THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS: 25 YEARS OF SEX, SWEAT, TEARS AND RESILIENCE” — Frank Strona (with Race Bannon)

Join us for this one-time opportunity to hear activist, advocate, educator and public-health official Frank Strona review, in words and pictures, a life lived in two lanes — as an unabashed sexual radical and a high-profile player in the civic and national health policy arena. With special guest host and moderator, Frank’s longtime friend Race Bannon. * * * * * FRANK STRONA’s career has fused a passionate commitment to gay men’s sexual freedom with a passionate commitment to gay men’s health. In his twenties, in Boston, he threw his energies into both the outspoken Gay Community News and the AIDS Action Committee’s “Safe Company,” an aggressive sex-positive outreach to places nice people didn’t talk about. He landed in San Francisco as managing editor for Brush Creek Media, working on the original Bear magazine under Richard Bulger, and went on to shape the launch of Powerplay before joining the historic Desmodus Inc. publishing house, where he worked alongside the great minds and hearts at Drummer and the Desmodus family of titles. Keenly aware of the power and value of a sex-positive voice in the jumble of health initiatives targeting gay men, Frank took a volunteer position with the then-named AIDS Health Project, first as a counselor and then as one of its cadre of trainers for the state of California. In 2000, as his friends and loved ones continued to get sick and die, Frank decided to leave adult erotica and his “orgasm coach” role as a sex-and-pleasure personality to work full-time as an education and content consultant for gay and bisexual men’s health. He was employed as Men’s Coordinator for Marin AIDS Project and as Preventative Health Manager at Walden House. He traveled and lectured with the crew of Mr S Leather and of Le Château Erotique. He served terms on San Francisco’s HIV Prevention Council as well as California’s State HIV Planning Group. 2003 presented perhaps his greatest personal challenges when Frank went back to school for his master’s degree in public health while also accepting an assignment from the Centers for Disease Control on San Francisco’s STD Prevention & Control leadership team. He has since gone on to complete his coursework for a doctorate and is currently surveying men’s pleasure and sex themes (www.GayMenSpeak.com) for his dissertation, while maintaining an active portfolio of social and volunteer efforts, including roles on the boards of St James Infirmary, the Lazy Bear Fund, and the Center for Sex and Culture, among others. Since 2010, Frank has served as the Unit Chief at San Francisco City Clinic and held part-time teaching roles with both San Jose State University and National University. More recently, his skills and experience were recruited by The Alternative Sexualities Health Research Alliance (TASHRA), where he is working alongside Richard Sprott, Charles Moser, Race Bannon and other luminaries of our Bay Area scene to explore how better to meet the healthcare needs of those outside the sexual mainstream. Learn more about Frank, his private practice and workshops, on his website. ------- Facebook events are harder and harder to use. Sign up for no-spam email program announcements at http://sfldg.org/mail ------- UPCOMING EVENTS June 25, 2014 - San Francisco Leathermen's Discussion Group Presents SUSAN WRIGHT - An evening with the writer, advocate, media gadfly, and founder of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom. Mr. S Leather Playspace, 385A Eighth Street, 7:30-9:30pm (Doors open at 7.) https://www.facebook.com/events/1492223327657995/ June 28, 2014 - San Francisco Leathermen's Discussion Group Pink Saturday Beer Bust & Fundraiser, 3-6pm SF Eagle https://www.facebook.com/events/394298654044400/ July 23, 2014 - San Francisco Leathermen's Discussion Group Presents LEATHERSEX AND SPIRITUALITY – a panel discussion. Mr. S Leather Playspace, 385A Eighth Street, 7:30-9:30pm (Doors open at 7.) https://www.facebook.com/events/1491924784372172/ August 8, 2014 - San Francisco Leathermen's Discussion Group Fetish Fair 2014 Weekend: Meet & Greet hosted by the Bay Area boys of Leather. 9pm SF Powerhouse, https://www.facebook.com/events/725528314175861/ August 9, 2014 - San Francisco Leathermen's Discussion Group Fetish Fair 2014 Weekend: Whips in the Park, hosted by SFLDG & Daddy Robert. 11am (location tbd) https://www.facebook.com/events/1491442084405093/ - San Francisco Leathermen's Discussion Group Fetish Fair 2014 Weekend: Fetish Fair! 7pm-9pm SF Citadel https://www.facebook.com/events/1408318599450187/ - San Francisco Leathermen's Discussion Group Fetish Fair 2014 Weekend: SFLDG Men’s Play Party with The Men of Gearup Weekend, 9:15pm-1am SF Citadel https://www.facebook.com/events/649674275114447/ August 10, 2014 - San Francisco Leathermen's Discussion Group Fetish Fair 2014 Weekend: Casual food truck lunch, 9:15pm-1am SOMA StrEATfood Park 428 11th Street, https://www.facebook.com/events/1411690625777623/