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Support Aunt Charlie’s by Watching this Vicki Marlane Documentary

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Guest post by Christopher Dowd & Paloma Figueroa

Adjacent to the icon Aunt Charlie’s, the Tenderloin District’s last working class drag bar, there’s a little-known name tucked away on the Turk Street sign between Jones and Taylor that simply says: Vicki Mar Lane. But who was Vicki Marlane, and why was a street named after her in her honor?

Vicki Marlane was a pioneering drag performer and Trans activist who performed for over 5 decades before she passed away in 2011 due to an AIDS-related illness. She’s even featured in the SF pilot from Broke-Ass Stuart’s TV show.  To commemorate the legendary drag queen who was a loved performer at Aunt Charlie’s — and provide relief funds for the bar’s cornerstone staff members — the Tenderloin Museum, the Glide Legacy Committee, and the Save Aunt Charlie’s Collective are co-hosting a very special virtual screening of “Forever’s Gonna Start Tonight,” to raise relief funds for a beloved Tenderloin and LGBTQ+ community institution, Aunt Charlie’s, and its staff on Tuesday, July 28, starting at 6 p.m.

The vibrant film chronicles the remarkable experiences of Vicki Marlane, who iconically strutted onstage well into her seventies. Vicki takes us on the ride of her life — from the early days of roller skating in women’s wear, to hoochie-coochie girl carnival sideshows and romantic road trips. We hitchhike through the adventures that led to her being San Francisco’s “Toast of the Town” in the early ’70s, while Vicki shares her tips of the trade acquired from decades of drag experience.

The screening will be followed by an intimate Q&A with producers and activist Susan Stryker and Kim Klausner, and director Michelle Lawler.

This is a donation-based event with 100% of the proceeds from any donations will go directly to support the Aunt Charlie’s staff and keeping the last gay bar in the Tenderloin alive during this incredibly difficult time for the hospitality industry. The suggested ticket price is $10.

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Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Stuart Schuffman, aka Broke-Ass Stuart, is a travel writer, poet, TV host, activist, and general shit-stirrer. His website BrokeAssStuart.com is one of the most influential arts & culture sites in the San Francisco Bay Area and his freelance writing has been featured in Lonely Planet, Conde Nast Traveler, The Bold Italic, Geek.com and too many other outlets to remember. His weekly column, Broke-Ass City, appears every other Thursday in the San Francisco Examiner. Stuart’s writing has been translated into four languages. In 2011 Stuart created and hosted the travel show Young, Broke, and Beautiful on IFC and in 2015 he ran for Mayor of San Francisco and got nearly 20k votes.

He's been called "an Underground legend": SF Chronicle, "an SF cult hero":SF Bay Guardian, and "the chief of cheap": Time Out New York.