This year The Alice B. Toklas Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Democratic Club of San Francisco is celebrating its 40th Anniversary. We were the first registered LGBT Democratic Club in the nation. Forming only two years after the Stonewall riots in the infancy of the LGBT civil rights movement, Alice grew to become a vibrant organization that has made a profound impact on San Francisco, California and American politics. Alice made its impact by training activists over four decades to become political professionals and electing candidates that have fought for the issues that are important to the LGBT community.
Spearheaded by Nathan Purkiss, Member of Alice’s Emeritus Board, we will mark this occasion by re-visiting some historic milestones in our club’s 40 year history over the next couple of months. Follow this link for a full history of our Club, covering 1971 to 2005.
Below you can find articles from our 40th Anniversary History Series and well as a list of events planned for this year. This page is being updated continuously, so please check back often.
Alice 40th Anniversary History Series
- Article #1 – Alice Pre-History
- Article #2 – Formation of Alice
- Article #3 – Why Alice B. Toklas?
- Article #4 – 1970’s “McGovern to Milk”
- Article #5 – 1980’s “A Decade of Challenge and Change”
40th Anniversary Events
As part of the 40th Anniversary we hosted the following events:
Alice History Exhibit Opening Ceremony and Retrospective
Date: Monday, August 1, 2011
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th Street, The Castro
Come join Alice and the GLBT History Museum for the opening Celebration of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club Exhibit at the GLBT Museum. This exhibit will be on display for the month of August. The opening celebration with feature a Historical Retrospective of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club by Nathan Purkiss.
Welcoming Comments by Christine Pelosi, Chair of the Women\\’s Caucus, California Democratic Partyand collage work for the exhibit by San Francisco artist Peter Villapudua.
Alice History Panel Discussion
Date: Monday, August 8, 2011
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th Street, The Castro
Come join the GLBT Museum and Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club for a joint event featuring a panel discussion on the history of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club with guest speakers from the four decades of Alice history.
Speakers Panel to include:
Phyllis Lyon (Founder of the first Lesbian Rights Organization in America and friend of Alice Founder Jim Foster)
Gary Miller (Alice President, 1975 and Founding Member)
Connie O’Connor (Alice President 1980-1982)
Pam David (Alice Leader and 1st Lesbian Appointed to the Mayor’s Office of Community Development by Art Agnos in 1990)
Theresa Sparks (Alice Co-Chair 2001-2003, First Transgender Co-Chair of Alice)
