Jazz Hands Might Have Been Better

San Francisco club promoters DJ Jeff Johnson and Kurt Cooper have generated some unpleasant attention for their June 1st "Fag Bash" party , with some taking great offense to both the name and ad image used. The ad appeared in two issues of the Bay Area Reporter and on fliers posted around town. The ad also appears on the Folsom Street Fair site. (UPDATE: Now removed.)

Cooper told the B.A.R. that his usage of "fag" was to reclaim it as a positive word. There have been a number of recent gay bashing incidents in the Castro, resulting in the formation of the Castro Community Patrol, a gay version of the Guardian Angels, who patrol the streets on weekend nights. Ironically, Cooper is on the board of that group. He says that his original vision for the ad was to have the fists (which are his) wearing "big girly rings", but due to budget and time constraints that idea was dropped. The next "Fag Bash" event is scheduled for August and the promoters have not yet decided on whether to change the name.

I've known DJ Jeff Johnson for a number of years. He's a smart guy, a talented DJ, and sits on the Folsom board of directors. But yeah, the name of the party should be be changed.