June is LGBT Pride Month in San Francisco. The event is a month-long celebration devoted to honoring the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community in the Bay Area. Among the highlights is the annual Pride Parade, which will attract hundreds of thousands of locals and visitors to The City on Sunday, June 25. The Parade, which began in 1970, begins at the Embarcadero and with a kick-off roar of Dykes on Bikes will move up Market Street to a huge party at Civic Center. The Parade will feature everything from buff guys flexing muscles on floats to same-sex couples pushing strollers. Photographers are attracted by the costumes, which can be fabulously flamboyant or simply skimpy. BATW will be celebrating Pride, too, as we gather for our June 17 meeting at the GLBT History Museum in the Castro (see details here). We hope you will be able to take part in some of the festivities.
On another note, I am stepping down as Executive Director of BATW. Fortunately, Ginny Prior (who held this post previously) will be replacing me beginning June 1. I have been wanting to do more traveling, and I need time to do that. It has been a pleasure serving Presidents Suzie Rodriguez and Molly Blaisdell, plus the BATW board, and you, our loyal travel writers, photographers, bloggers and Corporate partners. (Did I leave anyone out?).
I am proud to say that since 1990 I have been a member of such an auspicious group of professionals. Happy travels to you as well.
—Jim Gebbie, Executive Director