April 12 2018_Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

The

www.ebar.com

Since 1971, the newspaper of record for the San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ community

Vol. 48 • No. 15 • April 12-18, 2018

Photos: Rick Gerharter, Gooch, Rich Stadtmiller, Steven Underhill | Illustration: Ernesto Sopprani

Besties have something for everyone by Cynthia Laird

t’s spring and that means it’s time for LGBTQs to dust off their winter blahs and get ready for summer. It’s also time for the Bay Area Reporter’s annual Besties readers’ poll, featuring the community’s favorite people, places, and things. This year we retired some perpetual winners so that others could bask in the limelight. But there are also plenty of time-worn traditions that our readers just love. Need a quick snack late at night? Head on over to Orphan Andy’s. Need your bike repaired? There’s no place quite like Valencia Cyclery. We also have some surprising new winners this year. Check out readers’ preferences for groceries and vintage clothing, or a variety of other categories. In nightlife, always a voter favorite, Heklina and Peaches Christ were running neck and neck in the best host/MC category. (You’ll have to read the article to find out the winner.) Longtime musician Joe Wicht took the honors in the best band/musician category. So whether it’s arts and culture, community, nightlife, dining, services and shopping, sex, or weddings and destinations, the Besties have something for everyone. Readers will find write-ups about this year’s honorees throughout all three sections of the paper – news, arts and culture, and BARtab. We’d also like to acknowledge this year’s Besties sponsors Live Nation, Oasis, “Steve Silver’s Beach Blanket Babylon,” the Cliff House, Cliff ’s Variety, and Stanford Court Hotel. Finally, plan to attend the B.A.R.’s free party celebrating Besties winners. It is Friday, April 13, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Oasis, 289 11th Street. DJs are Juanita MORE!, B.A.R.’s new society columnist, and Steve Fabus of Go Bang. (Attendees must be 21 or over.) Don’t miss it. t

A FREE EVENT CELEBRATING

THE LGBTQ BEST OF THE BAY

Join us on Friday, April 13

Celebrate this year's best in Community, Businesses, and Nightlife at the annual Bay Area Reporter Besties Readers' Choice party. No long speeches, just fun. Performers include MCs Leigh Crow & Ruby Vixenn with Kitten on the Keys, plus singers Connie Champagne, Jason Brock, Alex U. Inn with KINGDOM, and a special drag comedy sketch with Jef Valentine, Trixxie Carr and Lady Pirhana! Enjoy food and DJs Juanita MORE! and Steve Fabus (Go BANG!). Friday, April 13, 2018 6:00-9:00pm at Oasis, 289 11th St.

2018 BESTIES SPONSORS

AsiaSF turns 20

Lots to do in Phoenix

ARTS

Angels in America

Best Peeps & Places

The

www.ebar.com

Since 1971, the newspaper of record for the San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ community

Frida Kahlo Way selected for City College street by Alex Madison

rida Kahlo Way may be the new name of Phelan Avenue, a threeblock street that runs through City College of San Francisco’s Ocean campus, by the end of the year. Rick Gerharter San Francisco Supervisor Norman Yee, A painting of who represents the Frida Kahlo sits area, announced April in the window of 4 that the renaming Pixie Hall Studios committee, which in- in Noe Valley. cluded Phelan Avenue residents, voted in favor of naming the street after the famous bisexual Mexican artist, who died in 1954. James Duval Phelan is a former United States senator and San Francisco mayor whose legacy is fraught with racism and xenophobia. His famous campaign slogan, “Keep California White,” was used during his senatorial re-election campaign in 1920 to further anti-immigration in California, particularly of Asian people. Although the street is technically named after James Duval Phelan’s banker father, James Phelan, the association was enough to prompt its removal by Yee, who has been working for more than a year to get it changed. “The significance of this is that the street is right in front of City College, where thousands of students walk through every day,” Yee said in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “To leave the name there is saying our current values and culture supports that view.” Yee now plans to introduce a resolution to change the street name, at which point San Francisco Public Works will circulate it among various city departments for review, including the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. It will then head to the supervisors’ land use and transportation committee before going to the full board for approval. Yee said the process can take anywhere from six to nine months. Once approved, Frida Kahlo Way will appear alongside Phelan Avenue on all street signs for five years, ensuring the street residents have enough time to make changes. Yee said some residents voiced concern over the inconvenience of the street rename, but many are still on board for the Phelan removal. Residents had the chance to vote for four names, including Freedom Way, after AfricanAmerican dancer and writer Thelma Johnson Streat; Chinese-American historian and community activist Him Mark Lai; and Muwekma Ohlone, an indigenous tribe from the Bay Area. See page 29 >>

Vol. 48 • No. 15 • April 12-18, 2018

40 years ago, San Francisco adopted historic gay rights law

by Matthew S. Bajko

orty years ago this week San Francisco adopted the most sweeping gay rights protections of any city in the country. Known as the Human Rights Ordinance, it banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, and public accommodations in the private sector. With the stroke of his pen at a City Hall signing ceremony April 11, 1978, then-mayor George Moscone signed the historic measure into law. The new rules went into effect 30 days later on May 11. It was not only a significant achievement for the progressive Moscone, long a champion of the LGBT community, but also for Supervisor Harvey Milk, whose election five months prior had marked the first time a major American city had elected an openly gay person to public office. Milk had co-sponsored the gay rights measure with fellow freshman supervisor Carol Ruth Silver and supervisor Bob Gonzales, who was listed as its lead author. “What we did in that ordinance that Harvey and I and George put together ... what we did was really quite revolutionary,” recalled Silver in a recent phone interview with the Bay Area

Courtesy of Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library

An archived copy of the Bay Area Reporter’s coverage from April 1978 shows then-mayor George Moscone signing the historic Human Rights Ordinance as gay Supervisor Harvey Milk looks on.

See page 22 >>

Milk plaza redesign reverts to old entrance by David-Elijah Nahmod

ew proposals for the redesign of Harvey Milk Plaza have put the entrance back at Castro Street, like it currently is, eliminating one of the most frequent criticisms of the project. Earlier, the design by Perkins Eastman, which won an online vote last year, had the entrance facing Collingwood Street. Critics pointed out that the proposed entrance was close to residences and meant people using Muni would have to walk an extra block to reach the train station. Around 75 people met in the basement of Most Holy Redeemer Church April 7 to offer feedback on what will ultimately become the final design for the new Harvey Milk Plaza. The redesigned plaza is to be built at the entrance to the Castro Muni station. Also in attendance were Justin Skoda and McCall Wood of Perkins Eastman, the architecture and design firm that will be creating the plaza’s final design. Skoda and Wood brought Rick Gerharter four potential designs to the meeting. Wood said that the final design would in- Justin Skoda from Perkins Eastman architects describes one of the four design proposals clude parts of each proposal. All four proposals for Harvey Milk Plaza before a crowd of Castro area neighbors April 7. eliminated the idea of having the entrance to the Castro,” he said. “In a neighborhood that has the plaza and train station facing Collingwood the audience. Attendees, divided into groups of seven to 10, were seated at tables. national and international significance it’s so exStreet, the residential side street a block over Gay District 8 supervisor candidate Rafael citing to see so many people participating, not just from Castro Street. Mandelman was in attendance. in one meeting, but in a whole series of meetings.” Each of the proposals was projected onto a “This is one of the most important spaces in screen as Skoda and Wood described them to See page 29 >>

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

<< Community News

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 12-18, 2018

HIV TREATMENT SUBSTITUTION RESEARCH STUDY The LGBTQ-focused national Give OUT Day is April 19.

Get ready for Give OUT Day compiled by Cynthia Laird

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t’s almost time for Give OUT Day, the national day of giving for the LGBTQ community that takes place Thursday, April 19, from midnight to 11:59 p.m. Throughout the daylong event, thousands of people make gifts to support a diverse array of LGBTQ nonprofits, ranging from social service agencies to health care organizations to advocacy groups. Community centers, arts groups, and sports leagues also take part. Now a project of San Francisco-based Horizons Foundation, Give OUT Day has become an important tool in helping raise awareness and funds for LGBTQ nonprofits. Last year it raised more than $750,000 from more than 10,000 individual donors. Organizers hope to raise $1 million this year. Participating groups often revamp their social media sites, posting short videos about their work and why a financial donation is important. Participating nonprofits can also sign up to win one of 11 different leaderboard prizes, which are used to generate excitement during the day. For more information, visit https://www.giveoutday.org/c/GO.

Judicial forum at Golden Gate University

The candidates for four San Francisco Superior Court seats will meet at a forum Thursday (April 12) at 5:30 p.m. at Golden Gate University, 536 Mission Street, Room 2202 (between First and Second streets). Organized by the university’s law school students, this may be the only public event regarding the judicial races. Four incumbent judges – Andrew Cheng, Curtis Karnow, Cynthia Lee, and Jeff Ross – have drawn challengers from four deputy public defenders – Phoenix Streets, Maria Elena Evangelista, Kwixuan Hart Maloof, and Nicole Judith Solis. Another candidate, Elizabeth Zareh, is also running against Lee.

Bakery files appeal over formula retail

The ongoing battle of the longtime Castro cafe Sweet Inspiration to stay in the neighborhood continues, with the now-closed bakery appealing a city determination that the eatery violated the planning department guidelines for formula retail. The cafe, which closed in February, was fined more than $2,600 for illegally using the Ike’s Place sandwich shop advertising and marketing materials. Last year, celebrity chef Ryan Scott and Ike Shehadeh of Ike’s Place bought the cafe from previous owner Michael Colder. Scott and Shehadeh opened on New Year’s Day, but the planning department quickly issued a notice of violation, the second time the city

determined that the cafe violated local guidelines for chain stores, defined as any business with 11 or more locations. The San Francisco Board of Appeals heard the matter April 11.

Out of Site postpones tour

Although it had sold out shows in North Beach in March, Out of Site, a performance event and walking tour, has canceled its Tenderloin tours scheduled for May 12-13 and 26-27. It does, however, plan to run weekend performances in North Beach in tandem with San Francisco Pride June 23-24 and in the Tenderloin in the fall, although exact dates for both locations have not been set. Under the direction of Seth Eisen, founder and artistic director of Eye Zen Presents, the theater company behind Out of Site, the company canceled its shows to pay the performers a higher rate for future performances. John Hill, spokesman for Eye Zen Presents, said the cancellation will allow the company to fundraise for its actors, dancers, musicians, and artist performers. “The company came to a collective decision under the direction of Seth Eisen that it was important to pay all of the artists more,” he said. “The artists were paid at a lower level than they were happy with when the show mounted, so we canceled to fundraise for higher pay for future performances.” As the Bay Area Reporter previously noted, the performances focus on specific LGBTQ figures, places, and significant cultural moments. Each of the tours stops at four to six locations, where audiences experience site-specific performances that are as entertaining as they are valuable with theater, dance, puppetry, live music, and lots of interaction with the audience. For more information, and to donate to Out of Site, visit http:// www.eyezen.org/donate/.

Chung to receive Phoenix Award

Cecilia Chung, a human rights and community activist, will receive the Phoenix Award from the Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community at its Lunar New Year Banquet Saturday, April 21, in Oakland. Chung, a transgender woman who is HIV-positive and sits on the San Francisco Health Commission, is a senior director of strategic projects at the Transgender Law Center. She is a founding producer of the Trans March and formerly headed the board that oversees the San Francisco Pride parade and celebration. APIQWTC was formed in 1999 as a means of networking and communicating among the Bay Area queer women’s and transgender organizations and community members. It is the largest Asian lesbian See page 29 >>

Doing the Hard Work

We have poor, mentally unstable, addicted human beings living on our streets, it costs our city hundreds of millions a year, and we are still failing to fix the problem. All of us have had enough. Homelessness is the biggest concern in this upcoming Mayoral election, and it should be. The homeless crisis diverts money and resources away from their primary purposes, while shifting spending and staffing priorities from where they should be. Police Officers spend their day acting as social workers, when they should be policing. Department of Public Works serves as a disposal company, when its employees should spend their days beautifying the City and maintaining it.

I fixed homelessness before and I will do it again as your next Mayor, because we need to end this crisis now. As Heather Knight’s recent SF Chronicle article explained — My Ten-Year Plan moved 11,362 homeless adults into permanent supportive housing. “...the city’s “Ten Year Plan to Abolish Chronic Homelessness,” an initiative begun by then-Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2004 and crafted by a council headed by Alioto. “By 2014, the city had moved 11,362 homeless single adults into permanent supportive housing. Another 8,806 were given bus tickets home to receptive family members or friends through the city’s Homeward Bound program. (Hey, any real politician would have taken credit for those, too. Come on, Angela!) “Obviously, all that effort was great, but it made little dent in the city’s stubborn, increasingly in-your-face homeless population. Alioto says that’s exactly why she wants voters to send her to Room 200 in June. Angela’s experience, drive, and

passion to improve the lives of all San Franciscans is unmatched in this race. She will rise above the petty, divisive politics in City Hall and find solutions to the issues that affect all of us.

www.aliotoformayor.com

“She thinks the city’s much-hyped Navigation Centers — more relaxed, service -rich homeless shelters — are OK, but the city needs to focus far more on permanent housing solutions so people don’t wind up back on the streets. “Or you might as well just throw the money away,” Alioto said, adding she would focus her first 100 days as mayor on cleaning the streets and moving those in tents inside. “It would be me actually doing the hard work, and it is hard work,” she said. “Now that would make a good billboard.” —SF Chronicle, Heather Knight, March 19, 2018

Angela

ALIOTO FOR

M AYO R

Paid for by Angela Alioto for Mayor 2018 Financial disclosures available at sfethics.org

<< Business News

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 12-18, 2018

AsiaSF and its trans performers mark 20 years by Matthew S. Bajko

wenty years ago business partners Larry Hashbarger and Skip Young took a chance on opening a restaurant featuring transgender cabaret performers who doubled as waitresses at a corner space on Ninth Street in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood. Today, the area outside AsiaSF’s doors has undergone a massive transformation fueled by the expansion of Silicon Valley into the heart of the city. Mere blocks away from the venue are offices for tech industry titans Twitter, Uber, and LinkedIn. New housing developments for workers and college students have gone up, with a condo project set to break ground across the street from AsiaSF on a former gas station that had been a parking lot when the entertainment spot first opened the night of Friday, April 17, 1998. “The neighborhood tended to be more transient back in those days. Now it is full of young techies,” noted Hashbarger, 66, who is the chairman and CEO of AsiaSF. “Like the whole city of San Francisco, it has changed dramatically in 20 years.” When he first walked into the multi-level space – a downstairs lounge doubles as a nightclub on weekends – Hashbarger sensed it would prove to be the ideal location for the business, which was inspired by a dance party he and Young promoted known as Club Asia. “I just knew it. That building is 110 years old. It was the first building built in SOMA after the 1906 earthquake,” said Hashbarger, who, for 35 years, worked as the director of special productions for Macy’s and oversaw its annual Passport fashion show that raised money for AIDS causes. “It has quite an illustrious history.” With two decades under its belt, and more than one million customers coming through the doors, AsiaSF is undergoing a transformation of its own. Gone are the Chinese lanterns and bamboo décor for a more modern aesthetic that will be rolled out in the coming weeks. An all new LED light and sound system has been installed. It will debut Tuesday, April 17, when AsiaSF throws an invite-only party to mark its 20th anniversary. “For me, this celebration is not

Courtesy AsiaSF

AsiaSF was decked out in balloons for its 2017 New Year’s Eve party.

just acknowledging and recognizing 20 years in business. More importantly, it is looking to the future and what is the next 20 years of AsiaSF going to be,” said Hashbarger. “We want to continue to build these connections with people through what we do and continue to support the transgender community.” Tita Aida, who has worked as a performer at AsiaSF since 2000, said the secret to its success is very simple. “The whole idea of a restaurant that offers good food and a unique form of entertainment by the transgender community is, I think, the formula for AsiaSF going this long,” she said. Since its opening, the venue has hired between 50 and 60 transgender women – Hashbarger said he has lost count – to be the “Ladies of AsiaSF,” with two of the original employees, Trina and Vivica, still performing several nights a month. “The exciting thing for me is we have three new girls we just hired,” noted Hashbarger. “It is a very involved audition process, much like ‘American Idol.’ We do call backs, and then those that are selected are brought in as part of the AsiaSF family.” For the 20th anniversary, AsiaSF and its dinner show choreographer, Ronnie Reddick, have put together a brand new set. The trio of new performers will help debut the retooled show at next week’s party. “We are always adding new numbers,” said Hashbarger, a gay man who has dressed up in drag on Halloween but has never performed at AsiaSF. The venue’s performers, originally described as “gender illusionists,” are

not drag queens, noted Hashbarger. They are all transgender women, a number of whom were featured over the two seasons of the reality show “Transcendent” that originally ran on Fuse TV. It took seven years of shopping the pilot around Hollywood before Fuse executives bought the show, recalled Hashbarger. While one of the cable channel’s highest rated programs, it was canceled after two seasons. But a whole new audience has been finding it via reruns on the subscription service Hulu and making their way to AsiaSF. The restaurant, one of the first to feature Cal-Asian fusion cuisine, draws both national and international tourists. Many say it is on their bucket list of things to do in town, said Hashbarger, along with seeing the Golden Gate Bridge and the long-running musical revue “Steve Silver’s Beach Blanket Babylon.” “More people have seen the show on Hulu than ever did on Fuse. We have people come in all the time and tell us they can’t wait for season three,” he said. As of now there are no plans for a third season, though that could change if AsiaSF opens a second location in Palm Springs. Hashbarger told the Bay Area Reporter this week that the co-owners – along with him and Young, longtime employee Aaron Nelson bought an ownership stake in 2010 and is now president and COO – are close to finalizing a deal for a space in a new building in the gay desert mecca. If they do, Hashbarger believes opening the new AsiaSF would provide great material for a revival of “Transcendent.” “Palm Springs is having such a renaissance,” he noted. “We’ve done a ton of research over the last year

to make sure it is the right market for us.” Having taken a leap in opening a restaurant that celebrates “human diversity” and transgender women, long before transgender rights had gained mainstream attention, Hashbarger still marvels that AsiaSF was embraced from the day it opened and has remained a success. “We are still so blessed,” he said. AsiaSF is open Wednesday through Sunday. The first dinner show on most nights is at 7:15 p.m. (5 p.m. Saturday) and welcomes those under 21. Later shows are for patrons 21 and over. Prices vary based on the time and day of show and size of the party. For more information about AsiaSF, or to make a reservation online, visit https://asiasf.com/.

Courtesy Rainbow Honor Walk

Nathan Allen, Walmart senior manager corporate communications and cochair of the retailer’s PRIDE Associate Resource Group, is flanked by Kathy Amendola and David Perry of the Rainbow Honor Walk during a March 12 presentation at Catch Restaurant of a $10,000 donation to the all-volunteer nonprofit Rainbow Honor Walk.

Honor Roll

After taking part in a history tour of San Francisco’s gay Castro district, a Walmart employee arranged for the company to donate $10,000 toward the Rainbow Honor Walk. The project has been honoring deceased LGBT luminaries with bronze plaques embedded in the sidewalks of the gayborhood. Nathan Allen, co-chair of the Walmart PRIDE Associate

Resource Group, had signed up for one of the Castro Walking Tours given by owner Kathy Amendola. As part of the tour, Amendola discussed the honor walk project, on whose board she sits. Impressed by the project’s scope and impact, Allen convinced the giant chain retailer to financially support it and presented honor walk leaders with a check in early March. In addition to overseeing the LGBT employee group, Allen is the senior manager for corporate communications at Walmart’s Global eCommerce division based in San Bruno. “This is such a fantastic organization, in how it’s honoring notable LGBT community members throughout history with sidewalk plaques in our beloved Castro neighborhood,” stated Allen. “Our company and our PRIDE [Associate Resource Group] are committed to giving back to the communities we serve, and we couldn’t be happier to support the work of the Rainbow Honor Walk.” Since 2014 the honor walk has seen 28 plaques be installed along the 400 and 500 blocks of Castro Street, a portion of 19th Street, and the 2300 block of Market Street. Last November saw the installation of the newest plaques, including those for gay Iranian poet Fereydoun Farakzhad, lesbian lawmaker Barbara Jordan, and gay Japanese-American civil rights activist Kiyoshi Kuromiya. Eventually, promoters of the project would like to see it extend north along Market Street to Octav ia Boulevard, where the LGBT community center is located. The next 16 plaques are slated to debut this June during Pride month if the honor walk board raises another $70,000. Each 3 foot by 3 foot bronze plaque costs $7,000 to produce. For more information about the Rainbow Honor Walk, as well as a list of all of the honorees, visit http://www.rainbowhonorwalk.org. t Got a tip on LGBT business news? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or e-mail m.bajko@ ebar.com.

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<< Open Forum

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 12-18, 2018

Volume 48, Number 15 April 12-18, 2018 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Alex Madison CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani Christina DiEdoardo • Richard Dodds Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone David Guarino • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • Juanita MORE! David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Sean Piverger • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Adam Sandel • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Tony Taylor • Sari Staver Jim Stewart • Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez Ronn Vigh • Charlie Wagner • Ed Walsh Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan Steven Underhil • Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini

Mayor Farrell misses the boat S

an Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell last week decided not to re-nominate a qualified lesbian commissioner. We don’t know the reason why Leslie Katz, a former supervisor and LGBT community leader for more than two decades, was summarily dismissed from the Port Commission, but we think the mayor has missed an opportunity to keep a valued LGBT leader on a city commission. According to news reports, the mayor wanted Assessor-Recorder Carmen Chu on the San Francisco Retirement System board, and to do that he needed to remove someone. That person was Victor Makras, who was named to a vacancy on the Port Commission. But then, Farrell also named Gail Gilman, CEO of Community Housing Partnership, to the Port Commission seat held by Katz. We asked the mayor for a comment when the story broke last week, and received a onesentence reply that thanked Katz for her service to the city. Gilman already serves on the Department of Building Inspection Commission. From what we know, Katz, who served on the panel for seven years, was an active member of the commission. She and fellow Oakland Port Commissioner Michael Colbruno started an affinity group for LGBT port commissioners and management staff. There aren’t many out LGBTs involved with the state’s various ports – the maritime industry is not known as being particularly LGBT-friendly – and now there is one less, with Katz’s term set to expire next month. While the Port of San Francisco is overseen by Executive Director Elaine Forbes, a lesbian, Katz was the only LGBT commissioner. According to a “Gender Analysis of San Francisco Commissions and Boards” that was published in December by the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, it’s estimated that between 4.6 and 7 percent of the city’s population is LGBT. Data on sexual orientation and gender identity was available for 240 commissioners and 132 board appointees. Overall, about 17 percent of appointees to commissions and boards are LGBT, which is good. However, it would be troubling indeed if Farrell continues

by Cleve Jones

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SFPD just can’t quit ‘faggots’

Bias against minorities is still rife in the San Francisco Police Department, judging from Public Defender Jeff Adachi’s news conference Tuesday when it was revealed that a police

officer-turned-whistleblower alleged he’s been the target of retaliation after reporting racial and religious discrimination by fellow officers. Included in the public defender’s findings, the officer claims he witnessed another officer “repeatedly call his colleagues ‘faggots’ and yell the slur at a rideshare driver.” Really? Now SFPD’s finest are bullying drivers? (Adachi’s office isn’t releasing the officer’s name for safety reasons.) The numerous investigations of the department over the years – a blue ribbon panel, the U.S. Department of Justice, Adachi’s office, and others – have resulted in recommendations for reform and the adoption of best practices. Yet still, about once a year, Adachi goes before the cameras with new findings of discrimination, harassment, or other wrongdoing. As Adachi’s office noted, and as we reported earlier this year, this isn’t the first current or former officer to face alleged retaliation. The city of San Francisco settled a lawsuit with lesbian retired Officer Patricia Burley for $100,000. Burley claimed she was forced to retire after she blew the whistle on another gay officer’s criminal conduct. In that case, former Officer Michael Evans was accused of stealing more than $16,000 from the LGBT police officers Pride Alliance when he served as treasurer. Evans eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor grand theft and was sentenced to community service and three years probation. He has since left the state. According to Adachi, an African-American lieutenant, Yulanda Williams, spoke out in 2015 against bigotry in the department after being the target of racist texts sent by SFPD officers, for which the powerful San Francisco Police Officers Association denounced Williams, and denied any racism in the ranks or police practices. It’s deeply disturbing that SFPD continues to have these egregious patterns of bias. For some reason, officers continue to feel free to use the slur “faggot.” It’s also obvious that department brass still haven’t made the department more welcoming to officers of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and gender identities. The San Francisco Police Commission and Chief William Scott need to get to the bottom of what’s at best a few “bad apples,” and at worst systemic racism in a department that polices a diverse population. t

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replacing LGBT commissioners. The community has worked hard to recruit qualified candidates for years, and now that we’re well represented, we must be vigilant to backsliding. Katz has served the city with distinction over the years. She was a leading supporter of then-supervisor Tom Ammiano’s groundbreaking equal benefits ordinance. When the city reverted to district elections in 2000 and Katz learned she would have to run against Ammiano or move to another district, she announced she would not seek another term on the Board of Supervisors. She left the board when her term ended in 2001 and was the last out lesbian on it. The Board of Supervisors’ rules committee was set to vote on the new appointments Wednesday, but delayed Gilman’s nomination for two weeks. But no matter what the committee does – table the nominees or refer them to the full board – Gilman still needs the votes of at least six supervisors to be confirmed to the Port Commission seat. We urge Gilman to withdraw her name the mayor to re-nominate Katz for another term. Gay former supervisors David Campos and Bevan Dufty sent a letter to the rules committee, urging that Katz not be replaced as a member of the commission and that the matter be tabled until a new mayor takes office after the June 5 election. “We feel it would be very unfortunate if Leslie were removed from the Port Commission when her contribution is valued and she is able and willing to serve,” Campos and Dufty wrote. We hope Farrell’s recent action is a onetime occurrence. As mayor, he has the power to nominate whomever he wants to serve on commissions as seats come up for appointment, but we think he made the wrong call by not re-nominating Katz.

ovember 27, 2018 will be the 40th anniversary of the assassinations of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. Their contributions to our city are remembered and honored in many ways, including the Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Memorial Branch Library, the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy, and the George R. Moscone Convention Center. Milk’s life occupies a unique place in the history of LGBTQ people and has been celebrated by Academy Award-winning films, operas, plays, books, and most recently, by the Board of Supervisors’ decision to designate Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport as Harvey Milk Terminal. Thousands of couples – gay and straight alike – have been married in front of Milk’s statue in City Hall, and his name is invoked all over the world whenever LGBTQ people are fighting for our rights. While Milk has become a legendary figure, those of us who knew him when he was alive remember him first as a friend and neighbor – a man who cared deeply about his community and who thought constantly of ways to strengthen and nurture the bonds that connect and empower us. From his little camera shop on Castro Street, Milk dreamed of a place where LGBTQ people could live, work, prosper, and change the world. The Castro is a much different place today. Many thousands of the young gay men who flocked to our neighborhood in the 1970s and 1980s lost their lives to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The skyrocketing cost of real estate has forced thousands more to leave in search of affordable housing. Many of Milk’s contemporaries have been evicted, and fewer young people earn enough to live here. It’s been many years since tens of thousands

Rick Gerharter

Castro Street was packed for last year’s Castro Street Fair. Members of the board that runs the fair are soliciting new ideas for this year’s event and will hold a community meeting next Saturday.

of revelers in outrageous costumes filled the street for Halloween. Pink Saturday’s massive celebrations are but a distant memory. Both were eventually ended because of violence breaking out. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence relocated their Easter Sunday Hunky Jesus contest and party to Golden Gate Park after the renovation of Dolores Park. But Milk’s dream lives on in Castro Street and the Victorian homes of the surrounding neighborhood. We are reminded of it daily, heading for Muni Metro at Harvey Milk Plaza, beneath Gilbert Baker’s giant rainbow flag, and every October with the Castro Street Fair that he founded in 1974. It’s important that the Castro Street Fair continue, not just because Milk started it, not

only for the money it raises for our community’s benefit, but because it helps maintain the character of our neighborhood. The volunteers who serve on the board of directors of the Castro Street Fair are asking for our assistance to re-imagine and reinvigorate the fair. They invite all of us who care about the fair to join them at a public forum Saturday, April 21, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Eureka Valley Recreation Center, 100 Collingwood Street. Bring your own dreams, ideas, and creative energy. Forty years after Milk’s death, his party on Castro Street lives on. t Castro resident Cleve Jones is a longtime AIDS and LGBTQ activist and founder of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. He is also the author of “When We Rise,” a memoir that was partly the inspiration for last year’s ABC miniseries of the same name.

Politics>>

April 12-18, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

Gay attorney leads CA judicial review panel by Matthew S. Bajko

consumers and the environment. I’m glad to endorse him for insurance commissioner.”

gay attorney from San Francisco is the new leader of a judicial review panel responsible for evaluating those nominated by California’s governor to fill vacancies on the state courts. David W. Fermino, a partner with Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, this week took over as chair of the Judicial Nominee Evaluation (JNE) Commission for the State Bar of California. For the last year Fermino has served as vice chair of the commission, which he joined in 2014. The gavel will be passed to Fermino Friday, April 13, when the commission meets at the State Bar of California’s San Francisco office to discuss and vote on the recent slate of candidates Governor Jerry Brown has nominated for appointment to the bench in California and other matters. “I believe that the state of California and its judiciary are best served by judges who reflect diversity in geography, practice area, practice environment, gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation,” stated Fermino. “Governor Brown has made enormous strides in shaping a judiciary that all Californians can take pride in, and I hope to work with whomever his successor is in continuing this worthwhile goal.” During Brown’s second term in 1979, he nominated the first openly gay judge to the state bench. Since being re-elected eight years ago, Brown has continued to make judicial history by appointing the first gay and lesbian appellate court justices in the state and the first out judges to superior courts across the state. As the Bay Area Reporter noted in March, there are at least 56 LGBT jurists now serving on the state’s appellate and trial courts. And Brown, between 2011 and 2017, appointed 27 of them. Now in his last year in office, Brown could make history again if he nominates one of the four out appellate court justices in the state or another LGBT attorney to the vacant seat on the California Supreme Court, which has never had an out jurist on it. According to Wikipedia, 10 states since 2003 have seen LGBT people serve on their supreme courts. Brown could also name the first transgender appellate court justice in the country if he nominates Alameda County Superior Court Judge Victoria Kolakowski to fill a vacancy on one of the state’s six appellate courts. Kolakowski, who is married to B.A.R. news editor Cynthia Laird, announced via Facebook last month that she had applied with the governor’s office to be considered. Before Brown can nominate Kolakowski or any other potential judge, Fermino and the other members of the JNE commission are required to grade their judicial acumen. Its evaluations of judicial candidates on whether or not they are qualified are then sent to the governor, who can choose to ignore its findings.

Castro eatery pours political punch

Attorney David W. Fermino

In order to see greater diversification of the state bench, a diverse judicial applicant pool is needed. As the JNE chair, Fermino plans to make it a priority to encourage members of the legal community, who have been traditionally underrepresented in the California judiciary, to apply to be a judge. He also wants the commission to do a better job of being “as transparent as possible” about its process and “to provide information on what to expect from the commission should the governor request an evaluation,” according to a statement about his becoming chair. In 1987 Fermino graduated from Washington University School of Law. He clerked for now retired United States District Judge George N. Leighton of the Northern District of Illinois. Fermino served as a federal public defender in both San Francisco and Los Angeles before going into private practice.

Governor backs gay statewide candidate

Brown gave a significant boost Wednesday to gay state Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) by endorsing his bid to be elected the first openly LGBT person to serve in the state’s executive branch of government. Lara, a proponent of moving the state’s health care system to a single-payer model, is facing a tough campaign for the open insurance commissioner position. The incumbent, Dave Jones, is term-limited from seeking reelection this year, and Lara finds himself running against two wellfinanced candidates in the June 5 primary, where only the top two vote-getters will advance to the November general election. Dr. Asif Mahmood dropped his bid for lieutenant governor to instead vie for insurance commissioner, while former Republican Steve Poizner is running as an independent to be re-elected to the position he held between 2007 and 2011. Republican Peter Kuo, a Santa Clara insurance agent, suspended his campaign last month. The Mercury News and East Bay Times editorial boards last weekend endorsed Poizner in the race. In a statement released by Lara’s campaign, Brown noted that Lara “has been a leader in the state Senate. He has fought to expand access to health care and to protect

Aiming to drum up interest in the special election on the primary ballot for San Francisco mayor, gay-owned Castro restaurant Finn Town is serving up a drink menu inspired by “once and future” occupants of Room 200 at City Hall Mixologist R.M. Richards has created a special spring menu of cocktails named after former mayors and several of this year’s mayoral contenders. Supporters of former supervisor and state lawmaker Mark Leno, aiming to be the first LGBT person elected mayor, can order up a “Marky Mark,” made with tequila, mezcal, luxardo, and lime. Backers of Board of Supervisors President London Breed, who briefly served as acting mayor upon the death December 12 of the late mayor Ed Lee, can nurse a “London Calling,” a mix of botanical gin, fresh lemon, orgeat, and egg white. Fans of District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim can sip “the Kimster,” a concoction of Cynar, grapefruit, and bitters. Those voting for former supervisor Angela Alioto, who disclosed at a forum co-hosted by the B.A.R. that she doesn’t drink alcohol, can sling back a “Straight from the Heart,” comprised of aged rum, Pimms, ginger and fresh citrus. Three former mayors who were supporters of LGBT rights during their terms in office are being honored with cocktails. Willie Brown’s drink, dubbed “Da’ Mayor,” is a mix of vodka, Kahlua, vanilla, and espresso. The late George Moscone is the inspiration for the “Moscone Mule,” made with vodka, lime, ginger beer, and Angostura bitters. Gavin Newsom, now the state’s lieutenant governor and a frontrunner in this year’s gubernatorial race, is the lone politician with a nonalcoholic beverage named after them. Called “The Gavinator,” a blend of citrus, house grenadine, and soda, it is a subtle reminder of Newsom’s swearing off liquor during his mayoralty after his affair with a staffer was disclosed. An owner of liquor shops, wineries, restaurants, and nightclubs through his Plumpjack Hospitality Group, Newsom has said in recent interviews he does drink, in particular wines. The specialty cocktails have been rolled out with a new “Happy Hour Bar Bites” menu available from 5 to 7 p.m. weekdays. Finn Town is located at 2251 Market Street. t

Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http://www.ebar.com Monday mornings at noon for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reported on a GOP official using the term “traditional values” to smear lesbian Assemblywoman Susan T. Eggman (D-Stockton). Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes. Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com

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<< Travel

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 12-18, 2018

Summer deals coming soon to Phoenix by Ed Walsh

hoenix just wrapped up a successful LGBT Pride event that saw a record crowd of more than 37,000. Tourism officials hope those Pride visitors checking out the city for the first time will make it a habit to return. As you might have guessed, the early Pride is to avoid marching during the hot summer months. While it is too hot to hold a parade in the summer, it is a good time to be pampered at a luxury resort on the cheap. After Memorial Day, rates at most of the Greater Phoenix area resorts are

about a third of what they would be during high season. Many offer deals that include food, beverage, and spa credits. The resort hotels are popular with locals on weekend staycations, so you can often find the deepest discounts on weekdays. Hotels undergoing renovations often will discount ever further. In previous years, some resorts have offered deals of less than $100 with waived resort fees and food and spa credits. You can stay at a very high-end hotel for less than a cheap hotel in San Francisco. Besides lounging at the pool, there are plenty of things to do in Phoenix

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in the summer. The city has some first-rate museums, including the Heard Museum, dedicated to Native American art and artifacts; the Musical Instrument Museum, which opened just eight years ago and is the largest museum of its type in the world; and the Phoenix Art Museum, the largest visual arts museum in the Southwest. At 1.5 million residents, Phoenix recently edged out Philadelphia as the nation’s fifth largest city. The Phoenix metropolitan area (pop. 4.2 million) includes the popular tourist cities of Tempe and Scottsdale. Downtown Phoenix has seen a renewal as more millennials ditch their cars for the city’s very walkable downtown that artfully combines new and old architecture with an old-west theme. Roosevelt Row in the heart of downtown is a great example of the city’s revitalization. It is now one of the trendiest parts of the city, dotted with art galleries and murals. The neighborhood hosts a monthly first Friday self-guided art tour from 6 to 10 p.m. More than 70 art galleries and other art spaces are open to the public and free shuttle buses take visitors to different art districts and to the Phoenix Art Museum. Even in the summer, an earlymorning hike is doable most days in Phoenix – just be sure to bring plenty of water. One of the most popular hikes is Camelback Mountain. The name comes from its appearance that, from afar, looks like a kneeling camel. The mountain’s two trails are Echo Canyon and Cholla, the latter taking longer but it is less steep and easier to navigate. The Desert Botanical Garden is an attraction not to be missed in Phoenix. The 50-acre space is a spectacular collection of desert plants, including giant saguaros cactus plants that are only seen in the Sonoran Desert.

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Tempe

Arizona State University is based in Tempe and is the largest public university in the country, with an enrollment of 72,000. Like most college towns, it supports an abundance of restaurants, bars, and concert venues. It is like a bigger Berkeley but with an old west flavor. It is also cleaner, with less visible panhandling and homelessness than the Bay Area. The city is on the Salt River and the Tempe Town Lake is a damned off section of Kid’s the river that gives the city a beautiful Hybrid/City Hybrid/City Kid’s backdrop, as well as lake activities like kayaking and paddleboarding. Tempe is a very walkable city and it’s easy to get around without a car. A light rail system runs from the Phoenix airport, through downtown Kid’ Hybrid/City Kid’s Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa. You can ride the light rail all day for $4. Tempe Road Mountain Mountainand Phoenix also have a bike-sharing Road program called the Grid Bike, similar Now Open Thursday to 7pm! to the Ford Bikes in San Francisco. If Now Open Thursday to 7pm! Now Open Thursday to 7pm! you are going to use a bicycle all day you can rent one at the Bicycle CelEvery Thursday in April between 4 & 7pm Every Thursday April between 4 & 7pm Every Thursday in April between 4 &in7pm lar in downtown Tempe next to the take 20% OFF all parts, accessories & clothing.* take 20% OFF all & parts, accessories & clothing.* city’s transportation center. Tempe take 20% OFF all parts, accessories clothing.* Road Mountain one of the most bicycle-friendly limited toisstock hand. *Sales limited to stock on *Sales hand. *Sales limited to stock ononhand. places on earth with 175 miles of bike Now Open Thursday to 7pm! trails. One of the most popular is in Papago Park, just across the town lake from downtown. Tempe, Phoenix, Every Thursday in April between 4 & 7pm and Scottsdale meet in that expansive take 20% OFF all parts, accessories & clothing.* park. Biking is one of the best ways to *Sales limited to stock on hand. explore the park. Tempe is home to ASU Gammage, 1065 (Btwn & 107721st Valencia 1065 & 1077 Valencia & 22nd(Btwn St.) •21st SF & 22nd St.) • SF a performing arts theater on the ASU SALES 415-550-6600 • REPAIRS 415-550-6601campus. The Frank Lloyd Wright SALES 415-550-6600 • REPAIRS 415-550-6601 1065 & 1077 Valencia (Btwn 21st 22nd St.) • SF landmark building has a capacMon.-10-7, Sat. Sun. 10-6,11-5 Thu.&10-7, Sun. 11-5 Mon.- Sat. 10-6, Thu. of a little over 3,000 and regularly SALES 415-550-6600 • REPAIRS 415-550-6601 ity hosts Broadway plays and concerts. 1065 & 1065 1077Valencia Valencia (Between 21st &St.) 22nd St.)11-5 SF Mon.- (Bewteen Sat. 10-6, 10-7, Sun. 21stThu. & 22nd SF By comparison, San Francisco’s Orpheum Theatre holds 2,200. The city Mon-Sat 10-6, Sun 11-5 SALES 415 550-6600 • REPAIRS 415 550-6601 1065 & 1077 Valencia (Btwn 21st & 22nd St.) • SF is home to a host of world-class muse415-550-6601 Mon.-Sat. 10-6, Thu. 10-7,415-550-6601 Sun 11-5 SALES 415-550-6600 • REPAIRS ums, including the ASU Art Museum Mon.- Sat. 10-6, Thu. 10-7, Sun. 11-5 and the Tempe History Museum.

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Ed Walsh

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Scottsdale

San Francisco Giants fans have grown to love Scottsdale Stadium, the home field for the Giants’ spring training. With a seating capacity of 12,000, the stadium is the third smallest of the 10 Cactus League stadiums, but as any Giants fan would tell you, the field’s location couldn’t be any better situated in the heart of Old Scottsdale. Old Scottsdale is very walkable. It has the Lime Bike bike-sharing program that can be used when users download an app, sign up, and unlock the bike remotely. The system is easier to use than Grid Bike because you can lock up the bike anywhere. Grid requires you to lock the bike at a docking station. Scottsdale has a population of 246,000 spread out over 184 square miles. The area around Scottsdale Stadium is known as Old Town Scottsdale and is a perfect combination of the feel of an old western town with tony restaurants, shops, and art galleries. Old Town Scottsdale is also home to BS West, a very popular gay bar. By the way, its initials are short for Breadsticks. It’s named after a long-closed bar in New York City.

Accommodations

Built in 1956 in a classic mid-century style, the Hotel Valley Ho is one of the most beautiful, hip resorts in the Greater Phoenix area. The hotel is just a short walk away from the heart of Old Scottsdale, so it’s very easy to get there without a car. The resort has a couple of pools, fitness center, spa, a bar, and one of Scottsdale’s best restaurants, ZuZu. The Royal Palms is one of Phoenix’s most luxurious resorts. The Hyatt property has 119 rooms, but it has the feel of a smaller boutique hotel in large part because the rooms

are spread out. As you enter the resort, you feel like you are walking into a picturesque Mexican hacienda with a stunningly landscaped garden patio. Amenities include a pool, spa, bar and the fabulous T Cook’s restaurant. Phoenix has a couple of hotels marketed to gay men: Royal Villa and the Arizona Sunburst Inn. Both are clothing optional. The Royal Villa is open for day passes, although its management is quick to point out that it is not a bathhouse. Both hotels offer bargain rates in the high season starting at $99 for the Royal Villa and $119 for the Arizona Sunburst.

Nightlife

The biggest concentration of LGBT nightlife is in Phoenix’s Melrose District, on the one-mile stretch of Seventh Avenue between Camelback and Indian School roads. In recognition of the gayborhood, and to encourage neighborhood pride, the city installed an arch five years ago at Indian School and Seventh. Among the gay bars you will find along that corridor are Stacy’s@Melrose, Boycott, Bunkhouse, Charlies Cruisin 7th, Off Chute Too, and the Rock. Phoenix also boasts a lesbian bar. It’s called the Cash Nightclub and Lounge, located about 4.5 miles southwest of the Melrose Seventh Avenue strip. It’s a big space with a big patio and plenty of free parking in front. t For a great guide and map of Phoenix’s LGBT nightlife, check out the map and guide in Echo magazine, the city’s LGBT publication, at https://echomag.com/bars. For more information on attractions and hotel suggestions in the Greater Phoenix area, check out the LGBT section of Phoenix tourism’s official website, https://www. visitphoenix.com/lgbt/. Contact the author at edwalsh94105@yahoo.com.

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<< Besties 2018

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 12-18, 2018

compiled by Cynthia Laird

Sari Staver

Castro Country Club Executive Director Billy Lemon

Besties LGBT Nonprofit

Castro Country Club

he Castro Country Club turns 35 this year, making its recognition as the best LGBT nonprofit from Bay Area Reporter readers even more special. The country club, located in the heart of the Castro, provides a safe space for the LGBT recovery community and provides opportunities for 12-step meetings. According to its website, the country club opened in April 1983. “For many people for whom alcohol and drug use have become a problem, there was a need for a place in the Castro to socialize and support one another,” the website states. “The Castro Country Club was formed to meet the needs of this community.” Billy Lemon, a gay man, took over as executive director in September 2016, after having worked in the club’s cafe. In an interview with the B.A.R. shortly after he started his new job, he credited the club with helping him get and stay sober. While the club began primarily as a safe place for LGBT people in recovery, it has seen an increasing number of straight allies using its services, as the neighborhood has changed. “Everyone is welcome,” Lemon said. Thousands of people have been helped over the last three and a half decades, and the country club’s services are just as necessary now.

“As San Francisco becomes more and more expensive, many neighborhood nonprofits are facing an uncertain future,” Lemon wrote in a recent email, commenting on the recognition. “The community that has supported the Castro Country Club for 35 years recognizes the importance of our sustained existence. Addiction is not a problem that will simply disappear by itself. We need supportive solutions. The Castro Country Club is just one of the many solutions on the continuum. We are proud the community recognizes our dedication to serve San Francisco.” This Saturday, April 14, the club will hold its drag pageant fundraiser, to crown a Miss/Mr. Castro Country Club. The event takes place from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at Everett Middle School, 450 Church Street, in San Francisco. Tickets are $10 at the door. Castro Country Club, 4058 18th Street, San Francisco, (415) 552-6102. castrocountryclub. org/. Runner-up Oakland LGBTQ Community Center

Best known for its Magnet sexual health services – including the popular PrEP program – Strut, which opened two years ago, is also home to Positive Force, the Elizabeth Taylor 50-Plus Network for men age 50 and over, the DREAAM Project for young African-Americans, the Stonewall substance use health program, and the Bridgemen volunteer program. “We are a diverse community and our diversity makes us stronger,” the agency says on its website. “We all have the right to health regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender orientation, HIV status, age or economic status. We share the responsibility for our individual health, the health of our partners and the health of our community.” Strut offers drop-in programs, a book club, a smart drinking group, and much more. It has become widely used since its opening, as community members seek to maintain a healthy lifestyle in an affirming space. Strut, 470 Castro Street, San Francisco, (415) 473-3400. strutsf.org/. Runner-up Positive Resource Center

Best HIV/AIDS Nonprofit

Project Open Hand

Rick Gerharter

The San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s Strut facility is on Castro Street.

Best Health-Related Nonprofit

Strut

Strut, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s health and wellness center in the Castro, was the readers’ pick for best health-related nonprofit.

Project Open Hand started out in 1985 when it served meals and groceries to people living with HIV/ AIDS. Over the years, its mission has expanded to serve people who are critically ill with other conditions. It operates in San Francisco and Alameda counties. Earlier this year, Project Open Hand became the lead agency for a pilot program in California to feed low-income people with chronic illnesses after they have been discharged from the hospital. As the B.A.R. reported at the time, proponents of the new initiative hope to prove it can keep those who are enrolled from being readmitted to

the hospital, as well as save the state money on the cost of providing health care to the individuals. The new “Food is Medicine” initiative includes other nonprofit providers of meal programs throughout the state: Ceres Community Project and Food For Thought in the North Bay, the San Jose-based Health Trust, and several organizations in southern California. Project Open Hand was recently awarded the license for next year’s Dining Out for Life in Oakland, and will have a kick-off event Wednesday, April 18, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Hive, 2335 Broadway. Dining Out For Life is an annual fundraising event in which participating restaurants donate a portion of their proceeds from one special day of dining to raise money for AIDS service organizations. Project Open Hand, 730 Polk Street, San Francisco, (415) 447-2300. 1921 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, (510) 622-0221. openhand.org. Runner-up Shanti Project

Best LGBT Fundraiser

AIDS Walk SF

AIDS Walk San Francisco was the winner this year, easily outpolling the other nominees. Organized by the AIDS Walk San Francisco Foundation, the event is easy to participate in, especially through teams by companies and HIV/AIDS service organizations. This year’s event, a 10K walk through Golden Gate Park, will be held Sunday, July 15. People can sign up now and create a team. There is no fee to register for the event. Since 1987, AIDS Walk San Francisco has raised more than $90 million for HIV programs and services in the Bay Area. It is one of the largest HIV/AIDS fundraisers in northern California. The 2018 primary beneficiaries are ACRIA, a leading research organization on HIV and aging; Positive Resource Center; and Project Open Hand. sf.aidswalk.net/. Runner-up Real Bad Party

Best LGBT Sports League

SF Fog Rugby Club

Rick Gerharter

Carlo Heredia flagging at the 2012 Folsom Street Fair.

Best LGBT Event

Folsom Street Fair Longtime winner San Francisco Pride was retired from competition this year, and readers voted for the Folsom Street Fair as their favorite LGBT event. Billed as the world’s largest leather party, the fetish extravaganza takes over South of Market in late September with multiple stages, vendors, and, of course, people-watching. Folsom Street Events, which produces the festival, also holds the smaller Up Your Alley street fair in July, and several parties tied in to those events. It produces the annual Leather Walk, which kicks off San Francisco Leather Week. Money raised from beverage sales, gate donations, and party tickets is funneled back into the community through grants to participating nonprofits, and Folsom usually returns hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. This year’s Up Your Alley is July 29; the Folsom Street Fair is September 30. folsomstreetevents.org. Runner-up Castro Street Fair

The San Francisco Fog Rugby Club was this year’s new winner. The club is the first gay and inclusive rugby club on the West Coast. Founded in 2000, the Fog has the vision to be the preeminent rugby club in the world that actively pursues the participation of people of color, gay men, and other groups traditionally underrepresented in rugby. The idea for the Fog started in early 2000 when Derrick Mickle, along with Jason Reimuller and Mark Bingham, were playing in a gay flag football social club and bonded over their common love of the sport of rugby. Bingham, of course, died on 9/11. He was a passenger on United Flight 93 that crashed into a Pennsylvania field. The Fog will hold its Balls-Out! Ball tea dance Sunday, April 29, from 4 to 10 p.m. at the Great Northern, 119 Utah Street in San Francisco. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. The party is to celebrate the end of the season and to raise money for the Bingham Cup gay rugby tournament that will be held in Amsterdam in June. fogrugby.com Runner-up SF FrontRunners

Rick Gerharter

Red balloons were released by volunteers who formed a giant red ribbon on the field at the San Francisco Giants’ annual Until There’s a Cure game in June 2003

Best Bay Area Pro Sports Team

San Francisco Giants

Rick Gerharter

Walkers from Camp Newman, wearing orange shirts, were one of many teams that comprised last summer’s AIDS Walk in Golden Gate Park.

The San Francisco Giants are the favorite pro team of B.A.R. readers. Baseball world champions in 2010, 2012, and 2014, this year’s team hopes for a return to the postseason. More than 20 years ago, the Giants were the first professional sports team to raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS crisis with its “Until There’s A Cure Day” on-field ceremony, and several years ago began holding an LGBT Pride Night. mlb.com/giants. Runner-up Golden State Warriors

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<< Besties 2018

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 12-18, 2018

Rick Gerharter

Charles Rubinoff plays Frisbee with his leaping 2-year-old Labrador, Cala, in the Duboce Park dog run.

Readers pick their favorites

compiled by Cynthia Laird Best Dog Park

Duboce Park

ay Area Reporter readers love their dogs, and they love to take them to Duboce Dog Park in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood for exercise and socializing. The dog park was tops – again – in the best dog park category, due to its grassy fields for doggies to run around. Duboce Park, Duboce and Scott streets. https://goo.gl/1a3z9o Runner-up Bernal Heights Dog Park

Best Grocery Store (Chain)

Whole Foods Market Whole Foods Market is a new winner this year. The store features a wide selection of groceries and pre-made meals; desserts; men’s grooming supplies; and other items. Amazon purchased Whole Foods last year and CEO Jeff Bezos has been experimenting in the stores with lower prices and other features. Whole Foods Market, 2001 Market Street, San Francisco. (415) 626-1430. https://goo.gl/81A11a Runner-up Trader Joe’s

Daddy’s Barbershop

Rainbow Grocery

Whole Foods Market

Runner-up Bi-Rite Market

Best Barbershop

Best Grocery Store (Independent)

Cynthia Laird

spices, and other unique items. The worker-owned cooperative has served San Francisco since 1975 and strives to offer the widest selection of organic and locally sourced products at the most affordable price. Along with being a grocery store, Rainbow is a resource for the community to exchange information about the health and sustainability of the foods people eat. Rainbow Grocery, 1745 Folsom Street, San Francisco, (415) 8630620. rainbow.coop/.

Rainbow Grocery remains the favorite independent grocery store of B.A.R. readers. Its claim to fame in the community is that it closes on Pride Sunday every year. Rainbow has an excellent selection of produce,

Readers like Daddy’s Barbershop, which offers plenty of barbers to choose from and is open until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Located in the heart of the Castro, guys can always stop by for a quick trim or a new style. Daddy’s Barbershop, 4102 19th Street, San Francisco, (415) 5525101. daddysbarbershop.com.

Runner-up Glama-Rama

Best Bicycle Shop

Valencia Cyclery There’s no stopping the popular Valencia Cyclery, which won this category again. Readers like the service and selection of this store in the Mission district that has been under the same ownership since 1985. The shop provides full maintenance services and can repair just about any model of bike, from kids’ to carbon fiber models. The showroom reopened April 7 after a seismic retrofit, meaning it has lots of bikes in stock and ready to ride. Valencia Cyclery, 1065 and 1077 Valencia Street, San Francisco, (415) 550-6600 (sales) or (415) 550-6601 (repairs). http:// www.valenciacyclery.com. Runner-up Mission Bicycle Company

Courtesy City Lights Bookstore

City Lights Bookstore

Best Bookstore

City Lights Booksellers This is a new winner this year. City Lights is a landmark independent bookstore and publisher that specializes in world literature, the arts, and progressive politics. Founded in 1953 by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who just turned 99, and Peter D. Martin, City Lights is one of the great independent bookstores in the United States, its website states, and a place where See page 18 >>

Benefiting ACRIA, Project Open Hand, Positive Resource Center, and dozens of other Bay Area AIDS service organizations.

Thank you, Bay Area Reporter readers, for choosing us as the BEST LGBTQ FUNDRAISER. See you at this year’s walk on July 15th!

AIDS

WALK SAN FRANCISCO

July 15, 2018

Produced by ACRIA Created and produced by MZA Events. AIDS Walk Founder/Senior Organizer: Craig R. Miller. © MZA Events, 2018

HEALTHY AND HAPPY

Excellence in care Thank you, Bay Area Reporter readers, for again choosing Kaiser Permanente as the Best Health Care Provider. We are proud to be your partner in health. At Kaiser Permanente our doctors are focused on more than practicing good medicine. They take the time to really listen. And give all members the personalized, culturally sensitive care they deserve.

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<< Besties 2018

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 12-18, 2018

Shopping

From page 14

booklovers from across the country and around the world come to browse, read, and just soak in the ambiance of alternative culture’s only “Literary Landmark.” City Lights Booksellers, 261 Columbus Avenue at Broadway (North Beach), San Francisco, (415) 362-8193. citylights.com. Runner-up Dog Eared Books

Cynthia Laird

Fitness SF – Castro is a reader favorite.

Best Gym

Fitness SF – Castro Fitness SF – Castro is a repeat winner. The over 16,000 square foot facility offers two floors of tools and equipment to keep a person’s workout fresh and challenging, according to its website. From free weights to cardio, the gym has it all. The gym also offers nationally certified personal trainers. Fitness-SF Castro, 2301 Market Street, San Francisco, (415) 348-6377. https://fitnesssf.com/ location/castro/.

B.A.R. readers selected Sessions Training Center as their favorite. Clients can choose from several certified personal trainers and find a workout that meets their needs. Sessions Training Center, 1874 Market Street, San Francisco, (415) 834-5885. sessionstrainingcenter.com.

Best Dentist

University of the Pacific

UOP’s dental school is a repeat winner. UOP is a private school with its main campus in Stockton. Its Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco is much used by people living with HIV/ AIDS through its CARE (HIV) Dental Services program, which is funded by the city of San Francisco through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act. According to its website, dental services include preventive treatment, same-day emergency dental care, fillings, root canals, dentures, and oral surgery for people with HIV who qualify for the program. Oral health care is provided by student dentists partnering with faculty members. UOP also offers other dental services at about 30 to 40 percent less than a typical Bay Area private dentist. For information, visit www. dental.pacific.edu/dental-services. UOP Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, 155 Fifth Street, San Francisco, Second Floor Specialty Clinic, (415) 929-6448. https:// goo.gl/A6Rhqb

Runner-up 24-Hour Fitness

Best Personal Trainer

Sessions Training Center

Kaiser Permanente

Best Health Care Provider

Kaiser Permanente

Readers have once again voted for Kaiser as their top health care provider. With hospitals and medical offices throughout the Bay Area, Kaiser continues to be a leader in LGBT health care. For the ninth consecutive year, all 21 of Kaiser’s hospitals in northern California have been recognized as a “Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the national LGBT rights organization. The designation, reported in HRC’s 11th Healthcare Equality Index, demonstrates Kaiser’s commitment to equitable, inclusive care for LGBTQ patients, visitors, and employees, officials said in a news release. “This honor reflects our ongoing, unwavering commitment to LGBTQ patient-centered care and continuous efforts toward equitable health outcomes for our LGBTQ members, patients, and families,” stated Dr. Ronald L. Copeland, senior vice president and chief equity, inclusion, and diversity officer for Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser has participated in the HEI since 2008 and has consistently moved up in its rankings, achieving a perfect score in 2010 and each year since. http://www.kp.org.

Best Medical Marijuana Dispensary

Apothecarium

With cannabis use now legal in California for adults, we broke up this category this year, though most dispensaries sell both recreational and medicinal pot. Medical marijuana patients can often get their medicine at a lower price than recreational marijuana, and the Apothecarium in the Castro is a repeat winner. Readers like its mellow vibe and wide selection of products, including flowers, edibles, and more. Other locations include the Marina and South of Market.

The Apothecarium, 2029 Market Street, San Francisco, (415) 500-2620. apothecarium.com/. Runner-up Green Cross

Rick Gerharter

SPARC offers recreational and medicinal cannabis.

Best Recreational Marijuana Dispensary

SPARC

SPARC offers recreational and medicinal cannabis; this category recognizes it on the recreational side. With locations in San Francisco, Santa Rosa, and Sebastopol, it offers a variety of products. Erich Pearson, a gay man who is CEO of the eight-year-old dispensary, was the first to introduce mandatory laboratory testing of all cannabis products in San Francisco. He has been cultivating marijuana in northern California since he moved here over 18 years ago. SPARC, 1256 Mission Street, San Francisco, (415) 252-7727. http://www.sparcsf.org. Runner-up Grassroots

Courtesy Doggie Day Spaw

Best Place to Pamper Your Pets

Doggie Day Spaw

4 one-bedroom, 5 two-bedroom and 1 three-bedroom units available. $287,587 – $371,061 without parking and $382,803 - $466,278 with parking. Buyers must be first-time homebuyers and must not exceed the following income levels: 100% of Area Median Income 2017: One-person household $80,700; Two-person household $92,250; Three-person household $103,750, Four-person household $115,300, etc. Applications due by 5pm on June 5th, 2018. All BMR Application and qualification questions should be directed to HomeownershipSF at info@homeownershipsf.org or (415) 202-5464. For questions regarding the building, please contact: Carmen Legarda 415-489-9359 carmen@815tennessee.com CA BRE #02043635. More information can also be found at: www.815Tennessee.com/BMR Units available through the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and are subject to monitoring and other restrictions. Visit www.sfmohcd.org for program information.

Hospital is the place B.A.R. readers go when their pet is having health issues. Its website says that its doctors pride themselves on their coordinated approach to caring for their clients’ pets. “In decades of serving the community, our top-tier group of veterinarians has saved countless lives through the integrative approach that we’ve pioneered,” the website states. Mission Pet Hospital, 720 Valencia Street, San Francisco, (415) 552-1969. missionpet.com/. Runner-up San Francisco Veterinary House Calls

A cute pooch had a spa day at Doggie Day Spaw.

“Below Market Rate” Ownership at 815 TENNESSEE

We retired perennial winners Best in Show and Mudpuppy’s Tub and Scrub so that another business could win, and Doggie Day Spaw was voted readers’ favorite this year. The North Beach spa offers a full line of grooming services for your pet, including micro-bubble baths, teeth-brushing, and blueberry facials. Doggie Day Spaw, 641 Green Street, San Francisco, (415) 8729282. doggiedayspawsf.com/. Runner-up Noe Valley Pet Company

Best Pet Hotel

Wag San Francisco

Wag Hotels is on a roll, winning this category for the third year in a row. Bay Area locations include San Francisco, Oakland, Redwood City, and Santa Clara. Wag offers boarding, all-day play, and training classes. Suite sizes and amenities vary. As always, Wag is strict about making sure all animals are current on their vaccinations. Wag Hotels, 25 14th Street, San Francisco, (415) 876-0700. waghotels.com/. Runner-up Pet Camp

Best Veterinarian

Mission Pet Hospital Once

again,

Mission

Pet

Best Vintage Clothing Consignment Shop

Buffalo Exchange

Buffalo Exchange won this category by one vote and is a new winner this year. The store is located on Haight Street in the historical Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, which is known for its legendary hippie movement in the mid-1960s. Customers can sell clothing for cash, and of course, buy clothing. Other Bay Area locations include San Francisco’s Mission district and Berkeley. Buffalo Exchange, 1555 Haight Street, San Francisco, (415) 4317733. www.buffaloexchange.com. Runner-up Crossroads Trading Co.

Best Thrift Shop

Out of the Closet

Out of the Closet is a repeat winner. The stores – there are several in the Bay Area – are operated by the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Sales raise money for the nonprofit. Stores offer clothing, books, DVDs, and other items. According to AHF, 96 cents out of every dollar collected by the thrift stores directly fund the agency’s HIV/AIDS services in the U.S. and abroad. The Oakland store offers free HIV testing. Out of the Closet, 1295 Folsom Street and 1498 Polk Street in San Francisco, (415) 558-7176 or (415) 771-1503. In Oakland, 238 E. 18th Street, (510) 251-8671. outofthecloset.org. Runner-up Community Thrift

Best Retirement Community

San Francisco Towers

San Francisco Towers is a repeat winner. The retirement community is very LGBT-friendly and provides world-class living where like-minded residents are part of your life. The facility is owned and managed by Covia, a nonprofit public benefit corporation serving older adults since 1965. SF Towers offers residents scheduled outings, in-house programs, and special events. Amenities include a pool, rooftop lounge, and activity rooms. It also has assisted living, rehabilitation, and 24-hour nursing service on site. San Francisco Towers, 1661 Pine Street, San Francisco, (415) 776-0500. https://covia.org/ san-francisco-towers/.

Best Bank/Credit Union

SF Federal Credit Union

San Francisco Federal Credit Union is once again the readers’ choice. The credit union offers a full range of banking and lending services, along with online banking and account management. San Francisco Federal Credit Union, 770 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, (415) 775-5377. https://www.sanfranciscofcu. com/. Runner-up Bank of America

National News>>

April 12-18, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

New federal law spurs online sex work crackdown by Liz Highleyman

Site shuttering underway

On March 23 the popular classified ad site Craigslist removed all its personal ads, which catered to people of every sexual orientation seeking everything from casual sex to long-term relationships. “Any tool or service can be misused,” says a statement that now appears in place of the ads. “We can’t take such risk without jeopardizing all our other services, so we are regretfully taking Craigslist personals offline. Hopefully, we can bring them back some day.” Some people were dismayed by the development. “My home glory hole stands idle and lonely since Craigslist banned personal ads for no-strings-attached hookups,” gay activist Michael Petrelis said. “The wellness gained from giving men an online meeting place to get sexual release and healing is lost, and that harms our community’s overall mental and physical health.” Anti-trafficking groups came down on both sides of the issue. One antitrafficking coalition, Freedom Network USA, said getting rid of online

ipartisan legislation In the wake of the law, targeting online sex several sites have already trafficking could harm gone offline or restricted consensual adult sex workuse to people outside the ers and set a bad precedent United States, including for online censorship, acCityVibe, the Erotic Recording to opponents of view, YourDominatrix, the new law. Courtesy Lance Navarro NightShift, VerifyHim, “This legislation will and Men4RentNow. Escort and sex harm sex worker safety coach Lance Sex workers who run by restricting advertis- Navarro their own websites could ing and forcing us deeper also be affected. underground,” longtime “I have had my own sex worker activist Carol Leigh told website for six years, so I ask inquirthe Bay Area Reporter. “The most ing clients to go there, but I do worry vulnerable – like people of color and that this act could cause hosting plattransgender people – will be the most forms, and website builders, to start arrested.” shutting down sites such as mine,” On March 21, the U.S. Senate, escort and sex coach Lance Navarro nearly unanimously, passed a comtold the B.A.R. “While this act had promise bill combining the Senate’s some good intentions, it is deeply Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SB troubling that the impact it would 1693) and the House’s Allow States have on consensual sex workers and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafdidn’t seem to matter.” ficking Act (HR 1865). Senators Ron The legislation’s effect extends to Wyden (D-Oregon) and Rand Paul platforms not focused on sex work (R-Kentucky) cast the only two opthat do not want to police their users’ posing votes. communication or risk liability if SESTA/FOSTA, as it is known, commercial sex content slips through. which President Donald Trump signed Wednesday, will make websites, social media networks, and other online platforms liable for user content related to sex trafficking, to be applied retroactively. It enables state law enforcement to go after those accused of facilitating trafficking, and allows victims to sue for damages. The maximum penalty is a 25-year federal prison sentence. The legislation undermines Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which largely shields internet platforms from liability for content posted by users. Companies from Craigslist to Facebook to the Internet Archive rely on this legal protection when hosting third-party content. SESTA/FOSTA also expands federal law to cover online content intended to “promote or facilitate” consensual adult prostitution. Sex worker advocates fear facilitation could be deemed to include sites offering HIV prevention information, peer support, and “bad date” lists that warn workers about dangerous clients. The law’s definition of facilitation “is so open to interpretation that it could include critical harm reduction and anti-violence tactics that sex workers depend on to survive,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Critics say the law could have a chilling effect on sexual content overall, especially content related to stigmatized sexualities. “I’m very concerned that the massive increase in liability will force online platforms to err on the side of caution, censoring a lot of innocent people in the process,” Electronic Frontier Foundation Executive Director Cindy Cohn told the B.A.R. “When platforms clamp down on their users’ speech, marginalized voices are often silenced disproportionately. SESTA/FOSTA is likely to make the internet a less inclusive place, and that hurts all of us.” Some sex workers say the legislation will prevent them from using online platforms to find, screen, and negotiate with clients. “By pressuring and shutting down online forums, laws like this will perversely put sex workers at greater risk of harm and abuse by driving many of us into riskier work on the streets,” S P E C TA C U L A R said Starchild, an escort and outreach director for the Libertarian Party of NOB HILL VIEWS San Francisco who goes by one name. “SESTA and FOSTA expand the legislative tools in the government’s arsenal to go after not just advertising, but online resources, including safety and educational sites used by sex workers.”

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<< Besties 2018

20 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 12-18, 2018

Rick Gerharter

Marshall’s Beach, also known as North Baker Beach, offers stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Marshall’s Beach takes top honor

compiled by Matthew S. Bajko Best Beach

Marshall’s Beach

runner-up in this category last year, Marshall’s Beach eked out a victory this year. Long cherished by local gay men, this formerly hard-to-access spit of sand with stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge provides seclusion to frolic seaside sans clothing. Nicknamed “Bad Boy’s Beach,” it sits at the bottom of coastal bluffs and provides views of the Marin

Headlands across the entrance to the bay. It is also known as North Baker Beach, as it connects to Baker Beach, which is popular with straight sunbathers and families. A trail restoration project that was completed over a decade ago made it easier for the general public to discover Marshall’s Beach. Despite it no longer being as obscure, it still packs in gay sun worshipers seven days a week when San Francisco’s famous fog makes a retreat off the coast. Although the Golden State this

year made recreational use of marijuana legal, it is still a crime to toke up at Marshall’s Beach as it is on federal land. It is within the jurisdiction of the Presidio, a national park site. To learn more about Marshall’s Beach, visit https:// w w w. p re s i d i o. g ov / p l a ce s / baker-beach-and-marshalls-beach. Runner-up Stinson Beach

StevenUnderhill PHOTOGRAPHY TS HEADSHO S PORTRAIT

Palm Springs offers a variety of gay and gay-friendly activities.

EVENTS

Best Domestic Getaway

Courtesy Visit Palm Springs

Palm Springs

StevenUnderhill.com StevenUnderhillPhotos@gmail.com

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Marking its third year in a row as the winner in this category, Palm Springs continues to lure gay men to the Coachella Valley and its desert climate. The city’s reputation as an LGBT oasis received international attention last fall when voters there, for the first time, elected an all LGBT city council. The election night victories included that of the first transgender person to win a city council seat in California. This fall, the city could make history again by electing the first LGBT state lawmaker from the area. With a host of men’s-only resorts, many clothing optional, a thriving LGBT nightlife scene, and the cooler temperatures of the San Jacinto Mountains mere miles away, Palm Springs offers plenty of options for those looking to book a getaway. Throughout the year the town hosts LGBT events specifically for lesbians, bears, leather folk, and gay men of color, with everyone invited for the annual Pride celebration in early November. visitpalmsprings.com/. Runner-up New York City

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Courtesy of sonomacounty.com.

The Russian River is a favorite getaway spot.

Best Local Getaway

Russian River

Another perennial favorite is Sonoma County’s Russian River area. At its heart is Guerneville, with its gay-owned or gay-friendly lodging options and a main street revived in recent years by LGBT business owners. This marks the third year in a row that B.A.R. readers have named the North Bay region their favorite local getaway for a day trip or weekend stay. Whether it is to soak in the river or at a resort pool, or spend a day winery hopping or hiking in the nearby state and regional parks, the Russian River is an outdoors lovers’ dreamscape. Although the organizers of the annual Sonoma County Pride parade relocated the June event this year to Santa Rosa, Guerneville will host its own Pride celebration over the August 24-26 weekend as a bookend to the summer season. https://russianriver.com/. Runner-up Santa Cruz

Courtesy of hawaii.com.

Oahu is home to beautiful beaches and a vibrant Hawaiian nightlife.

Best Honeymoon Destination

Hawaii

Once the “I dos” are said and the wedding reception is a wrap, LGBT newlyweds say “aloha” to the Hawaiian Islands to celebrate their nuptials in Polynesian style. America’s most southern state continues to be a top choice among B.A.R. readers for a honeymoon destination. Whether it is the gay-friendly Waikiki district on Oahu or the LGBT-welcoming resorts on Maui, the Aloha State continues to offer a friendly hello to same-sex couples. Flights from the Bay Area on various airlines to the country’s 50th state can easily be booked from one of the three airports in the region. The prices for most flights have fallen this year, allowing honeymooners a chance to save some money. http://www.gayhawaiiwedding. com, http://www.gogayhawaii.com. Runner-up Paris, France

Courtesy Shreve & Co.

Shreve & Co. has called San Francisco home since 1852.

Best Place to Buy Rings

Shreve & Co.

A past winner in this category, Shreve & Co. has called San Francisco home since 1852 when it opened to outfit those who had struck it rich during the gold rush with watches and jewelry. Not only business tycoons and wealthy locals but also American presidents have sported pieces bought at the business. The city of San Francisco presented Theodore Roosevelt a 10-inch tall solid gold Teddy bear made by Shreve. But even this pantheon to wealth couldn’t compete in today’s economy supercharged by tech dollars. The company was forced to leave its original home in 2015 and open a new flagship store nearby. The relocation did not dampen locals’ love for this homegrown institution. Shreve & Co., 150 Post Street, San Francisco, 415-421-2600. https://www.shreve.com. Runner-up Shane Co.

Best Wedding Reception Venue

City Club of San Francisco

For the second year in a row B.A.R. readers picked the City Club of San Francisco as the best place to toast newlyweds. While a private, members-only club for the city’s downtown elites and powerbrokers, the location can be rented out not only for wedding receptions but any private event. Housed in the Stock Exchange Tower, the 11-story building was designed by the noted San Francisco architectural firm Miller & Pflueger. Opened one year after the stock market crash of 1929, it housed the offices of brokers who worked on the trading floor of the former San Francisco Stock Exchange across the street. Today, the private club occupies the building’s 10th and 11th floors, connected by a beautiful grand staircase. Couples are welcome to book their wedding reception in its art deco interior spaces and utilize the on-site catering services to plan their affair with ease. Its rooftop, with views of downtown San Francisco, offers a stunning backdrop for wedding photos. See page 22 >>

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22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 12-18, 2018

Weddings

From page 20

City Club of San Francisco, 155 Sansome Street, 10th Floor, San Francisco, (415) 362-2480. https:// cityclubsf.com/weddings/. Runner-up Julia Morgan Ballroom

Best Wedding Venue

Legion of Honor

With San Francisco City Hall an annual favorite in this category, the B.A.R. switched things up in the voting this year, resulting in the

Legion of Honor going from runner-up to winner. The Beaux-arts building, located in San Francisco’s Lincoln Park, is home to the city art collection’s ancient and European art holdings. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the museum provides breathtaking views of both the city’s manmade and natural landscapes. Part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Legion is a much sought after location not only for weddings but all manner of celebrations. Couples have the option of renting out the entire museum building or merely one of its terraces or the

Rodin galleries, home to the sculptures of Auguste Rodin. There are some stipulations, such as no one under the age of 21 will be able to attend, and the ceremony will either have to occur on a Monday, when the museum is closed, or after 6:30 p.m. the rest of the week. Legion of Honor, 100 34th Avenue in Lincoln Park, (415) 750-3698. https:// legionofhonor.famsf.org/ about/rent-legion-honor/ weddings-legion-honor. Runner-up de Young Museum

Courtesy Legion of Honor/FAMSF

The Legion of Honor is a beautiful wedding venue.

Adachi alleges Muslim cop faced harassment by Alex Madison

he frequent use of the word “faggot,” and a culture of homophobia, racism, and bigotry were among a Muslim police officer’s allegations of the San Francisco Police Department, which he made public at a news conference Tuesday, April 10. The officer, who is remaining anonymous out of fear of retaliation, joined the staff of Central Station in June 2016. He filed a formal complaint in November with the SFPD’s equal employment opportunity department, which forwarded it to the city’s human resources department. He claims no action was taken. In January, the complaint with the city’s HR department was signed and filed. The complaint alleges he heard officers, “call other officers a ‘fucking faggot’ at least five times” between September and November 2017. During that time, the whistleblower also witnessed an officer say, “Go suck a fat dick you fucking faggot,” to a rideshare driver who cut him off while driving. The officer described his experiences as “blatant racism and bigotry.” San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi called the news conference and opened by saying, “We

Gay rights law

From page 3

Reporter. “We got calls from all over the country from reporters saying, ‘Do you realize what you have done?’ We said, ‘Yes, we do and we like it.’” The board had passed the ordinance March 21 on a 10-1 vote, with supervisor Dan White the lone dissenter, and gave final approval to it April 3. Eight days later Moscone signed it, giving the pen he used to do so to Milk to keep as a memento. As the B.A.R. reported at the time, Moscone commended the Board of Supervisors “for taking swift, immediate, and very unambiguous action on what I regard – and I think most

Rick Gerharter

Public Defender Jeff Adachi

are here today to take a rare peek behind the blue curtain of silence of the SFPD.” This is not the first time Adachi has called out alleged wrongdoing by SFPD officers. And he said that he has informed Chief William Scott that he was going public. “I believe he is committed to the reforms and believe he would not be proud of this kind of behavior from his officers,” Adachi said. After the instances of the use of the word “faggot” and homophobic rants in the department were people throughout this country will regard – as a very substantial and progressive move for civil rights.” Milk remarked that the new law “will hopefully allow a lot of gay people in professional positions to feel comfortable about coming out. Then the images and stereotypes of who is gay will be changed as people start to realize that gay people are in every walk of life.” The city’s action came less than a year after the LGBT community had suffered a stinging defeat in MiamiDade County, Florida, where voters in June 1977 overturned a gay rights measure similar to the one San Francisco later adopted. The loss in the Sunshine State, spearheaded by Anita

discussed at the conference, Adachi said, “This kind of language is unacceptable and a direct violation of the city’s employee training.” The complaint further describes the constant harassment the officer faced by others in the department surrounding his race and religion, including accusations of being a terrorist, being referred to as a “sand nigger,” and having a flag with the word ISIS on it next to the words “go back” drawn on his locker. Racism against African-Americans, strip club visits while on duty, and officers offering sex as a bargaining tool to female citizens who face possible criminal charges were among the additional allegations detailed in the complaint. The officer has not filed a lawsuit against the department, but decided to go public with his complaints saying, “I have lost faith in the SFPD’s internal investigation process.” He claimed his confidential complaint was leaked by multiple sources to others in the department. The San Francisco Police Officers Association released a statement Tuesday, saying it is “proud of the strong work ethic, tolerance, and diversity of our department and stand by our members as they serve and protect our community.”

The statement claims that the department undergoes extensive diversity and cultural training and that “includes implicit bias training.” The department responded with a statement Tuesday afternoon that said it was made aware of the allegations in November and that there are three ongoing investigations involving SFPD and the city’s Department of Human Resources regarding the complaints. “The San Francisco Police Department takes the allegations presented today very seriously. SFPD will thoroughly investigate all alleged misconduct uncovered during these investigations which implicates any member of this department,” the statement read. The statement goes on to mention the recent steps taken to reduce similar instances in the past three years like the implementation of employee training programs, which include implicit bias and procedural justice training, electronic audits of communications, partnering with academic organizations to analyze vehicles stops and the use of force, and the launching of “Not on My Watch,” a campaign that aims to put an end to prejudice and intolerance. “We are committed to providing just, transparent, unbiased, and responsive

policing and will continue to build and maintain trust with the communities we serve,” the statement said. The department also said it implemented recommendations from the U.S. Department of Justice after its own investigation directed by the DOJ in 2016 that followed protests over a deadly shooting by an SFPD officer. This is yet another incident involving the ongoing scrutiny SFPD has faced in the last few years. In September 2016, Joe Babbs, an African-American officer, alleged racism in the ranks. Babbs turned over cellphone footage he took at the police department’s Muni transit division that captured other officers calling black people “dirty” and admitting to pulling them over without probable cause. In March 2016, four SFPD officers resigned after it was discovered they sent homophobic and racist texts to one another over a two-year period, including derogatory terms toward lesbians, gays, and transgender people. At the end of the news conference, Adachi said, “If we want to be a 21st century police department, we must root out the officers who are engaging in this kind of conduct.” t

Bryant, led to voters in cities across the country overturning local gay rights laws at the ballot box. According to an April 4, 1978 Associated Press article about the final passage of the San Francisco measure by the supervisors, more than 40 cities across the U.S. had adopted similar ordinances. (The press clipping is part of the George Moscone Collection housed at the University of the Pacific’s Holt-Atherton Special Collections.) Seattle had enacted laws by 1978 that banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing and employment but not public accommodations. (Voters there defeated an effort to repeal those protections in November 1978.)

this week that the reason Gonzales was listed first was because he had introduced the measure in 1977 when asked to support it by Coles and other members of the city’s Gay Democratic Club, which would later be named after Milk. They had asked all the supervisor candidates that year if they would support the law. The city attorney’s office gutted much of the ordinance, however, leading Milk and Silver to reintroduce it after being sworn into office in January 1978. Gonzales came on board as a co-sponsor after winning a concession that it would not apply to private employers with less than five employees. “I think it was a big thing because it was the first real comprehensive gay civil rights bill in California,” recalled Coles, noting that the ordinances other cities had passed did not cover all three areas included in the San Francisco law or have provisions to bring civil lawsuits. A March 22, 1978 New York Times article about the supervisors’ first vote in support of the ordinance quoted Milk as saying it would be “the most stringent gay rights law in the country” because it “has teeth; a person can go to court if his rights are violated once this is passed.” The story noted that White opposed the measure as an “intrusion” into the rights of businesses and private schools with “strong personal or moral reasons for not wanting to hire homosexuals.” It quoted him saying, “According to the city attorney’s office, if a transvestite shows up at a private school with all the qualifications for teaching, they cannot refuse to hire him for an opening even if they object to having a man dressed as a woman in their school.” Silver told the B.A.R. she believes

White, who initially supported the law in committee, voted against the measure as payback for her and Milk supporting a drug program in the Excelsior section of his supervisor district, which he opposed. “Dan White was a jerk and a murderer but he also had a gay administrative assistant. So it wasn’t that he was totally off the wall on gay rights,” she said. “He probably would have voted for it.” In November 1978 White, upset with Milk and Moscone for not allowing him to rescind his decision to resign from his board seat, shot and killed both men inside City Hall. White died by suicide in October 1985. A freedom rider active in the black civil rights movement in Mississippi whose election to the board as a single mom made headlines in 1977, Silver told the B.A.R. that passing the gay rights law was one of her greatest achievements in life. “I always list that when people ask me what have you accomplished in my lifetime. That is, without a doubt, one of the most important,” said Silver. Coles told the B.A.R. the San Francisco law kicked off a strategy that LGBT activists believed would lead to a statewide ban against discrimination based on sexual orientation. “It was a huge breakthrough in California,” said Coles, “in what was a tactical move to slowly but surely get cities all over the state to pass gay rights laws that would all be a little different from each other so, ultimately, we could get businesses on our side to have one law that covers the whole state.” California lawmakers passed such statewide legislation in 1992. t

SF one of the first

In 1972 San Francisco had been one of the first cities to pass protections for its gay residents. Elected leaders that year banned the city and those with city contracts from discriminating based on race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. Within a few years the focus had turned to providing the same protections in the private sector for the city’s gay residents, then estimated to number 100,000 men and women. In 1977, having graduated from UC Hastings College of the Law that May, attorney Matthew Coles began writing the Human Rights Ordinance for the supervisors. Seeing it adopted a year later felt like seeing “the (New York) Mets beating the Yankees four games to three,” Coles, who went on to work for the American Civil Liberties Union, told the B.A.R. back then. Coles, now on the UC Hastings faculty, said in a phone interview

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<< Community News

24 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 12-18, 2018

Queer professor looks at intersectionality by Brian Bromberger

he term “intersectionality” has become the latest buzzword, especially to describe the myriad forces opposed to President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies. One scholar who seeks to define intersectionality is Marla Brettschneider, Ph.D. She is a professor of political philosophy with a joint appointment in political science and women’s studies at the University of New Hampshire.

Queer and Jewish, Brettschneider is an expert on diversity politics. Her books include “Jewish Feminism and Intersectionality,” which was also the title of her March 27 lecture at the Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion’s Jewish Queeries series in Berkeley. Brettschneider, 54, also spoke with the Bay Area Reporter. In her lecture, Brettschneider defined intersectionality, a term first coined by legal scholar Kimberle Crenshaw, as looking critically at

multiple aspects of identity, oppression, and justice politics together. For example, one views racism, patriarchy, classism, and anti-Semitism, simultaneously, rather than as either/ or or single entities. Crenshaw developed her theory discussing black feminism, realizing that being black and a woman were not independent social stratifications but interactive ones, as they reinforce each other. So it’s not just race, or just class, or just gender, or just sexuality

but all of them at the same time. Their combined weight is far greater than the sum of their individual parts and they have their most deleterious impact on marginalized people in society. Brettschneider noted how this paradigm has long been in use under different terms such as multiculturalism, and identity politics by feminists and others on the left, but more systematized under Crenshaw’s depiction. Jews have been very active in using these models, both in the academy

RESIST REBUILD

April 19, 2018

and in activism, yet Brettschneider observed how there is almost no scholarship that takes Jewish experience and matters of concern seriously in intersectionality work. “Since my book went to press, lack of attention to Jews in intersectionality work has become increasingly joined with anti-Israel/anti-Zionist ideas and actions, as well as a persistent antiSemitism,” she said. “This exclusion has worked against intersectionality because Jews’ experience as a minority, marginalized, and usually diasporic peoples has much to offer. This experience, wisdoms, and organizing strategies (for good and for ill) can be of much use for many other groups in their own specificities and also in solidarity. “However, much more insightful and careful analysis is needed that questions privilege and Christian hegemony, to understand a variety of ways that politics and power dynamics operated. It is also potentially deadly, not only for Jews, but for all of us, to leave Jews out of analyses of white Christian supremacy,” Brettschneider added. “Yes, because of Trumpian policies, more people are talking about white supremacy, but they are not often understanding that white supremacy has always actually operated as white Christian supremacy.”

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Brian Bromberger

Brettschneider, Ph.D., spoke last month in Berkeley.

Brettschneider was adamant that “when you work on issues of identity, oppression, and justice politics and leave out any matters of gender and sexuality, anything about LGBTQ people, perspectives, and issues, you will not only get a partial picture but what you do get will be skewed, given any exclusions of this sort. And you will likely be engaged in reproducing modes of cisgender heteronormativity even if that is not your intention.” Each identity one is exploring can situate differently power-wise, she noted. For example, a gay black man operates at different political positions, so gay and black might be disadvantages, but man is not. Still, each identity makes the other possible as they co-create each other. She applies the same criteria to the #MeToo movement, as “we need to work on multiple levels with multiple axis of identities, impressions, in a multi-community and multi-issue justice movement. “We have a lot of experience back from the 1980s in the feminist movement working between seeing the truth and individual testimony with complex ways in which we understand and challenge truth such that it’s not as simple as experience equals truth, which is a presumption sometimes of critics who then seek to challenge the validity of individual testimony,” she said. Jews have long recognized that social justice is one of the main concerns that make them Jewish, so they can provide acute analyses of power and oppression, having been repeatedly dismantled throughout their long history, she noted. One audience member brought up the issue of the Parkland, Florida school shooting and revitalization of the gun control debate, especially the recent March for Our Lives. Brettschneider reminded the See page 29 >>

Community News>>

April 12-18, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 25

Trans plaintiff to speak at Lambda Legal gala by David-Elijah Nahmod

yan Karnoski, one of the plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s ban on transgender people serving in the U.S. military, will be a keynote speaker at Power of the Party, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund’s 45th anniversary Soiree in San Francisco Friday, April 20. Karnoski is the lead plaintiff in Karnoski v. Trump, which Lambda Legal filed and that includes the Human Rights Campaign and OutServe-SLDN as plaintiffs. Other plaintiffs include six people currently serving in the armed forces and three who seek to enlist, such as Karnoski. According to Lambda Legal, Karnoski comes from a strong military background and desires to join the military. Karnoski and Kara Ingelhart, a law fellow at Lambda Legal’s Chicago office, spoke to the Bay Area Reporter about the case and about Lambda Legal itself. “We did have to fight for our ability to become a nonprofit and the great work we now do,” said Ingelhart. “We’ve made tremendous progress through the courts and in changing hearts and minds.” Ingelhart was referring to Lambda Legal’s first case in 1973, when a panel of New York judges turned down a request by the fledgling organization to operate as a nonprofit. The judges ruled that the group’s mission was “neither benevolent nor charitable.” With pro-bono help, attorney Bill Thom appealed to New York’s highest court, which ruled in the organization’s favor. Lambda Legal now has a legal staff of more than 100 in six offices around the country. “We are still fighting that fight as the Trump administration tries to erase our communities,” Ingelhart said. Today, Lambda Legal is one of the leading LGBT public interest law firms. And it has a long history of winning cases. In 1983 it won People v. West 12 Tenants Corp, helping to establish that under disability laws it’s illegal to discriminate against people who have HIV. In the 1990s, the organization set a legal precedent with Nabozny v. Podlesny, which held schools responsible for harassment and violence against LGBT students. In 1992, it successfully kept Colorado’s Amendment 2 from taking effect. The statewide initiative would have stripped LGBT people of civil rights protections. In 1996, Lambda Legal convinced a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court, particularly Justice Anthony Kennedy, that the measure was unconstitutional. In 2015, Lambda Legal was cocounsel in Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. The battle to overturn Trump’s anti-trans military ban remains ongoing. Last July, President Donald Trump tweeted that he wanted to ban trans people from serving in the military. There are now four lawsuits challenging the ban, and Lambda Legal’s is one of them. “We filed a lawsuit after the ban was filed in August,” said Ingelhart. “At this stage, Lambda is serving all our amazing clients. We’re moving toward permanently ending the ban.” Karnoski, a transgender man, spoke to the B.A.R. about why this lawsuit matters to him. “Its important because being transgender has nothing to do with whether or not someone is qualified or fit to serve,” he said. “Those brave enough to come out inspire me in hoping to serve. I would like to serve in a medical capacity as a social worker.” He also spoke of his feelings about

the day the ban was announced. “I will never forget waking up in the morning and seeing on the news his tweets about the ban,” Karnoski said. “Going forward, I can only hope we can end this ban so we can determine that a person’s transgender status is not a determination on whether or not they’re fit to serve.” Born in 1994 in Edmonds, Washington, Karnoski was involved in queer politics at a very young age. “I wasn’t out as transgender until college,” he said. “In high

school I was involved in the gaystraight alliance. I did clothing drives and organized volunteers for queer service events like the AIDS Walk. For me, it was a really great way to serve the community and people who are LGBTQ.” He noted how happy he was to be represented in court by Lambda Legal, which he said has “a huge legacy of service.” “This case could set a legal precedent on what transgender people are capable of doing,” he said.

“People will realize that transgender people are in their communities working all different kinds of jobs.” Karnoski said he was “humbled” to be one of the plaintiffs in this case, including plaintiffs who were brave enough to come out while actively serving. “I know what it’s like to be publicly out as a trans person,” he said. “I hope this lawsuit will improve the climate of what it means to be transgender.” See page 29 >>

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<< Community News

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 12-18, 2018

Dance production unpacks masculinity by Sari Staver

he world premiere of Sean Dorsey Dance Company’s new production, “Boys In Trouble,” takes place April 19-21 in San Francisco. The new show “unpacks masculinity with unflinching honesty, from unapologetically trans and queer perspectives,” Dorsey, a transgender man, said in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. Dorsey said that he created the production after two years working in communities across the U.S., including taking part in forums about masculinity, recording interviews, and teaching free dance workshops for trans and gender-nonconforming, cisgender, bi, and queer people on the masculine spectrum. A 20-city tour follows the San Francisco premiere. “The work is beautiful, urgent, and timely – especially as America is grappling with toxic masculinity, the trans revolution, the #MeToo movement, and renewed attacks on LGBTQ rights,” he said. Dorsey is the nation’s first acclaimed transgender modern dance choreographer and one of only a few professional trans modern dancers in the U.S. “We are also an all-queer company, and we position trans and queer bodies, movement and experience at the center of our work,” he said. “Most modern dance is super hetero and gender-normative and gender-binary-subscribing. We are extremely unique. “The work has an important

Lydia Daniller

The cast of “Boys In Trouble,” which makes its world premiere next weekend.

message, but more than anything, the work is strong and beautiful,” he added. “I incorporate story and text and language into all my dances, which means my work – unlike a lot of modern dance – is understandable, super-accessible and relatable. We dance human stories.” Performing with Dorsey will be four other dancers: Brian Fisher, ArVejon Jones, Nol Simonse, and Will Woodward. “They are my close family as well as my collaborators,” said Dorsey. He said that he asked the dancers to look into their past.

“To create ‘Boys In Trouble,’ I asked my dancers to dive deep into their own experiences – hurts, traumas, hilarity, and healing around masculinity and gender. What they share in the show is exquisite. We perform full throttle – and I mean full throttle – dance, intimate storytelling, luscious queer partnering, and highly physical theater. There’s both raw emotion and humor in the work.” Dorsey has been producing dance productions in San Francisco for the past 17 years. The process of making this show

“has been absolutely incredible,” Dorsey wrote in an email to the B.A.R. “The depth and beauty of the community engagement that went into creating this work really shines onstage,” he explained. “I always work in community to make my shows – but this project allowed me to go especially deep in community forums and selfexpression workshops. The themes that rose up in these gatherings really drove my choices for the final work,” Dorsey said. After the San Francisco

performances, the show will go on a two-year U.S. tour, with stops in Maui, Hawaii; Washington, D.C.; and Los Angeles. At each city, the company hosts a weeklong residency during which they not only perform, but host free community forums, lead trans-friendly dance classes and self-expression workshops, and other community gatherings. Later this year, Dorsey will become the first U.S. transgender dance artist ever presented by the Joyce Theater in New York City, which will feature Dorsey’s 2017 show, “The Missing Generation”, June 20-23. When he isn’t on the road, Dorsey spends most of his time in the Bay Area, where he teaches, directs his nonprofit Fresh Meat Productions, and is involved with transgender arts activism. Dorsey’s 17th annual Fresh Meat Festival of trans and queer performance will be held June 14-16, also at Z Space. The new show, which was commissioned by six theaters in the U.S., was supported by the National Dance Project and National Performance Network and locally by the Creative Work Fund, in partnership with the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, the Queer Cultural Center, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation, and the Fleishhacker Foundation.t The performances take place at Z Space, 450 Florida Street. Tickets are $15-$50 and available at https://bit.ly/2Jy93Eo.

Mississippi high court sides with non-biological mom in custody case by Lisa Keen

The case

ississippi is one of those Deep South states that really did not want to allow same-sex couples to marry. It didn’t want them to adopt children either. And even after the U.S. Supreme Court said states had to let same-sex couples marry, Mississippi fought back for a while to try and keep them from divorcing. So maybe it wasn’t such a big surprise recently when a state court ruled that the non-biological mother of a child born in Mississippi to a lesbian couple married in Massachusetts but now divorcing shouldn’t be able to claim any parental rights. That’s what happened in 2016. A chancery (or family) court in Mississippi ruled that a child born to a lesbian couple using insemination of an anonymous donor’s sperm was the child of the biological mother and the anonymous sperm donor – not the biological mother’s same-sex spouse. But on April 5, the Mississippi Supreme Court, one of the most conservative in the nation, ruled unanimously that was the wrong result. The nine-member court ruled that, because state law prohibits a father from “disestablishing” his paternity to a child conceived by alternative insemination, “the Legislature never intended for an anonymous sperm donor to have parental rights in a child conceived from his sperm – irrespective of the sex of the married couple that utilized his sperm to have that child.” Beth Littrell, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund attorney who represented the nonbiological mother in this case, Strickland v. Day, said that, while the decision is binding only in

Courtesy Lambda Legal

Lambda Legal client Christina Strickland

Mississippi, it can have impact elsewhere. Littrell said it can “help fill the void left by many states when it comes to the rights of children born via [alternative insemination].” And, she said, “it also is significant because it was rendered by a conservative Southern state’s court of last resort....” The Mississippi Supreme Court, said Littrell, “not only added weight to the consensus that biology alone does not establish parentage but did so in a gender-neutral way that recognized that the parties were a legally married same-sex couple at the time the child was born, notwithstanding that it was years before Mississippi was forced to recognize marriage equality.” Mississippi was forced to recognize marriage for same-sex couples in 2015, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (in Obergefell v. Hodges) that state bans against equal marriage rights for same-sex couples violates the federal Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection. Subsequent to Obergefell, some

states – particularly in the South – tried to buck against that ruling. Mississippi tried to continue enforcing its state ban against allowing same-sex couples to adopt, and it passed a law allowing businesses to deny services to LGBT people and same-sex couples. That latter law is still in effect. Arkansas tried to bar a woman’s name from the birth certificate of a child she had with her same-sex spouse, the child’s biological mother. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed that decision, in Pavan v. Smith, but now the case is back before the U.S. Supreme Court because the Arkansas Supreme Court denied the couple’s right to recover attorneys fees. And though the Mississippi Supreme Court decision in the current case, Strickland, is not binding outside Mississippi, Littrell said “it is persuasive authority that should be helpful whenever any court considers marriage equality, the retroactive application of Obergefell v. Hodges and the parental rights” of couples who use alternative insemination.

The Strickland case involved Christina Strickland and Kimberly Jayroe, who began a relationship in 1999. After several years, they decided to adopt a child together but, since gay couples could neither marry nor adopt children in Mississippi at that time, Jayroe adopted the child and both women assumed parental responsibilities. That was in 2007. Two years later, the women traveled to Massachusetts and obtained a marriage license, and Kimberly took Christina’s last name, Strickland. In 2010, they decided to have another child, this time by using alternative insemination of Kimberly Strickland with the sperm of an anonymous donor. The couple initially planned to travel back to Massachusetts in time for the child’s birth so they could have both women’s names on the child’s birth certificate. But instead, Kimberly Strickland had a C-section, the baby was born in Mississippi in 2011, and only Kimberly Strickland’s name was listed on the child’s birth certificate. Two years later, the couple separated. It wasn’t until 2016 that the women agreed to let a state family court sort out who had custody, visitation, child support, and parentage of the two children. The court ordered Christina Strickland to pay child support for both children and it granted visitation to the child who Kimberly Strickland adopted. But the court said Christina Strickland could not be considered the legal parent of the second child, conceived through insemination, because the sperm donor constituted an “absent father” and Christina Strickland could not be named the second child’s parent unless the donor relinquished his rights. Lambda Legal represented Christina Strickland on appeal. It argued,

“The presumption of parentage attaches at birth to all children born to married couples.” Citing Obergefell and a 1989 case involving the parental rights of a child born to a malefemale couple (Michael H. v. Gerald D.), Lambda Legal said the court had to apply the laws of parentage the same with same-sex couples as it does with male-female couples and “in a gender-neutral manner.” In the Michael H. case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the man who was married to a woman when she gave birth to a child is the father of that child, even though blood tests indicated the biological father was another man. The ruling – written by the late Justice Antonin Scalia – upheld a California law that said a child born to a woman living with her husband is presumed to be a child of that marriage. In the Michael H. case, the child born to the married couple wanted to retain a relationship with the man who was her biological father. But in the Strickland case, noted the Mississippi Supreme Court, the child “could never find the donor, much less have a meaningful relationship with him.” “Christina took on all the responsibilities and rewards that accompany parenthood,” said the decision, referring to the non-biological mother. “To now deprive Christina of these responsibilities and rewards, and diminish her parent-child relationship with [the second child] is certainly a detriment to Christina, to say nothing of the detriment to [the child] himself.” Although several of the justices expressed disagreement with certain procedural matters, all nine agreed with the result. The case was remanded to the family court for consideration of Christina Strickland’s claim for custody.t

Obituaries>>

April 12-18, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 27

Former Examiner arts critic David Bonetti dies by Cynthia Laird

avid Bonetti, a gay man and former longtime arts critic for the old San Francisco Examiner newspaper, died Wednesday, April 4, in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was 70. Mr. Bonetti was found in a chair in his apartment, where he’d been listening to music, his younger brother, Gary Bonetti, told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview. His brother said that an exact cause of death had not been determined. “He lived alone. They were trying to check fire alarm equipment,” Bonetti said, adding that building personnel entered the apartment after receiving no response. “He looked peaceful.” Mr. Bonetti had a wide circle of friends in the Bay Area, and visited here every spring. In fact, he had just been in San Francisco last month. “I was lucky enough to see David

Courtesy Amanda Doenitz

David Bonetti

on his recent trip to San Francisco and Los Angeles,” B.A.R. arts editor Roberto Friedman said. “My partner, George, and I took him to see ‘The Death of Stalin,’ then to the Pilsner for

his beloved martini. He was, as usual, fun, vivacious, full of stories and wisdom. Still can’t believe he’s gone. On top of everything, David Bonetti had a real talent for friendship.” Gerard Koskovich, a queer historian, said in a Facebook tribute that he met Mr. Bonetti in 1989, shortly after he started work at the Examiner. “He gave particular attention to queer cultural institutions and queer artists, whose work he took seriously,” Koskovich wrote. Eventually, as the local newspaper profession was downsizing, and after the San Francisco Chronicle bought the Examiner, Mr. Bonetti took a buyout and moved to St. Louis, where he served for seven years as a critic at the Post-Dispatch. He later took another buyout and moved back to the Boston area. His brother said that Mr. Bonetti had recently been doing freelance work,

including as an opera critic for Berkshire Fine Arts, an online publication. “It is likely that, before or since, Boston has never had a more provocative opera writer,” Charles Giuliano wrote in an obituary on that site. “His reviews often included references to performances in San Francisco and gleaned from his trips to Italy. While not an expert or specialist in classical music few could match the richness and color of the writing.” His brother said that being a critic was the “perfect job” for Mr. Bonetti. “He was a good-humored guy and enjoyed living life fully,” Bonetti said. “He was very focused on his work and didn’t suffer fools gladly. You better know what you were talking about.” Mr. Bonetti was born April 28, 1947 in Milford, Massachusetts. He went to college at Brandeis University, where he graduated in 1969. His brother said that he wasn’t sure

when Mr. Bonetti came out as gay, and that while they weren’t close, “we were by no means estranged.” He said that Mr. Bonetti was close to his nephews, Andrew and Michael. In addition to writing, Mr. Bonetti loved to travel, his brother said, and would frequently talk to his nephew Andrew, who also likes to travel. “He’d been to Italy 12 times over the course of his life,” Bonetti said of his brother. In addition to his brother and nephews, Mr. Bonetti is survived by his sister-in-law, Paula Bonetti. Bonetti said that memorial arrangements have not yet been made. Mr. Bonetti’s West Coast friends are likely to have a celebration of his life. Bonetti said that in the days since his brother’s passing, he has read a lot about him. “He made quite an impact,” he said.t

PRC receives grant to help with move by Alex Madison

he Positive Resource Center was among 10 local nonprofits in San Francisco that received grant money from the city for rental expenses. PRC, which includes the AIDS Emergency Fund and Baker Places, will use the funds to help in its upcoming move to the South of Market neighborhood. Mayor Mark Farrell announced April 2 the disbursement of $500,000 in grants for lease renewal, expansions, and other expenses for a variety of nonprofits as part of the Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative, started in 2015 under the late mayor Ed Lee. PRC received $62,931, which CEO Brett Andrews said would be used to support the move from its current location at 785 Market Street. The move will allow PRC and the organizations that merged with it in 2016 – AEF and Baker Places – to house their administrative staff under the same roof. AEF, as its name implies, provides cash assistance to people living with HIV/ AIDS. Baker Places, now known as PRC Baker Places, provides residential treatment and supportive housing for people with mental health, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDSrelated issues. PRC provides benefits counseling and workforce development programs. A news release from the mayor’s office stated the new PRC offices would be located at 170 Ninth Street, but Andrews would not release details of the move to the Bay Area Reporter, except confirming it will be in SOMA, as the deal has not been finalized. But Andrews did talk about the importance of the funding for PRC. “We can’t do this alone,” Andrews, a gay man, said in an email interview with the B.A.R. “It means a great deal to know the city, and Mayor Farrell in particular, values the impact that organizations such as PRC have on the city’s most vulnerable populations.” PRC applied for the grant and has been a longtime partner with the Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative and its precursor, the Nonprofit Displacement Mitigation Program, which started in 2014. Last year, PRC received $40,000 in grants from the initiative to pay rent when it faced losing its Market Street location due to a sharp rent increase, an example of the nonprofit’s need for rental help to continue focusing on its services and programs, as Andrews pointed out. “Only as a society can we come together to address such pressing

issues as HIV, substance abuse, and mental health,” he said. “The partnership PRC has with the city advances these efforts exponentially.”

Andrews also spoke about the particular need for the city’s support during a time when its communities face homelessness, housing

shortages and an opioid crisis. Farrell mentioned some of the PRC’s services tackling those specific issues in an email with the

B.A.R. He talked about Hummingbird Place, a 15-bed Navigation See page 29 >>

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<< Commentary

28 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 12-18, 2018

Here’s your (bathroom) sign by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

eing transgender in the late 2010s means you talk about restrooms. Indeed, it’s a topic you end up having to revisit over and over again, with what has now been years of attacks on public accommodations laws for transgender people. While we are setting renewed issues with transgender rights within the current administration – and I don’t want to diminish what an enormous threat that is, with attacks from all around this president’s cabinet – I do feel that transgender issues have become more accepted in the court of public opinion. My feelings are further buoyed by the recent victory against Alaska’s Proposition 1, which would have prevented people from using a restroom that did not correspond with their sex assigned on their birth certificate. This was rejected; making for one of the few times transgender rights has won at the ballot box. It’s a huge victory, and while it was members of the trans and larger LGBQ community spearheading it, it is a win that would not have happened without a lot of supportive allies. Before I go further, I want to make one thing clear: I have nothing but appreciation for people who stand up for trans rights as an

LEDsAreAwesome/Etsy

A “Whatever” bathroom sign

ally. So many of us fight day in and day out, year after year, for our very survival, and it is heartening seeing people step up to lend a hand. On the other hand – and you knew there would be one – sometimes allies don’t quite see how their actions, well-meaning as they may be, can make trans people uncomfortable. This is when I go back to talking about restrooms. Over the last few years, I’ve seen more and more examples of genderneutral signage on restrooms. Much of it is OK, simply proclaiming that a facility is gender neutral, or even “all gender.” Some go a step further, and this is where things get dicey. I’ve been shown pictures of restrooms that are labeled “whatever,”

Saying “whatever” to issues surrounding transgender people and the use of public accommodations, let alone putting up cute images of extraterrestrials and fairy creatures, may seem like a great way to flag one’s support of transgender issues, but it tells me, a transgender person, that my needs are singled out and made strange, and that my use of such facilities is, nevertheless, strange. I don’t want to be strange. I just want to go to the restroom in peace. Now, again, I know that when such a sign was put up, the owner likely didn’t think it would be such an issue. I’m sure that voicing such concerns makes me seem humorless and shrill. I get it. At the same time, part of being an ally should be concern for listening to those who you are seeking to ally with, and making sure that your efforts don’t, ahem, alienate anyone in the process. This may feel like such a small issue, and maybe it is – but with restrooms being such a big battleground that transgender people are facing, I think we’d all appreciate our allies standing up and showing up and doing the right thing for us all. To me, it’s time that the centaurs

and mermaids go back to the land of the fae, the aliens get beamed up, and “whatever” goes away, forever. While we’re at it, let’s retire that half man-half woman info graphic that, quite frankly, only seems to apply to a particular Halloween get-up and not to any trans or nonbinary identity. For me, I want a restroom that says, quite simply, restroom. If you need an image, use an info graphic of a toilet, and avoid any convoluted examples of men, women and so on. Further, if you want to really show your allyship, why not place a sign next to that, stating that you support transgender people, and that they can use the bathroom that fits their gender identity. Spell out your choices and reasons, and truly stand up for us. We’re going to need our allies, because the defeat of Prop 1 in Alaska isn’t the end of troubles for trans rights. There’s still a long road ahead, and we’re going to need all the help we can get – but I ask allies to listen and learn. We can all do a better job for every trans person out there. t

4-12 Gay Games X and of 500; beach volleyball, with three months of reg50 of 140; bowling, 179 of istration left, almost 8,000 400; mountain biking, 47 people have already paid of 60; cycling road races, and signed up. 125 of 150; dance sport, “We are confident in 264 of 400; fencing, 23 of gathering the most inclusive 100; field hockey, 162 of event of the century,” Man360; figure skating, 71 of uel Picaud, co-president 220; team handball, 61 of Paris 2018, said. “Our of 200; martial arts, 200 Courtesy Team SF figures are already in a bet- Paris 2018 Coof 300; boxing, 61 of 100; ter trend than any previous President Manuel petanque, 118 of 180; rowGay Games since 2002.” ing, 280 of 300; sailing, 67 Picaud That’s 2002 as in Gay of 100; softball, 97 of 300; Games VI in Sydney, roller skating, 29 of 150; which drew about 12,000 athletes and squash, 91 of 112; table tennis, 109 of artists. That was the third consecutive 200; triathlon, 267 of 500; volleyball, quadrennial Gay Games that drew 488 of 850; and in wrestling and grapmore than 10,000 participants. Chipling, 78 of 150. cago virtually matched that in 2006, Tennis (507 participants) and golf but since then in consecutive cycles (184) have already sold out. Gay Games drew just under 10,000 in In road races, organizers budgeted 2010, then less than 7,000 in 2014. for 750 in the marathon and already Some blamed the choice of cities: have 725 runners. They planned for Cologne, Germany and Cleveland are 1,000 runners in the 5- and 10-kismaller cities lacking the tourist buzz lometer runs and are just three shot of previous hosts. Some blamed the of that. Organizers said they might global recession; others competition expand the limits on all three runs to with the World Outgames and “touraccommodate more demand. nament saturation” in the LGBT sports Soccer is divided into 11- and sevcalendar. Still others blamed the sucen-player teams in two tournaments, cess of the Gay Games in its efforts to with a maximum of 400 players in make sports more inclusive and supeach tournament. They already have portive, thereby reducing the need for 369 for the 11s and 137 for the sevens. an LGBT-focused sports event. The maximum of water polo teams All can do some serious shut-up now. (16 competition, 20 leisure) have Paris appears to be a lock for doublebeen registered since 2017 but 291 of digit thousands, with a probable registhe 720 maximum slots remain open. tration total in the 12,000-15,000 range. Forty-five of 50 spots in an urban Some sports are already at capacity dance workshop have been taken, but while others, such as cycling and organizers say they hope to exroad running, are almost pand as needed. full. Even the minority of The vast majority of sports that would appear spots in the conferences to be doomed to cancel(100 per day for three lation because of low regdays) remain open. istration numbers remain Cheerleading has 114 of viable candidates, Paris its 150 spots filled. Band 2018 organizers said. is wide open with 45 Here are the number signed up (200 maxiof registrants Paris 2018 mum), orchestra has is reporting for each 29 of its 200 spots filled, sport, followed by the and choir has 162 of its maximum capacity of each sport: div250 spots open. ing, 26 registrants out of a maximum But it’s hard to look at the registraof 100 participants; open water swim, tions in three sports – ice hockey, roll178 out of 400; swimming, 895 of er derby, and rugby – and not think 1,200; synchronized swimming, 66 of they face a stiff challenge in remaining 195; track and field, 460 of 750; badon the schedule. minton, 356 of 600; basketball, 213 Of the three, ice hockey appears

to be in the best shape. Picaud said 10 teams have registered, but just 72 players have registered. “Many people in team sports register late after their captains,” Picaud said. Roller derby? Organizers planned on 300 slots for that sport but just two (yes, that’s two) have registered. “Roller derby is a try to reach out to young women,” Picaud said. “If the European teams decide to come, we will have a great show. We are still expecting them.” Lastly, there’s rugby. With the advent of the Bingham Cup after 9/11, it is difficult for rugby teams to afford both the Bingham Cup championship and the Gay Games in the same year. No host has been successful with rugby since Sydney 2002. Paris is trying to organize a tournament for seven-player squads instead of the standard 15, but has only 10 out of a maximum 250 signed up. That’s not even enough for a two-team tournament. “Rugby is a real challenge for Gay Games with another competition of rugby 15s in Europe some weeks before our event,” Picaud said. “Nevertheless, it is a sport supported by the French federation of rugby who wants to foster this game.” Drop the cultural, cheerleading, and conference events, add up all of the sports registrations, and you’ve got 7,617 athletes. Add in chorus, orchestra, band cheerleading, and conferences and you’re at 7,955 participants. With four months to go. Looks like they’re back.

often with a “half man-half woman” info graphic image. I’ve even seen ones that include an alien figure among the others, or one that used a mermaid and centaur pairing. These are all very cute – all serving to show that the owner of said establishment is trans-supportive – and all have problems. You see, I’m not a “whatever.” I’m not a mythological creature, nor do I come from beyond the stars – and by equating my very real need to use restroom facilities with fantasy or science fiction, you end up treating me as something strange and bizarre. When I was a child, many others and I were brought up to “not see race,” as if this would solve the issues of racism. It was a well-meaning concept akin to a “whatever” restroom, with similar issues. Not having to “see race” is a very privileged standpoint, and means you get to be willfully blind to the very real issues of systemic racism that can pervade a society. It sounds good, but doesn’t solve anything. Indeed, it may, in many ways, make things worse.

Gwen Smith’s restroom is tikithemed. You’ll find her at www. gwensmith.com.

Gay Games are back by Roger Brigham

orget the frustrating fabrications of the late, never great World Outgames. Get over the legal slap fest to settle ownership of the Sin City Classic. Stop worrying about the declining registration numbers of the past two Gay Games that had many supporters

thinking inclusive LGBT sports have had their heyday and are in recession. Paris 2018 appears poised to disprove all the nattering “nay-bobs” with participation levels reminiscent of the Gay Games’ glory days. Organizers told the Bay Area Reporter this week that with less than four months to go before the August

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Florida’s criminal investigation into the management and cancellation of the 2017 Miami World Outgames remains open but has been temporarily derailed because of the fatal collapse last month of a Florida International University pedestrian bridge. “The prosecutor handling the Outgames is totally immersed in the bridge case,” state attorney spokesman Ed Griffith told the Bay Area Reporter. “He expects to finalize the case in about 60 days.” Six people were killed when the $14.2 million bridge, which was See page 30 >>

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Community News>>

City College street

From page 3

Longtime City College interdisciplinary instructor Leslie Simon was actually the first to suggest Frida Kahlo Way. The City College board voted on the change and submitted its official street name nomination to Yee in February. The trustees do not have the power to change the street name, which is the official address of City College’s main campus. Currently, the campus is home to the “Pan American Unity” mural, painted by Kahlo’s husband and hugely influential Mexican artist, Diego Rivera. He died in 1957. When the B.A.R. spoke with gay

Milk plaza

From page 3

Mandelman was referring to the fact that this was the latest of several meetings regarding the redesign of Harvey Milk Plaza. “This is a good example of community input and a process that is engaging the neighbors,” he added.

The proposals

The first design, titled “Harvey’s Journey, Your Journey”, features a wood canopy over the entrance stairwell into the plaza. The word “Castro” is prominently displayed on top of the canopy. A small park with trees and a small flight of stairs leading up to the trees stood to the right of the entrance. A colorful portrait of Milk graced a wall inside the concourse ticketing level below. There are also trees enclosed in glass at the concourse level. A narrative timeline of Milk’s life

News Briefs

From page 4

and trans organization on the West Coast, with over 800 members. The upcoming banquet is expected to draw about 300 members. The Phoenix Award is given to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the APIQWTC community. Chung recently received the Trailblazer Award from Openhouse, a nonprofit that has programs for LGBT seniors. The banquet takes place from 5 to 11 p.m. at the Cinnamon Tree Restaurant, 708 Franklin Street, in Oakland.

Intersectionality

From page 24

audience that the slogans used at the march, such as “Never Again” or “We Will Remember,” were first used as awareness for Holocaust victims and survivors. Also, seven of the 17 shooting victims were

Lambda Legal

From page 25

“We are confident in our legal arguments,” added Ingelhart. “We

PRC

From page 27

Center that opened last August inside Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, which provides access to recovery and wellness programs to the homeless and mentally ill. Most patients stay at the facility for two weeks. It is the city’s first Navigation Center that deals specifically with mental health issues and addiction. “PRC provides a wide range of essential services to San Franciscans, as exemplified by Hummingbird Place,” Farrell said. “The organizations that have joined forces

April 12-18, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 29

City College trustees Tom Temprano and Rafael Mandelman, they talked about the college’s opportunity to honor Kahlo, who was largely overshadowed by her husband during their lives, and the importance of choosing a figure who represents the values of the college of inclusion and equality. “What something is named matters,” Temprano said. “For community members to see Frida Kahlo Way speaks to our values as a college and is representative of folks of color, LGBT members, the Latino community, and artists.” He and Mandelman both said it was the college’s duty to take a stand against people, living or dead, whose mission it was to silence and exclude minorities. City College

has an international student body, largely made up of minorities. “To have a name historically tied to racism on that road is inappropriate at an institution that is so important to communities of color,” said Mandelman, who is running for District 8 supervisor against Jeff Sheehy, a gay, HIV-positive man who was appointed to the seat by the late mayor Ed Lee. As previously reported by the B.A.R., in 2014, San Francisco honored the late transgender icon Vicki Marlane by naming a block of Turk Street in the Tenderloin neighborhood after her. This was the first time the city named a street after a trans person. In 2016, the 100 block of Taylor Street was renamed Gene

Compton’s Cafeteria Way, after a restaurant that served as a hangout for transgender and queer people in the 1960s. Police raided it in 1966 in what is known as the Compton’s Cafeteria riot, preceding the more famous Stonewall riots in New York City. A plaque honoring Kahlo is part of the Rainbow Honor Walk in the Castro. The City College street renaming is just the latest instance of the city working to remove monuments and other items named after racists or that contain racist elements. Earlier this year, the historic preservation and arts commissions voted to remove “Early Days,” a statue near Civic Center Plaza that’s widely viewed as racist for its depiction of

a missionary and a vaquero standing over a nearly naked American Indian. It is also part of a nationwide, ongoing movement to replace names and monuments of people who no longer represent the values of today’s society. A woman died last August during a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, protesting plans to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. For Yee and City College faculty and staff, the renaming is a symbol of progress, a continued push for inclusion, and the reflection of a more accepting society. “Society is not stagnant. We change all the time and we should reflect the values we hold today,” Yee said. t

and a historic photograph would be included in this design. Milk, of course, was the first openly gay person elected to office in San Francisco and California when he won a seat on the Board of Supervisors in 1977. Tragically, he and then-mayor George Moscone were assassinated by disgruntled ex-supervisor Dan White in November 1978. The second design is called “Castro’s Living Room.” It features a wide stairway leading down to the concourse level. A sign proclaiming “Welcome Home” would greet visitors and Muni riders. The concourse would be open-air, enabling Market Street pedestrians to look down into the concourse. The concourse would include interactive exhibit walls and historic narrative walls. The third idea, titled “A Soapbox For Many”, would include space on Market Street where vigils and demonstrations could be held. There

would also be a narrative timeline and a permanent candlelight vigil. Finally, the fourth design approach, “Castro’s Perch,” would feature a flight of stairs leading up to the top of the canopy at the station entrance. Visitors would be able to take photos or just gaze upon the neighborhood. There would be permanent lighting elements, made to resemble a candlelight vigil, plus sound and a timeline. Throughout the presentation Skoda and Wood emphasized that the final design would honor the struggle for LGBTQ rights. All four designs aim to provide more accessibility to the Castro Muni station, to provide elevator access to the plaza level, to widen the sidewalk along the Market Street plaza edge, and to provide security and enclosure of the Castro station at night. After the presentation, printouts of the designs were handed out to each table along with comment cards where people could offer their

feedback. Several people noted that they found it strange that none of the designs clearly identified Castro station as a memorial to Milk at the entrance. “The Harvey Milk Plaza sign is a detail that will come later,” Andrea Aiello, executive director of the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District and president of the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, told the Bay Area Reporter. “The level of participation among the attendees is exciting. People are very engaged and thoughtful. I’m looking forward to using all these comments to develop a final design scheme.” But not everyone was happy. Duboce Triangle resident Peter Gudd said that the designs were all “bells and whistles.” “The biggest problem are all these stairs and steps, which will be taken over by the homeless,” Gudd said. Longtime activist and community

member Ken Jones, who knew Milk, was one of those concerned that none of the signage identified the station as Harvey Milk Plaza. But overall, Jones was pleased with the results of the meeting. “I am so encouraged to see fivedozen men and women of all ages gathered on a sunny, beautiful afternoon at Most Holy Redeemer meeting space to share their visions and their hearts for the Harvey Milk Plaza rebuilding project,” he said. “I am so pleased to see and witness the care, concern, and love people have for the Harvey Milk legacy that has touched everyone in a special and unique way.” Aiello said that all four designs, plus the comments received, can be viewed online. Visit www.friendsofharveymilkplaza.org for more details. Information on the fourth and final meeting will also be posted on the website. The date and time of that meeting has not been determined. t

Tickets are $50, general admission, or $30 for students and seniors. For more information, visit http://www. apiqwtc.org/ and click on “Banquet.”

be interactive stations, live music, demonstrations, and live animal presentations. Attendees can get a free train ride ticket if they bring an old cellphone to be recycled. Earth Day activities are included with regular zoo admission. The zoo is located at 9777 Golf Links Road. For more information, visit http:// www.oaklandzoo.org.

The fair’s board decided to hold the meeting to solicit input and to hear ideas for this year’s event. For more about the fair, see the Guest Opinion on page 8.

resident, and at least 18 years of age. All positions are one-day assignments that pay between $142-$195. Applicants who speak Chinese, Spanish, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, or other languages in addition to English are encouraged to apply. Interested people can apply in person at the Department of Elections, which is located in the basement of San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 48. For more information, visit www.sfgov/ org/elections/serve-poll-worker or call (415) 554-4375. t

Earth Day at the Oakland Zoo

Elections department seeks poll workers

While Earth Day is formally celebrated April 22, the Oakland Zoo will get an early start with its popular event Saturday, April 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. According to zoo officials, more than 50 local conservation, green, and educational organizations will be taking part in a zoowide, family-friendly festival to celebrate the planet. There will

Castro Street Fair meeting

There will be a community meeting about the Castro Street Fair Saturday, April 21, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Eureka Valley Recreation Center, 100 Collingwood Street in San Francisco.

The San Francisco Department of Elections is seeking poll workers for the upcoming June 5 primary election. Poll workers operate polling places on Election Day and assist voters in many parts of the voting process. Applicants must be a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., a California

Jewish, and she said that there is evidence that shooter Nicholas Cruz may have been hunting for Jews, a fact not well-known, but a significant one in any intersectional analysis of this tragedy. So, she explained, with its wealth of historical examples, its organizational experience, and political

public response, Jews have much to offer in how to deal with this catastrophe. Another audience member remarked how the needs of a black child are often set against those of a white child, seen as a competition, that meeting the black child’s needs somehow takes away from

those of a white child, with such hierarchies of oppression being used to delegitimize marginalized people by giving into an irrational fear that there is not enough room or resources for all of us. But Brettschneider argued that people can be expansive for everyone if they are willing to see

the world through multiple lenses through various communities, “supporting and challenging one another with humility and in solidarity,” she said. “Joining our collective wisdom and experiences will be crucial in building an effective resistance movement against Trump and his policies.”t

won our preliminary injunction which gives us confidence that we will prevail.” The other featured speaker at the Soiree will be Sharon

McGowan, Lambda Legal’s director of strategy. She leads the agency’s work in Washington, D.C. and recently went to work for the organization after serving as the

principal deputy chief of the appellate section of the civil rights division in the U.S. Department of Justice. The soiree will take place at 6

p.m. at the Fairmount Hotel, 950 Mason Street. Tickets are $350 and can be purchased online at https://www.lambdalegal.org/sfsoiree. t

to become PRC ... will align their efforts in one space for the first time to direct resources to where they are needed the most.” PRC opened in 1987, and today after the mergers, serves more than 5,000 clients a year, according to its website. The nonprofit is just one that has been helped by the Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative, which is overseen by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, the San Francisco Arts Commission, and the Northern California Community Loan Fund. It has awarded $6 million throughout

the last two years to nonprofits that provide legal services to immigrants, workforce programs for seniors and people living with disabilities, youth development and arts programs and employment and entrepreneurship training in low-income and historically under-resourced communities citywide. The other nine nonprofits that received recent grants include Creativity Explored, Sunset Youth Services, the Roxie Theatre, First Exposures, ArtSpan, Breast Cancer Action, Community Living Campaign, SFMade, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice of the Asian Law Caucus. t

Alex Madison and Sari Staver contributed reporting.

Positive Resource Center CEO Brett Andrews

<< Legals

30 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 12-18, 2018

Jock Talk

From page 28

scheduled to open at the beginning of 2019, collapsed on the highway. In addition to the state criminal investigation of the collapse, the National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating its cause. Organizers of the World Outgames raised more than $2 million but announced the cancellation of the event just hours before its scheduled opening Memorial Day weekend. Traveling athletes were stuck with plane tickets, hotel reservations, and other nonrefundable travel costs. An audit revealed incorrect and incomplete bookkeeping, failure to obtain and pay for permits and venue fees, and fundraising goals that were consistently missed. An investigation by Miami Beach police resulted in no charges based on misappropriation of funds, but the state investigators are continuing to interview witnesses; and a $5 million civil class action was filed in late February (See March 1 JockTalk).

Canadian hockey tragedy

Fifteen people were killed and another 14 injured in Saskatchewan, Canada, last Friday when a semitrailer truck slammed into a bus carrying a junior hockey team from Humbolt. The tragedy, whose fatalities included two of the coaches, the radio announcer, the statistician, the bus driver, and 10 players, sent shock waves through Canada and drew messages of sympathy from President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. But one of the players killed was able to provide needed hope to some and a reminder to others to take action. Humbolt Broncos defenseman Logan Boulet was taken off life support the day after the crash. He reportedly had signed an organ donor card just weeks before when he turned 21. Doctors were able to successfully transplant six of his vital organs in half a dozen patients. That hit home for me. When I was put on a waiting list for a kidney, I was told it would be about five years before I would be given a matching kidney. That was in 2010. Medical science can do miracles with transplants for patients – but there is a critical shortage of all kinds of vital organs. To sign up online as an organ donor, visit http://www.organdonor.gov. As a final reminder, April is (you guessed it) Donate Life Month. t

Sex work

From page 19

sex ads would remove one of the main ways of identifying trafficking victims and could drive trafficking further underground. But another coalition, World Without Exploitation, supports the bill, saying traffickers were hiding behind Section 230 of the decency act. On April 6, before SESTA/FOSTA went into effect, federal law enforcement agents seized the widely used http://www.Backpage.com website – one of the main targets of the legislation – and raided the Arizona homes of site founders Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin, according to news reports. Backpage was previously prosecuted in California and other states, but courts ruled that the site was protected by the CDA provision, which was part of the impetus for SESTA/FOSTA. “SESTA/FOSTA was originally proposed as an anti-trafficking bill, but the bill that was passed targets consensual sex work,” Mike Stabile, communications director of the Free Speech Coalition, told the B.A.R. “Any site – whether a social network like Twitter, a dating app like Grindr, or a community like Fetlife – now has to police the words of its members,” Stabile continued. “It moves sex work into the same category that homosexuality itself was in the 1950s: merely talking about it could be perceived as facilitating it, promoting it, or encouraging it – thus making it prosecutable.” t

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038051000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PETERSON & ASSOCIATES REALTORS, 153 9TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Jack A. Peterson. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/04/2002. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/20/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038024700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOWEAR LEGGINGS, 3251 20TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed IRFAN REHMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/27/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 ICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038032200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DMB REGISTRATION SERVICE, 1640 DAVIDSON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARTHA PATRICIA BENITEZ CASTREJON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/05/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/05/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038044800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SINFUL BLISS, 27 SEARS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NICHELLE MARIE EMELIA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/01/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/15/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038037200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE TRAINING ZONE STUDIO, 1428 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FRANCISCO A. NIEVES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/08/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/08/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038044900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NEILSON & MACRITCHIE INVESTIGATORS, 1161 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DONALD T. MACRITCHIE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/01/98. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/15/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038044600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOW TO PAINT IT, 584 CASTRO ST #518, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHAEL TRUHILL PIERCE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/14/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/14/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038035000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SWIVELS MERCHANDISE, 2024 RIVERA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KEVIN NGO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/26/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038037000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RUDY’S PLACE, 48 LUCY ST #C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RUDY QUARLES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/08/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/08/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038043100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: E BUY STORE II, 2750 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARK SIU LEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/13/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/13/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038039600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BRUNI’S SERVICES, 5 MOUNT VERNON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed BEVERLY MEJIA & ADELINO MARTINEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/09/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/09/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038043300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FLYWHEEL TAXI, 1236 CARROLL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DE SOTO CAB COMPANY INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/13/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/13/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038045700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MR. EAST KITCHEN, 276 5TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ASIAN BOWLS INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/15/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038045200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LE SOLEIL INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC., 133 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LE SOLEIL INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/15/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/15/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038041400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CURIO AT THE CHAPEL, 777 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SECOND LINE, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/12/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05,12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038043800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LA PETITE NAIL SHOP, 601 KANSAS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LA PETITE NAIL LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/13/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/13/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038026600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TALLIO’S COFFEE & TEA, 4912 THIRD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TALLIO’S COFFEE & TEA (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/18.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037019800

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: LA PETITE NAIL SHOP, 601 KANSAS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by BOI CAM CO. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/28/16.

MAR 22, 29, APR 05, 12, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-553803

In the matter of the application of: TARANATH TIMALSINA, 995 HOWARD ST #104, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner TARANATH TIMALSINA, is requesting that the name TARANATH TIMALSINA, be changed to SURAJ TIMALSINA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 22nd of May 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-553779

In the matter of the application of: RACHEL HART NUNNALLY, 1690 BROADWAY ST #409, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner RACHEL HART NUNNALLY, is requesting that the name RACHEL HART NUNNALLY, be changed to HART HARAGUTCHI. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 24th of May 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038059800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CASA DE LA CONDESA RESTAURANT, 2763 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANGELA MIRANDA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/23/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/23/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038053600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SMOOTH OPERATOR, RIDIN HIGH ENTERTAINMENT, 1201 BACON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RANDY BREWSTER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/01/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/21/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038047100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AMPLITUDE IP, 182 HOWARD ST #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROBERT BURLINGAME. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/08/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/16/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038047700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MR. DEEP CLEAN HOUSEKEEPING, 18 HALE ST UNIT C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DENYS A. RUIZ ZAMBRANA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/16/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038055400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WANDERING VET; WANDERING VETS, 2153 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ADAM BEHRENS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 09/18/08. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/22/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038052900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GENERAL HOUSE CLEANING, 1481 REVERE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANGELICA DE PAZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/05/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/20/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038045000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE SALAD PLACE & ROTISSERIE, 5392 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GLORIA AGUIRRE TENORIO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/15/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038052300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 1DEALCATCHER.COM, 1559B SLOAT BLVD, #481, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed 1DEALCATCHER.COM (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/20/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038057600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: INFINITE BEAUTY, 233 GRANT AVE 6TH FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed INFINITE BEAUTY (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/22/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038045500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GEARY BLVD PLACE, 6314 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed WHOLE FAMILY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/15/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/15/18.

MAR 29, APR 05, 12, 19, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-553800

In the matter of the application of: A ERDEM CIMEN, 420 STANYAN ST #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner A ERDEM CIMEN, is requesting that the name A ERDEM CIMEN, be changed to ERDEM CIMEN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 22nd of May 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-553803

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038067400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GREENHOUSE WISDOM, 3118 DIVISADERO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SUZANNE MARIE DITO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/09/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/28/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038075900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COB MARK-IT, 305 SPRUCE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed COURTNEY WADSWORTH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/30/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038060800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: YURI CONSTRUCTION, 400 ANZA ST #206, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed IOURI N. KOPYLOV. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/23/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/23/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038066200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OLD MISSION BARBER SHOP, 2485 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed OMAR NAZZAL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/27/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038067300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: POOH PERFECT BETTER BOWEL, 2339 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed BARBARA DULLEA; ROSEMARY RAU-LEVINE MD; RICHARD TRAVERSO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/27/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038071000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NORM’S MARKET, 2201 BRYANT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed NAIM B. TOTAH & BASEM TOTAH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/93. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/29/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038077900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FOLSOM DENTAL GROUP, 3085 24TH ST #202, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ULLOA AND LUQUE DENTAL CORP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/02/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/02/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26 , 2018

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038064900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SF SHOTCRETE, 318 WEST PORTAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BRADY CONSTRUCTION INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/21/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/27/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038055900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: QUEST CLINICAL RESEARCH, 2300 SUTTER ST #208, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LALEZARI MEDICAL CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/09/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/22/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038066600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GRITS, 210 JONES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JAKINS CO (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/27/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038061300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SILO, TWO EMBARCADERO CENTER, FLOOR 8, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SILO TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (DE The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/09/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/23/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038068800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JK SOUND, 1425 DAVIDSON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JK SOUND INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/22/99. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/28/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038071400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CORNELL & MUNZER LLC, 326 BRAZIL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CORNELL & MUNZER LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/14/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/29/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038068200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OINK & OSCAR, 87 YERBA BUENA LANE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed OINK, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/28/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/28/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038068000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COCOSUEÑO, 865 MARKET ST, STORE 497, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed YBL PARTNERS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/28/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/28/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038069200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE VOLUME; THE WAKING HOUR, 465 S. VAN NESS AVE #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CULTURE VULTURE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/28/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/28/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038075800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GORKHA KITCHEN, 1386 9TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HALESI MAHADEV LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/30/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/30/18.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-035157300

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: CORNELL & MUNZER, 326 BRAZIL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by ROBERT MUNZER & SUZANNE CORNELL. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/27/13.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036478200

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: CULTURE VULTURE, 465 S. VAN NESS AVE #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by YBR PROMOTIONS LLC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/12/15.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037375300

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: THE WORD, 465 S. VAN NESS AVE #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by YBR PROMOTIONS LLC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/06/16.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018

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The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: NOB HILL GENERAL STORE, 1398 LEAVENWORTH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business was conducted by a married couple and signed by TIMOTHY ANDREW TALBOT. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/20/15.

APR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038086500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FIRE 2 SMOKE, 1954 48TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DONALD MICHAEL BUDETTI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/09/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/09/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038060700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BUILDCORP, 666 MONTEREY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FLORENCE LY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/23/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038082300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ADVERTISE ON SEARCH, 548 MARKET ST #19013, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CARTER KASH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/01/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/05/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038047500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TEICHOSCOPIA, 866 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SALEM EVANS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/18/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038082700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EKO KITCHEN, 3090 26TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SIMILEOLUWA ADEBAJO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/05/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018

April 12-18, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 31

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF MARILYN ROSE SHERIDAN IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-18301660

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of MARILYN ROSE SHERIDAN, MARILYN SHERIDAN, MARILYN R. SHERIDAN. A Petition for Probate has been filed by LYDIA SHERIDAN in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that LYDIA SHERIDAN be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: May 07, 2018, 9:00 am, Dept. Probate, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: Jayleen Janell Woodbury (CA BAR #289808), The Woodbury Law Office, 875 University Ave, Sacramento, CA 95825; Ph. (916) 837-8211.

APR 12, 19, 26, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037539100

SUMMONS SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, CIVIC CENTER COURT, 400 MCALLISTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: BRYAN CHAUVEL, SCOTT NOLEN, JASON LALAK & DOES 1-5, INCLUSIVE, YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: 100 VAN NESS ASSOCIATES, LLC CASE NO. CGC-16-553342

Notice! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below. You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo. ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. The name and address of the court is: Superior Court for the State of California, County of San Francisco Civic Center Court, 400 McAllister St, San Francisco, California 94102 The name, address and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney is: Francisco G. Torres (SBN 156169), 625 Market St, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105; (415) 977-0444 ext. 224, Date: July 29, 2016. Clerk of The Court. NOTICE TO THE PERSON SERVED: You are served as an individual defendant. On behalf of: Limited Liability Corporation.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038078500

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: E BUY STORE, 2750 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by XIU MEI LI. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/31/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VOLDI EVENTS, 1151 POST ST APT 3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NICOLAU FERNANDES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/03/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/03/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018

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APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038055600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NORTH SOUTH CONSTRUCTION, 1657 JENEVEIN AVE, SAN BRUNO, CA 94066. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed NORTH SOUTH CONSTRUCTION INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/22/08. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/22/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038082400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHOCOLATE, 442 POST ST, 8TH FLOOR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed VDOPIA INC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 12/01/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/05/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038084900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JACOBSEN WINES, 1387 DEHARO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed JACOBSEN WINES LLC (CA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/01/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/06/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018

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APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038081300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SIMPLE, 2620 OCEAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AP SIMPLE (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/04/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/04/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018

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APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038071700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KNR CLEANING COMPANY, 145 BRITTON ST APT G, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KYWANNA REED. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/09/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/09/18.

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CORVERA’S TOWING, 2000 MCKINON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HOWARD N. CORVERA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/21/07. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/27/18.

APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038087000

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APR 12, 19, 26, MAY 03, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038066900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MIX TRADITIONS, 800 CORTLAND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FVI INVESTMENT CORP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/04/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/04/18.

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According to the payment order as per section 69A, should you be unable to pay the entire debt, you should pay your debt in linked monthly installments, amounting to 250.00 ILS. The first installment is immediate. Note that payment at the Postal Bank will be credited to the case only following approximately 5 work days. During those days the debt will accrue lawful linkage differences and\or interest. You are to pay your debts in the above rates coupled with linkage differences. Partial payment of the debt hereunder does not prohibit the claimant from acting against you under the procedures detailed in the law, which involves expenses that will increase you debt in the case. To make the payments, approach the information center according to the details herein and obtain payment vouchers according to the obligation order.

Untitled-1 1

3/12/18 12:58 PM

Arts Besties!

Nijinsky lives

Cowell lives

Scandal's end

Vol. 48 • No. 15 • April 12-18, 2018

www.ebar.com/arts

The great work begins! Cheshire Isaacs/Berkeley Repertory Theatre

‘Angels in America’ returns to the Bay Area by Jim Gladstone

“W

hen I was 16, I came out to my parents,” says actor Randy Harrison. “And two weeks later, we were on our annual family trip to New York. I was a real theater kid, and my parents always let me choose what we’d see together. And that year, I picked Angels in America.” This was 1994, just months into the original Broadway run of playwright Tony Kushner’s watershed spiritual, psychological and political response to the age of AIDS (full title: Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes). See page 48 >>

DVS Ross, courtesy the subject

Benjamin Ismail (Louis) and Randy Harrison (Prior), part of Angels in America at Berkeley Rep.

16th-century epic verse a-Go-Go! by Jim Gladstone

“I Peppermint, aka Agnes Moore, will be the first transgender actress ever to originate a major role on Broadway, in “Head Over Heels.”

could die tomorrow,” says Peppermint, when asked about her career ambitions. “I have loved musicals since I was in the womb.” The season nine runner-up on RuPaul’s Drag Race is currently appearing in Head Over Heels at the Curran Theatre here in San Francisco. “Drag was really a detour for me,” she explains. “I was auditioning for anything and everything in New York theater, but there wasn’t room for anyone with my gender expression.” See page 48 >>

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

<< Out There

34 • Bay Area Reporter • April 12-18, 2018

Besties announced in Arts & Culture by Roberto Friedman

t’s that time again when your old trusties at the Bay Area Reporter bestow the Besties, the reader’schoice LGBTQ Best of the Bay awards, for 2018. We’ve tried a new tactic this year, and retired the perpetual winners in some categories in a sort of “Hall of Fame” so that other deserving worthies might prevail. We’ll note those “retired” honorees when they come up. To make the presentation more amusing and interactive, this year Out There presents our portion of the awards in a sort of “Mad Libs” format, where you can choose some of the verbiage for the honorifics yourself! Don’t worry, all the missing words are furnished at the end of the column. With that said, here are the results in nine Arts & Culture categories.

Best Art Museum

de Young Museum

(“Frequent Besties winner SFMOMA has been retired from the competition.”) (Runners-up: GLBT History Museum, Legion of Honor, Oakland Museum of California, Asian Art Museum, Museum of the African Diaspora, Walt Disney Family Museum, Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Jose Museum of Art, Museum of Craft & Design) “We are an art museum, a vital public space where (1) illuminate the past, speak of the present, and shape the future. Doers, creators, thinkers, (2) of the world – those who eagerly (3) the unfamiliar – you are welcome here.” – courtesy de Young Museum/ FAMSF.

Best Ballet Company

Alonzo King LINES Ballet (“Frequent Besties winner San Francisco Ballet has been retired from the competition.”) (Runners-up: Oakland Ballet, Smuin Ballet, Ballet San Jose, Diablo Ballet, Post: ballet) “Alonzo King has been called a (1) choreographer, who is altering the way we look at ballet. King calls his works ‘(2) structures’ created by the manipulation of energies that exist in

matter through laws, which govern the shapes and movement directions of everything that exists. Named as a choreographer with ‘astonishing (3)’ by the New York Times, Alonzo King LINES Ballet has been guided by his unique artistic vision since 1982.” – courtesy AKLB.

proclaim its (2) in its name and is credited with helping start the LGBT choral movement that now spans the entire (3), galvanizing and changing the course of LGBT history.” – courtesy SFGMC.

Best Classical Venue

Davies Symphony Hall (Runners-up: War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Herbst Theatre, Veteran’s Building, Old First Church) “Home of the San Francisco Symphony since it first opened in 1980, Davies Symphony Hall offers a host of (1) to concertgoers, from in-house (2) and beverage services to behind-the-scenes tours and unique (3) experiences.” – courtesy SFS.

Answer key Rick Gerharter

An elegant example of streamline moderne design is the 1937 Cord Phaeton 812 automobile, part of the “Cult of the Machine” exhibit now showing at the 2018 Besties-winning de Young Museum

exploring, explaining, and (2) life on Earth. Based in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, it is home to a world-class aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum – all under one (3) roof.” – courtesy CAS.

in communities to promote social change. We actively invest in our local arts and music scene to give space for artists. We actively pursue underserved communities in the use of our (3).” – courtesy El Rio.

ODC/Dance

Best Large Live Music Venue

Best Theatre Company

(Runners-up: AXIS Dance Company, Sean Dorsey Dance, Joe Goode Performance Group, Keith Hennessy/Circo Zero, Katie Faulkner/little seismic, Jess Curtis/ Gravity) “ODC/Dance Company’s 10 outstanding dancers perform its (1) repertory for more than 50,000 people annually. In addition to two annual home seasons in San Francisco, Dance Downtown and the beloved holiday production The Velveteen (2), past highlights include numerous appearances at the Joyce Theater in New York, sold out performances at the Kennedy Center, standing room only engagements in Europe and Russia, and two USIA tours to (3).” – courtesy ODC/Dance.

(“Frequent Besties winner The Fillmore has been retired from the competition.”) (Runners-up: Great American Music Hall, Masonic Hall, The Chapel, Regency Center, Slim’s) “The Warfield is a 2,250-person venue and has been a San Francisco institution for 86 years. Opened on May 13, 1922, it was built by showman and theatre chain owner Marcus Loew, who named the showplace after his old friend David Warfield, a native San Franciscan who began as an (1) and grew to be one of the greatest silent film actors of his time. The Warfield was originally built as a vaudeville and movie palace and became a concert hall in 1979 when Bill Graham Presents booked a twoweek run of shows with (2). The esteemed hall has been (3) ever since.” – courtesy The Warfield.

(Runners-up: Berkeley Repertory Theatre, SHN, Curran Theater, New Conservatory Theatre Center, Ray of Light Theatre, Theatre Rhinoceros, Aurora Theatre) “Founded in 1965 by William Ball, A.C.T. opened its first San Francisco season at the Geary Theater in 1967. In the 1970s, A.C.T. solidified its national and international reputation, winning a Tony Award for outstanding theater performance and (1) in 1979. During the past four decades, more than 320 A.C.T. productions have been performed to a combined audience of seven million people; today, A.C.T.’s performance, education, and (2) programs annually reach more than 250,000 people in the (3).” – courtesy ACT.

Best Modern Dance Group

Best Nature/Science Museum

California Academy of Sciences (Runners-up: Exploratorium, San Francisco Botanical Gardens, San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers) “The California Academy of Sciences is a renowned scientific and educational (1) dedicated to

StevenUnderhill PHOTOGRAPHY

The Warfield

Best Small Live Music Venue

El Rio

(Runners-up: Martuni’s, San Francisco Eagle, Rickshaw Stop, Thee Parkside, The New Parish) “El Rio began her life in 1978 as a leather Brazilian gay bar! Our Papas, Malcolm and Robert, ran things until their retirement when the helm passed to The (1). We are a LGBTQ+ space who is welcoming to all good (2). We actively invest

EVENTS

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Best Choral Group

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (Runners-up: Lesbian/Gay Chorus of SF, Chanticleer, East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus, Rainbow Women’s Chorus) “For nearly 40 years, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus has served as an international standard bearer for a powerful mix of extraordinary musical excellence and mission-driven (1). Founded in 1978, SFGMC was the first choral organization to courageously

Art Museum: 1. objects, 2. citizens, 3. face. Ballet: 1. visionary, 2. thought, 3. originality. Classical Venue: 1. amenities, 2. dining, 3. shopping. Modern Dance: 1. imaginative, 2. Rabbit, 3. Asia. Nature/Science Museum: 1. institution, 2. sustaining, 3. living. Large Live Music Venue: 1. usher, 2. Bob Dylan, 3. rocking. Small Live Music Venue: 1. Posse, 2. people, 3. space. Theatre Company: 1. training, 2. outreach, 3. Bay Area. Choral Group: 1. activism, 2. orientation, 3. globe.

Personal best What does “best” mean, in an aesthetic sense? Certainly personal taste is subjective. But as with everything else, the more you know, the more you can enjoy. Hands down, the “best” place for an arts editor to live in SF is Hayes Valley. Lucky us, we live mere footfalls from the press doors of Davies Symphony Hall, and of the War Memorial Opera House, our favorite venue in all of Oz were it not for that martial name. There’s enough bloody mayhem in the operas themselves. Hayes Valley feels sort of like the Castro for young rich people, except even the Castro is that way now, too. We’re neither young nor rich, but you might still find us chilling with a burger and fries at Chez Maman, or a nice mushroom pie at Patxi’s. You will find us at Les Ros, where we’ve seen MTT arrive mit entourage after a SFS concert. Lots of choices there for a vegetarian. Or we’ll queue up at the Grove. But right now, in this faux summer, we most like the ceviche mixto at the bar in Papito, washed down with a glass of good cold rose. Maybe soon we’ll even get Pepi to Papito. Pshaw.t

Gay Superhero returns by David-Elijah Nahmod

TS HEADSHO S PORTRAIT

ou have to hand it to Vincent J. Roth. The openly gay actor, filmmaker and comic book geek gets his dream projects made and released. About a decade ago Roth offered his debut film. “Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes” was a mad, campy adventure about Surge (Roth, who also wrote the screenplay), a gay superhero. In his first adventure Surge thwarted an anti-gay hate crime and battled the evil Metal Master (John Venturini), an archvillain. Though cheaply produced, the film’s special effects were surprisingly good, and the film got an added boost by scoring dozens of cameos from the kinds of celebrities who appear at comic book conventions, such as “Star Trek”’s Nichelle Nichols, and Noel Neil, who portrayed Lois Lane on 1950s TV’s “Adventures of Superman.” Now, 10 years after Surge first appeared on screen, comes the sequel you’ve been waiting for. OK, that’s highly unlikely, but here it is anyway. “Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel” is now available for your viewing pleasure. In this

second film, Roth and Venturini reprise their roles as Surge and Metal Master, who has just got out of jail. We also meet Metal Master’s parents (Gil Gerard of TV’s “Buck Rogers,” and “The Exorcist”’s Linda Blair), who turn out to be quite the homophobes. Metal Master, we learn, is a survivor of conversion therapy. His parents still don’t approve of his gay lifestyle but apparently are OK with his criminal activities. Metal Master is determined to wreak havoc again. He teams up with the evil Augur (Eric Roberts), who’s after a mysterious metal element called “Celinedionium,” one of the film’s many silly pop references. Of course it’s Surge who comes to the rescue. He follows Metal Master and Augur to Las Vegas to do battle, though he does take a break from fighting crime to go out on a date with a cute blonde boy. Sound a bit ridiculous? It is. But it’s also loads of fun. As with the first film, the story is told as a comic

book geek reads “Surge of Power” comics. And the star cameos don’t stop. In addition to a returning Nichelle Nichols and Noel Neil (in her final appearance), look for Bruce Vilanch, Lou Ferrigno (“The Incredible Hulk”), Robert Picardo (“Star Trek”), Dawn Wells (“Gilligan’s Island”), Bay Area resident Kathy Garver (“Family Affair”), Roberts, Gerard, and Blair, among many others. It’s like watching a parade of all the people Roth watched on TV during his childhood. Some reviews for “SOP: ROTS” have been harsh: The Los Angeles Times called the film “inept.” This is grossly unfair. It’s an independent film produced as a labor of love on a paltry budget by a guy who knows his comic books and his pop culture. For what it is, the film is surprisingly well done. As before, the effects are impressive. And don’t worry, Roth is promising a third outing with “Surge.” Hopefully it won’t take him another 10 years.t

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<< Film

36 • Bay Area Reporter • April 12-18, 2018

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Above: Rob Epstein, and Below: Jeffrey Friedman, co-recipients of the George Gund III Craft of Cinema Award, 2018.

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by David Lamble

he San Francisco International Film Festival, which began modestly with a handful of subtitled art-house films in 1957 when only a few well-educated Americans had even heard of Ingmar Bergman, is now roaring into the final weekend of its 2018 edition. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman Tribute: They’re a queer dynamic duo if ever there was one. Rob Epstein cut his filmmaking teeth as part of the team behind the pioneering LGBTQ history doc “Word Is Out.” Joining up with partner Jeffrey Friedman, Epstein has produced a breathtaking array of queer-interest docs including 1984’s Oscar-honored “The Times of Harvey Milk”; 1989’s “Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt”; 1995’s “The Celluloid Closet,” based on Queer Cinema pioneer Vito Russo’s book and slide show; and 2000’s “Paragraph 175,” on the German laws enabling the persecution of gay people. In recent years the team has shifted to a mix of fact and fiction, with such hybrid titles as “Howl” and “Lovelace.” The Festival’s tribute will feature the pair’s latest doc, “End Game,” about the human journey from life to death. (Castro, 4/15) The Mel Novikoff Award: The Festival annually honors film scholars and exhibitors with this award named after the gay man who saved the Castro Theatre, as well as helped to invent the modern thematic double-bill programs that are the

Castro’s signature offerings. The 2018 Mel Novikoff Award goes to New York-based film scholar Annette Insdorf, who conducts film history sessions at New York’s 92nd Street Y. Insdorf will appear in an onstage Q&A, followed by a screening of Ernst Lubitsch’s dark 1942 satire “To Be or Not To Be.” Jack Benny and Carol Lombard are Josef and Maria Tura, stars of a small Polish theatre troop whose fortunes are at a low ebb just as Nazi bombs rain over Poland. Austrian-born American genius filmmaker Billy Wilder claimed that one of his biggest early influences came from “the Lubitsch touch,” as well displayed in “To Be or Not To Be” as anywhere in the director’s oeuvre. (SFMOMA, 4/14) Manhunt (2017): Hong Kong, China action master John Woo returns to the big screen with a drug company lawyer finding himself caught between a body dead under suspicious circumstances and a dedicated cop. (Castro, 4/13) Bad Reputation: A film tribute to pioneering female musician Joan Jett, with archival footage featuring Jett and other edgy performers including Iggy Pop, Blondie and Kenny Laguna. (Castro, 4/14) Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot: Openly gay Portland, Oregon-raised director Gus Van Sant returns with this tall but true tale of veteran quadriplegic Portland cartoonist John Callahan (Joaquin Phoenix). The film traces the relationship between its hero’s alcoholic excesses and the inspiration for his demon-inspired art. (Castro, 4/15t

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<< Fine Art

38 • Bay Area Reporter • April 12-18, 2018

10 years of contemporary Chinese art

Courtesy of the artist Courtesy of the artist

Courtesy of the artist

Left: Adrian Wong, “Untitled” (Grates VIII/IX: Derrick Industrial Building, Shun Tak Ferry Terminal, 2014). MDF, latex, enamel, stainless steel, glass, neon. Right: Dora Hsiung, “Chocolate delight” (2015). Fiber. Both can be found in a new exhibition at the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco.

by Sura Wood

aunched in 2008, the Chinese Culture Center’s “XianRui” (“Fresh and Sharp”) initiative, led by CCC’s dynamic artistic director Abby Chen, was and is the only program in the country, outside of

museum auspices, that mounts solo shows for mid-career, underrecognized, contemporary artists of Chinese descent. Now a new exhibition marking the series’ 10th anniversary highlights work from six alumni of the program, all of whom currently reside in the U.S.

They’re from diverse backgrounds, and work in a variety of mediums, from mixed-media installations and textiles to video projects such as 2014 artist Summer Mei-ling Lee’s “Pieta for San Francisco,” a collaborative staged event with Lee sitting in a chair

facing a view of the city, and different artists taking turns lying across her lap like the Christ child in a Renaissance masterpiece. Beili Liu, whose much-praised “Sky Bridge” transformed an old pedestrian footbridge in Chinatown in 2015, was the series’ inaugural artist. She returns with “Go#1,” a grid of 361 spent shotgun shells filled with saturated salt water that has crystallized over the blackened rims; an allusion, perhaps, to a flower placed in the barrel of a rifle. Lined up in military formation on the floor, the 2006 piece, based on “The Game of Encirclement,” an ancient Chinese board game of territorial control, tactics and shifting alliances played with black-and-white stones, has a chilling resonance in light of recent events. Born in Shanghai, schooled in Japanese and Chinese weaving techniques, and having emigrated to Brazil, where she spent her teens before settling in the U.S., Dora Hsiung (2009) injects a multitude of cultural influences into her sculptural fiber creations. The depth and three-dimensional illusion of her refined geometric shapes is derived from architectural structure and a bold color palette of deep purples, violets and magenta, inspired by her time in South America. It was a 10-year stint in Japan that helped inform Stella Zhang’s aesthetic. “Things Fall Apart,” her new, nervy, site-specific installation of recycled objects arranged in an allwhite space, has the feel of a theatrical set. Its strange, difficult-to-identify components or props do indeed appear broken, like the scattered half-shells resembling cracked eggs, and a rectangular cushion in need of repair resting uneasily on an inflated oval. White cotton fabrics, from sheets and underwear to T-shirts, are stretched across wooden frames, prompting disparate associations: a conflicted psyche, hospitals, body parts and deconstructed Japanese couture of a certain vintage. Perhaps the best-known of the group, 2011 artist Zheng Chongbin, is a classical master and former portraitist who came out of traditional Chinese ink painting, a

graceful, ancient art-form that he has given a distinctly modern spin. Influenced by artists visiting from abroad while studying at China’s National Academy of Fine Arts in the 1980s, he was moved by the “astonishing physicality” of Western abstract painting. Retaining core aspects of traditional Chinese art, he began experimenting and developed his own visual vocabulary and techniques. He switched to a wide brush and applied ink, white acrylic paint and fixer to creased, collaged xuan papers for what he calls an “assemblage of cutting, folding (and) casting.” The four textured, large-scale, abstract works here, in frosty winter whites, with slate gray and the occasional splotch of black, have a preternatural calm like the hush that descends on the woods after a fresh snowfall. Adrian Wong, a cerebral artist with a Masters degree in research psychology from Stanford and an MFA from Yale, partially bases his art practice on animal communication. His unusual thinking is behind “Dream Cosmography” (2015), a whimsical, off-the-charts video of a rotating food platform, an animal cafeteria with mobile cabbages, carrots, tomatoes and sprouts snacked on by ecstatic hamsters and a pair of rabbits who must have felt they hit the jackpot. They devour the edibles in the course of the video, a metaphor, maybe, for the voracious consumption of the cosmos; but who knows what the critters were really thinking. If you haven’t been aware of CCC’s thoughtful shows, which include “off-campus” community ventures, it may be because of the gallery’s location on the third floor of the Hilton Hotel on Kearny Street. Affiliation with that venue has protected the nonprofit from the vagaries of the wild San Francisco real estate market, but the lack of a storefront space, or one inside an arts complex, has meant they’re off the beaten track and difficult to find. As this retrospective exhibition amply demonstrates, it’s worth the effort to seek them out.t Through Aug. 18. www.cccsf.us

DVD>>

April 12-18, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 39

Matinee idol

by Brian Bromberger

he Indian director Satyajit Ray (1921-92) was one of the great world filmmakers, in the same auspicious company as Bunuel, Kurosawa, Bergman, and Fellini. His Apu trilogy is considered one of the masterpieces of 20th-century cinema, along with Devi and Charulata, both examining the role of women in Indian society. Criterion has released his 1966 film The Hero (Nayak) for the first time on DVD. While not a box office hit then nor considered a Ray classic, time has been kind to Nayak. With the rise of celebrity culture in the Internet age, his warnings about fame seem apropos today. Nayak is a psychologically rich, introspective character study, written and directed by Ray, about a movie star, Arindam Mukherjee, on the brink of his first flop. Arindam is portrayed by film actor Uttam Kumar, who even though he died in 1980, still ranks as the most celebrated matinee idol in Bengali cinema. Ray mostly used unknown actors, but wanted a leading man who would be believable. Arindam boards an overnight train to accept a government award in Delhi. He meets Aditi Sengupta (Sharmila Tagore), a liberated female editor for Modern Woman magazine on her way to Delhi to get a grant for the periodical. Modern Woman doesn’t feature articles on movies, but she is encouraged by her friends to interview Arindam to boost sales. Arindam initially rebuffs her, worrying about demystifying his star power, but later, needing to unburden himself, agrees to talk with her. She becomes his conscience as he reveals his self-centered ambition and the compromises he has made to become a star, including his compulsive smoking, alcoholism, and use of sleeping pills. He reveals his flaws, insecurities, and hurdles as she seeks to find the real man underneath the glamorous image. Meanwhile we are introduced to other passengers on the train, all of whom are starstruck, including a sleazy advertising executive attempting to pimp his wife to gain the account of a wealthy industrialist. She’s willing to play along but only if he allows her to act in films, which he refuses. All these supporting characters show how their struggles are no different from Arindam’s – they all have insecurities, hypocrisies, and weaknesses. Ray skillfully exploits his train metaphor as the characters are cramped and bump into each other in the confined space, whisked to a known physical destination but an unknown future. Meanwhile, Arindam is looking back at his career in both remorseful flashbacks and surreal dream sequences, the most famous being of him drowning in a quicksand of money, trying to grab a skeletal arm. He realizes how he betrayed his theater mentor Shankar, who said a film actor

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is nothing but a puppet. He has paid for his fame, has guilt over his affair, and fearing possible scandal, flirts with suicide. But he’s drawn back by Aditi, who offers him a kind of confessional absolution. Will his encounter with her, unmasking himself, change him? According to Rutgers University film scholar Meheili Sen, Ray was heavily influenced by Fellini’s 8 1/2, modeling Kumar on its Marcello Mastroianni character, complete with dark glasses to keep the world at a distance. Nayak echoes familiar Ray themes such as the conflict between tradition and modernity, and between ethics and ambition. Ray wonders whether we need heroes, and why false public images of heroes are foisted on the public by the film industry. His genius is to present these conundrums through supporting characters and his impeccable use of faces (particularly the eyes) to show a flickering range of emotions in close-ups, all to underscore the inherent loneliness of fame. With this release of Nayak, we are reminded of Ray’s stature as one of the master auteurs of naturalism in film.t

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<< Books

40 • Bay Area Reporter • April 12-18, 2018

Novel ideas: Spring fiction reading list by Gregg Shapiro

ew voices: You probably recognize the name of Emmy Award-winning actor-turnedwriter Michael Imperioli from his portrayal of Christopher Moltisanti in HBO’s The Sopranos. Established as a screenwriter (Spike Lee’s Summer of Sam), Imperioli makes his literary debut with The Perfume Burned His Eyes (Akashic), a novel in which 16-year-old narrator Matthew becomes enmeshed with the late rock legend Lou Reed and his trans muse Rachel. Igbo and Tamil non-binary writer and artist Akwaeke Emezi makes her literary debut with the novel Freshwater (Grove), about Ada, born “with one foot on the other side,” and her struggles when she’s a college student in America. You’ll find “doomed love stories and twisted fairy tales” between the pages of writer and educator Ruth Joffre’s “mind-bending and genre-hopping” debut story collection Night Beast and Other Stories (Black Cat). Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl (Rescue), about “shapeshifter” Paul, who wildly oscillates from “Riot Grrrl to leather cub” and from “Women’s Studies major to trade” while traversing Iowa City, Boystown, Provincetown and San Francisco, is the debut novel by educator and editor Andrea Lawlor. In poet Chip Livingston’s debut

novel Owls Don’t Have to Mean Death (Tincture), Creek Indian Peter Strongbow’s awareness of omens and healing brings him back to his family and community following the love of his life’s AIDS diagnosis. Y/A voices: Prolific gay Y/A novelist David Levithan has had his novels Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist and Naomi & Eli’s No Kiss List adapted into films. His 2012 novel Every Day (Ember) has been reissued with eight pages of color photos to coincide with the release of the movie version starring Angourie Rice and Justice Smith. Set in 1977, when the only GSAs were high school theater departments, the novel One True Way (Scholastic) by Shannon Hitchcock tells the story of middle school

classmates Allie and Sam, two “girls who like girls” who fall for each other against the backdrop of a small Southern town and changes in gay rights. And She Was (Point) by Jessica Verdi introduces us to sheltered Dara and her single mom Mellie. At 18, with her future shining brightly ahead of her, Dara makes a shocking discovery on her birth certificate that could forever change her relationship with Mellie. In Hurricane Child (Scholastic) by Kheryn Callender, hated and bullied Caroline, unlucky enough to be born during a hurricane in the Virgin Islands, must now contend with a new storm in her life, the arrival of new classmate Kalinda from Barbados, and the unusual feelings she has stirred up in Caroline.

Voices of experience: Originally published in 2011 by a small press, Ayiti (Grove), bi author Roxane Gay’s beguiling debut story collection, compiles 15 stories that portend the writer who has become one of the most popular authors of her generation. The transformation of Birmingham, Alabama trailer park resident Chester Davis into aspiring drag queen Daphne DeLight, and her quest for a crown and a title, are the basis for In a Whirl of Delusion (Chelsea Station Editions) by J.R. Greenwell. A novel with epic, historical scope, The Sparsholt Affair (Knopf) by gay British writer Alan Hollinghurst (The Swimming Pool Library) spans seven decades, beginning in 1940.

In His Name Was Ezra (Vivid Imagery), gay writer Craig Moody’s second novel following 2017’s The 49 Indian, he takes on race relations in the era between the 1955 murder of Emmett Till and the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Sexual identity and self-acceptance become a major throughline in Anatomy of a Miracle (Hogarth), the new novel by Jonathan Miles with the subtitle, “The ‘True’ Story of a Paralyzed Veteran, a Mississippi Convenience Store, a Vatican Investigation, and the Spectacular Perils of Grace.” Poet Jon Pineda follows up his 2010 memoir Sleep in Me with Let’s No One Get Hurt (FSG), in which 15-year-old narrator Pearl, squatting with her father, a couple of his friends and her dog Marianne Moore, shares the events that forever change her life. Based in Canada, Lambda Literary Award finalist Nairne Holtz is back with Femme Confidential (Insomniac), described as a “wry look at sexual freedom,” finding yourself, finding your queer tribe and “the not-so-perfect girlfriend.” Michael Zadoorian’s 2009 novel The Leisure Seeker is the basis for the new movie of the same name starring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland. Zadoorian’s new novel Beautiful Music (Akashic) is set in ravaged 1970s Detroit, and focuses on the healing power of music.t

National Poetry Month reading list by Gregg Shapiro

bserved every April since its 1996 launch, National Poetry Month was created by the Ameri-

can Academy of Poets as a means of celebrating and calling attention to poetry. Special events scheduled for the month include the airing of the star-studded PBS series Poetry

in America, the Dear Poet project in the schools, events in public libraries, and the month-long O, Miami festival. If you prefer your poetry on a one-on-one basis, consider the

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recent titles below. Lesbian poet Julie Marie Wade calls Same-Sexy Marriage (A Midsummer Night’s Press) “a novella in poems,” a fitting description for the 17 linked poems, based on a little white lie told by her mother, that are alternately heartbreaking, amusing, and always insightful. A finalist for the upcoming 30th Lambda Literary Awards in the Gay Poetry category, as well as a National Book Award finalist, Don’t Call Us Dead (Graywolf) is the follow-up to Danez Smith’s aw a rd - w i n n i n g 2014 debut poetry collection [insert] boy. Recipient of a 1996 Lambda Literary Award for All-American Girl, lesbian poet Robin Becker returns with her eighth full-length poetry collection, The Black Bear Inside Me (U. of Pittsburg). Tommy Pico, a finalist in the Gay Poetry category of the 30th Lambda Literary Awards for his book Nature Poem, completes his poetry trilogy with Junk (Tin House Press), the third installment in the Teebs series, which began with 2016’s IRL. Together and by Ourselves (Copper Canyon Press) is the second collection by gay poet Alex Dimitrov, in which he traverses the coasts in search of answers to existential questions connected to “the reality of our current moment.” The pocket-sized Take Me with You (Plume), by Andrea Gibson, is separated into three sections – “On Love,” “On the World,” “On Becom-

ing” – and features illustrations alongside the oneliners, couplets and longer pieces. Tr a n s l a t e d by David Colmer, The Sexy Storm (A Midsummer Night’s Press) by Dutch novelist and children’s book author Edward Van De Vendel is described as a collection of “modern love poems” tracing a relationship from first blush to last kiss. Gay poet Philip Robinson began writing his collection We Still Leave a Legacy (WSLAL Press), dedicated to the friends that he lost to HIV/AIDS, almost 30 years ago, when he became involved with AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts. The title poem was silk-screened as a panel on The Names Project’s AIDS Memorial Quilt. Edited by Julie R. Enszer with an introduction by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, Sister Love: The Letters of Audre Lorde and Pat Parker 19741989 (Sinister Wisdom) collects the correspondence between the late lesbian poets Lorde and Parker. They share the intimate details of their lives as writers and queer women, including how each of them lived with cancer. Not a member of the LGBTQ community but a marvelous poet, James Wright is the subject of the thorough bio James Wright: A Life in Poetry (FSG) by Jonathan Blunk. If you don’t know Wright’s poem “A Blessing,” you owe it to yourself to read it.t

Dance>>

April 12-18, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 41

Nijinsky reconsidered by Paul Parish

ow could I have been so wrong? Last week the National Ballet of Canada danced Nijinsky: a Ballet by John Neumeier so musically and with such conviction, they completely reversed the impression I got when Neumeier’s own Hamburg Ballet danced the same ballet here five years ago. Same steps, same music, same big idea: to show in two acts the disintegration of the mind of the greatest dance genius of the 20th century. The thing that’s clearest is that Neumeier’s idea to stage Nijinsky’s thoughts, emotions, hallucinations in the form of dancers surrounding him is brilliant, and it’s apt: Nijinsky’s first great role was in Les Sylphides, as a poet surrounded by his ideas, dancing to Chopin in the moonlight. Neumeier has staged his breakdown as a swarm of ideas, emotions, recollections surrounding and attacking him as he gives his last public performance, at a fundraiser staged in a hotel in Switzerland where they’ve taken refuge from the World War, there with his anxious wife Romola (Xiao Nan Yu, excellent in the role) in an attempt to get wealthy donors to help the great artist to make a comeback. Diaghliev had fired him for leaving his bed and marrying Romola, they need new patrons, and Nijinsky has no skill in that line. The situation is fraught from the get-go, with donors who must be coaxed towards the Big Ask seated around the edge of a ballroom. The first woman to enter stares in horror at the second, who is wearing exactly the same dress. The wife stages a diversion and avoids fiasco by making the pianist hired for the occasion change the music, and persuading an elderly gentleman to waltz a bit to this easier-listening music. The ice is broken, but tension ebbs and flows as others arrive, make small talk, then mounts again after the grand artiste Nijinsky, “the god of the dance” (Guillaume Côté), makes his entrance draped like Sarah Bernhardt. But then he hesitates: he takes too long; the crowd wonders if he’s lost his touch, when he suddenly disrobes and begins a harsh, Constructivist solo that abandons the style of his greatest hits. Moreover, he seems to have renounced the kind of erotic fantasies his earlier dances had stimulated as the Golden Slave or the Spectre of the Rose, which had made him the most desired man in Europe. It’s like Marilyn Monroe wanting to be a serious actress, or Bob Dylan wanting to sing his new songs. He’s “dying out there,” as comedians say when nobody laughs. But as he loses it, we see swarms of dancers from his greatest hits take over the stage. They surround him in a brilliant pastiche of imagery from the ballets he’d starred in and guaranteed success. The faun begins his Egyptian walk across the stage cutting through lines of harem-girls from Scheherezade, lines of folk dancers from the Polovetsian Dances, the tennis-players from Jeux. We’re now in Nijinsky’s mind, and the choreography ingeniously threads quotations from many Diaghilev-era hits into a counterpointed dance that fills out the entirety of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherezade. Several Nijinskys may be onstage at any one time. At one point Côté and another dancer are both dancing the Harlequin solo from Carnaval. Mirror-images, misquotes, and distorted images swarm. And that’s just for openers. As the sound-environment switches to the harsher, strident music of Shostakovich, we move deeper into madness. It’s sobering to think that maybe the NBC’s more palatable style

Aleksandar Antonijevic Bruce Zinger

The National Ballet of Canada dancer Guillaume Côté in John Neumeier’s Nijinsky.

made Neumeier easier to follow than the eerie, non-musical style of his own company. I checked with other dancers in the house Friday night, and we all agreed that NBC danced to the music and the Hamburg artists had danced with edgy clarity but had often floated free from the music. To see a German dancer launch into a leap without the force of the music to help the lift-off seemed horribly wrong, but it did make the Hamburg atmosphere eerie, and appropriate to a genius undergoing a psychotic break. But I remember well, it made

many of us feel that we were losing our minds. Canada’s way of dancing it did not raise nagging thoughts. The Canadians, whom I am eager to see again, swept us up directly into the power of the music. And such music! Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherezade for Nijinsky’s rise to world fame as erotic “dancer of your dreams.” Shostakovich’s agonizing, war-torn Symphony # 11 (The year 1905) to carry the anguish of Nijinsky’s vision of the war and his brother’s psychotic nightmares. Neumeier’s use of Balkan line-

The National Ballet of Canada dancer Guillaume Côté with Artists of the Ballet in John Neumeier’s Nijinsky.

dance formations to indicate the tensions of a community trying to keep it together under fire and in danger of defeat brilliantly embodies the populism of Shostakovich’s 11th, with demonic marchrhythms that described the Russian revolution so graphically even the Politburo could understand it. Neumeier’s lines of soldiers, cannon-fodder marching across the back of the stage, and the lines of peasants holding each others’ shoulders in the immemorial ancient dances of the people evoke a Tolstoyan spirit, a desire for oneness with his people, that finally put the ballet over-the-top for me. It makes

the connection to the sacrifice in the Rite of Spring, Nijinsky’s most famous ballet, which is also full of these line dances. I lack the eloquence to express how profoundly I was moved by this desire not only to belong but also to do his duty, to God and to his talent, which is death to hide. Five years ago I felt insulted by the choreographer’s overweening egotism. What other ballet has the choreographer’s name in the title of the piece? Now I’m willing to believe that his ambitions are not only worthy, they may have been achieved. The Canadian ensemble danced splendidly.t

Apr 27–May 6, 2018

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<< TV

42 • Bay Area Reporter • April 12-18, 2018

It’s the end of the line for ‘Scandal’ by Victoria A. Brownworth

here are only two more episodes, April 12 & 19, until the series finale of “Scandal,” and we can’t quite imagine the TV political landscape without it. For seven seasons we have loved this show and how it paralleled real-life Washington in a myriad of ways as a shadow presidency. There were brilliant performances: Joe Morton, Jeff Perry, Khandi Alexander, Kate Burton, all did some of the best work of their careers. “Scandal” broke ground. Showrunner and mega-producer Shonda Rhimes proved that there could be a prime-time series with a black female lead (Kerry Washington as Beltway fixer Olivia Pope) on the second most coveted ratings night of the week, and it could not only succeed but also excel. Rhimes even gave us a lead gay male character as White House Chief of Staff and kept him in the foreground through all seven seasons. She gave him a love-of-his-life husband, a child, a second husband when the first one was murdered, and two lovers. She gave us middleaged gay male sex in prime-time on network. “Scandal” has addressed many issues du jour, including corruption, covert ops, sexual harassment and, in the last two seasons, a woman president. There have been several memorable gay storylines connected to international intrigue, gay men and lesbians fleeing other countries to live free in the U.S. One escaped with his life, another lost hers. The core story that propelled this series forward was Olivia Pope’s (Kerry Washington). She

was a character who checked all the boxes: brilliant, beautiful, cunning, savvy, sexy, vulnerable, driven. She fell in love with the president, and tried to fall in love with a murderous operative working for him. She had a cadre of “gladiators” in “white hats” who worked for her to fix the unfixable and right the wrongs only Washington creates. But always lurking in the background was Liv’s own personal history: the loss of her mother in a plane crash when she was 12, and being raised by her father, Eli Pope (Joe Morton). The relationship between Liv and Eli was unlike anything else on TV. Eli headed a black ops section of the CIA, B613, with his cover being curator of antiquities at the Smithsonian. He was brilliant at both. As delicate as he was with an ancient text, he was as brutal with a renegade operative. Where Liv saved lives, Eli took them. But Morton made the monster real, believable, and most disturbingly, human. There are scenes and episodes from “Scandal” we shall never forget. Rhimes knows how to tear away the thin veneer that protects us from ourselves and expose the parts that make us most vulnerable. She told stories to which black America nodded knowing assent, and which educated white America about so much. She did the same with Jeff Perry’s character, Cyrus Beene, the ruthless Chief of Staff who wanted to be POTUS but was kept from it by his gayness. In season 3, Cyrus and his husband James (Dan Bucatinsky) have a fight, naked, that is every fight you’ve ever had with your gay partner. It’s not a fight straight people have, and it was as searing as a scene out of Edward Albee, but far

and they’re just being voyeuristic. They start talking about how Michael won’t have a penis, and it gets ugly fast. The boys don’t really listen and don’t want to, and when the fight breaks out, Michael looks crushed. This felt both hyper-realistic and very sad. We thought Arizona was actually going to get a storyline on “Grey’s Anatomy” when she and Owen went undercover to expose a doctor posing as an oncologist and treating women for Amazing ‘Grace’ breast cancers they never April 5 was also the really had. The ultra-sound season finale of “Will & showed a tumor and AriGrace” and we have never zona burst into tears while been happier to have been Owen looked stricken. But wrong about a re-boot. back at the hospital she A few months ago we had the same tests and no couldn’t imagine what sign of a tumor. The doctor the fey foursome of Will, was using ultrasounds of Grace, Karen and Jack had patients with cancer to trick to offer 20 years after the new patients. series first debuted. As It was a compelling Courtesy ABC the hilarity of the season storyline, but it was over Kerry Washington stars as Olivia Pope in “Scandal.” finale proved, “Will & with the episode. Arizona Grace” redux was telling has been the only lesbian the Thursday night comedy line-up a new story. This story in Seattle since she and on NBC since its debut March 8. We was no longer about 30somethings Callie broke up in 2016. She’s had like sitcoms when they are funny struggling to make their lives work, a couple of flings and an ill-fated and put in front of us, but we don’t but about middle-aged gay men and affair with a bisexual Italian doctor seek them out like we do dramas. middle-aged straight women (alwho left her for a man, and now “Champions” is quirky and though Karen often seems to be bieven her child wants to go back to funny, and the lead character is gay. sexual) trying to situate themselves living with Callie. Very gay. Harvey Fierstein if he were in a world that seems to value only We hope Arizona isn’t taken off a 15-year-old Indian theatre-maven the freshness, vitality and insoucithe canvas at the end of this season gay. The show was created by Mindy ance of youth. after nine years on the show. She’s a Kaling (“The Mindy Project”) In the new “W&G,” there was terrific character and integral to the and Charlie Grandy (“The Daily seriousness undergirding some of medical side of the “Grey’s AnatoShow”). the story, but the jokes continued my” story. But she’s too young, Kaling plays Priya Patel, mother to be good. Debra Messing (Grace) too smart and too hot not to have of 15-year-old Michael (J.J. Totah), and Megan Mullally (Karen) are someone to be lesbians with. We flamingly gay son of the guy she old-school comediennes, playing didn’t want her to have cancer, but dated in high school, Vince (Anders off their femaleness like Lucille Ball we do want her to have a storyline. Holm), a former athlete. Vince is or Mary Tyler Moore. We know There’s plenty of story on a gym owner who lives with his these women, and we enjoy their “Instinct,” Alan Cumming’s new brother Matthew (Andy Favreau) company. Grace’s awkwardness series. And it’s groundbreaking –t and dates a bazillion women when and self-questioning feel real and, here’s never been a series on netPriya drops his son in his lap bework with a lead character who is within the confines of a sitcom, cause Michael wants to attend a a gay man. So why isn’t the show probative. Karen’s casual mean-girl prestigious performing arts school better? We feel as if we’ve seen this barbs are never meant to eviscerate, in New York, and Vince is right show before in other incarnations, just keep others from getting too there. Hilarity ensues. including CBS’ own “Elementary.” close. Her sexual escapades are leg“Champions” is a bit of a mess. We love Cumming, but this show endarily meaningless, but her affair The “Glee” aspect of the show hasn’t drags itself down with cliches, an with Malcolm (Alec Baldwin) chalgelled, and there are too many reexcess of normalcy and way too lenges her independence. petitive running-joke scenes at the many quips. In the season finale, as Karen atgym. But the cast is good, and the Bravo brought “Imposters” back tempts to break it off, Malcolm uses jokes are funny. for a second season (stylized as “Imher manservant Smitty (Charles What makes “Champions” a posters2” if you’re searching for it. It Stevenson) as a manqué, kissing must-see is J.J. Totah, who is simply debuted April 5, and it’s even better him as he would Karen, to which she fantastic. His Michael is both cutting this season than last, even though quips, “I hear that’s how Mike Pence and earnest, a young queen oh-snapwe know what the quartet is up to and his wife have sex, through his ping his diva way through his father’s now. Replete with more than one trainer.” and uncle’s lives as they desperately LGBT storyline. Plus the boys are For his part, Smitty shuffles out, try to adjust and catch up. Vince hot, the girls are hot, and everyone muttering, “Hashtag, me too.” really wants to be a good dad, and is really witty. Some things have remained Matthew really wants to be the cool Finally, shows you should be unchanged since the first eightuncle (he carries flash cards with pop watching: “Mary Kills People,” season run. Will and Jack are foils culture references in an effort to meet a stellar neo-noir drama about in this re-boot, as they were in the Michael on his level). Michael is just euthanasia with a lesbian teen original. Will is The Good Gay, so far ahead of where they both are. triangle; season 3 of “UnReal,” trying to make a life with meaning Some aspects of “Champions” are the dark dramedy about a TV and purpose, but as unsure 20 years reminiscent of “The Real O’Neals,” show like “The Bachelor,” which later that he’s chosen the right path which crashed and burned a year has two competing gay storylines as he was as an up-and-coming gay ago. It may suffer from some of the and some amazing glimmers of attorney. And Jack? Still “Just Jack,” same problems of centering the gay gay sex; “Killing Eve,” a noir-spy but now everything is a little harsher boy as the putative lead. But Totah thriller on BBC America starring as he’s no longer That Boy and he’s is so good, his portrayal so very real, “Grey’s Anatomy” alum Sandra not sure what happens next. In the and his Michael is what we need to Oh; “Nate and Jeremiah: By Deseason finale Jack meets an airline see: a truly gay teen, no apologies, sign,” the TLC gay interior design steward about whom he says, “He no pretense of straightness. We have meets gay couple raising two kids served me warm nuts and locked high hopes for the show. Do take a reality series; “Quantico,” which me in the upright position.” look. returns to ABC April 26 for a third It was a risky choice, bringing this NBC is hosting other gay teens on season with more complicated gay show back, and we never thought “Rise,” and last episode a fight broke storylines and because the Trump it could work in 2018, when the out at a party after Michael (Ellie administration isn’t scary enough; climate is so much more open to Desautels), the newly transitioning season 2 of Hulu’s Emmy-winning gayness and the shock of seeing trans guy, was cornered and asked a hit series “A Handmaid’s Tale” will two men kissing on network TV host of gawdawful questions about be ready April 25. Last but not least, in prime time is so last decade. We surgeries and genitalia. “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” were happily wrong. If you missed Michael tried hard to answer the has been renewed for a second seathis season, binge it on Hulu. queries in the spirit of transparency, son. Another superb re-boot. “W&G” has been renewed for anbecause he’s sweet and wants to fit So for musical gay teens, wanderother season, so there will be more in, and genuinely believes he can ing solo lesbians, murderous gay in the fall. make it easier on himself by being as chiefs of staff and the repression of If there hadn’t been “W&G,” we open as possible about the process Margaret Atwood, you know you rewould never have watched “Chamof transitioning. But these are jocks ally must stay tuned.t pions,” which has followed it in

more humane. On April 5, Liv tried to kill Cyrus, the man who was once her mentor, then her friend, and now her frenemy. It didn’t work. We have no idea what will happen in the final two episodes to wrap this wild, intense and thoroughly engaging series that has shown just how easy it is to take a wrong political turn with the best of intentions and lose an election, or perhaps your soul.

Music>>

April 12-18, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 43

Henry Cowell, man & work, celebrated by Philip Campbell

and Danielle Rowe in a deep look at human connectivity. fter two days of ambitious The music is intriguing (with and well-achieved perforauditory breathing an integral mances, talks and discussions, part), and the dancing was poithe second festival of Bard gnantly effective. Music West ended last weekThird Sound also joined end at Noe Valley Ministry in with star percussionist (and San Francisco. Dedicated to endearing personality) Wilthe fascinating life and work of liam Winant in Henry Cowell’s “one of the Bay Area’s greatest late-career “26 Simultaneous innovators,” visionary comMosaics” (1963). poser Henry Cowell, the misReturning from her excepsion of the festival (last year tional performance on Prodedicated to Gyorgy Ligeti) gram 1 in songs by Ruggles, Both photos: Kevin Fryer was an exploration of the Luening, William Grant Still mind and world of a wonder- Left: Luosha Fang (violin), Allegra Chapman (piano), and Laura Gaynon (cello) played Charles Ives’ Piano Trio during and a radiant Aaron Copland, fully accomplished but largely the second festival of Bard Music West. soprano Sara LeMesh gave unrecognized genius. another display of her ease Right: The Telegraph Quartet performed Henry Cowell’s “United Quartet” at Bard Music West. From his beginnings in with difficult modern works in Menlo Park, CA, through his some dazzling songs by George Even without much hope of freeAmerican Music,” selections by jarring dissonances to the alternatstruggles and triumphs in Crumb, with words from Walt dom to enter contracts or travel far, Cowell were sprinkled throughout ing robust and misty evocations of New York, Europe and even the Whitman. The singer’s clear enunthe determined champion of new a concert that featured other earlier old hymn tunes. Deep emotional Soviet Union, the gifted composer, ciation and perfectly controlled response is evoked with bright-eyed American writers prevailed. American composers and his conperformer, producer, publisher and vibrato were assets in showcasing passion and dry Yankee wit. The The stigma of that tortuous epitemporaries. Pianist Sarah Cahill teacher was cruelly brought low at some very challenging music. performers cut to the heart of the sode has followed Cowell since his was a fine interpreter of pieces by age 39 by an allegation of a single act Pianist Orion Weiss appeared score with energy and understanddeath in 1965, and perhaps explains Cowell, as well as by Leo Ornstein (a of oral sex. Whether naïve or simply successfully as soloist and with ing. his relative obscurity today. The startling “Suicide in an Airplane”), distrustful of the legal system (his violinist Karen Kim in works by I caught Joel Sachs’ lecture with legacy remains, however, and praise Dane Rudhyar, John Cage and Joparents were philosophical anarCowell and Carl Ruggles. They both musical examples (well, really and thanks are due to Bard West hanna Beyer. The soloist covered the chists), Cowell pled guilty without showed the encouraging wealth of more a relaxed talk) the following Artistic Directors Allegra Chapman range from fierceness to seductive counsel. Reminiscent of the trial young talent Bard Music West has afternoon, and was absorbed by his and Laura Gaynon for their amazdreaminess with expert confidence. of Oscar Wilde, he was horrifically on tap. obviously vast store of anecdotes ingly comprehensive and intelliChoral group Volti and director sentenced to 15 years in San QuenThe piece that closed the Festival and historical knowledge of Henry gently programmed celebration of a Robert Geary gave warmth and life tin. Though the act was between couldn’t have been more appropriCowell. I could have listened to him great American’s life. to songs by William Billings (1746two men, homosexuality was only ate or satisfying. Henry Cowell’s for hours, and he certainly appeared There was so much on offer in 1800), William Walker (1809-75), an unstated subtext of the charge. A delightful “United Quartet,” pergame, but time constraints kept it the Festival, including the world Three Chants for Women’s Chorus smear campaign in the local press, formed by the Telegraph Quartet – short. I will be looking for his biogpremiere of a new dance work (1930) by Ruth Crawford, and two most damaging in the San Francisco Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; raphy “Henry Cowell: A Man Made (Cowell had a productive connecpieces by Cowell, which showed Examiner, fueled a homophobic Pei-Ling Lin, viola; and Jeremiah of Music” (2012, Oxford University tion to Martha Graham), music by Volti’s versatility and nicely contexbonfire and added unfounded acShaw, cello – was written in 1936, Press). other adventurous composers from tualized the composer’s influences. cusations of pedophilia to the mix. the year of Cowell’s imprisonment. Next attendance was Program 3, John Cage to George Crumb, and a The real centerpiece of the proIt might have destroyed him, and The score is, nonetheless, a surpris“Henry Cowell: Inventor,” which fascinating and all-too-brief talk by gram was a terrific rendition of it left some old supporters behind, ingly cheerful work that had me opened with a world premiere Cowell biographer and pianist Joel Charles Ives’ astonishing Piano Trio most notably composer Charles smiling from start to finish. Full of dance work, “The Sound of Your Sachs. Many highly talented and (c. 1904, revised 1911) by Bard West Ives, but Cowell made a brave atmelody and wit, the Quartet is also Solitude and Mine” by composer fresh young artists created a nonstop Artistic Directors Allegra Chapman tempt to survive. He taught music a fine example of the composer’s Eugene Birman and choreographer array of attractive performances in (piano) and Laura Gaynon (cello), to thousands of inmates, and mainstylistic versatility. It’s hard to keep James Sofranko. Musical group three jam-packed programs. I was joined by violinist Luosha Fang. The tained correspondence with many a good man down, and “Bard Music Third Sound supported dancers forced to cherry-pick. Trio encapsulates everything we loyal colleagues. It took four years West: The World of Henry Cowell” from SFDanceworks Brett Conway On Program 1, “In Search of love and fear about Ives, from the of heavy struggle for early parole. proved it beautifully.t

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<< Books

44 • Bay Area Reporter • April 12-18, 2018

Phallic attentions

by Peter Garland

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Phallos: A Symbol and Its History in the Male World by Thorkil Vanggaard; International Universities Press

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hroughout human history, the phallos has been a symbol that stood for much more than sex. The classic book “Phallos: A Symbol and Its History in the Male World” (1972) documents some of the more striking uses of the phallos as symbol, as a tool in symbolic communication, and in the ordering of society. For all of us, the phallos as an image carries powerful meanings that have little to do with sex. In “Phallos,” Vanggaard explains the nature and significance of the phallic symbol by reference to our knowledge about life in Ancient Greece and within the ancient Norse culture, compared with modern clinical experience. This he supplements with some observations on the behavior of the higher mammals – the primates – made in the last few decades. He also takes into consideration some aspects of life in the Near East. After describing a clash between Judeo-Christianity and the rest of the Hellenistic world, the author tries to follow phallic symbolism in some of its forms down through European culture into our present European-American civilization. In this context the role of sexual symbols as signals of dominance and submission is exhaustively discussed and related to personal relationships and social systems ancient and modern. For the Dorians in Greece during the 7th century BC, the phallos symbolized all of a man’s finest qualities, which he communicated

to a boy through anal intercourse. Doing so was a duty to the society, publicly celebrated by all the people. The Dorians left public monuments celebrating their coitus with preadolescent sons of distinguished men. This was “a sacred act, steeped in solemnity and honor.” These Greeks from 750-300 BC were conscious of both homosexual and heterosexual inclinations; without any social conflict they could love both women and boys. In fact, if the young son of a nobleman was not chosen as the lover of a distinguished man, his family was shamed. Being chosen was celebrated. Through coitus, the ancient Greeks believed, the man conveyed to the boy his strength, courage, eloquence, loyalty – all his virtues. A “kidnapping” of the boy was arranged with his family beforehand. If a family rejected a would-be lover, the man was deeply shamed and insulted. When a boy began to have a beard, he was sent back to his family and eventually married a woman, sometimes with the help of his former male lover, who had assumed father-like responsibility towards him. The boy returned home bearing rich gifts – it bestowed a particular honor on him to be captured in this way. He was thereafter called klenos, or “famous,” a title he retained in adulthood. Such boys were better dressed than the others, and were given the best seats at dances and races. Most of us know that Oedipus unknowingly killed his father and married his mother, then blinded himself upon discovering he had done so. But how many know that “the tragedy was originally caused by a curse on King Laius, father of Oedipus, for Laius’ abduction of a

boy without the consent of the boy’s father?” Pederasty was cultivated by ordinarily normally heterosexual men in Ancient Greece. “It was a natural part of the lifestyle of the best of men, reflected in the stories of the gods and heroes of the people. It is common practice among the gods and heroes of the Hellenes – Zeus abducts Ganymede, whom he loves, and makes the boy cupbearer to the gods.” Most men in our part of the world go through their adult lives in ignorance of their own homosexuality. There are men who have a certain recognition of a well-managed and undisturbing homosexual potential within them. It may be a sign of a particular psychic strength in their personalities. Our understanding of the aggressive meaning and roles of sex-symbolism in life is correspondingly poor. In this book these topics are discussed at length. The homosexual radical is a basic element that is usually barred from our field of consciousness. Its nature, what it meant in different cultures, and the fate it has met with in our own is an important theme in this work. One of the most interesting parts of the book is in the conclusion, where Vanggaard points out the relationship of what he’s been talking about to the replacement of ancient submission/dominance systems of Western society by democracy, where everyone is equal, but where the temptation to revert to the symbols of rank, especially under a dictator, lies just below the surface. This classic book broadens your ideas and knowledge about male sexuality, about aggression and organization. Highly recommended.t

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Books>>

April 12-18, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 45

Nigerian gay coming-of-age story

Caroline Cuse

“Speak No Evil” author Udozinma Iweala.

by Tim Pfaff

found Udozinma Iweala’s necksnapping new novel “Speak No Evil” (Harper) a welcome palatecleanser after the tooth-rotting peachiness of “Call Me by Your Name” (the movie, which a friend brilliantly categorized as bi-curious, not gay) and what I’ve heard about “Love Simon.” The latter may actually have a run in Bangkok because teenagers run the place, cute gay boys are collected like bracelet charms (when not drowned back home in their villages), and teenagers flood the theaters as places to

make out. If it does, I won’t be there. The single greatest aural horror in my personal theater is the sound of other people’s sex, which I hear won’t be coming from the screen. But I digress. But so does Iweala’s novel. “Speak No Evil” murmurs “It Gets Better” repeatedly while piling on the evidence that it doesn’t. It walks right up to its core message, averts its eyes, and ours, and goes verbally both exhibitionist and escapist. This Houdini-like writing is problematic and confusing in too many ways to catalog, though it does occasionally achieve liftoff. The great stuff is

THE

WEEKND

concentrated in the far too few chapters in which the father of the protagonist, 18-year-old Niru, hauls his son back to Nigeria (the family “home,” if actually only for “Daddy”), for some old-fashioned ex-gay therapy by practiced Christian zealots. The wave of extraordinary fiction by English-writing Nigerian expats keeps on cresting, sweeping me elatedly along with it. I’ve read none better at depicting Nigeria with present-day Western eyes than NigerianAmerican Iweala’s. Open to those chapters, and the paper becomes sweat-stained before your very eyes, discolored by the all-encompassing filth, stench, poverty and pollution. Iweala proved himself as a writer with “Beasts of No Nation,” which was made into a must-see if hard-to-watch movie. As we read, we hoped Iweala, who has apparently tarried over “Speak No Evil,” has not snapped into gear in time to hook another Hollywood option. You don’t have to have survived Gerard Conroy’s cauterizing memoir “Boy Erased” (soon to be a movie I may have to travel to see, and will) to be horrified by Niru’s torturous degradation in a remote, guarded Nigerian country church that looks “like a factory” from the outside. The grim ritual feels like it’s just getting going when the chapter ends. It doesn’t take a prurient sensibility to feel cheated when, turning the page, a new chapter begins, father and son are back home in suburban D.C., and, at the first chapter break, the story resumes with the word Meredith, “beer in her hand.”

FLORENCE

+ THE MACHINE

We met Meredith earlier and, cringe though we did, she’s what could be called only a looming presence until she finally takes over the last third of the book, in her own dizzying, self-obsessed voice – just as she previously had ghost-written Niru’s life trajectory. If you have any kind of a TV life, you know this girl, a meddling Jane Austen character on overdrive. In a scene out of a CNN sexworker interview about our Commander-in-Chief, this needlessto-say white girl Niru considers his best friend lures him into her bedroom when her parents are away and, soon naked and inviting, tries to research that thing they say about black boys’ penises. It’s hardly that Meredith’s doomed-to-fail sexual aggression is unrealistic; it’s phantasmagorically realistic, and you try in vain

to put it out of your mind (the too-little-discussed downside of good writing). What’s most believable about it is that, upon Niru’s performance failure – and his first-ever revelation that he thinks he’s gay – she turns, with the agility of a ballerina (they’re both runners, in every sense), to say, No prob. She’ll be his BFF, especially given the rejuvenated confidentiality of their relationship. The mayhem ensues immediately. It does not get better. To say she outs him is to grossly misreport the calumny of her bratty, politically-correct-wannabe actions to help. By the time she takes over the narrative she has, in limited ways, moved on. She obsesses on that last day of high school when another of her obstreperous actions ended in Niru’s bleeding out in an alley (at the moment, she recalls a veteran’s classroom lecture about the speed of it), which lands her in the whited-out middle of a police shooting turned D.C. protest. In a peak moment of high internal drama, Iweala has her say, “I shouldn’t have pushed him, I sniffle.” Of her new boyfriend she drily observes, “In his most frustrated moments, [he] says I think of myself too much.” I’m assuming providing only dreamy descriptions of pivotal events is as deliberate on Iweala’s part as trendily leaving out quotation marks, which accomplishes little but prolonging read-over time. Whether you should read “Speak No Evil” depends wholly on your priorities now that John Bolton is National Security Adviser.t

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48 • Bay Area Reporter • April 12-18, 2018

Angels/America

From page 33

The actor Harrison saw in the role of Prior Walter, a young man with AIDS who is abandoned by his seronegative lover, was played by Stephen Spinella, a grad school collaborator of Kushner’s for whom the part was custom-tailored. Spinella went on to win Tony Awards for his performances in both of the play’s parts, Millennium Approaches and Perestroika (different opening dates for the two, which ultimately ran in repertory, allowed Angels to be up for awards in both the 1993 and 1994 theater seasons). Later this month, a much-anticipated new production of Angels will open at Berkeley Rep. Randy Harrison will play Prior Walter. And Stephen Spinella will step into the role of Roy Cohn, based on the reallife lawyer who represented Senator Joe McCarthy and, later, the young Donald Trump. The show’s cast – which also features Caldwell Tidicue, better known as Bob the Drag Queen, who plays the nurse Belize – arrived in the Bay Area in January to begin rehearsing the two-part, seven-hour opus. In March, the Bay Area Reporter sat down with Harris and Spinella for a discussion about working together on a piece so pivotal in each of their lives. “It was daunting at first,” recalls Harrison, “but that was all in my head. It would be distracting if I thought about how Stephen played the role. But to be honest, it was so long ago that I really didn’t remember anything specific about how he handled it.” “It’s incredibly valuable to be working with people who know the material so intimately and have such a personal relationship to it,” says Harrison, referring not only to Spinella, but also director Tony Taccone, who originally commis-

Head/Heels

From page 33

Now, almost two decades after starting her climb to the top of the drag scene, Peppermint, aka Agnes Moore (and the one-time Kevin Moore), is about to become the first transgender actress ever to originate a major role on Broadway. Following its exclusive San Francisco tryout, Head Over Heels moves to Manhattan for an open-ended run at the Hudson Theater beginning in late June. The show, created by much of the team behind the Tony-winning 2014 revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and featuring the songs of the Go-Go’s, is an unexpected musical comedy hybrid of drumand guitar-based pop beautifully rearranged and orchestrated by Tom Kitt (Next To Normal, If/Then),

Courtesy of Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Stephen Spinella plays Roy Cohn in Angels in America at Berkeley Rep.

sioned Angels’ first half, Millennium Approaches, in 1981, when he was artistic director of San Francisco’s Eureka Theater. Taccone went on to direct Millennium’s debut here, and to co-direct the 1992 world premiere of the two-part whole at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. “You’re lucky that you didn’t remember anything I did,” remarks Spinella, “because I remember a lot of Ron [Leibman, who won a Tony for playing Roy Cohn on Broadway]; it was an indelible perfor-

mance in my head. I still have some of his line readings in my head, and there are some I’ve had to work to get rid of, because they don’t fit with what I want to do. “The thing about Randy for me,” continues Spinella, who grew up in Arizona, the son of an airplane mechanic, “is that he fulfills something that I never thought I got: He has a natural aristocratic bearing; he seems like someone who really could trace his family back for a millennium. Prior is a guy

and a plot drawn from Sir Philip Sidney’s epic 16th-century poem Arcadia. Oh yeah, the dialogue is all in verse. On paper, this concept could confound today’s audiences as much as Peppermint’s gender expression confounded theater producers 20 years ago. But when brought to life onstage, Peppermint says, “It’s such a fun show, and there’s an underlying theme about the quest for true equality, regardless of gender or sexuality.” The plot, with includes some profound but never belabored echoes of today’s politics, concerns a kingdom that feels frozen in time, and leaders who resist making changes to meet the needs of its people. “I didn’t know what to think at first,” admits actor Tom Alan Robbins, recalling the first time his agent approached him about

Head Over Heels. The Broadway veteran, who plays overbearing King Dametas, was concerned that “people would assume it was a jukebox musical that told the story of the Go-Go’s career.” But after reading the script and participating in a workshop in Poughkeepsie, New York, Robbins was smitten. “The fact of the matter is that, for this show, the story came first. If someone who didn’t know the Go-Go’s came to see it, they’d feel like the songs were written for the purpose of telling this story. “This isn’t at all like Mamma Mia,” Robbins continues, “where the script was cleverly written so that songs could be shoehorned into the plot. Part of the fun for audiences in that show was figuring out the puzzle of what song was about to be sung.” Robbins points out that, except to their most hardcore fans, “only a handful of the Go-Go’s songs are really well-known.” Only three GoGo’s singles – “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “We Got the Beat” and “Vacation” – ever made the Top 20 on the U.S. Billboard charts. Compare that to the whopping 22 Top 20 hits available to the creators of Jersey Boys. So it’s essential that the show be more than a nostalgia-driven hit-delivery device. “This show is so hard to describe until you’ve seen it,” says choreographer Spencer Liff, best-known for his work on Dancing with the Stars.

for whom dignity and grace and a facility in the world are important. Randy brings all of that to it automatically, whereas I had to work so goddamned hard at it.” “I’ve wondered sometimes,” says Harrison, querying Spinella. “Tony Kushner has very specific punctuation in the script, or words will be repeated, or there will be ellipses. Were they written in initially? Or were they based on how you performed it?” “They were there from the getgo,” says Spinella. “Tony would brazenly steal physical business that the actors were doing early on and write it into the stage directions. But the phrasing and punctuation? That’s all Kushner.” “It’s so clear how the words should be said that it almost feels like it was transcribed from an actor,” marvels Harrison. “In a lot of ways, this script ends up teaching me how to deliver the lines.” Harrison says that when he first saw Angels, he didn’t feel a visceral connection to Prior. “As a 16-year-old, I really related to Louis,” he recalls, pointing to the character who abandons the ailing Prior and becomes involved with another man. “I was very scared of sickness and death. I was terrified of AIDS, still sort of homophobic and afraid of effeminacy. I was very into the romance between Louis and Joe then, which today isn’t as important to me.” “That’s wonderful!” exclaims Spinella. “It’s so wonderful that you saw it from that perspective. In some ways, the play can leave you feeling that Louis is a bad guy. He does a very bad thing. But the play also says that you can do a very bad thing and not be a bad person.” “Until a couple years ago,” says Harrison, “I really hadn’t had any experience being around terminal illness, witnessing the terror of someone’s body betraying them,

“That’s part of why we wanted to open in San Francisco. Audiences here tend to be really open to fresh ideas, and willing to take a look at new work.” Part of the freshness Liff brings to his contribution comes from the fact that the Go-Go’s were not a part of his own adolescent musical canon. “Now that I’ve been working with them, I love the songs. But at first, I mainly remembered them as something my Mom listened to. Their first album [Beauty and the Beat, 1981] came out four years before I was born,” says the 33-year-old. In approaching the choreography, Liff says, “I didn’t want to do anything particularly reminiscent

and their knowing they were going to die. Honestly I don’t think I could play this part without that experience. I would have been faking the whole thing.” Just as an actors’ perspective on Angels can evolve, Spinella points out that his friend the playwright has continued to make changes to the text itself. “There’s a part where the Angel points and says, ‘And God made you. Male. Female,’ and Caldwell, as Belize, delivers this new line: ‘Well, gender is never that clearcut.’ That has been added since the transgender movement has really found its voice. Tony really supports the movement, so he didn’t want that male/female idea to go unchallenged. “My question was, should Tony have done that? Should he continue rewriting substantive parts of this play to reflect on how the politics on these issues has changed? Should the play stay the play it was in 1993 when we opened on Broadway? Obviously, Tony’s answer is, of course it should change, as long as he’s alive. It’s his play, he can do whatever he wants with it.” And so, says Spinella, Berkeley Rep audiences will see a version updated even more recently than the just-opened 25th anniversary Broadway production, with Nathan Lane and Andrew Garfield in the lead roles. “We have the rewrites they didn’t put into Perestroika. And we’re restoring a Roy Cohn speech that hasn’t been in the play since 1992. An absolutely fantastic speech. Only in the Bay Area will you see the newest production of the newly revised Angels in America. And then it will change again.”t Angels in America plays Berkeley Rep, April 22-July 22. Tickets ($40-$100 per part): www.berkeleyrep.org.

of either court dancing from the 16th century or dance styles from the 1980s, when the Go-Go’s were popular. Instead, I decided to make the movement as modern as possible. I pulled from clubs and queer culture; there’s some really intricate, percussive choreography that does draw on voguing and tutting, but it’s not how you would have seen those styles in the 1980s.” Tutting, ironically, is an almost anti-Go-Go dance form, having had its brief moment in the mainstream spotlight thanks to “Walk Like an Egyptian,” a hit by rival 80s girlband The Bangles. Like his colleagues, Liff understands that marketing a work as original as Head Over Heels poses a challenge, but he’s confident that San Francisco audiences will connect with it and generate organic publicity. “It’s so hard to explain the show in a way that gets potential audiences interested before anyone’s seen it. I mean, a cross between Elizabethan farce and the Go-Go’s? You might not think that would work. But it works amazingly. This is going to be a big word-of-mouth show.” The producers and company of Head Over Heels are counting on Bay Area audiences to break an old Go-Go’s oath by keeping their lips anything but sealed.t Head Over Heels, Curran Theatre, now through May 6. Tickets ($29$165): www.sfcurran.com.

Besties: Food

Besties: Events

Besties: Sex Vol. 48 • No. 15 • April 12-18, 2018

www.ebar.com V www.bartabsf.com

Best Peeps in Nightlife

FBFE

Your favorite queens, kings, DJs, barkeeps and gogo cuties

by Jim Gladstone

Best Male Comic: Jesús U. BettaWork

ere’s a shout-out to the folks who tend to our nocturnal urges. Whether it’s an evening’s entertainment, a shot of booze, or a pinch of hip-swiveling pulchritude, we’ve got no shortage of winning personalities to celebrate. See page 52 >>

Best Bars & Clubs

Gooch

Your nightlife favorites fly their fun flags

by Michael Flanagan

ne of the nicest things about the Besties is that it shows how vital our nightlife is in town. But don’t just take the word of our readers for it. Along with the winners, check out the runners-up and run a contest of your own. Maybe your poll will come out differently. But remember to pace yourself. You have a whole year to go through the list before it comes back again. See page 56 >>

Multi-Bestie winner, the SF Eagle’s events include Disco Daddy, where the grooves get deliciously vintage.

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

50 • Bay A2PUP-BBB_BAR_041218.pdf rea Reporter • April 1 12-18, 2018 4:54 3/14/18

<< Besties

Besties Food Take a bite of your favorite eateries

BARtab

Orphan Andy’s won the Best Breakfast and Best Late Night Restaurant.

by Jim Gladstone

Best Lunch

(2304 Market St., everywhere else)

ut of the dozen categories in our dining Besties, only one has a different winner than last year (and many #1s are multi-year repeaters), our diagnosis? Reflux. Is this a sign of blind LGBT loyalty or of an oddly narrow palate? The winners list also leaves the impression that virtually all San Francisco’s best eating opportunities are all located within a half-mile of the Castro. Perhaps it’s time we consider moving multi-year winners to a Hungry Hall of Fame to make room for new meat. Meanwhile, the ranks of old favorites will be thinning of their own accord this year, with two frequent runners up –Sweet Inspiration and Grubstake– having recently announced plans to close up shop (The latter perhaps temporarily, but don’t keep your fingers crossed). Here are your Besties, along with a few “Try it, you’ll like it” suggestions for adding a little variety to your diet at similarly modest prices.

CMY

Best Breakfast

Orphan Andy’s (3991 17th St.) Runners-up: Stacks (501 Hayes St.) Plow (1299 18th St.)

The

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Orphan Andy’s wins again and not just because it was made more famous via a scene in the TV show Looking. But there’s a rare newbie among the breakfast runners-up this year, and while its name is not as ripely poetic as our perennial Best Brunch winner (below), Potrero Hill’s Plow (1299 18th St.) suggests both how you’ll scarf up their famous lemon ricotta pancakes and how you worked up your hunger the night before. Try it, you’ll like it: Howard’s Café (1309 9th Ave.) is as old school as it gets: a dimly lit, cash-only diner with a U-shaped counter. Huge omelettes with homefries and toast go for under $10.

Best Brunch

Squat & Gobble (3600 16th St.) Runners-up: Dottie’s (28 6th St.) Breakfast at Tiffany’s (2499 San Bruno Ave.)

It’s nice to see folks stepping out of the Castro to try runner-up Breakfast at Tiffany’s. But if there were a dry cleaner called Mommie Dearest in Potrero, we’d be there too. Not to be overlooked is Me & Tasty (3970 17th St.), in the heart of the ‘hood, has brunch seven days with lots of creative surprises: Thaiaccented pork belly grits, French toast with caramel-coconut sauce, and fried avocado with mint crema.

Super Duper

Runners-up: Flore (2298 Market St.) Harvey’s (500 Castro St.) Tasty burgers, fresh French fries, tangy lemonade and free pickles are among the popular menu items at the popular mid-Castro eatery, now with an expanded airy dining area. Try it, you’ll like it: City Counter (115 Sansome St.), the surprisingly fast and affordable FiDi spot is like a Woolworth’s luncheonette that rubbed up against Alice Waters.

Best Dinner

Chow

(215 Church St.) Runners-up: Firewood Café (4248 18th St.), Finn Town (2251 Market St.) The longtime favorite serves up classic American food and pastas. Don’t miss: Fiorella (2339 Clement St.) is smartly designed (check out the wallpaper), moderately priced and serves classy Cal-Italian antipasti, pizza, and pasta.

popular with locals and tourists alike. Also, Hallelujah! The Patio is back, sort of, renamed as a tribute to the old Hamburger Mary’s (521 Castro St.)

Best Coffee Shop

Philz

(549 Castro St. and everywhere) Runners-up: Peet’s (2257 Market St., etc.) Dolores Park Café (501 Dolores St.) Regular, with milk or not, Philz remains a favorite as a social space as well as being popular for their coffee.

Best Late Night Restaurant

Orphan Andy’s

(3991 17th St.) Runners-up: Grubstake (1525 Pine St.) DNA Pizza (371 11th St.) It could be said that hungry latenight patrons aren’t picky, but they know what they like, and we love the old-fashioned cozy atmosphere of Orphan Andy’s. After your last bottoms-up (or your next bottom’s up), It’s Tops is open until 3am Wednesdays through Saturdays (1801 Market St.).

Best Dessert

Best Happy Hour Bites

(600 Guerrero St.) Runners-up Sweet Inspiration (2239 Market St.) Tout Sweet (Macy’s Union Sq.)

(2247 Market St.) Runners-up: Nopa (560 Divisadero St.) Azucar Lounge (299 9th St.)

Tartine

Hi Tops

This popular favorite may be getting even more fans since the closing of frequent winner Sweet Inspiration. If you’re gonna Tartine, check out their Tartine Manufactury (595 Alabama St.), which offers full restaurant service in addition to the bakery, which shares its building with the beautiful Heath Ceramics showroom and one of SF’s better magazine stands.

Sportsing! Winning! Whether you’re an athletic supporter, a team of celebrating jocks, or you like the mixed crowd, the popular bar’s snacks will go great with your favorite beverage and Warriors/Giants game. For a game change, try the generously extended happy hour at Unicorn (191 Pine St.; 4pm-8pm MonThu, and until 1am on Fridays) for fifteen different $7 snacks including lemon grass mussels, samosas, and furikake fries.

Best Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt

Bi-Rite Creamery

Runners-up: Mitchell’s Ice Cream, Castro Fountain Are the long lines worth it? If you’re a dessert fan, yes. If standing in line for food is still trending, you’re with the ‘in’ crowd. Don’t miss: Garden Creamery (3566 20th St.) where Hawaiianborn Erin Lang’s intense flavors include Butter Mochi Toasted Sesame, Banana Salted Caramel and plenty of delicious non-dairy options.

Best Restaurant Outdoor Patio

Flore

(2298 Market St.) Runners-up: Foreign Cinema, Zeitgeist With expanded hours, including nightlife events, Flore keeps evolving, while enjoying the central location

Best Bar Menu

Hi Tops

(2247 Market St.) Runners-up: Harvey’s (500 Castro St.) Lookout (3600 16th St.) Hi Tops’ longstanding record in this category beats that of some of our favorite local sports teams. The bacon-beef burger, Buffalo wings and tempting fried foods can be healthfully countered with the Ahi tuna burger and kale Caesar salad.

Best Food Delivery App

GrubHub

Runners-up Eat24, Caviar Too tired to go out? Your favorites can be sent to you via this popular phone app. Looking for something else? Try the wide range of meat specialties available through Grindr.t

<< Besties

52 • Bay Area Reporter • April 12-18, 2018

Ashlynn Danielsen

Left: Connie Champagne Right: Jason Brock

Best Male Cabaret Performer

Jason Brock Alex Grasso

Erick Lopez

Best Peeps

From page 49

Pride flag outside of The Edge (It’s the black, yellow- and red-striped number).

Best Bartender

Best Female Cabaret Performer

Erick Lopez at The Edge

Connie Champagne

Runners-up: Robbie Cheah at Oasis, Steven Dalton at SF Eagle It’s a foursome! Erick Lopez is on a four-year winning streak in this category (And perhaps he deserves Hall of Fame status to make room for a new champ). That said, Lopez, a widely networked community caretaker, is an ideal leather-clad mix of tough and ‘tender. Lopez’ latest public statement of shamefree sex positivity is the recent permanent installation of the Rubber

Runners-up: Paula West, Leanne Borghesi Always a contender and back on top this year, Champagne (born Kelly Kay Brock) put her ever-popular Judy Garland impression in an all-new context last spring, playing the legend in Landmark Musicals’ production of the Peter Allen biomusical, The Boy from Oz. Whether fronting a band, performing her solo nightclub acts or on the theater stage, Connie is a consummate professional.

Runners-up: Joe Wicht Brian Kent Another Hall of Fame shoo-in, Brock has become a beloved Bay Area fixture since his X-Factor ascendance. Brock’s artistic evolution has lately incorporated a balance between showbiz pizzazz and personal intimacy, best typified by his new Recovering Christian cabaret show, in which he explores the tension between his fondness for the gospel and religious music he grew up with and his aversion to fundamentalist doctrine.

Best Drag Cabaret Performer

Honey Mahogany Runners-up: Katya Smirnoff-Skyy Matthew Martin

What makes Honey’s drag different than the others? It’s the sweetness. A practitioner of oldfashioned bewitchery more than gender-wrench bitchery, this social worker by day can’t help but infuse her stage persona with an undercurrent of human kindness.

Best Female Comic

Lisa Geduldig Runners-up: Irene Tu Karen Ripley

Sure, there are 12 days of Christmas. But there have been a whopping 25 years of Kung Pao Kosher Comedy, the Jewish humor showcase that comedian/impresaria Lisa Geduldig shepherds into being every holiday season. Geduldig hosts and curates a monthly comedy show at El Rio, as well as the new

Jose A Guzman-Colon

Honey Mahogany

comedy night at Berkeley’s Ashkenaz, and last year had a showcase at Feinstein’s at the Nikko.

Best Male Comic

Jesús U. BettaWork Runners-up: Nick Leonard Justin Lucas From South of Market to the East Bay, Jesús U. BettaWork really does work hard, bringing his sparkling “100% real-fruit” comedy to innumerable cafes and bars, as well as traditional comedy showrooms, including the Punchline and Tommy T’s. And this year, he’s finally our winner. Praise Jesús!

Heklina and Peaches Christ

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Left: Lisa Geduldig Right: Juanita MORE!

Best DJ

Juanita MORE! Runners-up: MC2 Bus Station John Musically as well as journalistically, our own nightlife columnist knows her way around the local beat, and has for decades. Not just a DJ and drag celebrity, MORE! brings communities together for important causes, like her recent March for Unity. From her Beatpig and PowerBlouse nights at Powerhouse, to Club Poppers at Q Bar, to her must-go annual Pride fundraising party, there’s always MORE! in store.

JP Dobrin

April 12-18, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 53

Lee Gorbutt

Besties>>

Playmates and soul mates...

San Francisco:

1-415-692-5774 Steven Underhill

Michelle Blioux

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Top Right: Joe Wicht at Martuni’s. Left: Alex U. Inn

Photo: Georg Lester

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Right: Fauxnique

Best DJ Duo or Group

Go Bang!

Runners-up: Honey Soundsystem Hard French The eclectic collective weaves beats from four decades into tapestries of sonic pleasure. Check them out on their monthly nights at the Stud and their mixes online at Mixcloud and Soundcloud.

Best Drag King

Alex U. Inn Runners-up: Kit Tapata Leigh Crow

weeks: She’ll be in Chicago for an onstage conversation and clip show with Mink Stole on April 18 and then back home to the Castro Theatre accompanied by Alaska, Heklina, and Coco Peru for two performances of Steel Dragnolias on May 5. Like her wigs, any Peaches show is guaranteed to be big, bold and a little bit scary.

Fauxnique Runners-up: Miss Shugana Crème Fatale

Jella Gogo Runners-up: Lucy Dorado Chloe Rainwater

Best Event Host/MC

Yaaaas, king! Last year’s winner as well, Alex U. Inn had another crowning achievement this past summer: being selected as people’s choice community Grand Marshall of San Francisco Pride.

Gender identity has become a buzzword of the late 2010s, but Fauxnique has been on top of the concept –and questioning it from every angle– for well over a decade now. Intellect meets entertainment in Monique Jenkinson’s continually striking performances.

Best Drag Queen

Best Gogo Guy

Runners-up: Juanita MORE! Donna Sachet

Runners-up: Eric Osborn Andrew Slade

Idle hands are the devil’s work. Busier than ever un-PC P.C. has two big shows coming up in the next few

While unlikely to ever be confused with 1970s soft pop hit-maker Paul Williams, our favorite furry

Peaches Christ

Best Gogo Gal

Watch her wiggle. See her jiggle. Cool and fruity. Just keep Bill Cosby out of the club.

Best Faux Queen

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Peaches Christ and Heklina

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Runners-up: Donna Sachet Juanita MORE! Love you. Mean it! But this category is caught in an infinite loop.

Best LGBT Band/Musician

Joe Wicht

Runners-up: Double Duchess Vagabondage

Paul William

Bruce Vilanch Shawn Ryan Ronn Vigh Brian Kent Kim Nalley Kitty Tipata Jessica Coker

terpsichorean could certainly bring some excitement to any rainy day or Monday.

Call it wicht-craft: Joe casts a musical spell on the city as he hops from sing-alongs at Martuni’s, to performances with the Lesbian and Gay Chorus and the Oakland Symphony to local theater stages, where he acts, sings, and serves as music director.

Best Nightlife Photographer

Gareth Gooch

Runners-up: Steven Underhill Cabure Bonugli/Shot in the City Gooch, whose work has been known to appear often in these very pages, is an avid chronicler of San Francisco after dark. His recent exhibition Smoke + Mirrors: Exploring Modern Drag at the Ravot Gallery was a highlight of his busy 2017, and runs through April 17.t

Real Bad

Above: Paul William Right: Gareth Gooch Mark I Chester

Benefiting Positive Resource Center & REAF

<< Besties

54 • Bay Area Reporter • April 12-18, 2018

Best Nightlife Events Your favorite comedy, drag, women’s and leather events

Mango at El Rio is a regular women’s favorite.

by Michael Flanagan

ffering a special flavor of entertainment, your picks for best weekly, monthly and not-so-regularly events showcases the diverse aspects of Bay Area nightlife.

Best Drag Show

Mother at Oasis Runners-up: The Monster Show at The Edge Sunday’s a Drag, Starlight Room Mother is, well, the mother of all drag shows in San Francisco. With upcoming tributes to Cher, Andrew Lloyd Weber and the Ladies of the ‘90s, the show –with roots at the Stud and moved with Heklina and crew to the Oasis when it opened–

shows absolutely no sign of slowing down. A spectacularly fun night out awaits you at Mother.

many more. It’s the third Thursday of the month – check out El Rio’s calendar online for details.

Comedy Returns at El Rio

Gaymer Night at SF Eagle

Best Comedy Night

Runners-up: Comedy night at the Eagle Comedy Night at Club OMG “Two comedians walk into a bar….” If the bar is El Rio, they’ll turn around because they can’t face the competition. Lisa Geduldig (of Kung Pao Kosher Comedy) presents a monthly comedy event which has recently featured Diane Amos (the Pine Sol lady), Tom Ammiano, Karen Ripley, Karinda Dobbins and

Best Game Night

Runners-up: Bottoms Ups Bingo at Hi Tops. Miss Kitty’s Trivia Night at Wild Side West The SF Eagle tops the list again with its perennial favorite. Games featured include Tekken 7, Injustice 2, Dragonball Fighter Z, Street Fighter, Just Dance 2018, Super Mario Kart and more. And since it’s at The Eagle you’re guaranteed to have a good time watching the players even if you don’t join in!

DJ Bus Station John keeps retro grooves alive at Disco Daddy.

Best Monthly Nightlife Event:

Disco Daddy at SF Eagle

Runners-up: Beatpig at The Powerhouse Daytime Realness at El Rio DJ Bus Station John has been doing his part to make people shake their asses at bars (be it Aunt Charlie’s with Tubesteak Connection or the Eagle with Disco Daddy) for some time now. Whether mixing from vintage records or mixes, he recharges nightlife with retro classics. In a recent post online he said, “it’s on us old school DJs (regardless

of age) to do our part to raise the bar on today’s dance floor as best we can, to elevate the taste levels of younger people by exposing them to music created by singers & musicians with actual talent.” Bravo!

Best Women’s Event

Mango at El Rio Runners-up: Uhaul at Oasis, Ships in the Night at The New Parish (Oakland) Mango has been going on for over 20 years now – and any time there is an ongoing party that lasts that long, you know it has something impor-

Best (non-contest) Leather Event at a Bar:

Code at The Edge Runners-up: BLUF at SF Eagle Lick It at Powerhouse Created and organized by Best Bartender Erick Lopez, Code at the Edge is dedicated to a return of leather culture to the Castro. They remind their patrons that there doesn’t need to be a festival or a fair to get into your leathers. Their motto is, “No frills. No fluff. Just men in gear.” This sentiment is a worthy goal and it obviously rings true to our readers.

Gooch

Code brings all the leather/rubber men to the Castro.

WINNER Best Breakfast & Best Late-Night Restaurant Proudly serving the LGBTQ community for 41 years!

FBFE

A little sleazy, a lot of cuties, Pound Puppy at the Eagle takes the bone yet again.

Besties>>

April 12-18, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 55

tant going for it. Back in 2013 The Bold Italic wrote that, “Mango is a glimpse into what San Francisco used to be.” There are drink specials (mango margaritas), free BBQ and amazing music. Come get a glimpse of what used to be…and can be again. Well done, Mango!

Best Nightlife event (non-weekly, non-monthly):

Hard French at El Rio Runners-up: House Party at Powerhouse, Comfort & Joy at various venues Hard French describes themselves as an “outdoor daytime soul music dance party that sets out to modernize, takeover, revamp, trick out, revive, and do up the dance party experience.” In the last year they have performed with Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes for Pride and with Thelma Houston for the Winter Ball. After eight years, they’ve limited their parties to a few special annual events.

Best Stage Show in a Bar/Restaurant:

Red Hots Burlesque at The Stud Runners-up: Bitch Slap at Oasis Mommie Queerest at Oasis Red Hots Burlesque is the longest running queer burlesque show in the United States. Their act incorporates cabaret and circus acts into a burlesque act. What could possibly be better, except (of course) seeing them in SoMa at The Stud? This is a match made in a very naughty randy heaven, and a well-deserved reward.

Best Theme Night

Pound Puppy at SF Eagle Runners-up: Onesie Parties at Lookout Cubcake at Lone Star Saloon Who doesn’t love a stray? Blake Cedric and Jorge Portillo, Pound Puppy’s hosts, describe it as “a monthly party at the SF Eagle that turns tops into bottoms, featuring the current underground DJs of the future.” While not as specifically kinky toward the canine fetish, its blend of listenable grooves from visiting and resident DJs provides a welcoming atmosphere for bears, cubs, otters and other various creatures.

BARtab

California Academy of Sciences parties attract sexy nerds and fans of unusual fun.

Best Unusual Nightlife Event:

Nightlife at California Academy of Sciences Runners-up: After Dark at The Exploratorium, Flagging in the Park When is the last time you were on a date with an albino alligator? Well, here’s your chance! Upcoming Nightlife events at the California Academy of Sciences include events on life in space and a spotlight on biodiversity in jungles, beaches and the city. All of this with a drink in your hand in lovely Golden Gate Park – this is an event that our readers say you should check out.

Best Weekly Nightlife event

Beer Bust at SF Eagle

How do you speak to the LGBT community? Through the publications Best Host Heklina performs at Bestie-winning Mother at Bestie winner Oasis, of your favorites. they know anda trifecta trust. Make that a quadri-fecta with a photo by Bestie winner Gooch! Gooch

Runners-up: Mother at Oasis Musical Mondays at The Edge

How do you speak to the LGBT community?

Hot men, cold beer and the Eagle – what more could you possibly want? In the past year the Beer Bust has benefited Tenderloin Tessie’s and the SF Eagle’s queer arts residency program. So it’s not like you’re just going out drinking and cruising – it’s a community building event. But don’t let that stop you from drinking and cruising.t

Through the publications they know and trust.

Representing the “best of the best” in LGBT media, with over a million readers weekly in print and online. 212-242-6863 Representing the “best of the best” in LGBT media, with info@nationallgbtmediaassociation.com over a million readers weekly in print and online. www.nationallgbtmediaassociation.com 212-242-6863 info@nationallgbtmediaassociation.com www.nationallgbtmediaassociation.com

6/6/17 2:19 PM

<< Besties

56 • Bay Area Reporter • April 12-18, 2018

Georg Lester

Beer, beer, my dear, at the Pilsner Inn.

Besties: Bars

From page 49

Best Bar/Nightclub to Meet Men

SF Eagle

Runners-up: 440 Castro Powerhouse The Eagle is like a nesting doll. Every event that catches your fancy has much more than meets the eye at first glance. For the fourth year in a row the bar was voted the Best Bar/Nightclub to Meet Men. If it happened once or twice, we could say it was because we were so happy

that they were back from the brink after their expansive renovations and new event programming. But it is clear that the reason they continue to win is because they know what they are doing. Thursday Night Live continues to bring in stellar groups like the Ethel Merman Experience, Fat Bottom Girls and GayC/DC to rock the house. Nights like Growlr, Grrrth and Cigar Night give a feast for the eye and perhaps a little more. DJs like Bus Station John and events like the repeat-Bestie winner Pound Puppy, and Frolic (where you can let your inner animal out) leave no doubt as to why the Eagle wins year after year.

Gooch

Oasis is tops, in Besties, at least. Here, co-owners Heklina, D’Arcy Drollinger, and hunky backup studs celebrate the venue at Mother.

Best Bar/Nightclub to Meet Transgender People

Best Bar/Nightclub to Meet Women

Runners-up: Aunt Charlie’s Lounge Diva’s

Runners-up: Wild Side West The Uptown, Oakland

Best Cabaret Venue

Qbar bills 13 Licks as “a weekly lezzie dance maniac party,” and word has obviously spread! DJ Natalie Nuxx and Guest DJs provide the musical backdrop a weekly party that has half off drinks – which just adds to the fun. Changing weekly photo backdrops by Closet Riots provide a scene that bring the women back (check out both the bar’s webpage and 13 Licks Facebook page for a sample of the fun). A poorly kept secret is that women have been partying together in the Castro for a very long time and Qbar is doing a bang up job to keep this tradition going.

Oasis

Runners-up: Martuni’s Feinstein’s at the Nikko

Best Dance Floor

Oasis

Runners-up: 1015 Folsom DNA Lounge

Best SoMa Bar/Nightclub

Oasis

Runners-up: The Stud SF Eagle

Qbar

Best Beer Selection

Pilsner Inn

tion of over 30 beers on tap. While you’re there, play a game of pool or step out back to the popular patio that has been drawing patrons for decades. But for many it is simply the expansive collection of beers that will draw you in and keep you there. This is not the first time the Pilsner has won this category (and doubtless it is not the last). If beer is not to your liking (you heretic), then there is a full bar as well.

Best Castro Bar/Nightclub

Lookout

Runners-up: 440 Castro The Edge Look! Up in the sky! It’s not a bird or a plane – it’s the crew at the Lookout, beating out the competition for Best Castro bar or nightclub! And it’s no wonder why, with weekly events like Sunday night’s Jock raising funds for local sports organizations and Saturday afternoon’s Lips and Lashes drag brunch with Carne Asada. The Lookout knows how to bring the fun back to the Castro. With great drinks and a great food menu, it’s no wonder the Lookout has a special place in our reader’s hearts.

Oasis is a veritable cornucopia of Runners-up: talent in a multitude of genders, so SF Eagle it’s no surprise that it’s been once 440 Castro again voted the Best Bar/Nightclub Does IPA make you drool? Does to Meet Transgender People. In the stout drive you crazy? You’re in luck, last year there has been another because the Pilsner Inn has a selecepisode of Star Trek Live, drag king events Dandy and Kings Are Wild, plus stellar performances by Varla Jean Merman in Bad Heroine and Jackie Beat’s Birthday Bitch. With all that and a home to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race, and the amazing tribute nights of Mother as well, it’s no wonder Oasis keeps winning as the best place to meet transgender people. With all of the lively nightlife at Oasis, it’s important to remember that it has added a valued spot for musical performances in a city which seems to be losing more and more of them. So Oasis has reason to feel rightly proud of winning best cabaret venue, which provides a performance spot to a wide variety of performers, from faux queen Trixie Carr to favorites like Justin Vivian Bond, and tributes to legends like Carol Channing by Nicky Ciampoli. This recognition is well deserved. If you’re at Oasis on a performance night, be it drama or song, it may be easy to miss a feature that’s has caught our readers eye: it has the best dance floor in town. And that’s another good reason to make a visit south of Market. Between the dance floor, the performance, the drag and just the crowd the Above: Georg Lester Below: NikoSF club draws, it’s no wonder that once again Oasis Above: The annual Winter Onesie party, one of the Lookout’s many popular is our reader’s choice for events. Below: Qbar is the place for women in the Castro. best SoMa bar/nightclub.

Besties>>

April 12-18, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 57

FIERCE THINGS

Rich Stadtmiller

El Rio, a Mission classic.

There are bars that have a special place in your heart; El Rio is such a place. Whether you’re there on Sunday for their Bloody Mary bar or on Friday afternoon for the free oysters on the half shell, it will find a spot in your heart as well. The bar has a quaint garden and a performance room for bands and comedy shows. We are so lucky that this treasure is still in the Mission. Our readers are lucky that they have such good taste.

BEGIN@

Best Sports Bar

Hi Tops

Runners-up: Lookout Pilsner Inn

The White Horse Bar, voted East Bay’s best.

Best East Bay Bar

Best Mixed Drink

Runners-up: Port Bar Club 21

Runners-up: Blackbird Twin Peaks

The White Horse has been serving drinks for a very, very long time. Officially it has been open since 1933, but there are rumors about what was going on there during Prohibition. And it has been serving the LGBT community for nearly that long, with mentions of the clientele going back to at least the 1950s. And with all that history, the bar has obviously learned a thing or two along the way. Whether it’s karaoke on Monday and Tuesday nights or Triple D Saturdays (with drinks, dancing and DJs), it’s always a fun place to spend an evening – and a cozy place to visit and sit by the fireplace as well. With the friendly competition from Port Bar and Club 21, the East Bay gay scene continues to grow.

Martuni’s is a gem of a bar, serving up classic martinis, cosmopolitans and a wide variety of other drinks. Their Lemon Drops have always been my favorite. But regardless of your tastes, you’ll find something to love on their drink menu. There are often cabaret events happening in the back room, and monthly literary events as well. If you’re there in the evening, be sure to check out the back of the bar. This is the perfect place to have a drink or three. Congratulations to our readers on their good taste.

White Horse Bar

Martuni’s

Best Neighborhood Bar

El Rio

Runners-up: Twin Peaks The Cinch

Hi Tops, the bar which amusingly bills itself as having “Cold Pitchers and Hot Catchers,” is at the top of our reader’s poll for sports bars once again. Still the (relatively) new kid on the block and still trying harder, this bar has amazing food as well as great drinks. Try the Bacon-Beef burger. Should you happen to be there on a game day, you’ll see exactly why the bar continues to win this honor. With several TV screens, there isn’t a bad place in the house to watch a game. And as an added bonus, the place is always packed with happy sports fans (so you may get distracted from your game).

Best Stray (Straight/Gay) Bar:

Blackbird

Runners-up: EndUp, Wild Side West Blackbird is a wonderful welcoming bar with wonderful drinks (it came in as a runner-up for the best mixed drinks category). Drinks here are seasonal, so check their website to see what is currently being served. Along with a welcoming attitude and great drinks, the bar often has art events – a stylish show from last year was “Cocktail Art” by Alyson Thomas, with drawings of citrus garnishes, among others. I have always found the bartenders there to be great conversationalists. It’s the perfect bar to visit for a drink before (or after) a movie – or perhaps just to spend the evening talking with friends.

Best Wine Bar

Blush

Runners-up: Swirl, Press Club

Ray Aguilera

Katya Smirnoff-Skky performs at her monthly concerts at Martuni’s.

Blush says that it is “inspired by the greatest wine bars in Europe.” and they aren’t lying. So whether your tastes point you toward a bubbly Proseco or a more complex Pinot Noir or Petite Sirah, this is the place for you. The wine menu is online so you can have a look in advance and make your choices. Food includes small plates, oysters, warm sandwiches, salads and desserts (and they are on the menu as well). It’s a wonderful place to stop by and have a bite and a drink with friends. Our readers have such good taste!t

479 Castro Street , San Francisco • (415) 431-5365 • www.cliffsvariety.com

<< Besties

58 • Bay Area Reporter • April 12-18, 2018

Best Sex in the Bay 2018 edition finds familiar fun

Naked, wet and super-clean; that’s the way Steamworks Berkeley patrons like it.

by David-Elijah Nahmod

ooking for a hot sex toy, or a hot sex partner to play with? Here, listed for your sexual pleasure, are this year’s winners in the Besties’ hot and sexy sexual categories.

Best Sex Venue

Steamworks Berkeley And the nominees are Steamworks Berkeley, Blow Buddies, and Eros. These three sexual mainstays are places where men looking for men can get off to their hearts’ content. But it’s Steamworks Berkeley that takes home the top prize, no doubt for all the hot tops to be found within. You can work up quite a sweat at www.steamworksbaths.com/berkeley

Best Dating App

Scruff

And the nominees are Scruff, Grindr and Growlr. Hundreds of thousands of men have found hot

lovin’ through all three of these dating apps. But it was Scruff, which promises “new stacks of guys delivered daily,” that was your choice for power top as it takes home the Bestie for Best Dating App. Scruff is the app for world travelers as it connects people from different countries who can hook up while they’re jet setting around the world. Check them out at www.scruff.com

With seven Bay Area locations (and one in Massachusetts thrown in for good measure) Good Vibrations makes it sublimely easy to purchase your sex toys of choice. They also sell erotic literature, porn, and fetish outfits. It’s a veritable supermarket of sex! www.goodvibes.com

Best Place To Buy Sex Toys

And the nominees are: SF Eagle, Beck’s Motor Lodge, and Eros. Beck’s Motor Lodge ranks high on many people’s lists for obvious reasons: where else can you hook up with someone and then hop right into an actual bed? But it’s The Eagle that was declared the winner. The historic leather bar remains one of the last vestiges of SoMa’s once-thriving leather culture, thereby giving it a special place in people’s hearts. Put on your leather duds and head over to The Eagle 398 12th St at Harrison. sf-eagle.comt

Good Vibrations

And the nominees are Good Vibrations, Mr. S. Leather, Does Your Mother Know? You can purchase lots of fun, sexy gadgets at all three of these stores, but Good Vibrations was your choice for the best, no doubt due to the good natured vibes and sense of naughty fun which can be found at all their locations. One of Good Vibrations’ strongest assets is its friendly staff to whom you can say anything--no one is judged.

Best Place to Meet an Online Date/Hook-up:

SF Eagle

Above: BARtab Below: SFEagle

Above: Strap attack? No, sensitive salespersons will help you find the perfect toys and bedroom treats. Below: The Eagle won best Place to Meet a Date/Hook-up. Hmmm, we can see why.

Personals Massage>>

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MEN TO MEN MASSAGE

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People>> HOT LOCAL MEN

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For full listings, visit www.ebar.com/events

Thu 12 Comedy @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley Maureen Langan (one-woman show, Daughter of a Garbageman ) Joe Nguyen (Vietnamese Jewish comic), Bob McIntyre (has been a waiter since he was a toddler), and Lisa Geduldig (Kung Pao Kosher Comedy) will make you laugh, guaranteed. $15-$20. 8pm. 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. www.ashkenaz.com

Diane D’Angelo @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The versatile singer (who’s sung at The White House and even Burning Man) performs her new cabaret show, I’m in the Mood for Love. $45 ($20 food/drink min.) 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

April 12-18, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 59

Fri 13

Sat 14

Besties Party @ Oasis

24th Anniversary @ Hole in the Wall

Celebrate 100+ winners of readers’ choice in multiple categories: shopping, nightlife and more. Performers include cohosts Leigh Crow and Ruby Vixen, Connie Champagne, Jason Brock, Kitten on the Keys, Alex U. Inn and Kingdom, DJs Juanita MORE! and Steve Fabus, plus a few comedy surprises. Free. 6pm-9pm. 298 11th St. www.ebar.com www.sfoasis.com

The colorful SoMa bar celebates a near-quarter century. All day. 1369 Folsom St. www.hitws.com

Molly House @ The Stud Asmara is the featured DJ, plus DavO, Bronze Goddess. $5-$10. 10pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Mother @ Oasis

Cubcake @ Lone Star Saloon Bears & beers, cubs & treats. $5. 9pm2am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Friday Nights at the Ho @ White Horse Bar, Oakland Dance it up at the historic (and still hip) East Bay bar. 9pm-2am. 6551 Telegraph Ave. whitehorsebar.com

Latin Explosion @ Club 21

Investiture ceremony for newly elected Empress Pollo Del Mar and Emperor Leandro Gonzales gets into the ring, with wild pro wrestling Lucha Libre fun, and Leandro’s popular tamales. $20-$25. VIP packages, too. 7pm-10pm. 2470 San Bruno Ave. www.eltoroclub.com

The popular Latin club includes drag shows, with gogo guys, drink specials and table reservations available. $10$20. 10pm-3am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550 The Country-Western line-dancing two-stepping dance event celebrates 18 years. Free-$5. 5pm-10:30pm. Also Sundays. 550 Barneveld Ave. www.sundancesaloon.org

The saucy women’s burlesque show hosted by Dottie Lux will titillate and tantalize, with guests Alotta Boutté, Shells Bells, Bo Vixxen, Violet Streak, and other guests, plus DJ Cinna Money. $10-$20. 8pm-9:30pm. 399 9th St. www.redhotsburlesque.com www.studsf.com

Vance Joy @ Greek Theatre, Berkeley

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre @ Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley

Thu 12 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre @ Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley The world-acclaimed dance company returns for its 50th annual series of concerts and workshops in residency. $30-$110. Thu–Sat 8pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 3pm. Thru April 15. UC Berkeley campus. calperformances.org

Amy Sueyoshi @ GLBT History Museum Historian and author discusses her book, Discriminatng Sex: White Leisure and the Making of the American “Oriental.” $5. 7pm. Also several exhibits. $5. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Disruption @ Z Below 3Girls Theatre Company’s world premiere production of AJ Baker’s whodunit about sexual harassment,

Charlie Jane Anders MCs, with writers Shobha Rao, Chelsey Johnson, Chiwan Choi, Javier Zamora, Dominica Phetteplace and Lilah Sturges. $5$20. 7:30pm. 3225 22nd St. www.makeoutroom.com

Sun 15 The Bestie-winning monthly T-dance features DJ Bus Station John serving up vintage grooves, this time a Prince tribute, part 3! $5. 7pm-12am. 398 12th st. www.sf-eagle.com

Thu 12

For full listings, visit www.ebar.com/events

The SF LGBT Center’s annual gala fundraiser includes drinks, food, awards and socializing galore, with host Juanita MORE!, live and silent auctions, drag fun and more. $95. 8:30pm. 511 Harrison St. www.sfcenter.org/soiree2018

Disco Daddy @ SF Eagle

The singer-composer performs music from his four dreamy pop albums. Lovely the Band opens. $25-$50. 7:30pm. 2001 Gayley Road, UC Berkeley campus. apeconcerts.com

Arts Events April 12-19

Cruisy pups, cubs and more, with DJs Taco Tuesday, Kevin O’Connor and guest Robert Ansley. $10. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Writers With Drinks @ The Make Out Room

Red Hots Burlesque @ The Stud

Andrew Eccels

Cannibliss monthly party, with dJ Dank, drga fun, live rock with Maria Konner, prizes and puffs. $5-$10. 7pm-10pm. 399 9th St. studsf.com

Pound Puppy @ SF Eagle

Soirée @ Terra Gallery

InWrestiTure @ El Toro

Puff @ The Stud

Heklina’s popular drag show, with special guests and great music themes. DJ MC2 plays grooves. $15. 10pm-3am (11:30pm show). 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

social media, miracle drugs and sexual politics. $35-$55. Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 3pm, thru April 28. 450 Florida St. www.3girsltheatre.org

Five Feet Dance, Simpson/ Stulberg @ CounterPulse (De)Classified and Still Life No. 8, collaborative new works by the two companies. $20-$35. Thu-Sat 8pm, thru April 14. 80 Turk St. http://counterpulse.org/

Michelle Meow Show @ 110 Embarcadero Artist and author Aaron Ableman is interviewed by Meow, with cohost John Zipperer. April 19: guests Jeff Sheehy and Rafael Mandelman. Free, weekly, 12pm, Max Thelen Boardroom. commonwealthclub.org

Radar Readings @ SF Public Library Show Us Your Spines, the second archives residency project, with Aria Sa’id, Vernon Keeve III, Itoro Udofia and Yeva Johnson reading from new stories inspired by historic

On the Tab April

12-19

Fri 13

Leigh Crow and Ruby Vixen cohost the Besties @ Oasis

Pastel Gore, Broni Mitchell Show @ The Stud Drag shows with different themes: Dance Dance Revolution Rock Show., 5pm-9pm. Parody of “Paris & Nicole’s The Simple Life,” 10pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Mon 16 Piano Bar 101 @ Martuni’s Sing-along night with talented locals, and charming accompanist Joe Wicht. 9pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market.

Underwear Night @ 440 Strip down to your skivvies at the popular men’s night. 9pm-2am. 440 Castro St. 621-8732. the440.com

Tue 17 Vice Tuesdays @ Q Bar Queer femme and friends dance party with hip hop, Top 40 and throwbacks at the stylish intimate bar, with DJs Val G and Iris Triska. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

LGBT works. 6pm. James Hormel Center, 3rd floor, 100 Larkin St. radarproductions.org

thru April 28. $20-$100. Thu 8pm, Sat 8:30pm. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarsh.org

Fri 13

Sun 15

A Different Long Stretch of Earth @ The Flight Deck, Oakland

Diffused Reflections @ Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts

Addie Ulry’s play about the myth of the American West, and an apocalypse-themed birthday party. $25-$45. Fri & Sat 8pm, Sun 5pm. Thru April 28. 1540 Broadway, Oakland. raggedwing.org

31st annual Solo Mujeres exhibit of new works. Also, Guerrilleras, Victoria Montero and Rebecka Biro’s exhibit of El Salvador women who endured the Civil War. Both thru April 20. 2868 Mission St. missionculturalcenter.org

The Mystery of Love and Sex @ NCTC Bathsheba Doran’s play about a young man and woman who are very different, but find ways to connect. $20-$45. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru May 20. 25 Van Ness Ave., lower level. www.nctcsf.org

A Number @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Caryl Churchill’s inventive drama about human cloning. $33-$65. Thru May 6. 2081 Addison St. Berkeley. www.auroratheatre.org

Sat 14 Donde Esta Mi Comedy? @ Galerìa de la Raza Enjoy stories and comedy from Latino writers and stand-up comedians; co-hosted by award-winning spoken word artist Yosimar Reyes, and writer, performer, and standup comedian Baruch Porras Hernandez; with stand-up comedian, Kat Evasco, performer, and poet Amanda Muñiz, and LA stand-up comedian Johan Miranda. Free. 4pm. 2857 24th St. http://www.galeriadelaraza.org/

A Fatal Step @ The Marsh Jill Vice’s noir solo show, extended

David Wilson

Arts/Nightlife Events>>

Endangered Species, Enduring Values @ SF Main Library Book launch and showcase with contributing artists and authors in the new San Francisco writers and artists people of color anthology. 1pm-3pm, Koret Auditorium; reception in the Latino Hispanic Community Room, 3pm-4pm. 100 Larkin St., lower level. writenowsf.com

Mon 16 William Blake in Color @ William Blake Gallery Exhibit of classic plates in the new gallery of historic art by the poet and illustrator. Mon-Fri 10am-5pm. Sat 11am-5pm. 49 Geary St. #205. www.williamblakegallery.com

Tue 17 Godless Perverts @ Borderlands Café Book Club for the group, who discusses Mary Anne Mohanraj’s science fiction novel the Stars Change. 6pm-8pm. 870 Valencia St. borderlands-books.com/cafe.html

Wed 18 Dick at Nite @ Moby Dick Grace Towers’ weekly drag show at the fun local bar. 9pm-12am. 4049 18th St. http://www.mobydicksf.com/

Miss Kitty’s Trivia Night @ Wild Side West The weekly fun night at the Bernal Heights bar, hosted by Kitty Tapata. No cover. 7pm-10pm. 424 Cortland St. 647-3099. www.wildsidewest.com

Thu 19 Nile Rodgers & Chic, The English Beat @ The Fox, Oakland Enjoy classic disco and pop music with the master, and the ska-pop British band. $55-$75. 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.nilerodgers.com www.apeconcerts.com

Queer Karaoke @ Club OMG KJ Dana hosts the weekly singing night; theme this week is Kinky Karaoke 8pm. 43 6th St. clubomgsf.com

Natasha Dennerstein @ Folio Books Queer Words presents the Australian poet, who shares excerpts from her books About a Girl, Anatomize and other works. 7pm. 3957 24th St. www.folfiosf.com

Smoke + Mirrors @ Ravot Exhibit of glamorous nightlife photos of local drag queens by Gareth Gooch. Thru April 17, with a special closing night event with Gooch in discussion, Emperor Leandro’s tamales & wine ($25 donation benefits Imperial Council). 6pm-9pm. 115 Clement St. garethgoochphotography.com

Wed 18 Respect: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom @ Oakland Museum New exhibit that visualizes the movement and sound of the music genre, with many live events through the run, including Friday night parties and performances. Free-$16. Wed-Sun. Thru Aug. 12. 1000 Oak St., Oakland. www.museumca.org

Thu 19 Spring Selections @ Jenkins Johnson Gallery Group exhibit of print and paintings honoring Women’s History Month, featuring works by Lalla Essaydi, Aida Muluneh, Nnenna Okore, Julia FullertonBatten, Wesaam Al-Badry, Blessing Ngobeni, Omar Victor Diop, Gordon Parks, Hendrik Kerstens, and Julian Opie. Thru May 12. 464 Sutter St. jenkinsjohnsongallery.com