Portola Branch Library Opens Today

The ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Portola Branch Library in San Francisco
(c) all photos by K. Smokey Cormier

Ms. Manitoba talks like she’s an introverted shut-in ... but really I get out more often than you think. And, once shoehorned out of my house, I’m quite gregarious. Today, my kids and I celebrated my oldest daughter’s family birthday at Mifune’s in Japantown in San Francisco. Delicious, scrumptious, and nutritious Tori Udon!

Then we went to the opening of the new Portola Branch of the San Francisco Library. And, folks, there was a big crowd there! This event makes liars out of those Hollywood sitcom writers that make working class folks look uneducated and uninterested in reading or being educated. We’ve always been interested in learning -- as long as we had the leisure time. Hollywood: quit lying about us.

Of course, leisure time is hard to come by these days. Working two or more jobs to keep from going homeless ... or salaried workers working unpaid overtime to appease bosses so they don’t lay you off ...

I don’t know everyone from the activist or city hall crowd who was at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. But here are three who I know were there: Jewelle Gomez, Mark Leno, and Mayor Gavin Newsom. And I actually got a chance to shake Mayor Newsom’s hand and tell him that he is a hero to me. I thanked him for helping make gay marriages legal. And also said: “I know you took some risks.” The guy looked sincerely grateful for my words. Okay, maybe it’s not as much risk as the risk those beautiful LesbigayTransGender people at Stonewall took. But still. He deserves credit.

(Although I must admit I agree with Lamar Van Dyke quoted in The New Yorker this week: “Gays in the military and gay marriage? This is what you guys have come up with?” The other side of that, of course, is that I strongly support equal rights for everyone. I’m of two minds. Libra rising ... it’s a curse.)

There was also a Dragon Dance group that were great ... but, sorry, I don't know their name.

The crowd watches the Dragon dancing. Well, at this point it was slithering on the ground, acting cute and cuddly.

There were a few short speeches, the ribbon was cut, and then we all crammed in (really, there were a lot of people there!) and ate cake.

Mayor Newsom is popular and mixed and mingled, signed autographs, and posed for photos. Hmmm ... he could be our governor one day. I heard more than one person say that.

As you can see, he's a tall guy.

Want to read more about the opening? Go here.