A Pride block party will be held in San Francisco’s Outer Mission/Excelsior neighborhood Sunday, June 22, from 2 to 5 p.m. Ahead of the third annual party, freshman District 11 Supervisor Chyanne Chen, a straight ally, presented the organizers with a certificate of honor for holding outdoor activations, including the upcoming Pride event.
Geoffrey Stott, a gay man, is co-owner of the Check-In Lounge, which is co-sponsoring the event. It will take place on Otsego Avenue between Ocean and Onondaga avenues. The afternoon will be hosted by drag artist Nitrix Oxide and feature an exciting lineup of talent, including DJ and drag performances, a news release stated.
Chen presented the proclamation at the Board of Supervisors June 3 meeting to Stott and his business partner and close friend, Check-In Lounge co-owner Richard Lugo, who is also gay, for their work hosting regular outdoor activations.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate our third year bringing together such an amazing group of performers for a fun, inclusive Pride celebration right in the heart of Outer Mission/Excelsior in San Francisco’s District 11,” the two stated.
There is no admission to the party. Food and drinks will be available for purchase from the Check-In Lounge, located at 201 Ocean Avenue. The family-friendly event is open to all ages.
Stott and Lugo are partnering with Excelsior Action Group and the New Mission Terrace Improvement Association. The Check-In Lounge is a neighborhood wine and cocktail lounge that holds regular community events that promote resiliency and social space for the neighborhood.
To RSVP, click here.
MCC-SF fundraiser for LYRIC
Metropolitan Community Church-San Francisco will hold a Pride Month fundraising event for LYRIC Center for LGBTQQ Youth Saturday, June 14, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Hot Johnnie’s Smokehouse, 4077 18th Street in the city’s LGBTQ Castro neighborhood.
The event celebrates MCC-SF’s 55th anniversary. There will be a cash bar, food, dancing, drag, and more, a flyer noted. Performers scheduled to appear include Alex U. Inn, Olivia Hart, Queen Cougar, and Alexis Miranda.
Tickets are $10-$30, sliding scale, and available at Brown Paper Tickets.
Car wash to benefit Castro CBD
A car wash benefit for the Castro Community Benefit District will be held Sunday, June 15, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Noe Street between Market and Beaver streets.
While the CBD did receive encouraging news that two grants that help it have been retained in Mayor Daniel Lurie’s proposed balanced budget, officials said the district still relies on donations to help it keep the Castro clean, safe, and vibrant.
The suggested donation is $50. People can also donate directly to the CBD if they can’t make it to the car wash. Go to castrocbd.org/donate.
Solano County LGBTQ events
Solano County has two LGBTQ-related events in Vallejo that people can attend.
First up is a celebrating diversity event at the Solano County Fair Saturday, June 14, from noon to 7 p.m. at the Solano County Fairgrounds and Event Center, 900 Fairgrounds Drive. Dubbed “Solano Comes Out,” it’s a day of unity, joy, and celebration that will take place at the fair’s Village stage. It’s hosted by drag performer Amelia Need More and Vallejo trans rapper Angel Fox, a flyer stated.
Other performers include DJ Carols Penavar, metal band Galvanize, comedian Wonder Dave, singers Chance McCauley and Xavier Toscano, and comedian Irene Tu. There will also be drag performers Ryder Knightly, Solbux, Chai Auntea, Ana Filaxis, Ling Ling, Starlight Erotica, and Mizz Grace Jones of the Bay Area. The headliner will be the Nathan X Moody Band from San Francisco.
Sponsors include the Solano County Fair, Solano Pride Center, Solano Gay Network, Solano AIDS Coalition, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, and the Solano Serenity Center.
For more information on the Solano County Fair and to purchase fair admission tickets, go to scfair.org .
Separately, the aforementioned Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive has a collection of historic trans posters for the Pride exhibit at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum, 734 Marin Street. People can view the exhibit through Saturday, June 28.
Ms. Bob Davis, a trans woman who founded the archive in 2017, said that she has 60 posters going back 75 years that make up the exhibit.
The archive is named in honor of Lawrence (1912-1976), a northern California transgender pioneer who began living full-time as a woman in 1942, first in Berkeley then San Francisco, as the B.A.R. noted in a 2017 article. She, along with Virginia Prince and others, published the first incarnation of Transvestia in 1952. Lawrence's address book was the initial subscription list, and she was instrumental in developing the trans community's connection to pioneering sex researchers such as Alfred Kinsey and Harry Benjamin, according to Davis.
The Vallejo museum is open Tuesday-Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. For more information, go to vallejomuseum.net.
News is Out to hold virtual travel event
News is Out, a collaboration of LGBTQ publications, including the Bay Area Reporter, will hold an online travel event Monday, June 16, at 3 p.m. Pacific time.
Gay married couple Michael Lindsay and Matthew Schueller will be among the featured guests. The men are travel content creators based in Portland, Oregon. After meeting in 2014 through their YouTube coming out videos, they’ve built a life and brand together focused on LGBTQ+ travel, according to advance materials. With Lindsay working as a dentist and Schueller as a freelance photographer and writer, the duo shares destination guides, tips, and personal stories.
Another guest will be Linds Cale, digital coordinator at EveryQueer, a platform dedicated to inclusive travel for LGBTQ+ people. Cale is a Brooklyn-based writer, strategist, and photographer with over a decade of experience in LGBTQ+ travel. She’s visited all seven continents and specializes in connecting queer travelers to transformative global experiences through storytelling, safety advocacy, and community-driven campaigns.
To sign up for the free event, click here.
Juneteenth celebrations in SF, Oakland
Juneteenth celebrations are planned in San Francisco and Oakland. June 19, a federal holiday, commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S.
In San Francisco, the third annual Juneteenth Parade is set to take place on Sunday, June 22, bringing a vibrant celebration of freedom, unity, and community resilience, commemorating the historical significance of Juneteenth, a news release stated. The parade begins at Market and Spear streets at 11 a.m. and proceeds west on Market to Eighth Street.
The Juneteenth Parade, sponsored by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and the City of San Francisco, will feature captivating floats representing various community organizations, schools, and corporate partners, the release stated.
Building on decades of neighborhood-based planning and open streets activation, the nonprofit Livable City and Burges LLC will be leading event production with Fillmore- and Bayview-based organizers to bring the procession to the city streets, according to the release. The event is supported and made possible through the support of sponsors including the San Francisco International Airport and GLIDE Memorial Church.
“San Francisco thrives when our city comes together for events that bring vibrancy and joy into our communities,” stated Mayor Daniel Lurie. “The Juneteenth Parade is an opportunity to celebrate freedom, unity, and the history and resilience of the African American community, and I look forward to this year's celebration.”
Mawuli Tugbenyoh, a gay man who is acting executive director of the Human Rights Commission, praised the upcoming celebration.
"Commemorating Juneteenth in San Francisco means welcoming all and including all,” Tugbenyoh stated. “I am thrilled that this month we are making our third annual parade down Market Street to mark the holiday for the entire city to enjoy.”
For more information go to livablecity.org/citywide-juneteenth.
In Oakland, Hella Creative has announced the return of Hella Juneteenth Festival at the Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street, on Thursday, June 19, from noon to 5 p.m. The celebration expands this year with new events and activations designed to honor Black freedom through art, movement, food, and collective joy, a news release stated.
Tickets range from $10 to $90. For more information, visit museum.ca.org and click on “Juneteenth.”
Friday Nights at OMCA takes place June 20, from 5 to 9 p.m., with an evening of Black joy and music across the museum’s campus. The event is free.
“OMCA is proud to partner with Hella Creative for a second year of Hella Juneteenth,” stated Lori Fogarty, OMCA’s executive director and CEO. “As a cultural institution rooted in community, we believe deeply in honoring Black history and supporting events that bring Oakland together.”