LGBT performance art thrives on multiple levels in San Francisco. Trannyshack leads the recurring clubs that are escorting drag into the 21st century. Kirk Read and Larry-bob Roberts head monthly open mic Smack Dab. Local choreographers Laura Arrington and Jesse Hewit push boundaries in their... More >>

Charlie Anders, blond of bob and mini of skirt, is the hostess with the mostest at her literary hootenanny, Writers with Drinks. (She's also the news editor of io9, Gawker's sci-fi/fantasy blog.) Aside from Anders' charming ways, the lineup of readers is always delightful. Novelists, poets,... More >>

In the name of Miriam Bengoetxea, Basque bike engineer (of Orbea Orca fame), we command you to attend WTF: the Women, Transgenderqueer, and Femme bike-fix night! Bengoetxea is one of the only women in the world designing carbon-fiber bicycle frames, partly because she's had the support of the... More >>

Large American cities during the industrial age had amateur baseball leagues made up of blue-collar workers who created their own little societies unseen by the general populace. Men formed their teams — representing factories, power plants, and other facilities — developed rivalries,... More >>

Weekends are for amateurs — the really good stuff happens during the week. Well, that might be a little hyperbolic, but it's certainly true in the case of High Fantasy. Going on for over two years now, the weekly Tuesday night party at Aunt Charlie's is your midweek destination for a dose... More >>

At this point in time, Hard French might as well be a local institution. Now into its third season, the Motown-heavy queer day party presents itself as a viable alternative to the usual Saturday hangover damage control. Head down to the El Rio and you'll be able to catch six hours of "hard... More >>

Buried deep down in the very core of our hearts is the passion to perform. We secretly want to dress in 1960s get-up, strap on a ukulele, and do Tiny Tim covers. No? Maybe that's just us. However, we can all agree on the burning desire to perform and create art. The hard part (besides mustering... More >>

The unGoogleable inheritor of the Trannyshack art-drag scepter is known as Some Thing; each Friday brings a new theme via semi-pun. It could be simple, such as Some Thing Good, or it could be A Li’l Sumptin’ Some Thing, which is funny but what are you going to wear? The first show... More >>

By the time you read this, the election will be over: You'll know whether Proposition 8 was defeated or not. Since we're writing this from the other side of the past, we're going to pretend that IT WAS DEFEATED! Yay! This leaves you with only one major problem: You have too many gay weddings to... More >>

We always think about drag performers when we hear Gillian Welch's song “Barroom Girls.” Especially the part that goes, “She tosses and turns because the sun is unkind.” Because holy shit, when you're not sure if your tuck is tight enough, or whether your beard's growing... More >>

No other sexually ambiguous club night wears its Kierkegaardian handle quite as well as Gay/Not Gay. Guests walking into El Rio on a Monday evening immediately succumb to a meltdown of libidinal uncertainty and psychological ambiguity. Fortunately, DJs Mrs. Robinson and Jenny Hoyston spin a... More >>

"It's no secret anymore! I've always been a little black girl trapped in the body of a big white bear — and now I'm letting her out!" says local disco DJ Bus Station John. Perhaps best known for his seamy, disco-driven Tubesteak Connection bathhouse revival parties, the past year has seen... More >>

As far as we can tell, San Francisco's first drag bar was a happy accident — unofficial history holds that Joe Finocchio established his eventually world-famous "female impersonator" spot in 1936 after hearing a customer in his father's bar imitate Sophie Tucker, known for her risque... More >>

With so much focus on larger venues, it can be easy to lose sight of the local scene. Dark Room is a monthly descent into all things dark, freaky, and high concept. Located at an under-the-radar bar called Hot Spot, the party "blends vintage and new dark electro, punk, industrial, gothic, and... More >>