By Jennifer Valles—
It’s been said that “during the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night. The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for.”
The world has been so heavy, and I know how much we need that dance right now. In a moment of grief and resistance, joy is a radical and necessary force.
I want to personally invite you to join our beautiful Bay Area queer community at the SF LGBT Center’s largest annual fundraising event, Soirée, on Saturday, April 18, 2026, (https://bit.ly/4txOBsp).
Hosted by San Francisco icons Sister Roma and Honey Mahogany, with entertainment by crown jewel Juanita MORE!, and music by DJ LadyRyan, Soirée features music, performances, dancing, locally-sourced food, an open bar, and a lively auction with the one and only Michael Tate. Every Soirée ticket sold supports our center’s critical programs and services, ensuring our LGBTQ+ Bay Area community can access the resources they need to thrive. I am honored to be extending this invitation for the first time as Executive Director.
This event comes at a time when queer community service providers are battling a rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, budget cuts, and surging demand for services. Each year, the center welcomes over 100,000 visitors and provides direct services to nearly 7,000 people, many of them transgender individuals, youth, and immigrants. This is an all hands on deck moment—now is the time to show up and participate with generosity, action, and deepening commitment to one another.
If you can’t join us for dinner, we welcome you to be a part of our official after-party and enjoy drag performances, music, drinks, dessert, and, of course, the community dancefloor. The center can also offer a limited number of discounted after-party tickets for community members facing economic disadvantages, especially our trans and BIPOC community. You can always reach out to donations@sfcenter.org if you need more information.
At its core, Soirée is about the Bay Area queer community coming together to support and celebrate each other; I think we could all use a bit more of that right now.
Love is a practice. Joy is a practice. It is a radical practice. And I truly believe the most radical thing we can do in this moment is to find that in each other.
To purchase tickets to Soirée, please visit https://bit.ly/4mgxn0g
I hope to see you there!
Jennifer Valles is the Executive Director of the SF LGBT Center.
SF LGBT Center
Published on April 9, 2026
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