“Why don’t you guys do something?”

She, the handcuffed stone butch, challenged the crowd, match dropping to gasoline.

Now in its planning stages, Oakland Pride welcomes sponsors, volunteers and vendors to our second annual celebration on Sunday, Sept. 4.

Surely, if you’re out around town you’ve seen your favorite singers, producers and DJs sporting those the Oakland, USA hoodies.

Tina Mabry never set out to become your conventional Hollywood blockbuster director – nor is she trying to be.

Yet, with her nationally acclaimed feature film Mississippi Damned – a true-to-life drama about a black family struggling with poverty, alcoholism, homophobia and racism in the rural south – the filmmaker is making huge strides in bringing independent black queer cinema to the masses.