Reunion

Saturday, October 14, 2023

Marines' Memorial Club & Hotel

609 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

About Reunion

Hosted by Honey Mahogany and Sister Roma, Reunion was an evening of celebrating our vast queer past, honoring the history makers who move our communities forward, and raising funds to keep LGBTQ history alive! We raised more than $170,000 in total, which will provide vital support for our museum and archives!

Guests and honorees Reunion on October 14, 2023. Photos by Colin Hussey. Additional photos are available here.

Traditionally held in October to coincide with LGBTQ history month, Reunion is the GLBT Historical Society's annual Gala. The 2023 event included a reception, awards presentations, a silent auction, and the opportunity to connect with a wide range of LGBTQ history supporters.

Hosts

Ticket Options

General Admission | $190

General Admission tickets allow for entry into the reception and awards ceremony from 6 - 9 PM.

VIP Admission | $300

This ticket provides you access to the VIP Reception from 5-6 PM and the General Reception (including the awards ceremony) from 6-9 PM. VIP ticket holders will also receive special recognition from the stage during Reunion, as well as a complimentary 1 year GLBT Historical Society membership (a $120 value).

2023 History Makers Award Recipients

Heklina (posthumous)

Heklina photographed by Jose A Guzman Colon

Heklina was born Steven Thor Grygelko on June 17, 1967 in Hennepin, Minneapolis. After high school he did a stint in the Navy in San Diego, then spent time in his mother’s hometown of Reykjavik, Iceland. In 1991, at 24, he moved to San Francisco. He first worked at Tower Video in the Castro, then the historic Stud bar. In 1996, she founded T-Shack, a Tuesday midnight refuge of art, punk and drag. It became an international success with iterations from Reno to New York to London, and eventually evolving into Mother in 2015 when she opened the nightclub/cabaret space Oasis with partner D’Arcy Drollinger.

Heklina was voted Community Grand Marshal of the 2004 San Francisco Pride Parade, and was the subject of two documentaries in the 2005 Frameline Film Festival. In 2009 she won the Pride Creativity Award from the California State Senate for outstanding artistic contribution to the LGBT Community.

Heklina dominated countless stages: Sick & Twisted Players, parodies from Three’s Company to Sex and the City to Trog, Midnight Mass, and many Peaches Christ Productions (including the iconic Mommie Queerest). She was a premier hostess around San Francisco and continued to build community with Daytime Realness, her monthly outdoor party at El Rio. Judging everything from cat shows with Sister Roma to drag pageants, and of course creating and starring in the San Francisco holiday tradition that is The Golden Girls Live.

In 2019 Heklina bought her dream home in the beautiful Cathedral City Cove, bringing her art to a new community while still performing regularly in SF. Heklina passed away on April 3, 2023 while on tour in London.

Queer Ancestors Project

The Queer Ancestors Project is devoted to forging sturdy relationships between LGBTQI people and our ancestors. Using history as a linchpin, they build community by providing Queer and Trans artists, age 18 to 26, free interdisciplinary workshops in printmaking, writing, and Queer/Trans history. Public exhibitions and readings of their work provide a window on the past through which the larger community can glimpse our collective future.

Selected prints from the Queer Ancestors Project are seen here. For more information about the project, visit www.queerancestorsproject.org.

Nina Simone print by Amman Desai, from the Queer Ancestors Project

James Baldwin print by Joan Chen, from the Queer Ancestors Project

Mary’s First and Last Chance print by Jess Jiang, from the Queer Ancestors Project

Bayard Rustin print by Alan Guttirez, from the Queer Ancestors Project

Harry Hay print by Justin Justime, from the Queer Ancestors Project

Host Committee

Megan Amundson

Lei Asato

Phoebe Cakes

Lauren Hockenson

Gerard Koskovich

Esperanza Macias

Kylie Minono

Sister Roma

Olga Talamante

Gala Sponsors

DIAMOND SPONSOR

Wells Fargo, N.A.

PLATINUM SPONSORS

Bob Ross Foundation | Karen Merzenich & Ross Fubini

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

BRONZE SPONSORS

Additional support provided by the Ron Conway Family.

Made possible by a grant from Horizons Foundation.

Silent Auction Donors

GOLD ($5,000+ FAIR MARKET VALUE)

LuxFit SF | MillerKnoll

SILVER ($3,000+ FAIR MARKET VALUE)

Sterling Art Services | Underglass Custom Framing

BRONZE ($1,000+ FAIR MARKET VALUE)

ADDITIONAL DONORS

We’re excited to announce we’ll be adding a selfie booth from DigiBooths! They’re a DigiGroup Entertainment Company and your go to for event services!