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Reverend Adrian Ravarour shares memories of his work with LGBTQ+ youth in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood beginning in the mid-1960s. He describes growing up in the Mormon Church and experiencing discrimination as a gay high school student. He recalls moving to San Francisco in the 1960s and becoming involved with the San Francisco Ballet and Intersection Center for the Arts. He also describes his founding role in the creation of Vanguard, a gay rights youth organization, some of the group’s protest actions, and his interactions with other individuals and organizations involved in gay rights in San Francisco.

In her interview, Tamara Ching describes her experiences living alongside and advocating for members of the LGBT community in San Francisco. She begins by describing her upbringing in San Francisco and the abuse, neglect, and racism she encountered during her early school years. She recounts some of her experiences in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood beginning in the mid-1960s, including discussions of prostitution, drag balls, and the transgender bar scene, drug use, and her role as a “Mommy” in the Asian transgender community. She also discusses the time she spent in New Orleans in the 1970s and the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco. Ching speaks about her activism in different movements: Asian, gay, transgender, and HIV prevention. She goes into detail about pioneering a transgender health program with immigrant transgender sex workers. Other aspects of her activism include ensuring transgender people were included in a San Francisco anti-discrimination ordinance and conducting education and counseling around HIV/AIDS. Her worked earned her the title, “Queen of Polk Street” and numerous awards, including KQED’s Unsung Hero of the Year in 1999.