Editing Kerista (section)

===Membership===

A website run by a long-term former member, Kerista Commune website, lists 44 people as having joined Kerista at various times during the community's history, though at least 75 passed through briefly. The commune population numbered 5 at founding in 1971, and 26 at dissolution in 1991. Before dissolution, there were closer to 30 Keristans in residence.

The commune maintained a very active program of social events and Gestalt-o-rama rap groups, which were open to the public 3-4 nights a week, and were mandatory for Keristans to regularly attend. The commune functioned much like a religious order and was an important focal point for a larger community of people in San Francisco interested in alternative lifestyles. The events sponsored by Kerista were almost always free and non-commercial.

In 1979 and 1980, two children were born in the community. Beginning in 1983, the adult male Keristans underwent vasectomies to deal with birth control and address global population issues. All male members subsequently had the requirement of having a vasectomy within a set period of time after joining the community.