Real Bad Does Real Good

Grass Roots Gay Rights West, the non-profit group that produces Folsom Street Fair's Real Bad party, has presented $150,000 to the beneficiaries of this year's event. That's openly gay SF Supervisor (and mayoral candidate) Bevan Dufty on the right, wearing a suit. Behind Dufty is my dear friend Leif Wauters, last year's party honcho.

Four selected LGBT health and community service organizations are sharing the funds raised, which include 100 percent of the money collected from general admission ticket sales. The beneficiary organizations are Dimensions Clinic, which offers medical and mental health services to queer, transgender, and questioning youth, ages 12 to 25; Maitri, one of San Francisco’s most respected and valued resources in providing care to people severely debilitated by AIDS; openhouse, a housing, services, and advocacy organization with a goal to ensure safe housing and support services that are sensitive to the needs of LGBT seniors; and Visual Aid, a nonprofit organization founded to help preserve, present, and promote the work of Bay Area professional artists living with HIV/AIDS, Breast Cancer, and other life-threatening illnesses.

To date the Real Bad parties have donated over $1 million to LGBT-related and other deserving groups. As I've said here before, Real Bad is among the top three most fun and best-run gay events in the nation, along with Miami's Winter Party and NYC's Pier Dance. All three are volunteer staffed. This is not a coincidence.