Pride returns to Oakland
by Seth Hemmelgarn
For the first time since 2003, a full-fledged LGBT Pride festival is set for Oakland. The LGBTQ Oakland Pride Festival will be held Sunday, September 5, from noon to 6 p.m. The main entrances is at 20th and Broadway in the Uptown District. The theme is "We Got the Funk: Diversity in Action."
The legendary Chaka Khan ("I Feel for You," "Ain't Nobody"), is headlining the event. Other entertainers include the popular Martha Wash ("It's Rainin' Men"). The festival will also include a family and kid friendly area along with food, beverage, and community booths. (read more)
'Sweet Lips,' an original
B.A.R.
columnist, dies at 87
Richard Walters, who wrote under the pen name Sweet Lips and was a longtime Bay Area Reporter columnist who started writing for the paper when it was founded in 1971, died Saturday, August 28. (read more)
Prelude to Oakland Pride
The ninth annual Sistahs Steppin' in Pride East Bay Dyke March drew a crowd on Saturday, August 28 as marchers went from Lake Merritt to nearby Snow Park for an afternoon of music and entertainment. (read more)
National LGBT
journalists' group turns 20
The organization that has helped alter the media landscape for LGBTs inside and out of the country's newsrooms is turning 20 this year. The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association's national convention and seventh annual LGBT Media Summit will convene in San Francisco September 2 through 5. (read more)
Castro rallies
against surge in violence
A crowd of 150 gathered in the Castro Friday night, responding to a string of recent violent assaults. Organized by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and Castro Community on Patrol, the rally was prompted by an alleged gay-bashing on the J-Church three weeks ago. (read more)
Community rallies to save Hayward LGBT center
In October the Lighthouse Community Center will celebrate its 10th anniversary of providing a gathering place for southern Alameda County's LGBT population. (read more)
Berkeley council race
draws three out candidates
Openly gay Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington, a longtime champion of progressive causes, is in a heated re-election campaign this fall against two out candidates who have attracted backing from the East Bay city's more moderate politicians. (read more)
And the winner is ...
Billy H. and Zachary D. near the finish line in their winning run at the Castro Country Club's three-legged race in Dolores Park Sunday, August 29. The small event with three teams raised over $4,000 for the group's campaign to "Keep the steps in the Castro." (read more)
Ashburn opposes
resolution condemning
anti-gay Uganda law
State Senator Roy Ashburn, the Fresno Republican who came out as gay earlier this year, voted against a resolution condemning the anti-gay Uganda law. (read more)
Australian election seen
as good for gay marriage
Australian marriage equality advocates welcomed the August 21 federal election results, saying the nation is "a huge step closer" to allowing same-sex marriages. (read more)
Online extra: Wedding Bell Blues: Report finds increasing support on LGBT issues
In many ways, there is a friendlier climate nationwide toward LGBT issues, according to a recent report from the Public Religion Research Institute. The report – "Two Decades of Polling on Gay and Lesbian Issues at Pew: An Overview and Assessment" – reviews the polling data from the Pew Research Center going back to 1987. (read more)
Online Extra: Political Notes: Log Cabin ED gains exposure from Bush official's coming out
The coming out last week of a former top Bush administration official was also a coming out, of sorts, for R. Clarke Cooper, the Log Cabin Republicans' recently hired executive director. Cooper hit the cable news shows to react to Ken Mehlman's decision to finally disclose his sexual orientation. (read more)
Political Notebook:
Nava unfazed by
attacks in judicial race
One would think having the near entirety of the San Francisco judicial establishment against your campaign to be a judge would fray a candidate's nerves. Yet Michael Nava, an openly gay attorney and celebrated crime novelist, is surprisingly relaxed. (read more)
News in Brief:
MCC-SF pastor resigns
The Reverend Dr. Lea Brown surprised congregants Sunday, August 29, when she revealed that she is stepping down as senior pastor at the predominately gay Metropolitan Community Church-San Francisco. (read more)
