Annals of the Emperors and Empresses of San Francisco: Leandro Gonzales
Emperor After Norton 46 Leandro Gonzales, 2018–2019
“Annals of the Absolute Emperors and Empresses of San Francisco” is a collection of interviews from Empress Juanita MORE!, who reached out to over fifty San Francisco’s Emperors After Norton and Absolute Empresses of the Imperial Council of San Francisco (ICSF) — one of the longest-running LGBTQI+ nonprofits in the country — to learn about each of their accomplishments and involvements during their reign.
Leandro Gonzales, Emperor 46 After Norton is one of the Bay Area’s most prominent servants for the LGBTQIA+ and People of Color communities. His dedication to giving back to our most vulnerable groups is impressive. Even before being Emperor, Leandro was focusing on addressing the issues that affect our Immigrant communities, People of Color, the homeless, those in recovery, seniors, youth, transgender people, breast cancer patients, people living with HIV, and of course his Latino communities. During his reign “It’s Tamale Time”, was timely during four years of bad political administration.
During his reign, he volunteered countless hours with the Burrito Project, Fire Relief Aid in Northern California, Kimo Bear Project at UC Benioff Children’s Hospital (children going through chemotherapy), at an orphanage in Mexico, and distributed sandwiches to homeless in other cities.
To this day, Leandro continues his work in keeping his LGBTQIA+ community safe with Castro Community on Patrol, the Burrito Project that hands burritos, socks, and toiletries to the homeless on the streets, keeping the AIDS Memorial Grove clean every month, and fundraising with his Tamale sales benefiting the immigrant communities of San Francisco.
I reached out to Leandro to learn more about his accomplishments and involvement during his reign.
Juanita MORE!: What year was your reign as Emperor?
Leandro Gonzales: 2018 -2019
JM!: What led you to run for Emperor?
LG: I ran for Emperor because when I saw our immigrant communities coming under attack by that terrible bully in the White House, I knew it was going to be my duty to stand up and have my campaign focus on equality. I wanted to be able to carry the legacy of one of the oldest LGBTQIA+ organizations in the world and Jose Sarria’s legacy.
JM!: What was your proudest accomplishment?
LG: Our court’s proudest moment was our being able to work with diverse communities, especially communities of color, spending over 200 hours of direct community service, and raising a record $140,000 for charity.
JM!: What nonprofits did you support during your reign?
LG: Absolute Empress LIII Pollo Del Mar and I supported the AIDS Emergency Fund, Open House Senior Center, Aguilas, El/Ella, Breast Cancer Emergency Fund, Oasis Legal Services, LGBTQ Asylum Project, Castro Country Club, Trans Thrive, Lyric, Project Open Hand, SF Marin Food Bank, PRC, REAF, Our Town SF, WuYee Center, Mission Girls Youth Program, Larkin Street Youth, PAWS, SF Night Ministry, Lutheran Social Services and many MORE!
JM!: What are your hopes for the future of the Court?
LG: My hopes for the future of the court are that we bring more diversity within the International Court System and that we become more inclusive.
To keep up with Leandro’s work, you can follow the Emperor After Norton on his social media handles:
LG: Instagram
LG: Facebook
To learn more about the Imperial Council of San Francisco, visit imperialcouncilsf.org. Please visit the Imperial Council of San Francisco’s website to donate to the reigning Monarchs Charity Fund.
