Business owners in the Castro are attempting to take matters into their own hands when it comes to the San Francisco neighborhood’s unhoused population.

The Castro Merchants Association, which represents about 125 businesses in the area, sent a letter to city officials on Aug. 8 outlining three demands: 35 shelter beds designated for “mentally ill and substance-abusing individuals who have taken up residence in the Castro, ” a request for monthly metrics on the services offered or provided to unhoused people in the neighborhood, and a plan for what to do after people decline services.

Dave Karraker, co-president of the Castro Merchants Association, told SFGATE that businesses in the association will potentially stop paying taxes if the three demands are not met.

“Whatever they’re doing isn’t working. It isn’t leading to a noticeable difference in the conditions in the Castro as it relates to the drug addicted and the mentally ill,” said Karraker, who also co-owns MX3 Fitness, a gym with two locations in the area.

Karraker said businesses in the Castro have been hit especially hard since the start of the pandemic, and he feels that the neighborhood’s unhoused population – particularly those struggling with addiction and mental illness – are making the problem worse.

“We’re just seeing constant vandalism, constant drug use in public, people passed out on the sidewalk, people having psychotic breakdowns, and it’s just not something a small-business owner should have to deal with,” Karraker said.

He mentioned that the letter’s request for 35 shelter beds comes from a record kept by District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman’s office about “people who are constantly causing issues” in the neighborhood: “That list is typically between 20 and 25 people. So we knew if we got 35 beds, we’d be able to cover those people,” Karraker said.

In a response sent to the business association by the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, officials said that it isn’t city policy to designate shelter beds for people from a particular neighborhood. The response also stated that it would be a breach of privacy laws to share information about the case status of specific people with the public.

“However, we greatly appreciate hearing from community members about what they are seeing on the streets and will continue to work with the Castro community to improve conditions for all in the Castro,” the response says.

Karraker said he believes that the city’s response to its homelessness crisis tends to focus on neighborhoods like the Tenderloin, which he feels has been “pushing people into the Castro.”

But some unhoused people from neighborhoods like the Tenderloin say they come to the Castro because they feel safer there as LGBTQ+ people, KTVU reported.

That’s not a recent phenomenon: in 2009, the Journal of LGBT Youth published a study by Jen Reck, an Associate Professor of Sociology and Sexuality Studies at San Francisco State University, called “No One Likes Street Kids – Even in the Castro.”

The study focuses on homeless gay and transgender youth of color in San Francisco, particularly a group of teenagers who used the Castro as a place to seek safety and community.

“The Castro was especially important to these youth because, as gay and transgender homeless young people, other public and private places did not feel safe to them,” the study said.

But the youth featured in the study also reported facing harassment and hostility from community members in the Castro. They mentioned being treated like outsiders in a place that they observed to be “mostly inhabited by gay middle-class adult males,” and said that they felt left out of the community since “it is those who want or are able to spend money in the stores who can fully participate in the neighborhood culture.”

Today, gathering spaces in the Castro are still largely commercial, although there are a number of community organizations in the neighborhood that offer free housing navigation services to LGBTQ+ people. The specificity of these programs could be another reason unhoused people are drawn to the Castro from other parts of the city.

As it turns out, a few of these organizations – including LYRIC, a center for LGBTQ+ youth, and the SF LGBT Community Center, are part of the Castro Merchants Association.

Adam-Michael Royston, LYRIC’s vice president, says the association’s letter is not representative of all unhoused people in the Castro or the spirit of the neighborhood and its history.

“The Castro has been a beacon of hope for queer individuals for more than 30 years, and we have to continuously remember that we need to be inclusive and in community,” Royston said.

He added that as anti-transgender legislation takes off in other parts of the country, an influx of young people fleeing from conservative states have been making their way to San Francisco—and many of them end up in the Castro.

“The reason that so many of us ended up in the Castro is the same reason that so many of our youth end up here, too,” Royston said. “I think that letter, to youth fleeing the crises that they’re in, is not supportive.”

But business owners like Karraker believe that people who openly use drugs and experience public mental health crises are causing the neighborhood to suffer, regardless of their identity.

“No matter who it is, we can’t accept the idea that someone can come to the Castro, do drugs and be mentally ill to the point that they’re a threat to themselves or a threat to residents or tourists. This can’t continue,” Karraker said.

The post San Francisco enterprise homeowners’ calls for decried by LGBTQ advocates appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Business owners in the Castro are attempting to take matters into their own hands when it comes to the San Francisco neighborhood’s unhoused population.

The Castro Merchants Association, which represents about 125 businesses in the area, sent a letter to city officials on Aug. 8 outlining three demands: 35 shelter beds designated for “mentally ill and substance-abusing individuals who have taken up residence in the Castro, ” a request for monthly metrics on the services offered or provided to unhoused people in the neighborhood, and a plan for what to do after people decline services.

Dave Karraker, co-president of the Castro Merchants Association, told SFGATE that businesses in the association will potentially stop paying taxes if the three demands are not met.

“Whatever they’re doing isn’t working. It isn’t leading to a noticeable difference in the conditions in the Castro as it relates to the drug addicted and the mentally ill,” said Karraker, who also co-owns MX3 Fitness, a gym with two locations in the area.

Karraker said businesses in the Castro have been hit especially hard since the start of the pandemic, and he feels that the neighborhood’s unhoused population – particularly those struggling with addiction and mental illness – are making the problem worse.

“We’re just seeing constant vandalism, constant drug use in public, people passed out on the sidewalk, people having psychotic breakdowns, and it’s just not something a small-business owner should have to deal with,” Karraker said.

He mentioned that the letter’s request for 35 shelter beds comes from a record kept by District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman’s office about “people who are constantly causing issues” in the neighborhood: “That list is typically between 20 and 25 people. So we knew if we got 35 beds, we’d be able to cover those people,” Karraker said.

In a response sent to the business association by the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, officials said that it isn’t city policy to designate shelter beds for people from a particular neighborhood. The response also stated that it would be a breach of privacy laws to share information about the case status of specific people with the public.

“However, we greatly appreciate hearing from community members about what they are seeing on the streets and will continue to work with the Castro community to improve conditions for all in the Castro,” the response says.

Karraker said he believes that the city’s response to its homelessness crisis tends to focus on neighborhoods like the Tenderloin, which he feels has been “pushing people into the Castro.”

But some unhoused people from neighborhoods like the Tenderloin say they come to the Castro because they feel safer there as LGBTQ+ people, KTVU reported.

That’s not a recent phenomenon: in 2009, the Journal of LGBT Youth published a study by Jen Reck, an Associate Professor of Sociology and Sexuality Studies at San Francisco State University, called “No One Likes Street Kids – Even in the Castro.”

The study focuses on homeless gay and transgender youth of color in San Francisco, particularly a group of teenagers who used the Castro as a place to seek safety and community.

“The Castro was especially important to these youth because, as gay and transgender homeless young people, other public and private places did not feel safe to them,” the study said.

But the youth featured in the study also reported facing harassment and hostility from community members in the Castro. They mentioned being treated like outsiders in a place that they observed to be “mostly inhabited by gay middle-class adult males,” and said that they felt left out of the community since “it is those who want or are able to spend money in the stores who can fully participate in the neighborhood culture.”

Today, gathering spaces in the Castro are still largely commercial, although there are a number of community organizations in the neighborhood that offer free housing navigation services to LGBTQ+ people. The specificity of these programs could be another reason unhoused people are drawn to the Castro from other parts of the city.

As it turns out, a few of these organizations – including LYRIC, a center for LGBTQ+ youth, and the SF LGBT Community Center, are part of the Castro Merchants Association.

Adam-Michael Royston, LYRIC’s vice president, says the association’s letter is not representative of all unhoused people in the Castro or the spirit of the neighborhood and its history.

“The Castro has been a beacon of hope for queer individuals for more than 30 years, and we have to continuously remember that we need to be inclusive and in community,” Royston said.

He added that as anti-transgender legislation takes off in other parts of the country, an influx of young people fleeing from conservative states have been making their way to San Francisco—and many of them end up in the Castro.

“The reason that so many of us ended up in the Castro is the same reason that so many of our youth end up here, too,” Royston said. “I think that letter, to youth fleeing the crises that they’re in, is not supportive.”

But business owners like Karraker believe that people who openly use drugs and experience public mental health crises are causing the neighborhood to suffer, regardless of their identity.

“No matter who it is, we can’t accept the idea that someone can come to the Castro, do drugs and be mentally ill to the point that they’re a threat to themselves or a threat to residents or tourists. This can’t continue,” Karraker said.

The post San Francisco enterprise homeowners’ calls for decried by LGBTQ advocates appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun–

By Sister Dana Van Iquity–

Sister Dana sez, “Happy LGBTQ PRIDE WEEKEND to everyone! I look forward to once again sitting atop the SF Bay Times open-top vehicle wearing rainbow nun habit to wave fervently, flash peace signs, and blow kisses to the crowd along the parade route! See you there!”

GAY PRIDE 1985 was the day I became a member of THE SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE, and I will forever treasure that beautiful day! This will be my 37th year happily serving with The San Francisco Order of SPI.

Devlin Shand, Fadi Salahand Erika Pappas have created QUEER AF (Queer Arts Featured) on the historic site of Harvey Milk’s former camera shop, 575 Castro Street—to serve the queer arts community in the SF Bay Area. As a gallery, boutique, and gathering space, Queer AF will feature art across all mediums, with a focus on the work of underrepresented, disenfranchised, and emerging local Queer artists and makers while minimizing financial barriers. They strive to keep The Castro Queer AF They held their grand opening party on June 10. I was particularly drawn (no pun intended) to the graphite works of Louis Felipe because of their erotic quality. https://www.queerartsfeatured.com/

Sister Dana sez, “The astonishing JANUARY 6th INSURRECTION HEARINGS were broadcast on every major news station but Fox-TV news. Great! So, the very viewers who really and truly should have seen that coverage were purposely deprived!”

Vice Chair Liz Cheney brilliantly exhorted at the beginning of the hearing: “I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone; but your dishonor will remain!”

LUNA RIENNE GALLERY held a stunning opening reception on June 11 to display SOWING SEEDSfeaturing originals and reproductions of selected works by urban contemporary artist Norm “Nomzee” Maxwell (1969-2016). Created between the years of 2002–2015, these works are among his most colorful and positive—reflecting his growing family, fond memories of his Philadelphia youth, and metaphysical aspirations. Despite his passing, his work remains not only relevant but also visionary. My fave is mos’ def’ “Pop On A Platter: Beyoncé Lisa (2010),” Maxwell’s Giclee print on canvas interpretation of the pop diva as the famous Mona Lisa. Maxell’s works, as well as many other artists’ pieces, are now on exhibition at 3318 22nd Street (@ Valencia). https://lunarienne.com/art/

President Joe Biden signed to EXECUTIVE ORDER on June 15 aimed at protecting LGBTQ people from a cascade of legislation in conservative states that increasingly targets the rights of gays, lesbians, transgender youth, and others. The order is designed to counter efforts by Republican politicians like Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who has pushed through a measure—the “Don’t Say Gay” law—banning teachers from providing instruction regarding gender identity or sexual orientation. Other laws passed in conservative states include prohibitions on transgender girls competing in high school sports and efforts to ban the provision of gender-affirming care. White House officials have called the new laws “un-American” and said they are designed to discriminate against families and children based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Sister Dana sez, “Uvalde. Buffalo. El Paso. Dayton. Gilroy. pulses santa fe park land Sutherland Springs. Las Vegas. Sandy Hook. aurora. Virginia Tech. columbine Many others. How many more Americans must be massacred by assault rifles until Congress gets these weapons of war off our streets? Other countries have taken decisive action to ban assault rifles and have seen drastic reductions in gun violence. We MUST do the same!”

On June 11, more than 450 rallies were staged nationwide in the MARCH FOR OUR LIVES gun reforms demonstrations—including one in SF and another in Oakland.

President Joe Biden has officially declared JUNETEENTH as a federal holiday, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. It is also often observed for celebrating African-American culture. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it has been celebrated annually on June 19 in various parts of the United States since 1865. “Juneteenth” was definitely observed joyously all over the Bay Area this year.

Mayor London N. Breed joined elected and city officials and community members on June 19 to kick off a series of community-led events to honor the Juneteenth holiday in San Francisco. Following President Joe Biden’s 2021 resolution declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday, Mayor Breed signed an order declaring June 19 an official holiday in San Francisco. “Juneteenth is a recognition of our culture and accomplishments, but it’s also a solemn reminder of the bonds of slavery and the struggle for equality that continues today,” said Mayor Breed. “For years, San Francisco’s Black community has commemorated this day through celebrations across our city, but this year is special as it is the first time we are coming together to celebrate Juneteenth as an official holiday. I want to thank the community and our city leaders who continue to put in the work to ensure that Black San Franciscans have an opportunity to thrive.”

Gary Virginia and Donna Sachet‘s PRIDE BRUNCH is back, in person! Marking its 24th year, this annual celebration of all things Pride during SF’s Pride Weekend returns to the beautiful Westin St. Francis Hotel, 355 Powell Street on Saturday, June 25, 11 am–2 pm—including a three-course meal, hosted bar , and a joyous commemoration of the PRIDE PARADE‘s Grand Marshals and a coming together three years in the making. All proceeds from this LOVE IS IN THE AIR fundraiser support PRC‘s lifesaving, integrated social, legal, and behavioral health services that help San Francisco’s most vulnerable populations struggling with HIV-AIDS, substance use, and mental health issues. Services help over 5,000 clients annually on their path toward stability and better health and financial outcomes. https://tinyurl.com/2bmndf95

THE SAN FRANCISCO TRANS MARCH —San Francisco’s largest transgender Pride event and one of the largest trans events in the entire world is always the Friday of Pride weekend, and thousands of people attend. It’s June 24, 6 pm in Dolores Park (Dolores and 18th Streets) for the street march, which is approximately a 45-minute walk. Bring signs, banners, posters, megaphones—you know the drill. Earlier activities begin at 10:30 am throughout the day. https://www.transmarch.org/

THE SAN FRANCISCO DYKE MARCH is marching at 5 pm on June 25 at the intersection of Dolores Street and 18th Street in San Francisco. No rally in Dolores Park is planned before hand. https://www.thedykemarch.org/

Congratulations go to “A STRANGE LOOP,” an irreverent, sexually frank work about Blackness and queerness winning Best New Musical at the TONY AWARDS onJune 12. Michael R Jackson‘s 2020 Pulitzer Prize drama winner is all about a black gay man writing a show about a black gay man. Jackson also won for best book. Sister Dana sez, “Oh, we GOTTA go catch this winner when it comes to the Bay Area—which it hopefully will do!”

THE VINE SING ALONG PRIDE MASS at Grace Cathedral was back! We belted out our favorite queer anthems in an utterly rainbow-covered cathedral. I was, of course, Sister Dana the rainbow nun, along with many other fellow SPI nuns. This year’s theme was “Family Values.” We decided the Religious Right shouldn’t have all the fun, so we leaned-in hard to celebrate the joy, resilience, and struggle of what it means for our LGBTQ community to be family. We heard an inspiring message from the Rev Dr Cameron Partridge—a justice warrior, theologian, and openly transgender man. He has taught at Harvard University, spoken at Why Christian, and currently serves as Rector to St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in SF. After the service, we all enjoyed rainbow cake!

Juanita MORE!‘s 18th annual PRIDE PARTY is June 26, noon to 7 pm, 620 Jones Street. Miss MORE! continues to raise the bar with this annual nonprofit Pride extravaganza. It focuses on supporting some of SF’s most impactful organizations. Over the years, Juanita’s efforts have raised over $1 million dollars for the LGBTQ community. With the donations raised through this year’s party, Q FOUNDATION will use those contributions to continue their important work throughout San Francisco and spearhead new initiatives which include acquiring residential real estate. Q Foundation is the home for homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing services for the LGBTQIA, and members of the HIV+ communities. They provide advocacy leadership at the national, state, and local levels and direct services to thousands of San Francisco residents. https://juanitamore.com/pride

SAN FRANCISCO PLAYHOUSE (Artistic Director Bill English; Producing Director Susi Damilano) announces FOLLIES by James Goldman other Stephen Sondheim. The musical will run on the San Francisco Playhouse main stage, 450 Post Street, from June 30 through September 10. Originally slated for the Playhouse’s 2019/20 Season and canceled due to COVID-19, the show marks the first fully staged professional production of Follies in San Francisco. The musical, which won seven Tony Awards in 1972 and has been heralded by The New York Times as “one of the greatest musicals ever written,” closed on Broadway after 522 performances and never went on a national tour. So, now’s our chance! https://tinyurl.com/yzdfkxpc

On Saturday, July 9, join the summer fun around the Eagle Plaza, on 12th Street, between Folsom and Harrison for the next SOMA SECOND SATURDAYS. The first weekly Eagle Plaza Farmers Market will be open from 9 am – 12:30 pm. SOMA Second Saturday brings out our local, community Artists and Craftspeople. https://tinyurl.com/2zaj7y57

Sister Dana sez, “As you march in the parade or are in the crowd cheering, be sure to look up and notice the gorgeous PINK TRIANGLE way up in Twin Peaks! And when the sun goes down, the pink triangle lights up in all its glory!”

Published on June 22, 2022

The post Sister Dana sez, “Pleased LGBTQ PRIDE WEEKEND to everybody!” – San Francisco Bay Instances appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

VA San Francisco health care employees receive training in clinical care that is responsive to the unique needs of LGBTQ+ Veterans. Our trained LGBTQ+ Veteran care coordinators are fully equipped to support the health, welfare, and dignity of you and your family.

Connect with a care coordinator

Care we provide at VA San Francisco health care

We promote the health, welfare, and dignity of Veterans who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) or a related identity. We focus on ensuring a safe, welcoming, and affirmative environment when providing you with sensitive and high-quality health care services like:

• Mental health services, including psychosocial assessments for hormone therapy and gender confirming surgeries
• Creative arts therapies
• hormone therapy
• Gender affirming prosthetics
• Testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections, counseling, and care, including post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for Veterans at risk for HIV
• Other prevention, screening, wellness, and testing services

Policies and practices to know

The care coordinator can help you get started with care or with navigating any of these issues.

Visitation: A same-sex partner, family member, friend, or other individual can be present with the patient for emotional support during the course of the patient’s stay.

Definition of family: “Family” may include individual(s) not legally related to the individual. Family members include spouses, domestic partners, different-sex and same-sex significant others.

Advance directives: Veterans may designate any person as a decision-maker for care if they won’t be able to make these decisions themselves. This includes same-sex partners. Advance directive agents are chosen by the Veteran and do not need to be biologically related.

Documentation in medical records: VA San Francisco maintains the confidentiality of information about sexual orientation, sexual behavior, and gender identity, just like any other private health information.

Changing name or sex in records: Your name in your medical record will reflect your legal name. The sex in your medical record should reflect your self-identified gender. You have the right to request that your name and sex are updated as appropriate. There are established procedures for changing your name and sex with the VA Privacy Officer.

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San Francisco non-profit helps LGBTQ Ukrainian refugees

Amid the war in Ukraine, a San Francisco based non-profit is working to provide refugees from the LGBTQ community safe shelter in Poland and Romania, where discrimination remains widespread. Safe Place International was founded by Justin Hilton in 2017.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Amid the war in Ukraine, a San Francisco based non-profit is working to provide refugees from the LGBTQ community safe shelter in Poland and Romania, where discrimination remains widespread.

“All of these displaced refugees were fleeing into countries that were very homophobic,” said Safe Place International founder Justin Hilton.

Safe Place International was founded by Hilton in 2017.

“I was working in India and across Asia on women and girl’s education and LGBTQ rights and was coming through Istanbul, and in one of my visits to Istanbul a trans person was murdered in the street. She was beheaded by a mob,” said Hilton .

Shocked and horrified, Hilton says he began learning more about the plight of LGBTQ refugees fleeing persecution in their home countries.

“They were meeting the same people in Istanbul that they were escaping from in their home countries,” said Hilton.

Soon after, he created Safe Place International, which provides LGBTQ dedicated shelters, community centers, and services for refugees and asylum seekers in parts of Asia, Africa and Europe. Currently, the non-profit is on the ground in Poland and Romania. Iryna Umantseva and her girlfriend Hannah Levashova are among the hundreds of Ukrainian refugees that the non-profit has helped since the war began. The couple fled Ukraine in late February during the second day of the Russian invasion.

“My parents and I really hear the missiles, the explosions, and the air alarms, and we were really scared,” said Umantseva.

With just the clothes on their backs, the couple boarded a crowded train to Poland, leaving behind their parents. Hannah’s parents are now in the Russian occupied region of Donetsk.

“I see the news, and I’m pretty scared about this, and that’s stressful for me,” Levashova.

“There were some bombs near Hannah’s, and she doesn’t know anytime if it comes to her parent’s home,” added Umantseva.

Adding to their stress initially, the reality of arriving in Poland, a country where discrimination against the LGBTQ community remains widespread. That’s where Safe Place was able to help.

“The ability to communicate with them, and to communicate to somebody who really friendly, makes us to feel in more safe space,” said Umantseva.

The non-profit is helping the couple make connections in Poland’s LGBTQ community, pay for an apartment, look for work, and receive therapy.

Iryna and Hannah say they don’t know how long they’ll be staying in Poland. They plan on donating part of their salaries to the Ukrainian armed forces.

The post San Francisco non-profit helps LGBTQ Ukrainian refugees appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

I never get over looking out of the plane window from my seat and seeing the Golden Gate Bridge and the City of San Francisco perched on the edge of the bay.

San Francisco always inspires adventure and excitement for me. From its heady Gold Rush days to today’s technology boom, the city is known for adventure, experimentation, and innovation. It is also the gateway to multiple experiences throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, especially in California’s premier wine regions of Napa and Sonoma.

I’m a little bit biased, though, since San Francisco is my home. On any typical weekend, I dine and drink with my girlfriend in the city, wine country, or around the Bay Area, where we enjoy many LGBTQ events and cultural offerings with our friends.

San Francisco, Sonoma, and the greater Bay Area are once again welcoming visitors and events. Here’s an insider’s guide for a fabulous week of exploring San Francisco and Sonoma’s rainbow wonderland.

What’s happening

Pride Month is right around the corner. Visitors can check out Pride events in San Francisco (June 24-26) and Sonoma (June 3-5), along with Out in the Vineyard, Pino on the River (dates to be determined), The Laugh Cellar (year-round) , and the many themed weekends, such as Women’s Weekend (May 20-22), Lazy Bear Week (August 1-8), and the gay rodeo known as Best Buck in the Bay, which takes place at the Russian River. If you’re in San Francisco in September, the leather crowd will gather for the Folsom Street Fair on September 25.

A carnival dancer at San Francisco Pride.San Francisco Travel Association

“We’ve got some gay going on,” Gary Saperstein, a former New Yorker who has called Sonoma his home for more than 25 years, said about the LGBTQ events in Sonoma this season.

A gay wine hospitality and travel company, Out in the Vineyard, is kicking off its season April 9 with Black Vines. Guests will sip wine crafted by gay winemaker Jérôme Chéry at Fog Crest Vineyards, a Black woman-owned winery in the Russian River Valley.

Later this year, Out in the Vineyard will host Pink Saturday (May 14), a day celebrating rosé, and Gay Wine Weekend (July 15-17), which has attracted as many as 800 LGBTQ wine aficionados. Saperstein said more smaller events might be announced throughout the season.

The Laugh Cellar’s annual Wine Country Comedy Festival is one of the hottest events. Prior to the pandemic, it drew up to 1,200 people at some of Napa and Sonoma’s iconic wineries. The festival’s 2022 dates and comedian lineup are on the verge of being announced. Check The Laugh Cellar’s website for festival updates.

san francisco

Get the San Francisco experience when you arrive. Book a bay room at the Harbor Court Hotel, which is perfectly situated on the Embarcadero and features a YMCA. It is steps away from the world-renowned Ferry Building and provides easy access to the Castro and the city’s popular neighborhoods — Union Square, North Beach, Chinatown, the Mission District, and the Haight Ashbury.

There are some must-do things in San Francisco, especially for LGBTQ visitors: Explore the Castro and Transgender District, go on the Cruisin’ The Castro Walking Tours, visit the GLBT Society History Museum, and check out the city’s newest gay-owned art gallery, Schlomer Haus Gallery, in the Castro.

Stop in at lesbian-owned cafes like Equator Coffee, the newest location at the Golden Gate Bridge’s visitor’s center, and refuel at the Dolores Park Café on the edge of the Castro and Mission neighborhoods.

Get a different view of the city from the observatory Ferris wheel, SkyStar Wheel, in Golden Gate Park. The wheel will be open through March 2025.

At night, enjoy the neighborhood’s lively nightlife, from the historical landmark, Twin Peaks Tavern, to Harvey’s, named after Harvey Milk. Head out to dinner and dancing at AsiaSF.

On weekends, get your drag on at Oasis or enjoy drag brunch at The Vault Steakhouse.

The San Francisco Bay Area is a gastronomic paradise. It’s hard to go wrong dining here. Some of my favorite restaurants in the city are Boulevard, Fiorella, Foreign Cinema, Mandalay Restaurant, Ozumo, Kabuto, Osha Thai, Fior d’Italia, and Harris Ranch, to name a few.

sonoma

Regardless of the style and vibe you are going for on your vacation, you can find it when you cross over the Golden Gate Bridge for the hour-long drive to wine country. Check into the Flamingo Resort for a cool retro chic vibe in Santa Rosa or try out the Duchamp Hotel in Healdsburg for modern wine country. The Kenwood Inn and Spa offers the classic wine country experience. Other options include the lesbian-owned Boon Hotel + Spa or gay-owned The Carriage House at Olive Queen Farm in the Russian River Valley.

A view of Sonoma’s vineyards from MacRostie Winery in Healdsburg, California.Heather Cassel

Delight in California’s food and wine offerings with guided and self-guided food tours with Sonoma Food and Wine Tour and Savor Healdsburg. Alternatively, venture out on your own on the California Cheese Trail.

There are so many great restaurants to select from in Sonoma. When I get hungry, one of my favorite places is Boon Eat + Drink. I also head to Brava Bar de Tapas, Spoonbar, Campo Fina, Catelli’s, Girl and the Fig, El Dorado Kitchen, or Salt and Stone.

To get my day started right, I there’s no place like The Spinster Sisters or queer couple-owned Brew Coffee and Beer House.

To satisfy my sweet tooth I get an ice cream cone or pie at gay-owned Noble Folk.

Mike Kobler, gay co-founder and chief operating officer of Kobler Estate
Winery, explains the wine process with a gay couple at the winery’s tasting room in Healdsburg, California.Heather Cassel

I pair the great food with amazing Sonoma wines from Black gay-owned Corner 103. The owner, Lloyd Davis, truly elevates the wine tasting experience in downtown Sonoma. There are more than 425 wineries and many LGBTQ winemakers in Sonoma, such as Gary Farrell Vineyards and Winery’s Latina lesbian winemaker, Theresa Heredia, as well as gay-owned wineries like Equality Vines, Mercury Wine, Kobler Estate Winery, and Roadhouse Winery.

The post Information to LGBTQ Journey within the San Francisco Bay Space appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Edward Wright, president of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, said the task force must listen to queer and trans residents.

“We are here today because we have not been heard, and it’s critical that the task force knows as they move forward in this process that they cannot divide the LGBTQ community,” Wright said at Wednesday’s event.

“That potential separation would also divide the Transgender District, which is again the first recognized transgender cultural district anywhere in the world, from the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District, which is also the first of it’s kind recognized anywhere in the world.”

Staff members of the Transgender District listen to speakers outside the site of the Compton’s Cafeteria riot, San Francisco, March 30, 2022, during a press conference calling for the Transgender and Leather and LGBTQ districts in the Tenderloin and Western SOMA to remain in District 6 .(Beth LaBerge/KQED)

The press event took place at the site of the Compton’s Cafeteria riot, a historic area for queer history and the LGBTQ civil rights movement.

Compton’s Cafeteria served as a meeting place for drag queens, trans women, sex workers and other marginalized individuals in the 1960s. In August 1966, a riot occurred in response to police harassment against the trans community. After the riot, local LGBTQ advocacy gained a stronger foothold, and more support services for the community were established.

The post ‘It Seeks to Diminish Us’: San Francisco LGBTQ Teams Protest Metropolis’s Redistricting Plans appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Cleve Jones has called the Castro neighborhood his home for five decades. The gay activist first moved to the city in 1973 from Arizona as a 19-year-old and was quickly swept up in the burgeoning LGBTQ political movement of the era, becoming a protege of pioneering gay San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk and a community organizer in his own right.

In 1987, the neighborhood was also where Jones founded the Names Project, the organization behind the AIDS Memorial Quilt. When Jones published “When We Rise: My Life in the Movement” in 2016, the book chronicled the evolution of the Castro as an LGBTQ neighborhood as much as it told his own story.

“Even during those times when I was away from the city, I was never really away,” Jones, 67, said recently. “I was always coming back. That’s my hood.”

But this week, Jones is moving out of the rent-controlled, one-bedroom flat in an 18th Street duplex he’s lived in since 2010. The move comes after he received notice of a significant rent increase from the building’s new owner, who argues that the unit is not his primary residence. Jones denies that is the case, but has decided he does not have the stamina to fight what would likely be a protracted legal battle to remain there.

For those familiar with San Francisco’s often volatile real estate and rental issues, the dispute between Jones and his new landlord is probably not surprising. What is unusual in this case is the high profile of the tenant in question.

The new owner of the duplex is San Francisco resident Lily Pao Kue, 30. Zillow shows that she purchased the property on Feb. 18 for $1,585,000. Since making the purchase, Kue has initiated some construction work on the building, installed new security cameras, had a car belonging to Jones’ friend and roommate towed from in front of the property, and notified Jones that she planned to more than double the rent .

Jones showed The Chronicle a letter he received from Kue on March 18 informing him that she had determined he had vacated the unit and was invoking a Costa-Hawkins petition, which would allow her to raise the rent from $2,393 to $5,200 as of July 1. Costa-Hawkins is a state law that sets some requirements for cities with rent control, including allowing a landlord to raise rent to market rate once a tenant moves out.

Kue says that she is seeking a hearing on her petition with the San Francisco Rent Board, but is waiting for a staff member to be assigned to the case.

“I want Cleve to continue the tenancy and let the judge determine the petition,” Kue said in an email. “I will be gracious and accepting of law.”

The San Francisco Rent Board did not immediately respond to questions about the case.

Experts say there are a few ways to prove residency in a property. According to Janan New, the executive director of the San Francisco Apartment Association, a driver’s license address and utility bills are among the documents that can be used as proof. The San Francisco Tenants Union also lists numerous factors, including the presence of personal possessions and that the tenant resides there except for “reasonable temporary periods of absence.” Jones said he believes he meets these requirements.

Jones said he feels that he and his roommate, Brenden Chadwick, have been harassed by Kue, citing her towing away Chadwick’s car without notice and installing the security cameras that allow her to monitor their comings and goings. He also is concerned that the construction work on the property could endanger archival materials from the LGBTQ movement he has kept there. She denies that she has harassed Jones and Chadwick.

Kue, who described herself as a stock market investor who previously worked as a janitor and as a farm laborer after immigrating to the United States from Thailand, calls the duplex her “dream home.” She said that since the dispute over the duplex became public, she is worried about harassment from Jones’ social media followers. She said she has filed a police report after comments she’s seen in response to Jones’ post about the situation on Facebook.

Rather than further contest Kue’s plans, though, Jones and Chadwick plan to move out this weekend and look for a new home in the Castro, which means they would lose any potential relocation payments if Kue were to lose her Costa-Hawkins petition and choose to pursue eviction.

“If I were a younger man, I would fill the sandbags and I’d batten down the hatches and would drag this out for as long as possible,” Jones said. “Part of me feels quite guilty that I don’t have it in me to do it. I am not in good health, I’m HIV-positive and one of the longest-living HIV survivors. … and I’m old.”

Still, Jones is not going quietly. On Sunday, supporters of Jones plan to take part in a rally at 11 am at Harvey Milk Plaza focusing on his situation and similar issues facing other renters in the neighborhood. A 2021 story in The Chronicle reported that since 2009, there have been 614 no-fault evictions in District Eight, where the Castro is located, and that most are either because of owner move-ins or Ellis Act evictions, where the owner decides to stop renting altogether.

While Jones said he expects to survive financially, “It is very clear how an event like this could be truly catastrophic for so many others.”

“Cleve recognizes that this is happening and has happened to so many other folks,” said District Eight Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who will be at the rally. “But he is such an iconic figure and so associated with that neighborhood. It’s heartbreaking.”

Tina Aguirre, the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District manager, told The Chronicle that housing security in the neighborhood is especially important for older residents and people living with HIV, and that the district is “saddened” by what Jones is experiencing.

“The fact that he is a community icon, organizer, and AIDS activist underscores that this can happen to any of us,” Aguirre said.

Kue said that she installed security cameras on the property to monitor construction workers. But in checking the comings and goings from the building, and seeing that many of Jones’ posts on Facebook indicated that he had been staying in Guerneville, she said she determined that the unit on 18th Street was not his primary address, and that there was “overwhelming proof” that Chadwick was living there alone.

Jones said he was told by Kue that she planned to move into the vacant unit above his after construction on the property was completed, and that she planned to move her mother and grandmother into the unit he and Chadwick occupied.

Jones said Kue began discussing buyout options with him, but said she did not want to involve attorneys. Kue said she still does not have an attorney representing her. Jones, though, hired Dave Crow of the tenants rights firm Crow & Rose.

Crow said he believes the rent increase notice was not legal because Jones had not moved out of the property.

Jones denies that he ever vacated his unit, but says that, for his health, he has spent time during the two years of the pandemic at a “fairly primitive” cabin he owns in Guerneville.

“When COVID happened, of course, that became my refuge,” Jones said of the cabin. “I’m 67, I’m immunocompromised. So I’m guessing that that’s her reference to me vacating the unit. But of course it’s a lie. I never vacated. I never moved my stuff out and continued to spend time there.”

Among that “stuff,” Jones said, are materials from the LGBTQ movement going back to the 1970s, including Milk’s famous bullhorn, the quilt his great-grandmother made that inspired the creation of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, and items connected to the filming of the 2008 biopic “Milk,” in which Jones was a central character.

To protect them from possible damage, Jones has given the National AIDS Memorial some of the materials related to the Names Project while the GLBT Historical Society Museum now has Milk’s bullhorn.

“My office is right there on Castro Street, my doctor is right there on Castro Street. The hospital is right down the street. … Guerneville is lovely, but it doesn’t have the kind of specialized health care that’s necessary for people in my circumstance.”

Jones said he needs to remain in the city for his work as a community and political coordinator at Unite Here, the North American Hospitality Workers Union.

Jones said he, like many longtime survivors of HIV, cannot afford to retire because many of his potential earning years were spent battling serious health complications from the virus instead of working.

Still, Jones said he’s turned down requests to create crowdfunding campaigns to assist him. He said he’s also received offers of legal help and housing, but has not felt at risk enough to accept help that others in the community likely need more.

“I’m going to be just fine, but she’s going to do this to someone else,” Jones said. “This old gay guy is being forced out of his home, but the real issue is one more gay elder has been lost and one more rental unit has been lost.”

Tony Bravo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tbravo@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TonyBravoSF

The post San Francisco LGBTQ activist Cleve Jones uprooted from Castro one-bedroom after new proprietor doubles lease to $5,200 appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The last call threatens the Grubtake Diner, a long-standing LGBT hangout in San Francisco – at least in its current form.

Owner Jimmy Cosnos plans to tear down the diner on Pine Street, replace it with a replica with original murals and stained glass windows, and build an eight-story apartment building over it, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The city’s board of directors will hear an objection from the neighbors next week against the project, which was approved by the planning committee in July with 4 to 2 votes.

Opponents say the planned building is too tall and would eliminate light and air for residents on the lower floors of the 12-story apartment building next door. One resident, software engineer Theresa Calderon, said she found that the light intensity of some units could decrease by 70 to 99 percent.

“As a first-time home buyer, I didn’t know plans could change,” Calderon told the Chronicle. “When I found out how big it was going to be, it really freaked me out.”

Consos said that Grubtake, a converted railroad car, can only survive with a new build as plumbing and electrical systems need to be replaced and the restaurant violates accessibility laws. Business has slowed dramatically since the pandemic silenced nightlife.

Grubtake, which has been in its current location since 1967, is a gathering place for generations of LGBTQ San Franciscans, including Harvey Milk. It was an unofficial clubhouse for drag queens, transgender people and other night owls until the 1990s.

“I’ve always felt welcome and accepted at Grubtake as an openly gay man, a longtime AIDS survivor, and no matter what I was wearing – or not,” said LGBTQ activist Gary Virginia. “It has been a safe haven for minorities and alternative communities since it opened.”

[SFChronicle] – Victoria Pruitt

Contact Victoria Pruitt

The post Final Name Looms For San Francisco LGBTQ Hangout Grubstake Diner appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SWA group selected for memorial and LGBTQ + space at Harvey Milk Plaza, San Francisco

Courtesy of the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza & SWA Group

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Matt Hickman shares San Francisco’s newest inclusive memorial for the Architect’s Newspaper, designed by SWA, a company that operates two Bay Area studios (San Francisco and Sausalito) and offices in Texas, Southern California, New York City and Shanghai. Selected from 17 invited offices by FHMP from a shortlist of four companies that had submitted proposals, SWA shared their winning concept design for the memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza.

Earlier this year, Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza (FHMP) selected SWA Group to lead the design of an inclusive new LGBTQ + space anchored in a memorial at Muni Metro Station in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco. Now, just a few days before Harvey Milk Day, May 22nd, the company is officially announcing its conceptual design plans, which first made the rounds in mid-April during two feedback-seeking virtual town hall meetings.

Completed in 1980 on the corner of Market and Castro Streets, designed by Howard Grant of Reid & Tarics Associates, the square is named in honor of pioneering community activist and San Francisco Board of Supervisors Harvey Milk, who was murdered in his office on November 27, 1979 at San Francisco City Hall, after serving in this role for nearly a year. Milk, who was 48 at the time of his death, was the first openly gay elected official in California history. During his brief tenure, the New York native, fondly known as the Mayor of Castro Street, made a huge lasting impression after sponsoring a law in 1978 that was eventually passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and signed by then-Mayor George Moscone —Prohibition of discrimination in employment, home and public accommodation based on sexual orientation.

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As noted in a press release, SWA, which operates two studios in the Bay Area (San Francisco and Sausalito) and offices in Texas, Southern California, New York City and Shanghai, was selected by FHMP from a shortlist of four companies that submitted design proposals ; A total of 17 different companies were invited to submit. As noted, FHMP and SWA have so far hosted two virtual meetings with the Castro community and will “continue their robust public relations and engagement efforts to involve the community in the memorial design process and ensure inclusiveness for all”. The selection of SWA comes after an earlier, often controversial, redesign of Harvey Milk Plaza, led by Perkins Eastman, which was eventually abandoned after a series of revisions and rejections by the community. Perkins Eastman’s San Francisco office, along with Groundworks Office and Kuth Ranieri Architects, was one of three local offices shortlisted by FHMP for the first redesign in September 2017 after an international design competition.

Headed by SWA, the new project design team also includes public engagement firm Civic Edge Consulting, WSP (lighting design), Peoples Associates Structural Engineers and Telamon Engineering Consultants who will act as registered engineers.

Courtesy of the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza & SWA Group

“Friends and SWA have already started discussions about creating an unconventional and inclusive design process so that these qualities of Harvey Milk and his legacy are inherently part of the design produced,” said Brian Springfield, interim executive director of the established FHMPMP in 2016 to ensure that future redesigns of the square include a thorough contribution from the community.

He added, “During this process, we’ve heard from the community that they want a next generation memorial that is as unique and unconventional as Harvey himself. Now that SWA is on board, we’re excited to be with the public again Get in touch to see what is possible to honor Harvey Milk in a way that draws attention to the continued activism around social justice issues that Harvey campaigned for during his lifetime. The memorial will be alive with Harvey’s politics, including his call on others to get involved. “

Formerly a working-class neighborhood, Castro became the epicenter of San Francisco’s gay life in the mid-1960s and remains an iconic and historically significant center for LGBTQ + activism, culture, and commerce known around the world.

To honor Milk’s profound legacy in the heart of the neighborhood he lived in, and only briefly featured in San Francisco City Hall, SWA envisioned a design made up of three core elements confined to the existing floor plan of the square : the pedestal, the beacon and the memorial grove. (Other larger design concepts that extend beyond the square were also unveiled during the engagement sessions in April.) The design will be finalized later this year after further engagement with the community.

Courtesy of the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza & SWA Group

The pedestal feature is literally that – a circular elevated platform for parishioners to amplify their voices and be heard loud and clear by crowds and passers-by. As noted by SWA, the pedestal is a way of ensuring that Milk’s last words – “All I ask is for the movement to continue” – is materialized. “This approach does not honor Harvey by placing it on a pedestal, but rather by creating a stage for community and movement: a living monument that changes over time,” the company said.

The Beacon is an evolving “digital monument,” a type of photo-activated kiosk that not only shows images of Milk itself, but also historical photos of Castro along with images of queer life in San Francisco and beyond, as well as images that capture them “Fights and Victories” of the equality movement that Milk played such a significant role in sparking it. “The digital component is flexible and nimble, and allows changes to be made to convey messages of protest and celebration when the community gathers on the site,” said SWA. “The Beacon can also serve as a center of hope when people come together at Harvey Milk Plaza to comfort or support one another.”

Photography played a key role in Milk’s life as he was an avid amateur photographer and ran a popular neighborhood camera store, Castro Camera, from 1972 until his death. Talks are reportedly underway to track the National Park Service’s historic designation for the storefront, which also served as Milk’s campaign district and is a designated San Francisco landmark. Most recently it served as an action center and retail outpost for the human rights campaign and before that as a call center for the Trevor project.

Courtesy of the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza & SWA Group

Finally, Memorial Grove, a popular proposition for parishioners, will be a shaded green space on the western edge of the property populated by 11 trees, one for each month that Milk was in office. As described by SWA, the trees are species that represent geographic locations associated with Milk’s life, including a tree from his native New York and a tree from Texas, where Milk grew up during his more transient 20s after his Discharge from the Navy briefly lived. The remaining trees will represent San Francisco. Per SWA, the “eclectic collection of complementary but different trees embodies Harvey’s informal personality and political style, as well as the beauty and diversity of the people of San Francisco”.

“We believe the memorial should speak as loudly and without apology as Harvey – not just about the progress he has made, but also about the work still to be done,” said SWA project leader Daniel Cunningham. “To be worthy of Harvey’s legacy, his memorial should be a living memorial – relevant and effective today – dedicated to realizing his vision of equality and authenticity for all, everywhere.”

The Harvey Milk Plaza memorial is to be funded through a public-private partnership. In February 2020, the project received a $ 2 million government grant launched by State Senator Scott Wiener. As already mentioned, a finished design will be presented later this year. Regardless of the memorial project, Castro Muni station itself is undergoing a $ 14.5 million barrier-free overhaul, including the installation of a new elevator. Work is scheduled to start this fall.

This article was originally published in The Architect’s Newspaper.

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