Smuin’s The Christmas Ballet LGBTQ+ Night with special guest Lady Camden & guest DJ Juanita MORE! at the After Party!

Join us as we gather wishes and hopes for the future of our global community and give them wings. A Celebration of Hope with emcee Juanita MORE! ● The Grammy Award winning San Francisco Boys Chorus ● The Very Rev. Malcolm Young ● Queer Chorus of San Francisco ● Empress Linda Summers ● Leberta Lorál ● Tammy Lynne Hall ● Origami Artist Linda Mihara ● RWF Founder Jeff Cotter ● The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will bless the tree ● and much more!

Join us for a very special holiday fundraising brunch on Saturday, December 7th, supporting affordable access to mental health services. Hosted by nonprofit counseling agency Queer LifeSpace (QLS). Featuring an array of brunch food, drink promotions (yay, mulled wine!), gift giveaways, and holiday sing-alongs. All while enjoying the incredible vocal talents of Lambert Moss.

The Sisterhood of Absolute Empresses host the Annual Thanksgiving Bake Sale

Lots of delicious desserts and treats to bring to your Thanksgiving table, made by the Empresses of San Francisco

Net proceeds benefit the Empresses Fund and 60th Anniversary Empress Celebration to be held in 2025. The Empress Fund is part of the Imperial Council of San Francisco, a 501c3 non-profit in the State of California.

My Cranberry Brandy Sauce will be for sale.

Net Proceeds from the bake sale will benefit the San Francisco Empress Fund

This year—for one night only—immerse yourself in the cantankerous characters of Carmen at Carmen Encounter. Part opera, part party—you will watch Act I of Bizet’s Carmen on stage, and then become a part of the epic story yourself as you explore the steamy streets of Seville in the opera house lobby spaces, transformed into Carmen’s world. You have never seen the War Memorial Opera House like this before!

Grand Tier: Carmen’s Hideaway - Filled with passion, Carmen finds herself on the run, and you’re invited to come along for the ride!  Take a step onto the outdoor balcony where campfires blaze and wild creatures come to life, or sit down with one of her camp’s well-known fortune tellers to learn your fate.  And, you’ll want to let your hair down at her raucous dance floor, complete with the dangerously fabulous DJ Juanita MORE!

Everyone in the community is invited to join us in celebration as we honor 2024 Legends Archive inductee, Donna Sachet, as well as our community honorees at the Legends Awards, our annual awards gala, hosted by Sister Roma! The Legends Archive was created to recognize those people who are profoundly shaping the LGBTQ+ community that we live in. Each year, The Academy selects one individual who has truly become a Legend.

With entertainment by: Russell Deason, The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, and Shün Kanazawa

2024 Community Award Honorees:

• The Diane Jones Solidarity Award: Dr. Dee Spencer

• The Architect Award: Colm O'Brien

• The Exemplar Award: Patrick Carney

This year, we will honor the one and only Juanita MORE! as our donor of the year. Through her Pride campaign, Juanita raised more than $140,000 for LYRIC youth. We are so grateful for her contributions to LYRIC and the wider LGBTQQ+ community.

The Imperial Chili Cook Off - $10 Donation for tastings & a Vote!

Hosted by Imperial Crown Prince, John M. Brett

Net proceeds benefit SF Night Ministry

This year, we will vote at the national and civic levels. I can't think of a more consequential election cycle in my lifetime, and how we cast our ballots will determine what happens not only in Washington, D.C., and our entire country but also in our proverbial "backyard" here in San Francisco. 

With more at stake on the ballot this year than ever, voting is the most important thing you can do! Early voting starts at City Hall on October 7, the same day ballots are mailed to registered voters across the City. With that in mind, I am sharing my endorsements for the national, state, and local elections on November 5, 2024.

Giving Them Their Flowers: An Art Show. Featuring works commissioned by the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District. "Living Lesbian Legends" by Tanya Wischerath & "Circle of Change" by Serge Gay Jr. At Queer Arts Featured (QAF), 575 Castro St., Nov. 1, 2024 - Jan. 5, 2025. Curated by Tina Aguirre.

The District is proud that we have commissioned art that will be featured in an exhibition at QAF. This exhibition centers lesbians and queer women who have played a significant role to the Castro and San Francisco. Commissioning this art, creating art exhibitions, and installing murals in the neighborhood are aligned with our work to use racial, gender, and queer equity frameworks.

San Francisco is on the cusp of its most important election in decades- Aaron Peskin, our progressive supervisors & candidates, and a slew of incredible ballot measures are all on the verge of transformative success; but we're not there yet!

After multiple sold-out residencies in New York, drag legend and razor-witted comic Lady Bunny is taking her show on the road. The aptly titled Don't Bring the Kids is a raunchy tour de force, combining singing, comedy, and dancing, sure to make conservatives squirm.

Witness what the New York Times says “will have audiences weeping with laughter while groaning in disgust.” As she puts it, "This show is called 'Don't Bring the Kids' for a reason. It's not for the faint of heart, but if you're ready to laugh and let loose, then I'll see you there."

Reunion is our fall gala, traditionally held in October to coincide with LGBTQ history month. Reunion is an opportunity to celebrate our vast queer past, honor the history makers who move our communities forward, and raise funds to keep LGBTQ history alive!

This year will be honoring History Makers Jose Antonio Vargas and The Stud.

Hosted at Sui Generis Designer Consignment, this in-store fundraising event will support Queer LifeSpace, a nonprofit counseling agency that provides life-saving access to mental health services for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Fundraiser and dance party for District 9 Candidate Stephen Torres!

House of MORE! Stage featuring Glama’s Pillows - Hosted by Juanita MORE! & Mr. David Glamamore

Glama’s Pillows with Hostess Mary Vice is a SoMa phenomenon! Every Monday nite upwards of tens of avant-garde performers both sync and sing their way to warming the cockles of your heart!

They present…The SoMa Sound! on AllRight Records!

With original music from nearly 20 artístes and styles ranging from Disco to jazz to deep electronica house to off-off Broadway belting to Renaissance Lesbian nurse opera!

The Academy Forum "Election 2024" series continues with a visit from Aaron Peskin, San Francisco mayoral candidate and current President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, representing District 3. The event will be an interview / town hall format, with Mark Leno and hosted by Juanita MORE!

Pooches for Peskin! Pooch Parade at noon with costume contest, prizes and homemade doggie treats!