I will never forget that beautiful night on October 7, 2006 when Mercedez Munro and I were crowned, and made history. We are the first African American pair to serve as Mr. and Miss Gay San Francisco simultaneously, an honor we've both grown to love, cherish and respect.
The wondrous feeling of love from the LGBT community will live with us forever. I had no idea just how much our lives would change over the course of a year. This year, Mercedez and I witnessed some significant changes in the Castro and the LGBT community. In fact, we are the product of this new era of community consciousness of change. The mere fact that we were the first African American pair to humbly serve our communities under the titles of Mr. & Miss Gay San Francisco 2007, provides a benchmark and backdrop to this new era of transformation in the LGBT family.
Mercedez and I do not want to solely be known for our cultural heritage, but rather as conduits to bridging the gender, cultural, and generation gaps in the LGBT community during our service. I applaud the Imperial Council of San Francisco Inc. for its leadership in encouraging, embracing, and valuing diversity while preserving important and historical Imperial traditions. Equally, we thank every LGBT community member, leader and organization who have served as our community and created pathways for Mercedez and I to travel.
This year during the course of our collective service, we performed and attended approximately 110 community events (in and out of the state). We also participated in the San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade and hosted the main stage and the Soul of Pride stage. We organized fundraisers for the Black Coalition on AIDS, Men of Color Program through the University of California at San Francisco, AIDS Housing Alliance, and most recently, the San Francisco Gay Veterans Association.
Although our titles are not political titles, I think it is important to highlight the political climate and landscape at that time. A year ago, the issues facing the LGBT community were not much different than the issues of today. The issues were just more intense. The gay issues of equality had made its way on the national agenda. More specifically, gays serving openly in the military and gay marriage rights/civil unions emerged as major issues across the country.
The demographics of the LGBT and Castro community changed. A new generation of LGBT members is more visible and active. These issues concerning gay equality were important to the LGBT community at large; however, to the younger population of new LGBT philanthropists, these issues were not the priority. It was clear to me that this younger group placed an emphasis on access to affordable housing and health care for individuals with HIV/AIDS; improving gender, multicultural, and equality in the LGBT community; and creating economic opportunities in the Castro.
Nightlife and bars tailor to a different generation than the days of old. Nightclubs' entertainment licenses are more closely monitored. This limited the number of bars and types of fundraising activities that took place. But these brilliant new twenty-to-thirty-something gay philanthropists identified other ways of raising money. Mercedez and I were honored to be a part of this cross-generational brigade of grassroots philanthropists.
Mercedez and I have also witnessed the emergence of new and traditional LGBT organizations actively collaborating in true partnerships, such as the Imperial Council, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Actively Out, Mama's Family, Trannyshack, San Francisco Ducal Court, BeBe Sweetbriar Foundation, And Castro for All, AIDS Housing Alliance, and the Puppy Palace. These community collaborations achieved very powerful outcomes for the very least among us in the community.
A year has quickly passed and the time has come for Mercedez and I to step aside, welcoming a new generation of contestants who wish to serve the community under the titles Mr. & Miss Gay San Francisco. The 2008 pageant will take place Saturday, October 6, at the Holiday Inn, 1500 Van Ness Avenue. The doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts promptly at 7:30. The theme this year is "The Cotton Club." We chose this theme because of the cultural significance. It was during the late 1920s when individuals from all cultural persuasions and backgrounds collectively celebrated life, love, music, and entertainment. These individuals came together at this speakeasy called the Cotton Club. This underground multicultural family emerged as a mainstream society in America's history.
Mercedez and I have had the privilege to work side by side with many of the community leaders of tomorrow. We have memories of our service as Mr. & Miss Gay San Francisco 2007 that will last us a lifetime, and I humbly thank you all. The LGBT community has given us more than we could have dreamed. We especially thank the current titleholders who stood alongside us this year. Finally, we thank both the Emperor and Empress courts we have served under: Empress Chika, Empress Galilea, Emperor Michael Dumont, and Emperor Jason Ladd. We are very proud to say that during our service we have begun to bridge the generation and cultural gaps in the Imperial family and the Castro community. Thank you for helping us to convey the message that every person in our San Francisco gay community has value.