Do you still believe in San Francisco? I do. I’m running for supervisor to create our best San Francisco.
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Remembering Mark Lim on the 20th anniversary of his death.
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I didn’t have a dad growing up, but now I have a father-in-law and I can recognize good fathers when I see one.
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A personal story of Joel Engardio’s relationship with Mark Lim, who died of liver cancer at age 31 in 2001.
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A short story with personal reflections on the terrible-to-be-gay year of 1992 and what it means to see presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg and his husband on the cover of Time magazine in 2019.
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If presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg can pick a running mate as well as a husband, America will be in good hands. It’s just one of many impressions from my lucky dinner with Pete and Chasten Buttigieg.
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Exactly 42 years after the San Francisco Police Officers Association declared gay people unfit to serve, Tony Montoya became the police union’s first openly gay president. Yet Montoya’s temperament is just as groundbreaking — when compared to the take-no-prisoners approach his predecessors took in local politics. “Our bombastic style doesn’t work anymore. It turns people off,” Montoya said. “I’ll be more thoughtful.”
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African Americans arrested for being in a Starbucks and the Supreme Court deciding if businesses can deny LGBTQ customers. Today’s news reminds Angelic Williams of The Green Book that helped her grandparents travel safely in Jim Crow America. So she created an app that tells LGBTQ people of color where they’re welcome.
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With all the challenges the world faces today, why do we need a $40 million memorial to World War I? Because today’s great grandchildren are still fighting it. And we still haven’t learned “what is past is prologue.”
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How did a lifeline for LGBT persecution in the Middle East start on the Google bus to Silicon Valley? Meet Kevin Steen, who wouldn’t let 7,500 miles get in the way of helping his Jordanian friend. “Mohammad’s dad threatened to shoot him,” Kevin said. “It was an honor crime waiting to happen.”
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San Francisco welcomes Mohammed Khalil for being Muslim, but pushes him out for being middle class. How can we be a refuge for every working family? By fixing our housing shortage and affordability crisis with Khalil’s can-do spirit.
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President Trump's executive orders have sparked outrage, but what can we learn from President Eisenhower's 1953 order to purge all gay and lesbian employees from the federal government? "The Lavender Scare" is an award-winning documentary that is both history and a cautionary tale.
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By Joel P. Engardio -- Large Catholic and Asian populations on the westside are less inclined to embrace issues like marijuana dispensaries or LGBT rights accepted by the rest of San Francisco without question. So it’s a profile in courage that Assemblymember Phil Ting doesn’t just give lip service or stay neutral on LGBT issues when he needs westside votes to keep his job.
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By Joel P. Engardio -- Even in San Francisco, a city synonymous with social justice and LGBT pride, the intersection of race and sexual orientation/identity can be complicated.
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By Joel P. Engardio -- As we celebrate marriage equality, it is worth remembering the setbacks and lessons learned on the way to the Supreme Court's historic ruling. How we persevered will help us in the work that remains to ensure a perfect union for everyone.
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By Joel P. Engardio -- My mom wouldn't go to my recent wedding, but the Supreme Court is hearing a big case this week that could make same-sex marriage legal nationwide by July. A personal take on what this means for families still divided.
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By Joel P. Engardio -- Are show tunes the best way to reach Americans on the fence about gay marriage? One San Francisco family – a gay couple, their adopted daughter and a goldendoodle – hopes their story will win over the remaining hearts and minds.
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Joel Engardio speaks to the wedding guests after marrying Lionel Hsu on February 21, 2015.
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By Joel P. Engardio -- Life got better for gay firefighters in San Francisco last year. The fact it took until 2014 for this gay awakening shows how long the journey to diversity has been for the San Francisco fire department.
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By Joel P. Engardio -- Seoul mayor Park Won-soon leads a city of 10 million people and has a good chance to become South Korea's next president. His staff invited me to meet with him during his recent San Francisco visit. I asked about his views on LGBT rights and Park made news in the exclusive interview.
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