Opening November 20 | GLBT Historical Society Museum
Photos of Robert Quon.
ABOUT This Exhibition
750 + Miles in Heels: Making the world a better place one pedal stroke at a time
While the broader 7-day annual AIDS Lifecycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles tests physical endurance across elevations and exhaustive 545 miles, on Day 5 of the journey, thousands of cyclists and Lifecycle volunteers shed their standard bike riding outfits to slip into vibrant red dresses. 750+ Miles in Heels focuses on one man’s ride, in particular: Robert Quon, the man you may recognize in knee high platform boots and custom tailored sequined couture!
A San Francisco physician, Quon’s yearly participation in the Red Dress Day injected radical joy, camp, humor, and theatricality into these miles. Pedaling through city and rural highways in glittering bright red evening wear, he turned a solemn commemoration into a public celebration of survival, defiance, and community.
As Robert famously quips: " FROM BIRKENSTOCKS TO HEELS… WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU BELIEVED THERE WERE NO LIMITS?" Donning 5+ inch platform heeled boots, outfitted with custom bike clips, Robert Quon rode over 750+ miles in an effort to bring joy and attention to the ongoing fight against HIV/AIDS, raising over one hundred thousand dollars to date.
This exhibition highlights the collective team spirit that the day balances with deep emotional resonance with camaraderie, proving that humor and visibility are powerful weapons against stigma and the current political environment that sows division within our community with a negligent anti-AIDS agenda, attempting to eliminate broader support and prevention efforts.
Photo By: Jasmine Singh Rosado
About Aleo Landeta
Aleo Landeta (they/them) is a trans and Latine visual artist and educator based in Oakland whose practice spans drawing, painting, installation, and public programming. Their work centers queer joy as liberation, drawing from lived experience and the communities that have held space for them to live authentically. They have been exhibited at MACLA, Bedford Gallery, Berkeley Art Center, and Jonathan Carver Moore, among others, with work held in the permanent collection of the Bakersfield Museum of Art. Recent support includes the SoEx Alternative Exposure Grant (2025), the King Artist Residency (2024), and the Homebody Fellowship at Ma's House & BIPOC Art Studio (2022). Learn More.
About the GLBT Historical Society
Founded in 1985, the GLBT Historical Society is a global leader in LGBTQ+ public history. The Society collects, preserves, exhibits, and makes accessible to the public materials and knowledge to support and promote understanding of LGBTQ+ history, culture, and arts in all their diversity. In 2011, the Society established and continues operating the first museum of LGBTQ+ history and culture in the United States. Through the Dr. John P. DeCecco Archives, the organization maintains one of the world’s largest archival collections of LGBTQ+ historical materials.
EXHIBITION SPONSORS
This exhibition is made possible with generous support from the following sponsors:
