Pride and Prejudice

Week 80: San Francisco, CA

'All men are created equal.' No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words.
--Harvey Milk

San Francisco is, as you know, a gay mecca. This is largely due to the efforts of gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk, who, confronted with prejudice and discrimination in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, claimed the area for gay residents and businesses and brought gay rights issues to the forefront of public awareness, in the midst of a virulent anti-gay movement spearheaded by conservative harpy Anita Bryant (if you haven't seen the remarkable, Oscar winning film "Milk," I encourage you to see it). That was 40 years ago this year, as were the Stonewall Riots in New York, an event which some acknowledge as the catalyst for the gay rights movement. In the summer of 1969, on the day of Judy Garland's premature death, after continued discrimination, police raids and brutality, patrons of the Stonewall Tavern in Greenwich Village finally fought back, in an all out street fight with the police. This year being the 40th anniversary of these transformative events, as well as the year that the anti-gay Proposition 8 was passed and upheld, denying gays and lesbians the right to marry in California, San Francisco Pride was potent and powerful, and how lucky for us that we got to be a part of it.

I have not gotten terribly political on this blog, nor particularly detailed about my personal life. But I have always been openly gay, despite the possibility of discrimination and limitation within my chosen profession. It seems wrong to sublimate something so essential to one's being and I feel it is important for each and every one of us to be our authentic selves. I also have strong feelings about the same sex marriage issue, because I was in a long term partnership of 16 years with a man I loved deeply and with whom I shared many of the joys and struggles that straight couples live through.
Gay marriages, whether they be sanctioned or acknowledged by the public or the government, already exist. Prop 8, in my opinion, is wrong primarily because it is an example of the majority using the law to discriminate against a minority population of American citizens and that is simply un-American and wrong. San Francisco's Gay Pride celebration's theme this year was "To Form a More Perfect Union," and the glorious parade on Sunday, June 28th, represented this in so many ways. Sure, there were the usual over-the-top drag queens and leather men, but there were also contingents representing gay couples who married before Prop 8 passed, gay families with children, straight people who support gay marriage, parents proudly marching with their gay kids, and a host of ethnic and cultural groups representing everything from Native American to Pacific Islander cultures. The diversity, the spirits of inclusion and optimism were utterly inspiring. The bottom line is that all of us deserve the right to be who we are without fear or oppression, and to share a commitment to whoever we choose to love. All of the events of the weekend were fantastic, from the Pink Saturday street dance in the Castro, with hundreds of thousands cramming the streets in celebration, to the parade and the rally and street fair at the San Francisco Civic Center. And it was all graced with glorious summer weather. It was so great to be a part of it all, and to feel that if we have made such strides in 40 years, anything is possible; and one day gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people in America will have equal rights and privileges under the law.




You will be happy to know that my search for authentic Jewish soul food in San Francisco was rewarded this week! Hallelujah! And hats off to Miller's East Coast Deli, on Polk Street in Russian Hill. This lively and popular emporium of authentic Jewish deli is as different from the over priced and depressing David's Delicatessen as could be. The staff is friendly, the atmosphere lively, and the food is the real deal. The corned beef is shipped in from New York and is all you could wish it to be; the vorspeis, or appetizers, from the chopped liver to the whitefish salad, taste like the ladies of the synagogue sisterhood made them themselves. I had a meat knish that was perfection: flaky pastry and savory meat filling; and the desserts were right on the money--apricot ruglelach that melts in the mouth, and noodle kugel (a sweet noodle pudding) with raisins and almonds was so authentic that it brought a tear to my eye, it reminded me so much of Grandma's. And what of the all important pickle?
Yes, friends, at Miller's they don't skimp on authenticity--your sandwich is accompanied by a half-sour, garlicky kosher pickle spear that gives that perfect last bite to the meal. Hell, they even have pickled green tomatoes, something I thought you could only find in a New York deli. If you are in San Francisco and get a hankering for a taste of real Jewish soul food, look no further than Miller's!

Those of you who have taken the time to write to me to tell me how much you enjoyed "Spamalot," or to post a comment about something on this blog, will know that I am extremely grateful for your feedback and make every effort to contact each of you personally. In fact, one of the greatest pleasures of writing this blog has been the personal connections I have made with fans, some of whom have become friends. That's why I was so stunned and disappointed to receive the following comment posted to the blog from "Anonymous." I reproduce it below, along with my response. I hope this clarifies any confusion about how to contact me and about any issues folks might have if they don't see their comments published alongside the blog posts.

"Anonymous" writes:

Your comment feature doesn't even work, so you might as well remove it.
Also, it's surprising and disappointing that you don't respond to your e-mails with even a simple acknowledgment of..."thanks for being a fan." I realize you're busy, but too busy even for that common courtesy? Why offer an e-mail icon on your blog, if all you do is ignore your e-mails---might as well remove that feature too. By offering comments and e-mail enhancements on your blog, it appears you enjoy interacting with your fans and welcome their feedback. My experience, after several attempts, is you don't, so it would be better not to even offer those add-ons, and simply write your blog...that way, people don't expect anything more, and don't get their nose bent out of shape when you completely ignore them.

So to answer this irate comment as best I can: My comment feature does work, but it is set to allow me to monitor comments and publish those I wish to publish and discard those I don't wish to publish. It is a feature of Blogger. Secondly, comments posted to the blog are not the same as emails. I can't respond to you when you post a message as a comment. There is a "Contact" page on my site which gives my email address if you wish to send me a message for me to respond to. There is an "Email" option on the Profile page of my blog, and I believe it forwards emails to my email address: james@jamesbeaman.com. It's possible that the Blogger site is not forwarding email via that profile link and I have made inquiries to customer service about it. If people do send me email to my email address which is james@jamesbeaman.com, I ALWAYS RESPOND. You can ask any of my fans and friends who write me--it is a point of honor with me. It may take me a while to respond but I always do and am most grateful when people take the time to drop a line. Lastly, why do you write to me as "Anonymous?" My true fans and friends are on a first name basis with me. My blog and who I am are about positivity and good energy. Please don't write me angry and belligerent messages anonymously. Why would I bother with such stuff? I apologize if any of my readers feel I don't respond to them in the way in which they would wish. I do my best. Sometimes I get lax in deleting old email messages and your message may bounce back. But believe me, I read every email and every comment personally and enjoy very much hearing from you all.

This is our last week in San Francisco and I have to say, at the risk of sounding cliche, I will leave a part of my heart here. I really love this place, for all its beauty, kookiness, schizophrenic weather, amazing sights, and diverse communities. It goes on the list of places I could happily live if I ever chose to leave New York. I feel so lucky to have had seven weeks to really get to know it.
As I prepare for my very first, and lengthy, visit to Los Angeles, one last duty remains: to introduce you to my San Francisco dresser, Lorraine. Lorraine trained as a costume designer and has spent her life doing costume work. She is also a new mom, having had a child late in life, and she is loving the experience of being a parent. Lorraine and I have enjoyed getting to know each other, and I owe my discovery of Miller's Deli to her and her expatriate New Yorker husband. Thanks for everything, Lorraine! Enjoy your July 4th holidays, folks, and I will have tales of our opening in Hollywoodland next week.