Celebration In San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO: Madame Tussauds To Unveil Wax Figure Of Laverne Cox

Via TIME Magazine:

Madame Tussauds San Francisco announced Monday that it will debut a wax figure of Laverne Cox, star of Orange Is the New Black and a transgender rights activist, on June 26 during Pride Weekend festivities in the Bay Area. It is the first-ever transgender figure in the museum’s history. June 2015 is already shaping up to be a banner Pride Month for the transgender community since a Vanity Fair cover introduced Caitlyn Jenner (formerly known as Bruce Jenner) on June 1.

(Tipped by JMG reader Alan)

TRAILER: SF Frameline Film Festival 2015

Quite the production!

(Tipped by JMG reader Robert)

Folsom Street Fair Unveils 2015 Poster

Folsom Street Fair unveiled its always hotly-awaited poster today. Also revealed today is the possibly less blog-safe poster for the Dore Alley Fair. Meanwhile Porno Pete is slavering over a much more imminent bit of sexytime mantasticness.

Catholic Site Launches Money Beg To "Defend" Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone

Via Catholic Vote:

A massive media campaign funded by millionaire “Catholics” in San Francisco is gaining ground. Their goal: take control of the Catholic schools and remove Archbishop Cordileone. Meanwhile lawyers are circling, with lawsuits expected soon. Archbishop Cordileone needs the help of every faithful Catholic right now. Can you chip in $20 to help the Archbishop? This support fund has been created by lay Catholics who support Archbishop Cordileone in his efforts to uphold the values of the Catholic Church in Archdiocesan schools. All collected proceeds will be given to the Archdiocese of San Francisco, for the express purpose of assisting the Archbishop with public relations, legal fees and any other costs directly associated with his efforts. CatholicVote.org has learned that PR mudslinger Sam Singer is now behind a massive effort to destroy the Archbishop. According to sources, Singer is using cooperating parents to paint a phony picture of discrimination and harm everywhere in the media.

According to the above-linked money beg, "hostile teachers" are planning to sue the archdiocese for employment discrimination.

TRAILER: Folsom Forever

Clip recap:

In 1984, a scrappy little neighborhood in San Francisco – home to many low-income tenants and the heart of the gay male leather scene – faced destruction from the bulldozers of redevelopment and the AIDS crisis. The Folsom Street Fair was started to call attention to gentrification and raise money for AIDS charities. Folsom Forever tells the story of how this small street fair grew into the biggest outdoor kink and fetish event in the world, and managed to do a lot of good along the way. Coming to DVD and VOD June 9, 2015.

Possibly not work-friendly.

Prominent Catholics To Pope Francis: Replace Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone

Via the San Francisco Chronicle:

In an unprecedented move, more than 100 prominent Roman Catholic donors and church members signed a full-page ad running Thursday in The Chronicle that calls on Pope Francis to replace San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone for fostering “an atmosphere of division and intolerance.” The plea follows months of dissent within the archdiocese over Cordileone’s emphasis on traditional, conservative church doctrine — including asking high school teachers and staffers at Catholic schools to sign a morality clause that characterizes sex outside of marriage and homosexual relations as “gravely evil.”

In their open letter to the pope, Cordileone’s critics say his morality-clause push is mean-spirited and “sets a pastoral tone that is closer to persecution than evangelization.” The ad drew swift condemnation from the archdiocese, which said those who signed it don’t speak for San Francisco’s Catholic community.

The list of signatories includes Brian Cahill, the retired executive director of Catholic Charities, former city commissioner and Boudin Bakery executive Lou Giraudo, retired Swinerton Builders Chairman David Grubb, businessman and former political consultant Clint Reilly and his wife, Janet, San Francisco attorney Michael Kelly, and Charles Geschke, chairman of Adobe Systems and former head of the University of San Francisco Board of Trustees. Also on the list is Tom Brady Sr., father of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Cordileone is considered by some to be the "father of Prop 8" and he will again attend NOM's upcoming hate march at the Supreme Court. Hit the link for much more about the petition.

SAN FRANCISCO: Mayor Ed Lee Bans Work Travel To Indiana For City Staffers

"We stand united as San Franciscans to condemn Indiana’s new discriminatory law, and will work together to protect the civil rights of all Americans including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. Effective immediately, I am directing City Departments under my authority to bar any publicly-funded City employee travel to the State of Indiana that is not absolutely essential to public health and safety. San Francisco taxpayers will not subsidize legally-sanctioned discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people by the State of Indiana." - San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, via press release.

Gallup Survey On LGBT Populations

Gallup reports:

The San Francisco metropolitan area has the highest percentage of the adult population who identify as LGBT of any of the top 50 U.S. metropolitan areas, followed by Portland, Oregon, and Austin, Texas. Variation in the percentage who identify as LGBT across the largest metro areas is relatively narrow, with San Francisco's percentage just 2.6 percentage points higher than the national average of 3.6%, and the lowest-ranked metro area -- Birmingham, Alabama -- one point below the national average.

The top 10 includes metro areas from every region of the country except the Midwest. Given the long history of a visible and politically active LGBT community in San Francisco, the city's ranking at the top of this list is not surprising. Similar to San Francisco, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) like Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles in the West, and Boston in the Northeast, are known for their progressive social and political climates and active LGBT communities. Hartford is the capital of Connecticut, which has permitted same-sex couples to legally marry longer than every state except Massachusetts.

MSAs like Austin and New Orleans in the South, and Denver in the Rocky Mountain region, all have reputations as socially progressive cities within states and regions that are much more conservative, perhaps making them regional hubs for the LGBT population.

Hit the link for the full list.

SF's Pink Saturday Is Back On

San Francisco's often tumultuous Pink Saturday street party, held on the day before the Pride parade, was canceled last month after the withdrawal of its longtime sponsor, the Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence, who cited the event's "escalation of violence." But today the San Francisco LGBT Community Center stepped in to run this year's party with a promise of increased security. From their announcement:

We are honored and humbled to continue the legacy of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. We share their commitment to bringing together our diverse LGBT communities across age, race, culture, income and geography. As an affordable event that is well attended by young people, it is an essential component of Pride weekend. For many of us Pride weekend represents a set of magic moments where we are free to be our authentic selves in a public and supportive setting.

We are committed to community safety and creating public spaces that are free from violence. As Pink Saturday has historically been the destination for many of the tens of thousands participants of Dyke March as well as the Saturday Pride festival, creating a strong infrastructure for our community to gather is critical to the success of Pride weekend. Our leadership of a celebration that is safe, fun and welcoming for everyone is part of that vision. This year’s event will feature expanded entertainment and increased security to promote a celebratory and safe environment.

(Tipped by JMG reader Steve)

RELATED: Pink Saturday has long been criticized for its unruly crowds. Last year two Sisters were assaulted and two women were attacked by a group of six men. In 2013 a woman was brutally beaten and robbed during the event. Her attacker was later sentenced to six years in prison. In 2010, three people were shot and one young man was killed during a gang-related altercation on Pink Saturday.

SAN FRANCISCO: Archdiocese Issues Apology, Will Stop Drenching Homeless

Via press release from the Archdiocese of San Francisco:

When the system was installed, after other ideas were tried and failed, the people who were regularly sleeping in those doorways were informed in advance that the sprinklers were being installed. The idea was not to remove those persons, but to encourage them to relocate to other areas of the Cathedral, which are protected and safer. The purpose was to make the Cathedral grounds as well as the homeless people who happen to be on those grounds safer. We are sorry that our intentions have been misunderstood and recognize that the method used was ill-­conceived. It actually has had the opposite effect from what it was intended to do, and for this we are very sorry. We have also now learned that the system in the first place required a permit and may violate San Francisco water-­use laws, and the work to remove this system has already started, and will be completed by the end of the day.

My first post on this story is here.

Headline Of The Day

Via CBS San Francisco:

KCBS has learned that Saint Mary’s Cathedral, the principal church of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, has installed a watering system to keep the homeless from sleeping in the cathedral’s doorways. The cathedral, at Geary and Gough, is the home church of the Archbishop. There are four tall side doors, with sheltered alcoves, that attract homeless people at night. “They actually have signs in there that say, ‘No Trespassing,’” said a homeless man named Robert. But there are no signs warning the homeless about what happens in these doorways, at various times, all through the night. Water pours from a hole in the ceiling, about 30 feet above, drenching the alcove and anyone in it.

RELATED: When he's not literally soaking the homeless at Our Lady Of Maytag, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone is either drunk driving or headlining anti-gay hate rallies, as he will do for NOM at next month's Hate March III. (Tipped by JMG reader Robert)

MAP: Salary Needed To Buy A Home

From the Washington Post:

Here’s definitive proof that San Francisco’s real estate market is insane. HSH.com, a mortgage research site, has estimated how much salary you need to earn to afford the principal, interest, taxes and insurance payments on a median-priced home in 27 metro areas. On a national scale, a buyer who puts 20 percent down would need to earn a salary of $48,604 to afford the median-priced home in America. But that total varies a lot from city to city. Pittsburgh, Cleveland, St. Louis and Cincinnati rank as the most affordable metros in which to buy a new home – HSH.com estimates that you can buy the median home while making less than $34,000 – while New York, Los Angeles and San Diego are at the high end, requiring salaries of nearly $90,000 or more. But the most expensive city by far is San Francisco, where the site estimates you would need to make $142,448 to buy the median home in the area.

SF's Pink Saturday Event Is Canceled

San Francisco's often tumultuous Pink Saturday street party, held on the day before the Pride parade, has been canceled for this year. Via press release from the Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence:

Pink Saturday has had a history of great joy for the community over the years. During the time it has been produced by the Sisters it has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for community non-profits. Pink Saturday has been a very successful event and has grown immensely since the early 90s. Unfortunately with that growth comes an increase in challenges. “Pink Saturday has been increasingly difficult to produce in recent years,” says Sister Selma Soul, coordinator of the event for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014. “An escalation in violence associated with the event convinced us last summer that the event needed to significantly change if we were to produce it again.”

After months of meetings with community members, Supervisor Scott Wiener, the SFPD, and various city agencies, no clear vision for the event has been developed that addresses the concerns of the community, our volunteers and our members. Without a clear vision this close to Pride Weekend, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have voted to suspend planning for 2015 and will not be applying for a street closure in the Castro for Saturday, June 27, 2015. The Sisters may explore new manifestations of “Pink Saturday” in future years, but at this time we are suspending production. As a group composed solely of volunteers with no paid staff, the challenges that have grown with the event are simply too great for our organization to address.

Pink Saturday has long been criticized for its unruly crowds. Last year two Sisters were assaulted  and two women were attacked by a group of six men. In 2013 a woman was brutally beaten and robbed during the event. Her attacker was later sentenced to six years in prison. In 2010, three people were shot and one young man was killed during a gang-related altercation on Pink Saturday.

SF Considers Leather-Themed Park

Via the Bay Area Reporter:

A leather-themed public plaza would be built on the roadway outside the Eagle bar in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood under a proposal backed by the developer of a new mixed-use housing and retail development. The plan would turn a block of 12th Street, between Harrison and Bernice, fronting the gay-owned bar into a parklet with design elements celebrating SOMA's ties to both the LGBT and leather communities. Since the 1950s the neighborhood has been home to a number of gay bars and nightclubs, many catering to the leather scene.

Today, most of the remaining LGBT nightlife establishments are centered on or near 11th Street between Folsom and Harrison streets, with the Eagle a block away. The city has designated that section of western SOMA as part of an LGBTQ cultural heritage district. Backers of what is being called the Eagle Plaza contend it could serve as a focal point and main gathering spot for the LGBTQ district. "I am super excited about it. I think it is beautiful," said District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim, whose office has been involved in the initial talks about the proposed plaza.

Concept designs for the park will be on display at the Eagle tomorrow during beer bust.

SAN FRANCISCO: Archbishop Decrees That Catholic Staffers Must Not Masturbate

Via the SF Gate:

The conservative Roman Catholic archbishop of San Francisco has developed a new document for Catholic high school faculty and staff clarifying that sex outside of marriage, homosexual relations, the viewing of pornography and masturbation are “gravely evil.” Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone’s document applies to faculty and staff at four Catholic high schools: Riordan and Sacred Heart in San Francisco, Marin Catholic in Kentfield and Serra High School in San Mateo. It states that administrators, faculty and staff “affirm and believe” the controversial statements, which will be part of the faculty handbook. The document goes on to say that marriage is between “one man and one woman,” despite California law allowing same-sex marriages. It also notes that sperm donation, the use of a surrogate and other forms of “artificial reproductive technology” are also gravely evil.

Cordileone, who was arrested for drunk driving in 2012, is considered by some to be the "father" of Proposition 8. Last year he led NOM's hate march against same-sex marriage.

UPDATE: Students have launched a petition against the new "morality" edicts.

We call on the Archbishop to cease his efforts to institute outdated and discriminatory “morality clauses,” to retain workplace protections and to allow Catholic school teachers to focus on the work they are doing to educate thousands of Bay Area children. The proposed changes directly contradict the Pope’s teachings, the Catholic values of inclusion and diversity, and the free and open exchange of ideas, which is the hallmark of a good education. They create a culture of fear that denies staff the right to follow their own individual consciences and harms students. As people of faith who value education, equality and freedom of conscience, we ask the Archbishop to remove this language immediately.

Pam Geller Money Begs On DDos Site Attack From "Islamic Jew Haters"

Anti-Islam blogger Pam Geller's site has been offline for 24 hours in what she appears to attribute to a DDos attack from "Islamic Jew haters" who might be angry about her new mass transit campaign in San Francisco, which compares Muslims to Nazis. Therefore, send her more money. Geller has sued transit agencies in several major cities in order to force them to display her ads.

Folsom Street Fair 2014 Raises $322K For HIV/AIDS, LGBT Rights, And Homeless

This year's Folsom Street Fair raised $322,666 for a multitude of local charities including Project Open Hand, the Transgender Law Center, and the AIDS Memorial Grove. Members of the benefiting organizations comprised the majority of the event's volunteer workers.

Satan's Favorite City Wins World Series

UPDATE: JMG reader Kned sends us a photo from the celebration in the Castro.

UPDATE II: Another Kned photo, this time from the Mission.

SAN FRANCISO: Supervisors Create Fund To Educate Residents About PrEP

Via Mission Local:

In a 10 to 1 vote, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed legislation to allocate $301,600 from the city’s general fund toward educating San Francisco residents about the HIV-prevention pill Truvada. Now “health navigators,” who will be commissioned by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, will help patients access the drug — whether they have private insurance, Medi-Cal or patient assistance programs through the drug’s manufacturer. Supervisor David Campos, co-author of the legislation, asked for his colleagues’ support, adding, “San Francisco is already a sanctuary city, so let’s please make it a sanctuary city from HIV.” HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. With the passage of the legislation, the San Francisco Supervisors have initiated their plan to help eliminate new cases of HIV in the city by making the health navigators more culturally competent as well. Truvada is an antiviral medication that is taken once-daily in order to prevent new HIV infections in those at highest risk of contracting the disease.

(Tipped by JMG reader Eric)