In San Francisco, summer comes a little later than it does in the rest of the country. While the rest of the northern hemisphere is melting in triple digit temps, the marine layer blankets San Francisco in fog - we spend most of the summer in the 60s and 70s. I love it.

Towards the end of August, when things start cooling down in the rest of the country, San Francisco’s summer begins. Our summer really hits in September. It feels like we get a few bonus months of summer, or that our seasons are just pushed back a month or two.

There is a loose but beautiful parallel between the deferred summer of San Francisco and the experiences of so many queer people who make it our home. For a lot of us, some of the “summer” experiences of life - milestones that lives are built around, markers of joy and growth and excitement, things like a first date or prom or a first kiss - might feel just out of reach. It can sometimes feel like everyone around us is experiencing them, but we’re left behind.

But they aren’t out of reach. We haven’t been left behind. These joyful moments might look different than we expect, they might come later than we had anticipated, but they’re coming. They’re meant for us. And when they arrive, it’s pretty damn fabulous.

This collection is dedicated to moments of joy that have been a long time coming. There is color and movement and sunshine and everything that makes me think of Summer Deferred.