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THECONTENTS FEATURES 12 FABRIC OF THE COMMUNITY QUEER OWNED AND OPERATED BUSINESSES
16 FEEDING HUNGRY NAKED MEN DRAG ICON JUANITA MORE!
20 KEEPING WEALTH IN THE FAMILY
LGBTQ CREDIT UNION COALITION’S SPENCER WATSON
23 ONE SUCCESS AT A TIME
STARTOUT GROWTH LABORATORIES’ ANDRES WYLER
24 IN LOVING MEMORY
ARTIST, PHOTOGRAPHER ISAURO CAIRO
DEPARTMENTS 06 08 10 11 26 28 30
THE EDITOR THE TALK THE CITY THE NATION THE ART THE MUSIC THE CALENDAR
ON THE COVER JUANITA MORE! COVER PHOTO AND TOC PHOTO BY LEO HERRERA
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COFFEE T KINK T COMMUNITY
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THEEDITOR
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Brenden Shucart MANAGING EDITOR Mark Ariel ART DIRECTOR Nadeen Torio MARKETING CONSULTANTS Tom Pardoe Sean Galuszka Jacci Ybarra Grey Crouch SOCIAL MEDIA Mark Ariel Sinan Shihabi WEBMASTER Nadeen Torio ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Sinan Shihabi >> IN THIS ISSUE <<
Let’s talk about Queer spaces. In the early ‘70s there were over 100 gay bars within San Francisco’s seven square miles. Now? There’s maybe 20 between San Francisco and Oakland combined. In the last few years we’ve lost our last remaining lesbian bar (the Lexington Club), or last queer bar serving the Latinx community (Esta Noche), and the oldest gay bar in the City (The Gangway). And it’s not just bars. San Francisco once boasted queer cafes, Gay and Lesbian book stores, bath houses, hotels, even a gay owned bank (the Atlas Savings & Loan). And little by little we lost it. During the Plague Years, or during one of San Francisco’s many booms or busts, the buzzing ecosystem of small businesses and queer spaces built by our forbearers gradually fell away—and that’s a tragedy, because I don’t think we can have Queer community without Queer spaces. And I can already feel the irritated letters from some of my younger readers whizzing in my direction, telling me about the community they found on the internet. And while I think the internet can help provide many great things—friendships, identity, an amazing recipe for chocolate chip cookies—real community requires space to trade stories and
share experiences, space to come together in order to celebrate our victories and mourn our defeats. That’s why in this issue we are taking a special look at the small businesses and entrepreneurs fighting to build and maintain Queer spaces in this latest Tech boom. Our cover story features the legendary Juanita More as she embarks on her new venture as restraunteur at MORE!jones. Inside you’ll find a look at six small business fighting to keep San Francisco Queer— from the City’s oldest surviving Queer bar, the STUD Collective, to the whimsical magic of Broken Seal Buttons, to Manny’s—the brand new cafe/ event space opening in the Mission of Election Day this month—and many more. Finally there is an interview with Spencer Watson, head of the LGBT Credit Union Coalition, who is seeking to build an institution which address many of the injustices LGBTQ folk face in the financial sector and make starting a small business a little bit easier. It’s my hope that you’ll reward recognize the hard work and passion of these brave entrepreneurs and reward them with your business. Because, as Juanita More says, “You don’t have any business mourning loss of queer businesses if you’re not doing anything to keep them in business.”
BRENDEN SHUCART Editor-In-Chief
EVENTS MANAGER Joseph Arellano CONTRIBUTORS Grey Crouch Leo Herrera Kian Kamataki Orly Lyonne Victor Melamed Jackie Prager Sinan Shihabi GET THE FIGHT SF AT HOME Sent Via First Class Mail 12 Issues: $36 6 Issues: $24 Mail check or money order to: Third Step, LLC 611 S. Catalina St. Suite 307 Los Angeles, CA 90005 PUBLISHER Third Step, LLC DISTRIBUTION Pride In Media The Fight SF is published monthly by Third Step, LLC. 611 South Catalina Street, Suite 307 Los Angeles, CA 90005 Telephone (323) 297-4001 Fax (213) 281-9648 Email info@TheFightMag.com THE FIGHT MAGAZINE LEGAL CAVEATS By listing in The Fight SF, advertisers acknowledge that they do business in the spirit of cooperation, fairness and service, maintaining a high level of integrity and responsibility. Providers of products or services are fully and solely responsible for providing same as advertised. The Fight SF assumes no liability for improper or negligent business practices by advertisers. Advertisers and their agencies assume responsibility and liability for the content of their advertisements in The Fight SF. Publisher assumes no liability for safe-keeping or return of unsolicited art, manuscripts or other materials. The Fight SF reserves the right to edit all material for clarity, length and content. All contents © 2018 Third Step LLC. All rights reserved. Content may be reproduced with permission. The Fight SF assumes no liability for any claims or representations contained anywhere in this magazine and reserves the right to cancel or refuse advertising at publisher’s discretion. TheFightMag.com For Display Advertising, please call (323) 297-4001
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DON’T LEAVE
LAID THERE “I laid there and prayed for death.”
“They just don’t leave you, they stay with you; that’s one thing that always keeps you going.”
—Stormy Daniels on having sex with Donald Trump, on Jimmy Kimmel Live in an interview for her new book Full Disclosure, last month.
STORMY DANIELS
—Cher talking about her “pact” with her gay fans, in an interview with PrideSource.
THE FIGHT
“I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG.”
CHER
TAYLOR SWIFT
—Taylor Swift on Instagram last month, saying she was voting for Phil Bredesen a Democrat running for U.S. Senate in Tennessee against the Republican candidate, Marsha Blackburn. ADAM RIPPON
SO SAD “That’s so sad that somebody would still want to do that.”
—Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon revealing he was called a “faggot” while holding hands with his boyfriend in New York City, in an interview with Attitude.
“In a time in this country when it is so divisive, this is such a beautiful thing.”
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“Ladies and gentlemen, I, Luis Sandoval, I am gay, I am happy, I am a full person, respected, I think respectable, and I do not live in the closet, my family knows, my friends know, and I have a partner with whom I am happy.” —Univision personality Luis Sandoval on the morning television show Despierta America, on National Coming Out Day, last month.
FOR DIGNITY
“The LGBTQ rights movement was born in NYC. Today, we’re making history again in the fight for dignity and respect.”
THIS COUNTRY
—The Voice judge Kelly Clarkson responding to an interracial gay couple’s audition on the show. Jerome and Adam—aka “OneUp”—performed an amazing cover of Could It Be I’m Falling in Love.
FULL PERSON
KELLY CLARKSON
—New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in a tweet after he signed a bill last month that will allow the city’s residents to change their birth certificates to reflect their preferred gender. BILL DE BLASIO
LUIS SANDOVAL
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THECITY >> BY JACKIE PRAGER <<
KATY TANG VERSUS THE RED LIGHT
Outgoing D4 Supervisor Katy Tang has proposed stricter rules for massage parlors operating in San Francisco which have been approved by the Land Use Committee—which includes herself, as well as Supervisors Jane Kim and Ahsha Safai. The new rules would ban anyone who has been previously convicted of crimes related to sex work from being employed in massage parlors in an attempt to prevent prostitution and sex trafficking. These rules raise a host of issues for San Franciscans: few massage parlors are fronts for prostitution so it’s unreasonable to take punitive preventative measures against all businesses, low-income residents and people of color are much more likely to be targeted by these rules and will take the brunt of the punishment, and finally while human trafficking is deplorable, why are we continuing to criminalize consensual sex work in 2018? There has to be a more comprehensive and compassionate way to prevent sex trafficking that doesn’t criminalize sex workers or penalize former sex workers trying to enter a new field.
KATY TANG
FREE CITY INTO THE FUTURE
San Francisco’s Free City College contract is set to expire in June 2019, but D6 Supervisor Jane Kim is fighting to extend the program for another decade. “Free City,” as it’s commonly known, was introduced as a two-year pilot program that offered free tuition for San Francisco residents, and the positive impact of this program has been undeniable. CCSF has seen a huge surge in enrollment and student engagement over the past two years. In order to remove any uncertainty about the program’s funding moving forward, Kim has proposed an amendment to the City’s Charter which would guarantee funding for the program over the next ten years. This amendment would require San Francisco to allocate $15.7 million for the 2021-2022 fiscal year and an additional $700,000 each year after that. The Board of Supervisors will vote on this amendment in November—hopefully saving City College yet again. 10 0 TTH HE E FFIGH IGHTT S SFF || www.thefightmag.com www.thefightmag.com 1
SCOOTERS CLOG THE SIDEWALKS
Back in April, the Board of Supervisors temporarily banned electric scooters from the streets of San Francisco. There were a number of reasons for this: people were riding the scooters on sidewalks which posed a safety concern for pedestrians, discarded scooters were clogging pedestrian walkways, and the companies operating the scooters never bothered to seek permission from the City. After much deliberation, the Board extended permits to only two companies: Skip and Scoot. As many anticipated, with the return of scooters came the return of many initial issues. SFMTA has been tasked with education and rollout—but so far, it doesn’t seem particularly promising. Riders have been instructed to keep to the streets but once again they are proving a hazard to pedestrians on sidewalks. Scooters aren’t allowed to be parked in loading zones but many have reported that they can’t get on or off of MUNI due to scooters being
illegally parked. Let’s hope that there will to be some serious repercussions so the rest of us can use the sidewalks without being run over.
UBER & LYFT CLOG THE STREETS
The San Francisco County Transportation Authority has released a study that showing traffic has gotten much worse between 2010 and 2016 (and surprise!) Uber and Lyft play a large role in the City’s ever increasing congestion. However, they can’t take all the blame. More than 70,000 people have migrated to San Francisco in the last decade without a corresponding investment in public transportation. For their part, Lyft and Uber have taken strides to encourage shared riding options and even accepted 3.25% tax increase on net rider fares. So yes, traffic has gotten much worse, congestion is a huge annoyance, but this also might just be part of the reality of living in an already crowded city that is booming. n
THENATION >> NEWS BRIEFS <<
MATTHEW SHEPARD LAID TO REST IN DC Matthew Shepard was finally laid to rest last month at the Washington National Cathedral—20 years after being killed by two men because he was gay. “It’s so important that we now have a home for Matt,” his father, Dennis Shepard, said at the start of the service. “A home that others can visit, a home that is safe from haters, a home that he loved dearly from his younger days in Sunday school and as an acolyte in the church MATTHEW back home.” SHEPARD Shepard was a 21-yearold student at the University of Wyoming in October 1998 when he was robbed, beaten and tied to a fence and left for dead by two men he met in a bar.
After a study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine showed that the average American’s penis is one inch shorter than the minimum 6.69 inch length requirement of condom manufacturers, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved smaller condoms, reported LGBTQ Nation. A 2014 study conducted on 1,661 American men from Indiana University found that the average penis length was only 5.57 inches. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only about a third of American men use a condom during sex—and a poor fit, causing slipping, is cited as one of the number one reasons for the lack of use.
JUDGE DISMISSES CHARGES IN GAY SEX STING
CIARA MINAJ CARTER
TRANS WOMAN MURDERED IN CHICAGO Ciara Minaj Carter, 32; a black transgender woman was found murdered last month in the Garfield Park area of Chicago. Her naked body was found with multiple stab wounds and her genitalia had been severed from her body. A few weeks after the gruesome murder The New York Times reported on the Trump administration’s plan to adopt a new definition of gender that would effectively deny federal recognition and civil rights protections to transgender Americans. 22 innocent trans people have been murdered in 2018 alone. Perpetrators are rarely held accountable. A Trans Unity Rally, organized by Shane Nash, will take place at West Hollywood Park on November 9 at 7pm.
FDA APPROVES SMALLER CONDOMS
SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING HAPPENED DURING GAY KIDS’ CEREMONY An LGBTQ organization said that last month’s horrific shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, leaving 11 dead, happened during a ceremony for a gay couple’s children. The Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh posted on Facebook, “We were just informed that this morning’s tragedy was happening during a bris for a set of twins adopted by a gay couple.” “We have witnessed the worst of America this morning in our town Pittsburgh,” the post continued. “More than ever we must come together as people and change the temperament of our country.”
A judge has dismissed charges against a man who arrested as part of a sting of an adult store, reports LGBTQ Nation. In July, two police officers in Hollywood, Florida, working undercover, went to the Pleasure Emporium, paid $25 each to enter the backroom, walked under a giant neon sign that read “PRIVATE VIEWING,” watched gay men having sex in a room and then arrested 13 of them. The men were prosecuted for indecent exposure in a public place, but Broward County Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren ruled that the backroom of the Pleasure Emporium is not a public place. “The patrons who access the private viewing theaters where consensual activity occurs in the presence of other consenting adults objectively and subjectively possess a reasonable expectation of privacy,” she wrote. n NO VEMB ER 2018 | THE F I GH T S F 11
BY LEO HERRERA & BRENDEN SHUCART
Shining a spotlight on unique queer owned and operated businesses and nonprofits.
FABRIC OF THE COMMUNITY It’s no secret
KEVIN CHEESEMAN
that San Francisco has become an ever increasingly brutal environment for small business. It seems not a weeks goes by that some beloved San Francisco institution is shuttering it doors. Across the City, once thriving merchant’s districts are festooned with vacant store-fronts. And of course, the queer-owned business centered in the Castro and SOMA have been hit hardest. And small business is the lifeblood of any community. That’s why in this issue we’re shining a spotlight on unique queer owned and operated businesses and nonprofits. Some have been around for more than a decade, and one opens its doors this month. But all of them and their proprietors are important threads in the fabric of our community.
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BROKEN SEAL BUTTONS
K
evin Cheeseman (“Squirrel” to his friends) never set out to be a San Francisco’s premier button manufacturer and distributor—not really. A transplant from Modesto, CA who has been calling San Francisco home for more than 12 years, Squirrel studied business at San Francisco State University, and upon graduation he had every intention of opening his own cafe. But a life-long obsession with that most ‘90s of movies, Empire Records, inspired him to buy an old hand press button making machine off Craigslist and started making buttons for friends and organizations he supported. It helped supplement his barista income as he put himself through school. “I loved it. And it kept growing. Then in 2012 I read an essay in The Bold Italic called “Thirty Year Itch.”” In the essay SF writer Justin Juul encouraged readers to turn their obsession into a career. “And figured why not! I love helping people and making things. So I had someone help me put up a website site and word got out quickly.” And Broken Seal Buttons was born - with a mission to help people get their ideas, message, and art, out into the world. “I love the feeling of someone being super happy with their buttons and I love that we could help make that happen!” Demand quickly exceeded Squirrel’s ability to run Broken Seal out of his apartment, and now it can be found tucked into Suite 106 at the Mission ActivSpace at 3150 18th Street. And now he makes button for everyone; from Tech giants and San Francisco politicians to local artists and nonprofits. He says his biggest challenge is finding the middle ground between keeping prices accessible to as many people as possible and earning enough to grow and offer more. “Its been hard, but so worth it!”
>> RAFAEL MANDELMAN <<
MANNY’S
JOSETTE MELCHOR PHOTO BY CABURE ALEJANDRO BONUGLI /SHOT IN THE CITY
GRAY AREA GALLERY
T
he Gray Area Gallery—a nonprofit which seeks to apply art and technology for social and civic impact through education, incubation and events—has been a fixture of San Francisco’s cultural landscape for more than a decade. Previously located at the renovated a former porn theater in the Tenderloin at 55 Taylor which is now the Center for New Music, since May of 2014 Grey Area has occupied the old Grand Theater at 2665 Mission Street—a beautifully restored, historic 1940s single screen Art Deco cinema. Gray Area operates as a community center serving diverse communities. “One day we could be hosting a fundraiser for a local Mission District nonprofit, a political rally, a film screening, a techno party, or a ballet performance. There are people from all different socio-economic backgrounds that are served by Gray Area’s space and programs. “ Founder and the Executive Director Josette Melchor was raised in Southern California’s Coachella Valley by her mother. “My mother sold Tupperware which in my mind was one of the first social networks that supported female entrepreneurs. I learned a lot about throwing parties and public-speaking from my Mom as I helped her all the time.” After graduating High School she moved to San Diego and enrolled in the Art Institute, earning a Bachelors degree in Advertising and Web Development, before moving to Los Angeles where she found work as a bank as a mortgage loan officer. “I was able to learn a bit about real estate finance.” LA exposed Josette to new worlds of artists and performers “It’s there that I learned about communities and social networks of artists supporting each other.” And she was able to harness her newfound understanding of commercial real estate to lease her first warehouse in order to create a space for community her community to produce art and music shows. When Josette moved to San Francisco in 2002, she immediately leased another warehouse in the SOMA district and quickly began producing more shows and events. During this time, she transitioned from mortgages to the technology industry in sales. “I started to see what was even then a growing rift between the arts and technology communities, so moved into founding Gray Area as a cultural center to bridge people that don’t often talk to one another.” According to Josette, growing up in the Desert, raised by a single Hispanic mother trying to make ends meet, she wasn’t often exposed to arts and culture. “I visited my first museum when I moved away from home and was immediately inspired to get more diverse people like me to experience artistic vision and community.”
Manny Yekutiel has spent his entire adult life working on behalf of important Queer and Democratic causes. He’s been a White House intern, advocated for same-sex marriage and immigration reform, worked on Barak Obama’s re-election campaign, as well as Hillary Clinton’s ‘16 bid for the Presidency. Now he’s taking that experience and passion for public service and channeling it in a new direction—Manny’s, a civic social gathering MANNY YEKUTIEL space that combines a cafe, bar, and restaurant with a political bookshop and civic events space. “I kept meeting people who were concerned with the direction of the country and wanted to get more civically engaged but didn’t know how to or where to start. So much of our civic life has moved online and for the most part I think that that’s a great thing as it’s democratized speech. There is something important about physical place as it relates to the process of being a more involved and better informed citizen and so I decided to build a place with that purpose in mind.” Manny’s can be found at 3092 16th Street. The Grand Opening will be held Election Night November 6th 2018. (and really, what better place to watch the results roll in that a queer-owned event space devoted to social justice?)
PENTACLE COFFEE
Celebrating its first anniversary this November, Pentacle Coffee is a specialty coffee house owned and operated by seasoned barista Bobby Valentino Sanchez. It’s located at 64 6th street—just south of Market—in a historic building which once housed the San Francisco Barber’s College (made somewhat famous by its mention in Dharma Bums, Jack Kerouac’s novel about hard partying and the search for transcendence in San Francisco during the Beat Generation.) And it takes it’s name from suit BOBBY in a Tarot deck which governs VALENTINO wealth and prosperity. “It’s my SANCHEZ wish for this neighborhood,” says Lopez, “Wealth and prosperity for everybody.” NO VEMB ER 2018 | THE F I GH T S F 13
>> SMALL BUSINESSES IN SAN FRANCISCO <<
The cafe—with its high ceilings, abundant greenery, and intoxicating aromas—feels like an oasis from the hard-bitten urban environs outside its door. And the large mural by San Francisco affiliated artist Nathan Rapport, (depicting what seems to be two multi-hued male witches in a romantic embrace), lets first-time visitors know right away that this space is queer-friendly. Lopez himself is a San Diego native and child of Mexican immigrants who has spent the last 20 years mastering the mysterious arts of espresso and steamed milk. He moved to the Bay Area in 2001 and not long after began working at Four Barrel—arguably the gold standard in SF coffee houses—where he spent nearly 10 years honing his skills and learning everything he could about the slightly byzantine coffee industry. Then in 2015 he decided to strike it out on his own. Like many a dedicated barista, Lopez says that having his own cafe has “always been a dream,” but he was also motivated by correcting a lack of representation in the coffee business. “After being in the industry for so long, and seeing the lack of queer-identified and persons of color owning and running coffee shops, I wanted to start my own cafe where people of all backgrounds feel safe and welcome.” PHOTO BY CABURE ALEJANDRO BONUGLI / SHOT IN THE CITY
STUD COLLECTIVE
Rachel Ryan, President of the STUD Collective is one of those rare Bay Area Birds of Paradise: an SF native who grew up in the city and has not only remained, but strived to bring color to the City she loves by fighting back on the injustices she sees happening to her queer community with flair and joy, making changes in her life that for some may not have been easy. After eight years of working as a teacher, catering for SF’s financial elite, Rachel realized that her passion was always in the city’s vibrant underground nightlife. “My social world revolved around Soma’s queer nightlife—performing in drag shows, go go dancing, bartending underground parties and hanging out with the most wonderful, weird, creative queers. The legendary STUD venue was at a epicenter of many of these gatherings and during it’s well-publicized struggle “It set a fire under us to fight for our spaces.” It’s because of Rachel—and the rest of the STUD Collective—that it has been able to survive these tumultuous financial times (for now). Rachel, and a group of others, formed The STUD Collective, purchasing the bar, working it and currently trying to find a new home for it’s new iteration. The STUD is not new to re-invention, it originally originally opened in 1966 at the heart of the Leather District on Folsom’s Miracle Mile, and moved to its current location in the mid-80’s, 1 4 T H E F IGH T S F | www.thefightmag.com
making it the oldest queer bar in the city. It’s purpose is to embody everything behind the word “queer.” Their Mission statement “Keeping San Francisco queer by providing a safe, welcoming venue for creative expression, celebration and nightlife” is a way of life for the many cast of characters who have kept it thriving through the last 2 tech gold rushes. “Our community is everything to us. The STUD has always been known as a mixed space—men, women, trans folks, gay and straight; we have a sign over the front entrance that proclaims, “Everyone is Welcome Here” and that is definitely an ethos that we strive towards.” Now, the STUD is gearing up for it’s third iteration, finding a new space, which has been a challenge, but Rachel, and the collective, are determined to see this process through and become a triumphant story of a city which has fought this war of culture and space for many decades.
SUI GENERIS
Miguel Lopez and Gabriel Yanez are not just San Franciscan success stories, but they are successes of the American Immigrant dream—coming from Mexico and building one of MIGUEL LOPEZ AND the jewels of the GABRIEL YANEZ. Castro. Miguel PHOTO BY RICHARD SHIU came from Morelia, Michoacan and Gabriel from Guadalajara. Together, they run Sui Generis, a consignment store that caters to the fashion forward and luxury eccentrics of the city. Sui Generis is a Latin phrase, meaning “of its own kind; unique.” They are not only business partners, but are also married, and this joint love for each other and what they do, shows in the way they dress their clientele. “Our mission is to make sure our customers walk out of the store looking and feeling great, that’s the main goal, everything else is secondary. We won’t sell you an item if it doesn’t fit you or you don’t feel comfortable in it.” Sui Generis is not immune to the trends that have made San Francisco incredibly difficult for small business owners, but their enthusiasm, consistency and pride in what they do is what keeps the business adapting. “One thing always remained the same in San Francisco, and beyond—people love clothes, appreciate quality and like to look great. It’s our challenge to make sure we have what’s current and in trend ready for them with the best style team to make that as easy and comfortable as possible. The beginnings of the business date back to the 1990’s in Mexico, where the duo dressed celebrities any latinx queer will squeal at the thought of (like Mana, and Alejandar Guzman) walking into their shop). Miguel then moved to the US, working for brands like MaxMara and Ralph Lauren, eventually turning his focus to his own business and bringing his dreams of a store to San Francisco. Since then, Sui Generis has grown into an icon of SF fashion, from their incredible windows during Folsom Week, to their sponsorship of JUANITA MORE’s Pride Party. In 2016, the City and County of San Francisco crowned their decade in the city by named October 8th Sui Generis Day.
BUSINESSES PROUDLY SUPPORTING THE TRANS, NON-BINARY COMMUNITY
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FEEDING HUNGRY NAKED MEN
Drag icon Juanita MORE! on meeting Divine, raising money for charity and her new restaurant venture MORE!jones. BY BRENDEN SHUCART | PHOTO BY LEO HERRERA
Please start by giving us a thumbnail sketch of your biography: where did you grow up? Go to school? What was your family life like? I am a proud East Bay native. Both sides of my family settled in Northern California in the late 1920’s. My mom’s side from Chihuahua, Mexico and my dad’s side from the island of Kauai, which they arrived at in 1899 after a devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico. My parents got married and settled in the East Bay town of Hayward. During my high school years, the city’s downtown area had a thriving gay bar scene. On my way home from school, I passed at least five gay bars. Rumor has it that those bars were founded by closeted sailors from the Alameda Naval Base looking for a safe place to meet other men. I spent a lot of time hanging out in the parking lots during high school—meeting other awkward boys like me. That’s where I began to find my second family.
Street. She looked at me and told the people around her in that iconic voice “They sure are getting younger.” All I could think about was running away with her and the other actors in the play and living happily ever after. But, drag for me didn’t become something I really admired until I moved to New York City and met my drag mother Glamamore at Boy Bar. It was there that I really came to appreciate the art of drag. Every week I got to see performances by drag royalty on that tiny little stage that included Princess Diandra, Connie Girl, Miss Guy, Mona Foot, Codie, Raven, and Nickie Nicole—queens that I would eventually steal a little bit from, though I didn’t do drag until some years later. During those days you could say that I was the original MOREboy: carrying Glamamore’s bags and making sure she got to her events on time. I think there is even a video online somewhere with me onstage with her as one of the backup boys.
When did you first realize you were Queer? What inspired you to start doing Drag? I have always felt that I was queer and have bits and pieces in my memory that come in and out of focus when I start recalling those early thoughts and feelings. When I came out my mom said she never knew I was gay. I would wonder why after watching home movies—I WAS DEFINITELY GAY. My introduction to drag was through Divine. I had a poster of her hanging in my bedroom and was a true fanboy. I devoured Female Trouble and Pink Flamingos at the NuArt Theater on summer vacations in Los Angeles. I once got to meet her after a live performance of The Neon Woman here in San Francisco at the Alcazar Theater on Geary
Your parties have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity over the years, you were deeply involved in the political campaigns of both Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and CA State Senator Mark Leno’s mayoral bid, and currently, you are working hard to get out the vote and support Matt Haney for Supervisor. How do you see your need to get involved? Is it part of your obligation as a Drag Queen, or is it a personal calling? The only obligation I feel that I have is to myself. If you take a look at my political views, they are pretty simple and basically reflect how I was raised. The guidance my parents gave me has truly been the best life lesson I have ever been given. They taught me to be kind, accepting, loving,
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and appreciate people. I think back and can hear them saying, “Shake so-and-so’s hand, kiss auntie when you see her and thank the grocery clerk for his service.” I’d even see my dad say good morning to strangers—just because. When you grow up learning those simple things, you learn to understand the true meaning of life. So, if you hear me rant on about something I love socially or my political views on something—that’s where it came from. In the end that’s all that I am really worth. You are almost as well known for your love of good food as you are for your parties and your Drag. Where did you come by your epicureanism? Who taught you how to cook? I have always considered my love of food as my first true artistic gift. Growing up, I was that little kid who didn’t want to go outside to play; I wanted to stay in the kitchen. My grandmothers, aunts, and uncles all influenced my love for food, but it was mostly my dad. He had done some cooking before my parents got married and once told me that my mother didn’t know how to fry an egg on their first day of marriage. I would stand on a chair next to the stove and began to absorb his passion for cooking and my love of it. I remember one time he made Chicken Ala King at a big family gathering and I thought it was the fanciest thing I’d ever seen. I know that you’ve been interested in having your own restaurant for a while now. What brought you into collaboration with the team at 620 Jones? I’ve cooked professionally for most of my adult life and to be honest owning a
>> RAFAEL MANDELMAN <<
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>> JUANITA MORE! <<
restaurant was never something I had hoped to do. Restaurant work can be grueling. Somewhere in the middle of this drag career of mine, I decided to mix my two artistic loves together. Everyone was enjoying my pop-up dinners during the mid ‘90s and a few years later I started to think more and more about the idea of running a restaurant. As a joke, I would say “If I died tomorrow my obituary would read: and the bitch ran a restaurant.” Opening a restaurant right now in San Francisco is difficult as food is once again being marketed to the public as something that needs to be convenient. Grocery stores now lean towards selling you more prepared foods than actual food to cook. When was the last time you saw an ad that said: “These farm fresh vegetables will be so great and easy to prepare.” There are dozens of apps to make your “cooking” lifestyle more easy by delivering you fast food within 15 minutes. Most tech businesses have cafeterias so you don’t have
laboration like? How do you fit together? The boys in the kitchen are my family. I’m happy to walk into the kitchen everyday. I’ve also brought on friends as part of the service staff. I couldn’t be happier supporting and employing family. We should all be surrounded by those we love all day and night. What more can a person ask for?
its tendency toward reinvention, part of surviving is at least being open to embracing new things. With my new restaurant the math is simple—if you don’t come to eat I don’t have a restaurant. You don’t have any business mourning loss of queer businesses if you’re not doing anything to keep them in business.
At your *ahem* “33rd” birthday party in September—which doubled as the launch event for MORE!jones—you spoke really beautifully about watching so many LGBTQ owned and operated businesses in San Francisco disappear in recent years, and the need to support each other. Could you articulate the impact of that loss for our readers who may be new arrivals, and compare Queer life in The City today to how it was when you were first starting out? San Francisco has led so many people on a hustle to survive. This city has never really been easy, but now so much that
Since you opened I’ve become a huge fan of your Sunday Drag Brunch and your Wednesday night Family Dinners. Both because they are amazing opportunities for folks to come together and see people they really care about outside of a club or a bar. Can you share your thoughts about the role of food in building community Food has always been a form of love in my life, so I’m just sharing. I mean we all grew up being served a big old cake on our birthdays, roasting a turkey at Thanksgiving or having a barbeque on the Fourth of July.
“CHANGE IS NOT ALWAYS BAD, AND IN A CITY RENOWNED FOR ITS TENDENCY TOWARD REINVENTION, PART OF SURVIVING IS AT LEAST BEING OPEN TO EMBRACING NEW THINGS. WITH MY NEW RESTAURANT THE MATH IS SIMPLE—IF YOU DON’T COME TO EAT I DON’T HAVE A RESTAURANT. YOU DON’T HAVE ANY BUSINESS MOURNING LOSS OF QUEER BUSINESSES IF YOU’RE NOT DOING ANYTHING TO KEEP THEM IN BUSINESS.” to leave the building—just eat and keep working. Restaurants are opening and closing at a more rapid rate than ever. The owners of Jones approached me earlier this year with the idea of me taking over the kitchen. I have been friends with the 620 Jones team for a long time and over the past seven years, I have hosted my annual Pride Party there. A lot of people think that I’m in the middle of a month-long pop-up—no folks, I’ve really done it. You’ve hosted many pop-ups and your Naked Dinners are legendary, but this is the first time running the kitchen in a nightly restaurant. Is if different than you expected? Harder? More fun? Feeding hungry naked men is definitely harder work. At MORE!jones you are working closely with family and friends. What’s that col1 8 T H E F IGH T S F | www.thefightmag.com
was at the heart of what it means to be queer here is gone. I think back about coming out on Polk Street and can remember all the joy and excitement. The things I miss about old queer San Francisco are not really that exciting; having sex in the parking lot on Dore Street between Folsom and Howard; shopping for vintage clothing at The Matinee on Polk Street; seeing someone in chaps for the first time with their ass hanging out; doing poppers in the bushes with someone at Lafayette Park; lounging at Stars Restaurant where I would milk a cocktail and an appetizer for as long as possible just to keep my seat at the bar; meeting Edith Massey on a Monday night at the original STUD bar and asking if she would dance with me, she said “Oh no honey, I can’t. I broke my arm,” and waved her cast in the air at me. That said, change is not always bad, and in a city renowned for
When people come into the restaurant to eat, I want them to know that I care about them. Sharing food is a very special thing. I mean it’s not a casual business lunch—I’m creating a new alliance with my greater family and community. I’m working on a project with Openhouse—a local non-profit organization who is providing housing, direct services, and community programs to San Francisco Bay Area LGBT seniors in the unique challenges they face as they age. I’m working on MORE!jones hosting a monthly, buffetstyle dinner to encourage social interaction with our community elders. Host an elder at your table and learn about our history, make a friend and create a future! I’m also planning on bringing in a local celebrity guest once a month to share their favorite family recipe with everyone! I love cooking and have truly married my to artistic things I do best—food and drag.
Come this weekend. Come next weekend. Stay the week. Forward your mail. Just move in already. We got you. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a prismatic paradise with free wifi, morning yoga, desert cruiser bikes, a buzzing pool scene with boozy frozen drinks, and weekend DJ sets. Come get wet.
20% off your stay at The Saguaro Hotel with
CODE: PSPRIDE S O M E R E S T R I C T I O N S A P P LY
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> > S P E N C E R WAT S O N < <
KEEPING WEALTH IN THE FAMILY An interview with LGBTQ Credit Union Coalition founder Spencer Watson. BY BRENDEN SHUCART
What are some of the financial challenges faced by members of the LGBTQ community compared to our straight peers? LGBTQ individuals often suffer early traumas in youth from being rejected by their families of origin or at school, which can leave them with serious resource, education, and capacity deficitsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;at times leading to youth homelessness and poverty. Comparative lack of familial financial support means LGBTQ students are frequently financially independent earlier, and pay more out of their own pockets to obtain college degrees. In adulthood LGBTQ people are victim to wage and earnings gaps, and at times are unfairly denied services or goods in housing, insurance, financial, and other market transactions. LGBTQ adults sufwww.thefightmag.com 2 0 T H E F IGH T S F | www.thefi ghtmag.com
I REALIZED THAT THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY NEEDED A FAIR AND EQUAL FINANCIAL SERVICES PARTNER IN FALL 2017, WHILE I WAS ATTENDING A MEETING IN THE CASTRO ABOUT HOW TO CREATE AND GROW QUEER COMMUNITY SPACES.
fer from greater underemployment and underinsurance compared to their straight peers. And when they are employed, they are paid less than heterosexuals. In 2018, Prudential reported that lesbians earned 11% less than straight women, and gay men earned 31% less than straight men. Transgender communities feel even greater earnings gaps, with 15% of transgendered household reporting incomes under $10,000 per year, compared to a 4% rate in the general population. In the marketplace for goods and services, LGBTQ homebuyers are quoted higher prices than similarly qualified heterosexual applicants. While insurers routinely deny access to LGBTQs seeking coverage for fertility services, hormone therapies, and HIV-prevention medications. In the context of financial services, a recent 2018 study
>> LGBTQ CREDIT UNION COALITION <<
of Federal Reserve mortgage data showed that gay and lesbian couples applying for credit were denied loans at a rate 73% higher than heterosexual couples of similar credit and financial quality, and on average received interest rates as much as 2% higher for the mortgages they obtained. As a result gay and lesbian couples paid $8.6-86 million more for mortgages than heterosexuals. Financial firms frequently trot out rainbow-emblazoned credit cards for Pride, but they very rarely discuss what makes their products competitive and a superior option for LGBTQ community, (i.e. fairer approval odds LGBTQ applicants, more competitive interest rates, or other details which are actually relevant to LGBTQ consumers.) The rainbowwashing and predatory Pride marketing campaigns of financial firms inhibits LGBTQ consumers ability to discern whether a product is actually beneficial to them, often by exploiting their desire to support LGBTQinclusive businesses, such as those sponsoring Pride floats or events.
States, it also established that same-sex spouses were equally valid co-applicants in credit, insurance, housing, and other financial and legal transactions. But for those widows who lost partners prior to 2015—and who would
SPENCER WATSON
Have these issues improved with the achievement of marriage equality? Marriage equality has been a huge step for LGBTQ communities—particularly monogamous gay and lesbian couples—but it has not made a deep or wide reaching effect in alleviating the conditions of discrimination and poverty which many LGBTQ folks continue struggle with. Obergefell settled the legal validity of same-sex marriages across the United
have married if they had the right to do so—the Obergefell holding came too late to secure their survivors pensions and benefits. Survivors benefits and savings which they could be using to sustain themselves today. Unfair exclusion from the institution of marriage has left financial scar on some same-sex households which will endure, and the LGBTQ community will continue to suffer a vestigial
harm from the days of marriage inequality so long as that scar endures. And because not all LGBTQ people want to get married and to form nuclear families—or they may simply be single-marriage equality has not resulted in significant change for many, or even a majority, of LGBTQ persons. Generally speaking, LGBTQ people more often are single than heterosexual peers, and despite having equal opportunity to marry they still are not marrying as frequently. They more frequently have less formalized networks of intimate partners, adoptive kin, and “chosen family” which do not as readily fit the model of the legal marriage as comes pre-configured out-of-the-box. What is the LGBTQ Credit Union Coalition and when did you decide to form it? The LGBTQ Credit Union Coalition is a non-profit organizing to launch the nation’s first LGBTQ Federal Credit Union (FCU) by 2023. The Coalition’s mission is to coordinate the necessary research, community engagement, and advocacy surrounding LGBTQ financial issues to successfully organize the LGBTQ FCU. The Coalition is endorsed by a number of bay area nonprofits and businesses, including Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Queer Land Trust, and Wicked Grounds Café, and is continuing to add more organizational endorsements in NO VEMB ER 2018 | THE F I GH T S F 21
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support for an LGBTQ FCU locally and nation-wide. The Coalition builds research and reporting about LGBTQ financial capacities and issues, performs financial education in the San Francisco Bay Area about LGBTQ financial issues, as well as participating in capacity building for the LGBTQ community, developing knowledge and skills about financial topics and consumer credit. In 2019, the Coalition will be looking to convene community, business, policymakers, and other thought leaders in an event to discuss LGBTQ economic issues and how to create and support queer-er financial practices and products which can provide more benefit to LGBTQ households and communities. I realized that the LGBTQ community needed a fair and equal financial services partner in Fall 2017, while I was attending a meeting in the Castro about how to create and grow queer community spaces. There, I heard about the difficulties organizers experienced in attempting to find capital, insurance, and resources for their businesses and organizing efforts. At the same time, I was conducting research into bias against LGBTQ applicants in the applications for adoption and fertility grants and loans. In both cases I saw instances of financial discrimination which were largely invisible for lack of research and data into the issue, and also under-pursued by regulators because of the present ambiguity of federal anti-discrimination statutes and fair lending laws as applied to LGBTQ persons. I began organizing the Coalition in January of this year—while I still within the safe harbor of my last semester at Berkeley Law—and we officially launched in June 2018, when it was sponsored as a 501(c)3 nonprofit project by the San Francisco Bay Area Leather Alliance. What can a LGBTQ credit union do to address the wealth gap between Queers and heterosexuals? An LGBTQ FCU can improve queer consumers comfort and ability to access financial services and credit. Access to friendly financial professionals familiar with LGBTQ issues can reduce instances where customers receive harassing or culturally misinformed service from a professional providing them with assistance. By offering fair and equal treatment in approval, interest rates, and fees LGBTQ consumers and business will have improved access to consumer credit and business loans so they can make more 2 2 T H E F IGH T S F | www.thefightmag.com
profitable purchases and investments. Better approval odds means more LGBTQ households buying homes, and more LGBTQ businesses opening—while lower interest rates lead to cost savings for LGBTQ consumers and organizations, allowing them to keep more income for other purchasing or savings. More money in their pockets means more spending power for houses, to start queer businesses, or to spend at queer businesses. Also it means saved for emergencies, goals and retirement, and so more financial security for LGBTQ households and their communities.
BY OFFERING FAIR AND EQUAL TREATMENT IN APPROVAL, INTEREST RATES, AND FEES LGBTQ CONSUMERS AND BUSINESS WILL HAVE IMPROVED ACCESS TO CONSUMER CREDIT AND BUSINESS LOANS SO THEY CAN MAKE MORE PROFITABLE PURCHASES AND INVESTMENTS. Importantly, support LGBTQ communities’ ability to remain in gentrifying urban areas such as the Bay Area, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Inability to afford housing and commercial property here in Castro and SOMA undoubtedly contributes to why those neighborhoods are becoming less populous with LGBTQ folks and LGBTQ-serving businesses. The LGBTQ FCU can also develop unique financial products which are informed by the financial experiences and needs for LGBTQ consumers, too, creating truly innovative financial products and solutions for these problems. For example, the FCU could help consumers afford adoption and fertility services or transition-related care and services through low-or-no interest loans. And, when members repay their loans,
the money gets used to pay interest back to members’ savings accounts. This can create a virtuous circle of savings, lending, and investment, which grows community savings and beneficially invest that savings to help LGBTQ consumers and businesses grow as well, which is why our Coalition’s motto, is “Sharing, growing, and keeping wealth in the family.” What is required to make a LGBTQ credit union a reality, and what can our readers do to help? Organizing a credit union is a one to three year process with several steps. First, the initial FCU charter proposal must be pitched to the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) to identify the FCU’s name, scope of membership, and its principal organizers. Next, those organizers produce the information needed to launch a successful credit union: a market survey, the FCU’s by-laws, its operating and compliance procedures, and a marketing plan. Using insights from the gathered information, the organizers identify necessary resources, including financial and human capital, vendor relationships, and facilities. Once the organizers identify all the information and resources necessary to launch a successful and sustainable FCU, the NCUA can approve the organizers’ final charter proposal and the FCU can open its doors to the public for business. Presently, the Coalition is building engagement with LGBTQ consumers, businesses, and nonprofits from around the country in order to build a nationwide movement in favor of an creating LGBTQ Federal Credit Union, and fairer and more equal financial services for LGBTQ families, businesses, and communities. In order to understand LGBTQ financial pressures, and identify effective solutions to them, the Coalition must address a significant information gap about the economic well being LGBTQ community. Readers who wish to support the project as individual can sign our online petition in favor of an LGBTQ FCU on our website, and those who wish to support our organizing, advocacy and education around LGBTQ financial issues can donate online at lgbtq. credit/donate. LGBTQ-serving and supporting business and nonprofit leaders can consider endorsing the Coalition with their organization’s name, or their group can also sponsor us or a Coalition event to help support us and keep us organizing and performing education in the community.
>> ANDRES WYLER <<
It’s an unfortunate
reality that almost LGBTQ+ entrepreneur has faced discrimination and unequal access to the resources necessary to help their new business thrive— even in outwardly progressive San Francisco. Enter StartOut Growth Laboratories. The only LGBTQ+ start-up accelerator based in the heart of the Financial District. The office space and wrap-around mentorship lab is an offshoot of StartOut, the country’s largest non-profit for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs. According to Executive Director Andres Wydler, SGL was born from a need for community among LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs. Wydler has experienced his own frustration with the lack of understanding circles to vent, build and dream alongside. For LGBTQ+ business owners, the challenges present differently to those of their cis-straight counterparts.
IN A COMMUNITY HISTORICALLY UNDERGROUND, LGBTQ+ FOUNDERS OFTEN SIMPLY DON’T HAVE THE ESTABLISHED CONNECTIONS TO FUNDING AND INDIVIDUALS READY AND WILLING TO SIGN OVER A CHECK FOR THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
ANDRES WYLER
One Success At A Time
StartOut Growth Laboratories’ Andres Wyler on the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ business owners as opposed to their cis-straight counterparts. BY GREY CROUCH
The largest unique roadblock? Wydler adamantly identifies access. In a community historically underground, LGBTQ+ founders often simply don’t have the established connections to funding and individuals ready and willing to sign over a check for thousands of dollars. This lack access and support is what StartOut and SGL seek to change. Together, the matchmaking platform and accelerator space provide a one-stop-shop for investors and new growth companies through mentorship, legal aid, premier networking opportunities and an online platform of over 15,000 participants. The now five chapter network has branched from Los Angeles to New York. It gives rise to such companies as Zeguro, a cybersecurity platform connecting cloud-based businesses with secure insurance options; Endo Industries, a biotech company servicing the growing hemp and cannabis industries; and GPS Gay, connecting users to events, travel and social meet-ups from the U.S. to South America. There is no doubt this community is creating change in the business world. Now, it’s all about continuing that momentum. Wydler confirms next steps for LGBTQ+ industry must be visibility and research. Great LGBTQ+ companies exist and are expanding. Now, it’s about getting that message to the forefront and backing it up with data. Diversity is profitable. How will StartOut spread the word? To Wydler, the answer is clear: “One success at a time.” Interested in joining SGL January cohort? Apply at: www.startoutlab.org/apply-now. NO VEMB ER 2018 | THE F I GH T S F 23
>> ISAURO CAIRO <<
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>> ARTIST & PHOTOGRAPHER <<
ISAURO CAIRO
IN LOVING MEMORY
Beloved artist and photographer Isauro Cairo passed away last month. Cairo had been paralyzed from a fall less than two years ago, and faced a new life in a wheelchair and a new home in Phoenix away from his beloved NYC. His strength in the face of disability served as the ultimate inspiration to so many who watched and prayed for him as he faced his new challenges. RIP.
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THEART >>
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LGBTQ ARTISTS
<<
>>
ALEX PRESTIA
<<
ALEX PRESTIA In his own words: “I’m a gay artist and I create gay art to create more gay and to create more art. I primarily utilize alcohol markers, watercolor markers and pen.The human form is a landscape of emotion and energy. While I sketch, I consider how far away from an accurate representation of the model I can go while still capturing some recognizable elements of musculature, form, orientation, expression, energy, or emotion. To achieve this I often look for the shape and lines created by the body’s peak and valleys and the shadows that fall atop them. I decide whether to go fat or narrow with my strokes as I map the body, and I decide how much layering and overlapping of colors to incorporate. With most sketches the final step is to trace around where the colors have overlapped and blended to create a new color. Those final lines pull the whole figure together to capture the energy of the model and create a more recognizable form. A portion of my artwork is dedicated to an exploration of make intimacy, journaling men I have encountered by way of romance, casual exploration, love and friendship. An abstract display pf private thoughts, feelings and desires inspired by the beauty of other gay men. These works are about revealing some of the light that I see in them. I consider how far away from an accurate representation of the image in mind I can go, while still capturing some element of recognition of the image of the concept. Each work is a glimpse of how I see it and can best reflect it. As a painter and as an artist, I am self-taught and I continue my journey forwards, learning as I go.” n For more artwork, Alex posts works-in-progress and completed works on Instagram: @a1205x ALEX PRESTIA
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THEMUSIC >>
JOHN GRANT
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“AS A RECOVERING ADDICT AND AN OPENLY HIV POSITIVE ARTIST, GRANT HAS QUITE A WELL TO DRAW FROM…”
THAT
GLORIOUS VOICE
Singer-songwriter John Grant’s fourth album Love Is Magic : dipping his toes much more in the kaleidoscopic synth pool.
T
BY PAUL V. VITAGLIANO
he first time I heard John Grant’s voice on a song called Marz on his debut album back in 2010, I literally had goosebumps and a warm tingle enveloping my entire body. I was floored by how painfully gorgeous the song was, and how much Grant’s deep but delicate voice connected with me. I soon learned he was an openly gay man (and a big, strapping handsome bear to boot), and I’ve been a fanboy ever since. Through three albums, he’s always toyed with blending grand, romantic melodies and acoustic
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sounds with subtle electronics. For his fourth effort, he’s dipping his toes much more in the kaleidoscopic synth pool, finding equal inspiration in quirky vintage legends like Kraftwerk, Devo, and Pink Floyd. And I have to say: many of his lyrics here are just as crazy as the image he chose for the cover art. As a recovering addict and an openly HIV positive artist as well, Grant has quite a well to draw from: despair, recondite and sardonic wit, sly gay self-expression, and even a condemnation of vacuous exlovers on the robosexual Diet Gum. I won’t tell you who the scathing Smug C*nt is about, but let’s just say he has orange skin, hideous hair, and tiny pussy-grabbing hands. Even as he hurl obscenities, he still keeps his diatribes clever. Grant might appear to be a bizarre, enigmatic and possibly absurd artist to any new listener; for my ears though, those three adjectives—and yes, that glorious voice—are what always keep me hooked. n
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THECALENDAR >> THINGS TO DO << UNDERWEAR WEDNESDAYS AT EROS
EVERY WEDNESDAY
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10,
UNDERWEAR WEDNESDAYS 12 PM
LESBIAN/GAY CHORUS OF SAN FRANCISCO 7:30PM–8:30PM
Eros, 2051 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94114. Every Wednesday. After checking in, come show off your undies to the staff, and we’ll give you a coupon for $3 off on a future entry.
GRACE TOWERS PRESENTS: DICKATNITE: DRAG SHOW 10:00PM
Moby Dick Bar, 4049 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94114. This drag show happens every Wednesday at the intimate Moby Dick bar in the Castro. Weekly themes range from All That Jazz to Yaaaaaaaaasssssssssssss Gaga, ensuring a thrilling experience no matter which show you attend. EVERY THURSDAY
BLUR—TRANSGENDER & GENDER-VARIANT SUPPORT GROUP 6:30PM–7:30PM
Dimensions Clinic, 3850 17th St. San Francisco, CA. www.dimensionsclinic.org Free Food Provided! Come and chat with other trans & gav people, facilitated by trans counselors. For 18-25 year old youth.
LESBIANS OF COLOR DISCUSSION GROUP 7PM–8:30PM Pacific Center, Berkeley, 2712 Telegraph Ave. Berkeley CA Every Thursday from 7-9 PM. The group is racially diverse and talks about any and everything.
San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 50 Oak St San Francisco, CA. “LGCSF for our Fall concert, RISE, as we create community and journey toward freedom in song with Vocal Activist, Melanie DeMore. We will be performing the California premiere of DeMore’s powerful work Freedom Land. As Melanie explains, “We will create a foot stomping, hand-clapping rhythmic community and combine it with singing spirituals and songs of protest and peace.”
BOOTIE MASH-UP PARTY 9PM–12AM
DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, San Francisco, CA. Bootie, monthly mash-up party. 21+. $12 cover, 2 for 1 before 10:30 pm. Free Bootie CDs to the first 50 people. Now 2nd Saturdays of each month.
COCKBLOCK 10PM–12AM
The Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94102. Pumping up dance floors since early 2006 and featured as ‘The Best Place for Chicks (Who Like Chicks)’ by the SF Bay Guardian’s Best of the Bay in 2009, COCKBLOCK is SF’s Hottest Dance Party for lezzies, lovers and friends. What started out as a small and ultra-casual queer dance event rapidly grew into masses of mixed-gender partygoers getting
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down wall-to-wall. Join us at the Rickshaw Stop Every 2nd and 4th Saturday with DJ Natalie Nuxx and special guests, spinning the best of Nineties, Electropop, Hip Hop, Disco, 80’s & other danceable themes all night long. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11
SALSA SUNDAYS AT EL RIO 3PM–8PM 3158 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110. Every 2nd and 4th Sunday afternoons, we have some of the best Salsa, Merengue and Cumbia bands from the bay area on our Fabulous Patio. DJEmotions spins on the patio. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13
HYSTERIA FEMINIST & QUEER-FRIENDLY COMEDY 6:15PM–7:15PM
Martuni’s, 4 Valencia at Market, San Francisco, CA. Hysteria feminist and queerfriendly open mic, now 2nd Tuesdays. Open mic signup at 6pm, show at 6:30. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16
TRANS EMPOWERMENT CLUB (TRANS: THRIVE) 3PM–5:30PM
API Wellness, 730 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA 94109. Connect with fellow trans job seekers and receive support, insights and resources to empower yourself at the Center’s weekly
drop-in Job Club and ongoing employment workshops.
OAKLAND: COUNTRY NIGHTS: WOMEN‘S PARTNER DANCING 7PM–10:30PM
Lake Merritt Dance Center, 200 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94610 COUNTRY NIGHTS: Women’s partner dancing in Oakland, First Saturdays NO EXPERIENCE OR PARTNER NECESSARY! Nonstop Music and Dancing. All Ages.
YOU BETTA WORK COMEDY ¡FIESTA! 8:30PM–9:30PM
Prism Bar, 4000 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA. You Betta Work Comedy ¡Fiesta!: Hosted by Jesús U. BettaWork. Every third Friday. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29
A JOHN WATERS CHRISTMAS 8PM–11PM
Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell St, San Francisco, CA 94109. John Waters loves Christmas, and he wants you to know. The legendary cult-filmmaker takes to the stage with his traditional one man monologue, extolling the virtues of everyone’s favorite holiday, from offering advice on Christmas films and music, to asking the important questions you’ve always wanted answered by the people’s pervert, such as ‘Is Santa erotic?’
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The fun starts here. Everyone is welcome. Tour historic and current LGBT hotspots all within walking distance of our Hop-On Hop-Off stops. Arts, Culture, History, Shopping, Dining, Nightlife and more! Go to our website www.citysightseeinglosangeles.com/pages/pride and discover our special LGBT itinerary covering destinations over all routes. Enjoy our special offer with code FIGHT.
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Creating Families for 38 years
With pride, CSP celebrates our first gay parents birth, 31 years ago! Make a Dream Come True - Be a Surrogate Mom
15821 Ventura Blvd. Suite 625 Encino, CA 91436 818-788-8288
www.creatingfamilies.com 3 2 T H E F IGH T S F | www.thefightmag.com