Bells against gun violence
The Bob Mizer Foundation
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SFGMC CEO to depart
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Kink ink!
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Serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities since 1971
Vol. 55 • No. 39 • September 25-October 1, 2025
SF bound by community at Folsom fair by John Ferrannini
Liz Highleyman
Dr. Stephanie Cohen is the director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s STI/HIV Prevention Branch.
SF sees uptick in new HIV cases by Liz Highleyman
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an Francisco saw a small increase in new HIV diagnoses last year, rising from an alltime low of 140 cases in 2023 to 146 cases in 2024, according to the latest HIV epidemiology annual report from the SF Department of Public Health, released September 19. The report shows an increase in diagnoses among Black people and women; in 2022, cases rose among Latinos. “The increase from 140 to 146 is not alarming – it’s a similar number. But what we want to be seeing is an ongoing decline in HIV infections,” Dr. Stephanie Cohen, director of DPH’s STI/HIV Prevention Branch, told the Bay Area Reporter in an interview. “What this says to us is that we need even more thoughtful, strategic, and intensive efforts to reach those who are still acquiring HIV to get to our Getting to Zero goals.” The city’s Getting to Zero program aims to reduce new HIV transmissions and HIV deaths by 90%, in addition to reducing stigma. Last year’s 4.3% uptick follows two years of declines after a brief rise at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. But overall, the long-term trend shows a decrease in annual diagnoses over the past two decades, down from 543 new cases in 2006. “When you look back at the bigger picture, what we see is a pretty steep decline in HIV infections after the rollout of PrEP and the embrace of treatment as prevention, though progress has slowed in recent years,” Cohen said. Overall, 94% of people diagnosed with HIV in 2024 were linked to care within one month and 79% achieved a viral load below 200 on antiretroviral treatment within six months. Among those diagnosed in 2023 – the latest year with complete follow-up data – 87% achieved viral suppression within one year. A total of 11,552 San Francisco residents were living with diagnosed HIV at the end of 2024, according to the report. Thanks to effective treatment that enables HIV-positive people to live longer, 75% are now age 50 or older, and 29% are 65 or older. “HIV diagnoses in San Francisco have declined by 53% over the past 10 years. This report shows that as a city, we must continue to remain persistent,” Health Director Daniel Tsai said in a statement. “HIV is a serious public health issue in San Francisco and across the country, and SF DPH is committed to the important work that helps prevent people from getting HIV and improving outcomes for people who are diagnosed with HIV.”
Disparities persist
As previously reported, Latino men had the highest HIV diagnosis rate for the first time in 2022, but last year Black men once again pulled ahead. There were 40 new cases among Black people in 2024 compared with 27 in 2023, a 48% increase. Latino people, however, accounted for the largest share of new diagnoses (32%), followed by Black people and white people (both at 27%). Asians accounted for just 14% of new diagnoses despite making up more than a third of the city’s population. Also notable in this year’s report is the near doubling of HIV diagnoses among cisgender women, from 14 cases in 2023 to 26 cases in 2024, with the majority of cases among Black See page 8 >>
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quarter of a million people are expected to descend on San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood for the 42nd annual Folsom Street Fair on Sunday, bringing together leatherfolk and kinksters of all stripes. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. between Seventh and 13th streets, with Howard Street on the north and Harrison Street on the south. Folsom Street is the main thoroughfare where businesses and community organizations will pitch their booths. There is a $10-$20 suggested donation at the entrances. A donation sticker gives one $2 off drinks at the outdoor bars. Folsom Street Executive Director Angel Adeyoha touted the live entertainment revelers have to look forward to September 28. “The live music stage is going to have an act I’m really excited about – Cain Culto – a really amazing queer musician currently in L.A., but is from Kentucky,” Adeyoha, who is queer and nonbinary, said in a phone interview. Culto did not return a request for comment for this report. Continued Adeyoha, “The drag stage is having an hourlong takeover by Peaches Christ, and the Terror Vault performers. That’s going to be really fun.” That will be at The Stud stage, which is on Eighth Street between Folsom and Howard streets, from 3 to 4 p.m.
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LeatherWalk participants took a short break outside of the Oasis LGBTQ nightclub during the September 21 event.
“Folsom has always been about pushing boundaries, so it’s the perfect place for Terror Vault to let some of our witches out of the crypt,” Peaches Christ stated to the B.A.R., referring to the drag/Halloween-themed revue. “This Sunday, you’ll catch a glimpse of our VIP witch strip club. Yes, witches on poles! And I’ll be performing alongside ghouls and fiends from the new Terror Vault show. Consider it a sinful sneak peek of the madness opening at the Mint on October 2.”
Continuing to speak about what the fair has to offer, Adeyoha added, “The bondage stage is getting a bigger spectacle. It’ll be pretty much the wrestlers doing their thing. Our DJs and go-gos are going to be near Mr. S [Leather] this time, so it’ll be a really fun block party. I can’t even pick just one. They’re all great.” There will be several places to purchase alcohol outdoors. See page 8 >>
Queer content creators say Instagram applies double standard to LGBTQs by John Ferrannini
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our queer San Francisco content creators and one in New York allege they were treated unfairly by social media giant Instagram. They said their accounts were restricted or even deleted under the auspices of rules around “sexually suggestive” content. Three of the five told the Bay Area Reporter that Instagram alleged they were selling or buying sex through the platform – charges they say are baseless. “What I was told flatly, directly, was that because my butt was in the photo, nudity constitutes the solicitation of sex,” said Cameron Cash, a gay man who runs the account @camofthecentury. As the B.A.R. researched the issue for this article, more queer people and organizations came forward. Most recently, the Exiles, a storied San Francisco woman- and queer-centered educational Leather/ BDSM organization, said its account was taken down last month entirely with no specific post cited, just as the city readies for the Folsom Street Fair. Jesus Gutierrez, a gay man who is the co-founder of Yes Homo, a gay lifestyle brand, said the problem is so pervasive that “everyone who runs a queer business, I feel like, goes through this somehow, someway. It’s like a rite of passage, sadly.” Another tactic the creators claim Instagram uses is so-called shadow banning, which refers to secretly hiding or downplaying content in user searches and algorithms without notifying the creators. Niko Storment, a queer trans man who is production organizer for the San Francisco Trans March, said that the estimable annual event’s Instagram page was deleted the day after the 2024 iteration. (The Trans March takes place the Friday of Pride weekend.) Storment runs the Trans March’s Instagram account @transmarch. “We never engaged – I’ll be very clear – in any kind of sexual whatever,” Storment said. “A lot of my business dealings would happen through Instagram because I’d be hiring people based on their profiles.” When Storment was using Instagram in helping organize a party at Public Works during Pride
Courtesy Simon Malvez
This photo from Instagram content creator Cameron Cash was allegedly evidence of solicitation, according to Meta Support, a charge Cash says is patently untrue. Queer content creators allege Instagram applies a double standard to LGBTQ people.
weekend 2024, Meta flagged a conversation with a queer creator, who wishes to remain anonymous, being hired for the party as Storment “hiring someone to do sex work” and shut down all his accounts, Storment said. “Queer culture is often labeled as inherently sexual,” Storment said, adding that the shutdown on the Saturday of Pride weekend in 2024 hurt business – but also queer visibility and community building. “Luckily, through our network, we had someone who worked at Meta who was able to send in a ticket item,” Storment said, adding it was “reversed by a real human.” Storment stated there was no issue with the Trans March’s Instagram account this year.
SF queer nonprofit deplatformed
Kara Plaxa, a queer femme leather activist who is co-coordinator of the Exiles, told the B.A.R. that she was notified the group’s Instagram account was suspended on August 12.
“The only explanation provided was, ‘Too much activity on your account that doesn’t follow our Community Standards,’” Plaxa stated, quoting the Meta message, which the B.A.R. viewed. “No specific content or posts were flagged, and importantly, all but one of the same posts remain available and compliant on Facebook.” Plaxa stated the Exiles filed an appeal. But two days later, Meta decided to permanently disable the account. “No one from Meta reached out directly,” Plaxa stated. “The only communication we received were automated notices inside the app. The first said our account had ‘too much activity’ and didn’t follow community standards. After appealing, we got a final message that Meta ‘reviewed the content and still found it to be in violation.’ At no point were we told what specific post or content was the issue.” Plaxa continued, “Our community lost 80% of our media reach in a single month.” See page 5 >>