California

The girls cry out “Lez party!” at the Cabana Pool Party at The Dinah. (Photo: Girls That Roam / Pipi Diamond)

The Dinah Takes Over Palm Springs This Week With Thousands Of Women

The Dinah Founder and Producer Mariah Hanson Reflects on the Festival’s Cultural Impact and Meaning. by Heather Cassell This week thousands of queer women and gender-diverse people will take over Palm Springs for the biggest queer women’s music festival in the world: The Dinah. Tickets and rooms are still available for 32nd annual The Dinah, […]

Read More
Curve Magazine Cartoon Exhibit

Sexy, Cool 1990s Dyke Cartoonists Get Second Look At New Retrospective Exhibit

Curve Magazine’s Lesbian Cartoonists Are in the Spotlight at New Retrospective Exhibit in San Francisco by Heather Cassell Before lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel made it on Broadway with her autobiographical musical, “Fun Home,” there was Curve magazine. The glossy lesbian magazine, Deneuve, launched by publisher Frances “Franco” Stevens in 1990 became the home for many […]

Read More
Bad Blood cocktail

Heartbroken in San Francisco? Shake It Off At Bad Blood Bar

This Taylor Swift-Themed Bar Will Turn Your Heartbreak Into Self-Love. by Heather Cassell Had a hard breakup? Single and tired of serial dating? No date for Valentine’s Day? Need a place to sob it out or reclaim yourself? Rather than sit at home with your favorite tub of ice cream, dust yourself off, take the […]

Read More
Hole in the Wall Chloe Sherman

Powerful New Exhibit Explores SF’s ‘90s Defiant, Vibrant Lesbian Scene

Chloe Sherman’s New Photo Exhibit Revives San Francisco’s Vibrant Lesbian Scene In The ‘90s by Heather Cassell, originally published by the Bay Area Reporter San Francisco has always been a place where people are free to explore and find themselves. The ‘90s was no exception, yet it was exceptional as queer fine art photographer Chloe […]

Read More
The Vagabond House Inn Carmel by the Sea

The Vagabond’s House Inn Delights The Wanderer’s Heart and Soul

A Treasure In The Heart of Carmel-by-the-Sea, The Vagabond’s House Inn Understands And Appreciates Wanderlust Providing Travelers A Stay That Is Irresistible To Leave by Heather Cassell I was charmed the moment I stepped into the courtyard of The Vagabond’s House Inn. Located in the heart of Carmel-By-The-Sea on California’s Monterey Peninsula, the charming inn […]

Read More
The girls cry out “Lez party!” at the Cabana Pool Party at The Dinah. (Photo: Girls That Roam / Pipi Diamond)

The Dinah 30 Energizes Palm Springs With Sensational Women Rockers

The Dinah Returns To Palm Springs For A 5-Day 30th Anniversary Celebration With New Dates And A Knock-Out Roster Of Grammy-Winning Entertainers by Heather Cassell You only turn 30 once, and The Dinah knows it. Grammy artists Macy Gray and Yung Baby Tate headline the largest all-women’s party in the world next month. The Dinah returns […]

Read More
Women of the Black Panther Party Mural

Black Panther Women’s Pride, Power, And Joy Celebrated In West Oakland

Three Women’s Response to 2020’s Racial Reckoning Is Spreading Black Joy and Pride by Celebrating The Women of The Black Panther Party In A Mural and The Party in A Museum. by Heather Cassell Black joy and pride radiate out from the two-story house on the corner of Center Street and Dr. Huey P. Newton […]

Read More
Huang Mengwen’s “Suits and Corsages (2015 and ongoing)”

This Is What It Is Like Being A Queer Asian Feminist

Chinese Cultural Center’s “WOMEN我們: From Her to Here” Gives Viewers A Revealing Look Inside Queer Asian Feminists’ Daring, Defiant, And Vulnerable Experience by Heather Cassell Growing up in San Francisco, home to the United States’ largest historic Chinatown, and a multitude of Asian nationalities, I quickly learned negotiating queerness was a tricky subject among my […]

Read More
The Sandman Hotel entrance

An Awesome Stay, At A Great Value So Cool and Fun You’ll Be Back

This Mid-20th Century Retro Wine Country Hotel Offers Modern Luxuries at A Value by Heather Cassell On a warm sunny day, I pulled into Santa Rosa’s The Sandman Hotel for a weekend of wine tasting and eating around Sonoma County. I was immediately transported: Not to leafy vineyards cradling plump juicy wine grapes and tables […]

Read More
MacRostie Winery and Vineyards

Sonoma’s Fabulous Summer Kicks-Off With Pride and Wine

Sonoma’s Reopening Revs Up With Pride As Queer Wine Lovers Return To Wine Country by Heather Cassell Summer in Sonoma County is going to be fabulous! Visitors flocked to the wineries Memorial Day Weekend, the first unofficial weekend of summer vacation, signaling the near end of the global pandemic at least in sunny California. The […]

Read More
Carmel-by-the-Sea-Beach

Charmed Seaside Getaway Carmel, Monterey Offer A Leisurely Escape

Summer is right around the corner and with the state set to reopen June 15, barring changes in the global coronavirus pandemic, California residents can enjoy a leisurely escape with many things to do in Carmel-by-the-Sea and Monterey. The health crisis in the Golden State is beginning to ebb due to people getting vaccinated, meaning […]

Read More
san-luis-obispo-regional-airport

Fast-Growing California Regional Airport Promotes Woman To The Top

Courtney Johnson Tapped To Lead San Luis Obispo County Regional And Oceano Airports by Heather Cassell San Luis Obispo County Regional and Oceano airports appointed Courtney Johnson as interim airports director October 6. Courtney will oversee Airports Director Kevin Bumen’s role when he steps down October 10. Courtney’s promotion is a win for women in […]

Read More