Several organizations will co-host the third San Francisco Transgender Immigrant Symposium Friday, August 25, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Strut, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation's health center in the heart of the LGBTQ neighborhood at 470 Castro Street.
ParivarBayArea, the LGBT Asylum Project, and the Center for Immigrant Protection are leading the symposium. A news release noted that the inclusive event is dedicated to fostering transgender intersectional unity while providing resources for trans immigrants.
Nationally recognized trans leader Bamby Salcedo, founder and chief executive officer of the Los Angeles-based TransLatinaCoaliton, will deliver the keynote address. Salcedo was instrumental in pushing for the creation of a Transgender Wellness Fund in California three years ago. While the bill signed by Governor Gavin Newsom initially had its funding stripped, Salcedo and advocates secured $13 million in 2021, as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported.
ParivarBayArea's release stated that Salcedo's wide-ranging activism "has brought visibility and given a voice to not only the trans community, but to countless others whose efforts focus on critical topics that include immigration, HIV, at-risk youth, LGBTQIA+ issues, incarceration, and more."
Additionally the guest speaker will be Funda Diana, a Muslim trans woman, who will share her story and urge the inter-faith community to come together.
A performance by Parivar co-founder and drag artist SNJV will entertain and weave together dance, drag, and drama, the release noted.
There will be a resource fair featuring organizations that provide support and services to trans LGBTQ immigrants and refugees.
Remarks are expected from gay San Francisco political leaders state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman.
Dinner will be served as attendees enjoy a screening of "Belonging," a 45-minute film that tells the story of Parivar President and CEO Anjali Rimi, a Kinnar trans immigrant woman, and her mother, as they embark on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance.
"We are honored to create a safe space for trans immigrants from the Middle East, Latinx, and global South to share their courageous journeys of living their authentic lives," Rimi stated.
The symposium is being produced by Jupiter Peraza and Amit Patel. It is free to attend but registration is required. Transgender, gender-nonconforming, and intersex individuals will be given priority in case of capacity constraints. To sign up, click here.
East Bay Stonewall Dems to hold Pride breakfast
Oakland Pride is just a couple of weeks away, and the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club will hold its annual Pride breakfast Sunday, September 10, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at Fluid 510, 1544 Broadway in downtown Oakland.
This year's theme is "Protect Trans Kids." In May, the Human Rights Campaign reported that over 520 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures. Over 220 bills specifically target transgender and nonbinary people, the national LGBTQ rights organization noted.
These bills attempt "to strip transgender people, particularly trans youth, of their safety, their dignity, and the freedom to be themselves," Stonewall club officials noted in a flyer promoting the breakfast.
Local elected officials are expected to be on hand, along with community leaders. The club stated that proceeds from the breakfast will benefit its political action committee and funds raised will help support candidates who protect trans kids.
The club will also be marching in the Oakland Pride parade that starts that day at 11 a.m. at Broadway and 14th streets and continues to 21st Street. Breakfast attendees are welcome to march in the club's contingent, the flyer noted. The parade is free to the public.
Tickets for the Pride breakfast are $50 or $25 for students and seniors. To purchase tickets, click here.
Join the Sisters for bingo to mark Women's Equality Day
Hotel Zeppelin near San Francisco's Union Square will be the site of a celebration of Women's Equality Day that will feature charity bingo hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The event takes place Saturday, August 26, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at 545 Post Street.
Members of the philanthropic drag nun group will guide classic bingo games with a fun twist as they honor the anniversary of women's suffrage in the U.S., celebrate equal rights, and promote inclusivity, a news release noted. Attendees can expect a night of camaraderie and friendly competition with the opportunity to win fabulous prizes.
Funds raised from the evening will support the Sisters, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "spreading joy and expiating stigmatic guild," as they state on their website. Every contribution made during the event will directly aid the Sisters' work, according to the release.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here.
ArtWalk SF in the Castro
The Castro Merchants Association has announced that its next Castro Art Mart will partner with ArtWalk SF Saturday, September 2, from noon to 5 p.m. in the LGBTQ neighborhood.
The merchants have regularly held ArtMart events, while ArtWalkSF highlights and supports the city's artists, musicians, performers, and small businesses in various neighborhoods. Next month, the two will combine for a special afternoon in the Castro.
Neighborhood businesses are being encouraged to participate in the event by hosting an art show, live music, or having a table on the street. Local artists will also be selling their art or artisanal goods. Cliff's Variety co-owner Terry Asten Bennett, president of the merchants group, said that a portion of Noe Street near Market Street will be closed — the same area used for the weekly farmers market.
Organizers, which include ArtWalkSF, Creative IQ, ArtyhoodSF, and Avenue Greenlight, expect about 2,000 attendees.
Yale researcher looking for friends of gay SF man
Samuel Ernest, a doctoral student at Yale University, is working on gay theological responses to the AIDS crisis. One of the men he's researching was Kevin Gordon. He lived on Castro Street in the 1970s through 1985, working as a therapist and also doing some activism with the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco on gay/lesbian topics, Ernest wrote in an email to the B.A.R.
Ernest wrote that he's working with historian Lynne Gerber. He's trying to find people who may have known Gordon while he lived in San Francisco and/or his friend, Tom O'Leary, who was a business owner in the Castro.
People can reach Ernest at [email protected] or (616) 558-2662.
St. Helena chamber issues call for muralists
The St. Helena Chamber of Commerce and the St. Helena Beautification Foundation Committee have announced a call for artists for the first mural project for the historic downtown shopping district in the North Bay city.
According to a news release, the two groups began discussing the project last year as a way to invigorate the shopping area with art installations or murals utilizing untouched buildings and spaces as a way to bring added energy to St. Helena.
The chamber and beautification foundation formed a Downtown Art Committee to help implement a strategic plan for the project, the release noted. That plan calls for three art projects in five years around the shopping district.
The first mural is slated for summer 2024 and is being funded by the chamber and beautification foundation. "We wholeheartedly embrace creativity, celebrate diversity, and foster an artistic spirit in St. Helena," stated Amy Carabba, chief executive officer of the chamber of commerce.
The mural will be located on the south facing exterior of Wydown Hotel, located at 1424 Main Street.
Experienced artists across the West Coast are encouraged to submit their qualifications and complete the application by Friday, September 29. After that, two to four semifinalists will be invited to create a proposal and design for the project. A jury will then select one finalist to paint their concept next summer, weather permitting, the release stated.
Interested artists can find the request for qualifications and application here.
Updated, 8/25/23: The item on the Trans immigrant summit has been corrected; this is the third summit, not third annual.
Help keep the Bay Area Reporter going in these tough times. To support local, independent, LGBTQ journalism, consider becoming a BAR member.