A gay-owned Castro business was one of the recipients of the Human Rights Campaign's Queer to Stay grants, the national LGBTQ rights organization announced. The program provides funds to LGBTQ+-serving businesses and business owners, HRC stated in a news release.
Welcome Castro, located at 525 Castro Street, was the only San Francisco recipient out of 30 awardees, according to a list from HRC. Owner Robert Emmons opened the gift shop and welcome center in April 2023 with a $50,000 grant from the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development to the Castro Merchants Association, as the Bay Area Reporter noted at the time.
HRC spokesperson Aneesha Pappy stated in an email to the B.A.R. that each recipient "received a meaningful five-figure donation." HRC distributed $300,000 for this year's iteration of the program, Pappy added.
Originally launched in 2020 during the COVID pandemic, Queer to Stay has reached $1 million in total distributed funding over the lifetime of the program, Pappy stated.
In an email, Emmons stated he received $10,000 and was grateful for the funds.
"Welcome Castro is honored to be one of the recipients of the Queer to Stay initiative, especially at this time when the Castro is facing so many challenges, including empty storefronts and the temporary closure of the Castro Theatre for its renovation," Emmons stated. "It's been a difficult few years with the decline of many businesses that have drawn visitors to the neighborhood."
Emmons added that the grant will allow the store to help others.
"This grant will help us to continue to support the over 70 LGBTQ+ artists, makers, and owned companies we represent in our shop as well as continue our community partnerships and create new opportunities, such as our latest partnership with Gays of National Parks," he added.
In addition to Welcome Castro, Emmons also owns SF Mercantile in the city's Haight neighborhood.
HRC President Kelley Robinson, a Black queer woman, stated that the Queer to Stay program fits with the organization's mission.
"LGBTQ+ people deserve welcoming, safe spaces that are owned and run by us," she stated. "LGBTQ+ small businesses not only provide needed services and employment opportunities for the LGBTQ+ community. They also send a strong signal that LGBTQ+ people belong everywhere, in suburbs, big cities, and small towns across America. As extremist politicians continue to try and take away our rights and push us back into the closet, these businesses stand as a shining reminder that when LGBTQ+ businesses thrive, America thrives."
As the B.A.R reported earlier in 2024, several large corporations have withdrawn from participating in HRC's corporate equality index – long a gold-standard of gauging a business's commitment to LGBTQ equality – as they look to downsize or end diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The moves come as part of a backlash mostly led by conservative political leaders and corporate titans such as Elon Musk, who frequently disparages such policies in government as "woke" on X.
In addition to Welcome Castro, two Oakland businesses received Queer to Stay grants. They are Cypress Midwives and Tender Bois Club, which also has locations in Minneapolis and Brooklyn, according to HRC's release.
Rafeal Newport, the owner of Cypress Midwife, stated she was appreciative of the grant.
"We, as the LGBTQ+ community, are the true experts when it comes to understanding our own needs," she stated. "Our existence serves as a powerful reminder that being a business owner is not only possible, but achievable."
Tenderloin Tessie Christmas dinner
Tenderloin Tessie will have its annual Christmas dinner for those in need Wednesday, December 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. at First Unitarian Church, 1187 Franklin Street (at Geary Boulevard) in San Francisco. A news release stated that all are welcome.
In addition to the meal, there will be entertainment; free haircuts by LoveCuts, a pop-up barbershop; a free gift bag; and free clothing from Tenderloin Tessie's partner, the St. Anthony Foundation, according to the release.
As in past years, Michael Gagne, president of the Tenderloin Tessie board, stated that volunteers are needed for the event. Shifts are available on Christmas Day from 9 a.m. to noon, noon to 4 p.m., and 3 to 6.
Helpers are also needed Tuesday, December 24, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday, December 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Both stints are for truck workers to get items from storage and then return them after the dinner, Gagne noted.
To volunteer, contact Gagne at (415) 584-3252 (landline, no text), or email [email protected]
Blood center seeks donations
Travel, seasonal illness, and winter weather have led to a decrease in the number of people donating blood. Vitalant is seeing a 20% drop in appointments when compared to the previous three months and is urging eligible donors to give in the days and weeks ahead, the agency stated in a news release.
Blood donations are vital to support patients undergoing surgeries, cancer treatments, and other medical procedures that do not stop during the holidays, according to Vitalant.
As the B.A.R. reported a year ago, new rules that went into effect in 2023 allow more gay and bi men to be eligible to donate blood.
Under the changes approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, gay and bi men are no longer automatically selected for a separate screening process to see if they can donate blood. Now everyone who goes in to give blood is asked the same set of questions about their recent sexual activity, as the B.A.R. reported.
The questioning no longer asks if people are monogamous or in a monogamous relationship. Instead, they are asked about their recent sexual activity.
All who donate with Vitalant now through January 7 will receive a 1990s themed T-shirt plus a $15 gift card through Vitalant's Donor Rewards program, the release stated.
January is also National Blood Donor Month, a time to raise awareness about the critical need for blood donations during the winter.
Upcoming blood drives include Thursday, December 26, at Corte Madera Town Center in Marin County from 2 to 6 p.m.; Sunday, December 2, at Gilman Brewing in Berkeley from noon to 4:15 p.m.; Thursday, January 2, at Palomares Hills Rec Center in Castro Valley from 2:30 to 6 p.m.; and Tuesday, January 7, at the Sunnyvale Moose Lodge, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Donors can also give at one of the six donation centers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Most Vitalant donation centers will be open Christmas Day and New Year's Day, according to the release.
For more information, go to vitalant.org and use the Vitalant blood donor app or call (877) 258-4825
Creating Change headed to Vegas
Days after the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., thousands of LGBTQ and progressive movement leaders and advocates will gather to plan the path forward in a time of challenge and opportunity for the community. It's the National LGBTQ Task Force's annual Creating Change conference that will be held in Las Vegas January 22-26.
According to a news release, this year's conference is on track to be the largest ever, with close to 4,000 attendees; powerful plenaries; and numerous opportunities to gather, learn and share in community, including workshops, daylong institutes, and special events. All Creating Change programming and events will take place at the Rio Hotel and Resorts in its convention space.
The theme for the 2025 conference is "Rooted in Resistance, Power & Love," and is a call to action emphasizing the importance of confronting injustice, harnessing the community's collective power, and acting with love. At CC25 in Las Vegas, organizers invite participants to explore how resistance nurtures the LGBTQ+ movement, strengthens its activism, and shapes its future.
Featured guests include Tre'vell Anderson; Imara Jones; Mandisa Moore; David Johns, Ph.D.; Frenchie Davis; and Ada Vox. Kierra Johnson, president of the task force, and Anderson will discuss the state of the movement.
Plenaries will be livestreamed on the task force's YouTube channel. Additionally, in-person legal and advocacy support will be provided by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Transgender Law Center, and Oasis, which provides help to immigrants, the release noted.
Conference registration, which is $650, closes Monday, December 30 – there will be no on-site registration this year, the release stated. Discounted hotel rates are available, according to the task force's website. There is also financial assistance available to lower registration costs.
For more information and to register, go to thetaskforce.org/creating-change/.
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