From K-QED. When people talk about San Francisco's Castro neighborhood in the late 1970s,

they describe it as a place of freedom for gay people, a place where you could be who you

were in public and feel safe, where love bloomed for many who thought they might never

find it. But by the early 80s, death had

started to move in to that joyful space. San Francisco's gay community was hit

early and hard by HIV and AIDS. People watched friends turn

from vibrant to emaciated in a matter of weeks. At the height of the AIDS crisis, close to

half of the city's gay men were dying.

This was a time before the treatments we have today, of course, and for some, the one thing that helped

ease their pain was marijuana. But pot, either medical or recreational, wasn't legal

back then, and state politicians were beginning to crack down on its use.

At the expense of people with HIV.

This week on Bay Curious curious how a San Francisco

pastor changed the experience of communion and committed felonies to comfort his flock.

I took a risk, I used my body, I acted on a belief that was motivated by my desire to provide

healing and comfort from my friends. And I didn't know what else to do that I could do,

but this was something I could do and I did it.

This story was first produced by KQEDs Christopher Beal for his podcast Stereotypes, Straight Talk

from Queer Voices, which later aired on the California

Report magazine. We're sharing it this week ahead of our theatrical walking

tours of the AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco taking place November 4th and 5th.

I was just at rehearsals last week and trust me you don't want to miss these tours.

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