"I once again pushed the boundaries of formalwear physics this month. Limb placement is a lowkey suggestion in a ballgown - and what better place to test minor acrobatic miracles than at Grace Cathedral? It was the annual Carnivale gala, otherwise known as San Francisco's most glamorous reason to get drunk in a church. I sat for dinner on March 4th among a cohort that felt immediately familiar; Not in the we grew up together way, but in the we survived another year in journalism way. We traded hot takes on uppity columnists, great parties, and how to write about rich people without getting blacklisted."
"I also met Rev. Miguel Bustos, a gay Archdeacon who told me Grace Cathedral held funerals in the AIDS crisis when other churches turned them away. It turns out they held up to 35 funerals a week - a week. This shares a sentiment I anecdotally remember hearing about the Black and LGBTQ+ communities and San Francisco in 1980s and 90s: When few others would help, we found each other. "Church shouldn't just be a place for solemn religious events - it's a place for community to break bread together," Bustos said."
The annual Carnivale gala at Grace Cathedral brought journalists and community members together for a masquerade-themed evening of fashion, fellowship, and irreverent fun. Attendees traded gossip, career talk, and strategies for covering wealth without losing access, forming tight bonds such as a group nicknamed the Unholy Trinity. Rev. Miguel Bustos, a gay Archdeacon, recalled that Grace Cathedral conducted up to 35 funerals a week during the AIDS crisis when many churches refused to help, reflecting deep mutual aid among marginalized communities. The event blended theatrical couture, inclusive celebration, remembrance, and communal food rituals despite playful constraints of formalwear.
Read at The Bold Italic
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