A committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously recommended an expansion of the size of the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District on Feb. 2. www.ebar.com/story/162772

The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund is gearing up for the 2026 midterm elections, with a focus on state and local races. www.ebar.com/story/162768

HIV advocates are sounding the alarm about a proposal to cut $17 million from funds allocated to community-based organizations that contract with the San Francisco Department of Public Health. www.ebar.com/story/162814

In the wake of their 2024 loss, Democrats were busy trying to point fingers – and many looked to blame transgender people and many other minority groups, Gwen Smith writes in Transmissions 🏳️‍⚧️. www.ebar.com/story/162826...

The Castro Art Walk will take place Friday, Feb. 6, from 5 to 8 p.m. throughout San Francisco’s LGBTQ neighborhood. www.ebar.com/story/162827

The decision by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) to jump into California’s 2026 gubernatorial race rather than seek reelection to his East Bay House seat has set off a series of electoral dominoes in Alameda County. www.ebar.com/story/162828

Several LGBTQ non-incumbent candidates for state legislative or congressional seats are heading into the California Democratic Party’s 2026 convention with the support of their local party members to be endorsed by the state party.

An oversight body has rejected landmarking two San Francisco Roman Catholic parishes, one of which launched an AIDS hospice in the city’s Castro district during the height of the epidemic in the 1980s. www.ebar.com/story/162846

Fans of Bay FC, the professional women’s soccer team that plays at PayPal Park in San Jose, will be familiar with Amanda Ehrhardt.

Another Planet Entertainment is taking work on the Castro Theatre down to the wire as the venue reopens Feb. 6 at the conclusion of a $41 million renovation. www.ebar.com/story/162844

BREAKING: Just days before the Castro Theatre reopens, the two businesses that wanted to stay in their storefronts flanking the movie house will be moving “within a few months,” Rafael Mandelman, the neighborhood’s supervisor, told the Bay Area Reporter. www.ebar.com/story/162815

🎧 Now live: The Map of Us podcast. Seven episodes featuring LGBTQ+ publishers on news deserts, funding pressure and why local queer media still matters. Listen on all podcast platforms.

A general strike and protest are planned for Friday after violent incidents this month in Minneapolis, where two American citizens were killed by federal agents. www.ebar.com/story/162646/

Now is the time for Mayor Daniel Lurie and the Board of Supervisors to include OTI funding in the budget at a level that allows the office to fully do its job, our editorial board writes.

AjaiNicole Duncan and Sophia Andary wrote this week's guest opinion, about the Commission Streamlining Task Force.

Beginning in the 1930s Louise Lawrence began clipping out news articles about transsexuals, cross dressing, and other aspects about the lives of gender-nonconforming people for a scrapbook she was creating.

Ronald Chase, a gay man who was an artist and educator, died Dec. 20 at his home in San Francisco.

As the San Francisco Board of Supervisors takes up initiating the process to landmark another batch of historic buildings in the city, there is growing pushback about seeing several of the selected properties receive such recognition. www.ebar.com/story/162565

A number of longtime favorite businesses in the Castro are saying goodbye.

In December, gay state Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) received an early Christmas gift when Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) named him as chair of the powerful Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee.

Whether an appropriations package will become law is an open question, as Democrats who had been supportive are now saying they can’t in good conscience vote to fund DHS after a second American citizen was shot and killed by federal agents. www.ebar.com/story/162534

LGBTQ issues were not discussed at a forum among several Democratic candidates running to be California’s next governor. www.ebar.com/story/162564

Roger Doughty, a gay man and the longtime president of Horizons Foundation, will retire later this year, the nonprofit has announced. www.ebar.com/story/162408

The Bay Area Reporter was already looking into other reports that 2024 changes to the office’s structure – when it moved from under the auspices of the City Administrator’s Office to the Human Rights Commission – had compromised its integrity. www.ebar.com/story/162429

When Jacob Ming-Trent takes the stage at Berkeley Rep later this month in the world premiere of his solo show, “How Shakespeare Saved My Life,” audiences will discover a queen’s English that’s equal parts Elizabethan and Latifahn.

It was a quarter century ago but it remains one of the most notorious and horrific criminal cases in Bay Area history.

Photographer Nicholas Blair has captured images of the LGBTQ community on two coasts since the early 1980s. More than 100 of his photographs from this period are reproduced in the book “Castro to Christopher: Gay Streets of America 1979–1980.” www.ebar.com/story/162251

A transsexual activist disagrees that "transgendered" is offensive.

Two out county supervisors in the greater Bay Area region are taking on leadership roles this year for their respective boards. www.ebar.com/story/162318

The obituary for Michael Thomas, a former longtime Castro resident who married his husband during San Francisco's "Winter of Love."

The obituary for Richard A. Williams, who taught pottery in San Francisco and loved acting. www.ebar.com/story/162321

A decade ago, it appeared that the right-wing had found its anti-trans talking point – transgender access to restrooms.

National Rainbow College Fund has announced that students across California can now apply for its 2026 scholarship program. www.ebar.com/story/162325

The obituary for Elizabeth "Liz" Clarke, who helped dancers at the Lusty Lady unionize and was a faux drag queen named "Humidity."

The San Mateo County Pride Center will be looking for a new physical location in the coming months.

Nearly a year ago Republican President Donald Trump launched his campaign to block trans youth from the care that allows them to live as their authentic selves.

Dr. Ken Gorczyca, a gay man and Bay Area veterinary death doula and artist, painted this portrait of Renee Good’s dog, who was in the backseat of the vehicle with her when she was fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.

As the deadline for candidates to file for the June 2 primary races fast approaches, several contests with LGBTQ contenders continue to see changes in their lineups.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s State of the City address Jan. 15 was long on initiatives but short on the queer community, as it did not explicitly mention LGBTQs.

The fatal shooting of a Minnesota mom and American citizen by a federal immigration enforcement agent is sending shockwaves through the nation as the year begins. The victim, identified as Renee Nicole Good, was reportedly married to a woman.

Exactly one year into the Daniel Lurie administration, San Francisco’s mayor is going to be tested in ways he wasn’t in 2025. Read the third and final part of our three-part series: www.ebar.com/story/161907

Sam Smith’s residency at the Castro Theatre next month won’t be the first event at the reopened historic movie palace after all.

While Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) has won widespread acclaim for championing LGBTQ rights during her nearly four-decade tenure in the U.S. House, her record is blemished by her stance on a federal jobs protection bill for LGBTQ workers. www.ebar.com/story/161941

Mayor Daniel Lurie bet big on San Francisco's party scene and private capital to sell the City by the Bay's comeback. (Part 2 of 3)

Jennifer Valles, who began her tenure as executive director of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center Jan. 1, penned a welcome message.

Improvements to transgender, nonbinary, and queer Californians’ health care privacy and access are coming this year, due to a number of bills taking effect as of Jan. 1.

Newly-appointed District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong is calling out some supporters of Sunset Dunes who claimed he had not meaningfully engaged with them before supporting a potential ballot measure that would revisit the future of the Great Highway.

Mayor Daniel Lurie on Monday appointed Ruth Ferguson to the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees. www.ebar.com/story/161850

One year in, Daniel Lurie’s administration is leaving its mark on San Francisco, and seeking to address long-standing concerns over public safety and regulation. (Part 1 of 3) www.ebar.com/story/161418/

Here is a selection of notable literary gems that were published later in the year that are definitely worth checking out. Read your way into 2026 with some amazing books.