Page 4 - Patrick Batt News Today

The weekend closure of a portion of 18th Street in the Castro neighborhood will be placed on "indefinite hold," a Castro Merchants Association spokesperson said, after a meeting where retailers expressed dissatisfaction with the program.

The weekend closure of a portion of 18th Street in the Castro neighborhood will be placed on "indefinite hold," a Castro Merchants Association spokesperson said, after a meeting where retailers expressed dissatisfaction with the program.

After several well-known LGBTQ-owned businesses launched successful fundraising campaigns, other businesses followed, with mixed results. Two of the most successful were by South of Markets internationally acclaimed nightclub and cabaret Oasis (raising $268,000 in a 12-hour telethon) and the Castros Twin Peaks Tavern (raising $110,000 through GoFundMe). But when Arlen Lasater, the owner of Daddys Barbershop in the Castro, launched its fundraiser the campaign fizzled, he conceded. As of May 3, 3...

Remembering Mike Salinas I freelanced for the late B.A.R. news editor Mike Salinas in the 1990s, sending him political and AIDS-related stories from Los Angeles. As a former mainstream journalist, I often argued with him when he included activist terms under my byline; he once inserted "The Betrayer" in a Bill Clinton photo caption. But we worked well together. Salinas was also insightful. He called me an "environmental reporter" because I wrote about fundraisers in a "you-are-there" style. He ...

As Castro district businesses endure the pandemic, while some have closed permanently, one unique store has gained support from a devoted fan. AutoErotica, the longtime resource for vintage gay-themed sexy collectibles, has already raised more than $11,000 of its $16,000 fundraiser goal. Since 1996, Patrick Batt has run the small upstairs shop at 4077A 18th Street. "When I first started, this was basically a sex toy store," said Batt, 74, in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter at his shop....