Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun
By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, “I am still stuffed from the feast I had with friends on ThanksGAYing—a term I have coined because I am thankful that I’m gay. And then a few days later we had Thanksgiving leftovers. If I see another turkey leg, I swear I’ll barf!”
PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS
The slogan for this year’s annual HARVEY MILK MEMORIAL MARCH & VIGIL was “BAND TOGETHER & FIGHT BACK!” On Sunday, we gathered at Harvey Milk Plaza at 6:30 pm for our annual remembrance of two of our City’s great leaders—Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. As we reflected on the mass shooting at Pulse in Orlando earlier this year and grapple with the election of a President who campaigned on hateful rhetoric targeting women, Muslims, immigrants, the LGBTQ community, and people with disabilities, it was more important than ever for us to band together and fight back. Harvey inspired us with a message of hope—a message that resonates even more in these turbulent and uncertain times where our community and our rights are under attack. We assembled in Milk Plaza, where a beautiful portrait of Milk was made of flowers as a shrine, as an LGBTQ community in memory of Harvey Milk, a trailblazing leader who showed us that if we band together and fight back, we can create powerful change. As we remembered and honored Harvey’s legacy, this was the time for us to come together and move forward in coalition to fight back: for our community, for our city, and for our country.
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Tom Ammiano said, “I am troubled; I am sad about the election; but I also say: eff you, Trump!” Supervisor David Campos emphasized we must fight to keep our City a sanctuary city, despite the temper of the new administration in the White House. “Queer people must stand up for the rights of everyone!” he said. Former Supervisor Harry Britt spoke of that horrible day when he heard Milk had been shot and the lessons learned since. Former chair of the SF Human Rights Commission Cecilia Chung spoke of being first an immigrant, then a gay man, and then transitioning into a transgender woman, and an HIV survivor, urging, “We cannot dial back our civil rights.” Kimberly Alvarengas, who ran for District 11 Supervisor, reminded us what San Francisco is made of: “communities of immigrant workers, families, students, and LGBT community members mobilizing grassroots efforts to win principled leadership for our communities.” Other citizens spoke, and then there was a reading of the names of all the LGBTQ people murdered in America in 2016. This was followed by a march to Harvey’s old camera shop up Castro Street—the site of early gay activism—in the current Human Rights Campaign action center, where a plaque honors Milk on the sidewalk, and a mural of Milk shows him gazing out a window.
Sister Dana is a huge fan of the cult classic show, Absolutely Fabulous— either the BBC TV version or the equally witty live stage productions here in EssEff. So, of course, I had to attend their closing run for November. THE ROYAL BRITISH COMEDY THEATRE has staged all 12 episodes of Seasons One and Two of the Brit hit, “ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: LIVE!” under the very clever Christian Heppinstall’s direction. And for their third season, RCBT brought British TV’s most stylish dysfunctional family back in “ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: LIVE! - SEASON THREE” with The candlelight vigil included retwo hilarious episodes, “SEX” flections from LGBTQ commuand “SMALL OPENING” live nity members. Milk Club Presion-stage at The Exit Theatre. The dent Peter Gallotta opened the combined shows starred ZsaZceremony saying we are marching with the hope Milk gave us, despite sa Lufthansa as Patsy, Terry McLaughlin as Edina, Dene these “times of uncertainty and Larson as Saffy, Raya Light darkness.” He said he was proud as Bubble, Lisa Appleyard as to be in a club that was started by Justin and Christopher, GiMilk. Former Assemblyman norma Desmond as David, Sarah and Edina 2, and Ryan Engstrom as Gran. Also starring were Steven Sparrow, Lisa Darter and Hilda Roe. RBCT has not yet announced their next run of live AbFab stage shows, but you know I will be the first to pass along the Dennis McMillan (aka Sister Dana) and a friend enjoying a good news of their return. recent Academy of Friends reception.
Meanwhile you can enjoy Christian Heppinstall aka ZsaZsa Lufthansa aka Patsy Stone hosting a World AIDS Day with QueerSpace LGBTQ Reading Series at The Port Bar, 2023 Broadway in Oakland. Actors will read HIV/AIDS literature. Candlelight Vigil. 6–8 pm. Free. twitter.com/RoyalBritishCom I attended the next in the series, FAGGOT SENSIBILITY: AN EXPLORATION OF GAY/ QUEER MEN’S CONSCIOUSNESS, at the home of Joey Cain. To help us deal with the horror show of the election we had an empowering evening sharing readings from Will Roscoe’s Queer Spirits: A Gay Men’s Myth Book, a collection of stories, tales, poems, and accounts of queer folks and archetypes, ancient and contemporary, from around the world. It was compiled to inspire, guide, and challenge gay men who are seeking a deeper understanding of their sexuality and identity, of the community they live in, of their history and place in society and culture. We joined Will for an evening of storytelling when we took turns reading selections from the book and exploring the ways in which we found ourselves in their heroes and adventures. “Don’t we lead mythical lives? Even the most unassuming of us can tell amazing stories of victory against overwhelming odds, self-respect forged out of mindboggling hate, invention, and wit mothered by inescapable necessity,” wrote Roscoe in the book’s Preface. “This vibrant collection, woven into a seamless fabric by Roscoe’s thoughtful commentary and insight, lights our way on the healing path toward wholeness,” wrote book critic Mark Thompson. calamusfellowship.org In response to last week’s alleged gay-bashing of a man in Oakland—as well as recent reports of anti-immigrant incidents in San Francisco—community organizers hosted a “SAFETY SEMINAR.” It was sponsored by Bay Area Open Minds, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Castro Community on Patrol, SF Bay Area Leather Alliance, and SOMArts. The two-hour event was held at the SOMArts Cultural Center to address awareness while in public spaces, basic self-defense, and mental health. Lenny Broberg was one of the event organizers and acted as emcee with Sister Roma. “Many are emboldened by the rhetoric of the presidential campaign and feel that their hateful speech and violent actions are somehow justified and acceptable,” said Sister Roma, who co-created the Sisters’ STOP THE VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN in 1989. “Even right here in San Francisco.” The free community seminar addressed issues affecting people of color, women, and the LGBTQ community, although the doors were “open to anyone feeling hurt (continued on page 38)