Queerness Archives

Jonathan Van Ness Is Queerer, Angrier, and More Grateful Than Ever Before

8Dec

By Matt CharnockNo Comments

Jonathan Van Ness Is Queerer, Angrier, and More Grateful Than Ever Before

Before their show at San Francisco's The Castro Theatre, we had a cute lil' chit-chat with the Queer Eye star and multi-hyphenate human. Ostensibly speaking, Jonathan Van Ness — who’s commonly referred to by their initials, JVN, which is also the name of their new haircare line — is the nexus of new-age pop culture and queer expression. When their name is brought into the conversational fold, regardless of the context and sexual orientations of those speaking, the consensus is that they’ve helped normalize feminine expression in an outright masculine world. Van Ness is synonymous with self-expression; they exude a certain individuality that reads as amiable and charismatic. Van Ness materializes through a screen, jovial even as if seeing them apparate onto the seat next to you wouldn’t in...

In 2022, the Next Chapter for HIV Is Wellness

1Dec

By mmmichaelkasianmorinNo Comments

Hyperlocal News + Stories, Queerness

In 2022, the Next Chapter for HIV Is Wellness

For those living with HIV, self-care and wellness should coexist with long-term medical plans; the former is what this "third wave" of advocacy is crashing in on. Every December 1st, the world comes together to recognize World AIDS Day, the last global pandemic before COVID-19 that caused an unprecedented loss of life while also raising awareness to stop the spread of HIV. But as another World AIDS Day comes and goes, it’s important to recognize how different the disease has become, which is why the conversation among HIV advocates and medical professionals is finally pivoting into the “third wave” of HIV advocacy: HIV wellness. The first wave of the epidemic was slowing down the death rate of patients and establishing a long-term medical plan. The second wave after years in crisis mo...

On Love in SF During the Early Years of the AIDS Epidemic

1Dec

By Juanita MORE!1 Comment

Essays, Queerness

On Love in SF During the Early Years of the AIDS Epidemic

The love I shared with a man in San Francisco during these hard years still lingers with me — decades later. I woke up this morning on World AIDS Day thinking about a guy I dated in 1983. His name was Tom, and he lived just around the corner from my Castro District flat. We would flirt as we passed each other on our way to or from work until we finally stopped and had a conversation. Then, we made a date to see a movie and began a very casual year-long relationship. Tom helped cultivate a relationship built around the foundation of kindness. Tom was so sweet and always had the biggest smile for me. But, he was also private and could be very emotional at times. He was the type of guy that would show up on my doorstep to drop off a cup of coffee from Cafe Flore on his way to work. While ...

Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Gay Dinners

23Nov

By Sean AngNo Comments

Essays, Food + Drink, Queerness

Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Gay Dinners

Even in San Francisco — the queer mecca of the world — gathering around with like-minded kin to break bread can be hard; I want to change that. For me, the absolute best part of eating is the communal aspect of it. It still feels like one of the few activities that can bring people together — it’s how you catch up with friends, makes business deals, falls in love. Human history is filled with important moments centered around a communal meal. In an oversaturated society, one marked by a growing number of short attention spans, taking the time to linger over the meal feels is a way to be present that doesn’t require bumping into strangers in the dark. This should mean that the end-of-year holidays are an exciting time for me; it hasn’t been. Every queer person’s journey with self-a...

The Weekend Catch-Up: 5 Lives Lost, Honored Beneath Candlelight in SF

21Nov

By Matt CharnockNo Comments

Nature + Climate Crisis, Queerness

The Weekend Catch-Up: 5 Lives Lost, Honored Beneath Candlelight in SF

A mass shooting in Colorado Springs has claimed five queer lives and injured at least another twenty-five people — echoing the terror, horror, and trauma experienced during the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre. Late Saturday night, a 22-year-old gunman Anderson Lee Aldrich entered Club Q in Colorado Springs. murdering five people and leaving at least twenty-five people injured. Within six minutes of the first call from the club, Colorado Springs police descended on the scene. Upon arriving, patrons of the queer bar had already subdued the gunman — an active of bravery that dozens of Uvalde police officers failed to show earlier this year when 18-year-old Salvador Ramos took twenty-one lives. Condolences and words of sorrow, rage, and commemoration have come from numerous politicians, l...

On Sharing Food and Cooking Nostalgia Come Thanksgiving Day

20Nov

By Juanita MORE!No Comments

Food + Drink, Queerness

On Sharing Food and Cooking Nostalgia Come Thanksgiving Day

Breaking bread and sharing food amongst family, friends, and chosen family is something I will forever cherish — a sentiment that is only highlighted around a Thanksgiving meal. I grew up loving the Thanksgiving holiday as a kid — based solely on the idea of family gathering together to share food. I wasn’t taught the reality of the holiday in grade school - that for many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is actually a day of mourning and protest since it commemorates the arrival of settlers in North America and the centuries of oppression and genocide that followed. When I cook on Thanksgiving Day now as an adult, it’s about conjuring up childhood food memories that connect me to people in my life that have passed but whose spirits still influence me so greatly in the kitchen. I see my g...

San Francisco Now Has a Guaranteed Income Program for Trans People

16Nov

By Matt CharnockNo Comments

Hyperlocal News + Stories, Queerness

San Francisco Now Has a Guaranteed Income Program for Trans People

Joining Palm Springs, SF launched its Guaranteed Income for Trans People program this week. Earlier this week, Honey Mahogany, who ran an included platform to become the first-ever Black-trans individual elected to the SF Board of Supervisors, conceded to interim District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. Dorsey will remain in his role — placed in the position by Mayor Breed — and is currently the only openly queer person on the board; before his appointment, Dorsey served as the San Francisco Police Department’s Director of Strategic CommunicationsDirector of Strategic Communications. It’s an unfortunate outcome that we, as arguably the most liberal large city in the country, didn’t vote at such a momentous moment. However, during this same week that saw Mahogany’s concession, the City launch...

On Celebration, Appreciation, and Gratitude for 30 Years of Drag in San Francisco

2Nov

By Juanita MORE!No Comments

Essays, Queerness

On Celebration, Appreciation, and Gratitude for 30 Years of Drag in San Francisco

For the past three decades, I've been the prettiest denizen of San Francisco's nightlife — and I feel eternally grateful for the continued success of Juanita MORE!. We are at the end of 2022 and seeing a massive influx of LGBTQIA+ people in America facing discrimination daily. And state legislatures are advancing bills that target transgender people, limit local protections, and allow the use of religion to discriminate are seriously out of control. The exhibit Juanita: 30 Years of MORE! that will be closing in a few weeks means so much to me on many different levels. During Pride Month, celebrations happen nationwide. In addition, the community and its allies remember historical events such as Stonewall and the Compton Cafeteria Riots. And, there is a long list of iconic queer figures...

A Queer Dinner Club Just Debuted in San Francisco; I Was Sat at the Table

1Nov

By Matt CharnockNo Comments

Food + Drink, Queerness

A Queer Dinner Club Just Debuted in San Francisco; I Was Sat at the Table

Deluxe Queer hosted its first multi-course dinner on Saturday, October 22nd after soft launching earlier this past summer — and it's clear the dinner series has staying power. To be queer in a world organized around heteronormativity is to oscillate pretenses in perpetuity. Depending on our situations — our work environments; our shopping habits; our social circles; our family dynamics — we queer people are dotted with societal chromatophores. Alas, it’s often rare for us to find authentic and genuine expressions in our lives, especially in group settings (that exist outside of a nightclub or bar or Covid-stricken cruise ship). Instances where our true colors can show feel fleeting at times; the episodes where our shoulders drop, brows relax, and voices reverberate in authentic pitches...

The Weekend Catch-Up: Halloween Crowds Descend on San Francisco — the Sailor Scouts, Included

31Oct

By Matt CharnockNo Comments

Hyperlocal News + Stories, News to Know, Queerness

The Weekend Catch-Up: Halloween Crowds Descend on San Francisco — the Sailor Scouts, Included

This year's ooky-spooky season concluded in a resounding roar across San Francisco as people bar crawled, danced, and consumed slices of pizza in outfits that spanned the gamut of creativity (and sex appeal). San Francisco was alive with sex-positive, imaginative costuming this past weekend for what felt like the first real Halloween revelry since the pandemic began in March 2020. The Castro was crowded — mobbed, dare we say — with queerdos donning all sorts of skimpy regalia, despite the frigid fall temps Saturday and Sunday. Though the sidewalks and parklets along Castro and 18th streets doubled as catwalks/stages to display well-executed looks, The Midway was the place to be Saturday. Electroluxxx, a dance party that hosts events in San Francisco and Seattle, held the zenith of loca...