The Doodler podcast artwork courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle and uglyduckling films. Headshot of Kevin Fagan courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle.
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Nearly 50 years ago, a monster terrorized San Francisco’s gay community. He was coined “the Doodler” and is believed to have killed as many people as the Zodiac Killer, possibly more, and yet never achieved the same notoriety. Even as the LGBTQ movement roared to life in the city, the Doodler haunted its queer nightlife scene in 1974 and 1975. Plagued by complicated evidence, a frightened public, and hesitation from victims’ friends and associates—who feared involvement would out them to family and employers—the investigation went cold, and the killer was never caught.
At this event, San Francisco Chronicle journalist and podcast host Kevin Fagan sits down with LGBTQ-rights activist Tom Ammiano and others involved in the case to discuss his eight-part podcast and story series, and reflect on how the Doodler got away with murder in a tumultuous era.
SPEAKERS
Tom Ammiano (he/him/his) Assemblyman Tom Ammiano is a longtime LGBTQ-rights activist, and was elected to the California State Assembly, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the San Francisco Board of Education. As an openly gay schoolteacher in the city in the 1970s, he cofounded the successful “No on 6” campaign against the Briggs Initiative, a 1978 ballot measure that would have banned LGBTQ people from teaching in California public schools. Tom is also a terrific comedian.
Kevin Fagan (he/him/his) Kevin Fagan is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated longtime reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle. He is an expert on murderers, from the Zodiac Killer to the Unabomber, and his eight-part podcast and story package on the unsolved Doodler serial killer case is the Chronicle’s first true-crime podcast series. He has witnessed seven executions and covered some of the biggest stories of our times, from the September 11 terrorist attacks and the 1999 Columbine High School massacre to several decades’ worth of crimes, presidential elections, wildfires, floods, protests and riots. He’s also one of the country’s foremost journalists on homelessness, having spent six months sleeping in the streets of San Francisco for the influential “Shame of the City” series in 2003 and reporting since then on aspects of the problem all over the nation. Fagan’s national awards include the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism and Excellence in Urban Journalism Award, as well as the prestigious John Knight Fellowship at Stanford University.
Melissa Stevens Honrath (she/her/hers) is the sister of Jae Stevens, who was murdered by the Doodler killer in June, 1974. She is a nurse and lives in Sebastopol.
Anne Kronenberg (she/her/hers) is a longtime LGBTQ activist, and was campaign manager for Harvey Milk’s historic run that got him elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, serving as his aide once he was in office. She co-founded the Harvey Milk Foundation, and served as deputy director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health as well as executive director of the city Department of Emergency Management.
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.
ADMISSION
Free | $5 suggested donation
Tickets are available online here: https://bit.ly/3tKJzue
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: http://www.glbthistory.org/memberships.