“Pride not Prejudice” is the theme of the 37th annual San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Pride Parade and Celebration taking place June 23-24, 2007. With more than 200 parade contingents, 300 exhibitors and 18 entertainment stages and venues, San Francisco’s LGBT Pride Celebration and Parade is the largest LGBT event in the U.S. Parade organizers estimate that as many as 1,000 volunteers turn out to staff the event and 500,000 spectators line the length of the parade route which starts at Market and Beale streets and travels west to Eighth Street.
Although the last weekend in June is traditionally the date for San Francisco’s LGBT Pride Celebration, the days leading up to and following the celebration are also filled with a number of notable LGBT events. Among them are:
The National Queer Arts Festival kicks off a month-long series of art shows, readings, performances and panels from May 26-June 30, 2007. The festival, now in its tenth year, is based at the Queer Cultural Center with performances held at more than a dozen venues. For a festival catalog, contact www.queerculturalcenter.org
Frameline, the world’s premier showcase for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender cinema, takes place June 14-24, 2007 with more than 250 feature and short films at the historic Castro Theater and other venues. Documentaries will once again be front and center at the 31st annual event. The rough and tumble world of roller derbies is profiled in Mark Woollen’s Jam, and the hefty and hairy of the gay world vie for the title of International Mr. Bear in Marc Klasfeld’s Bears. For the list of films, show times and ticket information, visit www.frameline.org.
Fog Fest III is set for Treasure Island on June 23, 2007. A “harlots-style festival,” the all-day rugby event and party is expected to draw 200 players representing 35 clubs according to the San Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club, sponsors of the tournament. Individuals who register will be placed on teams at random, although organizers do ask for preferred positions. The heaviest person on each side serves as team captain for the day. Once the final whistle has blown, attention turns to the Saturday night party, designed to evoke the spirit of the wild Barbary Coast past of San Francisco. Registration details are posted at www.sffog.org.
The Dyke March will mark its 15th anniversary on Saturday, June 23, 2007. Starting at 3 pm from 18th and Dolores streets, the rally is followed by the 7 pm march and motorcycle ride. Details are available at www.dykemarch.com. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are the organizers of the traditional Pink Party, a.k.a. Pink Saturday, following this event on Saturday evening; information is available at www.thesisters.org.
A major LGBT street fair follows right on the heels of San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration. Known as Up Your Alley (formerly the Dore Alley Fair) it is held on July 29, 2007 in the South of Market district. This longstanding event is a centerpiece for the men and women of the international leather community and raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for local San Francisco charities. See www.folsomstreetfair.com for more information.
—
Parade time is 10:30 am on Sunday, June 24. The two-day celebration in Civic Center is noon-6pm on Saturday and noon-7pm on Sunday.
San Francisco’s first gay, African-American Commissioner of Police Pat Norman is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal award. Community grand marshals include Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis, leaders of Marriage Equality USA and Asian Equality; and John Newsome, co-founder of “…And Castro for All,” a grassroots advocacy organization promoting justice and equality within the Bay Area LGBT community. Also being honored are political activists Dolores Caruthers and Laura Espinosa; Robert Haaland, a renters rights advocate and a former president of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club; and Page Hodel, creator of Club Q, San Francisco’s legendary once-a-month dance party for lesbian women and their friends. The Organization Community Grand Marshal is the all-volunteer Rainbow World Fund, the first world relief agency based in the LGBT community.
The full schedule of activities will be posted as announced at www.sfpride.org. Tickets for grandstand seating are available.
To help visitors plan their Pride pilgrimages, the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau (SFCVB) recently launched a new trip-planning portal for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender traveler on its Web site, www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com. The “Gay Travel” micro-site is designed to become the LGBT community’s one-stop shop for planning a personalized San Francisco vacation. Visitors can research the best in gay-friendly hotels, restaurants, tours and attractions; find out about special promotions from SFCVB members specifically for the LGBT community; sign-up for an LGBT visitor email newsletter; read-up on LGBT events in the City; and book flights, hotels, rental cars, activities and dining. Twenty-six SFCVB member companies have signed on as program sponsors, and major campaign sponsors include Kimpton Hotels, Hotel Nikko San Francisco, Renoir Hotel San Francisco, Le Meridien San Francisco, Parc Fifty Five Hotel, The Heritage House (Little River, CA) and Amtrak.
