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Castro Merchants proposes 2nd flagpole
Vol. 51 • No. 26 • July 1-7, 2021
Pride celebrated in SF, Oakland
by John Ferrannini
T
he Castro Merchants Association is seeking to install a second flagpole in the Castro neighborhood to fly another design of the Pride flag, the group announced in a late-night news release June 23. The move comes after the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District Board of Directors voted that the Gilbert Baker-designed rainbow Pride flag that currently stands above the intersection of Market and Castro streets should be replaced with the Progress Pride flag, the merchants stated in the release. According to preliminary minutes from the cultural district board, the vote on the motion “That the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District recommend that the flag be changed at Harvey Milk Plaza” was seven in favor with two opposed, with members Stephen Torres and Steven Bracco voting against, and members Cesar Cadabes, Ms. Billie Cooper, Carnell Freeman, Elizabeth Lanyon, Levi Maxwell, Sacred Mitchell, and Tahirah Rasheed voting in favor. (Bracco writes for Hoodline.) Mahsa Hakimi abstained. Five members were absent: Corey Fusco, Jasmine Johnson, Jesse Sanford, A. Sparks, and Christopher Vasquez. The vote is unenforceable, the merchants stated, since it is the merchants association and not the district that “does pay for and maintain” the flag, but the merchants suggested the second flagpole as a “counterproposal.” “We propose to leave the internationally recognized, beloved, and historic symbol where it is and explore locations in the Castro to install a new flagpole,” the release states. “We believe the creation of an alternative space would best reflect our two sincere beliefs: symbols can change over time yet queer history matters.” The release does not give a prospective location for the second flagpole. The merchants did not respond to a request for comment. The merchants group has long sought to maintain the flag that is currently there, in spite of the new rainbow flag designs that have been adopted elsewhere in recent years. As the Bay Area Reporter reported last June, San Ramon, Dublin, and Sacramento have flown alternative flags that are intended to be more inclusive of marginalized communities; specifically the Progress Pride flag (which includes a chevron with the colors of the transgender flag, as well as brown and black stripes), in the case of the latter, and the Philadelphia Pride flag (which features black and brown stripes on the top), in the case of the two former municipalities. The Progress Pride flag was unveiled in June 2018 by nonbinary designer Daniel Quasar. The Philadelphia Pride flag is so named because it was first adopted there in June 2017 after being designed by the marketing firm Tierney. Many cities in San Mateo and Alameda counties last month flew the Progress flag in front of their city halls at the request of LGBTQ residents. San Francisco officials for the first time raised a Progress flag sent from sister city Cork, Ireland at City Hall Sunday, May 16, ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, which is annually observed May 17 in scores of countries around the globe. The B.A.R. last August editorialized in favor of “a flag design that expands inclusivity” being flown from the Castro flagpole. Several online petitions at the time collected signatures in favor of replacing the flag as well. One, started by San Francisco resident Gage Lennox, urged that the Pride Progress flag replace the Baker See page 7 >>
Marchers walked in the People’s March in San Francisco June 27.
by Martin Haro
S
an Francisco’s second People’s March & Rally of the COVID-19 era on Sunday, June 27 was a jubilant celebration that echoed the spirit of the 1970 San Francisco Gay Liberation March. Across the bay, Oakland Black Pride also celebrated over the weekend with a variety of events.
In San Francisco, everyone was invited to “Unite to Fight,” down Polk Street toward Civic Center, a mile-long route similar to that of the revolutionary moment in queer history 51 years ago that marked the first anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, long considered the birth of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. This year’s march was smaller than last year’s, with several hundred people partici-
pating. Among the contingent of rebels and revelers (two blocks deep at its largest and most vibrant) chanting “Whose streets?” “Our streets!” and “Give it to the people…” “Power!” was Elizabeth Kamya, a 24-yearold Black queer woman living and working in the San Francisco as a union organizer, who was eager to march in her first Pride with the International Federation of See page 2 >> Rick Gerharter
South Bay will hold in-person Pride parade by John Ferrannini
S
ilicon Valley Pride will be going forward with a parade and festival in downtown San Jose in late August, after the event took place virtually last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s theme is “Standing for Love and Liberation,” according to a news release. The festival will begin Saturday, August 28, from 6 to 11 p.m., with two stages at Plaza de César Chávez Park featuring DJs and live performances. “We start up again on Sunday morning, August 29, at 10 a.m. with our parade along Market Street starting at Julian Street and ending at the main entrance of the festival,” the release states. “Festival grounds open once again after the parade ends at noon to the excitement of dance performers, talented artists, and the music of live bands. Headliners and other artists will be announced soon.” The festival will feature a Hey Girl area and stage to celebrate queer women and femmeidentified community members; live visual art exhibitions; a cocktail lounge; and food trucks, among other vendors. “We deliver two days of non-stop excitement, entertainment, food, and fun,” the release states. Saldy Suriben, a gay man who is the chief marketing officer for Silicon Valley Pride, told the Bay Area Reporter that the organization’s board of directors made the decision, tentatively, in early June to go forward with an in-person event, and that this was finalized “based on the guidance from the state published June 15. “Before making the announcement of having an in-person parade and festival, we have been monitoring the situation of the pandemic since the start of the year and considering different options,” Suriben said. “We saw vaccination statistics in California and Santa Clara County improving and heard from our community the desire to get together again, [so] we started to consider an in-person event. The major factor and the key input from our
Courtesy SF Fun Cheap
Silicon Valley Pride is planning an in-person parade and festival in late August.
decision was the information coming from the California Department of Public Health and their reopening guidance.” Suriben didn’t say if proof of vaccination will be required to attend. “We will continue to monitor the guidance and regulations and will be following the regulations for outdoor events provided by national, state, and local public health agencies,” Suriben stated. Admission to the festival will be $5 per day, Suriben added. When asked if there will be dancing, Suriben responded that “the ultimate programming at the event will be aligned to the guidance of the national, state, and local public health agencies.” “There will be [a] DJ section at our festival on both stages,” Suriben stated. “We are looking to create an atmosphere at our event that demonstrates the progress we are making at returning to traditional events and will feature DJs, live entertainment, and a new element this year focusing on the visual artists in the LGBTQ+ community.” Nathan Svoboda, a gay man who is president of the Project MORE Foundation and a former president of the organization that now
facilitates Silicon Valley Pride, told the B.A.R. that he is “confident and excited.” “We are collaborating with Pride and will be activating the Qmunity District as well,” Svoboda stated in an email. The Qmunity District is the new, formal designation for the LGBTQ spaces downtown. Svoboda’s group had previously advertised a free, outdoor event June 19 to celebrate Pride Month in the Qmunity District – a night of tailgate inspired activities on Post Street coinciding with a livestream of the San Jose Earthquakes Pride game – until that event had to be canceled after “the event’s primary sponsor brought some concerns to our attention today that we could not alone remedy.” Svoboda stated to the B.A.R. that “we are looking at doing something similar in the Qmunity District in the future with other partners and formats.” “It was saddening when we had to cancel our June 19 event,” he wrote. The Gay Pride Celebration Committee of San Jose, which produces Silicon Valley Pride, is the largest Pride organization in California outside of San Francisco, according to the release. For more information, go to www.svpride. com.t