Hooray! There’s a Valentine’s Day Drag Show to End Homelessness!

Can Valentines Day be redeemed?  I mean, come on, it’s the ultimate weapon in the Hallmark-Industrial-Complex’s box of patriarchal, conforming, consumerist tools.

One of San Francisco’s premier nonprofits helping the homeless is hoping to do better on Valentines Day.  Community Forward SF, which provides support to the most vulnerable homeless in San Francisco – the population other agencies often won’t touch – is throwing a “Valentines Day Drag Show to End Homelessness.”  It’s queer, it’s progressive … and all the money goes to support our city’s most vulnerable and demonized population.

It’s also a party. Held at El Rio, it’s hosted by Polly Poptart, includes performances by Militia Towers, and Roxy-cotton Candy, food by Chicano Nuevo, and of course drinks. Which is enough to make even the most cynical heart say “yeah, okay, I’ll have fun for the homeless.”

But it’s also the first fundraiser in Community Forward SF’s 40 year history in San Francisco, and represents a ramping up of its efforts. The non-profit has a long track record of developing programs that work for the most vulnerable, and hard to serve, of San Francisco’s homeless: homeless people with severe medical issues, addiction issues, mental health issues, and ongoing situations of domestic violence, among others. (It’s no accident that they’re initial fundraiser is a drag show: the trans homeless population is one of the most victimized).

Now, with new management, Community Forward SF is poised to take the most effective of its programs and develop an ambitious plan: not just to “improve conditions” for the homeless, or “make homelessness better,” but to solve the problem. That’s why it’s a Valentines Day drag show to “end homelessness.” That’s the ambition.

“As the problem grows bigger, we have to think bigger – and more cooperatively,” said Community Forward SF’s Chief of Staff Nicole Johnson.  “If we work together, pool our resources, and put those resources into effective programs that address people with dignity, compassion, and an ear for what the real issues are, San Francisco can be a city where everyone has a place to stay.”

Is it possible?  We’ll never know if we don’t try – and the Valentines Day Drag Show to End Homelessness is where they start.

Not a bad way to share the love. In fact, maybe the best.

Here are the details:

WHERE: El Rio, 3158 Mission St
WHEN: 2/14/20, 7-10pm
WHAT: A Valentine’s Day drag spectacular, hosted by Poly Poptart!
WHY: Because it will be a VDay you’ll never forget, and every dollar raised goes to programs proven to get the most vulnerable homeless off the street and into better lives.

Get tickets right here.

Learn more about the programs it supports right here.