San Francisco is My Home

24
Mar

Rocket Dog fundraiser coming up

Author: kris, Category: Charity, Events, Groups

Local non-profit org Rocket Dog Rescue is holding a fundraiser party on April 5. Rocket Dog’s founder is the woman who lost her home on Christmas Eve, and the organization can really use your support at this tough time.

The fundraiser is happening at Terra Mia on April 5. Expect fine foods, drinks, and a silent auction. Every penny raised will go towards rescuing a dog who is going to be euthanized at a shelter. Visit the website for details.

28
Jan

Benefit for Rocket Dog Rescue

Author: kris, Category: Bars and Clubs, Charity, Events, Groups, Music

Those of you who were struck by the sad destruction of Rocket Dog Rescue’s headquarters but didn’t know what to do about it are in luck. On Friday, February 1, you can attend a benefit for the non-profit dog rescue group at Slim’s, featuring a dazzling lineup of performers, plus some disco funtimes. Show starts at 8:30, and you can buy tickets here.

Flyer from Rocket Dog website.

17
Jan

The Stampede

Author: kris, Category: Groups

Note: both links in this post lead to fetish-related content. If you have a very strict office, I suggest you wait until you get home to follow the links.

Sometimes I worry that these posts I write — Opera House, bars, bands — aren’t accurately reflecting the originality that is the defining element of SF.

So today, I bring you The Stampede. The Stampede is a group of folks who like to get together for pony play. For those of you who never read Safe Word, pony play is when humans gear up in pony trappings (bridle, harness, etc.) and are treated like ponies by other humans.
As fetish play goes, this is on the delightful side. And as groups go, I really admire this one: the whole purpose is to offer people a safe, private place to act out their fantasies where they won’t be judged. (If you’re still shaking your head, ask yourself how many of your friends could refrain from judging you if you acted out some of your fantasies in front of them?)

Those who are pony-curious but still on the pasture fence about the whole thing can attend one of the Munches at Sparky’s Diner, where you can meet members of the group in a non-dressed-up environment. But if anyone reads this and attends a Munch solely to mock or abuse, I swear I will hunt you down myself and make you sorry. These are nice folks with a fascinating hobby. Be cool.

16
Jan

BRAINS! BRAINS!

Author: kris, Category: Events, Groups

Living in San Francisco isn’t all soothing bird walks and train accidents. Sometimes things get downright grim. Sometimes, there are zombie attacks.

Happily, the San Francisco Zombie Mob helps concerned citizens keep abreast of all this distressing undead activity. Check the website to find out when and where the next zombie attack is expected to occur.

Of course, zombies can also check the website, so they know when to meet up with their brain-seeking pals. Dress like a zombie or an ordinary joe to take part in these highly enjoyable little meet-ups.

Photo is courtesy of the Zombie Mob website. 

24
Oct

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

Author: kris, Category: Groups

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are an activist group who dress as nuns, in an over-the-top, Mardi Gras way, and can often be seen roaming the city in full, fabulous regalia.

The Sisters, an organization which, like me, has been around since ‘79, have raised over $1 million in San Francisco, money they’ve donated to breast cancer research, a free clinic, a prom for queer youth and other gay activist organizations. They coined the term “safe sex” when the AIDS epidemic first hit, as they passed out educational pamphlets in the community. They also host a children’s Halloween party with costume prizes and performances, to ensure Castro kids have a safe holiday.

Recently, some of the Sisters received communion from a local priest, who later apologized for giving it to them. A lot of Catholics are also up in arms that these fellas are dressing like nuns and mocking the sacrament.

I guess if someone roamed the neighborhood dressed as a Mardi Gras version of me, I might be kind of hurt and maybe would not invite that person over for dinner. Then again, if he used that parody of me to perform charity work, arrange kid-friendly holiday parties, prevent the spread of a deadly disease and fight for equality, maybe I could find it in me to forgive the mockery and embrace the good works he performed. Maybe I could stand to eat with him. Maybe just a little bread and wine.

23
Oct

Halloween outside the Castro

Author: kris, Category: Events, Groups

In an effort to assist my municipal government in their crackdown on Castro Halloween fun, I’ve come up with a few alternative activities you might try this year. Don’t come to the Castro, remember. We’ll all be lying under the windows with the lights off, praying you go away. Instead, why not try something a little spookier this year? Like…

Who you gonna call?

The San Francisco Ghost Hunt, of course. This is a three hour walking tour of some notoriously haunted spots around the city. Check out the photos page showing actual ghosts, although they kind of look like thumb prints to me. But then, I’m no expert.

If you prefer a DIY ghost hunt, you can travel to some of the hotspots all on your own. The Sutro Baths are supposed to be haunted: stand in the tunnel and leave a lit candle at the end. Supposedly a woman will come and take it away. But this is no park ranger! No, this is a wandering soul with, I guess, a thing about candles. I’ve always wanted to bring a group down here and get someone to dress up in white with glow-in-the-dark makeup who will come take our candle away, scaring the heck out of my friends and earning me twenty dollars. (In this daydream, you see, I have bet everyone that a woman will show up to take our candle.)

From Dracula to Angel, there is no hotter monster…

Ghost hunting is transparently cheesy (like this pun), right? In that case, check out the Vampire Tour. Spooky Mistress Mina Burns will walk you through the city, telling you the history of San Francisco and its vampires, a history she swears is at least “85% true.” Costumes are encouraged.

Listen, I’ve got a five year old…

I promised to start including some kid-friendly activities, but in this case another site has me beat. San Francisco Kids Net is a great resource for kid-friendly Halloween activities: everything from silly-fun haunted houses to pumpkin patches to safety tips.

And here is my own personal safety tip: don’t trick-or-treat in the Castro. Remember, locked doors. Lights out. We’ll be in hiding.

25
Sep

Loud, proud and cow’d

Author: kris, Category: Groups, News

Okay, let’s get to the bottom of this, no pun intended. What is this leather pride flag all about?

Above, you see an image of the flag, courtesy of Wikipedia. The creator of the flag, Tony DeBlase, has been quoted as saying “I will leave it to the viewer to interpret the colors and symbols.” However, some leather-proud folks like to refer to it as “Black and Blue with Love,” perhaps because it is sometimes associated with BDSM.

That interpretation takes care of the black and blue stripes and the heart, but what does the central white stripe stand for? Maybe that stripe was left blank to symbolize the blank expression we uninformed folk make when presented with the flag. Maybe it is white to symbolize the purity of this community’s devotion to just one kind of material: they are not naugahyde-proud, nor vinyl-proud, nor spandex-proud. Or maybe DeBlase just couldn’t think what other color to add. We may never know.

24
Sep

Leather pride

Author: kris, Category: Groups

Looking out my window, I can see that the enormous rainbow flag that floats over the Castro 51 weeks a year has been replaced by the leather pride flag, for this week is Leather Pride Week. The leather flag, counter-intuitively, is not made of leather; instead, it’s blue and white stripes with a big red heart.

I have always wondered why the leather pride group gets a whole week with its own flag up the pole, but none of the other LGBT groups do. Every year I intend to ask, but every year I am pleasantly distracted by the leather daddies wandering the streets of my neighborhood in leather chaps and outfits of every description. I love the fanciful costumes people concoct. Though every year I am also a little nervous that a roving gang of vegans might pick this week to invade the Castro. It would mean a rumble of epic proportions.