By Kippy Marks—
Some people practice love quietly, like a soft hum beneath the noise of the world. And then there is Leanne Borghesi—a woman who practices love in full voice, full color, and full-hearted presence. She is a walking,
singing, laughing embodiment of the PMLE philosophy: that love is not a feeling but a discipline, a devotion, a daily act of courage.
For more than 30 years, Leanne has been a force in San Francisco’s artistic and activist landscape. She arrived in this city as a young queer performer and found, not just a home, but a calling. San Francisco didn’t simply welcome her; it revealed her to herself. And from that revelation grew a life of service, artistry, and fierce advocacy. I am proud to celebrate her as the 14th individual spotlighted in this column.
PMLE teaches that love is a practice—something we strengthen through repetition, intention, and action. Leanne’s life is a masterclass in that practice. She has used her voice, not only to entertain, but to comfort, to challenge, to uplift, and to mobilize. She has stood on stages across the city—from the Castro to City Hall to Twin Peaks—using music as a bridge between joy and justice. She has mentored, nurtured, and championed others with the same generosity once shown to her. And she has done it all with a spirit that is unmistakably, unapologetically her own.
Her story is a reminder that activism is not always a march or a megaphone. Sometimes activism is a song. Sometimes it is a laugh. Sometimes it is the courage to be fully oneself in a world that often demands smaller versions. Leanne’s life is a testament to the truth at the heart of PMLE: when love is practiced consistently, it becomes a force that transforms communities.
And now, in her own words, Leanne shares the roots of that love, the seeds of her activism, and the practices that keep her grounded today.
Kippy Marks: How long have you been involved with the practicing of PMLE values in your work?
Leanne Borghesi: Great question; this made me really think! I’ve always been wired to advocate. Even before I had the language for my queerness, I had a fierce instinct for love and equality. As a young queer performing artist, I moved to San Francisco more than 30 years ago and found myself immersed within the artistic diversity of our GLBTQIA+ community. This city didn’t just welcome me; it revealed me to myself! The seeds of my passions were planted here, on the streets at the
Castro, the stages of Pride, under the Rotunda at City Hall fighting and partaking in marriage equality and the mountaintop of Twin Peaks honoring the Pink Triangle by singing “San Francisco” alongside the SF Pride Band. These seeds keep growing with deep roots of gratitude for these connections with fellow artists, activists, creators, elders, and survivors.
Kippy Marks: Who or what motivated you to become the community activist you are today?
Leanne Borghesi: The turning point came when I met my beloved music teacher, vocal coach, and chosen family: Sean Martinfield. Sean was an openly gay man forging the way for others with his voice. An activist and original member of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, founded in October 1978 by his dear friend Jon Sims, he took me under his wing for more than three decades. Through him, I cultivated not only a love of singing and Jeanette MacDonald, but also a deep commitment to helping our GLBTQIA+ community, fighting for equality through love with compassion to those struggling and in great need.
Under his mentorship, I became relentless and fearless. He helped me understand that my greatest instrument wasn’t just my technique; it was my voice, and a loud one at that. As a performer, connection through music has always been my most natural language. Sean taught me to use that connection with intention and ability to create awareness, to raise funds, to comfort the grieving, to challenge injustice, and, yes, to entertain. Art wasn’t separate from activism. It was activism. It is my activism.
I’ve been fortunate to stand shoulder to shoulder with some of San Francisco’s most outspoken, loving, brilliant community leaders, artists, and changemakers over these past 30 years. Their courage continues to teach, inspire, and sharpen my political awareness and expand my communal responsibility. My voice, artistically, politically, and spiritually, continues to grow stronger from these seeds planted so long ago as, for me, my calling in performance is about service. It’s about using whatever platform I have to amplify love, protect dignity, and remind our GLBtQIA+ community of its power. That’s the legacy I’ve inherited, and it’s to honor Sean and so many more who have preceded me every time I step on stage from San Francisco to New York. [They have inspired my] ability to unabashedly be me while striving to protect the foundations of love against hate that have been built person by person.
Kippy Marks: How old were you when this period began to unfold?
Leanne Borghesi: I was 22 when I moved to San Francisco, where my passions continue to cultivate my purposes.
Kippy Marks: What advice would you give to others on how to practice love on the daily?
Leanne Borghesi: What I can offer is what I strive to focus on for myself and that is … gratitude. It’s being present in the moments of life that reveal the power of love: a smile to a stranger, laughter until it hurts, sharing of a meal, holding of a hand, a game of tug with my dog’s favorite toy, a call to a friend, holding the door for the person behind, a thank you to someone providing me a service, the awareness of breath, and the quieting of the mind. Please, please don’t give up on love, especially in the moments when loving yourself feels almost impossible as these moments matter when the urge to retreat and shut down tempts. Just keep loving and lean on those who love you and let them remind you who you are when you forget. Love isn’t just a feeling; it’s an action. It’s vulnerable and messy and it’s beautiful and gooey … it’s the most powerful addiction I can strive to have.
Kippy Marks: If you were granted two universal wishes, what would you wish for?
Leanne Borghesi: Wishes around love … I would wish that we as a world can love and be loved in a way that makes one feel safe, seen, validated, celebrated, and honored. Secondly, may we love whom we wish and be who we are without fear and hate.
Kippy Marks: Please share any current practices that our readers may find useful, and update us on what you are doing now.
Leanne Borghesi: [Earlier this week] my feet were onstage, singing for a cause in San Francisco on February 23 at The Marine’s Memorial for If This Is Love, which was a benefit with the National Broadway Touring Cast of The Notebook to raise funds for organizations through the Richmond Ermet Aid Foundation.
Please visit my website for upcoming concerts dates, voice coaching lessons, and other tidbits of love: https://leanneborghesi.com/
Dubbed San Francisco’s “King of Strings,” Kippy Marks is a spirited entertainer whose shows are permeated with an infectious joy. His distinctive sound arises from his heart, through his 1822 violin consort, Izabella. Marks’ rare talent, broad smile, and radiant warmth will brighten any event and create a lasting impact. He is also Grand Duke XL of The Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco. He is the first ever elected African-American Grand Duke.
Practice Makes Love Easy
Published on February 26, 2026
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