For Immediate Release
March 22, 2007

Contact: Don Romesburg, 415.850.8580

Queer Neighborhoods of the Future
Finale Roundtable in Popular Series
“Queer in the City: GLBT Neighborhoods and Urban Planning”
Co-Sponsored by GLBT Historical Society and Castro Coalition  

SAN FRANCISCO —On Tuesday, March 27, from 6 to 8 p.m., the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco will host “Queer Neighborhoods of the Future.” The round­table will explore what shapes the places in which we gather, organize, live, and love in a future where the existence of the traditional “gay ghetto” is uncertain.  This capstone event in a series sparking nationwide debate about the life and death of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender neighborhoods is cosponsored by the Castro Coalition.

A national GLBT community builder, a leader in the art of architectural design, and a transnational urban demographer will discuss the political, cultural and economic phenomena that have transformed queer neighborhoods of the past and present, projecting new possibilities for the future.  They will also explore how lived queer urban space takes on new meaning in a time of global capital, virtual networking, and widening socioeconomic gaps.  The panel will feature several noted thinkers and advocates:

• Joy Silver, President/CEO of RainbowVision Properties, the first GLBT retirement community in Santa Fe , New Mexico , and former facilitator of the housing survey for Senior Action Gay Environment in New York .  Ms. Silver is also a board member at the GLBT Historical Society.
  
  
• Henry Urbach, Curator of Architecture and Design for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
  
  
• Tito Vandermayen, Geographic Information Systems Manager at Nextbus, Inc., and founding member of the Castro Coalition.

This is the final panel in a groundbreaking series, “Queer in the City: GLBT Neigh­borhoods and Urban Planning,” which has run since November 2006 at the GLBT Historical Society. Previous standing-room-only panels in the series have included “Are Gay Neighborhoods Worth Saving?”, “What Do Queer Neighborhoods Do for Cities?”, and “What Makes a Neighborhood Queer.” 

The series takes place amidst an upsurge of dialogue about the potentially imperiled future of the Castro as a GLBT neighborhood and as a global destination. Major rede­velop­ment plans may profoundly alter the Castro’s demography and cultural landscape in ways that could benefit the GLBT community—or potentially threaten it. Series co­spon­sor the Castro Coalition has formed to ensure that GLBT neighborhood issues are given a priority in com­munity planning efforts in the Castro neighborhood.

WHAT: “Queer Neighborhoods of the Future” roundtable discussion. Free and open to the public; refreshments provided.

WHEN:  Tuesday, March 27, 2007; 6-8 p.m.

WHERE: GLBT Historical Society, 657 Mission Street, Suite 300 (btwn. New Montgomery/Third), San Francisco . One block from the Montgomery BART/MUNI station. Inexpensive city parking nearby on Third (btwn. Folsom/Howard).

The mission of the GLBT Historical Society is to increase public understanding, appreciation, and affirmation of the history and culture of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and other sexual minority individuals and communities. For more information, call 415.777.5455 or visit www.glbthistory.org.