Randy was first

Back in the late 70s, when I lived in San Francisco, I met a television reporter named Randy Shilts.  A major magazine in a brief mention, said he was the first openly gay television news reporter.  I remember saying to him, "I've always been openly gay, so what made you the first?"  Regardless of who was actually first, Randy was covering things that nobody else was. 

After leaving the public tv station where he had been working, Randy went on to the major local newspaper, where he again paid more attention to lgbt issues, than any other reporter.  Books followed.  He gave us only three, but three important ones:  Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the US Military, And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic, and The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk.

He wanted to write more.  Homosexuality in the Roman Catholic Church was to have been examined in his next book, but AIDS claimed his life at the young age of 42, before he was able to get to that.

I've written here about Randy Shilts before, and you may think it odd that I bring him up so much.  We knew each other, but never became close.  Randy made a difference though.  He brought us news we needed to hear.  He talked about HIV/AIDS when nobody else was.  Although there is some controversy, especially when he called for the closure of gay bathhouses, Randy continued to dig up the facts and report them to us.  He might not be recognized by everyone, but I am thrilled that he was one of the first to receive a plaque on San Francisco's Rainbow Honor Walk.

Thanks for the reports and for the books Randy.  Thanks for making a difference!

The man behind the Quilt

If you know about The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, the man you can thank for it is Cleve Jones.  Along with Marcus Conant, Frank Jacobson and Richard Keller, Jones also created the Kaposi's Sarcoma Research and Education Foundation, which later became the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. The tv program you enjoyed a few years ago, showing LGBTQ history (When We Rise), was based on a book by Jones "When We Rise: My Life in the Movement."

Close friends over the years with the late rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker, Cleve Jones might not be a name you recognize, and his face might not be familiar, but he has been an LGBTQ and HIV activist most of his life.  The stories he has are a powerful picture of how far we have come.  Cleve Jones knew Harvey Milk, and the seeds of activism were probably planted back then.  He has been a giant in the lgbtq community ever since.  In addition, Cleve has been a Community and Political Coordinator with a major hospitality workers’ labor union.

Cleve Jones is not someone I know well - I used to see him at events or walking around the neighborhood back when I lived in San Francisco, but I certainly respect and admire all he has done, and so am pleased to mention him here during Pride Month.

With over 48,000 3’ x 6’ panels, the story of The Quilt, is a fascinating one too. You can learn more about it, and even donate in support, at http://www.aidsquilt.org/  

At The Movies

Seen any good movies lately?  Wait!  Have you seen any good LGBTQ-themed movies lately?  Last Friday I wrote here about the music, so today I move on to film and will share my top twenty pick for LGBTQ movies of all time.  (This is tough by the way.  There are a lot of movies out there)!

First I want to acknowledge that mainstream cinema does a much better job these days in showing our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning sisters and brothers.  When I was a kid, it was rare to see a gay character in a movie and when there was, it was always some kind of freak.  It's so nice to see this better representation and it is wonderful to see such a great collection of movies with a specific LGBTQ theme.

So, here's my list:  20-The Queen (1968), 19-The Crying Game (1992), 18-Longtime Companion (1990), 17-The Times of Harvey Milk (1984), 16-Giant Little Ones (2019), 15-The Boys in the Band (1970), 14-The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995), 13-Love! Valour! Compassion! (1997), 12-Boys Don’t Cry (1999), 11-The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), 10-Milk (2008), 9-The Birdcage (1996), 8-Transamerica (2006), 7-Love, Simon (2018), 6-My Own Private Idaho (1991), 5-Call Me by Your Name (2018), 4-Carol (2015), 3-Brokeback Mountain (2005), and 2-The Wedding Banquet (1993).

Now I know a lot of you will disagree with this list.  Please feel free to tell me what I left out and also if my order was all wrong. 

Oh and did you notice I only listed 19 films?  Well I do have a number one choice - it's an oldie but a goodie.  I actually watch it over and over.  My number one selection is Torch Song Trilogy (1988), Harvey Fierstein's splendid adaptation of his play with Matthew Broderick, Brian Kerwin, the incredible Anne Bancroft, and an appearance by the great Charles Pierce.  I LOVE this movie!

Who else

Are there other openly LGBTQ+ celebrities that we haven't mentioned?  Indeed, there are!  I'm thinking of Clay Aiken, Ricky Martin, Elliot Page, Neil Patrick Harris, Robin Roberts, Dustin Lance Black, Chaz Bono, Ian McKellen, Holland Taylor, Ronen Rubinstein, Barry Manilow, Wesley Eure, and Adam Lambert to name just a few.  

There is also a long list of famous LGBTQ+ sisters and brothers who are no longer living.  So many of them weren't able to come out during their lifetime.  These days it seems to be much safer in many countries to live as your true self.  It wasn't that long ago, when you had to hide your true identity if you were part of the LGBT+ community.

When I hear Lily Tomlin talking about her wife or Lance Bass saying something about his husband, it warms my heart.  Visibility makes a difference.  

As Pride Month continues, I will write here about some other people who have publicly come out.  In addition to all of the performers, there are also the writers, athletes, politicians, activists, and others in the public eye who have come out over the years.  The list is too long to name everyone and that is a very good thing.  The more people come out, the easier it is for the next person.  Perhaps the day will come when we won't judge people by their sexual orientation or gender identity.  Perhaps.

Time For Change

Since I began writing this in 2008, there have been some improvements in our world. Things are much better for our LGBTQ+ community. Marriage equality in the United States has been a huge step forward.

California voters approve Proposition 8, making same-sex marriage in California illegal, but then Chief Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional. The next year, President Obama said his administration would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act, which banned the recognition of same-sex marriage. Then in 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court declared same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states.

In 2009, The Matthew Shepard Act expanded the 1969 U.S. Federal Hate Crime Law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. (Matthew was tortured and murdered near Laramie, Wyoming back in 1998 because of his sexual orientation).

In the past ten years, a number of countries have decriminalized homosexuality, including Belize, India, Angola, and Singapore. Several countries now legally recognize non-binary or third gender classifications. Blood donation policies for men who have sex with men have changed. These are just a few steps forward that have been made.

Sadly, there have also been changes in the other direction. There is still hate, even within progressive communities. There are also countries where being gay is punishable by death. Pride month is a good time to reflect on the advances, but it is also a reminder that there is still work to do. It is time for a lot more change!

No kings, but queens are good

Over 1,000 communities across the country today are holding events for a "No Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance." Queens are a different matter. Let me introduce you to the Absolute Empress XXV of San Francisco.  The name Garry McLain might not be familiar to you, but for so many - even folks on the other side of the world, the San Francisco establishment he ran for many years was not only familiar, but it was also a destination! 

Mclain is much better known to many as Marlena the Magnificent, who owned Marlena's bar.  Marlena’s was a neighborhood institution for twenty two years and for many regulars, it was a home away from home - a place like Cheers, "where everybody knew your name." It was also where you could play a quick afternoon game of pool or come to see one of the best drag shows anywhere. Of course the fundraisers and community events are firm in so many of our memories too. Santas. If you had been there at Christmastime, you know about the santas. 

Marlena's was such a wonderful part of San Francisco, but it was the man at the top, Marlena himself, who made this all happen.  So many know him as a drag queen or as a bar owner, but if you have spent any time in the community or if you have visited his namesake saloon, you know him as someone who gives back - someone who makes a difference in this world. He has given money- he has given time - he has given a stage for new performers - he has given a place for folks with nowhere else to go. To put it quite simply, Garry McLain has a heart of gold.

During Pride Month, I pause to thank all the wonderful drag performers in our world, past and present.  God save our queens!

The LGBTQ+ Music

The LGBTQ+ anthems on my list might not be the same as yours, but during the Pride Month, I was thinking of the songs I would list.  Here are this years's top twentyfive (according to me):

25: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) - Abba, 24: Same Love - Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, 23: Over the Rainbow - Judy Garland, 22: Ice Cream Truck - Cazwell, 21: Believe - Cher, 20: The Night I Fell in Love - Pet Shop Boys, 19: If I Had You - Adam Lambert, 18: Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston, 17: You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) - Sylvester, 16: True Trans Soul Rebel - Against Me, 15: Tainted Love - Imelda May, 14: Born this Way - Lady Gaga, 13: No More Tears - Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer, 12: Express Yourself - Madonna, 11: True Colors - Cindi Lauper, 10: Take Me Or Leave Me - Rent, 9: It's Raining Men - The Weather Girls, 8: Constant Craving - kd lang, 7: YMCA - The Village People, and a favorite of mine 6: Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other - Willie Nelson. The top five -- 5: Your Song - Elton John, 4: I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor, 3: I Am What I Am - John Barrowman, 2: Raise Your Glass - Pink, and 1: I’m Coming Out - Diana Ross.

Does this list do the LGBTQ+ community justice?  Should it be revised? What song would you add? Are there any that just have to be dropped from this list? I tried to keep this list vast and diverse, but I don't know how I did, so feedback really would be appreciated.  Just how does a song become a gay anthem anyway?  

Nobody makes mix tapes anymore, right?  At least we have YouTube!  I think I'll cue up Gloria Gaynor singing 'I Will Survive.'

.Remembering Pulse

It was just a few years ago on June 12, 2016, that a man shot and killed 49 people and wounded another 53 people in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, FL. Every year I write about it here in this space. In the midst of all our Pride Month celebrations, we also must not forget any of our tragedies.

I do not write about the Perpetrator, preferring instead to focus on remembering those who died. Pulse had been hosting a "Latin Night," and most of the victims were Latino. It was the deadliest incident of violence against lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in the history of the United States, surpassing the 1973 UpStairs Lounge arson attack in New Orleans.

Here are the lives that were lost. Remember their names.

Stanley Almodovar III, 23

Amanda Alvear, 25

Oscar A. Aracena-Montero, 26

Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33

Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21

Martin Benitez Torres, 33

Antonio D. Brown, 30

Darryl R. Burt II, 29

Jonathan A. Camuy Vega, 24

Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28

Simon A. Carrillo Fernandez, 31

Juan Chavez-Martinez, 25

Luis D. Conde, 39

Cory J. Connell, 21

Tevin E. Crosby, 25

Franky J. Dejesus Velazquez, 50

Deonka D. Drayton, 32

Mercedez M. Flores, 26

Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22Juan R. Guerrero, 22

Paul T. Henry, 41

Frank Hernandez, 27

Miguel A. Honorato, 30

Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40

Jason B. Josaphat, 19

Eddie J. Justice, 30

Anthony L. Laureano Disla, 25

Christopher A. Leinonen, 32

Brenda L. Marquez McCool, 49

Jean C. Mendez Perez, 35

Akyra Monet Murray, 18

Kimberly Morris, 37

Jean C. Nieves Rodriguez, 27

Luis O. Ocasio-Capo, 20

Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25

Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36

Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32

Enrique L. Rios Jr., 25

Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37

Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24

Christopher J. Sanfeliz, 24

Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35

Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25

Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34

Shane E. Tomlinson, 33

Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25

Luis S. Vielma, 22

Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37

Jerald A. Wright, 31

Officials have characterized the shooting as an act of terrorism, but it has not been called a hate crime. It has been argued that the shooter was not targeting the club because of gay patrons. While that may be true, the injured and the lives lost were mostly from the LGBT+ Community.  May we never forget these lives cut short.

We need to know our history

I began this month by writing a bit about LGBTQ+ celebrations and reasons why they are necessary.  I also wrote a little about some of the people who have made a difference.  Hearing a story recently about someone who wasn't quite sure who Marsha P. Johnson was, I knew I needed to head in that direction.  We need to know our history,

Marsha P. Johnson was an activist in New York City from the 1960s to the 1990s. Co-founder of the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, Marsha was also a visible presence at protests and marches and at the same time was a mother figure to young trans women. Facing ridicule, bullying, and harassment, Marsha did not yield from being her true self, and in doing so made a huge difference. (The middle initial P, according to her was Pay it No Mind).

Many of us are aware of those who make a difference in the town where we live, but folks in other places do things that lead to a better life for us all.  Whether you are from New Jersey where Marsha was born, New York where she became known, or the other side of the earth, it's important to know that things she did, made a difference.   

Although the police report her death as suicide, there is much evidence to suggest that her death was as a result of a hate crime.  As part of her legacy, we should all pledge to do everything possible to end the plague of hate crimes against our trans sisters and brothers.

Adam's pictures

The Pride Celebrations each June, the rainbow flag, and The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt are all things that make a visible difference.  Who doesn't recognize panels of The Quilt when you see them, or the rainbow flag?  Well, the NoH8 Campaign is another example.  Photographer Adam Bouska created this visual program along with partner Jeff Parshley, back in 2009 in response to California's Proposition 8, the ballot proposition opposing same-sex marriage.

Openly gay Bouska has really made a difference taking pictures of thousands in the past eight years.  I remember seeing a friend at work with the NoH8 on his cheek.  It made an immediate impact on me.  There is something very empowering seeing your favorite celebrities, including many non-gay people, in these poses with the duct tape and the NoH8 lettering. 

Our LGBTIQ+ community is fortunate to have so many great leaders.  There just aren't enough days in the month to mention everyone, but I encourage you to mention some others for me, using the comments section below.

If you want to keep up with Adam Bouska's NoH8 pictures, check out their website at http://www.noh8campaign.com/ - you can donate money to this great campaign through their website too.  (I love looking through all the pictures).  Adam makes a difference in many other ways as well.  I really appreciate all of his positive and encouraging tweets.  You can keep up with him at his website http://www.adambouska.com/ 

The other Harvey

Last night Harvey Made me very happy (and not for the first time). You may assume I'm talking about Harvey Milk, we celebrated his birthday last month and his name has been in the news this month. I just wrote about him on Friday though.  This time it's Harvey Fierstein that I write about.

You might remember him from a classic episode of Cheers, or from his roles in Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day, Garbo Talks, or The Year Without a Santa Claus, but for me he will always be Arnold Beckoff from Torch Song Trilogy and Edna Turnblad in Hairspray.

Fierstein is much more than a fine actor though. He is also a wonderful voice actor, occasional columnist, and a playwright, and was one of the first openly gay celebrities in the country and put a face on the LGBTIQ+ community.

His Torch Song Trilogy gives a portrait of gay life, for those who don't really have a clue. He brought the performance to both the stage and to film and wasn't afraid to show two men in a loving committed relationship. The movie version of Torch Song is one of my all-time favorites!

By being visible, even if it might have held back his career, Harvey Fierstein has made a difference. He continues to bring us joy and pride too with every single performance. Already the recipient of four Tony Awards, last night Harvey was awarded the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.  That made me very happy.

The Smile of Ken

If you read this blog regularly, you may recall me writing about Kenneth Felts back in 2020 saying "he is proof that it is never too late." At the age of 90 he had just come out as gay! Since then, Ken met a man, Johnny Javier Hau, and fell in love. Two years ago they married, and the New York Times wrote up their story.

If you don't know the story, let me catch you up. After serving in the US Navy during the Korean War, and through his college and working years (at Colorado State Rehabilitation), Ken lived as any heterosexual man. Nobody knew his secret.  It seems his daughter is also gay, so in 2020 he came out to her, and then to the whole world.  All the details are in a book he has written My Handful of Stars: Coming Out at Age 90.  I found the book to be both interesting and very moving.

I have had the privilege of communicating with Ken and Johnny these past few years and while we have never met in person, everything I see is great joy and happiness.  Coming out can be a very good thing.  In nearly every picture I see of Ken, he is smiling.  How wonderful!  I look forward to someday meeting him in person.  I'd love to hear more of his stories.

The man who gave us the rainbow flag

He would have turned 74 today. A lot of you don't know his name, but you know one of his creations - the rainbow flag. His name was Gilbert Baker and although he is best known for that famous LGBTQ+ symbol, Gilbert did so much more.

After a stint in the Army, Gilbert worked on the first marijuana legalization initiative in California and learned to sew so he could create banners for protest marches. He was for a time a member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. He also served on the Board of Directors of San Francisco Pride where I had the great pleasure of working with him.

Baker first created the Rainbow Flag in 1978. In 1984, he also designed flags for the Democratic National Convention. Sometimes I'm bad with dates, but I remember when we marched to Castro and Market in San Francisco and raised a giant rainbow flag on the newly installed flagpole. A rainbow flag has flown there ever since.

In 1994, Baker moved to New York City and lived there for the rest of his life. In 2003, to commemorate the Rainbow Flag's 25th anniversary, Gilbert made a Rainbow Flag that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean in Key West. Oh my! Earlier this year the minor planet 429733 Gilbertbaker was named in his honor.

As you look at all of the beautiful rainbow flags flying this month, or any time, take a moment and think of Gilbert Baker. I am so glad he came our way.

Never give up

I've written here a lot about Harvey Bernard Milk.  Probably more than any other person. People need to know who this man was and what he did. His early years were on Long Island, and even after a stint in the Navy, Harvey returned to Long Island to teach. We remember him more though for the short time he spent in San Francisco, and for the encouraging words he spoke, and for his tragic death.  

His famous "Hope speech" is so often quoted, but there was much more encouragement than that. In a taped message that wasn't heard until after his assassination, he urged gay people to come out. "I cannot prevent anyone from getting angry, or mad, or frustrated. I can only hope that they'll turn that anger and frustration and madness into something positive, so that two, three, four, five hundred will step forward, so the gay doctors will come out, the gay lawyers, the gay judges, gay bankers, gay architects ... I hope that every professional gay will say 'enough', come forward and tell everybody, wear a sign, let the world know. Maybe that will help."  That is part of what LGBTQ+ Pride Month is about.

Harvey's political career was short, and he didn't accomplish many of the things he might have, but he became a symbol - an icon. He gave us hope, and he continues to, 46 years after his death.

Once, in an interview with The San Francisco Chronicle, Harvey said "If I turned around every time somebody called me a faggot, I'd be walking backward - and I don't want to walk backward."

Harvey Milk led us forward. I recall those days in San Francisco, and the energy and the enthusiasm still exists. There may be difficult moments, and our country may regret some political decisions, but we must continue to move forward and never give up. Recalling a portion of Harvey's most famous speech, "The only thing they have to look forward to is hope. And you have to give them hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow, hope for a better place to come to if the pressures at home are too great. Hope that all will be all right. Without hope, not only gays, but the blacks, the seniors, the handicapped, the us'es, the us'es will give up." 

This month, take a moment and remember Harvey, and never give up!

43 years of AIDS

Today is the 44th anniversary of the first published cases of what would later be known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. It is also HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day. Remember the names of all those we have lost, especially in the earliest days, and remember too all those living with HIV, as we continue the work to get to zero new HIV infections.

In addition to working for a cure, it's sad that we also have to keep fighting the stigma.  In the many years I have been writing this blog, I have devoted more space here to HIV/AIDS, and I am still amazed that so many still don't understand or in some cases, don't even care. HIV is not a gay disease. It's not a punishment for having done wrongs. It can be transmitted by homosexual AND heterosexual practices, and although it is primarily a sexually transmitted disease, there are other means of transmission.

Back in the early days of AIDS in the early '80s, HIV/AIDS was considered a death sentence. I can't tell you how many people I said goodbye to. I remember reporting on the lack of concern on the part of our leaders and even within the health community. Activists led the way, as so often is the case. Activist made a difference and continue to do so. I remember my first AIDS Walk 36 years ago and I am amazed at how that annual event has grown and has spread across the country.  I am also thinking this morning of my friends Gilberto and Jason and so many others who are participating in another AIDS LifeCycle.

I can remember the candlelight marches and the beginning of The Quilt.  I remember the celebrity deaths including Dack Rambo, Freddie Mercury, Robert Reed, and Liberace.  I can recall the first days of the Asian AIDS Project, which later became API Wellness and now is San Francisco Community Health.  I can remember fundraisers big and small and so many caring loving people who got involved.  I can remember so many heroes including Donald Francis, Elizabeth Glaser, Brownie Mary, Nurse Alison Moed, and Keith Haring.  Along the way I remember so many that we lost - so many lives cut short.

Now in 2025 I have no intention of giving up.  I'll keep fundraising and speaking up and talking until I drive some folks crazy.  I will also keep caring, because we have to care when we speak of human lives.  On this 44th anniversary though, I will mostly be remembering and trying to recall each person I said goodbye to.  Today I will think back.  Today I am grateful for the progress, but I don't want us to keep having anniversaries.  

Can I interest you in a donut?

The Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village in New York City is the primary reason why we celebrate Pride during June.  Most of us know about The Stonewall Inn and the history behind it, but can I interest you in a donut?  What many claim was the first LGBTQ+ uprising in the United States occurred ten years before Stonewall at Cooper Donuts in Los Angeles.

How about the Dewey’s Lunch Counter sit-in back in Philadelphia in 1965? That too was before Stonewall. The Compton's Cafeteria Riot occurred the following year in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco.  Again, before Stonewall, yet that is the one most folks know about.  There have been other incidents where the LGBTQ+ community stood up and fought back - some famous and some not as well known.

The parades and marches and celebrations during Pride Month every year (and in some places at other times) remember our history and bring us together to see that we continue down the path of equality, fairness, and justice.  

Of course, there is a rich and important history connected to LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and I'll continue telling you about it here.  Do feel free to share some information about your neck-of-the-woods in the comments section below!  If there isn't a big parade in your community, let's at least eat a donut in remembrance of the LA uprising at Cooper Donuts, and share our hopes for the future.

all kinds of heroes

The Pride Celebrations of the LGBTQ+ communities all around the world are happy and joyous, in part - but they are also rallies for justice and continuations of the fight for equality.  Along the way there have been many heroes.  In this blog, I write about making a difference, and while there have been numerous leaders over the years, a number of whom I will write about here, not all of the lgbtq heroes identify as LGBTQ+.  There are numerous non-gay allies who have made an incredible difference.

These days we know more and more names because folks are less fearful of the gay, bisexual, or transgender label.  Many celebrities are coming out, and that in itself makes a difference, with more visibility.  More people are coming out to family and friends too.  Think for a moment.  How many people do you know who are part of the LGBTQ+ community?

The heroes?  Well, there are certainly too many to write about in just one short blog post, but they include Cleve Jones, Phyllis Lyon, Del Martin, Harvey Milk, Brooklyn Owen, Gavin Newsom, Cecilia Chung, Ken Jones, Dustin Lance Black, Barbara Gittings, Neil Giuliano, Gilbert Baker, and Vic Basile. Also Troy Perry, Bayard Rustin, Adam Bouska, José Sarria, Chaz Bono, Felicia Elizondo, Blake Brockington, Ryan Cassata, Dan Savage, and Tamara Ching.  The list can go on and on, and hopefully more and more folks will come forward and fight for what is right - equality for all.  

Please do feel free to share your LGBTQ+ Pride stories here.  What is the most moving experience you have ever had.  Who are your heroes in 2025? 

Walking through June

Yesterday I wrote here that LGBTQ+ Pride Month has begun.  During these thirty days we celebrate, but we also remember our past and work for a better future.  Some of that remembering we can do every day now thanks to a wonderful memorial that initially included these twenty people:

Jane Addams (1860-1935)

James Baldwin (1924-1987)

George Choy (1960-1993)

Federico García Lorca (1898-1936)

Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997)

Keith Haring (1958-1990)

Harry Hay (1912-2002)

Sylvester James (1947-1988)

Christine Jorgensen (1926-1989)

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)

Del Martin (1921-2008)

Yukio Mishima (1925-1970)

Bayard Rustin (1912-1987)

Randy Shilts (1951-1994)

Gertrude Stein (1874-1946)

Alan Turing (1912-1954)

Tom Waddell (1937-1987)

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Tennessee Williams (1911-1983)

Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)

So, what do they have in common? Well, they are all part of the LGBTQ community and they were all the initial honorees of the Rainbow Honor Walk in San Francisco's Castro District. David Perry had this great idea about honoring pioneers in the LGBTQ+ community, people who laid the groundwork for LGBTQ+ rights, and to teach us all and future generations about these heroes. 

I've written about the Rainbow Honor Walk here before, and you really should check in out when in San Francisco. More information (including a list of all the honorees and their biographies) can be found on their website at http://rainbowhonorwalk.org/  

Pride Month Is Here

LGBTQ+ Pride Month begins today, and I have already seen people asking "How come there is no Straight Pride Celebration"? Really?  It's 2025 folks and the need should be obvious! 

In case you hadn't noticed, heterosexual life is pervasive and permeates just about everything in our culture.  While things may be changing, especially in big cities, the anti-gay and anti-trans climate is still very present in so many places that people have to hide their identities.  Once a year at LGBTQ Pride Celebrations all over the world, people travel from smaller communities to be in a place where they don't have to hide - where, even if only for a few days, they can be themselves. 

 

LGBTQ Pride celebrations provide a sense of community to people who have so often been isolated and outcast, even from their own families and they bring attention to political or social causes that are important to LGBT people.

 

As someone (I have forgotten who) once said "Gay Pride was not born out of a need to celebrate not being straight but our right to exist without prosecution."  Indeed.  How many places can you think of where someone will go to jail because they are heterosexual?  Where is someone likely to lose their job for NOT being gay?  Think about it.

 

Do large cities like New York, San Francisco, London, or Toronto still need LGBTQ Pride events?  Indeed they do.  While there does seem to be more freedom and more equality in those cities than in so many places, the big cities provide a visible place of safety and a place where folks can and do come from all over.  That is also another reason to keep doing these celebrations.  They can be held up as an example to others.  Holding these celebrations also gives those in small towns and those who live in a place that lacks tolerance, a place to which they can escape.  Wherever you are this month, take some time to think about equality and being your true self.  Everyone should have that opportunity.
 

Some say there is a "straight Pride" celebration every day of the year. Ideally, we wouldn't have to use any labels. Every day could be a celebration of who we are, including people who happen to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. We're sadly not at that day yet in most of the world.