Today I went to a brunch at Eric and Mitcho’s place near Noe and 15th Street. It was a brunch with mimosas and fruit salad and stuff for folks going to the Up Your Alley Fair (the fair formerly known as the Dore Alley Fair).
I had a great time at brunch, then went off to a benefit for queer conscientious objector Stephen Funk, organized by Tommi Avicolli Mecca and others. Funk, a reservist who refused to go to war in Iraq, received a standing ovation from attendees at the event. I told him of my draft registration stance in the early 80s, donated $50 to his defense fund, and wished him well. His attorney was also there and spoke about the case.
I met Zach Syzmanski, a Bay Area Reporter reporter at the Funk benefit. We ended up hanging out for several hours afterwards talking mostly about gender and sex, some fascinating stuff. We walked to the Mission, ate at Pakwan, and had warm beverages at a cafe that I hadn’t tried before on 16th Street near Valencia I think.
By that time, I was too exhausted to go to the Up Your Alley Fair, so went home. I relaxed for awhile, conversed with Cob who will likely meet up with me on Wednesday, then watched Part II of Ken Burns’ American Experience program about the woman’s suffrage movement, which was truly excellent. I treasured the way the documentary brought alive the stories of the untiring dedication of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, their love and their conflicts with one another, as well as the eventual achievement of the right for women to vote in the U.S. after both of their deaths, culminating decades of activism.