One of the biggest changes today has been the price increase in rents and housing. Many people were forced out of the city beginning in the early 2000s, and they dispersed around the Bay Area and across the country. Many of the businesses that opened in the ’90s have since shut down, as people have moved away. San Francisco is still amazing but very different than it was thirty years ago. It was a gay mecca then and still is, but it’s far less gritty and artistic today, since many artists have been forced out due to expensive housing. I do find it sad to witness people being priced out. Working artists and musicians and financially less established communities have been leaving for a while now. Their absence leaves a void, a cultural void. HH: What were some of the landmark lesbian and gay businesses in the ’90s? CS: There were just so many queer businesses at the time. The Bearded Lady Cafe and the Lexington Club are both in my book, but there was also Black and Blue Tattoo, Dog-Eared Books, Leather Tongue Video, Club Junk—the list is expansive. Black and Blue Tattoo still exists, in a different location. Today, I feel there is a surge of cool, interesting Mission District queer DIY businesses. HH: Do you still live in San Francisco? CS: I still live in the San Francisco Bay Area—I never left. I work in San Francisco, my photo lab is there. I love connecting and reminiscing with “old-timers” who remained in the city and the Bay Area. The city has changed, as do all cities and communities over time. However, we welcome moving forward, while we fondly reminisce. It’s been exciting to witness a recent surge of new spaces such as Mother Bar, at 16th and Valencia streets, opened this year by Malia Spanyol. It’s a ’90s-esque, fun, æsthetically beautiful, hip, welcoming queer bar. HH: I’m also curious about your pre-San Francisco years. Where did you grow up? CS: I was born in Manhattan, where my mother grew up. Eventually, we moved to my father’s hometown of Chicago, where my extended Sherman family still resides. My parents were fond of the great outdoors, and we later moved to Portland, OreMarch–April 2024 21 gon. Over the years, I continued to spend time in New York City and Chicago, visiting grandparents and other close family. HH: How and when did you get started as a photographer? CS: I was always a sentimentalist, and this pairs well with photography. My love for photography began early—looking through family albums at my father’s images. He’s an excellent photographer. I watched him shoot, viewed his photographs, and enjoyed using his 35mm film cameras. I took formal photography and darkroom classes in high school. My parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, all had art on the walls, and we had photography books in the house. I remember being enamored of a book of photos by Dorothea Lange, and also a Bruce Davidson book. My first photos were still lifes and nature. HH: How did you get started taking photos of people, and LGBT people in particular? CS:As I grew comfortable taking pictures, photographing people became an obvious focus. I’m drawn to people, interactions, poignant moments. I have engaged with my work, stories, and subjects as a documentary photographer, hoping to tell a story with photographs. My style and approach have remained similar over the years. I continue to be drawn to subcultures, stoChloe Sherman. Summer in the City, mid-1990s. ",836 +9386 "A& .-==63 94 /06 :?: A @=?>O @TQ ;NPO=DA =U ?]3 Q=?>OP OT O>A OT O>A VTMAVAUO @QTV O>A WT7TD]N 38 493 +61$ &= %96/3 :7 %,$'-10-=2 53-&=2 4 H - TQ? ! % ? UO0 AUO 7 P1J @TQ PO 3> 2'6 N 3 @TQ O>A SQAPAUO2H ]QA NQ?AUO QA]B=U? B=]PSTQ=D =BAUO=O3 7TMA0 ]UB B=PP=BAU >=POTQ=AP0 RNAAQ 5TV]U>TTB0 M=T7A P6 MAQPAP TU QAZA7 E]7APO=UA2228K7AS@=P %#' *( "+")!$+&, Y,,"#&\"#$Y\ 5AP7SQAPP2T ]MTQ=OA ZTT9PA77AQ TQ +M]=7]Z7A @QTV 3TNQ G+[+_LF! /GT773 'Q]Z]SS7A0 I*% @
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