Dear Reader,

Last week I was lucky enough to see Jane Fonda in conversation with Manny Yekutiel at the Castro Theatre. For those of you not familiar with San Francisco, the Castro neighborhood is synonymous with gay culture and the Castro Theatre is one of the oldest operating theaters in the nation which the neighborhood centers around. It was the first day of PRIDE Month and there was a great energy in the air.

The night started with The Queens of the Castro, a group that brings drag to schools and universities throughout California with a mission to empower, mentor, support and create safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth leading the crowd in Jane Fonda aerobics. It was a fun celebration of people showing up joyfully and fully as themselves!

I am a huge fan of Jane Fonda, I think she is an incredible actress and activist. She has used her fame to support incredible causes over the last 50 years such as women’s rights, the fight to end domestic violence, civil rights, indigenous rights, LGBTQ+ rights, racial and economic equality and the fight against climate change.

I also love watching Grace & Frankie on repeat, it is a hysterical portrayal of women’s strength in picking up their lives and thriving in what Jane would call their third act. (I have always been a fan of old lady comedies, just wait for my email after I attend the Golden Girls Drag Brunch in July!!)

There was one moment of the evening that really stuck out to me. The evening was framed as a kick off to PRIDE Month, the beginning of the conversation surrounded her activism for the LGBTQ+ community.

Jane said she loved queer people, that everyone was a little queer, she herself was queer, which was said in a playful manner. Then a minute later she stopped and said "I am sorry, I misspoke, it is unfair for me to call myself queer, I have not endured the same things that queer people have and that was wrong."

It was a moment she could have just glossed over, but she didn’t. Jane called out her mistake and corrected it, the sign of a true activist. So often people choose to do nothing because they are afraid of saying the wrong thing. This was an example of saying the wrong thing, owning it, apologizing and moving on.

As an activist (and as a human) we are going to make mistakes, say the wrong thing, it is when we can admit our own shortcomings, still show up and do the work that real change can be made. At 85 years old, Jane is still learning and teaching us all at the same time!

The rest of the event surrounded Jane’s work around Climate Change with Fire Drill Fridays which you can learn more about at https://janepac.com/. With a situation that can seem dire, Jane says that ACTION LEADS TO HOPE and is what keeps her going in the fight against climate change and all the causes she supports!

Check out this link to see a recap of the evening.

Happy PRIDE! 🏳️‍🌈

Stay Curious & Talk Big,

Danielle

www.daniellemccombs.com

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