San Francisco Ballet "Mr. Tomasson has accomplished the unprecedented: He has pulled a so-called regional company into the national ranks, and he has done so by honing the dancers into a classical style of astonishing verve and purity. San Francisco Ballet under Helgi Tomasson's leadership is one of the spectacular success stories of the arts in America." In May 1995, San Francisco Ballet hosted 12 ballet companies from around the world for UNited We Dance: An International Festival. The festival commemorated the 50th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter, which took place at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing
LGBT culture in San Francisco published in the city are "Curve" and "Girlfriends". The growing LGBT population led to some publishers applying the moniker "San Fagcisco" to the city, while inhabitants were given the demonym San Fagciscan. San Francisco has open LGBT identity participation in its political system. In 2012 William Harless of PBS Newshour stated that "the gay political scene in San Francisco still an exception". The Alice B. Toklas Memorial Democratic Club is a centrist LGBT Democratic Party organization. This club was founded around 1971. The Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club is strongly left-leaning. The Milk club was founded as the San Francisco