Bay Area Reporter - September 10, 2009
compiled by Cynthia Laird, c.laird@ebar.com

The walk, produced by Sandy "Mama" Reinhardt, is a two and a half mile stroll that begins at 440 Castro Street. Stops along the way include South of Market bars the Powerhouse and the Eagle Tavern, where the walk ends.

Registration begins at 10 a.m. at 440 Castro, where there will be entertainment. The raising of the leather flag at Market and Castro takes place at 1:15 p.m.; the walk gets under way at 1:30.

People can walk with their club, organization, or friends. Banners may be carried. Participants do not have to wear leather to participate; everyone is welcome for a good time, Reinhardt said.

Pledge forms can be downloaded at www.mamasfamily.org.

The Leather Walk was founded by Art Tomaszewski; Reinhardt has produced the event for the last eight years.

A pre-Leather Walk party takes place Saturday, September 19 at Truck, 1900 Folsom street.

Leather Week culminates with the 26th annual Folsom Street Fair on September 27. For information on the fair and other activities, visit www.folsomstreetfair.org.

And Castro 4 All marks five years

And Castro 4 All, which got its start during the Badlands racial discrimination investigation in 2004, will mark five years with a celebration and barbecue Sunday, September 13 from 1 to 3 p.m. at El Rio, 3158 Mission street in San Francisco. The event will also mark the retirement of co-founder John Newsome.

Over the past five years, AC4A has fought racial profiling, supported LGBT leaders of color, advocated for trans-inclusive policies, and engaged diverse communities about marriage equality.

The party will also thank several people, including And Marriage for All campaign leaders Andrea Shorter and Mark Wilson; inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act campaign partners the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Transgender Law Center, and the San Francisco LGBT Community Center; AC4A emeritus board members Don Romesburg, Paul Mooney, and Derek Turner; unsung hero Lisa Williams; and relentless achievement honoree Robert Haaland.

A $10 donation is requested for the party.

The Badlands case began in 2004. After a 10-month investigation, a report by staff at the San Francisco Human Rights Commission found that the bar was discriminating against African Americans. But the findings were never official because then-Human Rights Commission Executive Director Virginia Harmon never officially signed off on the staff report.

In February 2007, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ronald E. Quidachay threw out a case against the HRC by bar owner Les Natali, writing in his ruling that Natali's request "that this court issue writ relief finding that respondents were unauthorized to issue the April 26, 2005 director's finding and directing that it be withdrawn, is moot."

Quidachay dismissed the suit "since the matter was subsequently resolved through mediation, and all claims pending before respondent Human Rights Commission in that matter be withdrawn, without the issuance of any further finding or determination by respondents."

Natali has steadfastly denied the discrimination charges.

AIDS rally back on for DC march

The weekend of the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. will include an HIV/AIDS rally after all.

The rally will be on Saturday, October 10 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Ellipse, at 17th and Constitution Avenue, Northwest. Christine Campbell, vice president of national advocacy and organizing at Housing Works, the rally's fiscal agent, said that the lineup of speakers and entertainers is "in formation." So far, 13 groups are partnering on the rally.

As the Bay Area Reporter reported on August 27, when he first called for a march on Washington, D.C. this spring, longtime gay and AIDS activist Cleve Jones had told the paper that organizers were trying to get use of the Lincoln Memorial site for an HIV/AIDS action on the day before the October 11 march.

Jones, who is HIV-positive and founded the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, has long been outspoken on HIV/AIDS issues.

But Kip Williams, co-executive director of the march, said in late August that the AIDS vigil had to be canceled.

"There were a number of organizations considering taking the lead," Williams wrote in an e-mail. "In the end, no one had the resources or capacity to step up."

Campbell said last week that march organizers had called Housing Works and asked the group to take "some kind of leadership on the rally."

Robert Polzoni, the march's media spokesman, said that the problem had been finding a fiscal sponsor û the role now filled by Housing Works û for the event, and that's what organizers had called the agency about.

In other march news, organizers announced this week that they are accepting three-minute audition videos from people who want to speak at the event. A judging panel will pick the top five, which will then be posted to YouTube from which the public will choose two winners. The speakers will be flown to the march from their hometowns using airline tickets that were donated. Accommodations have not been donated as of press time.

Dubbed "Equality March Idols," the two speakers will join national leaders and grassroots organizers on the podium, Williams said in a statement.

The deadline to submit videos is 5 p.m. Pacific time September 17. The videos should be e-mailed to equalityidol@nationalequalitymarch.com via http://www.yousendit.com.

SMAAC fundraiser planned

The Oakland Dinner Club will present three performances of Armstrong's Kid that will benefit Oakland's Sexual Minority Alliance of Alameda County Youth Center. The play, by Stanley Bennett Clay, is about a gay schoolteacher who is falsely accused of molesting his best friend's 14-year-old son and ends up spending time in prison before the truth is revealed. Clay and Tory Scroggins star.

The first performance is scheduled for Friday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. Matinee performances will take place Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20 at 2 p.m. All shows take place at 1608 Webster Street in Oakland.

Tickets are $20-$25 (must be 18 years of age or older) and can be purchased by calling 1-800-838-3006 or online at www.brownpapertickets.com (search for "Armstrong's Kid").

Community patrol training

Castro Community on Patrol will have a volunteer training on Saturday, September 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Metropolitan Community Church, 150 Eureka Street.

The volunteer grassroots safety patrol was formed almost three years ago and provides walking patrols in the Castro and Duboce Triangle neighborhoods.

People interested in participating in the training can register online at www.castropatrol.org.

Seth Hemmelgarn contributed to this report.

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