After months of preliminary contests, the moment has arrived – the 21 finalists for the 2008 Bare Chest Calendar will take the stage Sunday, May 6 during a special "selection event" beginning at 5 p.m. at the DNA Lounge, 375 11th Street in San Francisco. At the event, the 12 winners who will be featured in next year's calendar will be chosen.
The 21 finalists, selected from a pool of more than 40 entrants who participated in 11 semi-final contests held at the Powerhouse bar, have been judged on stage presence, salesmanship, and other attributes that will make them successful fundraisers and ambassadors for the calendar, which is released over Pride weekend in June.
The AIDS Emergency Fund and the Positive Resource Center are the beneficiaries from proceeds of the sale of calendars and related events.
Tickets to Sunday's party are $5 in advance and $10 at the door. Advance tickets are available at Rock Hard and PO Plus, both on Castro Street.
P. Tyrone Smith, chair of the calendar committee, noted that the 21 finalists have spent the past two weeks selling pre-raffle tickets ($5 each or five for $20) for Sunday's party, and that those ticket sales will affect their final score. The grand prize of the raffle drawing is passage for two on the RSVP Queen Mary 2 Atlantic crossing that begins May 29. Other prizes include a dungeon bed and the full collection of Hot House DVDs.
Smith said that since the men will be judged partially on their raffle sales, the community can participate in the selection process by going to http://www.barechest.org, perusing the photos, and selecting a finalist to buy raffle tickets from.
This year's finalist program is a break from tradition, Smith said. In the past, the finals have been held over two evenings, one week apart, at the Powerhouse. And while the bar "has been and will continue to be the South of Market Bare Chest Calendar's official bar," moving the event to a larger venue allows all the finalists to appear on stage together, Smith added.
Once the men are selected, they will be welcomed into the "calendar family" by the outgoing 2007 team at a meet and greet event Saturday, June 16 at the Powerhouse. For those who want a "sneak peek" at the 2008 men, they will be at Bolt in Sacramento on May 12.
Breast health program for African American women
Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and the African American Breast Health Program will host a lunchtime legislative update on women's health Friday, May 4 from noon to 1 p.m. at the Hiram W. Johnson State Building, 455 Golden Gate Avenue, in San Diego meeting rooms A, B, and C. Prizes will be raffled, gifts will be provided to the first 20 women to arrive, and there will be an opportunity to learn about the Sister to Sister Project.
For more information, call Leno's district office at (415) 557-3013.
Marriage equality talk in Hayward
The Lighthouse Community Center in Hayward will present "Marriage Equality: A Civil Rights Issue for All" Saturday, May 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Centennial Hall, 22292 Foothill Boulevard. The event is free, although donations are requested for the Lighthouse center.
Moderated by Lighthouse board member Frank Howell, panelists will include Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), Marriage Equality USA's Molly McKay, American Civil Liberties Union attorney Alex Cleghorn, the Reverend Bryon Williams, and the Reverend Lee Williamson.
Co-sponsors of the event include Lavender Seniors of the East Bay, MEUSA, Gays and Lesbians Organized for Betterment and Equality, and the ACLU.
For more information, contact Patricia Kevena Fili, executive director of the Lighthouse center, at (510) 881-8167 or mailto:[email protected].
GAPA 35-Plus social
The Gay Asian Pacific Alliance's 35-Plus group is holding its monthly potluck Sunday, May 6 at 6 p.m. at a private residence in the San Francisco Bay Area. GAPA member Vincent Baduel invites gay and bi Asian and Pacific Islander men who are 35 and over to attend. GAPA 35-Plus is a social and conversational group and is a safe place for guys to chat, socialize, and learn from each other's experiences. The group meets for dinner, followed by a facilitated discussion of various topics. GAPA 35-Plus potlucks typically take place the second Sunday of the month. May's event is earlier because of Mother's Day.
For more information and to RSVP, e-mail Dion Wong at mailto:[email protected].
Commonwealth Club events
The Commonwealth Club of California's LGBT member-led forum is holding a couple of events this month. Both take place at the club's offices, 595 Market Street, second floor, in San Francisco.
On Wednesday, May 6, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., the forum will hold an organizing meeting. Interested club members and non-members are welcome to meet to plan existing and new programs for the LGBT member-led forum. There is no cost for the meeting
On Wednesday, May 15, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the LGBT member-led forum will feature Debra Chasnoff, Academy Award-winning filmmaker and executive director of Women's Educational Media; and Pam Walton, an award-winning independent documentary filmmaker.
Chasnoff's documentary, It's Elementary , was the subject of some controversy before it was aired on PBS. Walton's nationally aired stories explore gay and lesbian lives in the mainstream.
The cost is $8 for members and $15 for non-members. To make reservations, call (800) 847-7730 or visit http://www.commonwealthclub.org.
DA to speak at USF
San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris will speak at the University of San Francisco Wednesday, May 9 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Fromm Hall, Xavier Chapel on the USF main campus, on Golden Gate Avenue at Parker Avenue. The event is free and open to the public.
Harris, the first woman to be elected district attorney in San Francisco and the first African American and Indian American woman in California to hold the office, will discuss her leadership in prosecuting crime, and her commitment to diversity, justice, and public service. The moderator will be Rhonda V. Magee, professor at the USF School of Law.
The event is sponsored by USF's ethnic studies program, USF's Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service, and the Common Good, the school's African American studies program.
SNAP forum on cyber dating
The San Francisco Newcomers Assistance Program of the LGBT Community Center will host "Cyber Affair," a forum that will discuss the ins and outs of Internet hookups, porn, drugs, and faceless strangers. The event takes place Wednesday, May 9 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the center, 1800 Market Street. To RSVP or for more information, call (415) 865-5615.