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SF Pride Castro Theatre fundraiser

SF Pride will be hosting a fundraiser Friday, June 2, at the Castro Theatre called “SF Pride 2023 Kick-Off: A Night of Queer Entertainment,” according to a May 30 news release.

The evening begins at 7 p.m. and the suggested donation is $20. Tickets will be available at the door and at Eventbrite.com.

“The entertaining lineup includes the play “The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot,” the

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That precedent was set forth in Miller v. California, decided by the liberal Warren court in 1971. In the Miller case, the court ruled 5-4 that obscene materials are not protected by the First Amendment, but lessened the definition of “obscene material.”

For something to be obscene, and thus not covered by the First Amendment, it must appeal to the “prurient interest,” that is, sexual appetites; lack “serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value;” and describe “in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law.”

All three of these prongs have to be satisfied for expression to be legally obscene.

“I think that there’s a couple of potential problems with Florida’s law,” Boso said. “The first [prong of the Miller test] is probably more easily satisfied, because it’s a local standard over whether it meets a prurient interest – a shameful or morbid interest in sexuality or excretion. In Florida there probably are locales that would consider some drag performances to meet that standard.

The second is more straightforward – is this something the state Legislature has defined as offensive by statute, which is what this is trying to do.”

It’s with the third prong of the Miller test that the law runs into problems, he said.

“The third runs into trouble because it’s a national standard,” Boso said. “It’s asking, ‘does the performance lack serious

“This kick-off event is fittingly in the vibrant heart of the Castro, which is a historic epicenter of inclusivity and art,” stated Nguyen Pham, SF Pride board president. “We anticipate starting this Pride season with exceptional entertainment. Mark your calendars, gather your friends, and get ready for a Pride season you will never forget.”

David Perry, a gay spokesperson for Another Planet Entertainment, which operates the Castro Theatre, stated to the B.A.R. that the theater is “the perfect place to kick off Pride.”

“Another Planet is honored to be part of this, especially in a time when, sadly, so many businesses in other parts of the country are giving into fear, ignorance and hate,” Perry stated. “We have always stood with the queer communities and always will.”

The B.A.R. previously reported that SF Pride is facing a financial shortfall. Ford told the B.A.R. in April that Pride will be accepting donations along the parade route. Victor Ruiz-Cornejo, a gay man who advises Mayor London Breed on LGBTQ issues, didn’t immediately answer whether the city would be stepping in to fund any of the $800,000 that the organization said it needs. t used in an attempt to criminalize drag – has led some Pride festivities to be canceled in Florida, such as in Tampa and Port St. Lucie.

“Florida has recently passed a number of laws that target the LGBTQIA+ community,” Pride organizers in the community of St. Cloud stated. “These laws have created a climate of fear and hostility for LGBTQIA+ people in Florida. We believe that holding an LGBTQIA+ event in this environment would put our community at risk.” literary, artistic or political value?’ Drag is a lot of ways inherently political given that it’s a commentary on gender norms and expectations. Some drag could be done in a non-political way, but I think the fact that drag is so much a part of the national conversation about gender and sexuality means it has become more political and, as a result, it’s hard for the statute to survive the third Miller prong.”

GAPA’s Nguyen agreed.

The second issue the law faces is the chilling effect on expression.

“When the government seeks people to get permission from the government before they express themselves that’s a prior restraint and there are more stringent standards with that,” Boso said.

“There needs to be clear criteria and important reasons why. It has to leave reasonable alternative channels of communication available.”

That chilling effect seems to be working, however.

The tension and the “adult live performances” law – which critics say could be

“It’s part of a boogeyman the far right wants to create in the LGBT community and also just really to try to silence us, to ban our expression and ban us from public life,” Nguyen said.

The current environment has led some LGBTQ people to leave the state, as the B.A.R. reported.

Statewide LGBTQ rights group Equality Florida was joined by other civil rights groups such as the NAACP in issuing a travel advisory warning against visiting, as the B.A.R. also reported .

Seventeen percent of LGBTQ parents had started taking steps to leave Florida, according to a 2022 UCLA Williams Institute study (https://williamsinstitute. law.ucla.edu/publications/impact-dontsay-gay-parents/), and 56% had considered doing so.

Even more of an infringement on the First Amendment is the Don’t Say Gay law that catapulted DeSantis’ national

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