Hanna Quevedo

Something like this

Now that Diesel's retail location at the storied corner of Castro and Market has folded, there are plans in the works to bring a gay, philanthropic burlesque strip club to the old Bank of America building.

Oh, and during the daytime and early evening the establishment will offer patrons "locally sourced and sustainable dining options with designer cocktails and premium wine and liquor." That ought to get the party started.

I first saw Trangela Lansbury as a gold-bearded Siren glittering across the stage at El Rio. Then there she was again at a California College of the Arts exhibit as a traditional Frida Kahlo, elegantly carrying her shining facial hair into flashing cameras while also showcasing her homoerotic drawings at the Batman on Robin show in the Mission.

Trangela, aka Diego Gomez, is a Bay Area native and as an artist he combines performance, illustration, design, painting, lingerie, and now theater -- he was cast for Tinsel Tarts in a Hot Coma, a Cockettes revival musical starting March 28 at the Hypnodrome. Heavily influenced by artists such as Jim Lee and Alphonse Mucha, he combines fantasy art, comics, and raw homoeroticism with a hint of trashy, genderbending imagery.

We spoke to Gomez about gaying up Batman, drag, and, as he notes on his Facebook page, the mad skills and verbosity that "could cut a bitch like a Lee Press-On Nail."

Danny Wylde as himself, and in yellowface for his role in Burning Angel's porn parody of The Walking Dead

Two events this month highlighted why alternative sexuality communities, which pride themselves on an ethic of broad tolerance, remain so overwhelmingly white. First, a January 31 story in Jezebel publicized the decision of porn mogul Joanna Angel to portray an Asian character by putting a white actor in yellowface. In Burning Angel's porn parody of The Walking Dead, white actor Danny Wylde was cast in the part of the Korean-American character Glenn, with his complexion yellowed and the skin around his eyes taped back into narrow slits.

Cultural institutions in San Francisco continually search for new acquisitions. Alexis Coe brings you the most important, often wondrous, sometimes bizarre, and occasionally downright vexing finds every other Friday.

San Francisco native José Sarria is a celebrated performer, advocate, and was the first known openly gay person to campaign for elected office in 1961. When the 90-year-old Sarria began to seriously consider the fate of his personal archives, it was no easy task. The Smithsonian expressed interest, but only wanted his correspondence, and Sarria knew that the public and researchers would best benefit from a complete collection at one institution.

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Exploratorium Film Seeks to Capture the Rhythm and Drama of the Embarcadero

The Snitch told you yesterday about the swath of Republicans changing their tune on same-sex marriage -- notably Hewlett-Packard CEO and former CA Gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, Jon Huntsman, and senior officials from the Reagan and George W. Bush Administrations. But the GOP isn't the only group standing up for gay rights. Hundreds of Silicon Valley tech companies also filed with the Supreme Court in support of gay marriage, arguing that Prop 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) force them to treat employees unequally.

In an article about traditional gender roles in marriage, Fox News mistakenly used a picture of two lesbian brides kissing on top of the Empire State Building. SheWired pointed out this amazing faux pas, that has since been changed to a generic bathroom sign image of a man and woman.

See Also: 10 Fun Facts You Didn't Know About Lesbians

The queens and kings are in. Leather daddies are shackled up, drag queens have combed their wigs, lesbians, cholas, bois, twinks, and fairies are glittered up and ready. This Saturday, February 2 your favorite queer dance soul party is bringing the ball back. The Third Annual Hard French Winter Ball will take place at The Coconut Grove Grand Ball Room in Santa Cruz, promising an unforgettable night of vinyl soul music, outstanding live performances, and formal (hard) dancing and (hard) cruising.

via Tumblr

In perhaps the most adorable coming out story ever, 15-year-old Laurel (and Ellen DeGeneres fan) decided to tell her parents she's gay with a cake and a pun-filled note.

Here's the full note, in all its gratuitous pun glory:

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Video of the Day: The Onion Mocks Jodie Foster's Quazi-Coming Out Speech

If you missed Jodie Foster's rambly, kinda coming out speech at the Golden Globes the other night, we suggest you skip it and just watch The Onion parody instead, which reports that Foster's speech is inspiring LGBT youth to come out to their parents in vague, confusing riddles, such as, "I just want to let you know that I'm here and I love who I love, and I'm not who you never thought I wasn't going to be."

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