In this issue:
- BoA, Solange Knowles, and The Cliks - More Main Stage Headliners
- In the Lap of Luxury! Grandstand Seating Tickets On Sale
- Announcing the 2009 Community Grand Marshals
- Get a Room with Joie de Vivre Hotels
- ACTION: Day of Decision on Prop 8
- Macy’s is Extremely Proud to be Part of the San Francisco Pride Celebration & Parade!
- Calling all Movement Vets! Stonewall/GLF 40th Anniversary Contingent
- A Five Star Experience Blocks from SF Pride Celebration and Parade
- Beverages & Donations: Two Ways to Support our Beneficiaries
- Volunteer for SF Pride 2009!!
- Wicked, "Perfectly Entertaining, Perfectly Thrilling!" -SF Chronicle
- Norcal Waste Systems, Inc. Proudly Supports SF Pride
- There's Still Time to Join in the Parade!
- Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Healthiness
- To Form a More Perfect Union #6: State by State LGBT Rights & Issues
- The Hotel Whitcomb is Just a Few Steps Away from Pride Festivities

The SF Pride Main Stage has been host to a number of up-and-coming and cutting edge acts...

Last year, we brought you Lady Gaga, Meshell Ndegeocello, Kat DeLuna, Margaret Cho, the leaders at the forefront of the fight for marriage equality, and many more.

This year, we are pleased to announce some of our 2009 Main Stage headliners: BoA, Solange Knowles, and The Cliks.

BoA
SF Pride is thrilled to announce that BoA, Asia's #1-charting pop star... Read more about BoA.

Solange Knowles
Solange Knowles, who has written for and worked with the ladies of Destiny's Child for years, has this to say about her music: "I would like to think that it is as if The Supremes, The Marvelettes, Dusty Springfield and Minnie Riperton..." Read more about Solange.

The Cliks
Toronto trio the Cliks have dredged the emotional mire of the past two years to create Dirty King, a rich rock extravaganza showcasing a sonic expansion... Read more about The Cliks.

 In the Lap of Luxury! Grandstand Seating Tickets On Sale

Grandstand seating tickets can be purchased online through Brown Paper Tickets:

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/66354

Online ticket sales end June 18, 2009 at 3:00 p.m.

Please NOTE: Brown Paper Tickets will mail out your grandstand tickets.  You may receive an incorrect notice that your tickets will be available at Will Call.  The Will Call message is in error and your tickets will still be mailed to you.

In-Person Ticket Sales: for information about in-person tickets sales, click here.
Regular tickets can also be purchased in person prior to the event at Femina Potens Art Gallery located at 2199 Market Street at Sanchez in San Francisco [MAP]. The gallery is open from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Ticket sales at Femina Potens will end on June 27, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.

 Announcing the 2009 Community Grand Marshals

	Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal Bill Beasley (Photo Credit: Chris Boyd)

We are proud to announce the 2009 Community Grand Marshals for the San Francisco Pride Celebration and Parade.

San Francisco Pride’s Grand Marshals represent a mix of individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the LGBT community.

This year, our Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal is William Beasley. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will be the Organizational Community Grand Marshal. Our Individual Community Grand Marshals are Joe Hawkins, Molly McKay & Davina Kotulski (as a couple), Shannon Minter, Andrea Shorter, and Helen Zia.

For more information about our distinguished Grand Marshals, please visit the Grand Marshal section of sfpride.org.
 

WE BELIEVE IN
ACCEPTANCE, EQUALITY AND
MIMOSAS BEFORE NOON.

Joie de Vivre created its first hotel in San Francisco, and our company is still based there today. The progressive attitudes and initiatives of our home city and state, not to mention their sizable LGBT community, are key components of our company and how we welcome our guests.

Diversity, acceptance and equality are values Joie de Vivre lives, breathes and works by. Joie de Vivre realizes that all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travelers are not the same. Joie de Vivre has a hotel for every LGBT traveler or group, whether they’re chasing Pride parties, meeting space or organic small plates.

SPECIAL PROMOTIONS FOR OUR LGBT FRIENDS
At Joie de Vivre, we’re about fresh experiences with our guests in mind. Here are a few current promotions tailored for gay and lesbian travelers.

Pride in California - The Golden State is one of the most diverse, gay-friendly regions in the world. As a highlight, we’re offering 10% off our best available rates from May through September 2009.

Milk is Good - Celebrate the history of the gay and lesbian community in San Francisco, as depicted in the critically acclaimed and locally-shot movie Milk, with this special year round package.

 ACTION: Day of Decision on Prop 8

Macy’s is extremely proud to be part of the San Francisco Pride Celebration and Parade!

To celebrate, we’re hosting a cooking demonstration in The Cellar in Macy's Union Square celebrating some of San Francisco’s greatest culinary talent:  Adam Jones of Market Street Grill, Yigit Pura of Taste Catering, Jennifer Biesty and Tim Nugent of Scala’s Bistro, and Janine Falvo of Carneros Bistro and Wine Bar, plus Stephanie Rosenbaum, author of The Astrology Cookbook: A Cosmic Guide to Feasts of Love.  Taste dishes perfect for Brunch-themed parties before the parade. Saturday, June 27th, 12:00 p.m.
 

 Calling all Movement Vets! Stonewall/GLF 40th Anniversary Contingent

	A 'No on 6' button from the fight against the Briggs Initiative, which sought to ban suspected homosexuals from teaching in California.

Our history matters. 

This year, as we commemorate the passing of forty years of LGBT activism in the wake of Stonewall and the emergence of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF), the 2009 San Francisco Pride Parade will feature a contingent of Stonewall and GLF vets whose contributions to the movement have been many.

The Stonewall/GLF 40 contingent will lead the parade off after Dykes on Bikes. The organizers are looking for any Stonewall and GLF vets to join in this historic 40th anniversary commemoration. 

Additionally, any veterans or former participants in the Daughters of Bilitis, the Mattachine Society, the Society of Individual Rights, the Tavern Guild, the early bike clubs likes the California Motorcycle Club, and the Compton's Cafeteria Riots are also welcome to be a part of this historic reunion contingent.  The first planning meeting takes place this week.

For more information contact the committee co-chairs, Peter Fiske, Tommi Avicolli-Mecca, and Mark Barnes at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sf_stonewall_glf_40/.

 A Five Star Experience Blocks from SF Pride Celebration and Parade

Described by The New York Times as “Equal parts wit, surrealism and glamour – a luxury hotel with an edge”, CLIFT, a Morgans Original, provides a festive backdrop for the SF Pride Celebration and Parade.  A Five Star experience blocks from SF Pride Festival Central, cable car lines providing non-stop service to the Castro and high-end flagship retailers.  Pride Packages beginning at $155.00 per night. Most including two complimentary signature cocktails nightly, superior accommodations, champagne brunch for two, two complimentary Grand Stand tickets for Sunday’s parade and two tickets to the VIP Party. Supporter of the fight towards a more perfect union as a donor to Equity CA in 2008. Reservations: call 800.652.5438 or book online at www.clifthotel.com. Promotional Code is PKPRD.
 

 Beverages & Donations: Two Ways to Support our Beneficiaries

	Your beverage purchases and gate donation support  over 70 non-profit organizations. (Photo Credit: Juan Carlos Pometta Betancourt)

Donate the minimum request of $5 at the entrance gates of the SF Pride Celebration to earn yourself a dollar discount off beverage purchases for that day of the event.

Not only is your donation going to help the more than 35 local non-profit organizations staffing the gates, but a portion of your beverage purchase also helps support another 30-plus non-profits working the beverage booths.

Your support is vital not only in helping to keep San Francisco Pride free and open to people of all economic backgrounds, but your donation also helps strengthen community organizations working on issues related to the LGBT community, breast cancer, and HIV/AIDS.

 Volunteer for SF Pride 2009!!

  Wicked, "Perfectly Entertaining, Perfectly Thrilling!" -SF Chronicle

WICKED’s open-ended engagement is now playing at the Orpheum Theatre. This is a significant homecoming for WICKED, which premiered in San Francisco before casting its spell on Broadway. 

For more information about WICKED at the Orpheum Theatre, please visit http://www.shnsf.com. 

 Norcal Waste Systems, Inc. Proudly Supports SF Pride

 There's Still Time to Join in the Parade!

Kaiser Permanente is proud to mark 15 continuous years of participation in the 39th Annual San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration and Parade. To keep up the tradition that grew spontaneously over the years, Kaiser Permanente members are encouraged to wave their member ID cards as the contingent makes its way down the parade route. Live well, live proud, and thrive.

In honor of our 2009 event theme, "In Order to Form a More Perfect Union...," SF Pride is keeping tabs on the state of LGBT rights and community issues in each of the states and territories in the Union.  Below are the second set in the series.  Tell us what issues are affecting the LGBT community in your state.

Maine - Marriage equality arrives!