My handsome neighbor Marcus recognized me with a cheery "hi" even with my mask on. I wasn't inside very long but when I left, at least ten people were waiting to get in, spaced six feet apart. I knew it was noon because the church bells were ringing. Marc Heustis has been posting the numbers every day on Facebook. I think the San Francisco death toll from COVID is still under 30.
Joe Mac posted on Facebook today: "I hope they open the bars pretty soon because I need to cut down on my drinking!" I laughed, but my liver hurts.
Pride is canceled this year, the 50th anniversary, plus the Folsom Street Fair, Dore Alley Fair, and Burning Man. Mayor Breed announced that the shelter-in-place will be extended at least through May. God, I miss that guy! He said he was nearby this afternoon and wanted to have a visit from the sidewalk, but he got so frustrated shopping at Mollie Stone's on 18th Street, he went straight home afterward. I just got off the phone with my dear buddy Nile. I think I would have told the checker, "You do the math!" The other day they asked an old guy ahead of me and he said, "I'm 94 years old." The checker still needed his birth date. I remember a few weeks ago, the first time I checked in at SF General when they asked, "Have you traveled outside of the country lately? Have you been around anyone who has? Any fever lately? Have you had a cough?" We weren't even wearing masks yet, but I soon realized people asked the same questions each time, apologetically, sometimes adding, "We have to ask, you know, because of the new virus." I politely answered, "No, no, no, no." It seemed as silly as checkers at Safeway asking my date of birth every time I bought wine.
That got me to start thinking about "life and death" again in a way I hadn't thought about that phrase in a long time, maybe since my friends stopped dying from AIDS every week. I've been laughing about something I saw on Facebook about Betty White staying safe and healthy in her 90s during this pandemic. Sometimes it feels like the whole world is more connected now than ever, just because all of us have been separated by this killer virus. I try not to be one of those people who post too often on Facebook, but I love people who make me laugh. That daily hour-long video connection with friends is a very good thing in my life right now! We share a lot of laughs and some love. It's become a nightly ritual after our virtual happy hour. I just smoked a bowl of primo buds out on the back deck. I mean me, not her, although she might be stoned too. See endnotes for info on his May 15 reading at Fabulosa Bookstore.)
He shared a few witty diary entries which are included in his latest book. This article was amended on 19 March 2021 to correct the pronoun used by artist Jan Bazaldua.(Editor's note While we holed up indoors in 2020 ¬-which now seems like much more than two years ago- prolific local gay author Mark Abramson took notes. And in 2015, Iceman, one of the original X-Men created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby back in 1963, came out as gay. In 2012 Northstar finally married his longtime partner in Marvel’s first same-sex wedding, a decade after DC superheroes Apollo and Midnighter married in a 2002 issue of The Authority. Hulkling and Wiccan of the Young Avengers were revealed to be dating in 2010. The publisher’s first gay character, Northstar of the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight, was planned as such by creator John Byrne in 1979, but his sexuality was not revealed on the page until 1992.īut in recent years, Marvel has moved to diversify its cast of superheroes. Marvel reportedly had a “No Gays in the Marvel Universe” policy in the 1980s and, in the 1990s, placed an “Adults Only” label on any comics featuring prominent LGBTQ+ characters in response to conservative protests. “While I was drawing him, I thought, well, Cap fights against super-powerful beings and saves the world almost always, but Aaron helps those who walk alone in the street with problems that they face every day.” “As a transgender person, I am happy to be able to present an openly gay person who admires Captain America and fights against evil to help those who are almost invisible to society,” said Bazaldua.
I hope his debut story resonates with readers, and helps inspire the next generation of heroes.”Īrtist Jan Bazaldua said she had “really enjoyed” creating Fischer. “He stands for the oppressed, and the forgotten.
“Aaron is inspired by heroes of the queer community: activists, leaders, and everyday folks pushing for a better life,” said the series writer Josh Trujillo. Marvel described Fischer, who will be the “Captain America of the Railways”, as “a fearless teen who stepped up to protect fellow runaways and the unhoused”, with his debut timed to coincide with Pride Month in the US.