Podcasts about sf pride

The national results of the recent general election caused a wave of shock through many progressive organizations in the country and here in the Bay Area. Join us for a live town hall with speakers from leading LGBTQ organizations, including SF AIDS Foundation, LYRIC, NCLR, SF Pride, El/La Para Translatina, SF HRC, EQCA, SF Office Transgender Initiative and more to come. They'll discuss the election results, its impact on various LGBTQ communities, and plans to respond. Fireside Chats: Immigration Nicole Santamaria, executive director, El/La Para Translatina—Moderator Jennicet Gutierrez, co-founder and co-executive director, Familia TQLM Okan Sengun, co-founder, Center for Immigrant Protection Yuan Wang, executive director, Lavender Phoenix State of LGBTQIA+ Honey Mahogany–Moderator Imani Rupert-Gordon, NCLR Tyler TerMeer, SF AIDS Foundation Suzanne Ford, SF Pride Lance Toma, executive director, San Francisco Community Health Center TGNC Youth, Families, and Gender Affirming Care Gael Lala-Chavez, executive director, LYRIC—Moderator Dr. Alexis Petra, founder, Transclinique  Lizette Trujillo, proud mother to a transgender son, volunteer for the Southern Arizona Gender Alliance/Fluxx Shay Franco-Clausen, political director EQCA Indigo Jensen, youth speaker, advocate Special Guests: Dr. Marcy Adelman Roma Guy Ani Rivera, commissioner, San Francisco Department on the Status of Women See more  Michelle Meow Show programs at Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California. Thanks to our sponsors: SF Pride Alaska Airlines SF Human Rights Commission Robert Holgate Partners: NCLR SF AIDS Foundation LYRIC SF Community Health Center El/La Para Translatina CIP- Center for Immigration Protection LGBT Asylum Office of Transgender Initiatives  Parivar Bay Area Lavender Phoenix Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Commonwealth Club World Affairs is pleased to host a special evening with SF Pride Board President Nguyen Pham. Nguyen finishes his last term with SF Pride this year, after serving for a total of 8 years on the board of SF Pride. As president emeritus of San Francisco Pride, a nonprofit that produces the SF Pride Celebration and Parade, Nguyen Pham has proudly led the iconic organization through pivotal moments in the modern LGBTQ+ equity movement. Prior to his election as president, he served as vice president and secretary of the organization, comprising a record eight consecutive years of board service. In 2019, he helped to produce the inaugural SF Pride Golf Tournament, SF Pride's most lucrative board-led annual fundraiser to date. He continued that tradition with the tournament's sixth annual convening in 2024, which was a resounding success. Nguyen is also director of philanthropy at Frameline, a San Francisco-based arts organization aimed at changing the world through the power of LGBTQ+ cinema. In 2024, Nguyen became the first person of color as well as the first openly LGBTQ+ president of the Mensa Foundation, a charitable organization working to unleash intelligence for the benefit of humanity. Additionally, he is in his 23rd consecutive year as a performer with CHEER San Francisco, the Official Cheer Team of the City and County of San Francisco, and an all-volunteer nonprofit performance group that raises charitable funds globally for community members facing life-challenging conditions. Adding to his overloaded plate, Nguyen produces and emcees local and national events on a pro bono basis to raise charitable funds for numerous nonprofits. A proud Bay Area native, Nguyen earned his BA from UC Berkeley and his MBA from San Francisco State University. Join us for a fun and informative talk with Nguyen Pham. See more  Michelle Meow Show programs at Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California. THIS PROGRAM CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us in downtown San Francisco for the second annual summit on some of the hottest topics facing the LGBTQIA+ communities.  Welcome by San Francisco Human Rights Commission Director Sheryl Davis Suzanne Ford and Nguyen Pham of SF Pride California vs Hate, Chhaya Malik, deputy director for dispute resolution, California Civil Rights Department   Morning Keynote: Honey Mahogany, performer, small business owner and activist Moderator: Michelle Meow Lenny Emson (Kyiv Pride)  Charlene Liu (Shanghai Pride)  Nicolas Rodriguez (PRIDE SV - Marcha Por la Diversidad en El Salvador)  Natalie Thompson (Interpride co-president, World Pride DC 2025)   This program is supported by SF Pride. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us in downtown San Francisco for the second annual summit on some of the hottest topics facing the LGBTQIA+ communities.  Robyn Adams, Remembering Nex Benedict Moderated by: Oliver Elias Tinoco, a queer, undocumented, community youth advocate hailing from South San Francisco by way of Guanajuato, Mexico,  Ewan Barker Plummer, chair of the San Francisco Youth Commission, which advises the Mayor and Board of Supervisors on all issues impacting young San Franciscans.  Daniel Trujillo is 16 years old and loves drawing, playing guitar, bass, and drums, building Lego, and playing in the Tucson Jazz Institute. Daniel recently helped plan a national action in Washington, D.C., called Trans Prom, a creative action by and for trans youth. Connie Murphy is a trans psychology student and community organizer. She works in youth advocacy and creates environments where queer youths can thrive, most recently organizing LYRIC's Lavender Ball.  Nano Luksanacom, upcoming senior, Lowell High School Dr. April Silas, LGBTQIA+ AC Bia Vieira, CEO, Women's Foundation California Roger Doughty, Horizons Foundation Schuyler Bailar, first openly transgender athlete to compete on an NCAA Division 1 men's team Suzanne Ford Michelle Meow   This program is supported by SF Pride. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What bEATINGu, BiTcH? The boys are back with a brand new special summer series episode! This week we're taking a road trip with Frankie, Sal and Alex (@oddgod) through creeper territory as they recap SF PRIDE 2024 and JEEPERS CREEPERS (2001). That's right! We're doing the OG creeper film EXACTLY 23 YEARS LATER! You know what that means? Someone's getting ate out tonight! Tune in for the frightful fun! Follow us on Instagram @fearthetalkingqueers! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fearthetalkingqueers/support

Top headlines for Tuesday, July 2, 2024In this episode, we unpack the key moments from the recent San Francisco Pride Parade, including controversial elements like the Fetish Zone. We'll also cover the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions on social media censorship laws and presidential immunity. Plus, hear about Sen. Raphael Warnock's surprising comparison of President Biden's debate performance. Subscribe to this PodcastApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercast⠀Follow Us on Social Media@ChristianPost on TwitterChristian Post on Facebook@ChristianPostIntl on InstagramSubscribe on YouTube⠀Get the Edifi AppDownload for iPhoneDownload for Android⠀Subscribe to Our NewsletterSubscribe to the Freedom Post, delivered every Monday and ThursdayClick here to get the top headlines delivered to your inbox every morning!⠀Links to the NewsSan Francisco Pride Parade features public nudity around kids | U.S.Dennis Quaid reflects on faith, humility of Ronald Reagan | EntertainmentChip Roy files resolution urging VP Harris to remove Biden | PoliticsOklahoma mandates Bible teaching at public schools | EducationChurch of England may split over same-sex services, clergy warn | Church & MinistriesSupreme Court rules Trump has immunity from prosecution | PoliticsTexas Supreme Court upholds ban on trans surgeries for kids | Politics

0:08 — Yaffa A.S. is the Executive Director of the Muslim Alliance for Sexual & Gender Diversity. Yaffa is a trans Muslim and displaced Indigenous Palestinian. 0:30 — Gabrielle Canon is a climate reporter and extreme weather correspondent for The Guardian. 0:45 — Alexei Koseff is a reporter for Calmatters covering CA state politics. The post Why Queer and Trans Activists Who Support Palestine are Calling for Boycott of SF Pride; Federal Firefighters Face Substandard Living Conditions; Plus, Negotiations Continue Over the State Budget as Mandatory Deadline Approaches appeared first on KPFA.

Released by Jito Presents to promote the main event for SF Pride in 1999

The Bay team is sharing each of their favorite episodes of 2023. This episode, picked by editor Alan Montecillo, first published on June 28. In it, we hear from Gwenn Craig, a queer elder who reflects on the transformation — and corporatization — of San Francisco Pride, and why it still matters now more than ever.

In this episode Peelo G. and Pratibha discuss being too old at the Club while celebrating SF Pride (boobs may have been out…), the importance of Pride during this political climate and how Peelo G. had no success being hit on (or did they)? hmmm.....Take a listen because it definitely sounds like Peelo G. had some success.

In Episode 7, Peelo G. and Pratibha recap tales from Sunday of SF Pride as well as the low's related to the SCOTUS decisions later in the week. This more serious episode looks at the not so fun aspects of queer life, the struggle for equal rights and perseverance to continue on despite the regression of queer rights.

Holy shit, it's the Indigo Girls! We interviewed the director (Alexandria Bombach) of their documentary It's Only Life After All, at SXSW this year and we've been waiting to interview Amy and Emily ever since. And what better timing than Pride weekend before their set at the Stern Grove Festival  - one of our favorite summertime activities in San Francisco!Amy Ray and Emily Saliers speak as passionately as they sing. They share their early activism and who inspired them to take action, the love affair they have with their fans, their most recent studio album (Look Long) and why it was like returning home, and which musicians they ride or die for (spoiler alert: the list includes a lot of hip-hop!).Visit the ACTIVISM page on their website and Honor The Earth to get involved and stay active!Follow the Indigo Girls on IG & FB & Twitter and go see them live as the tour the U.S. and Europe this summer and fall!Thank you to Jeff Hunt from Storied: San Francisco and Kayla Anchell for their audio production work on this episode. --Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, 700 episodes or Best of The Bay Best Podcast without your help! --Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal.--SUPPORT US HERE!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

In this episode, Allison and Daniel discuss their weekend being on a yacht to celebrate Daniel's birthday and attending San Francisco Pride. Daniel tells the story of how he got his phone stolen and what he had to do to get it back. So get ready to set sail to pickpocket nation as we celebrate our last episode of pride month in this nautical episode of Gay Area.

One of the longest running pride celebrations in the country, SF pride has brought generations of queer communities together to march, celebrate, grieve, and organize. For this episode we hear from Gwenn Craig, a queer elder. She moved to San Francisco in 1975 as a young woman eager to explore her lesbian identity. She got involved in politics and was a close collaborator of Harvey Milk. She talks about her political organizing, what pride has meant to her over the years, and what she hopes for its future. This interview was conducted by Annelise Finney. This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Jehlen Herdman with production assistance from Maria Esquinca. Ericka Cruz Guevarra is the host. 

Dropping some mad heat for this month! Just trying to keep the kids dancing with another episode from your friendly neighborhood deep house podcast ... thanks for checking it out ... please pass by our pages here ... >>>> https://www.facebook.com/TruSouLRadio The Archive here >>>> http://www.mixcloud.com/yourboyjojo/ follow us here >>>> https://twitter.com/yourboyjojo  and here >>>> https://twitter.com/TruSouLRadioPod subscribe to us here >>>> https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/trusoul-radio/id496335552 and our host is here >>>> https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/yourboyjojo

Be an official supporter of the podcast DONATE HERE if you are able. Happy Pride Queer Kittens! For our final episode of season two we wanted to honor this month of celebration/protest by featuring a true beacon of hope in the SF community; the amazingly talented Niko Storment!  Niko Storment (He/They) is a transgender event producer, videographer/photographer, and singer-songwriter. He is the founder and creator of Rosen Creative House (RCH), a creative agency aiming to center and uplift the art of queer women and transgender people.  Listen in as Niko discusses his journey to wellness in the queer nightlife of SF, and how producing events/ safe spaces for his community brings him purpose and joy.  Niko shares how centering trans joy in his work and life amidst the current political climate keeps him hopeful, and is his form of protest against the powers working against the trans community.  We hope you enjoy this episode. Until next season Queer Kittens!   FEATURED GUEST: Niko Storment (he/they) is a transgender event producer, videographer/photographer, and singer-songwriter. He is the founder and creator of Rosen Creative House (RCH), a creative agency aiming to center and uplift the art of queer women and transgender people. Through RCH, Niko is able to produce a multitude of events and projects like The Trans Futures Stage at SF Pride, VAMP - A Queer and Trans Dance Party, The Trans Agenda - a trans podcast by Transclinique, The Queer Wellness Symposium, and many other projects. You can find out more about Niko at www.rosencreativehouse.com, or by following him on Instagram Niko Storment  IG : @Niko_storment  @vamp.queerevents  @rosencreativehouse Linktree : Rosen Creative House Website + Upcoming Events WELLNESS RESOURCES: Check out all of the resources mentioned in our episodes here. HOST: V aka Vanessa Vasquez @lovenessmonsta (All Pronouns Accepted).  THE CREW: Executive Producers: Stevie Cua (all pronouns accepted) @steviesees Producer: Leah Jackson (She/Her) @djmsjackson Associate Producer: Raphaella Landestoy (She/Her) @la.vida.bruja14 Music: Produced and Composed by BASK aka Eric Guizar Vasquez (He/Him) Cover art designer: Ace Vincenzo Canzone (He/Him) @thehoodedace CONNECT: Follow us on Instagram @questwellnesspod Email us your community S/O questwellnesspod@gmail.com Podcast is produced in collaboration with Kinoko Chocolates & Puka Puka Creative. Episode transcripts available by request.

This month on WD-FM it is raining Cats & Dogs!

For two years, the San Francisco police department was uninvited to Gay Pride. In solidarity, bureaucrats boycotted the 2022 Pride parade. Jemma DeCristo returns to report from behind the liberal front of a city whose highest-paid employee is a sheriff's deputy. - Support the show (and get upcoming bonus episodes): patreon.com/sadfrancisco - Shownotes Miss Major's Gay Shame '5-0 Out of Pride' video; SF Pride board meeting interrupted (Gay Shame) ‘Wild animals': Racist texts sent by San Francisco police officer, documents show (Scott Glover and Dan Simon in CNN) The strange and terrible saga of Mohammed Nuru turns the page
 (Joe Eskenazi and Carolyn Stein in Mission Local) This Damning New Report Shows Just How Badly The U.S. Criminal Justice System Fails Trans People
 (Toshio Meronek in Huffington Post)

A person sprayed mace at the main stage of the San Francisco pride parade, terrifying attendees. There were no reports of injuries, but many people ran away in fear, believing the person had a gun. Listen as Mark breaks down all the details of the weekend. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A person sprayed mace at the main stage of the San Francisco pride parade, terrifying attendees. There were no reports of injuries, but many people ran away in fear, believing the person had a gun. Listen as Mark breaks down all the details of the weekend. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SF Pride is this weekend! Fire update in the Bay Area. Brighter Side. Are you good at remembering people's names?Do you have a special skill?

On a new TAGSPODCAST, Host Steve V. is joined in studio with Lincoln and Kodi Maurice Doggette to discuss all new hot gay sex topics like going out together at the New York Eagle, 2 Tops & 2 Bottoms Ad, compromise reached for SF Pride, Monkeypox is NOT a gay disease, no more undercover police raids at Port Authority in NY, resentment over lost Covid years? What body parts do you not like in a partner? Would you rather?Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/talk-about-gay-sex-tagspodcast/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The debate on the place of officers at Pride has reached a fever pitch. The Mayor, D6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, The Police Department, The Fire Department, and the Sheriff's have all decided to boycott SF Pride because of the decision to allow SFPD to march but not in uniform. Manny's brought together the Interim Executive Director of Pride Suzanne Ford with LGBTQ Liaison Officer Kathryn Winters to share their perspectives, share some context for the decisions, and provide an opportunity for the community to hear directly from both sides of this decision. Manny's is a place where tough nuanced conversations can happen and this is a continuation of our tough conversations series. This debate is dividing the City so we thought to bring together two leaders on either side of the debate together.

After a pandemic halt, the San Francisco Pride Parade is coming back to the city in June. Controversy surrounding police officers participating in the parade has already made a comeback, too. San Francisco police officers said Monday they will not march in the city's LGBTQ Pride parade this year, an act of protest after the event's board of directors asked them not to wear uniforms,  In a statement, the San Francisco Police Officers Pride alliance, LGBTQ+ members of the San Francisco Sheriff's Office and the San Francisco Fire Department said they would not participate in the parade under SF Pride's conditions. According to the statement, SF Pride is asking members of the groups mentioned above to not wear their uniforms when participating in the festivities as to not intimidate participants who are in some way intimidated by the department. "The San Francisco Pride Committee has asked the LGBTQ+ peace officers to go back in the closet," the statement read. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a pandemic halt, the San Francisco Pride Parade is coming back to the city in June. Controversy surrounding police officers participating in the parade has already made a comeback, too. San Francisco police officers said Monday they will not march in the city's LGBTQ Pride parade this year, an act of protest after the event's board of directors asked them not to wear uniforms,  In a statement, the San Francisco Police Officers Pride alliance, LGBTQ+ members of the San Francisco Sheriff's Office and the San Francisco Fire Department said they would not participate in the parade under SF Pride's conditions. According to the statement, SF Pride is asking members of the groups mentioned above to not wear their uniforms when participating in the festivities as to not intimidate participants who are in some way intimidated by the department. "The San Francisco Pride Committee has asked the LGBTQ+ peace officers to go back in the closet," the statement read. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

San Francisco Police officers said today they won't participate in this year's LGBTQ+ Pride parade after event organizers asked the officers not to wear their uniforms.  For more, KCBS Radio news anchors Melissa Culross and Jason Brooks spoke with KCBS Radio Insider Phil Matier.  

Guest is Carolyn Wysinger, board president of SF Pride. Days after San Francisco Pride elected its first majority-trans board and re-elected its longest-tenured Black president, Netflix released “The Closer,” the latest standup special by Dave Chappelle. Several weeks later, the fallout continues over its homophobic and transphobic content. Now the comic is coming to the Chase Center on Nov. 4 for a show.        The problem with this isn't one of free speech. It's that fundamentally, Chappelle sees LGBTQ+ people and Black people as distinct entities whose very existence is at odds with one another. Chappelle's words completely erase the existence and the work that Black LGBTQ+ people have undertaken for decades in our communities.  While he attempts to make valid points about anti-blackness in the LGBTQ+ community, he fails — because he simply doesn't have the depth to be able to frame this conversation about who gets access to LGBTQ+ success. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This special family event will feature a multigenerational panel of adult civic leaders and educators talking together with their children about practices and opportunities for engaging young people in civic life.  Increasingly, youth have been speaking up about the importance of having parents and teachers who model civic engagement and encourage them to get involved in their communities. But how can we get our kids involved in ways that are both meaningful and rewarding? How can families engage in civic work together? What can kids do on their own, and how do they want adults to support them? A lifetime of civic engagement begins in youth. We encourage you to watch this special program with your family. This program is presented by Creating Citizens, an education initiative of The Commonwealth Club. About the Speakers Amber Coleman-Mortley's passion is focused on elevating diverse voices and perspectives in the civic education space, working with students, educators and parent communities for more equitable outcomes. She holds a B.A. in African American Studies from Oberlin College and an M.A. from American University in Media Entrepreneurship. Coleman-Mortley is a former decorated college athlete, former educator and athletic coach. She covers civics, K–12 education and family life at MomOfAllCapes and on her podcast with her daughters, "Lets K12 Better." She has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Smithsonian magazine, and a variety of other broadcast, podcast and online media outlets. Suzanne Ford is a fierce activist working toward equal rights for the trans community. She is employed as a regional sales manager at Revere Packaging, being named by Plastics News as one of the Women Breaking the Mold in the Packaging Industry in 2017. Ford serves as president of the Spahr Center in Marin County and as a board member and vice president of SF Pride. She also works on the board at Trans Heartline. Ford lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wife Beverly and son Daniel. She is available to speak to groups or employers about trans issues and her experience facing the world as a trans woman. Lateefah Simon is a nationally recognized advocate for civil rights and racial justice in Oakland and the Bay Area. She has been the president of Akonadi Foundation since 2016. That same year—driven by Oscar Grant's death—she was elected to the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors and served as its president. Since 2015, Simon also has served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the California State University, the nation's largest public university system, and state officials often turn to her for strategic advice on policy matters related to racial justice. Simon spearheaded San Francisco's first reentry anti-recidivism youth services division under then-District Attorney Kamala Harris' leadership. Simon received the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Award in 2003, making her the youngest woman to receive the award —in recognition of her work as executive director of the Young Women's Freedom Center. SPEAKERS Amber Coleman-Mortley Host, "Let's K12 Better" Podcast Suzanne Ford Activist; President, Spahr Center Lateefah Simon President, Akonadi Foundation Kimberly Ellis Director, San Francisco Department on the Status of Women—Moderator In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on August 24th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This special family event will feature a multigenerational panel of adult civic leaders and educators talking together with their children about practices and opportunities for engaging young people in civic life.  Increasingly, youth have been speaking up about the importance of having parents and teachers who model civic engagement and encourage them to get involved in their communities. But how can we get our kids involved in ways that are both meaningful and rewarding? How can families engage in civic work together? What can kids do on their own, and how do they want adults to support them? A lifetime of civic engagement begins in youth. We encourage you to watch this special program with your family. This program is presented by Creating Citizens, an education initiative of The Commonwealth Club. About the Speakers Amber Coleman-Mortley's passion is focused on elevating diverse voices and perspectives in the civic education space, working with students, educators and parent communities for more equitable outcomes. She holds a B.A. in African American Studies from Oberlin College and an M.A. from American University in Media Entrepreneurship. Coleman-Mortley is a former decorated college athlete, former educator and athletic coach. She covers civics, K–12 education and family life at MomOfAllCapes and on her podcast with her daughters, "Lets K12 Better." She has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Smithsonian magazine, and a variety of other broadcast, podcast and online media outlets. Suzanne Ford is a fierce activist working toward equal rights for the trans community. She is employed as a regional sales manager at Revere Packaging, being named by Plastics News as one of the Women Breaking the Mold in the Packaging Industry in 2017. Ford serves as president of the Spahr Center in Marin County and as a board member and vice president of SF Pride. She also works on the board at Trans Heartline. Ford lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wife Beverly and son Daniel. She is available to speak to groups or employers about trans issues and her experience facing the world as a trans woman. Lateefah Simon is a nationally recognized advocate for civil rights and racial justice in Oakland and the Bay Area. She has been the president of Akonadi Foundation since 2016. That same year—driven by Oscar Grant's death—she was elected to the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors and served as its president. Since 2015, Simon also has served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the California State University, the nation's largest public university system, and state officials often turn to her for strategic advice on policy matters related to racial justice. Simon spearheaded San Francisco's first reentry anti-recidivism youth services division under then-District Attorney Kamala Harris' leadership. Simon received the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Award in 2003, making her the youngest woman to receive the award —in recognition of her work as executive director of the Young Women's Freedom Center. SPEAKERS Amber Coleman-Mortley Host, "Let's K12 Better" Podcast Suzanne Ford Activist; President, Spahr Center Lateefah Simon President, Akonadi Foundation Kimberly Ellis Director, San Francisco Department on the Status of Women—Moderator In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on August 24th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Damian Pelliccione is the co-founder and CEO of Revry. We discuss saying no to his family cheese business, being an early expert in live video for car shows, launching the 1st Queer streamer network from his living room, how a delayed mortgage and the launch of QueerX festival almost bankrupt the company, the power of grassroots marketing during SF Pride, how diversity inclusion starts with ownership, and changing the narrative for the Queer community.Subscribe to our newsletter. We explore the intersection of media, technology, and commerce: sign-up linkLearn more about our market research and executive advisory: RockWater websiteFollow The Come Up on Twitter: @TCUpodEmail us: tcupod@wearerockwater.com---Chris Erwin:Hi, I'm Chris Erwin. Welcome to The Come Up, a podcast that interviews entrepreneurs and leaders. Damian Pelliccione:Cut to November, around Thanksgiving of 2015. I was playing a new Apple TV. You install it on your TV and you search for apps of apps that are of interest to you. I searched lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer. Nothing came up. I was like, ding. The light bulb went off. This is it. We're going to create the first LGBT streaming network. I had Alia, LaShawn, and Chris in my living. I said, "I have this idea. What do you guys think?" They were like, "Yeah, let's do it. We're all in." Chris Erwin:This week's episode features Damian Pelliccione, the co-founder and CEO of Revry. Damian was born in Canada, and since a young age had a passion for the creative arts. So he passed on taking over his family's large cheese and food distribution business, and moved to New York City to study acting and production. But after the tragic events of 9/11, Damian decided to move to LA and became an early mover and shaker in digital video. He did it all, from early web streaming and YouTube production, to producing live streams at car shows, and even running his own digital workshops. Chris Erwin:In 2015, Damian was sitting in his living room with three friends, frustrated by the fact that there wasn't any queer streamer apps on platforms like Apple TV or Amazon Prime, so he decided to change that and soon after launched the first 24/7 queer streamer network, Revry TV. Chris Erwin:Damian and I get into a lot of different things during our chat. Some highlights include how a delayed mortgage and the launch of the QueerX festival almost cost Damian the company, the wild success of grassroots marketing at San Francisco Pride, why Damian was such a standout at one of my executive dinners in LA, and changing the narrative for the queer community. Chris Erwin:All right, I'm pumped that we get to publish this episode during Pride month. Let's get to it. Chris Erwin:Damian, thanks for being on the podcast. Damian Pelliccione:Thanks so much, Chris, for having me. It's exciting to be here. Chris Erwin:Awesome. Let's rewind a bit. Why don't you tell me about where you grew up and what your household was like. Damian Pelliccione:Yeah, so I grew up actually in Canada. I'm from Toronto, a suburb of Toronto actually called Unionville, which is a small town, colonial, turn of the century, Victorian home that I grew up that was built in the later 1800s. It was a wonderful place to grow up because it was extremely multicultural. There was definitely not one of anything in terms of race and culture. Ironically enough, even though my family is extremely Italian, my father was actually born in Italy and immigrated at six years old to escape World War II. He was the youngest of six. Both my nonna and nonno, which is Italian for grandmother and grandfather- Chris Erwin:Oh, I'm Italian as well. Damian Pelliccione:Really? Chris Erwin:My mother was born in Italy, in Trieste, on what used to be the Yugoslavian border. I know nonna and pop pop. That's my grandparents. Damian Pelliccione:Parli Italiano? Chris Erwin:No. My mom spoke Italian growing up, and spoke it with my grandmother, but never taught the children. To this day, we always give my mom crap about that. Damian Pelliccione:[inaudible 00:03:33]. This is where my talking with my hands, that is completely my Italian [crosstalk 00:03:39]. Chris Erwin:It's all coming together now. Damian Pelliccione:All coming together, yeah. My family, my dad, was from [inaudible 00:03:46], which is in the [inaudible 00:03:49] province of Abruzzo. Unfortunately it was ravaged by a massive earthquake in the early 2000s. Since recovered, but we still have family there. I have cousins actually there. My dad... cross section of Damian is my dad was the entrepreneur in the family. Him and my uncle started the family business, which is huge in Canada. We're, I think in the top five biggest Italian cheese distributors to Canada. Chris Erwin:Wow. Damian Pelliccione:They obviously distribute to the United States as well. They built that from scratch, my dad and my uncle, and now all my cousins run the company. I had no interest in selling cheese. Chris Erwin:Was the opportunity was available to you and you were just like, "Ah, pass"? Damian Pelliccione:Of course. In a big Italian family, the opportunity was given to me and my sister. Both of us past. My sister, Kelly, was definitely going into a different sector than sales and cheese distribution. It's ironic, because I'm in distribution, but I'm more on the film and TV side of distribution, not the food side of distribution. Definitely was very inspired by my father, who was a tremendous salesman, and an entrepreneur who ran his own businesses and obviously started the big family business with my uncle. Damian Pelliccione:Then, ironically enough, my mother is also Italian, but she is third generation. Her and her parents were born in Canada. Her grandparents were born in Italy, a different part of Italy, too. Calabria, which is the heel of Italy, just across from Sicily. It's a little bit different in terms of Italian traditions between the two families, but obviously my mom and my dad are wonderful people. My mother was a politician. She was chairman of the Catholic school board. So was my father, actually, before my mother was. She ran the race relations committee in our city where we grew up. You can see, my mother was a politician, and my father, the entrepreneur, and out comes Damian. Chris Erwin:Yeah, I was going to say, I was like, it makes total sense because I think about, you're the ultimate showmen. You have incredible charisma. I remember that from when we first met at one of our executive dinners. Then the entrepreneurial bend, now I know where that comes from. Yeah, totally get it now. Damian Pelliccione:One of the biggest things, you know Toronto. Most of my family lives in Woodbridge, or Vaughan, which is extremely Italian, predominantly Italian. My mother and my father were very much, this is instilled in me and my sister growing up, about being respectful and understanding and learning about all races, religions, and cultures and walks of life. They chose Unionville, which is a part of town where it was very eclectic. I had friends from all over the world, whose families were immigrants from all over the world. I had so many different cultural upbringings. My parents even made me and my sister, even though I was raised Catholic... I'm not very practicing myself. I consider myself Agnostic, but made us go to all the different: Hindu, Jewish, Islam, all the different sects to see what that religion could provide. Chris Erwin:Would you actually go to their places of worship? Damian Pelliccione:Yeah. I went once or twice to multiple places of worship my mother would take me and my sister to because she wanted us to experience everybody. I think that is where, at least for me, it was instilled at a very young age, were authenticity, diversity, and inclusion, before it was even a thing. This is the late 80s, early 90s. I'm 40 years old now. That was always a part of my upbringing. I think it's ironic where you have a mother politician, father, entrepreneur, and very inclusive family in terms of how we were raised and outcomes Damian and Revry. Chris Erwin:Your mother was super ahead of the times giving you exposure to these different religions and different cultures early on. I get that. I see that as a seed for what you're doing for the overall queer community, trying to drive awareness and inclusion and change the message around queer culture. I think that's brilliant. Chris Erwin:I think that you are involved in the dramatic arts and the school for film and TV at an early age as well. Was this something that came out in your teen years, or before then? When did that start to be? Damian Pelliccione:I was a scene stealer before I was even five years old. I think my performance started at family functions where I have some cousins, and we're all born the same year. I would direct and create the family productions. The kids would get together and we would put on some kind of a show, where it was a musical number, a comedy, or whatever. We would perform for the whole family in the living room. I did this growing up, I think until the time I was 10 or 12 years old. We made that a fun family activity. Of course that led me into being an actor, and I started with community theater, just like anyone else does in Unionville or Markham, Ontario, where I'm from. Damian Pelliccione:From there, I auditioned for the Arts York program, which is part of Unionville High School. Unionville High School ironically enough had this arts program that was to take kids from all over the region, so not just by town, but other surrounding townships who specialize in music or dance, or visual arts, or drama. I was accepted to the drama program and had the most amazing inspirational teachers. These folks are still family members of mine. They inspired me in so many ways to stay in the arts and stay in drama. My passion when I was a teenager and into my early 20s was to be an actor. That's what led me to New York City. I got into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and graduated from that program in 2001. Damian Pelliccione:Then 9/11 happened, and I had already booked a gig in Los Angeles. I was going to do this actor showcase for agents and managers and casting directors. I had a really good friend, one of my good friends from high school, is Hayden Christiansen, who is, as you know, Darth Vader. Hayden, like, come to LA, you should come to LA. I came to LA. Did the showcase, stayed on his couch I think for one or two nights and at a hotel and with other friends. Before the end of the week, I had been booked. I had been booked on a short. Got a commercial agent, got a theatrical agent. Chris Erwin:Okay, interjection. Along this journey, was your family supportive, or were they increasingly questioning, like, Damian, we have ae family cheese business, why are you not involved? Everyone else is here, what are you doing? Damian Pelliccione:No, they've been supportive the whole way through of my career. I am very lucky and blessed. They've been supportive of me, as a queer man, and they also have been supportive of Chris and I, my partner. They've been extremely supportive of my career. They knew, I think, what they were getting into at an early age, that this was pathway, was to be in entertainment. They helped my entire journey, both financially... I was very lucky, and I'm blessed that I had that opportunity. And even my immigration to the United States, because remember, I'm not an American citizen. I am now. I only became an American citizen three years ago now. They have been extremely supportive of my career the entire time, and supporting me early on and when I was in college, obviously financially, and then also with my move to Los Angeles. And then from there, I did what every other actor does. I waited tables for probably almost 10 years. Chris Erwin:You're at Hayden Christiansen's, on his couch, and then all of a sudden you start getting booked. You get an agent, so you're like, okay, this is happening for me. My career is taking off, right? Damian Pelliccione:Here's what's funny. After I finished school in New York, which is a two year program at ADA, I made a deal with my parents. I had been accepted to Concordia University in Montreal for philosophy, which ironically enough I had failed in high school. I'm like this is kind of funny that they accepted me for philosophy. I packed up my apartment in New York. This is, again, a month after 9/11. The decision was if I don't book an agent or manager or things don't start to feel like they're going to pick up in Los Angeles, then I'll go to Montreal, and I'll tell the movers to take my stuff to Montreal, or take my stuff to Los Angeles. Damian Pelliccione:I got lucky. They took my stuff to Los Angeles, and that was October of 2001. It was a crazy time to be in Hollywood. It was an exciting time to be 20 years old and moving to LA, and just hitting the ground running. I think one of the biggest things is that I've always had commitment to everything that I do, good or bad. I think that that has been my greatest life lesson. It was an exciting time. It was back when there was still pilot season, and you test for pilots. I tested for a bunch of pilots, and back when the casting process wasn't about your Instagram influence or your Facebook, or your YouTube. It was well before all those times. It was the old school... I think I even still have my black and white, 8 x 10 head shots that they had from that era. It was an exciting time. Damian Pelliccione:Look, when you're 20 years old, and I was also coming out at the time as gay and queer, it was a great place to be for me, both professionally and socially. Chris Erwin:In terms of pursuing your career, where do you start to hone in, which is like okay, of all the different types of acting or genre or projects that I can do, where were you starting to lean into more? Damian Pelliccione:Like I was saying, my early 20s was all about acting. I auditioned for a bunch of things, worked with agencies. My biggest booking to date was the Gilmore Girls. I actually had one pretty big scene with Alexis Bledel, and a character whose name was Lance. It was season five. I still have... well people and friends and family who watch it on Netflix, marathon watch it. They're like, "Oh my God." They'll screenshot it with their phone and send me a text. I still get residual checks from that show, because it's such a legacy project, right? It was wonderful to do that. I had done a bunch of independent. I had done a bunch of commercials. I had a pretty decent resume as an actor, but then the writer's strike happened in 2009, and it changed. Damian Pelliccione:That's when there was a dramatic shift. My roommate at the time, Deanna Nicole Baxter, who is a true inspiration of mine, had started to create a web series. This is 2006. Remember for context, YouTube launched in 2005, 2006. Chris Erwin:Is this like lonelygirl around that time, too? Damian Pelliccione:Before. Chris Erwin:Before, wow. Damian Pelliccione:This is [inaudible 00:13:44] 88, which won the first daytime technical Emmy for best broadband drama. I saw Deanna do it, and I was completely inspired by her commitment for work and the team that she had. I was like, oh, she can do it, I can do it. I'm always inspired by other people. I surrounded myself with amazing like-minded friends who I still have today, who have always been supportive. We've always supported each other's work along the way. This is my chosen family, as we say in the gay community. It's also, we need to inspire each other to push ourselves to do more. Deanna was one of those, and still today, is a big inspiration for how I lead. Seeing her win the first ever Emmy, was, hey, if she can do it, I'm going to do it. I created a web series vehicle for myself, called Homolebrity. Chris Erwin:Wait, hold on. Wait, hold on. Homolebrity? Damian Pelliccione:Homolebrity, yeah. It's not a very PC name for today, but the idea was to play off the reality boom at the time, and queer celebrity and the reality boom. I remember I was pitching it to Logo, which had just launched as well in 2007 in hopes that we'd get our own TV deal. Bright eyes, big hopes. The whole thing was, regardless of it just going to the web, we did it. We did another one. We did a superhero fantasy show called [inaudible 00:15:04]. We just, I kept producing and producing and producing, and eventually I wasn't putting myself in it, because people are like, "Oh, you're a great producer." Chris Erwin:Were you self distributing, or were you distributing through third-parties? Damian Pelliccione:Oh yeah. No, we were self distributing, just like everybody else. You would call it, I guess user generated content, but we were doing it on a bigger scale and a lot more scripted. It was a really exciting time, and I just got really good at producing. Here's where the transition happened, and I transitioned out of being an actor and being a producer. I produced for other people, and more projects. Damian Pelliccione:I started our own little production company. I remember my first office, which is right at 5th and Spring, because I had a loft in downtown. This is now, cut to 2007-2008. I had a couple of friends. One was an editor and a shooter. The other one was a producer as well. We had this office that was 150 square feet, one room, [inaudible 00:15:58], and three desks. We were like, we're going to be a production company. We just started producing stuff. We produced things for broadband TV and we produced things for YouTube. Some of them we got paid for, and some of them we didn't. We produced Illeana Douglas with Easy to Assemble. I think it was her second or third season. It was a lot of folks who were, they saw and recognized our skillset for user generated content and specifically the web. That was our first office. Chris Erwin:You transitioned from an actor to a producer. Then you're having more and more projects. Some you're getting paid for. Where do you think this is headed? In this moment when you're like, I'm on my way to be a film producer. Damian Pelliccione:That was literally what I was thinking. I'm like, I'm on my way to be a film producer, and I love the journey, and I love production. Even just now, I produced something in house for us last week and every time I get to be on set it reminds me about my passion for even just being a producer and how much fun it is. Then afterwards, we did this for awhile and produced a whole bunch of work, a lot of editorial content, broadband TV, when broadband had been around different areas and different cities. Damian Pelliccione:You could bid for different stories or pitch them stories, very much like a newsroom. That was really exciting. We did a bunch of different op ed pieces and exciting pieces. We even, I remember covering the... this is so funny. I was covering Prop 8 in the 2008 elections, the proposition for equality marriage. There was this big rally in downtown Los Angeles, and it was a lot of Yes on 8, and for context, Yes on 8 was you're anti gay marriage. No on 8 was you're pro gay marriage. I was at a Yes on 8 rally, and I thought I was undercover. I was with my friend, Logan, who produced a show called The Yellow Mic. I was interviewing people and asking them questions about why are you voting yes, and tell us your theories, and collecting the other side of the story, which is really interesting. Damian Pelliccione:Then all of a sudden, the police are like, "We're going to put up blockades in the No on 8 people." They stopped the intersection and there was Yes on 8, No on 8 people across the aisle yelling and screaming and holding up their signage and marching. All of a sudden, Sacha Baren Cohen shows up. He did a film where he was the gay character. He shows up. No one knows who he is, and we were the only who had cameras. I'm like, "Oh my God, that's Sacha Baren Cohen." We got him doing it. We were the only ones with cameras. I remember the next morning we sold it to the news and TMZ. That was my foray into being a paparazzi, which was kind of exciting. It ran on, I think KTLA even and TMZ the next day. Chris Erwin:Oh wow. Where does this lead you, Damian? You're being opportunistic. What's the next major step as you're working your way to eventually be the founder of Revry? Damian Pelliccione:The next step was I worked at Dogma Studios, [inaudible 00:18:41] who was my CEO there saw something in me. Started producing a lot of great content, did stuff with Taylor Dane, Taylor [inaudible 00:18:48] who has since passed, and some great comedians. Dogma, of course, happened during the recession in 2009. I only got to be there for a year, and Scott cut our department. But Scott's like, "Hey, we have this great space. Do something with it." The next thing that I created was with Deanna, which was web TV workshop, which was literally, we're like, hey, what do people do in a recession? They go back to learning new skills. We created our own, tried to produce content for the web with an Emmy award winning actress, writer, director, Deanna Nicole Baxter, and Damian Pelliccione, entrepreneur and web producer as well. Chris Erwin:Was it an early master class, like you sold these as tutorial videos? Damian Pelliccione:Not even videos. We did videos a year later, but we were doing it brick and mortar, where on Tuesday nights every week, or Tuesday/Thursday nights, and we had [inaudible 00:19:36] speak and then [inaudible 00:19:38] speak. [inaudible 00:19:38] we had speakers... like lonelygirl from [inaudible 00:19:41]. Everybody, they all come and speak in the class and we would have different topics ranging from production, all the way to the distribution and understanding the technology and YouTube. It was an eight week course. We were packed. We were full. We did that for a year, and then we created an online version, which now you can still on [inaudible 00:19:58], which was shot, I think in 2000, oh my God, '10 or '11. They still use it on their website. Yeah, it was an exciting time, and that took us into technology. Damian Pelliccione:From there, just to bridge the gap to Revry, Deanna and I were approached an Israeli casting startup called Audish, which was a self casting website, because now we're going into the world of not having to do self casting, which is now the norm, and shooting yourself and making sure it's all final. I was head of business development and user experience. Deanna was head of sales and marketing. Chris Erwin:Is this the first time that you're working for somebody else, or a startup? Because before it's like these are your own projects. Damian Pelliccione:Yeah, Dogma was, they were more of a post house, and I worked for them. They were established. They were not a startup, but yes, this was the first time working for a startup. It was Audish. It was super fun. We'd work at the founder's house in West Hollywood in the Hills, and we were this small team. We just loved it. Then from there we got approached by another startup, which was kind of doing something similar, another Israeli casting startup called eTribez which still exists. Then from there, I got approached by Chevy and Cadillac to do auto shows, both domestic and abroad. In the auto shows I was doing, I was product present. They put me on stage on what those rotating stages to talk about the cars. Chris Erwin:How did they find you? How did Chevy and Cadillac say, "We think Damian's going to be a great showman to sell our cars?" How does that come to be? Damian Pelliccione:I had a friend who worked for the agency, and the agency saw some of my work and said, "Hey do you want to do this?" I'm like, "Hell yeah, I get to travel the country." It was good pay. Then through that work, I suggested, "Hey, you know what you should do? Put a camera up connected to your GM website." Then all of a sudden it became this whole big thing about streaming these presentations. I was the first one to suggest this. This is 2013. You got 250,000 people coming through the Chicago Auto Show or the Detroit Auto Show. Put a camera in front of it and show the rest of the world what's happening here. That was huge. Then from there, they sent me to Geneva. They're like, "Oh, can you go do this for Cadillac in Geneva?" I'm like, "Sure, yeah. Why not? I've never been to Switzerland." I did it for a year. It was really exciting. GM is super, super corporate. I'll leave it at that. Damian Pelliccione:Then I found myself back in startup. The startup that I ended up leaving GM and Cadillac for was a German streaming company called Make.TV. I promise, this is the last one before I get to Revry. I'm giving you my entire resume right now. Chris Erwin:No, it's a great story. Damian Pelliccione:Make.TV, which has since been acquired by LTM group, I was head of VD for North America. Then someone got pregnant in Germany and they get a four year option. They gave me Globe. During my time there, I created a partnership with YouTube Space LA in New York. I actually trained creators at Space LA and Space New York on how to use this proved technology. It was a proven vendor of YouTube on how to stream live, and using multi cam and all that great stuff. I really got my feet wet with SaaS, and SaaS tech ed. I knew everybody in the YouTube market, all the influencers, all the execs, all the players, all the Space people in New York and LA, even in Space Dubai and Space Japan. It was really cool. They sent me all over the world. I went to Dubai for [inaudible 00:23:08]. I went to Singapore for broadcast Asia. Of course I was always at IBC in Amsterdam. I always at NAB here in Vegas. I went to all the entertainment tech shows and met everybody, and really understood the technology in a way and where it was going. Damian Pelliccione:I did that with Make.TV up until 2016, so almost three years, two and a half years. Chris Erwin:Were you developing a relationship as, okay, Damian is one of the preeminent digital producers, also with a specialty in live streaming as well? That was the brand you were creating for yourself. Damian Pelliccione:And understanding the technology, first and foremost. Going to all these technical trade shows, you're in front of all the new SaaS tech players, which used to when you went to NAB, a small section of one of the convention room floors. Now it's multiple floors, because it's all software. It's no longer hardware. Software and SaaS obviously in streaming is so huge. We were very OG SaaS tech streaming technology. Definitely carved a space for my knowledge. I just love this stuff. It was combining my love of technology and producing and content and entertainment into distribution and understanding really the ins and outs of how technology effectuates the consumer experience, and how that was my vision of how that would shift. Of course all of the things I thought of back then are all now definitely coming true today, or are already at fruition. Chris Erwin:Hey, listeners. This is Chris Erwin, your host of The Come Up. I have a quick ask for you. If you dig what we're putting down, if you like the show, if you like our guests, it would really mean a lot if you can give us a rating wherever you listen to our show. It helps other people discover our work, and it also really supports what we do here. All right, that's it everybody. Let's get back to the interview. Chris Erwin:Damian, I think next up is that you found Revry with three other co-founders. Tell me about that. Damian Pelliccione:Ironically enough, I was in Germany prepping for IBC in Amsterdam. I only speak a few words in German, and there's nothing to watch. There's not that much English content on TV that was in my hotel room. I watched the Apple broadcast every September, and then even when it was... before I'd even watch it every September when they had the new product launches with Steve Jobs, who's a hero of mine. Damian Pelliccione:I saw the announcement of the Apple TV, and specifically TV OS, the new operating system. I was like, wow, this is going to be huge. This is going to change TV. I see something here. I want to build something. I was inspired to do something. Of course, I didn't know what right away, right? It hadn't dawned on me. Damian Pelliccione:Cut to November, around Thanksgiving of 2015. When Chris, my partner, broke his iPhone, the glass on the iPhone. You used to go to the Apple store and they'd fix it there for you. Apple Care. I was playing a new Apple TV, and Alia, who is now my co-founder and our COO, she had gotten it in October when it came out. She's like, "It's super cool. You should get it. You should get it." Damian Pelliccione:I bought it, and you install it on your TV at home, and you search for apps, just like when you get an iPhone that's blank, of apps that are of interest to you. I searched lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer. Nothing came up. I was like, ding. The light bulb went off. I was like, this is it. We're going to create the first LGBTQ streaming network. I had Alia, LaShawn and Chris in my living. I said, "I have this idea. What do you guys think?" They were like, "Yeah, let's do it. We're all in." Chris Erwin:That just sounds so easy, because many people will say, "Oh yeah, I was recruiting them and they had different jobs, and someone just had a baby. They have financial obligations." But you guys, you're sitting in a room. You tell them the idea, and they're like, "Yeah, let's do it." Damian Pelliccione:I think everyone, besides... I'm just an entrepreneur who's crazy and has all the ideas. One of out of ten works. This is the one that's worked the biggest, in the biggest way. Alia wanted to be in entertainment. She was an attorney, went to law school with Chris. Her background is more small business and startup and employment law. I think she was over working at the firm she was at. Damian Pelliccione:LaShawn, besides being an Army veteran, woman of color like Alia, she is a graduate of the American Film Institute for editorial. She knows all the editorial, and she's our Chief Product Officer, is amazing at what she does in terms of spinning up channels. She was working on a freelance project, editing a film at the time. She was ready for the next big challenge. Damian Pelliccione:Chris, who was I think the most interesting story, he was the attorney for Shark Tank, and even worked on People's Choice awards. That was his biggest legal job. Prior to that he was at Original Productions doing a lot of the reality TV production contractions. When you're on a studio like that, it's not necessarily the most exciting thing. Depending on who your bosses were at the time... that's all I'm going to say about that. They're not necessarily the nicest people to work for. He was ready for a change. He's like, "This wasn't what I thought it was going to be." Damian Pelliccione:It's also difficult when I'm the one that's all over the place doing a whole bunch of different jobs. I'm like, "Let's quit both of our jobs, make no money for five years, and start this startup." Chris will tell you, it's the greatest decision he's ever made his entire life, the same with Alia and LaShawn. What we have built and what we have accomplished in five years consumer basing, this June, when we first started marketing our product at San Francisco Pride in 2016, drove ourselves up to SF, because gay capital of the world. Bigger Pride than Los Angeles, of course. We had a lot of friends up there that were going, so we're like why not? It's going to be a fun weekend. Self printed pink tshirts with a horrible old Revry logo on it. Giant postcard size fliers. I don't know why we thought that was a good idea. We hit the streets handing out the fliers. Chris Erwin:What were you promoting? Damian Pelliccione:Download our app, download our app, download our app. Just download our app and watch some great content. For those who you know, San Francisco, everyone parties in Delores Park on the Saturday before the Sunday of the parade. We were just walking through Delores Park handing out fliers with these hideous pink tshirts, fuchsia tshirts on with the Revry logo, old school Revry logo. People are like, "Oh, what street marketing team do you work for?" I'm like, "No, that's the CBO, that's the CPO, that's the COO. I'm the CEO." They're like, "What?" They're like, "You must really believe in what you do." I'm like, "No, we totally do." We were positing it on the porta potty stalls. We were trying to stick them up to walls and on posts. Damian Pelliccione:By the end of the weekend, we ended up getting booked on Oakland News. Two days later, San Francisco News. Bay Area News. Chris Erwin:What was the reception as you were telling people in the streets in Delores Park about Revry? Did they immediately get it? Were they confused? Damian Pelliccione:They got it, and they downloaded it, and they were watching stuff. They were subscribing. Again, this is the easiest sell, because it's queer capital of the world and San Francisco, tech capital of the world. They totally were in it to win it. I think they were just more astounded by our commitment, and that we're doing it in a very nontraditional, grassroots way. Damian Pelliccione:By the end of that weekend, had a friend of a friend of a friend who introduced us to Mac World. He was queer. He was a writer for Mac World. He's like, "I got to do a story on you." He did the interview that weekend. It didn't come out until about a month later, but once it was published, it was instantaneous downloads that rippled into 10 different languages and 100 different media publications, because Mac World is such a major player that we were the first LGBTQ TV OS app ever created for Apple TV. Damian Pelliccione:Even today, I will say we are bound to be featured again on IOS this next month in June. Everyone at Apple are big fans of Revry, and they keep featuring us, which I'm very happy about. I said it in this interview. If Tim Cook is listening, my ultimate dream is to have lunch with him in Cupertino at the Spaceship. I would fly up there in a heartbeat if he said yes. We'll see. You never know. Dream. Dream big. Chris Erwin:I think that's something I've seen in tracking your business over the last couple years since I first met you at that dinner, was that your resilience, persistence, and passion just always pays off. You've gotten a lot of nose in raising money and pitching partnerships, but then you call me three, six months later, and you're like, "I ended up getting that partnership. Yeah, we just got a check. Yeah, we just closed that round." Feels like the Tim Cook lunch in Cupertino is coming up. I'm excited to get that call from you. Damian Pelliccione:You'll be the first one to know, for sure. Chris Erwin:You mentioned that you launched QueerX in 2016. I want to hear about that, and then there's a pretty crazy moment in 2018 when you were running out of money. You had to do some unique financing structures to figure it out. Tell us about that. Damian Pelliccione:We're crazy. We launched two things at the same time. The former name of it was Out Web Fest. Then we rebranded to QueerX in 2019. We launched our own festival, kind of playing off the LGBT film festival circuit, but more focused on the short form side. Digital content, shorts, music videos, things that are typically not as publicized as feature films in the LGBTQ film festival consumer markets. Damian Pelliccione:We wanted to carve out that space and really highlight these new up and coming emerging voices. The big caveat to this was this is a great way to connect, create, an experiential event, create community, and also find content for Revry. At the end of the day, this is how we even seeded our application at the early stages, because folks were excited not to play in the festival. I would say about 50-60% were also excited to license us their content. It became a tool to curate content for our platform. Damian Pelliccione:Cut to 2018, an investor didn't write a check when we thought they were going to. That was going to be a thing that was going to float the festival. I was two weeks out from the festival, freaking out trying to figure out how to raise $10,000. I ended up getting a creative mortgage. I say that because it was a hard money loan, and not that it has interest... not terrible. I think at the time it was only 6%, but definitely- Chris Erwin:That's pretty good for hard money. Damian Pelliccione:Yeah, definitely on the high end, but because my credit wasn't the greatest, because when you start a business your finances drop a little bit. You're not making as much money. You're taking a pay cut. That was the only available loan to me, but I was able to close it quick enough to be able to float what we needed for the festival. I remember how stressful that was and tears and joy when it did all come through. That's I think the testament to our resilience. That's just one story. There's multiple stories on how... not to get too down in the weeds, but how anytime we were close, and this is any startup has this problem, running out of money or close to the end of your burn or your runway, and you're like, "Oh shit, when is the next check going to come in? Is that investor really going to come through the door and cross the line? Are we going to get the revenue we need?" These are the stressors of your first five years. Damian Pelliccione:Then eventually as time goes on and you sustain, you get... this becomes less and less of an issue. I can count at least two or three moments in time with Revry where I thought we were going to go bankrupt, or we weren't going to be able to pay our payroll, or whatever. There is always some saving grace, whether it was my home and our mortgage, that first time, or an investor that just came out of nowhere that then we would be able to get a check from to be able to sustain the difference in what we weren't making up in our burn for revenue. That's been kind of our mode, that and staying lean and really understanding how to run a business and scale a business with not a lot of money. We are four minorities. We represent veteran, LGBTQ, Latina, African American women, immigrant. I do consider myself non-binary. Chris Erwin:Just to be clear, these are the four co-founders of Revry. I think it's the most diverse founding team that I've ever worked with or been exposed to. Damian Pelliccione:That's our superhero strength. Because we represent so many different cultural, racial, sexual identities, gender identities and backgrounds, I think is a testament to our resilience, our skillset, and our ability to move at a really fast pace. We even got knocked in the beginning from being four co-founders. They're like, "It's never going to work. Someone's going to drop out. Something's not going to happen," whatever. It's like being in a rock band, I always say. It's like if you can get past your first few years, you probably can sustain. Damian Pelliccione:Alia, LaShawn, Chris, and I are very close. We even have founders night out once a month, just social time for the four of us. We support each other in every possible way of our business. I am saying, I proved all the nay sayers wrong that no, you can have four co-founders. You can diversity and inclusion. We believe that diversity and inclusion starts, authentic leadership starts from ownership. That's why we're four equal co-founders. No one owns any more equity than the next person. We leave from that pillar when I'm talking to a tech partner or a vendor, when I'm talking to a content creator, filmmaker, or distribution company. When we're talking to, even advertisers, like Lexus or [inaudible 00:35:53] who we work with, the main pillar and mission with our company is true reflection, authenticity, and diversity, and inclusion within our community. Damian Pelliccione:Because the great thing about being LGBTQ or queer, we like to add queer. We're adopting unapologetically queer, is that you're not one race. You're not one gender. You're not one sexual orientation. You're not one cultural background. You're not one language. Queer exists all over the world. This is a really exciting moment for us, and the rest of the world, and the entertainment business to be embracing what we're doing with Revry in such a big way where we've got some pretty big wins coming down the pipeline which we'll have announcements for in Pride month in June. Chris Erwin:Which leads to the next question of what is next for Revry? Now that you've been doing this, I think you said, for the past five years that you've now been officially consumer facing, right, with the product in the market, tell us how many different apps, how much programming do you have? Let's fast forward three to five years out. Where are you headed? Damian Pelliccione:Yeah, so right now Revry is available in over 280 million households and devices. That is our reach. This is our sweat equity over the last three years, and really understanding the market and the differential between... we call ourselves a trihybrid of fast, free, ad supported streaming TV, AVOD, ad video on demand, and SVOD, subscription video on demand. We started as a subscription video on demand platform when SVOD was not as big of a thing as it was today, and building that subscription audience. That was hard. Now today, it's super competitive and competing Disney+, Hulu, and Amazon, and Apple TV Plus, and all the ones that have way deeper pockets than I do. I think where we saw a major opportunity, which was in 2017, we started with Pluto TV, a fast channel. Revry was the first LGBTQ network on Pluto TV. Then a year later we launched on Xumo TV in 2018. We crushed it and we brought in advertisers like Lexus. They were the first advertiser. They actually unbounded us six months after we launched. Damian Pelliccione:So, launched in 2016. January 2017 I receive an email from our info at Revry.TV email from this agency that represents Lexus and asked if we did advertising. Of course we get that, we're like, "Yes, we do." You figure it out, because you don't want to say no to that opportunity. Luckily we have the Pluto TV channel to be able to figure that out on, which launched the next quarter. It was great, and they've increased their spend year over year and we're a major partner of Lexus, specifically in the LGBTQ space. We're very honored to have worked with them for so long now since 2017, but we saw just based on that one advertiser and that one channel, the opportunity for having free, linear TV. Damian Pelliccione:Today it's the cable killer. It's fast. It's going to overtake the market. I believe that the new cable networks are the smart TV manufacturers. The Samsung, the Vizios, the LGs, the Sonys even now are getting into this space. These are the ones that will lead the charge and why you won't need a subscription pairage package to your teleco broadcaster like Comcast or AT&T, and what Comcast bought Xumo, and why AT&T is mostly likely going to go into facet as well, to catch up to the market. Damian Pelliccione:Cut to day, we're on 35 fast platforms, more than half of which we are the exclusive and/or only LGBTQ provider. We are also on SVOD platforms, like Xfinity. We're about to launch on a few other big ones coming down the pipe this summer. Our distribution footprint is so massive, and it's not just US. We just launched May 12th with Samsung UK. We launched in a territory in March, which I can't talk about, because we're still in beta for that. We're launching with Australia this week. Actually in just a few days we launch TV across Australia. Next month we're launching in another Latin American territory. Then later on in North America, and hopefully Canada. Damian Pelliccione:It's just been this rolling explosion of opportunity with big partners like TV and Samsung and Vizio, and really embracing what we're doing in the content and how we're distributing. I think the next phase, to answer the question of the business, outside of continuing to spin up channels and build more connections for our networks so now we're not just one network, we have multiple networks... we have our North American English feed, our global English feed, our USA English feed, but we also have Revry News, the first ever LGBTQ 24/7 news network. We have OML under our Revry, which stands for Oe More Lesbian, the first ever queer women acts lesbian network, which has exploded. Revry LatinaX, the first LGBTQ Spanish language network. Damian Pelliccione:Then we have a few more announcements coming up later this year for specialty channels of language specific channels, because, again, we exist as people, LGBT people everywhere, and we're massive underserved in the market other than the few things you can watch on Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, or whatever territory that you live in, or on YouTube. There's no global network like Revry for our community until now. Damian Pelliccione:Really, for us, it's taking over all those global markets and tapping into... even outside of just English speaking markets, the community in Brasil, the community in Mexico, the community in India, the community all over Europe, and very soon the community in Africa. That's exciting to me. What's more exciting from a social impact standpoint is we don't have a barrier to entry. Yes, we still have our subscription product. We call it Revry Premium. That's upgrade from our... just like Peacock, right? The idea there is that if you want greater access and no ads, you pay the subscription price. You don't need to register to our site. You can just go on and start watching. Download the app and start watching anywhere on any device. Damian Pelliccione:The social impact site is like no matter your socioeconomic background, or where you are in the world, you can access Revry content. You as a trans person in Saudi Arabia, as a lesbian in Russia, as a gay man in South Africa can watch great, free content that is ad supported to see your story, to see yourself reflected. Damian Pelliccione:We've had letters from all over the world. The letter was after the Mac World article. That was from a gay man in Saudi Arabia who wrote me a message on LinkedIn of all places, from an anonymous profile saying, "I'm a queer man from Saudi Arabia. I read your Mac World article. I didn't know really what gay meant. I'm closeted, and I now see that there are other people out there like me. Thank you for doing what you're doing. I love this film, so and so." That was powerful. That's not the first. I have that framed, by the way. That message is framed and sits next to my desk, a reminder for why I do what I do every morning. When you're creating something way bigger than yourself, it gives you so much more purpose and drive than any other job you could ever have. That, I equate to our success. Damian Pelliccione:The other opportunity that I had where I saw the impact that Revry is having as a platform was when I was in India in June of 2019. I went to Mumbai to speak at the queer film festival, KASHISH. At the opening night ceremony, they had all the guest speakers come in and just say hello and give a little insight into what their talk would be later on in the week. All these queer female filmmakers surrounded me at the after party. We had this one title called The Other Love Story by this great filmmaker, [inaudible 00:42:50] in London, about this lesbian relationship in Bangalore. It was a scripted show. We branded it as a Revry original distributed in 2017 and '18, and it exploded, like these numbers from India, which we never expected. Again, testament to massively underserved market, but big opportunity. No one's tapping that. Damian Pelliccione:These queer women were so excited to meet Revry, a representative from Revry, let alone the CEO. I was like, "Oh my God. I'm so excited to meet you, too. Tell me what your project is. Can I license something?" That's where my mind goes in distribution, licensing and acquisition. This one girl's like, "No, no, no. Damian, I want to show you something." She pulls out her phone and shows me her Tinder. I'm like, "Why are you showing me your Tinder?" She funnels for lesbian, right? All the images in the grid were images were from The Other Love Story, our acquisition original from that territory. Damian Pelliccione:For context, we're celebrating 50 years of Stonewall right now in the United States, but for context, they only have their stonewall moment in 2018 where they decriminalized being LGBTQ. This is a year later that I'm in that territory. For fear of discretion, for their friends, their families, their jobs, or their places that they live or worship, that's how they identify themselves. Queer women specifically, and I started crying. I took this girl to dinner. I woke up Alia, LaShawn, and Chris in the west and was like, "Hey you have to, have to hear this story. This is huge. Everyone was crying." Damian Pelliccione:Even when I tell this story, I still get a little emotional, but it shows the power of the impact that media and a platform like Revry can have for the greater good of our community on a global scale. I've been quoted saying this story and the Saudi Arabia story multiple times in the past, but I will continue to quote it on all the interviews that I do, because that is the impact that we're having. That is the most exciting and biggest reward that I can receive as a founder. Chris Erwin:Beautifully put. Look, before we move on to the rapid fire, Damian, in terms of reward, what are the exit opportunities as you think about Revry? Where does this go? Do you just continually raise funding, or is there an exit that you're targeting in the next two to three years? I know the common answer is heads down building, we have a lot more to do, but what are you really thinking there, you and the three other founders? Damian Pelliccione:Heads down building, we have a lot more to do for sure. A lot more that we want to do and where I'd like to take this company, and where the founders, collectively, Alia, LaShawn, Chris, and I would like to take this company. We always knew from inception that this was not an idea business. We were an acquisition. When you look at the consolidation that's happening right now, MGM being bought by Amazon, Disney buying Discovery, I don't think that my thesis of acquisition is going to have very much longer before we're sucked up into a bigger machine. I wouldn't hate that, to be honest. I don't think any of the founders... I think we're all excited for that opportunity once it presents itself with the right partner. Damian Pelliccione:Right now, what am I doing? We're raising our next round. Series day is next. We'll see where the future takes us, but there's other conversations happening in the background. I think we're a really hot ticket item. We are the market leader, clearly, hands down the market leader for LGBTQ end streaming. We would be a great acquisition for any of the major studios at this point. And for the right price, not just the right pice, the right upside, but more or less being able to be capitalized in a way with the powers of a bigger studio and keep running the business the way we want to, which is to focus now more into the original side of content, and to create our whole slate of content and market and distribute that. I think that is a big value proposition. Damian Pelliccione:When you look at the stuff that we're coming out with this Pride season, I'm very proud of our slate of originals and content and shows and specials that we are about to announce just in a few days. Chris Erwin:Awesome. Last thing before I move on to rapid fire, Damian. I want to give you and the team some kudos. I remember, I threw an executive event nearby when our office was in Culver City. I think this is in the summer 2019. I did not know you, nor Revry before this. I think one of the guests that was commenting was like, "Oh, I want to bring this guy, Damian. He's electrifying. Can I add him to the guest list?" I was like, "Sure. Let's see." I remember, I think there was three or four long tables. You ended up sitting directly across from me. I just remember from the moment that we sat down, you not only lit up the space between us, but the entire table. I had such a good time talking to you. I got so excited by your vision and your gumption and your energy. That kicked off us working together on a few different fronts. Chris Erwin:I remember, and I was like, this is just a show that existed for this couple hours together, or does this persist? As I have continuously gotten to know you and the team better, and going to your office for an offsite and meeting the other members of your team, like you said, I had hesitation. I'm like, four co-founders? How does that work? But you guys have something very special in what you're building in your product, very special between the four co-founders, and your mission is fantastic. I know without a doubt that you guys are going to be coming out in a very, very special place. Keep on doing what you're doing. It's been amazing to track your journey, and it's fun getting to know you. Damian Pelliccione:We love you, Chris. You've always been a big cheerleader since we've met, and we appreciate your support. Chris Erwin:Cool. With that, we're going to move into the rapid fire round. Six questions. The rules are as follows. The answers are to be very brief, at most one to two sentences, but could also be one or two words. Do you understand the rules? Damian Pelliccione:Yes. Chris Erwin:Great. Let's dive in. Proudest life moment? Damian Pelliccione:Mumbai, India. Chris Erwin:What do you want to do less of in 2021? Damian Pelliccione:Work. No, I'm kidding. Chris Erwin:That's totally fair. Damian Pelliccione:What do I want to do less of? I want to eat less. Chris Erwin:You want to eat less, okay. What do you want to do more of? Damian Pelliccione:Exercise. Chris Erwin:What one to two things drive your success? Damian Pelliccione:Passion, innovation, love. Chris Erwin:Final three. What advice do you give media execs going into the end of 2021? Damian Pelliccione:Fail fast, fail big, and learn. Chris Erwin:Any future startup ambitions? Damian Pelliccione:Cannabis. Chris Erwin:Huh. Okay, I have to ask, what are you thinking on the cannabis front? Damian Pelliccione:Don't know yet. I have a passion for it, too. I think there's a frontier and a gold rush. I think there's so many healing qualities to it and so many unlocked potential and scientific research on what this plant can do. I wanted to be a part of that in some way. It hasn't revealed itself exactly, like what sector of cannabis, but I just know that I definitely want to... if I were to start another startup, it would definitely be in the cannabis sector. Chris Erwin:That'll be a good reason to have you on the show a second time, about your new venture. Damian Pelliccione:Yeah, there you go. Chris Erwin:Last one, very easy. How can people get in contact with you? Damian Pelliccione:Easy. You can go to our website, Revry.TV. You can also find me on Instagram, Damian, D-A-M-I-A-N media, M-E-D-I-A, or Revry TV, R-E-V-R-Y T-V. Chris Erwin:Awesome. All right, Damian. Thanks for being on the show. This was a delight. Damian Pelliccione:Thank you so much for having me, Chris. Always a pleasure to talk to you. Chris Erwin:I got to say, I just love spending time with Damian. He is so positive. He is so effusive. He always brings a smile to my face. That interview was a real delight. All right, before wrapping up, we have an exciting announcement. Rock Water has launched our second podcast. It's called the Rock Water Roundup. In under 15 minutes, me and my colleague, Andrew Cohen, breakdown recent media and commerce news. We already have, I think around seven or eight episodes up, and we cover topics like live stream commerce and whatnot's $40 million capital raise, the growth of creator competition series, including the recent Logan Paul and Floyd Mayweather fight, the rapid growth of the resale market, including Etsy's $1.6 billion acquisition of Depop, and so much more. Chris Erwin:You can get it wherever you listen to your podcast: Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, you name it. And you can also go to Rounduppodcast.com. We're getting some really good feedback on the short, what we like to call micro cast format. Would love to have you check it out. All right, that's it everybody. Thanks for listening. Chris Erwin:The Come Up is written and hosted by me, Chris Erwin, and is a production of Rock Water Industries. Please rate and review this show on Apple Podcasts, and remember to subscribe wherever you listen to our show. If you really dig us, feel free to forward The Come Up to a friend. You can sign up for our company newsletter at wearerockwater.com/newsletter. You can follow us on Twitter at TCU Pod. The Come Up is engineered by Daniel Tureck, music is by Devon Bryant. Logo and branding is by Kevin Zazzali. Special thanks to Andrew Cohen and Mike Booth from the RockWater team. 

“We are here for the tough conversations,” says Melorra Green, speaking for herself and her twin, Melonie Green. On this week's Out in the Bay, the sisters talk about their visions for a more inclusive Castro neighborhood, about art, “Black Joy,” San Francisco Pride 2021 and their coming-out experience.

Join us for a special Zoom discussion featuring AAPI women leaders exploring the topic of building coalition and community. About the Speakers Bo Thao-Urabe is a practice-based possibilian who focuses on creating community-centered, asset-based solutions and transforming practices so that there is meaningful change for those most impacted by systemic inequities. Having immigrated to the United States as a refugee child after the Secret War in Laos, Bo's lived experiences have continuously shaped how she creates to ensure communities can fully participate in, contribute to, and shape our democracy. Her extensive leadership experiences include building and leading local, national, and global efforts. Leanna Louie is born in Toisan China, in February 1972, Immigrated to SF USA in 1979 with family at age 7. Grew up and educated in SFUSD public schools, Spring Valley ES, Marine MS, Mission HS. Joined the US Army at 18 upon graduation from high school. Served 5 years active duty enlisted, trained in general medical and pharmacology at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Stationed in Germany 1991-1993 at the 97th General Hospital. Next duty station was Fort Lewis, Washington at the Madigan Army Medical Center Outpatient Pharmacy 1993-1995. Completed an AA in Technology at Pierce College, Washington. Was recommended by Company Commander for Officer School. Attended Pacific Lutheran University, majored in Chinese Studies, minored in History, and trained in ROTC. Upon graduation in 1998, was commissioned 2LT and received further Officer Training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Then was stationed at Seoul, Korea 1999-2000. Returned to U.S. and was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington at the 29th Signal Battalion where I ended my military service in January 2001. Did a short stint at SF City Hall as a Legislative Aide. Then proceeded to work for the City of Sacramento in 2002-2012 in a few different Departments including the Neighborhood Services Department as Resource Coordinator, Solid Waste Department as Administrative Analyst, and Fire Department as Administrative Analyst. Moved to San Francisco and became a business partner at Melody Café Organic Mediterranean Cuisine 2013-2018. Started in Glim Super Alkaline High pH Water Cleaner business in January 2018. Glim is now available in over 25 locations in the greater SF Bay Area, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. Nikki Calma aka Tita Aida, is a familiar name to the Bay Area communities for the past twenty years. She is a tireless and proud transgender community leader in the Asian & Pacific islander LGBTQI community and also in the greater LGBTQI of the Bay Area. Her grassroots activism and community advocacy started in the 90's. Nikki has been recognized by many communities and organizations including the GAPA George Choy Community Award, KQED's Pride Unsung Hero Award, Transgender Law Center Vanguard Award, Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center's Grassroots Award, Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club/Bill Krauss HIV/AIDS Activism Award, SF Pride's Teddy Witherington Pride Award and the most recently, the Cheryl Courtney- Evans Award at the 1st Torch Awards during the 1st National Trans March in Washington, DC. This recognition comes at a perfect time to commemorate her twenty-five years of activism and advocacy. SPEAKERS Tita Aida Director, San Francisco Community Health Center Leanna Louie Founder, United Peace Collective Bo Thao-Urabe Executive Director, Coalition of Asian American Leaders Michelle Meow Producer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show" on KBCW/KPIX and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors—Moderator In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on March 26th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for a special Zoom discussion featuring AAPI women leaders exploring the topic of building coalition and community. About the Speakers Bo Thao-Urabe is a practice-based possibilian who focuses on creating community-centered, asset-based solutions and transforming practices so that there is meaningful change for those most impacted by systemic inequities. Having immigrated to the United States as a refugee child after the Secret War in Laos, Bo’s lived experiences have continuously shaped how she creates to ensure communities can fully participate in, contribute to, and shape our democracy. Her extensive leadership experiences include building and leading local, national, and global efforts. Leanna Louie is born in Toisan China, in February 1972, Immigrated to SF USA in 1979 with family at age 7. Grew up and educated in SFUSD public schools, Spring Valley ES, Marine MS, Mission HS. Joined the US Army at 18 upon graduation from high school. Served 5 years active duty enlisted, trained in general medical and pharmacology at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Stationed in Germany 1991-1993 at the 97th General Hospital. Next duty station was Fort Lewis, Washington at the Madigan Army Medical Center Outpatient Pharmacy 1993-1995. Completed an AA in Technology at Pierce College, Washington. Was recommended by Company Commander for Officer School. Attended Pacific Lutheran University, majored in Chinese Studies, minored in History, and trained in ROTC. Upon graduation in 1998, was commissioned 2LT and received further Officer Training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Then was stationed at Seoul, Korea 1999-2000. Returned to U.S. and was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington at the 29th Signal Battalion where I ended my military service in January 2001. Did a short stint at SF City Hall as a Legislative Aide. Then proceeded to work for the City of Sacramento in 2002-2012 in a few different Departments including the Neighborhood Services Department as Resource Coordinator, Solid Waste Department as Administrative Analyst, and Fire Department as Administrative Analyst. Moved to San Francisco and became a business partner at Melody Café Organic Mediterranean Cuisine 2013-2018. Started in Glim Super Alkaline High pH Water Cleaner business in January 2018. Glim is now available in over 25 locations in the greater SF Bay Area, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. Nikki Calma aka Tita Aida, is a familiar name to the Bay Area communities for the past twenty years. She is a tireless and proud transgender community leader in the Asian & Pacific islander LGBTQI community and also in the greater LGBTQI of the Bay Area. Her grassroots activism and community advocacy started in the 90’s. Nikki has been recognized by many communities and organizations including the GAPA George Choy Community Award, KQED’s Pride Unsung Hero Award, Transgender Law Center Vanguard Award, Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center’s Grassroots Award, Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club/Bill Krauss HIV/AIDS Activism Award, SF Pride’s Teddy Witherington Pride Award and the most recently, the Cheryl Courtney- Evans Award at the 1st Torch Awards during the 1st National Trans March in Washington, DC. This recognition comes at a perfect time to commemorate her twenty-five years of activism and advocacy. SPEAKERS Tita Aida Director, San Francisco Community Health Center Leanna Louie Founder, United Peace Collective Bo Thao-Urabe Executive Director, Coalition of Asian American Leaders Michelle Meow Producer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show" on KBCW/KPIX and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors—Moderator In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on March 26th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SF Pride is looking to hold events this June, the Olympic Flame has started the final leg to Tokyo, some fast facts, and things we loved as a kid but hate as an adult!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode 3, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the celebration and fight for equality in San Francisco, Gay Pride 2020. While this year, a pandemic may take most of us to sharing in a virtual way and others publicly; have no doubt, SF GAY PRIDE 2020 is not canceled, but more alive than ever.We also get personal with Chris and go along with Brandon as he lives his slot machine fantasies while traveling in the COVID-19 era.

Join a panel of passionate former Pride board members who will share their experiences volunteering for the organization as it celebrates its 50 year anniversary this year. Jacquelene Bishop owns and operates her own CPA firm in the East Bay, serving small businesses and their owners. She sat on the Pride board from 2016–2019, serving as the treasurer the first two years and as president the third. Ken Jones joined the Parade in 1980; and served as its first co-chair of outreach, charged with bringing more “traditionally under/non/mis-represented segments of the lesbian and gay communities” into the movement. Early efforts including giving people of color an opportunity to gather and march together as their own contingent and utilizing the Hot Colors Event at the End-up to bring people of color together the night before Pride. He continued with the organization for more than a decade, serving as co-chair and president. Jones presently hosts small groups in an historical walk through the Castro during the 80s and 90s. Michelle Meow is the former president of SF Pride. She is the producer and host of "The Michelle Meow Show," which airs on KBCW TV and KPIX TV, and online on the Progressive Voices Radio Network. The is a member of The Commonwealth Club's Board of Governors, and she produces about 50 programs a year at the Club, featuring LGBTQI thought leaders. Teddy Witherington currently serves as the deputy director at the Impact Fund. The Impact Fund is dedicated to impact litigation for social justice. Prior to that he served CMO at Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. He was the executive director of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (2007–2012), executive director of San Francisco LGBT Pride (1997–2006), and as the festival producer of the London LGBT Pride Festival (1992-1997). ** This Podcast Contains Explicit Language ** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SPEAKERS Jacquelene Bishop CPA; Former President and Treasurer, San Francisco Pride Board Ken Jones Former Co-Chair and President, San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Freedom Day Parade and Celebration Committee; Host, Castro Historical Walks Michelle Meow Former President, SF Pride; Producer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show" on KBCW TV and KPIX TV and Progressive Voices Radio; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors Teddy Witherington Deputy Director, Impact Fund; Former Executive Director San Francisco LGBT Pride; Former Festival Producer, London LGBT Pride Festival Carolyn Wysinger Board President, San Francisco Pride; Host, "The C-Dubb Show" Podcast—Moderator In response to the Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak, this program took place and was recorded live via video conference, for an online audience only, and was live-streamed from The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco on April 14th, 2020. ** This Podcast Contains Explicit Language **

Queer comedy perspectives from the Bay Area and beyond with Juicy Liu and Chad Benjamin Potter Wow!  This explosive episode with special guest, Michelle Meow (radio and TV host of the “Michelle Meow Show”), cuts down her private passion, dismembers it, buries it in the yard, and hopes the police don't come knocking.  (Note: we talk about childhood gun violence.) Plus Juicy News about SF Pride, Best Buy sex scandals, and leading a juicy life. Of course, don't miss the closing argument.

#EFTV starts a little sober as we reflect on Kobe, but then we get into other ish! Season three of 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' has just dropped on Netflix, so we go in on that! PLUS this weeks Audible book is Mark Lawrence's 'One Word Kill' the first part of the 'Impossible Times' trilogy. This week: - Adidas trainer fan is full of shit!!! - Crash the stock market, get a slap on the wrist! - SF Pride vs Google & YouTube - Chin Check REVIEWS & RECOMMENDATIONS - TV: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Season 3 - thoughts AUDIBLE - One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence *(Music) 'Man Down' (feat PJ Morton, Buddy, Constantine) by BJ The Chicago Kid - 2016

Today on Women's Magazine we look at the resistance to the mainstreaming of Pride events in San Francisco and nationally.  We talk to Mary Sue from Gay Shame and artist and activist  Alex I.Unn about the demonstration at SF Pride this year against the presence of police and large corporations and the resistance nationally ,     And Sharon Sobotta talked to the film team of the new documentary Western Sahara: Africa's Last Colony' which they produced in collaboration with the Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley about the women who are resisting the last colony in Africa. The post Police and Corps out of Pride; Women led resistance in Western Sahara appeared first on KPFA.

This week, Kelsey and Thea talk about SF Pride! Go to linktr.ee/itsSTpodcast to listen on your favorite app and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @itsSTpodcast

Sunday June 30, 2019, SF1 Radio was on location at the San Francisco Pride weekend festival at City Hall and Civic Center. FogCityMidge chatted with Richie about her experiences at the festival and gave insights about the attendees.

Mikah has birch beer follow up! Mikah and Joe discuss YouTube's issues with content moderation and Google employees petitioning SF Pride to remove the company from the parade. The show ends with a plurality of

Just in time for SF PRIDE month, but always relevant of course, we talk about SEXUALITY. We dive into the importance of having PRIDE regardless of your preference, identifier, or orientation. We also cover the necessity of the event itself, Tommy's unique identification (or lack thereof), & we accidentally re-discuss Jericho's story of throwing up in a Hershel backpack. LOL Additionally, we talk about how important ALLIES are and why this episode is really for EVERYONE in encouragement toward embracing self-identity & fighting for COMMUNITY. So put on your best PRIDE outfit, get comfy, and listen in on what we feel is our most compelling conversation yet and why this literally is a topic for anyone and everyone in the fight for equality. Follow our socials! Jericho: SpicyJerizo_ Tommy: TomaFeels Twitter: @UIAPodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ur-in-all/message

Since 2014, George F. Ridgely, Jr. has been the executive director of San Francisco Pride. Attracting nearly 1 million attendees and participants annually, San Francisco Pride is one of the largest gatherings of the LGBTQ community and its allies in the world. On June 29 and 30, SF Pride will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots with a 25-block celebration and rally in Civic Center; as well as a massive parade along Market Street, from the Embarcadero to Civic Center, on June 30th. On June 20, we will interview Ridgely and celebrate his years of work as SF Pride's executive director, a position he is leaving this year. Before joining San Francisco Pride, George was the director of operations for another iconic San Francisco event, Bay to Breakers, one of the oldest, largest and most unique footraces in the country. During his 11 years with the 12K race, George served as director of marketing before overseeing operations. For the past 16 years, George has also been involved with the Castro Street Fair; serving as their executive director from 2004–2013, and currently serving as treasurer on its board of directors. Castro Street Fair is a community celebration that was founded by Harvey Milk in 1974 and attracts about 40,000 attendees annually. Born and raised in southern Maryland, George relocated to California in 1988; he has lived and worked in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Join us as Michelle Meow brings her long-running daily radio show to The Commonwealth Club one day each week. Meet fascinating—and often controversial—people discussing important issues of interest to the LGBTQ community, and have your questions ready. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meet a pathbreaker and a powerful persona. Donna Personna is an artist and activist for transgender rights who got her start with the Cockettes. She has served on the boards of Trans March and Transgender Day of Remembrance, and on the committees to name streets after Vicki Marlene and Compton's Cafeteria in San Francisco's Transgender Cultural District. In 2018, she raised San Francisco's first transgender flag at City Hall with Mayor London Breed. Donna was the subject of the Iris Prize-winning 2013 short film My Mother and was featured in the film Beautiful by Night. Donna has been covered in media outlets such as Out, The Advocate, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Daily Beast. The immersive play she co-wrote, The Compton's Cafeteria Riot, recreates San Francisco transgender history and received many accolades, including SF Weekly's Best of 2018. Join us as Michelle Meow brings her long-running daily radio show to The Commonwealth Club one day each week. Meet fascinating—and often controversial—people discussing important issues of interest to the LGBTQ community, and have your questions ready. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SPEAKERS Donna Personna Artist; Transgender Activist Michelle Meow Host, "The Michelle Meow Show" (Radio and KBCW TV); Twitter @msmichellemeow John Zipperer Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable, The Commonwealth Club—Co-Host This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco on June 13th, 2019.

June 24, 2017 / 18:00 / 37°45'36.1"N 122°26'05.4"W / SF Pride 2017 / San Francisco’s yearly ‘Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Celebration’, called SF Pride, is always a big event- nowhere more so than San Francisco’s historic gay community in the Castro District / Here are the sounds from the street, where bars have thrown open their windows against the summer heat and revelers from around the world meet and celebrate / At some point, firefighters responded to a minor emergency; partiers catcall from a 2nd story balcony and the firefighters egg them on, announcing their departure with a ring of the bell and the honk of a horn // All recordings and Photos by Randy Johnson See the PDF: https://issuu.com/bivouacrecording/docs/60_minute_cities-_san_francisco

DJ Hector Fonseca presents HECTIK SESSIONS / VOL. 16 (LIVE at SF Pride Mainstage 2018) Named Best International DJ/Producer of by EDGE – One of the largest lgbt publications in the world – this international DJ superstar and coveted celebrity remixer! He has charted over 15 Official Billboard #1 dance remixes for artists like Sia, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Blondie, Kerli and Beyonce. He has also released various hit remixes and productions on the scene’s top record labels such as Star 69, Nervous NYC, Tommy Boy, and Chumbomundo to name a few. His passion in the studio and DJ booth has earned him fans around the globe in addition to respect amongst his peers as a highly skilled trendsetting DJ/Producer. As a DJ, Hector has headlined some of the most important parties worldwide including MATINEE (Ibiza, Nyc, Miami, Los Angeles and Las Vegas), World Pride, Black Party (NYC), White Party (Palm Springs and Miami), Circuit Festival (Barcelona), G Village (Italy), Beyond (London),The Week (Brazil), Prism Festival (Toronto), Rapido (Amsterdam), Ultra with Kerli (Miami) and Amnesia (Ibiza) to name just a few. Not only an in-demand DJ but also prolific producer, he released 3 top selling compilation albums in "NYC Pride Festival" (Kult Recordings), “New York Anthems” Vol. 2 and 3 (Star 69 Records) to rave reviews. His podcast radio show "The International Sound" is one of the top ten shows on Podomatic worldwide. His weekly radio show in Sao Paulo, Brazil "Sound of New York" on 97FM has an audience of over 2 million people!! He has also given back to the community that has made him a star by doing benefits for the It Gets Better Project, Task Force, Care Resources & Lifeball (Vienna). Not only an in-demand DJ but also the prolific producer, he released 2 top selling compilation albums in "New York Anthems" Vol. 2 and 3 on Star 69 REcords and launched the subsequent World Tour for the CD series titled "NY Anthems Tour". This successful tour made stops in almost every major house music market worldwide! He has also charted over 20 Official Billboard remixes including 15 #1 remixes for artists such as Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Sia, Pet Shop Boys, Cher & Betty Who ! He has also worked with the best in the Circuit, House & EDM scene including Peter Rauhofer, Chocolate Puma, Nervo, Bimbo Jones, Todd Terry, Kerli, Superchumbo, Offer Nissim, Maya Simantov, Suzanne Palmer, Winter Gordon, Tom Stephan, Blondie & many more! With his star burning brighter than ever, Hector Fonseca has proven he is an important force to be reckoned with in the global house music scene !

DJ Hector Fonseca presents HECTIK SESSIONS / VOL. 16 (LIVE at SF Pride Mainstage 2018) Named Best International DJ/Producer of by EDGE – One of the largest lgbt publications in the world – this international DJ superstar and coveted celebrity remixer! He has charted over 15 Official Billboard #1 dance remixes for artists like Sia, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Blondie, Kerli and Beyonce. He has also released various hit remixes and productions on the scene's top record labels such as Star 69, Nervous NYC, Tommy Boy, and Chumbomundo to name a few. His passion in the studio and DJ booth has earned him fans around the globe in addition to respect amongst his peers as a highly skilled trendsetting DJ/Producer. As a DJ, Hector has headlined some of the most important parties worldwide including MATINEE (Ibiza, Nyc, Miami, Los Angeles and Las Vegas), World Pride, Black Party (NYC), White Party (Palm Springs and Miami), Circuit Festival (Barcelona), G Village (Italy), Beyond (London),The Week (Brazil), Prism Festival (Toronto), Rapido (Amsterdam), Ultra with Kerli (Miami) and Amnesia (Ibiza) to name just a few. Not only an in-demand DJ but also prolific producer, he released 3 top selling compilation albums in "NYC Pride Festival" (Kult Recordings), “New York Anthems” Vol. 2 and 3 (Star 69 Records) to rave reviews. His podcast radio show "The International Sound" is one of the top ten shows on Podomatic worldwide. His weekly radio show in Sao Paulo, Brazil "Sound of New York" on 97FM has an audience of over 2 million people!! He has also given back to the community that has made him a star by doing benefits for the It Gets Better Project, Task Force, Care Resources & Lifeball (Vienna). Not only an in-demand DJ but also the prolific producer, he released 2 top selling compilation albums in "New York Anthems" Vol. 2 and 3 on Star 69 REcords and launched the subsequent World Tour for the CD series titled "NY Anthems Tour". This successful tour made stops in almost every major house music market worldwide! He has also charted over 20 Official Billboard remixes including 15 #1 remixes for artists such as Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Sia, Pet Shop Boys, Cher & Betty Who ! He has also worked with the best in the Circuit, House & EDM scene including Peter Rauhofer, Chocolate Puma, Nervo, Bimbo Jones, Todd Terry, Kerli, Superchumbo, Offer Nissim, Maya Simantov, Suzanne Palmer, Winter Gordon, Tom Stephan, Blondie & many more! With his star burning brighter than ever, Hector Fonseca has proven he is an important force to be reckoned with in the global house music scene !

DJ Hector Fonseca presents HECTIK SESSIONS / VOL. 16 (LIVE at SF Pride Mainstage 2018) Named Best International DJ/Producer of by EDGE – One of the largest lgbt publications in the world – this international DJ superstar and coveted celebrity remixer! He has charted over 15 Official Billboard #1 dance remixes for artists like Sia, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Blondie, Kerli and Beyonce. He has also released various hit remixes and productions on the scene’s top record labels such as Star 69, Nervous NYC, Tommy Boy, and Chumbomundo to name a few. His passion in the studio and DJ booth has earned him fans around the globe in addition to respect amongst his peers as a highly skilled trendsetting DJ/Producer. As a DJ, Hector has headlined some of the most important parties worldwide including MATINEE (Ibiza, Nyc, Miami, Los Angeles and Las Vegas), World Pride, Black Party (NYC), White Party (Palm Springs and Miami), Circuit Festival (Barcelona), G Village (Italy), Beyond (London),The Week (Brazil), Prism Festival (Toronto), Rapido (Amsterdam), Ultra with Kerli (Miami) and Amnesia (Ibiza) to name just a few. Not only an in-demand DJ but also prolific producer, he released 3 top selling compilation albums in "NYC Pride Festival" (Kult Recordings), “New York Anthems” Vol. 2 and 3 (Star 69 Records) to rave reviews. His podcast radio show "The International Sound" is one of the top ten shows on Podomatic worldwide. His weekly radio show in Sao Paulo, Brazil "Sound of New York" on 97FM has an audience of over 2 million people!! He has also given back to the community that has made him a star by doing benefits for the It Gets Better Project, Task Force, Care Resources & Lifeball (Vienna). Not only an in-demand DJ but also the prolific producer, he released 2 top selling compilation albums in "New York Anthems" Vol. 2 and 3 on Star 69 REcords and launched the subsequent World Tour for the CD series titled "NY Anthems Tour". This successful tour made stops in almost every major house music market worldwide! He has also charted over 20 Official Billboard remixes including 15 #1 remixes for artists such as Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Sia, Pet Shop Boys, Cher & Betty Who ! He has also worked with the best in the Circuit, House & EDM scene including Peter Rauhofer, Chocolate Puma, Nervo, Bimbo Jones, Todd Terry, Kerli, Superchumbo, Offer Nissim, Maya Simantov, Suzanne Palmer, Winter Gordon, Tom Stephan, Blondie & many more! With his star burning brighter than ever, Hector Fonseca has proven he is an important force to be reckoned with in the global house music scene !

This week, musician Jon Weston joins us to review the classic 1986 film Stand By Me. Plus we discuss beautiful body experiences, fortune scratchers, photographing auras, SF Pride, sleep paralysis, a bed wetting story, and a crazy story about a craigslist rideshare with a woman named Bunny...tune in for all the wild details. Follow us on Instagram: Dominic Mercurio - @dominicmercurio Laura Weinbach - @foxtailsbrigade Jon Weston - @jonweston

Writer, producer and recent Grand Marshall of SF Pride (!) Our Lady J joins Dave and Matt this week for all the Dolly, Whitney and Tori talk, growing up in and leaving Amish Country, being trans in the online dating world, and finding Christianity in a new way. Plus, Nanette love, Handmaid's Tale fears, and Dave + Matt dig into the Drag Race finale.

Jesus & Sammy finally sacked up and did 5 minutes at an open mic. To no one’s surprise they bombed horrifically. They went to San Fransisco Pride earlier in the week so their egos aren’t completely shattered. They then discuss the 10 year anniversary of the iPhone and the impact of the Tech industry on the world at large. Jesus & Sammy talk about all of this while drinking beer that was crafted elegantly to remove gluten. Grab a new t-shirt at: http://desmadre.com/storeSupport us on Patreon at: http://patreon.com/desmadre

Jan has her movie picks to watch to celebrate the LGBTQ community this weekend...

Colossus SF Pride 2016 by DJ Josh Whitaker

This week we throw on caftans to the celebrate the 4th of July in Fire Island & Weho, chase Pokemon, celebrate SF Pride, call up Ghostbusters and send Chewbacca Mom & Caitlyn on the backlash bus.

In this Episode, Erin, Producer Char & Angie recap their weekend, which included Angie & Erin's adventures at SF Pride, Char's weekend with her nephew The Schmotz, Erin's terrible encounter at a popular SF ramen noodle house, and reaction to Jesse Williams' BET speech... they are also joined in studio when a fan drops by to visit! Support the showThanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, 700 episodes or Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 & 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

Grumpy Old Bitches Part Deux!  In this Episode, Erin, Producer Char & Angie recap their weekend, which included Angie & Erin's adventures at SF Pride, Char's weekend with her nephew The Schmotz, Erin's terrible encounter at a popular SF ramen noodle house, and reaction to Jesse Williams' BET speech... they are also joined in studio when a fan drops by to visit!   

All of us can relate to covering up something in our lives. For many of us, that can end up being a huge part of who we really are. We can find ourselves living as outsiders pretending to be something we’re not whether that’s at work, with our friends or in our relationships. These lies can literally destroy our life. “Coming out” isn’t something sequestered to the LGBT community. Coming out means bravely uncovering who you really are and it’s a practice that we can all learn from. In this case, Morgana did it in front of millions of people. In front of co-workers. In front of absolutely everyone she knows. And she did it more than once. When you listen to her story you realize just how much keeping secrets can hurt and just how powerfully becoming outwardly authentic can be. This week is SF Pride. Given the recent impossible-to-comprehend massacre within the Orlando Gay community, just days ago, it’s never been more important to take the time to understand, listen to, and defend everyone— no matter who they decide to love.

Live session during SF Pride 2015 presented by XOXO Entertainment & Matinee Klubberdome

Thank You All Who Came Out and Celebrated Pride with Me. This is for You!

A promo for XOXO Entertainment & Matinee Klubberdome, San Francisco Pride 2015

Such an honor to play SF Pride! I feel so damn luck to live in a city that respects love and being our freaky, fun, whole selves. Big love to love and everyone swimming in it...men, women, children, moneys, goldfish, unicorns, butterflies and their best friends. Here are some prideful, sunny, happy, lovey, celebratory beats from atop Dusty Rhino. I had the pleasure to tagteam the Parade with some great DJ friends. This is a post-party recording of my tracks compiled into a single mix. For all the latest from DJ Dane, visit www.facebook.com/DJDaneMusic, http://soundcloud.com/dj-dane and subscribe to the I Like It Dirty Podcast on iTunes itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/i-lik…ctro/id416508227 1) Finally (feat. Julie McKnight) - Kings of Tomorrow 2) Lazy Eye (Jason Bentley Remix) - Silversun Pickups 3) Lady (Federico Scavo Remix) - Richard Grey 4) I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Barbara Tucker, The Cube Guys 5) Boys Make It Better (Original Mix) - Baymont Bross 6) My Feelings for You (Original Mix) - Avcii & Sebastien Drums

Lisa Dettmer talks with Sarah Schulman about the cooptation of international queer institutions to “pinkwash” Israeli apartheid; Kate Raphael sits down with Mickey Eliason, Ph.Dyk, to discuss the groundbreaking Dyke Diagnostic Manual (Edition III, Revised).  Plus poetry by Tai Rocket & Kai Green, trans men of color, on intersecting identities.  And updates on protests at Frameline and SF Pride. The post Women's Magazine – June 24, 2013 appeared first on KPFA.

API OUtha box! API hip-hop first week of the month features MC JenRO. At the age of 17, JenRO starred in a short documentary called "Rebel Girls" based on one of her raps. The film played in theaters across California. At 19, JenRO was establishing her name by performing at major city events such as East Bay Pride, SF Pride, and "Carnaval". She is currently finishing up her debut solo project titled "The Revelation" which is being put out by La Movida Records and performs both here and in the Philippines. MC Kiwi of Native Guns hosts along with Maya. And, don't forget to catch JenRO live at Pusod Friday 4/8. Plus hot topics, calendar and more. The post APEX Express – April 7, 2005 appeared first on KPFA.