Happy LGBT History Month
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Ai Weiwei
Double Duchess
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Serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities since 1971
Vol. 44 • No. 40 • October 2-8, 2014
Halloween is new deadline for Castro Street project Rick Gerharter
Cheer San Francisco entertained the crowd at last year’s Castro Street Fair.
Castro Street Fair coming up by Seth Hemmelgarn
T
he 41st annual Castro Street Fair is approaching, marking its first appearance in the neighborhood since the district’s gotten wider sidewalks and other improvements. This year’s event is set for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, October 5 at Castro and Market streets and the surrounding area. An estimated 50,000 people are expected to attend. Entertainment includes the rapper Big Dipper, performances from the cast of the Tony-winning musical Avenue Q, and choreographer Rory Davis. “We are very excited about this year’s fair,” Fred Lopez, the fair’s interim executive director, said in an email. “The Castro Street Fair has always been a neighborhood celebration and we have tried to reflect that in our plans. With all of the big changes to the physical landscape of the neighborhood, this year feels special in a completely unique way.” This year’s fair will include some changes in scenery, including wider sidewalks and the addition of trees and street furniture along Castro. Much of the $6 million sidewalk widening project in the Castro has been completed, but some work remains to be done. [See related story, page 1.] The alterations aren’t expected to impact the fair. The footprint will be the same, but before the sidewalk expansion, two rows of booths had been placed in the middle of Castro Street. Now, booths will be placed on either side of the road. “Attendees will have similar experiences as they’ve had in the past, just with wider sidewalks,” Lopez said in an interview. Fairgoers will also get to see the new rainbow crosswalks, which were installed at the intersection of Castro and 18th streets this week. Slain supervisor Harvey Milk, a gay man who owned a camera shop on Castro Street, organized the first Castro Street Fair to drum up some excitement in the business district catering to the city’s Eureka Valley area. In 1977 Milk later went on to become the first See page 18 >>
Rodney Fogle checks the rainbow crosswalk that was painted this week at the intersection of 18th and Castro streets.
by Matthew S. Bajko
C
ome Halloween, the Castro sidewalk widening project should no longer be scaring away traffic – pedestrian, vehicular, or otherwise – to the city’s gayborhood. Having failed to meet the initial deadline to wrap up the $6 million worth of
streetscape improvements prior to the annual Castro Street Fair, taking place this Sunday, October 5, the city’s Department of Public Works is now shooting to complete the upgrades along Castro Street between Market and 19th streets prior to All Hallows’ Eve Friday, October 31. A public celebration, with the tagline “It’s Time to Party,” is being planned from 6 to
8 p.m. Thursday, October 30. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have been asked to conduct a special blessing that evening and the Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band and Cheer San Francisco have been invited to perform. “Seven months of jackhammers, fences, noise, dust, complaining, and sluggish sales will be done,” Castro Merchants President See page 8 >>
UCSF clinic opens to provide PrEP Jane Philomen Cleland
by Matthew S. Bajko
“I don’t even know how the topic came up. I told her I was new clinic has opened at HIV-negative and she asked me UCSF aimed at providhave you heard about PrEP,” reing a once-a-day pill to called Souza, who works in highprevent the transmission of HIV tech sales. “It was something I had to those wishing to take it. been reading about.” Called the Sexual Health IniLast year, Souza’s decade-long tiative Program, or SHIP for relationship with his boyfriend short, it is housed within the came to an end and he found himuniversity’s 360: The Positive self back in the dating pool. He Care Center at its Parnassus was surprised to find not only were Heights campus. Since openmen in their 20s hitting on him, ing its doors in April, the clinic but many were HIV-positive. has seen more than 40 patients “It was clear to me something interested in starting on PrEP, was changing around safe-sex or pre-exposure prophylaxis, in practices,” he said. “When I think Rick Gerharter order to remain HIV-negative. back to being 18 years old at UC “We are asking about people’s Dr. Malcolm John, left, speaks with his patient, Craig Souza, at the Santa Cruz, guys were drilling a sexual health goals and how UCSF SHIP clinic. condom every time message into PrEP fits into the picture,” exour heads.” plained Dr. Malcolm John, diIn deciding to start PrEP, Souza rector of the 360 clinic and the said he did so not to abandon using Prevention recommended that people at submedical director for SHIP. “PrEP is an entrance stantial risk should consider PrEP to prevent condoms but in order to not be worried about to a greater discussion on men’s sexual health in HIV infection, and the World Health Organi- HIV transmission during sex. the gay community.” “For me, I see Truvada not as a way to not use zation also recently recommended PrEP as an The Food and Drug Administration apcondoms but as a backstop,” said Souza, who option for at-risk gay men. proved Gilead Sciences’ Truvada (tenofovir plus San Francisco resident Craig Souza, 44, takes the pill as part of a nightly regimen before emtricitabine) for PrEP in July 2012. Studies sought out services at SHIP three months ago bed. “I didn’t realize it until I started taking Truhave shown that when used consistently, onceand started taking PrEP. Already receiving his vada, but every time I had sex since I was 18 there daily Truvada reduces the risk of HIV infection was a voice in the back of my mind saying ‘What primary medical care through UCSF, Souza by more than 90 percent. learned about the new clinic during a visit to an if?’ For the first time ever that voice isn’t there In May the Centers for Disease Control and urgent care clinic. See page 17 >>
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