FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 2019

MEDIA CONTACT
Mark Sawchuk
(415) 777-5455 ext. 8
mark@glbthistory.org
August History Programs Highlight Queer Young-Adult Novel, LGBTQ Asian/Pacific Islander Americans
San Francisco — The program series for August 2019 sponsored by the GLBT Historical Society will highlight the release of a new, queer young-adult novel and a discussion of the particular challenges faced by LGBTQ Asian/Pacific Islander Americans. All events take place from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the GLBT Historical Society Museum at 4127 18th St. in the Castro District. For more information, visit www.glbthistory.org .


Book Launch
Ziggy, Stardust and Me
Thursday, August 8
7:00–9:00 p.m.
The GLBT Historical Society Museum
4127 18th St., San Francisco
Admission: $5; free for members
 
Debut young-adult novelist James Brandon will read selections from his new novel Ziggy, Stardust and Me (Penguin Random House, 2019) set in St. Louis in 1973, just months before homosexuality was delisted as a mental illness by the American Psychological Association. The novel follows the story of sixteen-year-old Jonathan Collins, who is fighting to overcome his “illness” when he meets Web, a Lakota Two Spirit. The two boys fall in love and struggle to retain their identities in a world that continually threatens to tear them apart. Brandon serves on the Powwow Steering Committee of Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits and has done extensive research in the GLBT Historical Society’s archives. The evening will include a wine reception, and copies of Ziggy, Stardust and Me will be available for purchase and signing. Tickets are available online at https://bit.ly/2Ngvh3E.

Panel Discussion
Rainbow Rice: Justice for LGBTQ Asian and Pacific Islander Americans
Friday, August 9
7:00–9:00 p.m.
The GLBT Historical Society Museum
4127 18th St., San Francisco
Admission: $5; free for members

Within the LGBTQ community, the experiences of Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) people are often marginalized. Queer APIA people face numerous intersectional challenges, including anti-LGBTQ prejudice in their respective ethnic communities, as well as racism and xenophobia within the larger LGBTQ community. A panel of Bay Area LGBTQ APIA community leaders and activists will consider these particular challenges and discuss their efforts to promote, defend and extend the rights of queer APIA people. This program is cosponsored by the Human Rights Program at Southern Methodist University. Tickets are available online at https://bit.ly/2xgleAE.


ABOUT THE GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
   
Open since January 2011, the GLBT Historical Society Museum is the first stand-alone museum of its kind in the United States. Its Main Gallery features a long-term exhibition on San Francisco LGBTQ history, "Queer Past Becomes Present." Its Front Gallery and Community Gallery host changing exhibitions. The institution also sponsors forums, author talks and other programs.

The GLBT Historical Society Museum is a project of the GLBT Historical Society, a public history center and archives that collects, preserves and interprets the history of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and the communities that support them. Founded in 1985, the society maintains one of the world's largest collections of LGBTQ historical materials. For more information, visit www.glbthistory.org .

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GRAPHICS: The following images may be reproduced only in association with coverage of the GLBT Historical Society program series. Credits noted in captions are mandatory.
August 8: Book Launch
Cover artwork for Ziggy, Stardust and Me by Tomasz Mro, courtesy of Penguin Random House.
August 9: Panel Discussion
API Equality — Northern California chanting during the San Francisco Trans March (2018). Photo by APIENC, used with permission.
The GLBT Historical Society | (415) 777-5455 | info@glbthistory.org | www.glbthistory.org