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Serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities since 1971
Vol. 52 • No. 36 • September 8-14, 2022
SF LGBTQ leaders provide Dutch queen a royal welcome Rick Gerharter
San Francisco Health Officer Dr. Susan Philip
SF expands MPX vaccine eligibility, starts 2nd doses by Liz Highleyman
T
he San Francisco Department of Public Health has expanded eligibility for monkeypox vaccines to include all gay, bisexual, and trans people. Local providers began offering second doses this week to people who received their first dose at least a month ago. “This expansion of eligibility, as well as second dose availability is aligned with the movement of the state and other Bay Area agencies,” said San Francisco Public Health Officer Dr. Susan Philip. “Two doses provides longer lasting protection compared to a single dose, and is recommended by the FDA and CDC for this vaccine. We will continue to work to distribute the vaccines to those who need it as quickly and as equitably as possible.” The San Francisco Department of Public Health statement notes that this change is in alignment with other Bay Area counties, some of which started giving second doses last week. Santa Clara County health officials issued a release August 31 stating that people can now make appointments for second doses if it has been 28 days or more since the person received their first dose. People can click here to make an appointment (https://vax.sccgov.org/) There is no need to restart the series if more than 28 days have passed since first dose administration, officials stated, adding that people who get their medical care through large healthcare systems, may also be able to get a second dose through their regular doctor. The vaccine offers the best protection when individuals get both doses. On August 31, DPH updated the criteria on its MPX website to state that “all gay, bisexual, trans people, and men or trans people who have sex with men or trans See page 5 >>
by Matthew S. Bajko Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, left, shakes hands with San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO Tyler TerMeer, Ph.D., as Aria Sa’id of the Transgender District looks on at a meeting with LGBTQ leaders at Twin Peaks Tavern in the Castro September 6.
L
GBTQ officials provided a royal welcome to Queen Máxima of the Netherlands and other Dutch officials Tuesday as they toured San Francisco’s Castro district. The royal delegation took in a brief glimpse of the city’s LGBTQ museum and engaged in a friendly conversation with half a dozen local LGBTQ leaders. See page 5 >> Matthew S. Bajko
Queer herbalist aims to redefine wellness by Matthew S. Bajko
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aving kept her herbal apothecary in San Francisco’s Mission district afloat since the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020, Laura Ash has now launched a new online venture aimed at redefining how people view wellness. It is reaching a global audience keen on expanding how they approach their own well-being or provide health care to others. Called Land of Verse, the online school soft-launched in May to offer modern wellness courses in herbal medicine, botanical beauty, psychedelics and mental health, divination and tarot. Ash is aiming to raise $750,000 in seed funding to support the digital platform. “The goal is to be a trusted voice of wellness online,” said Ash, 42, a clinical herbalist and teacher of western herbal medicine. The website offers different certifications for people looking to become professional herbalists. The months of courses are all taught online and cost around $3,000, though scholarships to help offset the price are available, particularly for trans, femmes, Black, Indigenous, and people of color, and persons with a disability. “We want to make it easy for professionals to start integrating herbal medicine into the lives of their family and community,” said Ash, who now lives in Oakland with the two young children she had with her ex-husband, and her wife, Lucy Laliberte, a department manager at Pixar.
Courtesy Land of Verse
Clinical herbalist Laura Ash has launched a new online venture.
Ash assumed ownership of the Scarlet Sage Herb Co., located at 1193 Valencia Street, in 2015. She worked there in 2006 while attending the California School of Herbal Studies in Sonoma. As the Bay Area Reporter noted in 2018, Ash had expanded the business to offer more classes ranging from mindfulness and broom making workshops to astrology certification and spiritual cleansings. She transformed a basement area of the store into the home of the Scarlet Sage Wellness Space and the Scarlet Sage School of Traditional Healing Arts. Then COVID hit, forcing Ash to shut
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down all in-person educational classes, temporarily close the doors to the apothecary, and furlough her employees for six weeks. During that time she handled mail orders herself made via the store’s website or over the phone. “As an alternative health care provider in San Francisco, I was really concerned about the safety of my staff,” recalled Ash, who was able to reopen after being deemed an essential business by the city. “It was such a scary time. No one knew how safe it was to be with people at all.” See page 7 >>