By Sister Dana Van Iquity—
Sister Dana sez, “FOLSOM STREET was a treat, but there was nothing new under the sun that thrilled me. Maybe I’m too much of a leather fair veteran. Old hat. Seen it. Loved it. Done it! Nothing new to report on it.”
On September 18, T-rump’s latest blonde girlie, Natalie Harp, showed him clips of highly intelligent anchors on cable network news MS NOW (my personal fave) criticizing him and his administration. A mere two hours later, he banned that network, as well as CNN and Politico, from The White House! He had the nerve to state it was a “ban on the free press.” Fortunately, on September 21, 2026, judges representing CNN and Politico started bringing suit against him, against his chief of staff Susan Wiles, and against White House Communications. Sister Dana sez, “As a journalist and anyone with a beating heart can argue, this ban is a total violation of the First Amendment. But that don’t bother Mister Prezzie Tee, because he probably uses the Constitution and Amendments as toilet paper!”
Join me at The Grand, 520 4th Street, on October 22, 5:30–8:30 pm for AIDS LEGAL REFERRAL PANEL (ALRP)’s 43rd Annual Reception! This beloved tradition brings together hundreds of friends in the Bay Area community who make their work possible. Proceeds support ALRP’s vital role in advancing and protecting the rights, dignity, and health of people living with HIV/AIDS. Guests will enjoy an open bar, ample hors d’oeuvres, and an exciting live and silent auction. Varla Jean Merman (aka Jeffery Roberson) will guest host. She starred in the musical Lucky Guy opposite Leslie Jordan in New York at the Little Shubert Theatre, prompting The New York Times to rave, “If Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman had stood in front of the right pair of funhouse mirrors, they might have resembled Ms. Merman and Mr. Jordan in stature as well as comedic talent.” I will rave along to say Varla Jean is always hysterically funny when in drag queen mode. Four-time Olympic gold medal diver Greg Louganis will receive the “Clint Hockenberry Leadership Award” for his bravery and resilience in using his voice and visibility to combat the stigma, isolation, and hostility faced by people living under the public’s perception of the virus. Kathleen R. Hartnett, a former partner at Cooley LLP, will be honored with the “Bill Hirsch Award” for her decades-long record of advancing a broad range of social justice issues with courage, tenacity, and kindness—including her recent advocacy at the Supreme Court on behalf of trans women and girls. https://www.alrp.org/
Terrible Trump has now used public funds for a ridiculous ad that promotes himself. I had to put it on pre-recorded slow-mo to understand this quickie of a preposterous propaganda piece: “America will never be a COMMUNIST COUNTRY. Defend Law and Order and Police.” Then flying over the White House is a fleet of threatening bombers. Then a Lutnick pic, followed by many, many, too many pics of Donnie and a voiceover with all-caps captions: “He’s the toughest, most resilient person I’ve ever met, and nothing was going to stop him fighting so hard for the Country he loves.” Sister Dana sez, “Of course America will never be a Communist country. Duh. And YOU, the convicted felon, are defending Law and Order? Gimme a break! And the only police you defend are villainous, murdering ICE! Nope, Mister Prez, it is WE THE PEOPLE who have to fight for the Country we love!”
On September 24 at Strut at 498 Castro Street, we happily attended a candidate forum featuring San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 8 candidates. SF’s District 8 includes the Castro, Noe Valley, Glen Park, Diamond Heights, and Cole Valley. Presented by the HIV/AIDS Providers Network, this highly informative nonpartisan forum focused on issues specific to HIV and LGBTQ communities. The participants were Gary McCoy, Michael Nguyen, Darshini Patel, and Manny Yekutiel (this was before he suspended his campaign). Each spoke well, but McCoy for me was a standout. He could step right into our wonderful retiring President of the Board of Supervisors Rafael Mandelman’s shoes!
Fabulosa Books celebrated its 5th anniversary on September 19, 2026. To my great dismay, I could not attend because me and my end table had a fight with my face. The table won, having sent me to Davies ER. I also had to miss my friend and historian Susan Stryker at her Q&A at Fabulosa. But my buddy Tom Boyer passed his cell phone to the owner, Alvin Orloff, and to Q&A presenter Dylan Lalanne Perkins—both of whom expressed their regrets that I couldn’t be there for this momentous anniversary occasion; but they sent Tom to me with 200 little chocolate cupcakes and a glass of Dylan’s famous alcoholic punch. I heard that three local drag queens provided live entertainment that I missed out on. But I did recover enough on September 29 for the delightful Harry Hay event, as follows:
Fabulosa Books, 498 Castro Street, hosted another of their illustrative, inspirational author Q&As on September 29 for the lyrical book, Thank You for My Life: The Life of Harry Hay, Pioneering Gay Activist by Jim Cartwright. At a time when gay men were labeled criminals, sinners, and mentally ill, Hay dared to imagine something radically different. In 1948—decades before Stonewall—he proposed that gay people were not broken individuals, but a cultural minority with unique gifts to offer the world. That vision would help ignite the modern Gay Rights Movement. This biography-in-verse traces Hay’s life from being a bullied boy in the 1920s to becoming a fierce founder of The Mattachine Society, the first enduring gay rights organization in the United States, and later to the spiritual community of us Radical Faeries. In the process, Hay wrestled with politics, love, and belonging—but never abandoned his search for a gay identity rooted in dignity and purpose. Buy this beautiful book at Fabulosa!
I think it is just hilarious that Congressional Republican Tommy Tuberville made such a public fuss against airline pilots being furries during their time off in their real lives. Sister Dana was once a monkey-furry way back when I went to Burning Man 2000 and afterward. Furries are fun. Get over it, Tommy Tee!
I recently attended SF Places: Landmark Designation hosted by Alex Westhoff at the Eureka Valley Center. This was a community forum on the proposed CASTRO HISTORIC DISTRICT to make the entire Castro a protected place with important cultural, architectural, and historical significance. About 100 of us got into a lively discussion. Sister Dana sez, “It’s about time that The Castro becomes a landmark!”
Tyrannical Trump is now in an illegal military process to build a gigantic “Arc de Trump” on White House grounds to store bullets for snipers and drones. Thanks to a Trump-appointed judge, these ugly plans are temporarily halted. Sister Dana sez, “This monstrosity would be a 250-foot-tall arch—less than a mile away from a military base and The Pentagon, where he could store away all the bullets and snipers that his selfish little heart desires!”
Sister Dana Sez, Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun
Published on October 8, 2026
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