For the third consecutive year, there will be no city-sponsored Halloween street party in the Castro. Like last year, however, restaurants and bars will remain open and police will not close off the streets.

"There will be no official entertainment and no street closures are planned," stated a news release from the San Francisco Police Department.

Police will be enforcing a zero-tolerance policy regarding public drinking and any other criminal activity, the department stated.

Steve Adams, president of the Castro merchant group, said the gay district will be "business as usual" Saturday night.

"Most bars are having something Halloween going on," Adams said.

The end of Halloween in the Castro started in 2007, when businesses were asked to close and the gayborhood became a ghost town, albeit with plenty of law enforcement to clamp down on what had become a violent celebration.

A number of Halloween parties are planned around the city. For some of the gay-themed events, see this week's Out and About calendar in the arts section.

Interfaith rallies to mark Prop 8 anniversary

They won't be celebrating, but LGBTs and their allies will mark the one-year anniversary of the passage of Proposition 8 next week with a series of interfaith services and rallies around the Bay Area.

Dubbed "Keeping the Faith for Equality," the services are sponsored by the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at the Pacific School of Religion and a broad coalition of grassroots and statewide groups, including Equality California, Marriage Equality USA, and the Courage Campaign. In addition to marking the Prop 8 anniversary, the events are designed to stand with equality-minded people in Maine and Washington state as voters in those two states head to the polls next Tuesday to decide on same-sex marriage and domestic partner ballot measures.

Keeping the Faith events take place Monday, November 2. In San Francisco, people should meet at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street. In Oakland, the worship service will be held at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, 3534 Lakeshore Avenue. In Vallejo people will gather at First Congregational Church, 1035 Indiana Street. All take place from 7 to 8 p.m.

In San Jose, people will meet at First Christian Church, 80 South First Street, at 6 p.m. and march to a rally at City Hall.

For more information, visit www.keepingthefaithforequality.org.

MCC-SF to honor Prop 8 attorneys

Metropolitan Community Church-San Francisco will recognize attorneys in the Proposition 8 battle with its "Saints Alive" awards during the church's 7 p.m. service on Sunday, November 1.

Chief Deputy City Attorney Therese Stewart, who has led the city's fight for marriage equality for the last five years, will be honored. Also receiving awards will be Shannon Minter, legal director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, who has led that organization's court fight, and Raymond Marshall, who represented five leading civil rights groups and argued before the state Supreme Court in March that allowing Prop 8 to stand could be detrimental to other minority groups.

The Reverend Lea Brown, senior pastor at MCC-S

First runner-up Tracy Wolf, left, and Ms. SF Leather winner Mollena Williams are all smiles after the contest. (See item below.) Photo: Rich Stadtmiller

F, said the award is presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the LGBT community.

"We are deeply grateful to them for all they have done and are continuing to do to end discrimination based on sexual orientation," Brown added.

For more information about the church, visit www.mccsf.org.

Prop 8 action in SF

The group One Struggle, One Fight will host a rally demanding full federal equality on the one-year anniversary of the passage of Proposition 8 next Wednesday, November 4 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Harvey Milk Plaza, Castro and Market streets. Participants also will celebrate or protest the November 3 election results in Maine (marriage equality), Washington state (domestic partner rights), and Kalamazoo, Michigan (anti-discrimination ordinance).

The event is part of the Equality Across America Week of Initiative that was put forward at the National Equality March earlier this month. For more information, visit www.equalityacrossamerica.org.

Israeli gay youth leaders to visit SF

A delegation of leaders from the Israel Gay Youth Organization will be in San Francisco next week and will hold a community conversation to discuss the impact of the August 1 attack on a gay youth center in Tel Aviv that left two people dead and at least 15 people injured.

The event, which is free, takes place Monday, November 2 at 7 p.m. at the LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street.

The group, which includes former Tel Aviv City Council member and LGBT community leader Etai Pinkas, is coming to the city to meet with the Jewish and LGBT communities here in order to learn more about gay-straight alliance groups and to express its thanks to the immediate expressions of support that followed the summer attack.

Within 24 hours of the shooting, more than 100 people, organized by the Jewish Community Federation, the LGBT community, Congregation Sha'ar Zahav, and the Jewish Community Relations Council, gathered to express support at the LGBT center. A vigil also was held outside Congregation Sha'ar Zahav.

After their San Francisco visit, the group from Israel will head to three other U.S. cities – Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York – that also held memorials and vigils in response to the shooting.

Under One Roof opens holiday store

Under One Roof, which sells merchandise at its Castro storefront to benefit numerous HIV/AIDS service organizations, will open a special holiday store in a downtown mall.

The Christmas store will open Monday, November 2 in the Westfield San Francisco Centre, 865 Market Street, just outside the Powell BART and Muni stations.

Patrick Rylee, project manager and a board member for Under One Roof, said the shopping center has donated the space, which will be located on the dome level. The store will offer a unique mix of ornaments, holiday-inspired gifts, and San Francisco mementos.

Heather Almond, senior asset manager for Westfield, said in a statement that the store "brings a new level of holiday excitement and goodwill to our beautiful shopping center."

Rylee noted that volunteers are needed for both the Westfield space and the flagship store at 518A Castro Street. Those interested in helping out during the holidays should call (415) 503-2300 or visit www.underoneroof.org.

SF to host AIDS confab

This year's United States Conference on AIDS begins today (Thursday, October 29) and runs through Halloween at the Hilton San Francisco, 333 O'Farrell Street in Union Square. Presented by the National Minority AIDS Council, the conference is expected to bring together nearly 3,000 people, including elected officials, HIV/AIDS health care professionals, and people living with HIV/AIDS, to discuss funding; the formation of a national AIDS strategy; and treatment, care, and prevention in underserved communities.

On-site registration is $655; there is a 50 percent discount for youth under 25. For more information, visit www.2009USCA.org.

Ms. SF Leather named

After a 10-year absence, the Ms. San Francisco Leather contest returned this month, and writer and actress Mollena "Mo" Williams captured the title during the event.

Contest producers said that while final figures are not yet in, the contest raised more than $1,000 each for beneficiaries Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center and the Transgender Law Center.

Under the theme "The Bitch is Back," five contestants took part in the October 17 contest at the Blue Macaw Bistro and nightclub. The contest was dedicated to Marcus Hernandez, the Bay Area Reporte''s longtime leather columnist who died October 8. Queen Cougar, Ms. San Francisco Leather 1993, served as emcee. Sandy "Mama" Reinhardt was head judge; she was joined by Lamalani, International Ms. Leather 2009; Brandon Clark, Mr. San Francisco Leather 2009; Daddy Sal, co-producer of Leather Traditions; and reigning Ms. San Francisco Leather Pam Meyer (1999).

Contestant Tracy Wolf was named first runner-up, and Miss Max was voted as the Leather Heart recipient by her fellow contestants. Mizz Sammy and Angel also ran for the title.

State Senator Mark Leno and Assemblyman Tom Ammiano both stopped by and joked with Meyer on her 10-year stint as titleholder.

Williams plans to compete for the International Ms. Leather title during the contest in March in San Francisco.

LGBT health network gets state grant

The California LGBT Health and Human Services Network has been awarded a two-year, $444,000 grant by the California Department of Mental Health. The network is part of the Equality California Institute, the educational arm of the statewide LGBT lobbying organization.

The grant will fund the first-ever statewide assessment of the mental health needs of LGBT communities.

"Never before has the state invested in research of this scope for the LGBT community," EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors said in a statement.

The study will collect statewide data on the harm caused by discrimination, examining such issues as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, substance abuse, and suicide. The project will be guided by a statewide work group from within the LGBT community, and it will work collaboratively with the multicultural and multilingual populations of California.