SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The Castro LGBTQ Cultural District (CQCD) announced it will hold its inaugural town hall on Saturday, March 20, 2021 at 2:00-3:30PM PT. The virtual town hall is open to all and can be accessed on the CQCD’s Twitch channel (https://www.twitch.tv/castrolgbtq) and the CQCD Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CastroLGBTQ).

The virtual town hall will be hosted by the CQCD’s District Manager, Mx. Tina Valentin Aguirre (they/them/theirs), with Advisory Board Co-Chairs, Elizabeth Lanyon (she/her/hers) and Carnell Freeman (he/him/his). This event will be an opportunity to meet the entire CQCD Advisory Board, whose members include Steven Bracco, César Cadabes, Ms. Billie Cooper, Corey Fusco, Mahsa Hakimi, Levi Maxwell, Sacred Mitchell, Tahirah “T-Fresh” Rasheed, Jesse Oliver Sanford, A. Sparks, Stephen Torres, and Christopher Vasquez. The CQCD will also preview their work for the next year.

“I’m excited that our advisory board members provide very important lived experience and skills to our community building and organizing efforts. Our work in the Castro includes creating a long-term road map for the Senate, the Mayor, the Board of Supervisors, and our communities. We are focused on revitalization, land use, cultural preservation, and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility for LGBTQ people in the Castro. We need your support — please join us. Following months will include focus groups on specific areas of our work to begin this community wide strategic planning process for the Castro.”

District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and Julia Sabory from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development will present background information on why the cultural district was created and how the CQCD is supported by the City of San Francisco. Senator Scott Wiener will share how his office is committed to this work on the state level. A question-and-answer portion for the public to engage with the CQCD will also be included as part of Saturday’s town hall.

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The Castro LGBTQ Cultural District’s (CQCD) mission is to preserve, sustain, and promote the rich cultural legacy of the Castro and its significance to San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community and beyond. Our goals are to highlight the structures and sites important to our history; foster racial, ethnic, gender, and cultural diversity among residents and businesses; and create a safe, beautiful, and inclusive space for LGBTQ+ and allied communities, to visit from around the world and call the Castro home. https://castrolgbtq.org/