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UID:5766@news24-680.com
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260618T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260618T190000
DTSTAMP:20260605T015315Z
URL:https://news24-680.com/events/the-clift-royal-sonesta-hotel-continues-
 its-speaker-series-making-history-fun-again-featuring-shawn-sprockett/
SUMMARY:San Francisco: Clift Royal Sonesta Speaker Series: Making History F
 un Again - June 18
DESCRIPTION:The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel\, a San Francisco landmark since 
 1915\, continues its monthly speaker series\, Making History Fun Again\, d
 esigned to celebrate the city’s legendary past through lively storytelli
 ng\, fascinating personalities\, and unforgettable local history.\nPerfect
 ly timed to coincide with San Francisco’s PRIDE month\, on Thursday\, Ju
 ne 18\, The Clift Hotel’s Redwood Room welcomes Shawn Sprockett\, creato
 r of Unspeakable Vice\, for an evening exploring the rich and often overlo
 oked history of San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ communities. Through storytelling
 \, archival research\, and cultural insight\, Sprockett’s presentation\,
  How San Francisco Became America’s Gay Capital\, traces more than two c
 enturies of queer history in San Francisco while revealing striking parall
 els between the past and present.\nA gay professor\, designer\, and San Fr
 ancisco resident originally from Florida\, Sprockett was inspired to actio
 n following the passage of the “don’t say gay” legislation in his ho
 me state. In response\, he began researching and documenting alternative p
 erspectives on local queer history\, particularly the experiences of women
 \, transgender communities\, and People of Color\, and sharing those stori
 es through monthly walking tours across San Francisco’s historic and oft
 en forgotten “gayborhoods.”\nDrawing from extensive historical researc
 h\, Sprockett’s talk examines how queer communities shaped San Francisco
 ’s cultural identity long before the city became internationally recogni
 zed as a center of LGBTQ+ life and activism. The evening will also explore
  recurring themes of visibility\, resistance\, displacement\, and communit
 y-building\, offering insight into how lessons from the past may continue 
 to inform movements for equality and belonging today.\nAbout the Speaker\n
 Shawn Sprockett is the founder of Unspeakable Vice\, a San Francisco-based
  public history project and walking tour series dedicated to uncovering hi
 dden queer histories throughout the city. Combining scholarship\, design\,
  storytelling\, and activism\, his work highlights narratives that have of
 ten been excluded from mainstream historical accounts. His tours and lectu
 res explore the intersections of sexuality\, race\, gender\, politics\, an
 d urban development across San Francisco history.\nEvent Details\nWhat: Ma
 king History Fun Again — Speaker Series\nFeatured Speaker: Shawn Sprocke
 tt’s “Unthinkable Vice”\nWhen: Thursday\, June 18\, 2026 | 5:00 p.m.
  Cocktail Hour | 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Program\nWhere: The Redwood Room\, The
  Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel\nAdmission: Complimentary with RSVP\nRSVP: Maki
 ng History Fun Again Speaker Series at The Clift Tickets\, Multiple Dates 
 | Eventbrite\nUpcoming Speaker Series Lineup\nThursday\, July - 16 - Ben F
 ong-Torres - History of Rock &amp\; Roll\nThursday\, August 20 - Rob Thoms
 on - History of the Presidio / 250th Anniversary\nThursday\, September 17 
 - Kevin Kopjak Panel - History of the Performing Arts\nThursday\, October 
 15 - Rae Alexander - KQED and Author of Unsung Heroines: 35 Women Who Chan
 ged the Bay Area\nThursday\, November 19 - Will Hearst - leading a panel t
 hat includes Heather Knight (NY Times)\, Wendy Tokuda (formerly KPIX)\, Jo
 e FItzgerald Rodriguez (SF Standard)\, Alexis Madrigal (KQED) - History of
  Media\nSignature Speaker Series Cocktails\nGuests attending the speaker s
 eries events may enjoy themed cocktails honoring San Francisco’s storied
  past\, including:\n\n\n 	Pisco Punch — A Gold Rush original from 1853\n
  	Martini — Born along the trail between San Francisco and Martinez\n 	N
 ight Moves (Buena Vista Tribute Espresso Martini) — A wink to the city
 ’s famed Irish Coffee\n 	Maiden Lane — A nod to one of San Francisco
 ’s most notorious streets\n\n
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://news24-680.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/0
 6/image_700x700_under_200kb.jpg
CATEGORIES:Free,Holiday,Informational Gathering
LOCATION:Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel\, 495 Geary Street\, San Francisco\, CA\
 , United States
GEO:37.786797;-122.41115
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=495 Geary Street\, San Fran
 cisco\, CA\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Clift Royal Sonesta 
 Hotel:geo:37.786797,-122.41115
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