I’ll
just disclose up front that I am not a fan of this year’s Pride theme.
I’ve said this before. “40 and Fabulous!” Really? I mean, I know that
it’s SF Pride’s 40th
year and that is a very seriously cool thing worth partying in the
streets and between the sheets for. But ,honestly, we sound embarrassed
about our age. This is no surprise in the notoriously vicious “cult of
youth” atmosphere that I often hear about in the gay male scene, but I
really don’t think we all need that fart on the whole shortbus, if you know what I mean.
So
I’m renaming SF Pride’s theme, even if it’s just for myself. Seriously
— we’re proud of our decades, we’re all still here (even if not in
body), and marriage: it’s on. Haters must bow down, because 40 years
means we’ve got several out
generations of love and fight in us. We’re just getting warmed up. I
like the Trans March’s theme better, so I’ll go with that: “United by Pride, United by Power.” It’s much better than my other pick, which is “In Your Face, Utah.”
Also, we want our Harvey Milk stamps, dammit.
Be
“40 and FABULOUS” if you must, just as long as you get your geezer self
out to a place where you can shake your cane at the Lady Gaga Flash
mobbers and tell them to get off your lawn (Dolores Park) and then find
someone hot to have after-sex Metamucil’s with.
If
you just got here, please tell me you brought layers (of clothing for
our fickle SF summer), sunscreen, low expectations for getting a taxi,
zero expectation of driving anywhere around the Castro and Mission on
Saturday, or anywhere at all around downtown on Sunday. If you don’t
have a copy of Tablehopper’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco, then use the blog like you’re baby bird and it’s your mama when planning food. Get thee to the Ferry Building for more food, and some SF beauty that won’t have your delicate ass in the unseemly mire of Pier 39’s tourist trapistry.
Around the clock lube and safer sex supplies can be found at Walgreen’s Castro, on Castro at 18th.
If you’re at that intersection at a fairly reasonable hour and need
something a bit stronger, several sex toy stores on Castro and on 18th within half a block have all kinds of goodies – and the lowest prices in The City.
Do not miss institutions, the shortlist: Get a souvenir at Cliff’s Variety. Get leather and fetish wear at Stormy Leather and Mr. / Madame S (mr-s-leather.com). Experience the incredibleness of LGBTQ and BDSM haven for coffee, tea and much more at Wicked Grounds (this is also a place to find out about things not on “guides”). Femina Potens
is sexy as hell and smarter than a whipcrack, and it is indeed the most
happening sex-positive queer art space in SF – go there. Three Twins has gay-themed ice cream, with flavors that include Rainbow/Gay Sherbet, Lavender, Rice Milk Harvey Milk and Cookies, and Salted Nuts.
The top two event guides you’ll want to have handy are our Super Mega Guide and SF Bay Guardian’s Your Big Queer Week.
Event
guides are great, though there are some events this weekend that are
more like sparkly kittens made of pure glitter than others.
Black Friday
Thusly named for the Mr. S Leather after-hours event
on Friday night where they close the doors (with you inside) and enjoy
the refreshments and “live demos” performed around the store – with the
event featuring Ms SF Leather 2009 Mo
