San Francisco

/ /

Second LGBT Honorees Selected for San Francisco’s Rainbow Honor Walk

Less than two years since 20 historic members of the LGBT were memorialized by bronze plaques in the sidewalks of San Francisco’s Castro District, the all volunteer Rainbow Honor Walk (www.rainbowhonorwalk.org) has announced 24 new honorees.

“LGBT history is world history,” said Rainbow Honor Walk Co-Founder and Board President David Perry. “These 24 individuals represent real battles fought during their lifetimes for equality, equity and justice. They are symbols to hold up to future generations so that we may learn from them and continue their work.”

The Rainbow Honor Walk salutes the groundbreaking achievements of noted LGBT persons throughout history.

Following are the second 24 honorees for inclusion on the Rainbow Honor Walk:

• Alvin Ailey (1931-1989) Gay American ballet dancer and choreographer credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th-century concert dance.

• W.H. Auden (1907-1973) Gay English poet known for love poems such as “Funeral Blues,” poems on political and social themes such as “September 1, 1939,” and poems on cultural and psychological themes such as “The Age of Anxiety.”

• Josephine Baker (1906-1975) Bisexual American-born French dancer, jazz and pop music singer, actress, and world-famous entertainer who refused to perform for segregated audiences in the United States. She was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture, Zouzou (1934).

• Gladys Bentley (1907-1960) Lesbian American pianist, singer, and performer during the Harlem Renaissance whose comical, sweet, and risqué performances included songs about her female lovers.

• Glenn Burke (1952-1995) First openly gay major league baseball player who was discriminated against by Major League Baseball and whose raised hand, after a home run, led to the invention of the high five.

• Quentin Crisp (1908-1999) Gay English writer and raconteur whose flamboyance attracted increasing public interest in his views about social manners and the cultivating of style.

• Divine (1945-1988) Gay American singer and actor specializing in female roles made famous by director John Waters.

• Marie Equi (1872-1952) Lesbian American physician and political activist devoted to providing care to working-class and poor patients, providing health care information to women, and fighting for civic and economic reforms, women’s right to vote and an eight-hour workday.

• Fereydoun Farrokhzad (1938-1992) Gay Iranian singer, actor, poet, TV and radio host, writer, and iconic opposition political figure who advocated for an open society that accepted all people.

• Barbara Jordan (1936-1996) Noted American politician and civil rights leader widely considered to be the first open lesbian elected to Congress, representing Texas in the House of Representatives.

• Kiyoshi Kuromiya (1943-2000) Japanese-American civil rights activist, founder of the Critical Path Project, one of the earliest and most comprehensive sources of HIV treatment information.

• Audre Lorde (1934-1992) Lesbian American writer, radical feminist, and political activist whose works expressed anger and outrage at civil and social injustices she observed throughout her life.

• Leonard Matlovich (1943-1988) Decorated American soldier, widely recognized as the first to challenge the U.S. military’s ban on homosexuals serving in the armed forces.

• Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) Bisexual British singer, songwriter, record producer and lead performer with the rock group Queen.

• Sally Ride (1951-2012) Lesbian, physicist and first American female astronaut in space.

• Sylvia Rivera (1951-2002) American transgender activist and founder of the Gay Activist Alliance.

• Vito Russo (1946-1990) Gay American film historian, activist and author of The Celluloid Closet that brought awareness to LGBT characterizations in film.

• José Sarria (1922-2013) Political activist, the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States and founder of the Imperial Court system.

• Maurice Sendak (1928-2012) Gay American illustrator and author of children’s books, best known for Where the Wild Things Are.

• Rikki Streicher (1926-1994) Lesbian American political activist and founder of the Gay Games Federation.

• Gerry Studds (1937-2006) American politician and the first openly gay member of the U.S. Congress.

• Lou Sullivan (1951-1991) American author, activist, and female to male transgender pioneer who is widely credited for the modern understanding of sexual orientation and gender identity as distinct, unrelated concepts.

• Chavela Vargas (1919-2012) Lesbian Costa Rican-born singer known for her rendition of Mexican rancheras and for her contribution to other genres of popular Latin American music.

• We’wha (1849-1896) Zuni Native American Two-Spirit/Mixed Gender Tribal Leader who was male-bodied but performed primarily “feminine” tasks as well as serving as a mediator.

“Our hope as a board is that people from around the world will walk the Rainbow Honor Walk and take away inspiration and education,” said Perry. “Some of these names are well-known. Some are barely known. All deserve to be known.”

The Rainbow Honor Walk Board is comprised of the following individuals:
Kathy Amendola, Peter Goss, Madeline Hancock, Karen Helmuth, Ben Leong, Bill Lipsky, David Perry, Joe Robinson, Charlie Roddy, Charlotte Ruffner, Donna Sachet, Gustavo Serina, Kendall Stulce, Barbara Tannenbaum, Tarita Thomas, Colton Windsor.

Envisioning the Rainbow Honor Walk, a volunteer committee of community members received the unanimous support of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to create the sidewalk monument. Comprised of 3 foot x 3 foot bronze plaques embedded in the sidewalk, the Walk salutes the groundbreaking achievements of noted LGBT individuals throughout history. The first 20 honorees were announced in 2011. In 2012 the Rainbow Honor Walk board solicited design proposals from around the world. An independent jury of artists and cultural leaders selected the winning design by architect Carlos Casuso of Madrid, Spain. The plaques were manufactured by Mussi Artworks of Berkeley, California with creative oversight of the process spearheaded by Lawrence Noble, head of the sculpture department at San Francisco’s Academy of Art University. The first 20 plaques were installed in September 2014.

The Rainbow Honor Walk will eventually extend from the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy on 19th Street at Diamond down to Castro Street—the LGBT community’s “Main Street”—and will continue up Market Street with additional extensions on 18th Street. On Market Street, San Francisco’s main thoroughfare, the Walk will continue to the LGBT Center at Octavia Boulevard.

All funds for manufacture of the Rainbow Honor Walk are raised privately, with each plaque costing approximately $5000. A major source of income comes from the San Francisco Human Rights Campaign Action Center and Store (575 Castro Street) through the sale of commemorative mugs, t-shirts and lapel pins, which has generated over $15,000 for the Rainbow Honor Walk.

“We would not be walking the walk today without the donations of hundreds of people from all over the world and the continuing efforts of our friends at HRC,” said Perry, noting that tax deductible donations can be made online at www.rainbowhonor.org. Donors are listed on the website.

The first 20 honorees, whose plaques were installed in September 2014, are:
• Jane Addams (1860-1935), Social worker, first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, 1931.
• James Baldwin (1924-87), American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, civil rights activist.
• George Choy (1960 — 93) : San Francisco activist for Asian and Pacific Islander youth and people with AIDS.
• Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936), Spanish poet, playwright, political activist.
• Allen Ginsberg (1926-97), American poet. San Francisco Beat poet/ Free speech activist.
• Keith Haring (1958-90), American artist and AIDS activist.
• Harry Hay (1912-2002), English born writer, gay rights activist. Founder of The Mattachine Society, 1950.
• Christine Jorgensen (1926-89), Pre-eminent American transgender pioneer and advocate.
• Frida Kahlo (1907-54), Mexican artist whose work has been celebrated as emblematic of national and indigenous tradition.
• Del Martin (1921-2008), American feminist, gay rights activist. Founder Daughters of Bilitis.
• Yukio Mishima (nee Kimitake Hiraoka, 1925-70), Japanese playwright, poet, actor, film director.
• Bayard Rustin (1912-87), American civil rights leader.
• Randy Shilts (1951-94), San Francisco journalist, biographer.
• Gertrude Stein (1874-1946), American novelist, essayist, playwright.
• Sylvester (1947-88), American disco star, soul singer, San Francisco performer.
• Alan Turing (1912-54), British scientist who broke the Nazi’s Enigma Code and father of the modern computer, cryptanalyst, logician, mathematician.
• Tom Waddell (1937-87), American athlete, physician, founder of the Gay Games.
• Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), Irish playwright, poet, novelist, essayist.
• Tennessee Williams (1911-83), American dramatist, poet, novelist.
• Virginia Woolf (1882-1941), English novelist, essayist, publisher.

Individuals interested in contacting the Rainbow Honor Walk may do so by email at info@rainbowhonorwalk.org or by mail to Rainbow Honor Walk, 584 Castro Street, #113
San Francisco, California 94114.

Contact can also be made via Facebook by searching “Rainbow Honor Walk”. Information can also be found online, and donations made, through the Rainbow Honor Walk website at www.rainbowhonorwalk.org.

/

GLBT History Museum Presents Traveling Exhibition of Gay Erotic Art, 1950s-1990s

From July to October, the GLBT History Museum will present a historical retrospective of erotic illustrations by artists who worked for gay men’s magazines from the 1950s to the 1990s. “Stroke: From Under the Mattress to the Museum Wall” originated at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York City. The San Francisco show is its only scheduled West Coast appearance.

Curated by artist Robert W. Richards, this exhibition of a largely forgotten body of work not only explores the male form, but also offers an examination of erotic fantasies as experienced through publications that were available at nearly every newsstand in America, but that men often hid under their mattresses for fear of being discovered. The exhibition will feature originals of illustrations from the magazines, along with related work that has never been seen publicly.

“Many of the early magazines pretended to be bodybuilding, strength and health journals,” says Richards. “Sometimes they were called anatomy guides for artists. However, most of the men bought these magazines because they were gay. It was nearly their only opportunity to see handsome, well-made, virtually naked men. Buying one of these publica­tions required an act of courage, espe­cially if the small-town drugstore owner had known the buyer and his family most of their lives.”

“Stroke” will run from July 21 to October 16, 2016, at the GLBT History Museum, located at 4127 18th St. in San Francisco. A public opening reception is set for Thursday, July 16, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. In addition, curator Robert Richards will join Leslie-Lohman Museum Director Hunter O’Hanian in presenting a gallery talk on Friday, July 22, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Admission for each event is $5.00; free for members of the GLBT Historical Society. For more information, visit www.glbthistory.org.

Time Out New York notes that Robert W. Richards “has drawn everything from Paris haute couture to album covers and Broadway and cabaret posters and stars.” But for his many admirers, Richards is best known for his skillful and captivating drawings of sexually charged men. Next magazine states, “He’s bound to go down in history as one of the gay community’s greatest and most influential artists.”
Now in his fifth decade of drawing, Richards is highly productive as an artist — and he occasionally pauses from his own work to curate exhibitions. At the Leslie-Lohman Museum, Richards has curated “The Gods of Erotica” and a Peter Berlin retrospective. At the Museum of the Society of Illustrators, he curated “The Line of Fashion.” According to Richards, “If something moves me, I’m willing to do the work to share it with people who otherwise might not have an opportunity to see what I’ve been fortunate enough to see.”

/ /

Harvey Milk Day Evvents Scheduled in San Francisco

San Francisco will have two events to commemorate Harvey Milk Day this year, which falls on Sunday, May 22 and would have been the slain gay supervisor’s 86th birthday.

The state of California held the first Milk Day on May 22, 2010 to mark the birthday of the first out politician elected to public office in the Golden State. In 1977 Milk won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors but was assassinated the following year.

Harvey Milk Day is considered a day of special significance, meaning public employees do not receive the day off and schools are not closed when it falls on a weekday.

For the seventh annual observance, the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club will present a screening of The Times of Harvey Milk , the 1984 Academy Award-winning documentary, at 3 p.m. at the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street. Tickets are $12 and available online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-times-of-harvey-milk-birthday-screening-the-castro-theatre-tickets-25012714703. More information is available at the Facebook page, “The Times of Harvey Milk – Birthday Screening at the Castro Theatre.”

Earlier in the afternoon, at 1, gay Supervisor Scott Wiener, whose District 8 includes the Castro, will join other community leaders at Harvey Milk Plaza (Castro and Market streets), to celebrate and honor Milk. The San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band will perform. Interested people are welcome to attend.

/

SF Pride Announces Grand Marshals

 

San Francisco Pride has announced the winners of the 2016 Public and Member’s Choice Vote for Community and Organizational Grand Marshals of the 2016 San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration and Parade.

Larry Yang

Larry Yang

Larry Yang has been chosen as the Community Grand Marshal. A teacher of meditation and mindfulness, Yang is committed to serving multicultural, queer and activist communities. Playing a key role in the development of both the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) and the Insight Community of the Desert, Yang helped start a variety of long-running LGBTQI meditation groups in the Bay Area and beyond. He is on the Teacher’s Council of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and is a core teacher at EBMC.

Black Lives MatterAn international network of more than 30 chapters working for the validity of Black life, Black Lives Matter has been chosen as Organizational Grand Marshal. Black Lives Matter is working to (re)build the Black liberation movement and affirm the lives of all Black people, specifically Black women, queer and trans people, people who are differently abled, and those who are undocumented and formerly incarcerated. Centering on those who are marginalized within Black liberation movements, Black Lives Matter imposes a call to action and response to state-sanctioned violence against Black people, as well as the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society.

Janette Johnson

Janetta Johnson

The member’s choice for Community Grand Marshal is Janetta Johnson. Selected by the General Membership of San Francisco Pride at their March 9 meeting, Johnson is the executive director of the Transgender Gender Variant and Intersex Justice Project (TGIJP). Johnson’s experiences as a formerly incarcerated trans person have inspired and informed her work to affirm the value of black trans lives through media, education and community-building. She has developed grassroots re-entry programs designed to reduce recidivism, as well as building the organizing capabilities of trans and gender non-conforming communities of color.

sfpride.org/

/

Openhouse Announces &1 Million Gift from The Bob Ross Foundation

The Bob A. Ross Foundation has pledged $1 million to support the expansion of Openhouse programs and services to meet the diverse needs of thousands of Bay Area lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults. The agency’s new community facilities at 65 Laguna Street will be named the Bob Ross LGBT Senior Center in recognition of the life and work of Bob Ross, who co-founded the Bay Area Reporter and galvanized a community-wide response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

“This transformational pledge will help realize our vision to serve all LGBT seniors who will look to Openhouse in the years ahead for a range of support that meets their unique needs,” said Openhouse Executive Director Seth Kilbourn. “This gift is a wonderful affirmation of the strength and vitality of seniors in our community, many of whom survived for decades by staying invisible. We’re deeply honored to partner with the Bob Ross Foundation and recognize the legacy of a truly transformational community pioneer.”

The new Openhouse community facility at 65 Laguna Street will be named the Bob Ross LGBT Senior Center in recognition of this gift and Ross’ transformational contributions to the LGBT community. The pledge is the largest single gift in the organization’s history.

“A principal concern of Bob’s during his lifetime was the need for housing and services for LGBT seniors,” said Thomas E. Horn, president and trustee of the Bob Ross Foundation. “He supported Openhouse in in its early days and would have appreciated its well-considered and adaptive approach to meet the unique and pressing needs of LGBT seniors. He also would have appreciated its efficient business model and client centered approach. I hope this gift inspires others to invest in Openhouse and the community’s capacity to support ourselves and each other.”

The gift builds on Ross’ legacy of connecting people, building awareness and strengthening organizations to address urgent community needs.

“Bob was a pioneer in the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic when government agencies were not responding and was one of the leaders in bringing the LGBT community together to build allies and mobilize a largely volunteer driven community infrastructure to care for thousands of people throughout the epidemic,” Horn added. “Openhouse has been a catalyst for developing a similar, community-based model driven by volunteers and service partnership to ensure our community’s health as we all face the challenges that come with getting older.”

In an increasingly expensive city, the Bob Ross LGBT Senior Center will be a permanent home for Openhouse and a sustainable community resource for LGBT seniors, their caregivers, family and friends to stay healthy and live independently in community.

“This deeply generous gift significantly strengthens our capacity to deliver on our core vision to ensure every LGBT senior has access to safe and stable housing, care providers that understand their lives and opportunities to stay engaged in their community,” said Openhouse Board President, Bill Scherer. “We’re proud to share and continue Bob Ross’ legacy, while adding critical momentum to our work and breaking new ground for LGBT philanthropy in the Bay Area.”

Openhouse continues to raise funds for tenant improvements at both 65 Laguna, expected to open later this year, and the new program center included in the new building to be constructed at 75 Laguna St.

Over the next decade, the number of LGBT people in San Francisco who are 60 and older is predicted to increase by 25% percent to almost 30,000. While the city includes an array of services and housing options for older adults, LGBT seniors are only 20% as likely as their heterosexual peers to get the support they need. Largely without children and traditional family support that non-LGBT seniors depend on, LGBT older adults rely more heavily on community.

“As we get older, many LGBT people experience a sense of growing invisibility,” said Community member Margie Adam. “What would draw me out would be a set of services and activities that celebrate and rekindle our precious LGBT life experiences. Openhouse is already a national model in this regard and will be able to provide many more opportunities to keep us connected by expanding their programming in a space designed for older adults.”

The Bay Area Reporter story on this donation can be accessed on line at http://ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=71224

About Bob Ross and the Bob A. Ross Foundation
Bob Ross (1934 – 2003) was the founder and former publisher of the Bay Area Reporter and a leading gay rights and AIDS activist in San Francisco. As a businessman, publisher, political activist, board member and philanthropist, Ross personified community leadership. In addition to co-founding the B.A.R. with Paul Bentley in 1971. Ross also participated in the founding of the Tavern Guild, founded Gay Comix, and helped transform the city’s gay community into a vital and visible regional power. He established the foundation in 1996 to give to a broad portfolio of non-profits, which the foundation has continued ever since.
Thomas E. Horn, an attorney and president of the foundation, was a close friend of Bob Ross and is Publisher Emeritus of the Bay Area Reporter.

About Openhouse
Founded in San Francisco in 1998, Openhouse enables San Francisco Bay Area lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) seniors to overcome the unique challenges they face as they age by providing critically needed housing, direct services, and community programs. Openhouse works to reduce isolation and empower LGBT seniors to improve their health, well-being and economic security. To learn more about Openhouse please visit www.openhouse-sf.org and facebook.com/openhousesf.

/

Gangway San Francisco’s Oldest Gay Bar Could Soon Close

 

What’s believed to be San Francisco’s oldest operating gay bar could soon be closing its doors.

Tablehopper reports that Gangway, at 841 Larkin Street, which has been operating as a gay bar since 1961, is in the process of being sold to a company which will relaunch it under a new name.

The venue has been for sale for the past six months, and but a pending liquor license transfer dated 6 January indicates that ownership is in the process of being transferred to a company called Breaking Chad, Inc. It indicates the venue will be relaunched under the new name of ‘Daddy’s Bones’.

Gangway has been owned for the last 18 years by Jung Lee, who confirmed to Hoodline that he was in the process of selling the bar, one year earlier than he originally planned.

San Francisco’s oldest gay bar could soon close

Lee, a trucker for 35 years, took over the running of Gangway following the death of his wife from cancer five years ago. Up until then, she had run the venue.

Lee planned to sell it after his daughter graduated college in a year’s time. However, he’s selling early after a former employee successfully sued him for not paying him the minimum wage.

Lee told Hoodline that he had incorrectly thought that because bartenders make tips, he didn’t have to pay minimum wage. He lost the case and had to pay the bartender $7,400 in back wages and city fees for investigation.

He then had to pay further back wages when investigators found that he had incorrectly paid other staff.

Lee says all the pay errors were unintentional and that he would have been happy to have resolved the issues if the bartender had come to him direct instead of taking the case to court: ‘I’m not a cheap man,’ he insisted.

However, the whole case had hit him financially and left a sour taste – so he has decided to sell up and retire.

He says he recruited a brokerage firm to sell the venue and has little knowledge of the potential buyers. He also says that his advice to them would be to keep things running exactly as they are.

‘I told them not to change anything, keep it as is. The bartenders are very experienced, the prices are $0.50 to $1 or $2 cheaper then any other bar, and they make strong, good cocktails.’

He also said that he would miss the bar and its clientele: ‘I love all my customers. Respect them, take care of them and the neighbors.’

Gay Star Business is attempting to make contact with Breaking Chad to find out its intentions for the venue.

/

Tyler Oakley to be honored at GLAAD Gala San Francisco

Tyler Oakley

GLAAD has announced it will honor Tyler Oakley at GLAAD Gala San Francisco at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square  Nov. 7.

The event will be hosted by Mean Girls and Looking star Daniel Franzese and will feature a special performance by Grammy Award-nominated recording artist and Selma star Ledisi. Additional special guests include Empire star Jussie Smollett and the cast of HBO’s Looking.

At the gala, Oakley will receive the Davidson/Valentini Award, which is presented to an LGBT media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality and acceptance for the LGBT community. The award is named after Craig Davidson, GLAAD’s first executive director, and his partner Michael Valentini.

With nearly eight million subscribers on YouTube, Tyler Oakley has become one of the most influential LGBT personalities on social media today, consistently using his platform to build understanding and acceptance of the LGBT community. His social media presence has launched a career in entertainment, with a podcast that has reached number one in the iTunes podcast chart and a national tour under his belt. Named one of Time Magazine’s 30 Most Influential People on the Internet, Oakley has spoken with hundreds of media outlets about the importance of LGBT equality and acceptance, and he’s used his fame to raise over a million dollars for The Trevor Project, the nation’s leading organization providing crisis and suicide prevention services to LGBT youth.

“Tyler Oakley has inspired countless young LGBT people to embrace who they are and live the lives they love,” said GLAAD CEO & President Sarah Kate Ellis. “As one of YouTube’s most recognizable names and a champion of LGBT youth, he’s proven time and again that digital media plays a crucial role in accelerating acceptance.”

For more information visit www.glaad.org/sfgala.

/

Sex-Positive Radical Faerie House in S.F. Imperiled

A gathering place for community, and sex, could be leaving San Francisco.

The 14th Street House in San Francisco, a fixture in the Mission since 1988, faces an uncertain future.

Known by some as the Faerie House, the pink Victorian mansion was purchased by members of the counter-culture group the Radical Faeries during the height of the AIDS epidemic.

“It was purchased as a place for gay men to gather and build individual and communal intimacy at a time when bathhouses and other spaces were closing due to the AIDS epidemic,” according to a press release from the house’s organizers. “Since then, this refuge has taken on a multifaceted meaning. Various leather, kink, sex-positive, yoga and pan-spiritual groups have hosted and participated in events that touched — even transformed — the lives of many people in San Francisco and the wider world.”

San Francisco activist Michael Petrelis writes on his blog that the house is important for the city’s gay cultural identity: “There is so little queer space not colonized by commercial interests or intrusive busybodies on the government payroll or receiving state grants, making this house extraordinarily necessary for the natural evolution and development of our communal norms and sexual healing arts.

The house is going on the market in January, but the 14th Street House Project is aligning with the San Francisco Community Land Trust to turn the mansion into a housing cooperative that would shelter 6-8 low- to moderate-income tenants. The group needs to raise $900,000 by the end of the year to make that happen;

/

Burger King Offers Proud Whopper in SF

Burger King is celebrating gay pride with a message on its Whopper wrappers.

The fast-food chain says it will post a video online Wednesday that shows scenes from a San Francisco location where it sold a “Proud Whopper.” Customers were not told what is in the burger, which comes wrapped in rainbow paper. Once opened up, a message inside the wrapper states, “We are all the same inside.”

The idea is that the Proud Whopper is no different from the regular Whopper, despite its colorful packaging.

The marketing effort is part of Burger King’s push to connect with customers in a more meaningful way, particularly with the younger individuals fast-food chains are known for courting. As part of that push, Burger King recently said it was retiring its “Have It Your Way” slogan in favor of the more personal “Be Your Way” (Ad Age pointed out the phrase was “grammatically challenged”).

Whether the new approach can help Burger King Worldwide Inc. boost sales remains to be seen. The company, based in Miami, was acquired and taken private by 3G Capital in 2010. The Brazilian private investment firm took the chain public again in 2012 in a deal that allowed it to retain a majority stake while more than recouping its investment.

3G has been trying to revitalize Burger King’s image and menu ever since with mixed results in the U.S., where traditional fast-food chains have struggled amid competition from newer players such as Chipotle. Last year, Burger King’s sales at established North American locations slipped 0.9 percent.

The chain says the “Proud Whopper” video was shot over the past weekend in San Francisco, near where the city held its 44th annual gay pride parade. Fernando Machado, who heads global brand management for Burger King, said in a phone interview the “Proud Whopper” will remain on the menu until Thursday.

A rough cut of the two-minute video shows confused customers asking about the Proud Whopper, trying to figure out what makes it different, then later grasping what is happening.

“I think this wrapper means we all have the same rights,” a young child explains.

“A burger has never made me cry before,” says a young woman.

Another young woman uses an expletive to explain that it’s same stuff inside. The video also shows some negative reactions, including a man who says the chain will no longer have his business.

Burger King said the video was developed by the ad agency DAVID, and directed by Henry Alex Rubin, who also directed the film “Girl, Interrupted.”

Other food companies have also recently shown support for gay individuals, including Oreo-cookie maker Mondelez International Inc., which featured a gay couple in an ad for Honey Maid graham crackers, and Coca-Cola Co., which featured a gay couple in its Super Bowl ad.

1 2 3