East Bay supe seeks reelection
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Black Choreos Festival
ARTS
City honor eyed for Decker
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Castro Theatre reopens
The
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Serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities since 1971
Vol. 56 • No. 7 • February 12-18, 2026
Courtesy SFAF
Matthew S. Bajko
Pharmacist-in-charge Brandon Ross, PharmD, AAHIVP, stands behind the counter at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s full-service pharmacy.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman has dropped Catholic Church parishes from his list of proposed city landmarks, citing a state law.
SFAF opens Castro pharmacy
Mandelman drops Catholic Church landmarks
by John Ferrannini
T
he San Francisco AIDS Foundation has opened a full-service pharmacy in the Castro, in Suite B on the first floor of the Strut building in the LGBTQ neighborhood. The project took longer than expected, but the addition should make it easier for clients to get their medication and help the agency as it faces financial challenges. SFAF had already had a limited ability to dispense medications such as those for rapid-start HIV treatment and PEP, for post-exposure to HIV. The new full-service pharmacy will allow the agency to dispense PrEP for HIV prevention as well as other medications, officials said. It was just about a year ago that the foundation announced its full-service pharmacy plans and targeted a 2025 opening date. Instead, it opened February 10. “After months of planning, construction, and regulatory reviews, we are happy to announce that the pharmacy is open and ready to serve our clients and community,” San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO Tyler TerMeer, Ph.D., a gay, Black man, stated in a news release. “Being able to meet the medication needs of our clients will improve the continuum of care that we provide to clients, and we look forward to serving our community with a newly expanded set of services.” The pharmacy will be overseen by pharmacist-in-charge Brandon Ross, PharmD, a gay man who, in addition to a pharmacist license, has professional certification from the American Academy of HIV Medicine. Pharmacy staff are slated to work in close conjunction with clinicians staffing the Magnet clinic, also at the Strut building, located at 470 Castro Street. All forms of PrEP will be able to be prescribed by on-site pharmacists. People who have sexual health visits at Magnet will be able to leave with same-day prescriptions filled or refilled at the pharmacy. There are also home delivery options available. See page 6 >>
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Castro Theatre reopens!
fter a two-year, $41 million renovation and restoration, the historic Castro Theatre in San Francisco’s LGBTQ neighborhood reopened with flair Friday, February 6. Mary Conde, left, senior vice president for theater management Another Planet Entertainment, held the scissors and cut the ribbon as she was joined by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), APE
by Matthew S. Bajko
Gooch
CEO Gregg Perloff, Mayor Daniel Lurie, former drag laureate D’Arcy Drollinger, and gay Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman. The theater will offer a mix of films and live entertainment, which started this week with a residency of genderqueer nonbinary pop star Sam Smith and their To Be Free tour. For more on the theater’s renovation, see the arts section.
I
n light of state law and opposition from Catholic Church officials, gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman is dropping his requests to landmark church parishes in a trio of neighborhoods he represents. Meanwhile, he is eying creating an historic district covering the commercial heart of the city’s LGBTQ Castro district. See page 6 >>
Castro welcomes new businesses in 2026 by John Ferrannini
“We are getting the base building work done so the space will be ready for the next restaurant/nighttime entertainment venue in the Castro.” Asked for comment, principal Gi Paoletti stated via email, “We don’t have a new tenant yet, but we’re going to be ready to start showing the space soon.” Asked when that will be, Paoletti replied it would be after the firm’s next meeting. Asked for comment, Realtor Steven Gerry stated via email, “It’s still currently under construction. We will have more information soon. It’s bigger and taller now and WAY more compliant!!!!!!!!!”
W
hile a number of longtime Castro-area favorites have closed, denizens of San Francisco’s LGBTQ neighborhood now or soon will have new restaurants and other businesses to enjoy. The changes are in addition to the reopening of the historic Castro Theatre, and business owners hope that will lead to a renaissance of sorts for eateries, bars, and other establishments. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, the Castro Community Benefit District had been keeping track of vacant storefronts in the neighborhood through its I’m Available campaign. Andrea Aiello, a lesbian who is executive director of the CBD, told the B.A.R. that the Castro Merchants Association took over tracking the vacancies. “We’ve taken a break from ‘I’m Available,’” she stated. Nate Bourg, president of the Castro Merchants Association, stated that it is “currently conducting a block-by-block survey of ground-floor commercial spaces to better understand vacancy patterns.” “Early observations suggest significant variation by block, and we look forward to sharing more details soon,” said Bourg, a gay man. In 2024, the B.A.R. reported that vacancies in the CBD’s footprint declined from 25% to 15%. Two vacancies set to be filled soon – the former Double Rainbow Ice Cream at 415 Castro Street will be home to Lisa’s Hair Design after the Castro Coffee Co. moves to the current Lisa’s space at 421 Castro Street. The Castro Nail Salon at 431 Castro Street
New restaurants
John Ferrannini
Proprietor Moe Abibi stands in the kitchen of his sandwich shop Gada in the Castro.
will move to a location on the 500 block. It’s all part of a deal brokered by Mayor Daniel Lurie and gay Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, as the newly-reopened Castro Theatre has indicated it will be expanding into the current coffee shop and nail salon storefronts. There has been visible work inside the former Harvey’s space at 500 Castro Street. Gi Paoletti Design Lab, which had been working on the space when it was to be the ill-fated Pink Swallow restaurant and bar, posted to Instagram on January 12 that,
The eatery Gada just opened in the former space of Chadwick’s, which closed some months ago, at 2375 Market Street. Proprietor Moe Abibi, a straight ally, has a lot of experience working in delis, such as Golden Gate Deli at 2767 Lombard Street, he told the B.A.R. recently, adding the restaurant opened in January. “I talked a lot with my friend in Europe, and he said, why don’t you do raclette cheese sandwiches,” Abibi said. Raclette is a cheese from the Swiss Alps. Abibi, who is Tunisian American, added a spin by deciding not only to make Raclette cheese sandwiches on traditional rolls but also on mlewi, a Tunisian flatbread. See page 7 >>
PBA Galleries is excited to launch a new queer art & erotica focus ...featuring a curated selection of smut in our February 19th literature sale with original works by noted artists like Etienne, Samuel Steward, The Hun, Adam, and Eneg, photographs by Bruce of Los Angeles, magazines, ephemera, and material histories of Bay Area queer life.
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