Portrait of Dazié Grego-Sykes courtesy of same.
Queer Culture Club is our monthly series on the second Thursday of each month that focuses on LGBTQ people who are defining the queer culture of yesterday, today and tomorrow. These programs feature GLBT Historical Society executive director Terry Beswick as he interviews queer culture-makers, including authors, playwrights, historians, activists, artists and archivists, to learn about their work, process, inspirations, hopes and dreams. In February Terry will be interviewing Oakland-based performance artist, educator, author and activist Dazié Grego-Sykes, the associate artistic director for the Tenderloin-based performance ensemble Skywatchers. Mr. Grego-Sykes is well known for his two solo plays Am I a Man and Nigga-Roo, as well as his 2017 poetry collection Black Faggotry.
SPEAKERS
Terry Beswick (he/him/his) has served as executive director of the GLBT Historical Society since 2016. At the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in San Francisco, he was a founding member of the local ACT UP and was the first national coordinator of ACT NOW, the national AIDS activist network. He advocated for HIV/AIDS research and treatment with Project Inform, the Human Rights Campaign and the White House Office of HIV/AIDS Policy. After the advent of effective treatments for HIV, Beswick worked as a journalist for the Bay Area Reporter and other LGBTQ community publications. More recently, he spearheaded a successful campaign to save and renovate the Castro Country Club for the queer recovery community and cofounded the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District. He holds an MFA in playwriting from San Francisco State University. Beswick served as a Community Grand Marshal for the 50th Anniversary San Francisco LGBTQ Pride Parade and Celebration in 2020.
Dazié Grego-Sykes (he/him/his) is an Oakland-based performance artist, educator, author and activist. He graduated from the Experimental Performance Institute at New College in San Francisco and holds an MFA in interdisciplinary arts and writing from the California Institute of Integral Studies. He is most known for his two solo plays Am I a Man and Nigga-Roo. He won the Best of SF Fringe Award in 2017 and recently published a collection of poetry titled Black Faggotry which sits alongside his debut spoken-word album Make Me Black. Currently, Grego-Sykes is writing a play titled The 45th which focuses on the impact of the Trump administration on the lives of Black and brown people in the Bay Area. He is the associate artistic director for San Francisco’s Tenderloin-based performance ensemble Skywatchers.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
This event will take place online. After you register, you will receive a confirmation email with a link and instructions on how to join the Zoom webinar as an attendee. The event will also be livestreamed on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GLBTHistory/ and then archived on our YouTube page at https://bit.ly/2UyGVbG.
ADMISSION
Free | Suggested donation of $5.00
Register online here: http://bit.ly/2L58l6X
ASL INTERPRETATION
ASL interpretation provided upon request. Please write at least three days in advance of event to leigh@glbthistory.org.
JOIN THE GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Become a member of the GLBT Historical Society for free museum and program admission, discounts in the museum shop and other perks: www.glbthistory.org/memberships.