For those familiar with San Francisco’s nocturnal pulse, SF Oasis is not just a nightclub. We’ve known it as a cultural touchstone for the SF queer community for nearly 10 years, and on the bedazzled platform heels of its big birthday, Oasis will host its first-ever gala.
The soirée on November 23 seeks big dollars to support the next chapter of LGBTQ+ arts in San Francisco, and it is the first major fundraiser since a pandemic telethon brought in nearly $270,000. That was more of an eleventh-hour plea to save the club, though. Now, Oasis is growing in the nonprofit world, and building for the future in its event titled “Creating Legacy.”
“We were drowning in debt in the pandemic, so our last fundraiser was a necessity,” said D’Arcy Drollinger, San Francisco’s prominent queen known lately as the first drag laureate. “But that was just the beginning.”
Her manicured fingers are always in many pies, notably in film production and original theater. That’s how Oasis Arts came to life — a nonprofit arm that supports fair wages for queer artists and creators in San Francisco. Founded in 2020, Oasis Arts funds runs the Living Wage Theater Arts Fund, which guarantees fair pay for performers. They also have a dedicated space downtown where independent filmmakers can create, collaborate, and access support through partnerships.
“We have a very robust roster and that feels fabulous,” Drollinger told me in a phone call. “But the more we support, the more support we need to actually maintain it. That money has to come from somewhere.”
It’s a big ask but very on par for a San Francisco gala: $200,000. Drollinger notes much of that money goes directly into the pockets of visual artists, performers, backstage hands and many others who go unpaid at other gigs. It is hard to do this art and pay your rent in San Francisco. Very hard.
A touching explainer video on Oasis Arts.
I typically see galas in museums, City Hall, hotels, and Financial District venues. But this party will be inside SF Oasis at 298 11th Street because Drollinger wants donors to experience what their money supports. Expect appearances by Sister Roma, Honey Mahogany, and Snaxx, who are all listed as co-hosts. I’m guessing many more drag queens will also show up, along with sociable LGBTQ+ artists like Elliott C. Nathan and Serge Gay Jr., who collaborated on the murals now decorating the outside of the nightclub.
“At so many galas, you have some cocktails and get a presentation. The event is very separated from what it supports,” Drollinger said. “But I want everyone who comes to our party to be surrounded by the artists and their work.”
Given the upscale party meets downtown vibe, I’m expecting attire like Cleve Jones’ birthday: Bright, sparkly, unabashedly queer looks with some skin and camp thrown in for good measure. Dress code is “upstage the hostess,” and D’Arcy knows I’ll try.
We are more than a year since the passing of Heklina, San Francisco’s prominent drag queen and co-founder of SF Oasis. At the time in 2023, Heklina had already bowed out of her partial ownership alongside another stakeholder who was on his way out. But this is still the nascent era of Drollinger fully taking the leadership reins on her own. I remember a phone call with Heklina in the pandemic where she said D’Arcy loves the insane schedule.
“I’ll let you in on a secret: he likes it. He likes being that busy,” Heklina told me. “He’s not happy unless he’s so busy he wants to kill himself.”
From the outside, the workload now looks so insane that a solid five extra hands should help manage it. And we can help Drollinger get that assistance by raising the next $200,000 for the SF Oasis and LGBTQ+ artists, who we very much need to go on thriving and creating for us in San Francisco.
// Oasis Arts Gala: Creating Legacy will be on November 23rd with VIP tickets beginning at 7 PM and general admission at 9:30 p.m. Tickets begin at $50.
Saul Sugarman is editor in chief of The Bold Italic.
The Bold Italic is a non-profit media organization that’s brought to you by GrowSF, and we publish first-person perspectives about San Francisco and the Bay Area. Donate to us today.
