Deciphering the Code: 'San Francisco Values' & the Media

A Threat Level: Lavender Event Deciphering the Code: 'San Francisco Values' & the Media Prominent LGBT Activists speak out Saturday, February 2

               100 Larkin Street at Grove Street, San Francisco [MAP]

When:      Saturday, February 2, 2008

                     2:00pm

Brought to you by:

Moderated by Andy Marra of GLAAD & Featuring Writer/Blogger Samiya Bashir with other analysts

“San Francisco Values” – it was a phrase utilized by pundits to attack House Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) prior to her ascension to Speaker of the House and before that as a means of attacking immigrant-supportive communities.

But what does this phrase mean and which values is it meant to reference? Is it a circuitous allusion to San Francisco’s queer-positive attitude and history of embracing diversity? And to what end has this phrase been used within major media outlets? This Threat Level: Lavender event will explore the symbolic representations of San Francisco within mainstream and alternative media and seek to tease out the subtle nuances that underlie it.

The panel, moderated by trans media activist Andy Marra of GLAAD, will feature nationally renowned LGBT media critics and writers like Samiya Bashir who will be discussing the complex relationship of LGBT communities to the media and the way in which the concept of San Francisco has been abstracted to serve anti-LGBT political interests.  The panel will also feature a unique audio-visual production developed by the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee who itself has been used to symbolize “San Francisco values.”

With the upcoming 2008 presidential elections and the unprecedented visibility that LGBT issues now have within national political campaigns, this Threat Level: Lavender panel will prove to be both timely and critically important to LGBT people, straight allies, community organizers, and concerned citizens who can use this crucial information to make a difference within their own communities.

About the 'Threat Level: Lavender' Event Series
Threat Level Lavender is a quarterly series that seeks to discuss politically important topics that are of concern to queer communities, especially those issues that may not generally be at the forefront of the national LGBT movement. Threat Level: Lavender is the result of a collaborative effort between the SFLGBTPCC and the James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center of the San Francisco Public Library.

For more information