Celebration of Life for Anna Damiani

Alice is heartbroken to learn of the passing of long-time Board member and dear friend, Anna Damiani.

To provide a public Celebration of Life and Reception worthy of Anna, please help us raise funds for a gathering on Saturday, March 12, 2022 at the San Francisco LGBT Center - more details on the gathering to come, but all those who knew Anna, were close to her, and benefited from her enormous heart over the many decades are welcome to attend. And, please wear something purple.

All proceeds after expenses for Anna's celebration of life will be evenly split between the San Francisco SPCA and Openhouse .

Anna lived in the Castro district for more than 40 years. Arriving in the days of Anita Bryant and the Briggs Initiative, she soon became a strong advocate for women’s and LGBTQ rights and resources.

Anna was one of the most passionate, loyal, inspiring, and genuine voices on the Alice Board of Directors for more than two decades. You could always count on Anna to show up - and deliver. Her tireless devotion to the LGBTQ community was unparalleled, as was her ability to tell you like it is. You may not always like what Anna had to say to you, but you knew she was most likely right.

In addition to her work with Alice, she staffed Senator Mark Leno for more than 15 years, served as President of the Golden Gate Business Association, Board member of San Francisco Pride, and as Mayor Willie Brown's liaison to the LGBT community. In her early career, Anna was forged as strong advocate for women and the LGBT community while working at Pacific Bell. Her advocacy led to strong support for domestic partnership benefits and expanded marketing strategy for the LGBT community.

She was also a passionate square dancer - in her words, she was “hopelessly addicted.” In 1989 she founded the Gay Callers Association, and in the 1990s was honored by the Western Star Dancers with a Lifetime Membership and the "Golden Boot Award" from the International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs.

We loved Anna for her dry wit, exuberant laugh, warm heart, and passionate love of all dogs. Anna could almost always be found in the mornings at Spike’s on 19th, usually surrounded by her canine fan base, and always wearing purple. She was the living embodiment of the poem that she had displayed in her office, “When I Am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple,” a warning of nonconformity.

It is because of activists like Anna that our community is where it is today. The rights some take for granted now were hard fought and won because of the tenacity, passion, and love that she brought every single day.

We are forever diminished.