"It was the annual Carnivale gala, otherwise known as San Francisco's most glamorous reason to get drunk in a church. I sat for dinner on March 4th among a cohort that felt immediately familiar; Not in the we grew up together way, but in the we survived another year in journalism way. We traded hot takes on uppity columnists, great parties, and how to write about rich people without getting blacklisted."
"I also met Rev. Miguel Bustos, a gay Archdeacon who told me Grace Cathedral held funerals in the AIDS crisis when other churches turned them away. It turns out they held up to 35 funerals a week - a week. This shares a sentiment I anecdotally remember hearing about the Black and LGBTQ+ communities and San Francisco in 1980s and 90s: When few others would help, we found each other."
At Grace Cathedral on March 4, the Carnivale gala combined glamorous formalwear, a photobooth, and fundraising in a lively, irreverent atmosphere. Journalists and media professionals gathered, sharing gossip, commentary about columnists, and strategies for covering the wealthy without professional repercussions. Attendees formed close connections across spiritual backgrounds, lingering after music ended. A small group of women bonded over deadlines, rent increases, and career choices and spontaneously planned a media summit. Rev. Miguel Bustos recounted that Grace Cathedral held up to 35 funerals weekly during the AIDS crisis when other churches refused assistance, illustrating reciprocal support among Black and LGBTQ+ communities in 1980s–90s San Francisco.
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