News Briefs: San Francisco Fog captures North America Cup

The San Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club claimed victory at the 2025 North America Cup rugby championship tournament earlier this month in Boston. It marked the club’s first major tournament win in 12 years, a news release noted.

The championship represents more than just a hard-fought win on the pitch; it reflects decades of growth, community building, and indomitable spirit by the Fog, the first gay and inclusive rugby club on the West Coast, according to the release.

Traveling with a record 77 players, four coaches, and over a dozen supporters, the Fog entered the tournament with their largest squad to date, fielding three sides across Tiers 1, 3, and 4 of the men’s+ division, contributing one player to the women’s+ division, and one player to the first Mexican team attending an International Gay Rugby tournament, Spicy Querétaro. The Fog is also proud of its three players who participated in the tournament’s All Trans Match, the largest such rugby match in North America, the release stated.

Held every two years, the North America Cup is the largest gay and inclusive rugby tournament in North America and a cornerstone event of International Gay Rugby. The Cup serves as a space where all players, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, are celebrated for their various contributions to inclusive sporting culture.

With the San Francisco Fog celebrating 25 years in 2025, Fog head coach Dany Samreth reflected on the achievement. “Winning NORAM 2025 felt a bit like the crowning accomplishment of all the hard work that has been put into the club, especially coming out of the pandemic,” Samreth stated. “We really didn’t know if we could emerge from something that life-changing. Not only did we do it, but the SF Fog has had one of the most successful stretches in the club’s 25-year history.”

The San Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club, founded in 2000, was born from a vision to create a rugby community that actively welcomes people of color, gay men, and those who have been historically excluded in sport.

“The SF Fog has been a leader in gay and inclusive sports since we started. Despite facing homophobia and transphobia, our early players pushed through uncertainty and hate and charted a path forward,” stated Fog President Zackary Forcum. “We’ve endured many losses over the years, not only on the pitch but also from our ranks, including the passing of rugby pioneers such as Kathy Flores and the sacrifice of 9/11 hero, Mark Bingham.”

Bingham was a founder of the team.

For more information about San Francisco Fog Rugby, go to fogrugby.com.

Sarris named to Sundance Institute board
Greg Sarris, a gay American Indian man who is chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, has been appointed to the board of Sundance Institute, which produces its well-known annual film festival. The Sundance Film Festival, which has been held in Park City, Utah for over four decades, announced earlier this year that it’s moving to Boulder, Colorado in 2027.

Sundance Institute, a nonprofit, was co-founded by actor and filmmaker Robert Redford in 1981, a news release stated. He remains president of the organization. Its film festival has championed independent films and, today, the institute works year-round to offer programs and support to filmmakers.

Sarris also serves on the University of California Board of Regents, which Governor Gavin Newsom appointed him to in 2023. He is the author of the award-winning novel, “Grand Avenue,” which he adapted into the 1996 HBO movie and co-executive produced with Redford. He has written several other books, including the forthcoming “The Last Human Bear,” the release noted.

“Having had the privilege of attending the Sundance Institute Writer’s Lab and collaborating with Robert Redford on the adaptation of my novel, ‘Grand Avenue,’ I have long admired Sundance Institute’s unwavering commitment to amplifying diverse voices and fostering authentic storytelling,” Sarris stated. “I am deeply honored to join the board and contribute to an organization that has had such a profound impact on the landscape of independent cinema.”

Sarris served on the board of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. He received his B.A. in English from UCLA and his master’s and Ph.D. in modern thought and literature from Stanford University. He is formerly a professor of English at UCLA. He now holds the title of Distinguished Emeritus Graton Endowed Chair in Native American Studies at Sonoma State University.

Sundance Institute also announced the appointments of three other board members.

Scott Frank has written screenplays for several films, including “Get Shorty,” “Little Man Tate,” and “Minority Report.” David Nevins is a veteran entertainment executive and producer. Blair Ligelis Stein is vice president of marketing, U.S. distribution, at Paramount. She has over 15 years of media, marketing, and brand strategy experience.

Sundance’s board chair, Ebs Burnough, welcomed the new members.

“We are thrilled to welcome Greg, David, Scott, and Blair to the Sundance Institute Board of Trustees,” Burnough stated. “Their diverse backgrounds and remarkable achievements in their respective fields will bring invaluable perspectives to our work.”

The institute started entertaining the desire to move in 2024, as its lease with Park City ends in 2026. Since the COVID pandemic, independent films such as those shown at Sundance have struggled, according to an article in Variety. The fact that the film festival is held at the height of the winter season also created some tensions in Park City, long a ski destination, the trade publication reported.

For more information about Sundance Institute, go to sundance.org.

 
Drag church service in the Castro
Drag artists will hold drag church in the Castro Sunday, June 22, at 6 p.m. People should meet at 18th and Castro streets. The group will process to Jane Warner Plaza.

According to an Instagram post, the event will be an “awesomely inclusive Christian church in the streets, with Communion. Come fabulous, come curious, come however you are!”

Sonoma library’s teen film fest accepting submissions
Teen filmmakers in Sonoma County, this is your chance. Sonoma County Library’s fifth annual Teen Film Festival is now accepting submissions, offering young creators the chance to share their stories on the big screen and win prizes.

Lara Mayelian, teen services administrator, stated in a news release that the film festival provides teens with their own space to create and celebrate art.

“The film competition inspires teens to use their creativity and supports young filmmakers to share their short films with the community,” Mayelian noted.

All Sonoma County teens in grades 7-12 are invited to submit an original film up to six minutes long. A jury will review all submitted entries. The top three winners will each receive a gift card to a Sonoma County movie theater of their choice, according to the release.

Winning films will be shown at the Teen Film Festival Premiere, which will take place on Wednesday, September 10, at Rincon Valley Regional Library in Santa Rosa. This event is open to all and will include light refreshments and prize presentations. All accepted films will be featured on the Santa Rosa and Petaluma Public Access YouTube channel, the release stated.

“We are so excited to spotlight the voices of Sonoma County youth at this year’s Teen Film Festival,” stated Allison Palmer, teen services librarian. “This event is a celebration of storytelling, community and the power of youth expression. We can’t wait to see what these young filmmakers create.”

In addition to having books available on film production and script writing and numerous movies to study, aspiring teen filmmakers can check out camera equipment free of charge through the library’s E Street Studios , located at the Central Santa Rosa Library. 

Teens seeking more information on festival submission guidelines can visit their local library or sonomalibrary.org/teenfilmmakers . Submissions will be accepted through Friday, August 15.

AIDS 2026 heads to Rio
The International AIDS Society has announced that AIDS 2026, the 26th International AIDS Conference, will be held next year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It will meet in person and virtually next July 25-30. Between 7,000 and 10,000 people are expected to attend, a news release stated.

“We are at a critical turning point in the HIV response as shifting geopolitical dynamics and funding uncertainties threaten decades of progress,” stated Beatriz Grinsztejn, IAS president and AIDS 2026 international co-chair. “With AIDS 2026 just four years before the 2030 deadline for global targets, the HIV response hangs in the balance. An evidence-based resilient, fully funded HIV response requires us to rethink, rebuild, and rise.”

Many of the funding problems can be traced to the Trump administration, which has gutted global relief efforts. Abrupt cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, and the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, have put people at risk in countries where the HIV/AIDS infrastructure relied on U.S. government assistance.

Brazil has long been committed to a science-driven, human rights-based approach to HIV, the IAS stated. It was the first low- or middle-income country to provide free access to highly active antiretroviral therapy to people living with HIV in the late 1990s. It has also participated in important HIV studies and coordinates large PrEP implementation studies, the release noted.

UNAIDS data show uneven progress in Latin America. The number of AIDS-related deaths has fallen by 28% since 2010, but increased among women in several countries. HIV acquisitions increased by 9% between 2010 and 2013 – and by 20% among men who have sex with men, 42% among sex workers, and 19% among trans women.

The 2026 conference will bring together scientists, policy makers, grassroots activists, and people living with, working in, and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Conference registration will open in November. For more information, go to aids2026.org.