Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "gay community"

Rainbow Festival celebrates 25 years Labor Day weekend

2011-08-17T04:13:58Z

Members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex community will be able to show their pride with a Midtown block party filled with music, entertainment, divas, drag shows and drinking this Labor Day weekend.

The Sacramento Rainbow Festival will feature events and entertainment Sept. 2 - 4 and will include performances by dance-pop musicians Crystal Waters and Wynter Gordon; an SF Diva Drag Show featuring Cassandra Cass; and performances by drag queen Tommi Rose the Disco Diva and singer-entertainer Jimmy James.

The festival street fair will be 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Sunday Sept. 4 and will feature all-day entertainment and vendors, drag shows, a Latin stage and the annual wet T-shirt and wet underwear contests.

Roads will be blocked between J and L streets and 19th and 21st streets. The streets should be cleaned and re-opened by about 8 p.m., Sidie said.

For a complete list of events, visit the CGNIE website.

Tickets to the festival are $10. Children under 12 get in free. VIP weekend passes are available for $50 and allow VIP entrance all weekend to Faces Nightclub, The Depot, Badlands, Club 21 and the street fair. VIP passes are available online.

The Sacramento Rainbow Festival has served to raise awareness of local LGBTI groups and services since 1986. Proceeds this year will go to the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center, said Terry Sidie, co-founder of the festival and owner of Faces Nightclub and other bars and clubs.

One hundred twenty to 130 booths will line the street and represent gay groups such as the Gay Cowboys, Gay Leather, Dykes on Bikes, Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus and Sacramento Women’s Chorus, Sidie said. Two new groups are Cheer Sacramento and the Lambda Players, a gay theater company.

Food and cold treats like snow cones and ice cream will be sold throughout the street fair. Other booths will have T-shirts and gay pride paraphernalia for sale.

Sidie added that there is always a lot of fun, a lot of entertainment and a lot of drinking during the festival.

“We are a party fair!” he said with a laugh.

The average crowd is between 2,500 to 3,500 people, though Sidie said he has had crowds of up to 6,000 people in the past. Sidie said expects a large turnout this year because of the weekend’s line up. He hopes to meet the 6,000 mark.

The Rainbow Festival emerged after Richard Boriolo, owner of Hamburger Patties at 1630 J St., proposed the idea to Sidie in June 1986 and held the first festival during Labor Day weekend, Boriolo said.

Boriolo said he was inspired after witnessing the 1986 San Francisco protests against the Supreme Court sodomy laws prohibiting all sexual acts not related to procreation.

“A lot of speakers from the community came to talk,” Boriolo said. “We were amazed at how quickly San Francisco was able to put together a rally. After that, we had to go back to Sacramento and do something for our own community.”

“This was back in the time when gay bars had always been locked away with no windows,” Sidie added. “Nobody was really supposed to know where they were, and all the walls were black and depressing. We decided we needed a gay fair in the gay area commonly referred to as Lavender Heights (the intersection between 20th and K streets).”

Boriolo, who had planned the Rainbow Festivals for 10 years, said that the festival is “a big tent event – it doesn’t exclude anyone.”

He said it allows young people to see the makeup of their community.

“It’s kind of like flexing in the mirror,” Boriolo said. “It shows you the size of your community and the strength you have when you get together. It’s empowering looking around and seeing a lot of people out there.”

Sidie said this year’s festival may possibly be his last to plan and direct.

Planning the festival took him about six months.“It could take up to a whole year if you really did a better job than what I do,” Sidie added. “I’m so busy doing everything else so I kind of leave it off a little bit. But it needs to be big. It needs to be 10 - 20 thousand people.”

After 25 years, he said he is looking forward to handing over the Rainbow Festival to somebody else to pick up and take over where he left off.

“We built a gay Mecca that is very pretty and, in my opinion, would compare to the Castro or any other large gay community in any large city in the United States. We’re growing, and we intend to grow more.”

As a similar event to the Rainbow Festival, Sidie is hosting the 26th anniversary celebration for Faces Nightclub this weekend, Aug. 19 - 21.

There will be drink specials, dancers, a guest DJ from New York and a pool party and free barbecue.

For more information, visit the Faces Nightclub website.

Sacramento Pride fills Capitol Mall

2010-06-21T06:14:37Z

Sandwiched between the Capitol and Tower Bridge, Capitol Mall was blocked off Saturday for the 26th annual Sacramento Pride Festival.

About 12,000 people filled Third through Seventh streets from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to celebrate the event and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. The event was kicked off with a parade from Southside Park to Capitol Mall. A ribbon-cutting ceremony included Mayor Kevin Johnson, Senator Darrell Steinberg and Speaker of the Assembly John Pérez.

"(The festival) is a celebration of equality for all people, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation," said Bonnie Osborn, Sacramento Pride's marketing committee chair.

Attendees wandered among two music stages, the Amtrak dance pavilion, a kids zone, food court, beer garden and almost 200 vendor booths. People, and a few dogs, donned colorful outfits and accessories.

"(This festival) is important to Sacramento because it shows others that perceptions of the gay community being made up of androgynous people and feminine men is wrong," Debra Boothe of Sacramento said. "We have children and families just like everybody else. We're just like everybody else."

Vendors included businesses and organizations such as Jackson Rancheria, Davis Musical Theatre Company, AAA, Grateful Dog and Barefoot Wine and Bubbly.

"There's a variety of vendors reaching out to people," Daniel Barbour of Davis said. "There's booths here for people's health, animal care, home repair. It shows a diversity and tolerance."

The Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center hosts the event as a fundraiser. The $10 admission went to support the center's programs and services.

"It's important that we're proud all year round," Osborn said. "It's important to support businesses in our own community, like the Gay and Lesbian Center. If the LGBT community doesn't support our organizations, then who will?"

Osborn attributed the attendance to marketing and a sunny Saturday.

"Sacramento's LGBT community is very central to Sacramento's community at large," Osborn said. "It's a vibrant, strong community and having that location on the doorstep of our state capitol was really symbolic of the strong role that the LGBT community plays in Sacramento and our state."

Photos:

1) The rainbow balloon arch at the festival.

2) A participant of the lip-syncing contest.

3) A canine attendee wearing a rainbow bandana.

4) A participant of the lip-syncing contest.

5) An attendee with a colorful mohawk.

6) A couple at the festival.

Agnus-Dei Farrant is an intern for The Sacramento Press.

Serving up faith

2010-04-07T04:16:58Z

A downtown restaurant is now home to a church that embraces gays and people of color.

For more than a month, Sofia on 11th and its owners, Jeremy and Vicki Bennett and partner Martin Tejeda, have welcomed A Church for All to take over a 1,500-square-foot banquet room. That has allowed the church to continue providing a spiritual meeting place for its diverse members.

The Rev. Doretha Flournoy describes it as a "radically inclusive" church with an interest in social justice and unique ideas about "how God operates in the world."

"If you walk into A Church for All on a Sunday morning, you'll see African-American folks, Latino folks, Caucasians. You'll see transgender folks. You'll see drag queens. You'll see lesbians. You'll see straight people. You'll see gay people," Flournoy said. "I often just kind of look at the congregation and say, 'Wow — how did we do this?' "

Sofia, at 815 11th St., is known for its big lunch crowds, private parties and meeting space. The church's openness helped convince Sofia's owners that renting out space in a restaurant otherwise closed on Sundays — but at half the normal rate — was the right thing to do, Jeremy Bennett said.

"They don't shun anyone, which I thought was really cool," Bennett said recently while managing the restaurant.

The church has its roots in the Metropolitan Community Church, the world's first church created to minister to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. The three reverends at A Church For All were ordained by MCC and split off from Metropolitan Community Church of Sacramento, which closed in May 2008 after 37 years.

While that church was operating in Mather, A Church for All wanted to stay close to what some Sacramentans know as "Lavender Heights," a concentration of gay-owned businesses near 20th and K streets.

Flournoy is a mother of two with a domestic partner. She also describes herself as a "very out" lesbian, African-American reverend, which she said is rare to find in church leadership.

Flournoy and two other pastors, Rosario Vargas and Charles Cooper, along with a launch team of 25 people, originally established the church at Club 21 at 21st and K streets. The club's owner, Terry Sidie, who also owns Faces and Head Hunters, invited the church to meet there monthly for free so the community would have a spiritual center, said Flournoy, a deputy director at the California Institute for Mental Health.

But people who partied there on Saturday nights found it difficult to show up at the same place for church the next day.

So they found a new home. And every Sunday, A Church for All meets in Sofia at the Best Western Sutter House from 1:30 to 3 p.m., a time that works well for anybody who went clubbing the night before, she said.

Curtains are drawn to hide the room's full-service bar, a portable stage is pulled out and chairs are set in rows in the recently renovated banquet room.

The church has about 50 regular members, and yet attendance remains very fluid. Flournoy, Vargas and Cooper watch to see who will be in the crowd each week.

"This church changes every Sunday I'm there," Flournoy said. "The room is always full."

Friends Show Support For Accused Security Guard Murderer

2009-09-25T22:06:37Z

Before this week, he could have been best described as your average, typical 23-year-old male. A love of cars, technology and fashion is evident from the photos and descriptions that litter his online MySpace and Facebook profiles. Comments from friends show he was much loved and adored, but now those same friends are showing signs of solidarity and support for a man accused of murder.

"My heart goes out to you," friend Christopher Williams wrote Michael "Mykel" Weisz's MySpace profile. "I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt someone on purpose."

But that's exactly what authorities say Weisz did Wednesday morning when he allegedly ran down 64-year-old security guard Leroy Fisher with his car after being ejected from "Badlands," a popular gay Sacramento nightclub. Fisher died from the hit-and-run incident; Weisz and a friend later surrendered to authorities in San Francisco. Authorities say Fisher's death was not accidental.

"We believe he [Weisz] purposefully hit him," police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong told reporters Wednesday. "It was not an accident."

A passenger that was reportedly with Weisz at the time of the murder has not been charged, though the investigation is still ongoing.

Weisz was booked into Sacramento County Jail early Thursday morning on one count of felony murder and one count of felony hit-and-run. Almost immediately following the news, an influx of friends flocked to Weisz's online profiles to express their support and love.

"Love ya Mykel, here for you!" friend Cheryl Ehara wrote on Weisz's Facebook profile. Another, Tru Calderon, wrote "May God be with you my friend."

The support for Michael Weisz seems underwhelmed compared to the evening vigil for Leroy Fisher, where friends, family and supporters of Sacramento's gay and lesbian community gathered on K Street near a line of gay clubs and businesses to remember a person who felt more like a friend than a security guard. Sacramento resident George Raya frequently hired Fisher for security at events, but was also familiar with Weisz.

"He has a bad reputation," Raya told Sacramento Press reporter Suzanne Hurt. "He's just this wild 23-year-old who gets drunk and doesn't act considerate."

Now, the same 23-year-old adored by family and friends sits behind bars, accused of murdering a beloved community figure. Weisz did not enter a plea when he appeared in Sacramento County court Friday afternoon. Instead, his attorney requested, and was granted, a delay by the court. Weisz's next scheduled appearance in court is set for early October.

A statement reportedly from Weisz's family was placed on his Facebook profile Thursday afternoon on his behalf, thanking the public for their support.

---

Matthew Keys is an online news writer for FOX40.com and community contributor to The Sacramento Press. He can be reached by e-mail at mkeys@tribune.com.

Photos appear courtesy Michael Weisz' Facebook profile.

"Pops" mourned, suspect held

2009-09-25T04:08:32Z

Friends of a bouncer allegedly run down and killed on the job were asking themselves Thursday why they weren't able to protect him the way he'd protected them for years.

People who knew 64-year-old Leroy Fisher described him as a down-to-earth, soft-spoken security guard who could de-escalate most bad situations just by talking. His calm demeanor, helpful advice and age earned him the nickname "Pops" at the four gay bars at which he coordinated security.

When fights did break out, Fisher jumped right in to break them up. That earned him the love and respect of many in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, who mourned him at a candlelight vigil Wednesday night. But that also brought him fear — a fear of retribution.

"He told us he knew his time was coming," said Olivia Shafer, 21, as she stood beside a shrine near where he died. "It just sucks, 'cause we weren't here."

Shafer and other regulars, as well as bar employees, stepped in to help Fisher on many occasions, she said. They say they can't understand why he was alone early Wednesday when he was reportedly run down by a car in a parking lot behind the gay dance club Badlands.

A 23-year-old club regular was being held in Sacramento County Jail Thursday after being charged with Fisher's murder. Police believe Michael Weisz of Sacramento ran Fisher down after being kicked out of the club, said Sgt. Norm Leong, Sacramento Police Department spokesman.

Midtown resident George Raya always hired Fisher, who operated Leroy Fisher Private Security, to work at dances sponsored by Capital Crossroads Gay Rodeo Association. He called Fisher a "super-good guy" who was very friendly.

Weisz, who is gay, seemed to be known by everyone at the bar.

"He has a bad reputation," Raya said. "He's just this wild 23 year old who gets drunk and doesn't act considerate."

Gay bars usually are free of violence, said Bill Burgua, who is active in Sacramento's gay community.

"It's not usual to have fights break out in gay bars. That's pretty unheard of," he said. "It's very, very sad that somebody could take out their anger in this way."

Weisz and a friend who was a passenger in the car turned themselves in to Sacramento detectives at a San Francisco police station shortly before noon Wednesday. Fisher and a second security guard had removed the men from the bar roughly between 12:30 a.m. and 1 a.m. because they weren't acting appropriately, Leong said.

Police called to the scene found Fisher lying injured in the parking lot of Badlands, which sits near the corner of 20th and K streets in a trendy neighborhood nicknamed "Lavender Heights" for its concentration of gay-owned businesses. Fisher died of his injuries at U.C. Davis Medical Center, police said.

The passenger, who lives in Sacramento, has not been charged in connection with the crime. Police, who are still investigating, are not releasing his name, photos or additional information, Leong said. Detectives are searching for additional witnesses.

"We're hoping there's some witness that saw what happened who will come forward now," Leong said. "We still need any witnesses that might have seen anything in that back parking area."

An estimated 100 people turned out Wednesday night for the vigil held at a shrine dedicated to Fisher on a grassy area next to the parking lot that Badlands shares with The Depot Video Club. Thursday afternoon, people stopped by to leave flowers, write notes and pay their respects.

"I guess God needed him more than I did. RIP. I (heart) you Pops!" read one note.

A trust fund to help Fisher's wife and son is being established, and a memorial is being arranged, said T.J. Bruce, who owns The Depot Video Club, Badlands and Hot Rods, a burger-and-hot-dog joint next door. Bruce said he did not know Weisz.

Fisher had provided security services for Bruce's businesses for eight years, and also worked many gay and lesbian events.

"We loved him," Bruce said. "He was basically a neighborhood fixture."

Fisher was kind to many people, calling taxis if they were too drunk to drive and giving out Sugar Daddy candy, said Matthew Windsor, who visited the shrine Thursday.

"He was a good and generous man," Windsor said.

The security guard was known to wear a cowboy hat with devil's horns and tell people that he wore the hat because he was horny. Fisher admired the ladies and shared his wisdom with Shafer and other young people in the club crowd, said Shafer, who knew him nearly five years. After his death, she wrote "RIP Pops" on her neck, and said she is considering getting a tattoo in his memory.

"He was a loved man, and that's why we don't understand why he was killed," she said.

Candlelight vigil photo provided by Nathan Feldman. Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.