June is Pride Month, which means it’s time to break out those rainbow flags and let their colors wave in loud, proud, celebratory support of Marin County’s LGBTQIA+ citizens.
Whether one is an ally or a member of the LGBTQIA+ community itself, it’s safe to say this month ahead promises a colorful, fully-packed calendar. So, let’s kick off Pride Month by highlighting some exciting events, people and achievements having to do with Marin’s LGBTQIA+ community.
First up is Jonah Newman, a graphic artist (and editor at Scholastic) who recently released his debut illustrated novel, Out of Left Field. Newman’s first published work depicts an accessible yet intimate window into the world of what it’s like to come of age gay in the Bay Area. The story is based on Newman’s own experiences of playing team sports at school, specifically baseball, while simultaneously balancing self-exploration and sexuality.
“One of the interesting things about my experiences leading up to writing [Out of Left Field] came because, even though I was in a very progressive place, I still ran into a lot of homophobia and toxic masculinity on the baseball team,” Newman explained.
Out of Left Field was released in March of this year and has since garnered accolades across a wide audience. Though Newman currently lives in New York, he recently visited the Bay Area this April to see his parents in Mill Valley and to do some book release events.
“We live in these progressive bubbles in New York City and the Bay Area, but there’s still so many people out there in the world of sports who have a very backward way of thinking,” explained Newman. “And every time an athlete behaves like that in the public eye, it makes it harder for people to come out, especially in the highest echelon of professional sports—or even in amateur and recreational levels, because people and children look up to and emulate those behaviors.”
Although Newman’s graphic novel is based on experiences from over a decade ago, the topics touched on in Out of Left Field still apply to the Marin of the here and now. In fact, on his recent visit home, Newman was approached by a Mill Valley mother whose son currently plays sports in the local school systems.
“She told me that [her son] has been experiencing the same kind of bad language and behavior with his teammates, and she wanted to know how to help,” Newman said. “These kids, they are modeling the behavior of athletes, and Major League Baseball seems to be still a very toxically masculine place, so kids will model that regardless of the values their parents teach them…
“It’s really complicated because part of what my book is addressing is overt homophobia, but also the not-so-overt kind that’s hard to blame on any one person or thing or action,” Newman continued. “But the result of that environment is something that can be not very welcoming and even off-putting to the LGBTQ+ community—I wish I had a silver bullet to solve the issue, but I think awareness and empathy are probably the best tools.”
Developing awareness and empathy starts with seemingly small efforts that add up to make a big difference…reading Out of Left Field for instance, or perhaps by attending a Pride event or two in Marin this June.
One such place to go for Pride Month events in Marin is Sausalito, located only a bridge away from the famously pro-gay rights cultural epicenter that is San Francisco. This year marks the second annual citywide celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in Sausalito.
“Last year, our friend Janelle Kellman, a Sausalito City Council member and former mayor, asked us to help envision a Pride celebration in Sausalito,” explained the chair of the Sausalito Economic Development Advisory Committee and Sausalito Pride co-founder, Scott Thornburg. Thornburg and his husband moved from San Francisco to Sausalito in 2018 in search of more open space and access to the great outdoors.
“[Sausalito Pride] started small: Let’s put up a flag at City Hall for the month of June,” said Thornburg. “However, it quickly ballooned into a city-wide event series with book signings, block parties, live music, a first-of-its-kind art exhibit and more. There was so much community excitement, we were able to get traction quickly.”
While plenty of events and acknowledgments for Marin’s less cis-gendered, straight members of the community are set to take place all across the county in June, Sausalito is certainly demonstrating an especially strong sense of pride, one that will hopefully only grow with time and the efforts of those who work hard to continue to push toward progress.
“We learned a lot from last year’s inaugural event and, with more time, we believe this year’s programming will be even better,” said Thornburg. “We’re trying to focus on quality over quantity this year. Also new for 2024, we officially have our 501(c)3 nonprofit status, so we can directly raise funds to help us achieve our mission of bringing the community together and raising awareness of the LGBTQ+ community of Marin.”
“Sausalito has a remarkable legacy of diversity and acceptance,” continued Thornburg. “Known as “the gayest small town in America,” Sausalito has been a safe haven and a vibrant community for the LGBTQ+ population for decades. From historic gay bars like The Tin Angel and The Sausalito Inn to beloved community figures like Peggy Tolk-Watkins and Rosie Casals, Sausalito’s LGBTQ+ history is rich and varied.”
An example Thornburg gave to help illustrate the city’s LGBTQ+ history had to do with the military presence in San Francisco, which apparently led gay service men and women to party across the bridge in Sausalito, where one was less likely to run into a supervising officer (at least by accident).
This year’s Sausalito Pride celebratory event calendar includes a town night out from 5 to 9pm on Caledonia Street at Johnson on June 20. Next up is the Friday with Pride: Sausalito Pride Reception at the Sausalito Center for the Arts from 4 to 6:30pm on June 21.
Also on June 21, from 6:30 to 8pm, is the Pride Night: Jazz and Blues by the Bay, which will take place in Gabrielson Park. And lastly, Sausalito Pride is proud to present A Night in Drag from 7 to 10pm at Gene Hiller Menswear (this is a ticketed event, so make sure to hop online and buy those tickets early).
To learn more about Sausalito Pride or to purchase tickets to an event, visit the website at sausalitopride.org.
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Developing awareness and empathy starts with seemingly small efforts that add up to make a big difference.
