SF Gay Pride 2008

Gay Pride week is upon us.

The International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival is underway. Last night, I went to a great low-budget film about Egyptian gays and the persecution they continue to face in Egypt. It received a standing ovation from a sold-out crowd. None of the film's participants thought that it would be so well received.

My friend, Bassam, acted in the film as the interrogator. Our apartment building was where one of the scenes was filmed, which was interesting. It was filmed in and around San Francisco, although the setting is Cairo. They couldn't have shot the film there without being arrested. Some footage of Cairo was shot to interweave into the film.

Underscoring the plight of Middle-Eastern gays, it came out today that Saudi Arabia's religious police arrested scores of men for allegedly being homosexual. Some were released, but 21 remain in custody.

What struck me most about the film was the similarities between Islamic fundamentalists and Christian fundamentalists. It's very sobering to realize that there isn't much difference between extremists of either religion. It could happen here as well as there.

Tonight I'm going to see a couple of American Indian gay films.

Saturday morning will see the installation of the Pink Triangle on Twin Peaks. This year, it will be so large that it will be able to be seen twenty miles away. The Pink Triangle is not only a gay symbol, it was the gay equivalent of the Star of David that the Nazis required the Jews to wear during WWII.

Gay men were sent to the concentration camps by the Nazis and had to wear an upside down pink triangle to show that they were homosexuals. It's a reminder to us of the extreme hatred and violence that has and continues to be levied against the LGBT community around the world. There is a memorial garden at 17th ST, Castro Street and Market Street for those gay men who died in the Nazi concentration camps.

Saturday and Sunday are also the dates for the Pride festival. Sunday morning, the first and largest Gay Pride parade will take place at 10:30 a.m. along Market Street, which is bedecked with gay pride flags from start to finish of the long, main thoroughfare.