The San Francisco Bay Times Pride Parade contingent for 2019 will be the largest ever in the history of the paper, with an estimated 24 wheel monitors, 6 motorized vehicles, 4 contingent monitors, 3 contingent leaders/captains, street teams and 100+ participants and supporters. We invite both members of our LGBTQ community and allies, so please come and join us! See the end of this article for additional information. Several on our team have been in the Parade over the decades—legendary photographer Rink has been to every San Francisco Pride Parade—and the experience remains powerful and meaningful.
SF Pride is in the middle of its trilogy: Generations of Strength, Resistance and Hope. Next year will mark the 50th Anniversary of SF Pride and the end of the trilogy. In terms of this year’s theme, the San Francisco Bay Times (SFBT) was born out of resistance in 1978, at a time when the Briggs Initiative (California Proposition 6) threatened to ban LGBTQ teachers in our state’s public schools, marriage equality was unthinkable, conversion therapy was commonplace and more.
We are grateful for courageous activists, such as founding SFBT contributors Cleve Jones, Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, and founding News Editor Randy Alfred, who helped to make true the vision of the late SFBT Co-Founders, Roland Schembari and Bill Hartman. Randy Alfred, part of last year’s SFBT 40th Anniversary celebrations, will be joining our contingent this year.
Current SFBT members will also be present, including Rink and longtime Sister of Perpetual Indulgence, Sister Dana Van Iquity, who is always a Parade favorite. Legend has it that you will enjoy a year of good luck and loving if you receive one of the many kisses that he blows to viewers along the route. Pay it forward!
At least four, and possibly even five, generations will be represented in our contingent, ranging from Gen Z to the Stonewall era and beyond. Other highlights include:
Carnaval and AGUILAS Performers
Under the direction of choreographer Juan Davila from the SFBT, dancers and other performers from Carnaval and AGUILAS—the city’s organization by and for gay/bisexual Latinos—will be featured. We are honored that Eduardo Morales, PhD, Executive Director of AGUILAS, will be joining us.
Dan Ashley, ABC7 News
News anchor and journalist Dan Ashley, a recipient of the prestigious DuPont Columbia and the Edward R. Murrow Awards, is a familiar face here in the Bay Area for his work on ABC7 News. He is also a talented musician, and will be performing in the SFBT contingent for a second year. (Many of you requested that he return, and we are glad to report that he said yes!) He shares, “Playing with me at the Parade of note—Vernon “Ice” Black—who was the lead guitarist on tour for Mariah Carey’s band; Billy “Shoes” Johnson is on drums—he was the touring drummer for Santana and Frankie Beverly.” Ashley has been busy working in the studio, and adds that a few new songs just added to his namesake band’s playlist will be debuted at the Parade. Several other performances are scheduled for later this summer and fall. Check Ashley’s website for updates.
UCSF Women’s Health: Black Women’s Health & Livelihood Initiative
Judy Young, Executive Director of the National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health, will be joining the SFBT contingent, along with other leaders of the Black Women’s Health & Livelihood Initiative. The Initiative is challenging the systemic obstacles that lead to inequity in healthcare by exploring and elevating the expertise and knowledge of existing Black women at UCSF and in the Bay Area community to implement novel solutions for healthcare disparities in Black women’s well-being, while accelerating and improving both recruitment and retention of Black women at UCSF and their promotion to leadership positions.
Patrick and Hossein Carney, The Pink Triangle
One of the most memorable moments of Pride is seeing the Pink Triangle atop Twin Peaks. Originated by Patrick Carney and his team, the project is an annual commemoration of the gay victims who were persecuted and killed in concentration camps in Nazi Germany starting in 1933 through the end of WWII. We are honored that Carney, his husband Hossein and other members of their team will again be joining us this year.
https://www.thepinktriangle.com/
Glenn Michael Baker, Performer and Scenic Designer
The tallest member of our contingent by far will be stilt-walker Glenn Michael Baker, who always amazes us with his ability to spend hours on his stilts before, during and after the lengthy trek down Market Street. He is also a talented dancer, but is now perhaps best known for his scenic design work. He was recently nominated for an Ovation Award in the “Scenic Design: Intimate Theater” category for his work on Burners (Moving Arts). We are grateful that the talented, Los Angeles-based Baker will be traveling to San Francisco again this year in order to be in our contingent.
http://www.glennmichaelbaker.com/
Lucky Tuk Tuk Eco-Friendly Vehicles
New to the streets of San Francisco are Lucky Tuk Tuks—three-wheeled, eco-friendly vehicles that provide a novel and fun way to explore the city. Owner and Chief Troublemaker Brian Huber and members of his team will be with us, riding in the unique vehicles along with SFBT Co-Publishers Dr. Betty Sullivan and Jennifer Viegas. Huber says, “Lucky Tuk Tuks run completely on electric power, designed with San Francisco’s crazy hills and eco-conscious ethos in mind. The main goals are to ensure riders are safe and having a blast, so our hosts are both professional drivers and party-starters.”
Gray Line Tours San Francisco
Since 1910, Gray Line has been a trusted provider of traveler experiences and sightseeing tours in the world’s most sought-after locations. From the Wine Country to Muir Woods to Yosemite, hopping on a Gray Line vehicle can take you on a dream vacation—or, in our case, a sweet ride down Market Street for the Pride Parade!
https://graylineofsanfrancisco.com/
Additional honored guests who will be riding in the San Francisco Bay Times Pride Parade contingent:
LaTonya Lawson, Regional Marketing Leader for Celebrity Cruises, Inc.
https://www.celebritycruises.com/
San Francisco Credit Union (Team of Volunteers)
https://www.sanfranciscofcu.com/
Beth Schnitzer, Co-Founder and President of SpritzSF
Joe Shirley, Director of Winemaking at Trinchero Family Estates
Representatives from:
Alzheimer’s Association: https://www.alz.org/
Golden Gate Business Association: https://ggba.com/
Grubstake Diner: http://sfgrubstake.com/
Marcum LLP: http://www.marcumllp.com/
Rhoda Goldman Plaza: https://www.rgplaza.org/
Our contingent partners include Gray Line Tours, Luky Tuk Tuk, Dan Ashley, Olivia Travel ( https://www.olivia.com ), Extreme Pizza ( https://www.extremepizza.com/ ), La Mediterranée ( http://www.cafelamed.com/ ), Crystal Geyser
( https://bit.ly/2Y5Iygx ) and NAPA Cellars ( https://www.napacellars.com/ ). Special thanks also go to Christina Shamon of Gray Line, Contingent Manager Karen Bardsley, Vehicle Captain Warren Alderson, Steve Scheitlin and Hospitality Manager Phyllis Costa.
You are invited to join us in the San Francisco Pride Parade, which is one of the oldest and largest LGBTQIA parades in the world! The Parade starts at 10:30 am on Sunday, June 30, and runs along Market Street from Beale to 8th Streets. Stonewall50 and SF Pride’s 2019 theme of Generations of Resistance make this year even more important, giving us the opportunity to honor and continue the important work of those who, in prior generations, fought for basic human rights for all—and not just for some.
As SF Pride Executive Director George Ridgely says, “Our strength as a community is tied inextricably with visibility. The collective stories of our communities, those at the forefront and those who are historically marginalized, are an integral part of the cultural patchwork which makes the San Francisco LGBTQ+ communities great.”
To be a part of the SFBT contingent, write to publisher@sfbaytimes.com or phone 415-601-2113. Thank you for your support and solidarity. Happy Pride!
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