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"It
seemed to me that if an event like this is happening in San
Francisco, there has to be some part of it that's gay," city
Supervisor Rafael Mandelman told Reuters on Wednesday.
So he got with the mayor's office and other gay politicians to
organize just that; "a party here in the Castro, one of the
original great 'gayborhoods,' to give folks from countries with
a varying degree of acceptance of queerness an opportunity to
come out and have a good time."
Same-sex marriage is legal in only four of APEC's 21-member
states, according data published by the Pew Research Center.
And in at least three, gay sex is crime.
San Francisco is known for its large and politically active
LGBTQ population, and its myriad gay bars, including the venue
for Wednesday's event, Beaux.
California assembly member Evan Low, addressing the mostly male
crowd with his APEC credential still visible, said several
delegates had pulled him aside to say they wished they could
attend, but couldn't risk it.
Most at the event, as it turned out, were not APEC delegates.
Stephanie Wong and Khoa Tran, founders of San Francisco tech
startup reverylab.com, said they came because they were curious
-- and they thought it would offer networking opportunities.
Mark Anthony Catalan, a university student and a volunteer at
the APEC summit, said he was skeptical.
"I was like, 'what is Gaypec?' This is not real," he said. When
he realized it was, he said, he decided to go, to "let the gay
community show the world leaders we are here."
(Reporting by Ann Saphir; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
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