SAN FRANCISCO — The LGBT Journey – from the Mattachine Society to Harvey Milk and the White Night Riots to federal marriage equality and beyond, the LGBT journey has built on the lessons of the earlier civil rights movement with great success. In recent years, it has reached milestones with remarkable speed. But the journey isn’t quite over. This August, The Commonwealth Club is presenting a range of programs exploring The LGBT Journey from a variety of viewpoints.
The LGBT Journey will highlight icons of politics, scholarship, art and entertainment to explore the new era of LGBT life in the U.S. The speakers will share their own histories of activism and discuss where they have been and where they are going in terms of human rights for LGBT people.
The founder and organizer of the Club’s annual August series known as Platforum programs, Dr. Carol Fleming, says, “The Commonwealth Club is thrilled to be focusing on the LGBT community this coming August. We’re excited to share new ideas and bring the tremendous contributions and varied issues of this community to the awareness of San Francisco and beyond.”
The first event of the series, “From Ignorance to Acceptance: How the LGBTQ Movement Has Evolved in a Lifetime,” taking place on Monday, August 4, at 6 p.m., will feature the first openly gay male athlete U.S. former ambassador to Luxembourg, James Hormel. Hormel, who currently sits on the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth Club of California, is also the author of Fit To Serve: Reflections on a Secret Life, Private Struggle, and Public Battle to Become the First Openly Gay Male U.S. Ambassador, and is a philanthropist and a political activist. James Hormel realized that he was gay at a time when homosexuality was not discussed or accepted. He will review the social history of the United States since 1945 to see how LGBT Americans progressed from exclusion to inclusion. Looking toward the future, he will discuss the key to the advancement of equality.
Jason Collins is a professional American basketball player who publicly came out as gay at the end of the 2012-2013 NBA season and is the first openly gay athlete to participate in any of the four American professional sports leagues. Nancy C. Unger is an acclaimed LGBT historian and the author of several books and publications, including, Beyond Nature’s Housekeepers: American Women in Environmental History. Local celebrity Donna Sachet, one of the most celebrated drag queens, will reflect on drag as art. The often-controversial Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’s “Sistory” will be highlighted in a novel way (with requisite discussion). Dr. Donald P. Francis, an epidemiologist and HIV/AIDS researcher, was working in his field during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the early to mid-eighties and will share his insights and perspective. Dr. Gregory Herek, professor of psychology at UC Davis and a global authority on prejudice against sexual minorities, anti-gay violence, and AIDS-related stigma, will share his vision for the future. Acclaimed novelist, playwright, and educator Daniel Curzon will delight with his new work, The Big Book of In-Your-Face Gay Etiquette. San Francisco State University and Mills College Professor William (Bill) Issel will talk about local LGBT conflict with the Catholic Church.
The programs will take place at the Commonwealth Club’s headquarters at 595 Market St., 2nd floor, San Francisco. For tickets call (415) 597-6705 or register here.
See the complete schedule here.
