[applause] >> omg! [laughter]. can i tell you how happy i am to be here today and how much positive excitement is in the air to celebrate this extraordinary first in the

nation! [applause] announcement! for the new drag laureate of the city and county of san francisco! [crowd noise] and here is your job description. [laughter]. be fabulous all the time. but rebecca, thank you, where is rebecca. thank you very much rebecca, for opening up the lbgtq+ center her in san francisco to make this extraordinary announcement. thank you to all the wonderful people who are joining us here today. let me also thank sister roma and so many people! [crowd noise] so many people who are part of the selection

committee and who worked really hard through this process when we first announced in june of last year, we had an incredible committee and i see -- supervisors on the side here. um thank you to supervisor rafael mandelman and supervisor matt dorsey for being here! [crowd noise]. and i know we got a great fabulous lineup to say a few words before we get to why we are all here. but let me just really start by thanking each and everyone of you for celebrating this occasion. it just -- it is something this really fills my heart with joy. fact that san francisco over the past couple of years throughout the pan dem and i can now as we e merge from it, you know there are a lot of people who are coming for our city in so many

different ways. and the thing about today this is so special is reminds us who we are. it is in the about when others say we are it is who we show them we are. we are showing them everything that we represent by making a decision to be the first to anymore a drag laureate in this country. we are being [crowd noise] and as the reason why this occasion is so specialeen today we'll not give all that negative stuff going on the energy that it wants. because in this room it is too positive to mention. we do know, we do know that our drag community continues to be under attackeen in our own city

and county of san francisco. and that's when makes today so special. because despite all of that, there is still love and hope and you and sparkling nails in the air! [crowd noise] and so you know hear in san francisco, i'm so proud this we have a city of people who truly believes in making decisions to make not only policy changes and investment but also really to support and shirr in on an occasion like this, people from different communities and different walks of life and before i turn is over to scott wean and get back to talking a lot more about why we are here to celebrate darcy, let me just say that on easter sunday one of the things that really made me smile because we know what we happen with drags story hour.

i was on noe street. and the drags queens ran the show they were the mc. performers, the ones who read the stories and you had families and kids and community coming together to celebrate easter. and i just sat there on the side almost with a tear in my eye thinking, this is so san francisco and i am so proud to be mayor of this city. [applause]. so, before we get in talking about the lady of the hour, let me just bring up 2 very, very special amazing guests who just want to shirr a few words and -- the first one is someone who i just was in sacramento yesterday myself. i saw him in sacramento i see

him. i think scott has like, he has triplets. because every time i turn around in any 97 any city scott wiener is there ladies and gentlemen, our state senator scott wiener. [applause]. >> thank you. thank you madam mayor the dodger may not number the drag queen in san francisco we love our drag queens. [crowd noise]. and i will tell you the directing queens more popular than the politicians we always need to watch out. i'm excited about today for a lot of reins. i'm excited be here in our lbgtq+ community center so many of us worked hard to build it for community exact low for days like today. and so to the center and rebecca

thank you for everything you do for our community. [crowd noise] i'm excite weed have a mayor who get its and who is an alli and who -- [applause] and a mayor i have known her you don't have to explain anything about our community she gets it show is one who gets it. gets us and mayor, thank you for everything you do. [applause]. and i am so excited that darcy is our first drag laureate. i first got to know darcy when i on the board of supervisors said, i want to open a venue. i want to start performing again at a venue week in and week out.

and try to help and worked together to find a location. and it was her and darcy and her partners coming together to create oasis. [crowd noise] and -- during a time when a lot of the pressure on queer night life and venues closing or potential low closing or pushed out and darcy and jeff benjamin and others credited a new pace for our community. a new night club. not just a great, fun accomplice to go out. i love going to oasis but an accomplice that centers and lifts up young queer performers. and gives them that space to enter the community and to be recognized and to be discovered and so i'm so grateful to darcy for everything this you do for our community you are an unsung

hero now you are more sung, this is great. [laughter]. and we were dares and he i were talking about the title wave of hate for our community and targeted drag queens. it it is terrify and despicable. and i think darcy is aware of this now being a very prominent and nationally recognized drag queen. [laughter]. there are there will be hate that come with it. but the way that i -- i get hate, too. you will get hate. others in the room get this hate. the way you get through it and the way that darcy will get through it is to always remember for all that hate there are all the young lbgtq+ people not just here but across the country and around the world who will look at you and have hope for their future.

[applause]. so with that is now my honor to bring up machine also a commune hero. and who mgz to being fabulous busts her rear every day for this community sister roma! [applause]. >> thank you. thank you, thank you. what a great day to be alive! you know, first i will say as a member of the vetting mittee what a task. thank you very much, madam mayor for asking mow to serve. and there are others here and i want to say, it was a huge honor we like to thank everyone who did apply we had amazing choice

bunkham battled it out and we are error happy with the selection. it feels right. that we are we are naming the world avenue first drag laureate. so many firsts happen in san francisco. this was the first accomplice to perform same sex marriage. this is the birthplace of the imperial court. dikes on bikes, gay men's chorus and sister of perpetual indulgence! [applause] [crowd noise]. yes. but really so many other fabulous things happened here. most exceptionally my friend the wonderful darcy. [applause] i -- i am so proud of

her exit know she will serve us limp look at her. [laughter]. i'm an idiot for standing next to her. [laughter]! so i'm not going to take up more time thank you all for being here and thank you for supporting drag because had is the time when we need people to show support for drag queen, queer and trans people when you say no drag san francisco says, hold my earring! [applause]. here come the world's first drag laureate. before that welcome -- mayor london breed. [applause]. well sister roma one correction hold my earrings and somebody hand me the vaseline! [laughter] it is going down!

now y'all know mir know how to fight now. this vaseline kept the scratches off my face. [laughter]. so, [laughter]. [crowd noise] now become to darcy. [laughter]. darcy has been a community activist, i business owner, true artist and a leader in this community for many, many years. and senator wiener mentioned her exit know than i had a special bond because it was how the oasis was born and during a time a global pandemic the need for joy was so important. and the fact that darcy decided, i'm going to take over the oasis, i'm going to credit an amazing opportunity for people to celebrate and experience

joyeen if it is by zoom. i want oasis to be that place. and you know what, it is not enough to support my community we know there are people out there who need joy but also who need to eat. so healos meals was born i prayed somebody in drag would show up at my door with a meal looking great dress friday top to bottom. the joy it brought to many of our seniors and people in need was extraordinary. you know mobilizing marches and events, mobilizing funds raisers and other thing and making sure an accomplice for the next generation of those who are part of this community, is exactly why darcy was the perfect person to serve in this capacity.

because even though the job description starts with be fabulous all the time, it also is an important part of representing san francisco. representing san francisco and our values for inclusion. making sure people know this no matter who you are or where you come from or love you have someone who has a royce this will always represent you and peek on your behalf. machine who will show up whether than i are invited or not to make it clear this i belong every accomplice that anyone else belong in this city. [applause] because representation matters. it matters when people have a seat at the table and merit when is the voices are able to project loud and proud when those mitry to silence us.

darcy walks in the room and you stop everything that you are doing. she stops you in her electronics in the just with her beauty but intelligence and her desire [laughter] and her whit! and her desire to really always try to build bridge and collaborate and to figure out there is a void here. how do we make it better. how do we come together? how do we celebrate all things good and all things know fran. ladies and gentlemen, without further endue, here is your new drag laureate for the city and county of san francisco, darcy! [applause]

>> wow! this is so amazing. i am -- humbled and i'm thrilled to be here and thank you for center for having us and you know i look around the room and i see so many people that -- i worked with and have been friends with for so long from painting the outside of the club to helping create a film studio to running the district to running my night club. to really helping make the movies and there is so many of you that i cherish and i depend on for your advice and expertise and i could not be here without

all of you thank you very much. i got notes. i'm grateful to be the very first drag laureate of san francisco and the very first drag laureate ever. i want to thank mayor london breed. and [laughter] and don't trick me. and the selection committee for chosing mow and appointing me. i really appreciate your beliefs in drag and understanding that drag is art. that drag brings communities and people together and thank you for recognizing all that is fabulous! [applause] [crowd noise]. so i was worn in san francisco a

native and the city means so much to mow and this community means so much to me. you know when we opened the oasis in 2014, it was a huge deal. it was a big, big deal to have drag queens open up a night club. and to not just continue showing up in other people's venues and say we are going to do it is ourselves and it was so hard. [laughter]. it was the hardest thing i ever done and so many ways and but we did it and created a club house for community that could be a stage for the community to feel safe and be seen. it really changed a lot of things for me and i think for san francisco. you know i did this with her we also worked on the golden girl's

live every year! [applause] you know and yearly directing and prusing that show to create this wonderful experience for people hordes from all over coming to san francisco to be part of this magic moment and that is such, you know dressing up i can dress up fabulous but another importance to dress up like an old lady. you know. don't tell mow there is no difference. watch it! [laughter]. but you know drag has many form and shapes and sizes this one was grit to see young and old gay and straight. everyone together. being part of this show. so the pandemic hit and then all the sudden everything disappeared. we had to think outside the box

and when meals on heals was forms and the streaming site so we could entertain people and be that sparkle during that error dark time and employ the drag community who did in the have jobs. and i do not wish that the pandemic ever happened. but if i had not have gone have gone through this, and really connected with so much of the community to sustain ourselves and to survive this i don't think i would be appropriate in the a way to take this position on if i had not gone through that. there is always that silver lining. i'm proud of all of my team for getting us through there and all the people that saved us when we almost within under. this telethon really made a huge difference and you have the videos, thank you. thank you all for that.

[applause]. and now we are growing bigger and bigger all the time. i started a nonprofit oasis arts. yes. [applause]. create resources for the lbgtq+ artist and the community. i have partner happened with the san francisco film commission. and the rainham foundation it hen an amazing add adventure a st. john's stage south of market and resource for the community. i teach my dance class every week. [applause] hell or high water if you want to dance with me every sunday morning at 11 hard after the late saturday nights. um -- i will say, that you know i came back in 2011 from new york. born here and left and came back

and -- you know i came back with a goal in mind and that was to do art. but what happened was -- i saw a need for the communities. and lifting other community members up while doing my art. and you know, it felt like the next step in this was the drag laureate program i'm proud to live in a city that pioneered this program before the rhetoric happening around the united states and the world. and that it shows how much the city valueless the drag communities not just for entertainment but funds raise and political advice they put the drag community in a higher pedestal than drag performers get in other states and cities.

i'm so proud to be here and you know many of my peer feeling the weight of the protests taking over the artistic lives it is important not to just fight back and make art. that is the best way we can fight back. [applause]. >> as the first drag laureate dedicated to continuing my admission to uplift my lbgtq+ community. and spread joy throughout this city. this role builds bridge and creates part merships eli having and celebrating the art of drag. i am looking forward to the positive affects this will have on the community on san francisco and the world at large. and i'm sorry l.a. and new york! we beat you to it!

[applause]. of we did beat l.a., boy the way. love that! anyway. they can keep their lbgtq+ night. we got darcy. [laughter]. i want to say before i do this last bit of business for today, we have a number department heads here. money with the san francisco film commission. pal is here from the office of transgender initiative. [applause] our fire chief nicholson. the director of human right a commission for san francisco sheryl davis. city librarian michael lambert.

and our chief of protocol for the city of san francisco marrian. [applause] so many amazing departments had a part in helping to put this together. so, i'm glad to be here and the last bit of official business to be clear, the drag community has a rich history in san francisco. and we know that the place where the compton riots occurred the people who really fought against the injustices helping to community consisted of both the transgender community as well as the drag community that set? stage what happened in new york during stonewall this was the 60's a challenging time and a lot of what is happening in the world this continues is why darcy's royce and the discussions around the history of the community are going to be

so important and it is why i'm honord and grateful i have been able to collaborate supervisor mandelman and to build a lbgtq+ museum in the castro neighborhood. [applause]. because it is important to make sure that history is a part of the narrative as darcy goes long with her various duties. today we want to official low proclaim it drag laureate day in the city of san francisco! [applause]. now i was getting her a crown but i knew her hair would be too good to mess up.

flours, proclam sxagz free parking all day. thank you it has been a wonderful day and congratulations, darcy. [applause].