By Donna Sachet–
As promised, San Francisco celebrated LGBTQ+ Pride with a Parade up Market Street, a party in Civic Center afterwards, and more Pride-related events than we can possibly describe in this short missive. Ever your dedicated servant, however, we shall do our best.
June’s Divas & Drinks at The Academy turned into a celebration of Carolyn Wysinger, President of SF Pride’s Board of Directors, who was looking forward to her first full-fledged Pride Parade as President. She arrived at the front door in a snazzy convertible chauffeured by Betty Sullivan and Jennifer Viegas and led by an entourage of Dykes on Bikesâ. Once inside, she was greeted by a gaggle of supporters from near and far and even led Team SF Pride to victory in the Name That Tune competition! JaCoree Prothro sang soulfully. Suzanne Ford, Interim Executive Director of SF Pride; and Imani Rupert Gordon, Executive Director of NCLR; spoke glowingly. Schuyler Hudak presented a certificate from Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis. Supervisor Rafael Mandelman also gave a certificate of honor, and ABC7’s Dion Lim spoke and introduced Pao Crego, Executive Director of the SF Office of Transgender Initiatives. Does it get any better than this? Evidently, yes, since Mona Webb, by special personal request from Carolyn, then topped off her tribute with poetic spoken word that had the outdoor garden silent, thoughtful, and amazed. Carolyn, we hope you felt the love!
Friday, June 24, was a night of quiet preparation for many for the big weekend ahead, but not for all. We were happy to reunite with our Emperor Brian Benamati and his husband Tony Onorati, visiting from Portland, Oregon, for a Pride mixer at The Academy for Tony’s employer Deloitte. This was a big step for his company and the group felt acknowledged, appreciated, and proud. That was followed by an intimate evening with this humble columnist ensconced in the upstairs piano room of The Academy with Russell Deason creating a magical mood. We shared a few anecdotes, a couple of little-known stories, and even an occasional song, as old friends and new listened intently, including Mark Pretscher, John Newmeyer, and Doug Waggener. From big splashy events using all three floors of the space to more personal gatherings like this, we find The Academy a wonderful place to spend time and enrich friendships.
Surely you’ve heard by now that Gary Virginia & Donna Sachet’s 24th annual Pride Brunch the next day at the Westin St. Francis Hotel was a smashing success! As guests entered, they were greeted by Deana Dawn and Diva D, dressed in homage to the legendary Brown Twins, in front of a gleaming step-and-repeat backdrop and quickly surrounded by Korbel sparkling wine bar, Tito’s Handmade Vodka bar, and beautifully displayed silent and live auction presentations. Inside the ballroom, Sparky’s balloons abounded, adorable floral centerpieces designed by CoCo Butter dressed up each table, and nearly 400 guests gathered, a 24-year record crowd, as flaggers, dancers, and a caricaturist engaged their attention. Rather than a buffet, this year’s 3-course gourmet brunch was served and, from all reports, delighted everyone.
The program began as DJ Jimmy Strano played “Love Is in the Air,”the theme for this year’s Pride Brunch. PRC CEO Brett Andrews spoke briefly before introducing State Senator Scott Wiener. Much to the surprise of many in the room, we then introduced Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi! Her passionate rebuke of the recent Supreme Court reversal was balanced by a compassionate rally for action and pledge of continued support for the LGBTQ+ Community. Looking back on that morning, it is hard to believe that she had been on every television station at a D.C. press conference the day before, spent over an hour with us, greeting guests, enjoying brunch, and speaking to our attendees, rode proudly in the SF Pride Parade the next day, and then flew to Rome late Sunday to meet with Pope Francis at The Vatican for Holy Communion. This is truly one special lady!
As always, the program featured remarks from the Grand Marshals of the SF Pride Parade and Grand Marshals Amber Gray, Vinny Eng, and Melanie DeMore, and Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal Andrea Horne, and Celebrity Grand Marshal Amy Schneider of Jeopardy! fame each gave our audience heartfelt words of encouragement, resilience, and hope. In the middle of the event, singer Carly Ozard stunned the room with her vocal talents and auctioneer Liam Mayclem of Liam’s List, KCBS, KPIX, and the Bay Times handily auctioned off a Sonoma weekend stay, a week at a gorgeous private hacienda in Puerto Vallarta, and a nearly life-sized oil portrait of the hosts created by artist Thomasina DeMaio. You read that right. Thomasina generously donated a spectacular work of art that captured the spirit of Gary and us that then sold to the highest bidder. Needless to say, the generosity of the crowd was humbling. When all was said and done, from auction bids, beneficent sponsors, VIP and regular ticket buyers, and others, we raised nearly $73,000 for our beneficiary PRC, doing life-changing work in San Francisco. This will be an event long talked about and hard to match next year for Gary Virginia & Donna Sachet’s 25th annual Pride Brunch! Don’t miss it!
You know we couldn’t go all weekend without some time on a dance floor so we headed to The Midway Saturday night for the big XOXO party. Thousands of men were treated to fantastic lighting effects, pulsating music, and each other for a different kind of Pride celebration. We enjoyed just enough before retiring for the night to prepare for the long-awaited Pride Parade the next day.
ABC7 stepped in this year as the television partner and we joined Reggie Aqui, Drew Tuma, Michael Tate, and Pearl Teese to co-anchor SF Pride Parade 2022. An extraordinary crew supported our efforts and seemed genuinely proud to be a part of this experience. As with any change of networks and with the shortened time to prepare, there were challenges along the way, but the professionalism and energy of all involved ensured a great day. After an absence of two years, the rumble of the approaching Dykes on Bikesâ was emotionally charged. As favorite groups and individuals paraded by, their joy and pride was palpable. And the faces of the crowds, four and five-deep along the route, spoke volumes about what the SF Pride Parade means to this city. We applaud everyone at SF Pride, especially the leadership of Carolyn Wysinger and Suzanne Ford, for optimistically charging ahead and delivering just what we had been waiting for. Once again, the resilience and determination of our community shone through.
Afterwards, we joined Michael Loftis & Erik Nickel at the VIP Party at the Asian Art Museum. This new location established a refreshing and welcome vibe with gentle music, cold drinks and air, and ample seating. Alas, the pace of the prior weeks was finally catching up with us and we missed for the first time in ages Juanita MORE!’s legendary Pride Party and perhaps a few other events that are your favorites. By Sunday night, we listlessly returned to our sweet little puppy Peanut, who may not understand what Pride means to us, but who offers us such nonjudgmental and unconditional love that there is no better place to end up. Sure, we regaled her with stories of our many adventures during the week, the people we met, the events we attended, the causes we supported, and the outrageous fun we had, but Peanut was just happy to curl up together again and command my complete attention. That’s a wrap!
Donna Sachet is a celebrated performer, fundraiser, activist, and philanthropist who has dedicated over two decades to the LGBTQ Community in San Francisco. Contact her at empsachet@gmail.com
Friday, July 29
Divas & Drinks: iHeartSummer
Bay Times party w/Donna Sachet, DJ Christie James
Bacardí cocktails, tasty nibbles
Name That Tune competition
The Academy, 2166 Market Street
6–10 pm
$10
www.academy-sf.com
Sunday, July 31
Up Your Alley 2022
Notorious Street Fair
11 am–6 pm
Free!
www.folsomstreet.org
Sunday, July 31
PLAY T-Dance
Brian Kent Productions & ptyronepresents
DJ Russ Rich
1015 Folsom Street
6 pm–1 am
$55–65
www.eventbrite.com
Published on July 14, 2022
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