Author: Tom Ammiano in conversation with Tim Redmond
Channel: San Francisco Public Library
Date: 22/06/2021

Tom Ammiano discusses his new autobiography, Kiss My Gay Ass: My trip down the Yellow Brick Road through activism, stand-up, and politics. The book follows Tom from his arrival in San Francisco on a Greyhound bus, through the flopsweat trials of professional comedy, and deep into the halls of power at City Hall and the State Capitol.  Tom Ammiano's story could only happen in one place:  San Francisco. 

Tom Ammiano is a legendary San Francisco leader who served the City for four decades as a teacher, San Francisco School Board President, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and a Member of the State Assembly. In 1975, Tom came out as the first openly gay teacher in SF. In 1977 he worked on the No on 6 campaign with Harvey Milk, which successfully defeated an anti-gay initiative to ban gay teachers in CA. Tom went on to be elected to the San Francisco Board of Education from 1990-1994, to the Board of Supervisors representing District 9 from 1994-2008, and served in the CA State Assembly in from 2008-2014. Tom has been at the forefront of reform on many issues including affordable housing, LGBTQ rights, education, labor, immigration, prisons, and marijuana. Tom has been an exceptional leader and throughout his career has given a voice to underrepresented communities. Tom has been a standup comic since 1980, when he pioneered gay comedy night at the Valencia Rose Cabaret in San Francisco. 
Tim Redmond has been a political and investigative reporter in San Francisco for more than 30 years. He spent much of that time as executive editor of the Bay Guardian. He is the founder of 48hills.