It’s Up to Us
By Joanie Juster –
During the 1980s, this country faced two simultaneous and devastating public health crises: the AIDS pandemic, and the underwhelming response to it from our government. The homophobia-fueled lack of support from Washington led to countless needless deaths—but also inspired a new generation of activists to act up and fight back.
These activists stepped up to sound the alarm, knowing that they wouldn’t get help unless they demanded it. Some of us laid a Quilt—stitched with equal parts sorrow and fury—at the feet of our elected officials. ACT UP and other groups staged impossible-to-ignore direct actions that forced a response from those in power. It took all of us, using every tool in our arsenal, to demand the funding and research and support needed to fight HIV and AIDS.
At the U.S. Conference on HIV & AIDS in Washington, D.C. (USCHA), last week, activists and advocates from the Bay Area joined with their counterparts from around the country in a public demonstration to raise awareness about proposed federal cuts to HIV funding and their impact on HIV care and prevention in the U.S. One of their actions was laying a “Cuts Kill” quilt—inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt—on the National Mall to highlight the impact that cuts to HIV funding and public health will have on our communities.
Their message is urgent: We are facing an unprecedented public health crisis. Under the leadership of unqualified partisan hacks, our nation’s public health system is unraveling at an alarming rate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health, and other agencies have become hollow shells, as dedicated public servants and health professionals who actually know what they are doing, and who care about public health, are either being fired, or have resigned en masse, frustrated by the anti-scientific direction of Robert Kennedy, Jr., Dr. Oz, and their cronies. The medical experts, funding, and political will to protect the public’s health have disappeared, and it’s up to us to speak out loud and repeatedly. We must never forget: Silence = Death, Action = Life.
For more info on this year’s USCHA: https://www.nmac.org/uscha/
Beyond Rainbows: Leather Pride on Display
Over the past few weeks, the state of Florida has doubled down on erasing the rainbow crosswalks outside the Pulse Memorial in Orlando—with local folks tirelessly coming back each day with ever more creative ways to rainbow-ize Orlando. Watching this tug-of-war makes me even more grateful for our rainbow crosswalks at 18th and Castro, and for the Intersex Progress Flag—complete with yellow brick road—painted at Jane Warner Plaza this year by visionary artist Harry Breaux and his team of volunteers.
But rainbows are only one of many means of queer expression, as will be evident when the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District presents LeatherWalk 2025 on Sunday, September 21. In its 33rd year, this annual event brings together the leather, kink, and LGBTQ+ communities of South of Market for a day of visibility, celebration, and fundraising for the district’s initiatives. At a time when queer spaces and identities are under relentless attack, such visibility is an act of joyful resistance.
LeatherWalk raises funds to help support a safe and lively space for events, businesses, bars, and organizations to thrive in SOMA, so people can gather safely for both business and pleasure. The funds raised also help preserve the district’s history, including the Leather Legacy Landmarks sidewalk plaques, the first five of which were installed in August. The plaques will also be featured as part of guided neighborhood walking tours. For more information, visit
Registration for teams and individual walkers is open, and all walkers can register for free. The Walk is the official kick-off for Leather Week. It will start at City Hall, and end at Eagle Plaza, where the Leather Pride Flag will be raised as part of the SF Eagle Bar’s Leather Pride Fest. Leather Week will culminate on September 28 with the Folsom Street Fair. For all details, to register, or to donate: https://tinyurl.com/LWalk33
Get Ready
First, they sent federal troops and the National Guard to Los Angeles, under the pretext of staunching overwhelming rebellion in the streets. Then they descended upon Washington, D.C., falsely claiming it was an out-of-control cesspool of crime. They are threatening to do the same with Chicago, Baltimore, New York City, and, eventually, Oakland, San Francisco, and other progressive cities in blue states. (Hint: It was never really about the crime rates.)
As horrifying as this illegal militarization of civil society may be, it also has been inspiring to see the brilliantly creative, fearless, and often spontaneous resistance from average folks when they encounter armed military presence on their streets. So far, the resistance has been peaceful, and often effective. So, how will we resist if, and when, tanks start rolling down our own streets?
It is something we all need to think about and prepare for. If you haven’t yet joined a resistance group, or been trained in nonviolent resistance, now is the time to do it. Several groups like Indivisible, 50501, and Bay Resistance offer both online and in-person trainings. Do yourself and your community a favor and prepare now.
Final Thoughts
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has been in the news a lot lately, as he has been standing firm against the current administration’s authoritarian power grabs. He gave a commencement speech at Knox College this year that, while full of gentle humor and self-deprecating dad advice, also offered this perspective that captures our current situation:
“To be in public office right now is to constantly ask yourself: How do I make sure I’m standing on the right side of history? There is a simple answer. The wrong side of history will always tell you to be afraid.
The right side of history will always expect you to be brave.
Expect bravery of the community around you, and bravery will show up. Expect fear, and fear will rule the day.”
Go forth and be brave, my friends.
Joanie Juster is a long-time community volunteer, activist, and ally.
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Published on September 11, 2025
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