By Sister Dana sez, Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun–
Sister Dana sez, “Keep celebrating WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH, which is about recognizing the wonderful women who have shaped history!”
It’s important that we acknowledge the challenges all women—particularly Queer women, Transgender women, and women of color—have and continue to face in the workplace and beyond.
Still helping to ease such challenges is Dolores Huerta, who came to GLIDE Memorial Church on March 6. She has spent her life fighting for workers’ rights, justice, and equality and is a civil rights activist and community organizer. She has worked for labor rights and social justice for over 50 years. In 1962, she and Cesar Chavez founded the United Farm Workers union. She served as Vice President and played a critical role in many of the union’s accomplishments for four decades. In 2002, she received the Puffin/Nation $100,000 prize for Creative Citizenship, which she used to establish the Dolores Huerta Foundation.
Another unsung hero was Black queer journalist Corinne “Marti” Mackey, who dedicated her life to writing revolutionary content for a local San Diego gay and lesbian publication. Mackey also founded Lesbians and Gays of African Descent United (LAGADU), and was named Pride’s Woman of the Year in 1991.
Those are just two outstanding women who have shaped history for good.
KREWE DE KINQUE (KDK) threw a big pre-MARDI GRAS masked ball, gay party, fun fundraiser, and regal coronation on March 1 at The Café in the Castro. KREWE DE KINQUE is a social/charitable club that raises awareness and funds in the spirit of Mardi Gras with an emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and emergency needs. Founded in 2004 by Gary Virginia, our all-volunteer organization has raised over $150,000 for 45 causes ranging from HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, LGBTQ asylum, local housing & hunger programs to emergency relief. Our March 1 Bal Masque XXII theme was “Mardi Glow Under the Sea.” Our Grand Marshal Brian Busta led us in a festive, indoor Second Line parade, KDK Queen VII Sister Dana handed out free bead necklaces, and we were entertained by a dozen awesome artistes in tableau. A new category was born that night, and the always fabulous Fabulosa certainly deserved the title of KDK Jester I. This was the Stepping Down of KDK King XXI Robert Makowka & Queen XXI Vivianne Vixen Rose. This was also the rather impressive crowning of our newest royalty, KDK King John Brett & Queen Olivia Hart. Then on actual Mardi Gras night (March 4, Fat Tuesday), many of us KDK members and friends participated in our annual Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday Castro Bar Crawl—parading happily and drunkenly from Castro bar to bar to more bars. This was the same night that the infamous, anti-Democrat, anti-DEI Trump spoke to Congress. I skipped that disgusting debacle to celebrate Mardi Gras with my beloved Krewe—having taped the crap-show to view much later on TV and continually booo at each false fact by that fascist!
In his March 4 one-hundred-minute-long Speech to Congress, T-rump had vowed to push an “Unrelenting Agenda.” He blathered and bragged about the many actions his administration had taken, including drastic cuts to the federal workforce and the eradication of diversity initiatives. He continually insulted Democrats right to their faces. The whole s-show set-up was crammed full of the Presi-dunce’s lies! Fact-checking afterwards has been happily handily delivered by most real cable-TV news/politics programs.
Our next KREWE DE KINQUE fundraiser is KDK INFERNO on March 14, 4–7 pm at ZHUZH Bar, 1548 California Street, no cover charge. It’s a devil theme party to raise money for LGBTQ humanitarian RAINBOW WORLD FUND. There will be a devil/demon costume contest with cash prize, hosted by newly sashed KDK Jester I Fabulosa, dazzling live performances—and Guest Celebrity Judges Juanita MORE! & David Glamamore will be judging the looks. DJ Sir Ellis will be playing the hot hits. You’ll have a devilishly good time!
The White House has now picked the Pool Reporters who Cover T-rump. In announcing plans to handpick the reporters who can ask the president questions, the White House has broken decades of precedent. This is malice towards the media and utterly spiteful, autocratic, anti-democratic behavior. Sister Dana sez, “Maybe I’m a teeny tiny little bit fuzzy, but isn’t there SOMETHING in our CONSTITUTION that possibly refers to Freedom of the Press?!”
March 7 was the 60th Anniversary of BLOODY SUNDAY. Sixty years ago, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, the first of three marches began on Sunday, March 7, 1965. Led by Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee chairman John Lewis, who would go on to serve as a U.S. Representative for 33 years, and the Reverend Hosea Williams of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the march began peacefully until protesters were met with brutal violence by Alabama law enforcement officials. This event became known as “Bloody Sunday.” Those marches eventually led to The Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was presented to Congress on March 17, 1965, and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965. Sister Dana sez, “And unfortunately, current Repugnican Congress-folx are trying to do away with many voting rights! Reprehensible!”
On March 7, it was announced that the Broadway musical hit “HAMILTON” that was scheduled for The Kennedy Center was abruptly canceled because T-rump had declared himself Chair and had fired all the former board members to replace them with Trumpass-kissers. “We’re not going to be part of it while it is the Trump Kennedy Center,” producers explained. Sister Dana sez, “And now … bring down the curtains on The Trump Center!”
On March 8 at Strut in the Castro, we were delighted to witness the amazing
Artist Panel with live QUEER ANCESTORS PROJECT artists sharing more information about the histories, research, and experiences that inspired their prints. This group art exhibition has showcased pieces from an incredible program that teaches queer youth vital queer history, art making workshops, and so much more. Anyone visiting Strut at 470 Castro Street can now view this awesome exhibition on the third floor all through the month of March. After working hard for the past 7 months, 10 queer and transgender artists have a total of 43 original linocut prints on display. That night offered a free button-making station for patrons, featuring the art. Queer Ancestors Project Creative Director Katie Gilmartin had made a special pink “Sister Dana” button for me. So sweet! Do not miss this marvelous exhibition of Queer & Trans pride!
Drag Me To AIDS/LifeCycle Drag T-dance is Saturday, March 18, at the Stud, 1123 Folsom Street. Doors: 2 pm, Show 3 pm, Dancing until 6 pm. 2025 will be the last ride as we know it, so let’s make it the biggest and best one ever! Join us for a fun afternoon of drag performances and dancing at the iconic STUD to support the AIDS/LifeCycle community fund. FREE! But donations collected at the door will benefit the Community Fund, designed to help bike riders meet their minimum donation requirement.
The Trump administration has ordered Federal agencies to draft plans for even larger-scale firings. In the dodgy DOGE do-overs department, here are the facts: they counted one $655 million cut three times; about 40% of the contracts they canceled will not yield any savings; proposed tax cuts will add trillions of dollars to the deficit; FDA tried to re-hire safety staffers after mass lay-offs; the White House scrambled to re-hire nuclear safety workers one day after the firings; and the USDA accidentally fired officials working on the bird flu. Oops! And BTW, it should be noted that Elon Musk’s business empire is built on $38 billion in Federal government funding. And Musk has called Social Security “The Biggest Ponzi Scheme of All Time.” He has targeted over $200 million in cuts to Social Security. He forced the Social Security Administration to be cut in HALF. Sister Dana sez, “Well … talk about Social INSECURITY?!!”
In really rotten racism news, T-rump has signed an Executive Order making English the official U.S. language! This awful action has undone an official mandate that former President Bill Clinton made that required the government and organizations that receive Federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speaking persons. Sister Dana sez, “This means that—in a country built in part by immigrants—access to crucial services for non-English speakers could be drastically restricted!”
Symbolizing the diversity, equity and inclusion of the Castro LGBTQA+ Community, the INTERSEX PROGRESS PRIDE FLAG is scheduled to be painted in time for Pride 2025 on Jane Warner Plaza at Castro, 17th, and Market Streets. Streamed by the Castro Cam 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, a live video of this plaza is available to all corners of the earth. This mural will show the world that the Castro, the center for LGBTQA+ Pride, is pushing forward on the rights for all and is not backing down! Please donate to fund this mural and join the group of volunteers to make it a reality. Their goal is to raise $8,200 by May 1, 2025, for the SUPPLIES ($1,054 is for permit costs). No individual is being paid. The quicker they raise the funds, the faster the mural can be installed! Any amount is helpful and appreciated. https://castrocbd.square.site/
THE CASTRO NIGHT MARKET is back this month, bringing an evening of celebration, community, and local creativity to the heart of San Francisco’s iconic Castro District. On Friday, March 21, 5–10 pm, 18th Street between Hartford and Collingwood will transform into a lively, open-air marketplace showcasing the best of local artisans, food vendors, entertainers, and nonprofit organizations. Following the success of October and December events, this month’s Castro Night Market will celebrate the beginning of spring—featuring floral-themed booths, plant swap opportunities, and over 30 different vendors from the Castro, San Francisco, and the Bay Area. Entertainment will be provided by open format DJs on the Flower stage and in the Neon Hollow, plus there will be drag, street performances, and other surprises. https://castrocbd.square.site/
2025 marks Juanita MORE!’s 33rd year as an active community member, drag mother, civil rights activist, and philanthropist. She has long been a soldier in stilettos, fighting on the frontlines for awareness and LGBTQ rights. Each year, Miss MORE! has taken great pleasure in seeking out some of our community’s most impactful organizations as beneficiaries. Over the past three decades, the community has helped raise over $1 million for local charities by supporting these events. Accordingly, Juanita has just announced that for this year’s PRIDE PARTY on June 29 at 620 Jones, the TRANSGENDER LAW CENTER (TLC) will be her annual Pride Party beneficiary. This national organization advocates for the rights of transgender and gender-nonconforming people. TLC was originally California’s first statewide transgender legal organization and has a long history of victories for the trans movement. Over the years, it has helped win trans workers’ rights nationwide, protected trans students, and revised the San Francisco “Regulations to Prohibit Gender Identity Discrimination.”
AFROSOLO THEATRE COMPANY will present Arts Festival 31, LET FREEDOM RING! PART 2 on March 28 and 29 at 7 pm and March 30 at 3 pm located at Potrero Stage, 1695 18th Street, San Francisco. More details will be in my March 27 column. https://afrosolo.org/
SAINT PATRICK’S DAY, or the FEAST OF SAINT PATRICK, is a religious and cultural holiday held on March 17, the traditional death date of Irish priest Saint Patrick, who became the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century. It commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland (or not—if you choose not to be religious), and, by extension, celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Historically, the Lenten religious restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol were lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday›s tradition of mass alcohol consumption.
San Francisco’s ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE, the 174th annual event, will take place on Saturday, March 15, 2025, starting at 11:30 am at 2nd & Market Street and ending at San Francisco City Hall.
Sister Dana sez, “Happy SAINT PATRICK’S DAY to all me fellow Irishmen (‘Kiss me! I’m Irish!’) and non-Irish people who will be wearin’ the green on March 17 and pinchin’ them that’s not got green on! Begorrah! Pass me the Irish whiskey and green beer, dear!”
Sister Dana Sez, Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun
Published on March 3, 2025
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