Kohler doc planned
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Marga Gomez
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Trans commish reappointed
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Mike Curato
The
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Serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities since 1971
Vol. 55 • No. 44 • October 30-November 5, 2025
Revamped Halloween to greet Castro by John Ferrannini
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Rick Gerharter
Per Sia read to parents and children during Drag Story Hour at the Merced Branch of the San Francisco Public Library in 2022.
Story Hour co-founder named SF’s 2nd drag laureate
Rick Gerharter
US House candidate Wiener hosts pumpkin carving contest
by John Ferrannini
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er Sia, a Latina trans drag performer who is one of the founders of Drag Story Hour in San Francisco, has been selected by Mayor Daniel Lurie as the city’s second drag laureate. Lurie made the announcement October 29. “Everything I do is because I love doing what I do,” Per Sia told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview prior to the announcement being made public. “From being a founding member of Drag Story Hour performing all over the Bay, when I heard of this news, it really sort of made me feel kind of a stamp of approval, of really celebrating everything I am and everything I do.” The announcement was made at the garden of Rooftop Elementary in San Francisco’s Twin Peaks neighborhood, Wednesday afternoon. Per Sia works there at an after-school arts program and wanted her students to share in the joy. “When I was selected the first thing they asked was, ‘Where would you like the announcement?’ so for me it was important for it to happen at the school where I work,” Per Sia said. “The way you are who you are is perfect. Being celebrated in this way says to my students, my coworkers, and my younger self there’s no one way of being yourself.” Lurie stated Per Sia comes from a long line of San Francisco drag artists. “As San Francisco’s Drag Laureate, Per Sia will lead the way for new representation that uplifts and highlights the storied drag history of our city and the significant contributions of the LGBTQ+ community to San Francisco,” Lurie stated. “Our city is known all over the world as a place where people are allowed to be who they want to be, love who they want to love, and live the lives they choose without fear of persecution. I look forward to working with Per Sia to support and celebrate our LGBTQ+ community.” Also celebrating is San Francisco drag icon Juanita MORE! See page 11 >>
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ay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) greeted young pumpkin carvers at his 12th annual Halloween contest in Noe Valley Saturday, October 25. Wiener, who last week announced he will run in 2026 for the San Francisco congressional seat currently held by fellow Democrat Nancy Pelosi, was met by supporters and protesters
at the event. For the fourth year, according to a flier, anti-trans demonstrators affiliated with Women Are Real protested Wiener’s pro-trans bills that Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed into law, including one to protect the privacy of trans people and another that bolsters the state’s trans refuge law that was first enacted two years ago.
t’s not the old Halloween in the Castro, but residents and visitors of San Francisco’s LGBTQ neighborhood are nonetheless donning costumes and getting ready for a treat with this year’s final Castro Night Market Friday, October 31. The night market, sponsored by the Civic Joy Fund and produced by CG Events, had been monthly on the third Fridays of the month. For October, it is being moved to the fifth Friday to coincide with Halloween, a decision ratified by a unanimous vote of the city’s Interdepartmental Staff Committee on Traffic and Transportation (or ISCOTT), which oversees street closures, at its October 9 meeting. Chris Carrington, a gay man who is CG’s cofounder, said the street closure will run along 18th Street from Noe Street to Diamond Street, one block longer than the Pride Month edition of the night market, which also featured an expanded footprint. Neighborhood leaders and local officials are painstakingly stressing that the event will be different from the old Halloween festivities that eventually were suppressed by the city. Halloween – long See page 10 >>
SF bookstore warns of transphobic stickers, pamphlets by John Ferrannini
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San Francisco bookstore has been targeted with transphobic stickers and pamphlets, it has announced via a social media post. The nearly one-year-old business in the city’s Noe Valley neighborhood also has posted a sign close to its entrance to warn customers about the unsanctioned insertions they may find in books at the store. Similar anti-trans stickers were found several months ago at Fabulosa Books in the LGBTQ Castro neighborhood, the owner told the Bay Area Reporter. Noe Valley Books, at 3957 24th Street, is just up the hill from the city’s Castro district. It had announced via its Instagram on September 6 that, “A person who is not part of the Noe Valley Books family has been hiding transphobic flyers and stickers in our store and books.” “We want to be clear: transphobia or hate of any kind is not welcome in our store,” the post continued. “If you see transphobic material in the store, please alert us immediately. We take this very seriously, and are on the lookout for the person responsible.” A physical sign asking patrons to let the store know immediately if they see these stickers or pamphlets was placed near the front of the store, as KRON-TV first reported October 20.
John Ferrannini
Staff at Noe Valley Books have found anti-trans stickers and pamphlets that someone has hidden inside the store.
Noe Valley Books declined requests to be interviewed for this report, referring to the September Instagram statement. “It is heartbreaking to see this kind of messaging anywhere, let alone among books with the capacity to increase awareness, understanding, and kindness for fellow humans,” the store
continued. “Books with LGBTQIA+ characters and perspectives make the world better for everyone – and can be a lifeline for trans and queer people. So, we plan on drowning out the hate the best way we know how: uplifting amazing trans stories. See page 10 >>