This year marks the 29th annual display, co-founder Patrick Carney stated in an email.
Nearly an acre in size, the pink triangle can be seen for miles if San Francisco's famous fog stays at bay. Like in recent years, the display will remain up for several weeks, beginning Saturday, June 8, which will include a commemoration ceremony that typically draws political leaders, SF Pride grand marshals, and other dignitaries.
Carney stated that even volunteering for one hour would be a big help.
There are six opportunities to assist. The first is Saturday, June 1, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. for site cleanup. Carney noted that San Francisco Public Works no longer takes goats up to the site, as the company that brings them stated that a couple of them got sick in the past. Public Works did send a crew up to the site recently to clear some invasive plants, he added.
The next chance to help is from noon to about 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, when people will be picking up the pink triangle materials at a warehouse. On Friday, June 7, from noon to about 2 p.m., volunteers will install the pink outline borders, which are made out of hundreds of feet of sailcloth.
Things get going early on Saturday, June 8, with the start of the main installation tarps at 7 a.m. This is followed by the ceremony at 10:30. In addition to speakers, members of the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band (the city's official band) will perform, along with musical theater star Leanne Borghesi and others.
The pink triangle will come down Sunday, June 30, after the Pride parade. Help is needed from 4 to 8 p.m., Carney noted, adding that this is the hardest day for which to get volunteers. Finally, on Monday, July 1, from noon to 1 p.m., people are needed to unload the pink triangle materials back into the warehouse.
All volunteers will receive a fashionable pink triangle T-shirt, courtesy of Thomas E. Horn, a gay man who used to be publisher of the Bay Area Reporter and who oversees the Bob Ross Foundation, which is named after the paper's founding publisher.
There's an important message in displaying the pink triangle, and Carney, a gay man, noted that it's a reminder and a warning. It was originally used to brand suspected homosexuals in Nazi concentration camps. But it was reclaimed in the 1970s as a symbol of protest against homophobia, and has been used to symbolize LGBTQ+ Pride ever since.
"Part of appreciating and celebrating any Pride is understanding where we have been — and the pink triangle is it," Carney stated.
Carney is a member of the San Francisco Arts Commission, as the B.A.R. previously noted in 2022 when Mayor London Breed appointed him. He was named to the seat designated for an architect, for which he holds a master's degree.
For more information on the pink triangle or to donate, go to thepinktriangle.com.
Final gay chorus oral history program
The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus will hold its final Memory Keepers oral history series Thursday, May 16, at 7 p.m. at the Chan National Queer Arts Center, 170 Valencia Street, which is the home of the signing group.
This time, the program will be about the history of the chorus, which was founded in 1978 after its first public performance at a vigil on the steps of San Francisco City Hall following the assassinations of gay supervisor Harvey Milk and then-mayor George Moscone. Featured speakers will be Robert Rufo and Jay Davidson, gay men who were original chorus members; Thomas Kennard, a trans man who joined the chorus after his transition more than 25 years ago; and surprise guests, according to a news release. Artistic director Jacob Stensberg, a gay man, will moderate.
"When I first became aware that SFGMC was seeking a new artistic director, I immediately began to devour all their rich history, which convinced me that I wanted to take a part in their present and future," Stensberg stated. And, while many chorus members have been lost to HIV/AIDS over the years, Stensberg noted that the organization is lucky to have other long-standing members who are still active with the group.
Tickets for "The History of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus" are pay what you can, with $30 the recommended amount. For tickets and more information, click here.
Lambda Legal SF soiree
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund will hold its annual San Francisco Soiree Friday, May 17, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Pearl, 601 19th Street.
The event recognizes Lambda Legal's 50 years of work as attorneys for the LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS communities. CEO Kevin Jennings, a former Obama administration official, will deliver remarks.
The organization will honor attorney Laurie Edelstein, who helped prepare and argue Lambda Legal's successful challenge to the Trump administration's rule revoking regulatory health care protections for LGBTQ people and other vulnerable populations (Whitman-Walker Clinic v. HHS). Edelstein did so from two law firms, Steptoe & Johnson and her current San Francisco firm of Jenner & Block, an announcement noted.
Tickets are $250 and can be purchased here.
Last chance for GAPA gala tix
As the B.A.R. has noted in recent articles about gay Congressmember Mark Takano (D-Riverside), he will be keynoting the GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance banquet Saturday, May 18. The event kicks off with a reception at 5:30 at the Marines' Memorial Club, 609 Sutter Street in San Francisco. The theme is "VANGUARD: Standing for QTAPI Inclusion, Awareness, and Community."
This year's honorees include Vince Crisostomo, a queer Chamorro man who's the director of aging services at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, who will receive the George Choy Award of Recognition, and the Red Envelope Giving Circle, a grassroots philanthropic organization that will receive the Doug Yaranon Community Ally Award.
The banquet will be hosted by community icon Tita Aida and showcase diverse QTAPI talents, with a program featuring performances by current GAPA royalty Kiki Krunch and Lotus Party, as well as the GAPA Men's Chorus and members of GAPA Theatre.
Tickets are $100 and can be purchased by clicking here.
Queer LifeSpace daytime gala
Queer LifeSpace's third annual gala will be held Saturday, May 18, from noon to 5:30 p.m. on the outdoor terrace at 620 Jones Street. The annual daytime event - this year themed "Bridges to Belonging" — raises much-needed funds for Queer LifeSpace to provide affordable therapy to members of the LGBTQIA+ community, an announcement stated.
Drag artist Juanita MORE! and Sister Roma are returning as co-hosts. Entertainment includes singer Lambert Moss, beats by Daytime Realness DJ Stanley Frank, and performances by Miss Rahni Nothingmore and a singing trio from Serenade Events.
Executive Director Ryan MacCarrigan stated that this year the nonprofit organization has halved ticket prices to $100-$150 compared to previous years in an effort to make the event as inclusive as possible.
In addition to helping provide affordable therapy, proceeds will also help fund Queer LifeSpace's youth programs like Outlandish, EQUARTY (emerging queer artists), and Rural Youth Outreach.
For tickets and more information, go to tickets.queerlifespace.org.
Virtual town hall to prep for trans history month
The Transgender District and statewide LGBTQ rights group Equality California will hold a virtual town hall to prepare for the first official state recognition of Transgender History Month in August. The meeting takes place Tuesday, May 21, at 5:30 p.m.
Last year, as the B.A.R. reported, Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), a straight ally who represents San Francisco's east side, including the Transgender District, passed House Resolution 57. The resolution did not need Senate approval. It was adopted in September, meaning it was too late for last year's trans history month. As a result, the first official recognition will be this year. California is the first state to adopt such a resolution.
San Francisco has declared August as Transgender History Month for the past several years.
Organizers of the upcoming call noted that participants will include Honey Mahogany and Jupiter Peraza, who are listed as co-creators of the state recognition. Mahogany, a trans person who served as district director to Haney, was recently named by Mayor London Breed to head the city's Office of Transgender Initiatives.
There is no cost to attend the forum. To register, click here.
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