AIDS Movement 40 Years Later (VIDEO)

To acknowledge the 40th anniversary of AIDS epidemic in this country leaders came together including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Governor Gavin Newsom & others to call for renewed action for an AIDS-Free Generation at the National AIDS Memorial in San Francisco. The event took place surrounded by the power of 40 blocks of the AIDS Memorial Quilt in Memorial Grove where thousands of names lost to AIDS are engraved as the leaders paid tribute to the more than 700,000 lives lost, the survivors & the heroes during the past four decades. Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated, “On this solemn day, forty years since the discovery of HIV/AIDS, Americans pay tribute to the hundreds of thousands of Americans we have lost to this vicious disease & draw strength from the more than one million courageous survivors living with HIV today. Moved by the beauty of the Grove & power of the Quilt, this morning we again renewed our vow to finally defeat the scourge of AIDS & bring hope & healing to all those affected. Thanks to the tireless leadership of activists, survivors, scientists & the LGBTQ community, we will not relent until we banish HIV to the dustbin of history & achieve an AIDS-free generation.” John Cunningham National AIDS Memorial Chief Executive concluded, “These stories & this important observance highlight the issues our nation faced in the past year -- a raging pandemic with hundreds of thousands of lives lost, social injustice, health inequity, stigma, bigotry & fear. However, these are also the same issues faced throughout four decades of the AIDS pandemic. They are reasons why today, we have a National AIDS Memorial & why, as a nation, we have much more work to do in the fight for a just future, where HIV/AIDS no longer exists.” WATCH FULL EVENT   For More Info…

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GGBA Virtual Drag Trivia Pride Event

Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA) the world’s first LGBTQ chamber of commerce is kicking off Pride with a fabulous virtual event entitled “Celebrate Pride: Drag Trivia & GGBA History" on Tuesday June 8th from 5:30P to 7P PST via Zoom. It’s an unique networking opportunity to lighten the week with some history of pride trivia lead by local drag Queen Yves Saint Croissant & Per Sia! There will be prizes, performances & even time to network. Grab your most colorful ensemble & logon to celebrate Pride Month. GGBA's mission is to champion opportunity, development & advocacy for our LGBTQ & allied business community. Gina Grahame President GGBA Board of Directors stated, “The GGBA, like every successful team, cannot succeed without everyone’s participation. We need members to utilize the platforms & resources the GGBA provides to get more engaged; to learn about, patronize & refer the businesses of fellow members.” For more than 40 years the GGBA has grown, promoted & increased the visibility of San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ & allied businesses through educational & business development programs, networking events & targeted promotion. Founded in 1974 the Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA) is the San Francisco gay chamber of commerce & the nation’s first LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce. The GGBA is also the first business organization founded by LGBTQ entrepreneurs. With members who live & do business across San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Marin counties & beyond. GGBA proudly serves as the voice for the San Francisco Bay Area’s LGBT business community. 

For Info & To Register: ggba.com

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Boston Pride Virtual & In Person Events

Celebrating LGBTQ Pride in Boston this year will kick off virtually Friday June 4th with the Pride Flag Raising Ceremony beginning at 12P at City Hall Plaza, Boston, MA. Some of the highlighted virtual & in person events include a Pride Lights Virtual Ceremony at Blackstone Park & Franklin Square on June 8th, there will be a Pride Family Virtual Movie Night on June 9th, June 10th the Boston Red Sox will host in person Pride Night @ Fenway Park & on June 14th there will be a Boston Mayoral Candidate Forum webinar. This year’s Pride Night @ Fenway Park event is the 8th time Fenway Park has hosted Boston Pride since it began doing so in 2013. Pride Night @ Fenway Park is on Thursday June 10th at 7:10P when they take on the Houston Astros. Linda J. DeMarco, President of Boston Pride stated, “We are thrilled to be back at Fenway Park with the Red Sox hosting another Pride Night & we are appreciative of our longtime partnership. The Red Sox support of the LGBTQIA+ community has been tremendous & it shows that it is inclusive & welcoming. We can’t wait to sit in the stands & cheer on the Sox to celebrate our community and have a great time.” Adam Grossman Red Sox EVP/CMO concluded, “We are proud to once again recognize & support the LGBTQIA+ community by hosting Pride Night at Fenway Park. This partnership highlights the inclusive environment we have worked hard to create & being part of this annual celebration for the past eight years has become a special tradition. We look forward to many more years of partnership & the full activation of Pride Month in the years ahead.” For More Info…

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LGBT Elders Inspire Pride Celebration

SAGE the world’s largest & oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT elders is celebrating Pride season by honoring the collective strength of LGBT pioneers who are & continue to be at the core of the LGBT movement. The LGBT community’s inspiring display of strength & resilience is built on decades of LGBT people & allies joining together to overcome discrimination. To pay tribute to prominent leaders in the LGBT community SAGE will highlight stories of LGBT elders & allies from across the country all month long through its SAGE Strong campaign. Michael Adams, CEO of SAGE stated, “Every year, Pride Month is an opportunity to show our gratitude & respect for all the work older LGBT people have done for the LGBT community. Pride this year is all about celebrating the way our community stands on the strength of our LGBT elder pioneers. SAGE Strong is a reminder that these inspiring leaders are still showing up today, resilient as ever, to stand together & show that LGBT elders refuse to be invisible, especially during Pride.” From a series of virtual programs to nationwide broadcasts, SAGE Strong showcases communities of strength & creates a safe, festive space for elders, community members & allies to honor Pride Month. The past year has tested our collective adaptability, compassion & strength but this was not LGBT elders’ first pandemic nor was it the first time they had to join together to support one another through hard times. Tune into iHeartMedia’s “Can’t Cancel Pride” a virtual concert to celebrate our LGBT community June 4th at 9P EST to see performances from some of the biggest names in culture & entertainment & appearances from the most influential voices in the community. 

For More: sageusa.org

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LGBTQ Literary Annual Award Winners

Lambda Literary the nation's premier LGBTQ literary organization announced the winners of the 33rd Annual Lambda Literary Awards (a.k.a. the “Lammys”) at a live Zoom ceremony hosted by Rakesh Satyal who won a Lambda Literary Award for his debut novel “Blue Boy”. Sue Landers, Executive Director of Lambda Literary stated, “While we couldn’t be together in person again this year, we are so excited to be back honoring LGBTQ literature & all of the wonderful writers who make up our community. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners.” Representing the diversity of the LGBTQ experience this year’s Lammy winners once again highlighted Lambda Literary’s reputation for recognizing queer literature in all of its many forms & many winners acknowledged that diversity in their speeches. In accepting the Lammy for Transgender Nonfiction for The Black Trans Prayer Book, J Mase III & Dane Figueroa Edidi stated, “We hope that this work is a tool that helps to celebrate & heal our community.” Mohsin Zaidi, whose A Dutiful Boy: A Memoir of a Gay Muslim's Journey to Acceptance won the Lammy for Gay Memoir/Biography noted that he had been told there wouldn’t be much interest for his book in the U.S. but continued stating, “Stories don’t have a nationality & I think that’s even more true of our stories, of stories from the queer community.” Mike Curato, winner of the LGBTQ Young Adult Lammy for Flamer claimed his award concluding “All the sissies, all the queers, all the Pinoy boys who feel unseen, I see you & for anyone who has dwelt in darkness, there is light inside you even if you can’t see it.”  33rd Lammys Winners List…

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Pride 2021 & LGBTQ Equality Globally

June is LGBTQ Pride Month with most celebrations worldwide still taking place virtually due to the continuing pandemic restrictions. Pride month symbolically commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riots, the historic turning point in our LGBTQ civil rights movement. COVID-19 has amplified the marginalization & exclusion experienced by our LGBTQ community on a day-to-day basis, leading to a devastation of livelihoods, higher rates of domestic violence, heightened challenges accessing healthcare & increasing mental health issues. Jessica Stern Executive Director of OutRight Action International stated, “Pride is the most visible symbol of the global movement for LGBTIQ equality, affirming our existence, demanding recognition of our rights & celebrating progress. Over the last year, among other wins, Gabon & Bhutan decriminalized gay & lesbian relations & the new administration in the US re-committed to LGBTIQ equality. However, LGBTIQ people continue to face amplified effects of the COVID-19 pandemic & are too often excluded from recovery efforts. This is a sobering reminder of how marginalized our communities around the world continue to be. As such, we must continue to fight for our rights to be recognized & protected.” Usually the month is filled with marches & events celebrating our diversity & progress but in numerous places Prides face backlash, restrictions & even bans as reminder of how much work still needs to be done to achieve full global LGBTQ equality. There are still 67 countries around the world that criminalizes gay & lesbian relations & 13 countries (Brunei, the Gambia, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malawi, Malaysia, Nigeria, Oman, South Sudan, Tonga & the United Arab Emirates) that have laws explicitly criminalizing trans people with a further 37 countries criminalize trans people through vagrancy, prostitution, morality, public nuisance or other law. For More Info… 

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High Priest Of Gay Parties Dies (AUDIO)

I was sad to hear that Jeffrey Sanker the founder of LA-based White Party Entertainment Inc. & the creator of such fabulous extravaganzas such as White Party Palm Springs & LGBTQ iconic events including New Year’s Eve celebrations in Los Angeles, Miami & Rio de Janeiro & the One Mighty Party at Orlando’s Gay Days had died. The Miami Herald crowned him “the high priest of gay parties” & Sanker was respectfully acknowledged by party promoters as the Circuit Master. Sanker's passion for parties began during the early eighties in New York City working at such legendary locations as Studio 54, Palladium & Private Eyes. He fine-tuned his skills as a promoter & special event producer. He also hosted parties for numerous celebrities over the years. After moving to Los Angeles in 1987 his innovative technique of using landmark venues for trend-setting themed events was credited for breathing new life into the LA scene. Since then he worked with all of the hottest & trendiest venues & nightclubs in Los Angeles, Las Vegas & Miami. He built his reputation for presenting the best cutting-edge & breakthrough talent at his parties including performances from Lady Gaga, Ke$ha & Jennifer Lopez. Sanker also created & produced fundraising events on behalf of numerous charities & community organizations including Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing (GLEH), The Trevor Project & Desert AIDS Project. Jeffrey stated, “As a gay man I believe in civil rights for everybody.” In 2012 I talked to Jeffrey about his White Party 3D Experience in Palm Springs & more. LISTEN

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