Queer Notes: If we can’t be queer…

Former Milk Club President Gwenn Craig awarding And Castro for All

If we can’t be queer, we don’t want to be part of the revolution

Last night was the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club dinner. Politicians, community leaders, and Milk club members came together at the Ramada for one of the best dinners, if not the best dinner, I have ever been to. Lots of love and props to Greg Shaw, Saskia Traill, and Larry-Bob for pulling together an incredibly fabulous, authentic event. And I say authentic because everybody and everything about last night was incredibly real and honest and the struggles of queer community. Greg Shaw came out swinging for the Missing Queer Agenda in the progressive community and made a few people squirm cuz if we can’t be queer, we don’t want to be part of the revolution…Marilyn Wann, fat activist was given an award by Tom Ammiano for her work fighting against job and health care discrimination against fat people…Harry Britt gave a chills down your spine speech about Local 2 and then firebrand Mike Casey brought down the house…former Milk Club leader Geoff Kors was given the Harry Britt Lifetime Achievement Award, an award that Geoff originally created within the club…I did a nervous imitation of John Burton and gave an award to Mark Leno, someone who deserved the award but it was made more poignant given the history between Mark and the club…Cecilia Chung, transgender activist hero, got the Bill Kraus AIDs activist award for her work on HIV/AIDS issues…and thank god, Karlyn Lotney, the queer cultural activist awardee, spoke about sex…cuz if we can’t have sex, we don’t want to be part of the revolution…Steve Shubert, Tenants Union volunteer coordinator, got the Simeon White volunteer of the year award, an award that is kept secret until the night of the event so Steve had no knowledge that he would have to speak but did great anyway…And finally, And Castro for All was awarded for walking very bravely in Harvey Milk's footsteps…can we figure out a way to elect spokesperson for And Castro for All John Newsome to some office, somewhere…the guy blew everyone away…and did anyone catch And Castro for All activist and former Pride President Calvin Gipson’s fabulous outfit? Incredibly sexy…and if we can’t look sexy, we don’t want to be part of the revolution

Happy Birthday Harvey

Photos courtesy of the San Francisco Sentinel and the
awesome photographer Luke Thomas