Festive Gala Set for October 24 to Feature Performers, Silent Auction, Special Guests  The GLBT Historical Society's annual Unmasked Gala, set for Thursday, October 24, will bring together enthusiasts of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender history for a festive evening at the Regency Center in San Francisco. The gala will support the public history initiatives of the society and The GLBT History Museum. Tickets are available online.
"Unmasked pays homage to the pioneers of the our community, who have made it possible for GLBT people to take off our masks and live our lives openly," said Paul Boneberg, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society. "This year, we're highlighting the historic contributions of Bay Area GLBT media -- and we'll be honoring two of our own longtime volunteers."
The gala will feature food and a hosted bar. Entertainment will include drag stars Miss Rahni and Landa Lakes, swing dancers Ron Jenkins and Photis Pishiaras, erotic cabaret performers from sfBoylesque, and DJs from Stay Gold. A silent auction will offer travel packages, fine dining, art, photography and queer memorabilia donated by Historical Society supporters.
Walker Awards & Historic Queer Media
During the gala, Amy Sueyoshi and Tom Burtch will be honored with the Willie Walker Award, named after a founder of the society. Sueyoshi is a Historical Society board member who has served as an exhibition curator for The GLBT History Museum. Burtch has staffed the museum reception desk and assisted with exhibit installation; he is the lead curator of the museum's current exhibition on the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus.
Attending as special guests will be representatives from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, as well as historic queer media, including Ache: A Journal for Lesbians of African Descent (1989-1993); the Bay Area Reporter (publishing since 1971); "Fruit Punch" on KPFA Radio (1973-1995); "The Gay Life" on KSAN Radio (1977-1984); The Ladder: A Lesbian Review (1956-1972); San Francisco Bay Times (publishing since 1978); the syndicated transgender column "Transmissions" (publishing since 2000); and Trikone Magazine (publishing since 1986).
Buy Tickets or Become a Sponsor
Unmasked takes place Thursday, October 24, in the Sutter Room at the Regency Center, 1290 Sutter St., San Francisco; the VIP reception is set for 6:00 - 7:00 p.m., followed by the gala from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. VIP tickets are $100; general admission is $60. Sponsorships start at $500. To purchase tickets or sign on as a sponsor, call (415) 777-5455 or click here.
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Programs Highlight 'Real Bad' Stories,
Authors as Witnesses to Queer History
Bad for Good: The History &
Legacy of a Legendary Dance Party
Thursday, October 17
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
xxx  Marking its 25th anniversary this year, Real Bad is a queer dance party held on the evening of the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco. Produced by volunteers, the event has raised nearly $1.7 million for GLBT nonprofits. Taking place in conjunction with The GLBT History Museum's current exhibit about Real Bad, this living-history panel will bring together past and present organizers of the party to discuss how compassion and club culture coalesced into the dance extravaganza starting in 1989 and how they have kept the party going for a quarter-century. Curators of the exhibit and producers of a documentary short on Real Bad also will be on hand to answer questions. Admission: $5.00 (general); $3.00 (California students); free for GLBT Historical Society members.
Witness to History: Felice Picano & Ron Williams
Thursday, November 7
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
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 A novelist and a memoirist come together to look at the ways authors can act as witnesses to gay history. Award-winning writer Felice Picano will read from his latest book of short stories, 20th Century Un-Limited, which includes tales focusing on Hollywood as a gay mecca in the 1930s. Picano also will narrate oral histories and show visual materials casting light on the background of his fictional portrayal of the period.
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Joining Picano will be native San Franciscan Ron Williams, read from his recently published memoir, San Francisco's Native "Sissy" Son. The book highlights the author's 50 years as a gay man in the city and particularly in the Castro, starting from the perspective of an innocent fresh out of the closet, who naïvely viewed but also participated in the Bay Area's early gay history. Williams will accompany his reading with a showing of his personal photos of Bay Area gay life . Admission: $5.00 (general); $3.00 (California students); free for GLBT Historical Society members.
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EXHIBITIONS & PROGRAMS
The GLBT History Museum
Location: 4127 18th St., San Francisco, CA 94114
Phone: 415-621-1107
Website: www.glbthistorymuseum.org
Admission: $5.00 general; $3.00 with California student ID. Free for members. Free for all visitors on the first Wednesday of each month (courtesy of the Bob Ross Foundation).
Hours
Mondays - Saturdays: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sundays: Noon - 5:00 p.m.
WINTER HOURS (starting October 15):
Closed on Tuesdays
ARCHIVES & READING ROOM
GLBT Historical Society
Location: 657 Mission St., Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 415-777-5455, ext. 3#
Website: www.glbthistory.org
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RESEARCH HOURS
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Weekdays: By Appointment & Subject to Availability
Members: Wednesdays - Fridays: 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Nonmembers: Fridays: 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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Saturdays: No Appointment Needed
Open to members and nonmembers 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. the first and third Saturday of the month; no appointment needed. Hours subject to change; before visiting, check the GLBT Historical Society website.
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October 6 Noon - 5 p.m.
Castro Street Fair 
Free museum admission
all day courtesy of
October 17
7 - 9 p.m.
Living History Panel
October 24
7 - 10 p.m.
Regency Center San Francisco
November 7 7 - 9 p.m.
Get Connected
Click on the event title for the Facebook invitation. |
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Gala Volunteers
on October 24. Help out
for part of the event -- and attend the whole evening
for free! Contact gala volunteer coordinator
Museum Volunteers
An orientation for
volunteers for The GLBT History Museum is set
for 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. on
Tuesday, October 8.
For details, contact
volunteer coordinator
Kyle Maxwell-Berman.
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Recovery Party
October 6
6 p.m. - Midnight
Following the Castro Street Fair, Real Bad presents Recovery at Public Work at 161 Erie St. in San Francisco. The GLBT Historical Society is a beneficiary of Real Bad's fundraising this year. Here's the Facebook event invitation.
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The GLBT History
Museum displays a
wealth of material
from San Francisco's
vast queer past.
An illustrated cardboard
fan with the slogan "Transgender: You Are Precious" in Our Vast
Queer Past in the Main Gallery. The fan was produced in 2004 by the California AIDS Clearinghouse to promote HIV prevention among transgender women.
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The GLBT Historical
Society is home to one
of the world's largest
gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgender
archival collections.
Networks was a monthly published in San Francisco in 1982-1983 by the International David Society, a business that arranged social events and other services for gay men. A run of 22 issues is included in the Periodicals Collection. |
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For in-depth
information on the
GLBT Historical Society
and The GLBT History Museum, visit
our website.
For updates on the
museum and archives,
(Be sure to select "Get Notifications.")
For an overview of
the goals and history of
the museum and
archives, see our entry
on Wikipedia.
For an array of videos
from our archives
and programs, see
our YouTube channel.
Gala Photos:
Anna-Alexia Basile
& Jim Norrena
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Copyright © 2013
GLBT Historical Society
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