Anticipating Pride Safety Concerns and Much More

Persia looking amazing during her work at Rooftop Elementary

Vibrant polychromatic greetings, queerly beloved BAS readership!! We now find ourselves on Pride Wednesday, and although there has been many a kick-off party and Frameline reel unspooled thus far, now things begin to ratchet toward the fever pitch that will be this weekend.

We here at BAS, however, would like to keep your Pride experience well-rounded.  Tripping the light fantastic (whether vertical or horizontal), or just plain tripping is all well and good, but Pride is about more than just fete and frolic as Heather Robinson illustrated in her Straight Person’s Guide to Pride in Monday’s installment of our annual Pride coverage.

Some may find such advice insulting after so many years of Pride attendance, but indeed it seems that illustrating the nuances of what Pride means and what our community needs from our allies is very much necessary.

June 12 marked the one-year anniversary of the massacre of 49 of our queer, mostly POC family in Orlando, Florida, and as San Francisco does, the day was marked with vigils, art installations, and fundraisers. To add insult to those remembrances, reports of violence against attendees of events soon surfaced in the days that have followed.  Although no official statement has been made in regards to the exact details, the SFPD is said to be working on the situation.

10,000 mourn in Orlando, Florida last year.

That the anniversary of those victims of violence was marred by violence in a city that the nation looks to for leadership in our community is painful and, even perhaps, shocking to some.  The sad reality however, is that San Francisco Pride is often plagued by violence.  Whether it be arson and threats for the Por Vida mural, the brutal beating of a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence on Pink Saturday, or the constant attacks on members of the trans community, many anticipate Pride with apprehension equal to the zeal felt by many of our “allies”.  All reminders that we as a community need to stay vigilant.

Allyship requires more than showing up in rainbow greasepaint and being cool with dancing in a sea of sweaty dudes. Being an ally means being a protector. Being LGBTQ makes you learn how to be aware of who is around you and your friends, but sometimes we need an extra set of eyes or a voice to say something.

Being an ally also means learning how to be part of our community like we are yours.

So, this year, to change things up a tad, we are going to not just provide the party 411, but also a little 411 in general.  Movers and shakers, when and where to help – you get the picture.

Our Pride Wednesday Postravaganza, will be two-fold.  First a profile on someone in the community to put a face to our Pride and then a way of getting involved to give you an action for our Pride.

So, first we give you PERSIA.  Some of you may remember Miss Persia from our coverage of her work in the CASA program at Rooftop Elementary. However, whether being an extraterrestrial glamazon, fighting back against gentrification, or reading chapter books at the library, this chica’s school time is just the tip of the stiletto.

KQEDArts’ Claudia Escobar offers just a glimpse of what it’s like to be PERSIA:

Storytime in Stilettos from KQED Arts on Vimeo.

And for today’s activities, dear readers, we would like to recommend the Harvey Milk Club/ 48 Hills Pullin’ Pork For Pride at the Pilsner Inn. The Milk Club is helping organize the #resist contingent, so if you wanna give 45 the finger Sunday morning, they’re the people to talk to.  The Milk Club and 48 Hills are also incredible resources for community alerts and communicating calls for help.

Basically this one is easy.  You show up, you get $10 all-you-can-drink suds, carnitas, AND you can find out how to get involved.

Pullin’ Pork For Pride Milk- 48 hills Happy Hour
Wednesday, June 21, 2017  6:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.
Pilsner Inn
225 Church Street (@ Fourteenth Street)
[Duboce Triangle/ Inner Mission]

BAS will post any developments in regards to the aforementioned reports.