Life Power Now - for gay men

In celebration of Gay Pride Month, drkrm/gallery proudly presents an extraordinary, never-before-seen glimpse into pre-AIDS gay sexual culture. The Fairoaks Project is an exhibit of Polaroid photographs taken by Frank Melleno during the spring and summer of 1978 at The Fairoaks Hotel, a San Francisco bathhouse.

I met the curator Gary Freeman last weekend at a friends house. We easily fell into an inspiring conversation when I noticed an intriguing postcard sticking out of his husband's shirt pocket. What a lucky coincidence, as otherwise I would have completely missed this event. Have a look at the web site and check out the exhibit June 12 - 27, 2010 in Los Angeles. Here's a little more from the Fairoaks Project website:

The late 1970's was a dynamic era for the gay community bringing significant migration to San Francisco and increased awareness. California had repealed its Sodomy laws in 1976. Anita Bryant's crusade (Save Our Children) found an expression in California in the Briggs' Initiative (Prop 6) in 1978, which would have disallowed homosexuals to teach in schools. It failed to pass. Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician in modern history. was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1977 and assassinated in 1978. Large Gay Day Parades were being celebrated annually and the gay community in San Francisco was thriving, vibrant and sensual.

During this late 1970's, there were numerous venues for gay men to congregate, such as bars, social clubs, political action groups and perhaps a half dozen bathhouses. Unique amongst these bathhouses was the Fairoaks Hotel which was located at the corner of Oak and Steiner in the Hayes Valley district. The hotel was a converted apartment building owned and operated from 1977 to 1979 by a group of men who had formerly lived together in a commune. These men infused the Fairoaks with a different atmosphere than was evident at other bathhouse at the time.