April 18, 2013 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

Lambda Legal turns 40

Out Wheels column debuts

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Vol. 43 • No. 16 • April 18-24, 2013

A reporter’s journey: Living with HIV by Ed Walsh

A Rick Gerharter

Chipotle is eyeing the former Home Restaurant at Church and Market streets but may face opposition from city planners.

Despite new policy, chains seek permits by Matthew S. Bajko

new policy aimed at curbing the number of chain stores along upper Market Street has not deterred several national retailers from seeking to open along the main thoroughfare in San Francisco’s gay Castro district. Both coffee brewer Starbucks and burrito chain Chipotle, founded by a gay chef, plan to seek permits for prime corner storefronts on Market despite vocal opposition to their applications. Planning officials had already stated they plan to recommend both be rejected, even prior to the adoption last week of the new formula retail guidelines. As reported online Thursday, April 11 by the Bay Area Reporter, the Planning Commission unanimously adopted a new provision requiring planning staff to recommend any retailer that brings the concentration of chain stores within a 300-foot radius to 20 percent or greater not be recommended for approval. The policy applies to the stretch of Market Street between Octavia and Castro. Retailers in violation of the cap can still seek approval from the Planning Commission, though projects disapproved by staffers rarely receive a favorable vote. The wiggle room in the policy is meant to ensure that chain stores that do have significant community backing can still open along the retail corridor. One such example of a company facing minimal opposition is pharmacy chain CVS, which is seeking to open in a large ground floor space at the Market Noe Center where Tower Records had been located. The company dropped plans to sell alcohol and has been working with neighSee page 8 >>

s a nurse drew my blood last Friday, the significance of what was happening and the date was lost on me. My biggest concern was trying to remember the words in Spanish to explain the procedure. As the blood was being taken from my left arm, I held my camera up with my right hand to show to my Facebook friends in Guadalajara, Mexico, what was happening. I hate needles, so making the video was a good distraction. The blood test was the second-to-last hurdle before the main event next month when I will spend a day undergoing light chemotherapy. Then, three days later, I will get an infusion of genetically altered T-cells that were manufactured in a laboratory to be resistant to HIV. The cells were taken from me in October and treated with something called zinc finger nucleases, which severs the CCR-5 receptor, a door that HIV uses to enter the cells. The procedure effectively makes those cells impermeable to HIV. It is part of a study aimed at curing HIV, a concept that seemed out of reach just a few years ago. That Friday date was significant because exactly two years earlier, on April 12, 2011, while I was living in Guadalajara and attendSee page 12 >>

Ed Walsh

Quest Clinical Research nurse Priscila “Grace” Gonzaga, right, administers a preliminary blood test on Ed Walsh Friday, April 12, as part of a study aimed at curing HIV.

Legal group sees 30 years of HIV changes by Seth Hemmelgarn

San Francisco nonprofit that helps people living with HIV and AIDS with their legal needs has seen a lot of change since it started in 1983, when the AIDS epidemic was still new and death was often imminent for those infected. Bill Hirsh, 51, who started at AIDS Legal Referral Panel in the late 1980s as a volunteer fresh out of law school, estimated that 80 percent of the nonprofit’s work once involved preparing simple wills. Now, he said, that number is probably about 10 percent. “Because our clients are living longer, the issues they bring to us are more related to living with HIV than dying of AIDS,” Hirsh said of the agency, which provides free or low-cost services to people in the Bay Area. Over the years, ALRP has helped thousands of people keep their homes, stay in their jobs, address debt, and secure legal status in the United States, among other services, he said. “Housing is now far and away the single biggest legal issue for our clients,” Hirsh said. The agency now handles more than 600 housing cases a year that include evictions, discrimination and habitability issues, and rent increases. “The folks who are least able to deal with the system are the folks who are forced to deal with it the most,” Hirsh said. “When you’re sick and you get that eviction notice in the

Jane Philomen Cleland

Kirsten Scott, left, and Kendall Hancock were among the attendees at ALRP’s kickoff party earlier this year at the LGBT Community Center for its 30th anniversary. In the background, Supervisor Scott Wiener talked with ALRP Executive Director Bill Hirsh.

mail sometimes it’s overwhelming ... if you don’t have access to a good attorney, you

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could lose your home.” Like many nonprofits, the agency, which handles about 1,500 unduplicated clients annually, faces funding challenges of its own as demand for services rises. Aging and finances can be critical issues for the people with whom ALRP works. About 80 percent of the people the agency works with are LGBT, and “increasingly, our clients are getting older, but we serve folks under 30 as well,” Hirsh said. One man, who asked that his name not be published, said ALRP helped him get $200,000 in student loans discharged. The 43-year-old San Francisco resident said he has HIV and bipolar II and is unable to work. “I’m in a much better place than I was before,” he said, adding that the nonprofit is “a great resource,” and he didn’t think he would have been able to get the help he needed without it. ALRP has 11 paid staff, including attorneys and other employees, as well as many volunteers. Additionally, there are usually at least five law clerks. Sometimes the agency has money to pay for those positions, and sometimes the clerks work as volunteers. The nonprofit has a panel of over 700 attorneys who volunteer their time.

Looking ahead

“There has been an increase in demand for See page 8 >>

<< Community News

2 • Bay Area Reporter • April 18-24, 2013

Queer Asian group to honor women’s shelter by Heather Cassell

annual budget. She added that she hopes the award will also inspire other donations.

queer Asian organization will honor the Asian Women’s Shelter for its quarter century of service Saturday, April 20 at its annual lunar banquet in Oakland. Crystal Jang, who is one of the founding board members of the Asian Women’s Shelter and a cofounder of banquet host Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community, will be recognized with the group’s Phoenix Award. “I’m very honored to receive the award,” said Jang, 66, who continues to serve on APIQWTC’s board. For the upcoming event she’s set up special intergenerational tables to connect older Asian LBT leaders with a new generation of Asian queer women activists, she said. She hopes it will be the beginning of connecting past, present, and future generations of leaders to help them “find their voice and do the work that they do” and to develop leadership. Hediana Utarti, the community projects coordinator at ASW, also feels honored about Jang receiving the award. “I am very, very grateful they have been a big supporter to us,” Utarti said of APIQWTC. “I feel like the

Long history for shelter

Jane Philomen Cleland

Asian Women’s Shelter associate director Orchid Pusey

community actually acknowledged our hard work.” The award comes with a donation of a portion of the proceeds from the Lunar New Year banquet, said Jang. She estimates that $1,000 will be raised at the banquet to aid the shelter that has been hit by funding cuts. APIQWTC is an all-volunteer umbrella organization that produces political and social events and supports queer Asian women’s and transgender activism. Jang declined to provide the organization’s

ASW was founded in 1988 to help Asian women, in particular those who didn’t speak English, escape domestic violence. During the last 25 years, ASW has grown into a $2 million organization, according to its 2011-2012 fiscal statement. The agency has broadened its scope, assisting not only queer and transgender women survivors of domestic violence, but also working in partnership with other organizations in anti-trafficking efforts. The shelter counted 3,236 bed nights and its crisis line received 1,060 calls during the 2011-2012 fiscal year, according to Utarti. The shelter’s 14 staff members, three of whom are part-time, are assisted by 50 volunteers. There are another 50 language advocates who are trained as cultural and language liaisons in a variety of languages from Arabic to Russian, said Utarti. Since its inception ASW has always been open to lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women escaping domestic violence. Jang said that was in part because all of the foundSee page 3 >>

Empty your drawers for AEF

compiled by Cynthia Laird

he AIDS Emergency Fund’s Empty Your Drawers, part of the agency’s long-running Every Penny Counts campaign, will take place this weekend in the Castro. In this fundraising drive, people are urged to look in drawers and pockets, and under the sofa cushions, for loose change or misplaced bills to donate. Lance Brittain, Every Penny Counts coordinator, said that members of the “penny posse” would be collecting the change and bills at Castro and Market streets, at the top of the Muni station, from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 20-21. Since 1987, Every Penny Counts has raised over $3 million, with 100 percent of the funds raised through the program going directly to help pay the basic living expenses of AEF clients. The program is all-volunteer, and is looking for more penny posse members. If you are interested, contact Brittain at (415) 558-6999, ext. 232 or lance.brittain@aef-sf.org.

Man gets 5 years for 1983 killing

A San Francisco man has been sentenced to five years in prison for the fatal 1983 strangling of a man he’d had sex with. In March, William Payne, 48, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the death of Nikolaus Crumbley, 41, whose half-naked body was found in McLaren Park almost 30 years ago. With credit for time served, Payne, whose sentencing was Thursday, April 11 before San Francisco visiting Superior Court Judge Anne Bouliane, will likely be released in 16 months. Prosecutors originally charged Payne with first-degree murder during the course of sodomy, but in October a jury deadlocked on the

charge, with nine out of 12 finding Payne not guilty. The case was expected to be retried, but in March, test results on DNA from the steering wheel of Crumbley’s rental car showed a match for an unidentified man whose semen had also been found in Crumbley’s rectum and underwear. Payne’s semen had been in Crumbley’s rectum, but according to Deputy Public Defender Kwixuan Maloof, it was not found in the car, which two men had been seen pushing into Oakland’s Lake Merritt before his body was found. “There is clear and convincing evidence of William Payne’s innocence,” Maloof said in March. “I did not want him to plead guilty to this, but I understand why he did.” Going to trial would have been “a huge gamble,” and “although the gamble is way in our favor,” Payne was facing life in prison without the possibility of parole if he had been convicted, Maloof said. Payne has also been ordered to serve four years of parole, which could be extended to five years, upon completion of his sentence. Payne, who’s been in custody since his arrest in January 2012, made no comments about his sentence other than to confirm he understood his parole rights. A victim impact statement was submitted but was not read out loud in the almost-empty courtroom Thursday. Assistant District Attorney Michael Swart prosecuted the case.

ACT UP protest Saturday

ACT UP/San Francisco will lead a protest against evictions Saturday, April 20 beginning at noon at 16th and Mission streets. Members say the city’s elected officials have not adequately addressed the housing crisis and that longtime residents with HIV/AIDS and others are being forced out of

their homes at the same time as luxury housing developments are being built.

SF Zoo celebrates Earth Day

Staff at the San Francisco Zoo are inviting people to come celebrate with a day of simple pleasures on Sunday, April 21 in observance of Earth Day (April 22). There will be conservation-themed keeper talks, hands-on learning stations, and more. Families can start the day with a BikeAbout (pre-registration required) or free Bird Walk, then enjoy a host of activities including Riveropolis, where children can explore a running “river.” Bring that day’s Muni receipt to the zoo and receive $1 off the price of admission and a 10 percent discount on cafe and gift shop purchases. The festivities run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Earth Day activities are free with paid zoo admission, or free to San Francisco Zoological Society members. For admission costs and other information, visit www.sfzoo.org. Check the zoo’s website for information on viewing the new tiger cub and her mom, Leanne.

Sober space marks 30 years

The Castro Country Club will mark its 30th anniversary with its Soberlicious Soberfest Sunday, April 21 from noon to 6 p.m. at the Eureka Valley Recreation Center, 100 Collingwood Street, San Francisco. The event kicks off with a VIP soiree featuring gourmet treats, surprise performances, and special guests. Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 at the door. At 1 p.m., the party opens to general admission with mistress of ceremonies Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Entertainment includes the Thrillpeddlers performing excerpts from their new Cockettes revival Tinsel Tarts in a Hot Coma, television personality Jan Wahl, San Francisco-based Castles in Spain, drag performance artist Trauma Flintstone, and much more. Tickets are $15 in advance or See page 5 >>

Community News>>

April 18-24, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 3

Lambda Legal event marks 40th anniversary by James Patterson

ambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, a national legal advocacy group with five offices across the country, will host its San Francisco Soiree 2013 Friday, April 26 to celebrate 40 years of successful and historic legal advocacy for LGBT people. Event planners expect to raise a half-million dollars as attendees party around the theme: “From Disco to Now – Fighting for LGBT People and People with HIV since 1973.” The event takes place at Terra Gallery starting with a 6 p.m. reception, followed by dinner. Local planner and commercial litigation attorney Daniel Slaughter, a new board member with Lambda Legal, has been co-chair of the organization’s San Francisco Leadership Council since 2010. He expects 500 people will attend and he expects to raise $500,000 or more. “Some attendees will pay far more than the minimum ticket price,” he explained. Tickets start at $325. The headlining entertainment will be an after-dinner show with Tony-nominated transgender artist Justin Vivian Bond, half of the popular lounge act Kiki and Herb. Speakers include Kevin Cathcart, the longtime executive director of Lambda Legal, and gay plaintiff Maverick Couch, 18, who successfully sued his Ohio high school in 2012 when school officials sent him home for wearing a “Jesus is not a Homophobe” T-shirt. Slaughter said marriage equality has been in Lambda’s portfolio since 1990 when it represented plaintiffs in a Hawaiian case. In 2003, he noted that state sodomy laws were overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in Lawrence v. Texas. Lambda attor-

Women’s shelter

ing board members are lesbians. “I think that was really, really crucial,” said Jang. “They were way ahead of their time.” Yet, it wasn’t until the late 1990s that ASW led the way by formally establishing a program specifically for queer Asian women escaping domestic abuse. It is one of the few women’s shelters in the U.S. that has an LBT women’s program, according to Jang and Utarti. In recent years, the program changed its name to the Queer Asian Women and Transgender Support Program, to include transgender women, said Utarti. “We support all queer women who are in domestic violence,” said Utarti, a 53-year-old queer woman who has headed up the anti-trafficking and QWATS programs for a decade. “We realize that unhealthy relationship or ... domestic violence ... happen in our relationships –heterosexual as well as non-heterosexual.” She explained that the shelter’s philosophy is based on anti-oppression, anti-homophobia, and antiracism. “We want to include everyone in our support,” Utarti said. “Thus, we also acknowledge violence also happening in same-sex relationships, as well as in different kinds of relationships in the queer world.” She estimates her team, which includes ASW associate director Orchid Pusey, helped two queer women survivors of domestic violence (out of 24 cases) and four queer women trafficking cases (out of 18 cases) in 2012. This year, the shelter has helped three queer women survivors of domestic violence and one

Courtesy Daniel Slaughter

New Lambda Legal board member Daniel Slaughter, right, joined his husband, interior designer Stephan Blachowski, at last year’s fundraiser.

neys represented the client in that case, the late John Lawrence. “Lawrence is the basis for the equal protection challenges currently before the U.S. Supreme Court,” he said, referring to the same-sex marriage cases involving California’s same-sex marriage ban, Proposition 8, and the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Slaughter, who is gay, said Lambda filed amicus briefs challenging the constitutionality of Prop 8 and DOMA. Lambda’s role is bigger than the two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, Slaughter stressed, as the organization expects “years of litigation” regardless of the resolution of the cases. More legal advocacy will be needed, he said, to work out issues such as whether each state must recognize another state’s marriages and whether private entities, such as insurance companies located in states that do not recognize samesex marriage, must offer insurance

queer woman victim of trafficking so far, said Utarti. Many of the referrals to aid queer women in domestic abuse situations are through word-of-mouth, said Utarti, because many LBT women are uncomfortable reaching out to the shelter for help. “Queer folks [do] not feel super comfortable to call 911 or Asian Women’s Shelter to speak to one of us if they feel they are in an unhealthy relationship,” said Utarti, who is usually contacted by referral, email, or phone by queer women who do reach out to the shelter. “Sometimes I talk to them on the phone for three to six months,” without ever meeting them, said Utarti, who invites the women to the shelter, but they resist going. “Most queer women are not too crazy about going to a shelter,” said Utarti, who tries to debunk a persistent myth that shelters are only for straight women. Still, from Utarti’s experience, LBT women are uncomfortable in shelters and fearful that they will be judged for their relationships on top of surviving abuse. Utarti and her team do a lot of community outreach and work closely with hospitals and police departments who refer women – straight and queer – to the shelter, she said.t To learn more, visit http://www. sfaws.org. Saturday’s banquet is almost sold out and tickets at the door ($45) cannot be guaranteed. Check http://www.apiqwtc.org for availability. The event takes place from 5 to 11 p.m. at the Legendary Palace Restaurant, 708 Franklin Street, Oakland.

and other products to legally married same-sex couples. “Lambda Legal is fully prepared to litigate these issues,” Slaughter said. Concerning future litigation, Slaughter pointed out that African Americans, for example, still face legal obstacles many years after laws were enacted to end racial discrimination. “Laws change, but not everyone’s attitude changes so we expect some of the same legal obstacles African Americans experience,” he said. Aside from marriage equality, Slaughter said Lambda Legal is working on a variety of legal issues affecting the LGBT community. In an e-mail, he said Lambda currently has over 75 active cases. Last week, the organization submitted a brief asking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security not to deport an HIV-positive immigrant convicted of solicitation of oral sex in Los Angeles. In another case, a Florida school district, in response to Lambda’s advocacy, reversed a decision and allowed a high school student to observe a Day of Silence intended to address homophobia. For more information about San Francisco Soiree 2013, contact Jennifer Bing at (415) 800-8127.t Next week’s event will be at Terra Gallery, 511 Harrison Street. Tickets are $325 per person for the full event, but a special $75 ticket allows attendees to enjoy an after-dinner open bar and Bond’s performance, scheduled for 9 p.m. Tickets are available online at http://www. lambdalegal.org/events/sanfrancisco-soiree. The event is cocktail attire.

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4 • Bay Area Reporter • April 18-24, 2013

Volume 43, Number 16 April 18-24, 2013 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Thomas E. Horn Bob Ross (Founder, 1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko Seth Hemmelgarn Jim Provenzano CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dan Aiello • Tavo Amador • Erin Blackwell Roger Brigham • Scott Brogan Victoria A. Brownworth • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Chuck Colbert Richard Dodds • David Duran Raymond Flournoy • David Guarino Peter Hernandez • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr Matthew Kennedy • David Lamble Michael McDonagh • David-Elijah Nahmod Elliot Owen• Paul Parish • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Donna Sachet Adam Sandel • Jason Serinus Gregg Shapiro • Gwendolyn Smith Ed Walsh • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION T. Scott King ONLINE PRODUCTION Jay Cribas PHOTOGRAPHERS Danny Buskirk Jane Philomen Cleland Marc Geller Rick Gerharter Lydia Gonzales Rudy K. Lawidjaja Steven Underhill Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge Christine Smith GENERAL MANAGER Michael M. Yamashita DISPLAY ADVERTISING Simma Baghbanbashi Colleen Small Scott Wazlowski NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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Stay classy, GOP

fter much hand-wringing and having produced a 100-page report detailing problems within their party, including their failure to connect with minority groups, the Republican National Committee showed that it hasn’t learned anything from the electoral drubbing it took in last year’s presidential race. RNC members, at their spring meeting in Los Angeles last week, voted to reaffirm their opposition to same-sex marriage. The voice vote was recorded as unanimous, even though one gay member, Robert Kabel, told Yahoo News that he voted no. Regardless, the Republican Party showed its true colors as the party of “No,” as in no equal rights for LGBT Americans. Maybe Kabel, who is chair of a GOP group in Washington, D.C., should take the useless report that RNC Chairman Reince Priebus commissioned and toss it in the trash. Last week’s Republican meeting was informative only in that it showed nothing has changed in the party. Republicans likely will learn some tough lessons in coming elections, when their anti-gay ways catch up with them. Public support for marriage equality will only increase and the GOP will be further marginalized; in California, where no Republican holds a statewide post, look for that trend to continue. In comparison, Democrats, particularly senators, have been tripping over themselves to announce their support for marriage equality. The total is at 54 now (including two Republicans). Only three Democratic senators do not support same-sex marriage. Up until last week, it seemed like every time we checked our Facebook feed another politician had announced his or her support. Many made their statements on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter and were then shared and retweeted. The use of new media to promote social activism is where it’s at these days. Having covered the marriage equality issue for years, it’s just astonishing to see how normal it now is for a politician to support an issue that was recently

considered taboo or ludicrous. But just because political leaders support marriage equality doesn’t mean that their work is over. Far from it. There’s still the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which, last time we checked, was stalled in Congress. These 54 senators should extend their support for LGBT equality by bringing a vote on ENDA. With Republican control of the House, it’s becoming evident that a bill must start in the Senate in order to pass. We see that with the gun and immigration proposals, and the same should happen with ENDA. In the meantime, since we know passing ENDA will be a long slog, President Barack Obama should sign the executive order that would ban federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT workers. This has been on the administration’s radar for a year now, but there is still no movement, as the

Washington Blade reported this week. Locally, Out and Equal Workplace Advocates is one of several national organizations pushing for the order, which would be a small step – but at least a start – in preventing companies from firing employees because of who they are. Regarding immigration, the reform bill that was unveiled this week does not include provisions for binational couples, which is awful. But, those senators who now support marriage equality should be willing to support an amendment that would allow binational couples to remain together in this country. The 54 senators who support marriage equality could push through such an amendment. Politicians who support us can’t stop at marriage equality. There are still too many other inequalities that affect our day-to-day lives. And maybe, just maybe, some of those GOPers who are dead set against LGBT issues will change their mind on immigration or employment laws. They have to change sometime, otherwise they risk irrelevance.t

Can New Yorkers adapt to SF? by Charles Ayers

decided to live in San Francisco when I came to see BYOBW (Bring Your Own Big Wheel), a race where grown adults dress in costumes such as Amy Winehouse and Captain Caveman. These adults then ride Big Wheels down a steep hill. “A city with a sense of humor,” I thought. After 17 years of stressful toil in New York and Tokyo, I needed a change of pace. After three days of intense search on Craigslist I had my first room, a cubbyhole in misty Ingleside. Alas, though San Francisco’s humorous elements drew me to her, there were many days that the joke was on me. I thought I knew what to expect in San Francisco; however, I was hoodwinked by the city it turned out I didn’t know. So I write this essay as a caveat. A warning, if you will, to people relocating to San Francisco from New York City – or London or Hong Kong, basically any massive world metropolis with bustling streets and reliable mass transit. I single out New Yorkers because I believe a lot of them consider a move to San Francisco. New Yorkers can escape their cynical island and imagine a bobo fantasy of endless bottles of Napa Cabernet, high-paying tech jobs, and a platoon of new gay friends who will squeal with delight upon meeting their own personal Carrie Bradshaw. You, the former New Yorker, will slim down to Size 0 riding a bicycle to work everyday in San Francisco. At night, you’ll knock back PBRs with asymmetrically-coifed hipsters who will worship you at some divey Mission bar. This is an exciting time to be in the Bay Area. Thanks to the innovators at corporations such as Google, Facebook and Apple, I believe our generation will see San Francisco’s metamorphosis from a spunky provincial center to a major world megalopolis. If you are part of the cool club at Twitter or hobnobbing at YouTube, you probably love life. Or at least you pretend to love life, since most people are jealous of you. However, if you aren’t part of this hipster,

tech-yuppie crowd, well frankly, San Francisco can suck donkey balls. Remove its veil of techno snob bliss, then you see the city as an overpriced, cultural backwater with major transportation problems. Forget the bobo dream of bicycling to work, after a year of unemployment looking for work in the city I had to take a job in the South Bay. For me that meant I spent two to three hours a day commuting in a clunker car that I couldn’t upgrade because I was living paycheck to paycheck. Between the gays and the hippies, San Francisco appears to be the beacon of tolerance and acceptance for the civilized world. Truly if you are gay and coming from Flyover USA, then you might feel safer and more at home here – born in Missouri myself, I sympathize. You’ll come to San Francisco with visions of Harvey Milk rainbows and Pride Parade unicorns, but sadly you won’t afford to live anywhere near the gay enclaves of Castro or South of Market. Don’t worry, I’m sure there are gays in Daly City or Oakland or wherever you end up. I got a close-up look at the gnarly-toothed bigotry when I did some political canvassing for a group that supports gay rights. Standing out on the street flagging people with my clipboard a zaftig woman in a floral print dress (obviously bridge and tunnel) turned to me and snapped, “You need to stop that, get down on your knees and pray!” Another day, a passerby traumatized a Latino canvasser by heckling him to see his green card despite the fact he was very much born in Estados Unidos. On one hand, I saw the generosity of the people here: the residents of San Francisco opened up and gave out hundreds of dollars to politically progressive causes on the street. However, the money was not won without coming across a few racially or homophobically-charged barbs from buffoons as they trotted past. San Francisco made me less hung up on outward appearances. I do miss the motivation I used to have in Tokyo or New York to put together fabulous outfits. If you live for the excitement of New York’s fashion, just run away now. Move

to Tampa. Move to Saskatchewan. Almost anything could be better than the “anti-fashion” certain San Francisco residents wear, which consists of ugly tattoos, oversize hoodies, and hideous pumpkin-orange Giants baseball caps. San Francisco made me healthier, because I’m less stressed out. I’ve even quit smoking (unless I’m drunk in the Castro). The time efficiency issue carries over into why the city requires you to own an automobile. Truly, unless you are fortunate enough to live and work near BART stations (good luck with that), you will probably need a car if you have a career here. BART trains zip along quickly, but the Muni trains alone will not get you where you need to go in any timely manner. One great thing about San Francisco is the open-mindedness regarding sex. I have a theory that living in San Francisco makes people one level kinkier. Gay guys will lapse and try women. Straight guys will lapse and try men. Don’t even ask me about lesbians, because in San Francisco their Lesbolicious misadventures mutate into kink of mammoth proportions. Sexual orientation is even less an issue than in New York – if you can imagine that. It’s almost sexual disorientation. I’m even having reverse kink guilt syndrome, since I want to fit in with all the kinky fetish types. Is it wrong I have no desire to be fisted? Why don’t I want to wear a ball-gag and a wagging dogtail buttplug? Should I want to join the Furries? What the fuck is a Furry? I think I’ll try something moderately tame, such as shrimping, just to fit in. My move to San Francisco was good though. I might be bored sometimes, but the city allowed me to evolve. Provincial San Francisco still sits firmly on the B-List of America’s cities, but San Francisco allows many people to hold on to a type of kindness that is too often suffocated in larger and more cosmopolitan cities. Except when you’re stuck behind some endless conversationalist at Walgreens.t Charles Ayres is the author of the critically-lauded memoir Impossibly Glamorous. It is now available in paperback or as an ebook.

Letters >>

April 18-24, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Lost without travel agent

I just wanted to thank Seth Hemmelgarn for the wellwritten article that he wrote about Jonathan Klein, who was both my friend and travel agent [“Gay travel agent dies,” April 11]. I liked how he brought dignity to Mr. Klein’s tragic death and how he wove Mr. Klein’s life story around his closest friends. What a great tribute to a beautiful man. Here’s my story: I met Jonathan about a decade ago when I was toying with the idea of visiting Europe for the first time. Not only did he inspire me with his love of travel, but he took the time to walk me through everything. We must have spent hours together as he asked me what I enjoyed doing and what I didn’t enjoy. Based on those facts, he created the most tailored plans. He did this for all of his clients. I know because I later recommended him to friends and family. He was the best at listening to your unique needs and desires as a traveler and making custom-made itineraries that were fun, exciting, and memorable. For example, he always knew that I disliked boring museums and churches, so he always booked my hotels near the more colorful, gay centers of town. With Jonathan gone, I am literally lost without him. Robert Bernardo South San Francisco, California

Coming out or staying in?

I write in response to Allen Jones’s ode on staying in the closet [“Reasons to stay in the closet,” Guest Opinion, April 11]. I appreciate coming out for him was difficult, and shifting between his shame dissolving and telling others to lie shows he’s conflicted. I am one of those who urge men to come out. I am also part of a generation that came out when we risked losing our parents’ love and our jobs. Jones suggests people who urge others to come out have selfish reasons. We do, we want to preserve our sanity. As someone who led a national gay organization and a campaign to create the largest collection of LGBT material in a public institution, the San Francisco Public Library, I beg to differ with Jones’s assertion that we are an “immature society led by gay leaders” he questions. Perhaps he should look around and see the thousands who created a society strong enough to take on an epidemic and re-write the rules for drug approvals and funerals as well as claim our civil rights. I also suggest he spend an afternoon on the third floor of the library in the James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center and immerse himself in history he missed. Chuck Forester San Francisco

Wiener and readers’ choice awards

Are the readers’ choice awards for real [“Best of the Gays,” 2013, April 4]? Maybe I missed out, but did they really come from the readers or from, maybe the business and marketing community? Please drop the best politician category. I can’t tell you how offensive it is to see Scott Wiener’s name in there. He is no friend to the community but he certainly is to big business. You play games with the silly urban nudists as being his detractors. His real detractors are disturbed by Wiener and Board of Supervisors President David Chiu trying to pass their initiative in a recent election that wanted to overturn all voter initiatives – passed by voters – so they could put all of the decisions on those issues in their hands. It was soundly defeated by 70 percent of the voters. At this very moment, Scott Wiener is trying pass legislation to weaken the 1970 California Environmental Quality Act. CEQA enables environmentalists, neighbors, disadvantaged communities, ethnic minorities, cultural groups, and the average citizen a chance to fight bad projects and powerful interests – advantaged with big money, political donations, media consultants, lawyers and government insiders. John T. Reed San Francisco

[Editor’s note: Yes the Best of the Gays readers’ poll results are real. Voting is open to anyone, one vote per person.]

Leaders need to address crime spike

Over the last few months a disturbing picture has been emerging. Transgender people are being assaulted, phones are being snatched from people’s hands, a car jacking and a pistol whipping occurred in the Castro, people are being beaten walking home at night, home break-ins are on the increase, and there’s been gunfire in the Lower Haight. The list goes on. Serious, dangerous crime in the community has been increasing. While this has been happening those who are supposed

News Briefs

From page 2

$20 at the door. At 4 p.m., don’t miss the Miss Castro Country Club pageant, hosted by U-Phoria of Mascara and featuring celebrity judges Clammy Faye, Stu Smith, and Zachary Davenport. There’s a separate admission of $15 for the event.

to protect us are fiddling around enforcing victimless crimes. Attention has been on homeless loitering, marijuana enforcement, and morality crimes like nudity. The police spend too much time and resources prosecuting petty marijuana offenses and arresting nudist protesters. The police department is understaffed and needs to carefully allocate officers’ time. The Community Benefit District, which collects revenue from property owners, has focused on trying to drive out homeless people through Castro Community on Patrol. The CBD should focus on dangerous crimes rather than things that affect property values. CCOP monkeys around with suburbanites making out in parked cars behind Walgreens and pestering homeless people by enforcing petty ordinances. Nudists, the homeless, potheads in parked cars, and young people from the burbs are not assaulting people, robbing them at gun point or breaking into homes. These people are not committing serious crimes and it is time to leave them alone and focus on dangerous crimes. Our local leaders, Supervisor Scott Wiener, Police Captains Bob Moser and Greg Corrales, the CBD, and CCOP all need to reevaluate their priorities and get serious about dangerous crimes and back off from these victimless crimes. Their perverted priorities endanger everyone. Assaults on transgender people, attacks on pedestrians, and home break-ins are where the resources need to go. These organizations are out of touch with real needs. The focus needs to shift from minor, quality of life, victimless crimes to serious life-threatening crimes. Timothy Jamessen San Francisco

SF’s housing crisis

San Francisco is undergoing another disaster brought about primarily by the rise of Silicon Valley. Like Greenwich Village before, the havens of the non-conformist, LGBT and often not well-heeled creatives are being wiped out. In fact, as far as pushing out the less than solid six-figure salaried folks, San Francisco is proceeding at breakneck pace. Ellis Act evictions of long-term renters are now faster than ever. Even the so-called affordable LGBT senior housing and other “affordable” housing that tries to preserve the city’s progressive street cred, incredibly scarce, barricaded against the masses by restrictions and red tape, and not even really affordable. And for those who say, “I’ve got mine,” there is a cost and it is a dear one. What’s getting lost are the LGBT people with 30, 40, and 50 years of life in San Francisco, who, once pushed out, take with them the soul and knowledge of the city: The way it was before AIDS, the horror of living through the worst of it, the great things, and the heartbreakers. The creative and bohemian flavor is lost and replaced with the anything-buthip wannabe hipsters. Instead, the Edwardian flats of the city, and especially dwellings of the once-upon-a-time gay sanctuary, all tarted up and buckling under the weight of so many trendy upgrades, are no longer available to America’s LGBT and other cultural refugees. I think this loss is catastrophic. This man-made disaster for San Francisco, and all who once thought of it as the place in lyrics that “lets no stranger wait outside the door,” is in the end going to prove the worst thing that ever happened to it, and to those tens of thousands of LGBT folk who still need it to be what it was. I mourn. Peter Little Amesbury, Massachusetts

Legal effects of marriage

We are hearing so much about the purposes of marriage – whether purportedly to provide for the raising of children, or otherwise. I suggest that some of the problem in defining what a California marriage license is for is that there is no way to find out. As my fellow San Francisco divorce mediator Dylan Miles first pointed out, if marriage is so important and fundamental, why is it the only California license you do not study for, receive no printed explanation (beyond avoiding STDs and pregnancy), and take no test in order to receive? Contrast that with the other licenses the state of California issues – all of which require some kind of study and competency – think driver’s license, law license, real estate broker license, etc. So if you think you may want to marry after it becomes legal again for same-gender couples in California, or to register as state domestic partners now, please take the optional step of learning its legal effects before you use the license the state will give you.

The country club provides a clean and sober gathering place for all people and a home for the queer recovery community. The club’s 18th street location was sold to a supportive owner last year and the club’s advisory board has worked out an agreement with the landlord for a long-term lease. The San Francisco AIDS Foundation is the club’s fiscal sponsor, but it must pay its own way

Charles Spiegel, Esq. San Francisco

and operates on a $225,000 budget. For tickets to this weekend’s anniversary party, call 800-838-3006 anytime 24/7, visit the club at 4058 18th Street, or visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/354894.

Panel on Supreme Court cases

The LGBT Committee of the Bar See page 12 >>

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<< Automotive News

6 • Bay Area Reporter • April 18-24, 2013

Find a car that’s right for you by Philip Ruth

Subaru? Do I look like a lesbian?” My client was not happy. As the Gay Car Guy, I work as an automotive consultant to help LGBT people (and some straights) buy and sell their cars, and a Forester fit all of this gay guy’s criteria – except for image. He ended up in a convertible, which was a long jump from the

SUV he’d had previously. It’s that unpredictability that makes it fun to help the LGBT community shop for cars; our interest in vehicles seems to be more exploratory than those of straight folks. My experience has been that unless an LGBT client has a certain car in

mind, we’ll be driving everything from Mini Coopers to Teslas and everything in between, with the most common question being, “How long is it?” (When it comes to parking, we’re reverse size queens.) So once a month, I’ll be covering a variety of cars, with three or four capsule reviews in the paper and more writing and content on the ebar.com website. Scan the adjacent QR code with your smartphone to be taken there directly. To be clear, I’m not here to tell you to buy a new car. The Bay Area has oodles of transit and car-share options, and there’s always used cars – most of the vehicles I’ve owned cost $1,000 or less. But if you need new wheels, this column is here to help you find them, whatever they may be.

gaycarguy.com

Honda Civic Si Coupe is the hot rod in the Civic family.

Honda Civic

Honda Civic Si Coupe: $24,805, 25 mpg, 176-inch length. “It looks customized,” said the clerk at the Mission Goodwill. The Si is the hot rod in the Civic family, and its 17-inch wheels and chrome exhaust tip had caught the clerk’s eye. These high-contrast touches enhance the subtle sparkle of the Civic’s Dyno Blue Pearl paint, and they make the car seem special. It drives special, too. There are 201 horses under your right foot, and the dash has a turbo-boostlike gauge to show the engine’s i-VTEC activity. The higher you rev, the more the VTEC comes on, and faster you go. At lower speeds, there’s plenty of torque to move off the line, and the Si’s blatty exhaust had a Chihuahua’s

gaycarguy.com

The 2013 Toyota Avalon Limited offers a relaxing ride.

owner rushing to pick up her pooch when the Si was still a halfblock from the crosswalk. This is a Civic with power and presence. Much as I liked the two-door coupe’s wedge shape, I’d choose the four-door sedan for better visibility, particularly over the shoulder. And I wished that the clutch pedal didn’t have such a long travel – the shorter engagement of, say, a Mini Cooper’s clutch would have been better at keeping the VTEC in its sweet spot. On the other hand, the clutch’s light engagement made it a snap to back up a steep hill into a parking spot. So overall, the Civic Si is like a good fuckbuddy – it asks very little of you, but it’s always ready to play.

Nissan Juke

2013 Nissan Juke SL FWD M/T: $26,555, 27 mpg, 162-inch length: At first I was put off by the Juke’s Pod People styling, but the car’s virtues quickly overcame that. In many ways, the Juke is an ideal city car, and yet it’s substantial enough for comfortable, allday cruises. Start with the short length – just 162 inches, about 14 inches shorter than the Civic. You sit up high for a better view, and the ride smooths over the streetcar tracks and broken pavement that can make driving in SF a back breaker. Handling is stellar, as the body stays level when things get speedy. And the Juke is quite speedy. The 188-horsepower turbocharged engine is like the Civic in needing to be revved up – the turbo doesn’t wake up until about 2,800 rpm – but when it does, the Juke is off like a missile, and you’ll want to be pointed in the right direction when it alights. But then you head to the highway, and the Juke settles into a supple murmur. That such a goofy-looking car can be so well-rounded is

a nice surprise.

Toyota Avalon

2013 Toyota Avalon Limited: $42,195, 24 mpg, 195-inch length. “That’s a nice car,” a cabbie was shouting just as a friend was raving about the Avalon Limited’s sumptuous interior. We looked over, and the cabbie gave a thumbs-up. Inside and out, this Avalon created good feelings all around. That was another surprise, as the Avalon up until now has been Toyota’s better-built but blander Buick. Both Buick and Toyota have jazzed up their big cars, but this Avalon was remarkable in being universally admired – even the twentysomethings in my building were smitten, also giving it a thumbs-up. An Avalon with sex appeal, who knew? It drives well, too. The Avalon’s 268-horsepower V6 engine has a deep well of power, and the sixspeed transmission shifts with firm conviction. Firm also describes the handling, although a trace of floatiness can be felt in, say, a blast down a tight on-ramp. No matter: you’ll probably be too relaxed to care. Go to ebar.com for more info and photos of these cars, and also read about the Kia Rio SX, a 172inch sedan with lots of techy features. See you next month.t Philip Ruth is an automotive journalist and consultant at http://www.gaycarguy.com.

Politics >>

April 18-24, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

SF jettisons disease-specific health focus by Matthew S. Bajko

an Francisco health officials are jettisoning a disease-specific approach to their work and starting to take a more holistic look at managing community health concerns. The change in focus and how the public health department organizes itself will result in sweeping changes set to take effect July 1. Not only are new job titles and section names being adopted, staffers are also being reassigned throughout the department. “What we found as a challenge is when you are very pathogen focused, people would only want to work on their pathogen. They would say I can’t work on that because it is not what I do,” said Dr. Tomás Aragón, the city’s health officer and the health department’s director of population health and prevention. “We will still have a pathogen focus but we are bringing people together to focus on community.” The Bay Area Reporter first reported on the planned changes in November. Since then the health department has fine-tuned its plans, and the San Francisco Health Commission last month gave its approval. Under the new approach Aragón will oversee the Population Health Division, which will still house the department’s HIV and STD prevention work. Several areas of focus, such as HIV and health disparities within the African American community, will also receive department-wide attention. “Not only are we going to be patient-centered, communitycentered and holistic in the way we deal with patients, we will still have an initiative focused across all the different branches focused on HIV prevention,” said Aragón, “because it is still such a big issue.” Bob Rybicki, vice president of programs at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, told the B.A.R. that the health department’s new approach is a “good” change. In addition to better collaboration among health officials, said Rybicki, there also needs to be more coordination between city departments that deal with health issues. He pointed to the city’s aging population, as one example, where the health department should be engaging more with their counterparts at the city’s Department of Aging and Adult Services. “One caveat: I hope they pay attention to more than the one piece of integration in their own department but also are reaching out to other city services, especially in regard to people who are older and living with HIV and AIDS,” he said. Some of the most striking changes, noticeable on the new organizational chart for the Population Health Division, are occurring among the various HIV sections. Gone are HIV prevention, HIV research, and HIV epidemiology. “We organized it in such a way to get away from the siloing” of diseases, explained Aragón. With the debut of brand new offices at 25 Van Ness last year, HIV research had already switched to being called BridgeHIV. Dr. Susan Buchbinder will remain as head of the section. The HIV epidemiology section is being split in two, with the newly created Applied Research, Community Health Epidemiology and Surveillance (ARCHES for short) responsible for tracking morbidity and mortality and HIV incidence.

Kyle Berstein, Ph.D., the chief of epidemiology research and surveillance of STDs, will oversee it. Its counterpart section will be called the Center for Public Health Research. Dr. Willi McFarland, a longtime director of HIV/AIDS statistics and epidemiology at the health department, will oversee the section. Like BridgeHIV, it will be independently financed based on research grants, expected to mainly come from the National Institutes of Health rather than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The focus of the new unit is on new discovery as a research unit, as opposed to surveillance and applied research under ARCHES,” McFarland explained in an email. “As we move forward, the unit will be seeking more grants on new methods to reach marginalized populations, new approaches to prevention and linkage to care, along with probably more funding from NIH as opposed to CDC.” The HIV prevention section is being rechristened Community

Jane Philomen Cleland

Tracey Packer will now oversee community health promotion at the health department.

Health Promotion (as of now) and its acting director Tracey Packer will oversee it. The new section will

also have a larger focus than just HIV and oversee prevention campaigns for all sexually transmitted diseases, healthy living and viral hepatitis. “There will be a lot of change,” said Packer, adding that, “This broadens our ability to be successful and address HIV.” Packer said the section’s name may be altered but would not be disease-specific. She plans to seek grant funding to better address the health needs of young gay men and transgender people. The STD Prevention and Control Section will become Disease Prevention and Control, and Dr. Susan Philip will remain as its director. Aragón said that section will house the department’s HIV prevention initiative and there will be a position solely responsible for HIV prevention. Under the new structure, staff working on HIV prevention will be working in seven different sections of the health department. Aragón likened it to a health care provider with general physicians and specialist doctors. “We are, in that sense, a little bit more like a primary care system. It is very unique in the country, and I

think will help us a lot,” he said. “It will be a culture shift for us but it is what the community wants.”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 CA Dems calling for the repeal of Prop 8. 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) 861-5019 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

On the web Online content this week includes the Bay Area Reporter’s online column, Political Notes; the Jock Talk, Out in the World, and Transmissions columns; a photo from Sunday Streets; and stories on the city’s proposed condo legislation and the White House departure of John Berry. www.ebar.com.

<< From the Cover

8 • Bay Area Reporter • April 18-24, 2013

Legal group

From page 1

our services for a number of years running, and we don’t see an end in sight,” Hirsh said. San Francisco has a lack of affordable housing, and people are living longer and dealing with cancer and other health problems that may go with that. Half of the people in the city living with HIV are now 50 or older. “Many people with HIV, they never figured they were going to be making it to retirement, so there are no savings, there is no plan,” Hirsh said. “There is no cushion for them to fall back on.” ALRP, which has a budget of just over $1 million, does have reserves to help it face financial challenges, but like many other nonprofits, it’s facing the possibility of cuts in funding from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act. Hirsh said the nonprofit’s been

(((((((((

www.ebar.com )))))))))

Chains seek permits

From page 1

borhood leaders and planners on a new facade for the building in exchange for support of its permit application. It is scheduled to go before the Planning Commission May 16. In another concession to neighborhood groups, it has proposed a see-through lattice material for a portion of the building fronting Market Street and unique signage made of white aluminum lettering with red backlit LED lights. “We want to be good neighbors,” said company spokesman Mike DeAngelis when asked about the design changes CVS has agreed to incorporate at the site. If its permit is approved as expected next month, construction could begin in August with a store opening in early 2014. A fourth chain, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, had announced plans to open in a corner space attached to Market Street

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able to keep up with demand, but “it’s an ongoing challenge.” Last year, ALRP recruited more than 80 new attorneys to its panel, said Hirsh, who’s “constantly inspired” by people involved with the agency. The agency appears to be financially stable, too. “Right now we have enough of a reserve so that we would be able to continue services at their current level through this fiscal year,” Hirsh said. The agency recently kicked off its 30th anniversary fundraising campaign, from which it hopes to raise $300,000. Hirsh estimated almost half of that has been raised so far. ALRP board Co-Chair Michelle Roberts, an attorney with SpringerSullivan and Roberts LLP, said the help is crucial. With the 30th anniversary, the agency is “really trying to get the community a lot more involved,” Roberts, 31, said. That includes help from private law firms and

financial contributions from the community. For those who can’t provide money, “give your time,” she said. Hirsh reiterated the importance of the work of his and other nonprofits. “If all it took to deal with AIDS was a simple pill, we would have been successful in fighting this epidemic years ago,” he said. But besides medication, people also need help with housing, food, and other things “so they can stabilize their lives and get into care and stay in care,” he said. ALRP will continue its 30 Years of Justice from the Heart campaign with a major donor reception, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 9 at the Plant Cafe, Pier 3, San Francisco. The suggested minimum donation is $300. The nonprofit’s annual reception and auction is planned for October 16. For more information, visit http://www.alrp.org.t

gym Fitness SF. But planning staff has indicated they do not support seeing the company move into that storefront, and the owners of the gym are now seeking a different tenant. “Things are in flux with tenants there so I am not able to discuss the matter further at this time,” gym coowner Sebastyen Jackovics told the B.A.R. this week. “Our goal there is to bring a compelling and exciting retail experience that works well for the neighborhood and the gym use and can be sustained.” With roughly a dozen new mixeduse buildings under construction or proposed for upper Market, most located on prominent intersections, residents and local merchants have expressed alarms that only chain stores would be able to afford the new retail spaces in those buildings. Already Whole Foods and Bank of the West have secured leases and permits to open in two of the projects. Backers of the new policy, which the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association helped craft, hope it will lead landlords of the new buildings as well as existing ones with vacant storefronts to seek out locally-owned stores rather than national retailers. “This slows down the process long enough to potentially get some of the local merchants in there and a chance at finding some balance of creating a vibrant local neighborhood with character instead of giving away the whole farm,” Wendy Mogg, a co-owner of Market Street pastry shop Sweet Inspiration and a leader of the coalition working to defeat Starbucks’ expansion plans. “Starbucks was the springboard for organizing the neighborhood from Octavia to Castro on what can we do to help shape this and create the neighborhood we want.” Reaction to the policy has been mixed. Merchants of Upper Market and Castro President Terry Asten Bennett, whose family owns Cliff’s Variety, questioned how effective it would be in helping fill vacant storefronts in the area. “I think the change is short-sighted and has the potential to make the vacancy situation even more devastating. There is nothing about this policy that makes it more desirable for a small business to open up. However, large vacancies certainly make it less desirable,” she told the B.A.R. She added that she “finds it disturbing that no one from the planning department or the supervisors office reached out to the merchants to discuss this policy change.” Planning Department spokeswoman Joanna Linsangan told the B.A.R. that MUMC was not consulted since the policy does not impact Castro Street. In addition to DTNA, planning staff met with the Castro/Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association and the Lower Haight Merchants and Neighbors Association. District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, who is supportive of the policy, said his

office did mention it to MUMC. “It is not in any way a secret, it was quite public,” he said. “Ultimately, it was a decision for the Planning Commission, the planning department, and its staff.” Due to the possibility that appeals of any permit denials could come before the supervisors, Wiener declined to discuss specific retailers’ applications. Mogg, who sits on the board of the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District, is hopeful the policy will lead to more dialogue about what kinds of retail would be welcomed along one of the city’s main retail corridors. “I do think this is an absolutely critical moment for neighbors, merchants, or anyone interested in the neighborhood to be engaged in these questions, whatever their opinions are of what should come in,” she said. “We have an opportunity over the next two years to influence the way we want the neighborhood to be for a long time.” The first test of the new rules is expected to come Thursday, May 9 when Starbucks goes before the Planning Commission to seek a conditional use permit to open a new store at 2201 Market Street at Sanchez. The Seattlebased company announced in 2011 plans to move into the space. Technically, it would be its fourth Castro location, as it has stand-alone stores on 18th Street and in the Safeway shopping plaza, as well as a kiosk inside the grocery store. But company officials have said they need additional stores to handle customer demand. Company spokesman Zach Hutson was out of the office this week and unable to comment. An employee at public relations firm Edelman confirmed with the B.A.R. that Starbucks has no plans to abandon the corner space on Market Street and will seek approval for the new store. The person, who declined to be named, added that Starbucks has “received significant support” from residents in the area and MUMC. A petition against the chain, however, has attracted more than 5,000 signatures. Linsangan confirmed this week that the location “will be impacted” by the new formula retail policy and that staff is recommending it not be approved. As for Chipotle, which wants to open at the old Home restaurant location at the corner of Market and Church streets, it is expected to go before the Planning Commission in June. Linsangan said planning staff has yet to determine if it triggers the new policy and should be recommended for disapproval. Both foes of the store and the company have launched online efforts to drum up support. In an email this week, company spokesman Chris Arnold acknowledged the hurdles the Mexican fast food chain is facing in securing its permits. Nonetheless, the company is “looking forward” to making its case for why it would benefit the Castro, wrote Arnold.t

Obituaries>>

April 18-24, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

Gay club owner Ron Lanza dies by Cynthia Laird

on Lanza, a longtime owner of two pioneering gay comedy clubs, died April 9 at the VA Hospital in San Francisco after a long fight against colon cancer. He was 76. A former schoolteacher, Mr. Lanza was best known for starting the Valencia Rose Cafe and Cabaret, and later, Josie’s Cabaret and Juice Joint. Both clubs saw performances by gay stars before they were famous, and both served as unofficial gathering places for the LGBT community. Valencia Rose, as it was commonly known, opened in the 1980s and was a restaurant, club, entertainment venue, and meeting space. Mr. Lanza’s longtime friend, Dirk Alphin, said in a phone interview last week that the space had three floors and there was always a lot going on. Alphin said that the others who were involved with Valencia Rose included himself after the first year; the late Hank Wilson; the late Donald Montwill, who served as booking manager; and Ward Smith, who was the main chef. “There were large rooms for plays and meetings, including political meetings,” Alphin said. “The meeting to discuss closing the bathhouses was held there.” Because the building, which had been a mortuary, had ramps and wide hallways, it was one of the first performance spaces to be accessible for those with disabilities, he added. Many a career was started at Valencia Rose. It was a headquarters of sorts for the budding gay community. The same could be said of Josie’s, which Mr. Lanza always admitted, was a bit small to hold all the performances he would have liked, said his longtime friend Perrin Samuels. But that did not stop him from merging his passions for healthy, organic eating, comedy, theater, and by its location in the heart of the Castro, support for the gay community. “What was most important was that it was a venue for stand-up comics and had an LGBT emphasis,” Alphin said, “not anti-gay, racist, sexist kind of stuff. We were all there promoting all the colors of the rainbow.” Valencia Rose closed in 1985 and several years later, in 1990, Mr. Lanza opened Josie’s. The name paid homage to his grandmother and, rightly, set the expectation for something different, including a vegetarian restaurant, said Samuels. Gay comedians such as Lea Delaria, Tom Ammiano, and Marga Gomez performed at Mr. Lanza’s clubs. Ammiano, now a state assemblyman, had Monday’s session adjourned in Mr. Lanza’s honor.

Dirk Alphin

Former comedy club owner Ron Lanza in a January 2011 photo.

“Ron Lanza was both an activist and an important impresario in the queer culture of San Francisco,” Ammiano said in an email Monday. “I first got up and did comedy at Valencia Rose, and I’ll always be grateful for that club and Josie’s. He was also a teacher and the best kind of lefty, so he was a big political support, too. More than that, though, he was a loyal friend. Today, I talked about Ron and all the things he was on the Assembly floor. He would’ve loved that. I’ll miss him.” Mr. Lanza was born June 16, 1936 and raised in New York. He was an Air Force veteran. At his core, Mr. Lanza was an entertainer. Friends said that he loved to make people smile. He had a song snippet, a line from a show tune, for everyone’s name, Samuels said. He played the title roles in Macbeth, and Julius Caesar. He played the closeted gay lawyer in Angels in America. He was a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild, the Actors’ Equity Association, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. He studied under Sandy Dennis in New York, and performed comedy and drama, on stage and film, from San Francisco to Los Angeles. In his last performance, at the Victoria Theatre on 16th Street, he played the rival scientist, Dr. Everett V. Scott, as well as narrator, in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. “He sweated good ideas and was successful because he lacked the capacity to hear ‘no,’” Samuels said. Mr. Lanza liked to bring people together, and his interest didn’t stop at entertainment. In the late 1970s he, along with Wilson, his longtime friend and fellow schoolteacher, helped found 32 Page and 330 Grove, two of the earliest gay community centers in San Francisco, the latter being the site of the first gay film festival in the city. Also with Wilson, he helped found the

Gay Teacher’s Coalition and, to protect members of the Castro community, the Butterfly Brigade, which became the Castro Street Safety Patrol. That was many years ago. More recently, he helped organize an effort to document Wilson’s life and his cause for the dual purpose of honoring his dear friend and educating young people. Alphin said that he was working on the film and may expand it to include Mr. Lanza. “They operated together all those years,” Alphin said. After Josie’s closed – the last show was December 31, 1999, Alphin said – Mr. Lanza, a car enthusiast, got a job driving a limo for Bauer’s, which he did for a time. Eventually, he started his own livery service, at first using classic cars. It is from this business that he finally retired. He often volunteered to transport celebrities for the Help is on the Way benefits, Alphin said. Mr. Lanza was one of the first public school teachers to come out to his students, when he taught at Ygnacio Valley High School in Concord. Ammiano, also a former teacher, came out in San Francisco and later won election to the school board and the Board of Supervisors. Always a dog lover, Mr. Lanza never met a stray dog he didn’t like, Samuels said. He always had two or three of his own whom he loved more than life itself. His love for animals fit right in with his passion for healthy living through a diet free of meat, or as he called it, “dead animals.” In 2008, Mr. Lanza organized the Dolores Street Walk-a-thon. It was his own version of Gavin Newsom’s Walk for Fitness program. With this project he fed into several passions at once, Samuels noted. He loved walking and running, especially with the dogs and on Dolores Street. He loved children and the idea of educating them on the benefits of healthy eating and regular exercise. He loved raising money for good causes, in this case the Doris Day Animal Foundation, the Cuerpo Sano Program at the Central American Resource Center, Seven Teepes, and Holy Family Day Home. And he loved organizing events and bringing people together. He even placed his red 1948 Cadillac at the end of the route to assure the world that anyone who likes walking and fitness and children and dogs, surely must, like himself, also like old cars. Mr. Lanza is survived by his sister in Virginia, his niece and nephew in New York, where he was raised, and by countless members of his extended family in San Francisco, where he lived, and loved to live, most of his life. At press time, memorial arrangements had not been announced.t

Obituaries >> Theodore Lawyer April 16, 1937 – April 5, 2013

Ted passed away at home in the Castro after a brief hospitalization for pneumonia. Born in Passaic, New Jersey, Ted received a Bachelor of Arts in English, and continued his advanced education in Chicago and San Francisco. He was an Army veteran. In the late 1960s he traveled the world as a buyer for Macy’s California. Ted’s loving partner of 36 years in life and work was John Hershey. In 1980 they formed Hershey Multimedia Inc., and for 27 years produced media for corporate clients. Their South of Market studio was refurbished and built by Ted to his design. Ted was the backbone of the firm as creative director, business manager, scriptwriter, and inventive keeper of the company’s public image. As he modestly explained, “I am ‘words’ and John is ‘pictures.’”

His enthusiasm was beyond compare. In his personal life with John, they marched for gay rights with Harvey Milk. When John rode in AIDS/LifeCycle, Ted was there for the cause, serving carboloading meals, creating artful helmet headdresses John wore in the ALC Pride contingent, and cheering on the riders. Ted is survived by two brothers and a huge family of friends who loved him. His partner misses him deeply. A celebration of life will be held August 2. Donations in his name can be made to Food for Thought in Forestville, California, and PAWS in San Francisco.

Sarah E. Tigerman April 25, 1961 – February 23, 2013

Sarah E. Tigerman, San Francisco resident, passed away February 23, 2013 after a long illness. Ms. Tigerman earned a BA in psychology from UC Davis and worked with

the developmentally disabled. She earned a law degree from UC Hastings, working at Morrison Forrester, then as a research attorney with Alameda County Superior Court, then with the education law firm Lozano Smith. She was a career counselor at Hastings from 2007 until 2012. Sarah was passionately committed to gay rights and environmental preservation. She had an adventurous spirit; enjoying being in nature and traveling. Sarah was generous with her time and love, maintaining many close friendships. Ms. Tigerman is the daughter of Victor Tigerman, former mayor of Half Moon Bay, who passed away in 2009, and Dorothy Tigerman, who passed away in 2004. She is survived by her partner Jenni Mork of San Francisco, her godchildren Jesi and Shayna, and a large circle of friends. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, April 28 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Joseph A. Fernekes Building, 781 Tennis Drive, South San Francisco. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Nature Conservancy or the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

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MAR 28, APR 4, 11, 18, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034951800

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MAR 28, APR 4, 11, 18, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034985700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HIGH RISE JANITORIAL & MAID SERVICES, 1026 ALABAMA ST., SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Alberta Teran. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/22/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/22/13.

MAR 28, APR 4, 11, 18, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034963100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CITY LUNCH, 2101 INGALLS ST., SF, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Jae Sup Choi. 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 03/13/13.

MAR 28, APR 4, 11, 18, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034991300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: V.I.P. MASSAGE, 266 SUTTER ST., 5TH FLOOR, SF, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Paul Young. 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 03/25/13.

MAR 28, APR 4, 11, 18, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034986300

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: UNCONQUERABLE, 1 POLK ST. #605, SF, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Carey Leo. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/22/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/22/13.

MAR 28, APR 4, 11, 18, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034980300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LEADER HOUSE, 1409 SUTTER ST., SF, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Yorbarn USA Corporation (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 03/20/13.

MAR 28, APR 4, 11, 18, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034981700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: R&D CONSTRUCTION CO INC., 224 ELMIRA ST., SF, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed R&D Construction Co Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/20/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/20/13.

MAR 28, APR 4, 11, 18, 2013

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April 18-24, 2013 • Bay area reporter • 11

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME & GENDER IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CAlIFORNIA, COUNTy OF SAN FRANCISCO FIlE CNC13-549384 In the matter of the application of: RAVEN LEE PARDUE, for change of name & gender having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner RAVEN LEE PARDUE is requesting that the name RAVEN LEE PARDUE be changed to VINCENT LEE PARDUE, and requesting a decree that the petitioner’s gender be changed from female to male. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514 on the 30th of May 2013 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAR 28, APR 4, 11, 18, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034954600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JW DECORATION, JW FLORAL, 1916 LAWTON ST., SF, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed Infinite Creation LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/08/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/08/13.

MAR 28, APR 4, 11, 18, 2013 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CAlIFORNIA, COUNTy OF SAN FRANCISCO FIlE CNC13-549394 In the matter of the application of: DEAN ARTHUR IGNACIO GONZALES, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner DEAN ARTHUR IGNACIO GONZALES, is requesting that the name DEAN ARTHUR IGNACIO GONZALES, be changed to DEAN IGNACIO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514 on the 4th of June 2013 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 4, 11, 18, 25, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034990100

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034969400

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-035027500

NOTICE OF APPlICATION TO SEll AlCOHOlIC BEvERAGES

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO NEUROMUSCULAR MASSAGE, 1290 SUTTER ST. #208, SF, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Nathaniel Wells Willis. 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 03/15/13.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PERFORMANCE BRAND MANAGEMENT, 1 DALEWOOD WAY, SF, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed RASAP Marketing Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/25/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/09/13.

Dated 04/09/13 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: P AND F RISTO, INC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 33 New Montgomery St. #1230, SF, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 348 COLUMBUS AVE., SF, CA 94133-3915. Type of license applied for

APR 4, 11, 18, 25, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034960400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BEAUX, 2344 MARKET ST., SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Deviate SF Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/08/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/12/13.

APR 4, 11, 18, 25, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034967300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: IGNITION POINT CONSULTING, 139 HENRY ST., SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Kelliher Marketing 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 03/14/13.

APR 4, 11, 18, 25, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-035005000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PRETTY PRINCESS CORP., 805 STOCKTON ST., SF, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Pretty Princess Corp. (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 03/29/13.

APR 4, 11, 18, 25, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034964300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ADVANTAGE CLEANING SERVICE, 389 TEMPLETON AVE., DALY CITY, CA 94014. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Oscar Parish Jr. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/15/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/25/13.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JJARDINE CATERING & EVENTS, 4104 24TH ST. #355, SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed JJardine LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/08/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/13/13.

APR 4, 11, 18, 25, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034987700

APR 4, 11, 18, 25, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-035009500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KING POULTRY & PRODUCE, 758 BROADWAY, SF, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Qiqiong Guan. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/22/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/22/13.

APR 4, 11, 18, 25, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-035002500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FINA-LINA WEAR, 675 25TH AVE. #102, SF, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Josefine Gylleback McLean. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/02/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/02/13.

APR 4, 11, 18, 25, 2013 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FIlE A-032965700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STELLA SF RECORDS, 1288 MISSION ST. #239, SF, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Carlos Dahl Araiza. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/28/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/28/13.

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: PRETTY PRINCESS, 805 STOCKTON ST., SF, CA 94108. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by Shu Qing Luo. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/12/10.

APR 4, 11, 18, 25, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034997400

APR 4, 11, 18, 25, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-035019800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BURN THE BOX STUDIOS, 3466 16TH ST., SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Tamara Lynn Albaitis. 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 03/27/13.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GENTLE COMPUTER CONSULTING, 584 CASTRO ST. #638, SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Elizabeth C. Vogt. 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 04/05/13.

APR 4, 11, 18, 25, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-035007300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KARMA DELIVERY SERVICE, 384 STRATFORD DR., SF, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Hak Wong. 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 04/01/13.

APR 4, 11, 18, 25, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034999100

APR 11, 18, 25, MAy 2, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-035019000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NICK FIT, 644 A NATOMA ST., SF, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Nicholas Smith. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/05/13.

APR 11, 18, 25, MAy 2, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-035014200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: APRIL NINE THAI KITCHEN, 701 RANDOLPH ST., SF, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Karuna Jaramonburapong. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/27/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/27/13.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FINDERS KEEPERS, 5400 FULTON ST., #104, SF, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Susan Rohlman. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/03/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/03/13.

APR 4, 11, 18, 25, 2013

APR 11, 18, 25, MAy 2, 2013

APR 11, 18, 25, MAy 2, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034965800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MISSION ORTHO, 2460 MISSION ST. #215, SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Yang DDS Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/14/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/14/13.

APR 11, 18, 25, MAy 2, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034992900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OWL270, 1800 TARAVAL ST. #16385, SF, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Owl Spiritus (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/14/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/25/13.

APR 11, 18, 25, MAy 2, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-035021700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE HAPPY COLLECTIVE, 158 A YUKON ST., SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed Michael E. Reilly & Aaron KLLC. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/05/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/05/13.

APR 11, 18, 25, MAy 2, 2013 NOTICE OF APPlICATION FOR CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP OF AlCOHOlIC BEvERAGE lICENSE Dated 04/12/12 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: NORTH BEACH RESTAURANT GROUP, LLC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 33 New Montgomery St. #1230, SF, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 1310 GRANT AVE., SF, CA 94133-3904. Type of license applied for

41 - ON-SAlE BEER & WINE - EATING PlACE APR 18, 2012 NOTICE OF APPlICATION FOR CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP OF AlCOHOlIC BEvERAGE lICENSE Dated 04/10/12 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: CORTLAND BUSINESS GROUP, LLC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 33 New Montgomery St. #1230, SF, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 309 CORTLAND AVE., SF, CA 94110-5535. Type of license applied for

48 - ON-SAlE GENERAl PUBlIC PREMISES APR 18, 2012 NOTICE OF APPlICATION FOR CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP OF AlCOHOlIC BEvERAGE lICENSE Dated 04/10/12 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: GOLDEN RIVER RESTAURANT. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 33 New Montgomery St. #1230, SF, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 5827 GEARY BLVD., SF, CA 94121-2004. Type of license applied for

41 - ON-SAlE BEER & WINE - EATING PlACE APR 18, 2012 NOTICE OF APPlICATION FOR CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP OF AlCOHOlIC BEvERAGE lICENSE Dated 04/04/12 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: MISSION CHINESE FOOD SF, LLC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 33 New Montgomery St. #1230, SF, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 2234 MISSION ST., SF, CA 94110-1812. Type of license applied for

41 - ON-SAlE BEER & WINE - EATING PlACE APR 18, 2012 NOTICE OF APPlICATION FOR CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP OF AlCOHOlIC BEvERAGE lICENSE Dated 03/22/12 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: SAN FRANCISCO EAGLE BAR LLC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 33 New Montgomery St. #1230, SF, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 398 12TH ST., SF, CA 94103-4330. Type of license applied for

48 - ON-SAlE GENERAl PUBlIC PREMISES APR 18, 2012

41 - ON-SAlE BEER & WINE - EATING PlACE APR 18, 25, MAy 2, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-035035000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CERVANTES THERAPEUTIC BODYWORK, 2120 CHESTNUT ST. #4, SF, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Veronica Cervantes. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/11/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/11/13.

APR 18, 25, MAy 2, 9, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-035031200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SF MERCANTILE, SAN FRANCISCO MERCANTILE, 3076 MARKET ST., SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Robert David Emmons. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/09. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/10/13.

APR 18, 25, MAy 2, 9, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-035039500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PHIL DIERS - SCULPTOR, 630 TREAT AVE. #C, SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Phillip J Diers. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/12/04. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/12/13.

APR 18, 25, MAy 2, 9, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-035017800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAGE STAGING & DESIGN, 1730 KEARNY ST. #L2, SF, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Sage Johnson. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/17/04. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/04/13.

APR 18, 25, MAy 2, 9, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-035003900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GST TOURS AND ACTIVITIES, 430 BEACH ST., SF, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Andrew Ingargiola. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/29/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/29/13.

APR 18, 25, MAy 2, 9, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034976400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HARAJUKU, 22 PEACE PLAZA #511, SF, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Yoo-Gyeong Shim. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/19/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/13.

APR 18, 25, MAy 2, 9, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-035040900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALLEN STYLE, 55 GRANT AVE. 4TH FL., SF, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Allen Fu. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/15/13.

APR 18, 25, MAy 2, 9, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034988000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DOLLY DECO, 1059 PAGE ST. #1, SF, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Nicole Patricia Aguilar. 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 03/22/13.

APR 18, 25, MAy 2, 9, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034983900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: D’MAIZE, 115 HARVARD ST., SF, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Zenaida Merlin. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/21/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/21/13.

APR 18, 25, MAy 2, 9, 2013

ebar.com

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FIlE A-031394900 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: THAI CORNER EXPRESS, 545 SANSOME ST., SF, CA 94111. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by Dupont Thai Inc. (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/25/08.

APR 18, 25, MAy 2, 9, 2013 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINSTER ESTATE OF EARl GENE COPElAND IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CAlIFORNIA, COUNTy OF SAN FRANCISCO: FIlE PES-13-296650 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of EARL GENE COPELAND. A Petition for Probate has been filed by MARK SIPPEL in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that MARK SIPPEL 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 06, 2013, 9am, 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: Mr. Dimitri Panagopoulos Esq., 8880 Rio San Diego Dr. 8th Fl., San Diego, CA 92108; Ph. (619) 209-6030.

APR 18, 25, MAy 2, 9, 2013 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS NO. 6M6063 EXTENSION OF TIME FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the General Manager of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District has extended the time for receipt of Proposals until the hour of 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 7, 2013, at the District Secretary’s Office, 23rd Floor, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, California 94612 or to the mailing address: P.O. Box 12688, Oakland, California, 94604-2688 for, Management Services to Operate BART’S Bike Facilities, Request for Proposal No. 6M6063. Dated at Oakland, California, this 10th day of April, 2013. /s/ Patricia K. Williams Kenneth A. Duron, District Secretary San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District 4/18/13 • CNS-2471382# BAY AREA REPORTER

To place your Classified ad, Call 415-861-5019. Then go have a drink and relax...

<< Community News

12 • Bay Area Reporter • April 18-24, 2013

News Briefs

From page 5

Association of San Francisco, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom, and Horizons Foundation will present “Marriage on Trial: The U.S. Supreme Court, Proposition 8, DOMA, and You,” Monday, April 22 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street. The free event, which is open to the public and appropriate for lawyers and non-lawyers alike, will feature a panel of community leaders who have been involved in the struggle for marriage equality. They will include Matt Coles, deputy national legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union; Kate Kendell, executive director, National Center for Lesbian Rights; Andrea Shorter, CEO, Atlas Leadership Strategies; Terry Stewart, chief deputy city attorney for San Francisco; and Ilona Turner, legal director, Transgender Law Center. BASF deputy executive director Yolanda M. Jackson will moderate. The Supreme Court heard oral

arguments last month in the federal Proposition 8 case, Hollingsworth v. Perry, and a challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, U.S. v. Windsor. Decisions are expected in June. For next week’s panel, space is limited. Those interested in attending should RSVP online at www.sfbar. org/calendar.

Marriage seminars

Want to know if marriage is right for you and your same-sex partner? The DLK Law Group is holding a series of seminars in the next few weeks to help you answer that question. Currently, same-sex marriage is not allowed in California, but that could change depending on how the U.S. Supreme Court rules in the federal Prop 8 case. The sessions will discuss how marriage differs from a domestic partnership and look at areas such as taxes, retirement, estate planning, Social Security, benefits, and rights. The free seminars will be offered from 6 to 8 p.m. as follows: Tuesday, April 23 at the East Bay Community Foundation, Dalziel

Building, 353 Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland; Wednesday, April 24, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, 1300 South El Camino Real, Suite 100 in San Mateo; Tuesday, April 30, Acqua Hotel, 555 Redwood Highway, Mill Valley (co-sponsored by Spectrum LGBT Center and Hospice by the Bay); and Wednesday, May 1 at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street. To RSVP, contact (415) 693-0550 or rsvp@dlklawgroup.com.

Spring career fair at LGBT center

The employment services program at the LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street, is gearing up to hold its spring career fair Wednesday, April 24 beginning at noon. The center showcases leading Bay Area employers dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The career fair provides LGBT and allied job seekers the chance to network and learn about a wide range of opportunities. The career fair attracts all levels of qualified job seekers, including

Living with HIV

From page 1

ing a Spanish immersion school, a doctor from Kaiser called to tell me that my blood test showed that I was HIV-negative but that I had been “exposed to HIV.” He added that I should be careful because I could infect someone else. At the time, I didn’t know what that meant. I didn’t know there was a test to show the presence of HIV before the antibodies had time to show up. The conversation over my cell phone in the bustling lobby of my school in downtown Guadalajara lasted less than two minutes. There were no words of reassurance. I am 53 and have known many people who died of AIDS. Intellectually, I knew HIV is a manageable disease now but emotionally it is hard to separate HIV from death and dying. Another Kaiser doctor had ordered a blood test a monthand-a-half earlier after I got what I thought was the flu. I figured I should have it checked out before I left for a two-month trip to another country. I assumed the test results were a mistake. My only risk factor was oral sex and well before the point of ejaculation. I didn’t think it was possible that I had HIV. While it may be extremely rare to get the virus that way, according to most experts, it is possible with a partner with a high viral load, likely someone who is unaware of their status and consequently not getting treatment. I slept a grand total of six hours over the next three days after getting that call two years ago. I asked my doctor by email for more information about the other tests that were done on me and asked if I could speak to a counselor about his diagnosis. He said he would see what he could do, but he never got back to me. I tried calling the San Francisco AIDS Foundation a few times over Skype but couldn’t break through its voicemail system. I called someone on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV Hotline. The man who answered knew less about HIV than I did. I talked to a friend over Skype but couldn’t bring myself to tell him what was going on. After three nights of little sleep I finally was able to get tested at Guadalajara’s LGBT center. I remember being relieved when I heard the man giving the test say the first syllable of the test result, “pos.” I was relieved because I felt that I didn’t have to fight the diagnosis in my head. A volunteer at the center took me to an HIV-positive support group that was meeting that same

Courtesy Ed Walsh

Ed Walsh underwent a 3.5-hour procedure October 8 to remove his white blood cells, which will be reinfused in him next month. He watched a Kathy Griffin video to pass the time.

night. Within an hour of learning my HIV status, I sat in a room of 35 strangers and told them in broken Spanish that I was HIV-positive like they were. The first year after the diagnosis was extremely difficult but it was a great help being part of the UCSF Alliance Health Project’s newly diagnosed group and with the support of Shanti and the Stop AIDS Project. My negative first experience with Kaiser quickly turned around. Kaiser nurse Ed Chitty was one of the most compassionate medical professionals I had ever met. The other Kaiser doctors with whom I worked were excellent. I can remember getting butterflies in my stomach every time I got another email from my doctor about more tests or procedures I had to undergo. I went to bed feeling scared and woke up feeling scared. A few times I remember thinking that I wished it was the bad old days and that I would just quickly get sick and die. I remember thinking that if I could adequately explain to people how bad I felt, they would not only practice 100 percent safe sex all the time but that most would be scared into celibacy. I remember my hand shaking as I took HIV drugs for the first time in July 2011. I was terrified that I would have horrible side effects and worried that I had selected the wrong medication for me. I picked the Isentress and Truvada combination. It meant two pills in the morning and one at night. I felt awful for about 10 days and then had off and on headaches for about two months, but now I feel fine and have no side effects.

Guilt, anger, disclosure

It is extremely difficult for me

to write this, but I am doing it for three reasons: to help fight stigma, to encourage people to be tested and treated, and to support and encourage cure research. By far the most difficult emotions were the feelings of guilt, embarrassment, and being angry at myself for getting HIV. I remember questioning whether I was an incompetent person who was unable to make reasonable judgments about anything. I went to work, paid my bills, did everything I am supposed to do but my self-confidence was gone. I was lost. Just after being diagnosed I remember being envious of people begging for money on the streets of Guadalajara because I thought to myself that they have nothing but at least they didn’t have HIV. The school where I studied in Guadalajara was made up of mostly Mexican students who were there to learn English. I usually stayed after school to help the Mexican students learn English and they would help me with my Spanish. I remember working with this young woman who told me that she used to work at Burger King for about $8 a day and how difficult a job it was. Others would tell me similar stories. Before the diagnosis, I felt so lucky that I was born in the U.S. But after, I felt just the opposite. I remember walking through the gay neighborhood in Guadalajara close to my school. A man smiled at me. But I remember thinking of myself as a walking toxic dump and that I had to get away from him because I could kill him. I never thought of HIV-positive people that way, but now I thought of myself that way. I didn’t feel like myself again until June 2012. I was working on the case of Edwin Ramos, the 26-year-old man who was convicted of shooting

those with backgrounds and qualifications in technology, administration, financial services, sales and marketing, management, retail, and hospitality. To sign up, visit http://lgbtcareerfair2013.eventbrite.com. For more information on center programs, visit http://www.sfcenter.org.

Dine out for Life in SF, South Bay

It’s almost time for the annual Dining Out for Life, the charity event whereby participating restaurants donate a portion of patrons’ checks to local AIDS service organizations. Dining Out for Life takes place Thursday, April 25 at restaurants in San Francisco and the South Bay. In San Francisco, the beneficiary is the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Nearly 100 eateries are participating. Each restaurant will donate 25 percent of gross sales generated on April 25. For a list of participating restaurants and more information, visit www.dolsf.org. In the South Bay, the Health

and killing a man and his two sons. I interviewed Ramos several times in jail for a story I was writing for Examiner.com. I remember talking with Danielle Bologna, the woman whose two children and husband were shot to death. I remember shaking Mrs. Bologna’s hand in the district attorney’s office and telling her that I wished I had her strength. She took both my hands and smiled and said that maybe some of it would rub off on me. Working on that story was a turning point. My problems didn’t seem very big next to a woman whose family was wiped out in seconds. I found that I regained some of the confidence that I lost with the diagnosis and realized I could still report on criminal cases as well as any reporter. Disclosure was a big issue for me. A few weeks after being diagnosed, I had lunch with a former colleague, Hank Plante, who pioneered HIV/ AIDS reporting for KPIX-TV. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him, but I did six months later and he was very supportive. Last fall, I disclosed to my colleague at KGO-TV, Cheryl Jennings, who like Plante, hugged AIDS patients when other reporters were afraid to be in the same room with them. I held it together but I started to cry when I thanked her for her reporting on HIV. Then we both started to cry. She encouraged me to disclose to my mother, which I did in January. Fortunately, I had disclosed to one of my sisters and three close friends earlier. That was very difficult. I told none of my friends and colleagues at the Bay Area Reporter, where I am a contributing writer, until last week when I proposed this story.

A game changer

A game changer in HIV prevention came two years ago when results of a study with heterosexual couples in Africa revealed that there was a 96 percent reduction in HIV transmission among people who are on HIV medication. The HIV drugs reduce the viral load of someone who is HIV-positive to undetectable. In other words, almost everyone who is getting HIV now is getting it from someone with a high viral load, probably because they don’t know that they are HIVpositive. If you don’t know your HIV status, you have more power than anyone in helping stop its spread by getting tested and into treatment. Of course, everyone needs to practice safe sex. But humans are human and make mistakes. Many of us wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for a mistake. Condoms sometimes break and more often are not put on correctly. I know a lot of people don’t want

Trust is the benefitting agency. Patty Fisher, director of policy and communications at the organization, said that this year, a group of young HIV-positive folks have taken on the challenge of raising money for the trust, led by Jon Breen, 30, who is trying to double the amount of money raised last year, from $50,000 to $100,000. Fisher said what’s unique about the collaboration is that most of the trust’s clients are older gay men who are facing issues that come with aging and AIDS. “The younger guys feel like they owe a debt of gratitude to these older men, who went through so much to get attention and research dollars focused on the cause,” she said in an email. Breen’s fundraising page for Dining Out for Life can be found at http://tinyurl.com/d6uuv4t. For a list of participating restaurants, visit http://www.healthtrust.org/diningoutforlife/dine.php.t Seth Hemmelgarn contributed to this report.

to get tested because of stigma. For some, it is better not to know their status than to have to say that they are HIV-positive. I think some people may have in mind the disfiguring and debilitating side effects of some of the older medications. I have met a lot of newly infected HIV-positive people. The few I know who had side effects with one drug were able to easily switch to a tolerable one with no side effects. I have been in excellent health since my diagnosis. I worked more last year than any other year of my life. I have been healthier, have as much stamina and energy as any of my HIV-negative colleagues. Finally, there is a lot of hope for a cure out there. I was privileged to interview and write about Timothy Brown, the so-called Berlin Patient, who has been functionally cured of HIV. The method that they will use with me next month works under the same theory that cured him. I will get reinfused with my own blood but it will be minus the receptors that allow the HIV to infect my cells. Researchers hope those cells will make other cells that will also be resistant to HIV. The chemo that I will get a few days earlier will help make room for the new HIV resistant cells to get a foothold on my body. The doctors say that there is little chance that this procedure will cure me but it will help them prove that the method is tolerable and will bring them closer to a cure. There already have been some promising results from this procedure. One woman with HIV has been able to maintain a relatively low viral load level without HIV drugs and one man became undetectable after the procedure. But in both of those cases, the individuals were “heterozygous,” which means that they are among a small minority of people who naturally have far fewer CCR-5 receptors. There are many long term HIV survivors whose HIV has found a second pathway to the cells via the CXCR4 receptor. This procedure alone would probably not help those people but it is a small step toward a cure for all. As difficult as it is to tell my story publicly, if it prevents even a single person from becoming HIV-positive or helps someone cope with a diagnosis, for me, it would be a fair trade off. If you are afraid, I couldn’t empathize more. It is hard for me to believe that anyone would be more afraid than I was that night. If you need support to get tested, please email me at edwalsh94105@yahoo. com.t A longer version of this story is online at http://www.ebar.com.

Going up

All in the family

Thrillers

Out &About

O&A

The

Vol. 43 • No. 16 • April 18-24, 2013

www.ebar.com/arts

The show must go on

Nicolas Maury as Ruben in director Mikael Buch’s Let My People Go!

by Paul Parish

Lightweight material by David Lamble

San Francisco Ballet dancers Maria Kochetkova and Joan Boada in Yuri Possokhov’s Francesca da Rimini.

Zeitgeist Films

n director Mikael Buch’s sex farce Let My People Go, Ruben (Nicolas Maury), a Pee Wee Herman-like, skinny-boy ex-pat Jewish French guy, plays house with a blonde hunk of a Finnish schoolteacher, Teemu. Their cozy life implodes when Ruben, during his rounds as a rural mail carrier, has a dust-up with an elderly customer who loses it when handed a package of cash – 199,980 euros, to be exact. Insisting that Ruben keep the loot, the guy keels over. Returning home with the money, Ruben is dismayed when Teemu rejects both him and the offer of an Alpine ski vacation. Flying home to his neurotic extended clan, Ruben is once more a queer square peg with these upwardly mobile French Jewish dry cleaners. Having misplaced the money in customs, Ruben spends his time attending his mom’s yoga classes, babysitting his nephew, and disco-dancing. One night at the club, he meets a large, pushy bear of a man on the dance floor. Ruben: “Attorney Goldberg, what’s a religious man like you doing here?” “Every man is a riddle, my boy.” Goldberg kisses

Ruben against his will, then drags him home, planning on converting the little nebbish into a hairychested concubine. Ruben only half-heartedly resists the old leech. Ruben is following in the comic footsteps of Carmen Maura’s put-upon mother in the early Almodovar black comedy What Have I Done To Deserve This? Fittingly, here Maura plays Ruben’s mom. In these anarchistic romps, the hero/heroine becomes a kind of comic punching-bag for the raging Ids of all around them. This is a free-fire zone where the constraints of morality and political correctness don’t apply. Devotees of French film will probably remember Nicolas Maury in youthful romances like Philippe Garrel’s Regular Lovers (opposite Garrel’s actor son Louis, hot as a pistol). His delectable if rubbery features smack of a younger Robin Williams, with just a whiff of Jacques Tati’s absurdist comic panache. His American counterpart would be Jim Carrey. Queer filmgoers get to hope that Finnish See page 14 >>

normous changes at the last minute. At Saturday night’s performance of Francesca da Rimini, Joan Boada went in to dance the major role of Paolo with (according to one rumor) only five minutes’ warning. (The ballet repeats, centerpiece of a triple bill that alternates with Program 6, through this Sun., April 21.) Boada had danced the role before, but not with that evening’s Francesca, Frances Chung. Another less breathless report (from a SFB ballet mistress) said that the word came down in the middle of the preceding ballet, which means

Time for arts round-up

Video still from The Clock (2010) by Christian Marclay; single-channel video with stereo sound; 24 hours.

by Sura Wood

t may be a coincidence or simply “good timing,” but artists have ol’ father time on the mind this month, as evidenced by

for a 24-hour video montage. Drawn from multiple genres and covering 70 years of film history, his opus includes images of clocks and watches, and famous cinematic moments from silent films, action movies and Westerns. Its presence at SFMOMA at this particular moment could be construed as a countdown to the museum’s closing on June 2. Among the disparate film clips: High Noon, The Avengers, American Gigolo, Once Upon a Time in the West, Mighty Aphrodite, Easy Rider, and let’s not forget the memorable sight of the chronically ill-fated Harold Lloyd clinging Courtesy the artist and Paula Cooper Gallery, New York work at three city venues. to a clock’s hand perilously Swiss-American video artist, composer high above a busy street in Safety Last. SFand punk-rock enthusiast Christian Marclay MOMA offers several full 24-hour viewing constructed his latest piece, a triumph of edops in the fourth-floor galleries every weekiting, from thousands of film clips referencend in May, in addition to screenings during the passage of time, and assembled them ing regular hours. Be forewarned: watching

{ SECOND OF TWO SECTIONS }

they may have had 10 minutes’ warning, and that they ran upstairs to run through their duets. In any case, Chung and Boada had a triumph together. They went for it: in this downright Baroque ballet – which is, in fact, a setting of a story from Dante’s Inferno, with Rodinesque plastique and overwhelming music by Tchaikovsky – there’d be nothing to gain theatrically from playing it safe, except that the dancers might live to perform another day. As it was, they took their chances – Chung has always been a fearless dancer See page 22 >> Erik Tomasson

Marclay’s marvel is addictive; prepare to lose track of time. Marclay is also part of The Time is Now, a group exhibition now at John Berggruen Gallery which features Robert Rauschenberg, Tom McKinley, Ed Ruscha, Stephen Shore, Taryn Simon, Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, Philip Guston, Jasper Johns and others. Addressing past, present and future in a variety of media, they illustrate the ways, both metaphorical and literal, the inexorable passing of time, minute by minute, keeps us in touch with our mortality. (Through May 4.) Over at the Exploratorium’s gigantic new waterfront pad, Tim Hunkin, a frequent collaborator on ingenious exhibits there, has devised The Tinkerer’s Clock. A delight on multiple levels, the interactive tower sculpture with its big numerals, exposed mechanisms, and plenty of gears, pulleys and levers visitors can manipulate, is a large-scale, hyperactive timepiece structured around a column in the middle of the museum. Small moving figures can be triggered through See page 17 >>

<< Out There

14 • Bay Area Reporter • April 18-24, 2013

Central coast sojourn by Roberto Friedman

ometimes it’s important just to get away for a bit. The destination doesn’t have to be to a foreign place or another time zone, it only has to be a break from the usual routine. It’s good to give yourself time off from the usual suspects, and give them time off from you! In that spirit, Out There took off for a few days, bombing down the California coast highway with Pepi at the wheel. Destination: charming Carmel-by-the-Sea. Only two hours’ drive time from the Bay Area, the small resort town could as well be on the other side of the moon. We stayed at the quaint and quiet Hofsas House Hotel, which ties into the town’s history in deep-rooted ways. Hotelier Donna Hofsas founded the inn in the late 1940s and commissioned her friend, the artist Maxine Albro, to paint the Bavarian-themed welcome mural. Albro was one of the WPA artists commissioned to paint frescoes for San Francisco’s Coit Tower in the 1930s. Donna’s husband Fred designed the hotel’s mosaic coat of arms, whose Latin motto translates as, “Leisure with dignity.” Seems like good words to live by. Donna’s granddaughter Carrie Theis, the inn’s general manager, gave us a tour of the place. Theis lives in an unusual midcentury modern home just down the hill. We enjoyed our cozy

Elite Event Photography

Bavarian-themed welcome mural at Hofsas House Hotel, by artist Maxine Albro.

Euro-style room, with a Dutch door, a gas fireplace, and a balcony overlooking the pines to the sea beyond. We sun-basked on the patio, swam in the heated outdoor pool, and dried off in the men’s sauna. Best of all, we could leave our car parked at the hotel and walk to everything we wanted to do in pedestrianfriendly Carmel-by-theSea. This included the Carmel Wine Walk, a self-guided tour of seven tasting rooms in town, quite a good sampling of local, estate-grown still and sparkling wines. We strolled down to the beach and wandered among the town’s luxe residences, including a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house. One night we dined on tapas at the appealing Mundaka restaurant in town; another night we ventured out to the famous Fandango restaurant in neighboring Pacific Grove. Everywhere we went, we were charmed by our hosts’ warmth and hospitality. Although we found no public gay

Let My People Go

From page 13

lover-boy Teemu will fly in to rescue his lovely schlemiel. With its vibrant, Disney-inspired color scheme and its debts to Woody Allen, Billy Wilder and Wes Anderson, Let My People Go

life to speak of, little gay us were accepted and embraced as guests. Not a bad alternative universe. More info at hofsashouse.com and mundakacarmel.com.

Touring life

Last week Out There was in the house when the Gott, Smith & Bieler World Tour 2013 touched down in San Francisco. That would be winemakers

Joel Gott, Charles Smith and Charles Bieler, and the occasion was a kicky little press lunch at Salt House. Now, OT has attended many a wine-tasting extravaganza, complete with fine vintages and house rarities. But what we liked about these guys was how they are producing wines at populist prices ($12 retail!) that are well worth drinking. We sipped Smith’s 2012 Kung Fu Riesling (name inspired by Taran-

tino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1), Gott’s 2012 Sauvignon Blanc and Bieler’s 2012 Rosé, and found them all refreshing. They’re structured, well-balanced wines, worth drinking, and the same can’t be said for most bottles at that price. And life is too short to drink plonk. In keeping with the trio’s unconventional ethos, for their promotional “world tour” they hosted a string of parties at such unlikely venues as bowling alleys, music events and BBQs in Minneapolis, Austin, and Tulsa. They were preparing to party down SF-style in a warehouse bash complete with burlesque troupe. OT had our own plans. But we loved what they do with the grapes. Finally, Pepi & OT were pleased as punch to be invited on a California Sunset Cruise by the Red & White Fleet, which departs daily (through Sept. 2) from Pier 43 1/2 in SF. We enjoyed hearty appetizers, wine, and live guitar music while scoping a kick-ass view of the SF skyline. Sailed past Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, Tiburon, Sausalito and Belvedere, enjoying the company of a boatload of concierges and travelindustry pros. As the sun set and we were treated to yet another perspective of the Bay Lights on the Bay Bridge, we realized that OT & The Pep do find ourselves in some pretty romantic situations – and even if for only that evening, nobody wanted anything from us. Pure bliss. Correction: Handsome movie star Ryan Gosling was not Oscar-nominated for his role in The Notebook, as the B.A.R. reported two weeks ago. It was for his leading role in Half Nelson. We regret the error, and if you’ve never seen Half Nelson, you should.t

On the web

Hofsas House Hotel, a family-run boutique inn in Carmel-by-the-Sea.

(co-written with French veteran Christophe Honore) is at least a diverting place-holder until the arrival of this year’s Almodovar farce. My Brother the Devil For Rashid and Mo, two brothers bound at the hip growing up in an immigrant Egyptian family in London’s Hackney neighbor-

hood, the revolution up-ending life in their parents’ birth-country might as well be playing out on Pluto. Rashid is the older, bolder member of a local drug-running gang. Mo is the babyfaced aspiring boxer who worships his bro, but is constantly slipping off the path that might carry him beyond drugs and thugs and off to college. Sally El Hosaini’s debut feature is a deliberately paced family melodrama that explores the thin line between an early grave, bare survival and a real shot at upward mobility in a slice of England with far more handguns than you might suspect. The film’s ace in the hole is the chemistry and radiant beau-

This week find David Lamble’s review of the Bluray/DVD edition of Les Misérables, “C’est magnifique!” online at www.ebar.com.

ty of its newcomer leads: James Floyd as Rashid and Fady Elsayed as Mo. The self-assured cool radiated by these boys carries us past the unexpected stabbing death of a British bulldog, thick slum accents, a late-developing queer subplot and a gangland showdown with more than a few slippery slopes. El Hosaini demonstrates just how lethally confusing the queer card can be when it pops up in a traditional Middle Eastern culture. “I’d rather you be a bomber than a homo!” declares the bewildered Mo. A Frameline showcase film last year, My Brother the Devil continues at Landmark’s Opera Plaza Cinemas.t

Zeitgeist Films

Nicolas Maury as Ruben and Carmen Maura as Rachel in director Mikael Buch’s Let My People Go!

Theatre>>

April 18-24, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 15

A life caught between floors by Richard Dodds

t home, playwright-director Chay Yew has been partnered for 10 years. At work, he is much more leery about making attachments. “To be honest, I don’t attach myself to things,” he said, with “attach,” in this case, used as the showbiz term signifying a project joined to help make a saleable whole. Yew saw his early involvement as director of the new musical Stuck Elevator as prelude to a professional kiss. “It’s always based on that point where it feels right for us to go on this date together,” Yew said during a break in rehearsals for Stuck Elevator, having its world premiere this week at ACT. “Then we can move to the next level of dating if it still feels right.” The courtship between Yew and

Stuck Elevator authors Byron Au Yong and Aaron Jefferis took hold in a workshop at the Yale Institute of Music Theatre in 2010, although Yew wanted a more open relationship. “It was at first a solo show,” he said, “and when I started working on it, I said, ‘This is not a solo show.’ I worked with the two of them to create this piece.” It is a piece that defies common descriptors. “Frankly, I didn’t know how to categorize it myself,” Yew said, and the promotional tag “comic-rap-scrap-metal-opera” doesn’t exactly clarify the issue. But the basic premise, based on an actual incident, is easy to comprehend. A restaurant deliveryman, living in New York without documentation, finds himself stuck between floors in an apartment elevator. To push the “help” button means probable discovery and deportation to China. At ACT, opera veteran Julius Ahn

Kevin Berne

Joseph Anthony Foronda (left) plays an incarnation of the elevator that has trapped Julius Ahn’s character in Stuck Elevator, a musical that began as a solo show before director Chay Yew became involved.

is playing the deliveryman, with four additional actors creating multiple roles, including the trapped man’s wife and child, as his memories, hopes, and fears unfold on stage. “You see a person’s life distilled to its essence in 80 minutes,” Yew said. “That’s the beauty of theater.” At another workshop for new theater pieces, this one sponsored by Sundance Institute, Stuck Elevator attracted the attention of ACT Artistic Director Carey Perloff while representatives of other theater companies scratched their heads. “They didn’t know how they would market it,” Yew said. “Carey was the one who said, ‘I like it. I’m going to do it.’” The resumes of composer Au Yong and librettist Jefferis certainly don’t resemble those of most musical-theater creators. “The new generation is very good at borrowing, sampling, and then it becomes a new thing,” Yew said. “That’s why it’s hard to categorize Stuck Elevator. It belongs sometimes in old Broadway musicals, yet it’s new music and it’s also music from Asia, but it’s completely hip-hop. It’s its own creature.” Yew, who left Singapore to attend college in the U.S., devotes much of his time directing new works, especially now as artistic director of Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theatre, but his initial theatrical identity was shaped by his work as a playwright in the 1990s. Early works such as A Language of Their Own and Porcelain came out of his experiences being gay and Asian in the Western World. “My first set of plays were identity plays. ‘Who am I?’ At some point it becomes not ‘Who am I?’ but ‘How do I relate with the other people?’ Belonging, that’s what my stuff is about, the notion of place and home, and that’s what Stuck Elevator is about.” Although Yew, 47, can see a thread running through his work as a play-

Kevin Berne

Julius Ahn plays a trapped deliveryman afraid of the consequences of pressing the “help” button in the hard-to-describe new musical Stuck Elevator at ACT.

wright and his choices as a director, he has mostly avoided overt autobiography. “I’m more interested in stepping into other people’s lives. The only piece I deliberately wrote coming from my private life is in A Language of Their Own, where this guy tells the other guy why he speaks perfect English, and it’s because his dad used to whip him when didn’t get it right, and my dad did that. I was 9 years old, and we stayed up to 3 o’clock, and in

anger he struck me when I didn’t get my tenses right. There were just welts everywhere, we had to wear shorts to school, and it was completely humiliating. But I got an A.” Yew’s parents, who still live in Singapore, are quietly accepting of him being gay, he said. “They were pretty cool about it, otherwise they never would have let me come to this country, and I’d be in my tub singing ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade.’”t

<< Music

16 • Bay Area Reporter • April 18-24, 2013

Beethovian ambitions by Philip Campbell

eethoven is having a good spring season. There are live performances continuing at Davies Symphony Hall with the San Francisco Symphony and Conductor Laureate Herbert Blomstedt (providing a great lead-in to the Beethoven Project in May) and on disc or download with the orchestra’s recent issue of the Symphony No. 9 with Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas on the podium. Ambitious young pianist Jonathan Biss has also just released the second in his projected series of the complete Piano Sonatas. Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Vol. 2; Nos. 4, 14, “Moonlight,” 24, Fantasy in G minor; Jonathan Biss, piano (ONYX) Jonathan Biss has embarked on recording the Beethoven sonatas complete on nine discs. While he plans a measured climb up Mt. Everest, he is still one of the youngest to make the attempt, even if Daniel Barenboim got the jump on him many years ago, at a mere 24. There isn’t much point in dwelling on age when maturity counts most, and enthusiastic audiences have been aware of Biss and his uncommon musical intelligence (not to mention technical prowess) ever since he made his local solo debut

at 26. With his latest disc (and MP3 download), Biss displays his strategy in not ordering the repertoire chronologically. He programs works that balance one another and sound complementary regardless of their order and opus numbers. It makes a nicely contrasted listening experience, and while most listeners will probably gravitate to the famous Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight” at the heart of the program, I have already returned to the opening Sonata No. 4, with satisfying discoveries and insights every time. Biss has written an eBook or Kindle single called Beethoven’s Shadow that goes on at length about his philosophy in approaching the daunting composer, and includes interesting asides about historic interpreters, attitudes about studio recording and some insights passed on by his teacher Leon Fleisher (who was a student of the fabled Artur Schnabel). The legacy of such celebrated interpreters weighs heavily on anyone facing the challenge, but Biss is ready. His clear-eyed service to the composer, coupled with his dizzying skill, is off to a promising start. He may have to overcome detractors with more passionate and risky playing as the cycle progresses, but for now he is living up to expecta-

captured live on a disc that adds to the group’s growing discography of Beethoven performances. Previous SFS Beethoven releases have appeared more dutiful than inspiring. The latest offering is another story altogether. An exploration of Beethoven’s foothills begins with the mysterious and evocative opening, and ends by scaling the heights of the mountainous Finale. The gait is leisurely, with expertly detailed playing. The middle movements are more controlled. There is impetus but also sweetness in the air, and the orchestra responds (especially the strings) with affection. By the time the Finale comes we can forgive tenor William Burden for sounding so gurgly at his first entrance and concentrate more on the other singers: Erin Wall, Kendall Gladen and Nathan Berg. Most of all we can savor the strength and accuracy of Ragnar Bohlin’s SFS Chorus. As an entry into a very crowded field, this Beethoven Ninth has something fresh and interesting to offer.t

tion, and it’s easy to imagine his interpretations (beautifully recorded) becoming preferred library editions. We all have our favorites, usually the ones we grew up on. My allegiance has always been with Wilhelm Kempff, and I find it ironic that critics have often said he wasn’t gutsy enough. What he demonstrated most was a sense of rhythm and narrative flow, and Biss shares that innate gift. He also has some of Kempff ’s unerring taste and elegance. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Opus 125; Michael Tilson Thomas, San Francisco Symphony Chorus and Orchestra (SFS Media SACD) The San Francisco Symphony ended the centennial season last June with wonderfully warm and suitably jubilant performances of the Beethoven Ninth. They were memorably happy occasions that really gave special meaning to the great concluding Finale: “Ode to Joy.” Now the experience has been

Books >>

Troubled dynasty by Tavo Amador

cting dynasties are fascinating. Talent, discipline, and star quality may have genetic components, but a famous name doesn’t guarantee success. Yet their members often have lives as intense as any of their roles. Donald Spoto’s excellent The

Redgraves: A Family Epic (Crown Archetype, $26), chronicles the history of one of England’s most revered theatrical clans. Sir Michael Redgrave (1908-85) dominates this saga. His parents were minor actors who divorced while he was still a child. A generous stepfather paid for his education, which

included studies in Heidelberg and at Cambridge, where he excelled. His performing skills won acclaim early. He was also a gifted writer and, later, a fine director. Michael, 6’3”, lean, and handsome, was deeply troubled by his homosexuality, which manifested itself in school. For most of his life, he kept a detailed diary in which he recorded his sexual encounters and affairs with youths and men. (Among them was Noel Coward.) Sex between males in England was a criminal offense, and the long shadow of Oscar Wilde’s disgrace haunted him. He had a brief affair with one woman before marrying Rachel Kempson (1910-2003), who would also have a fine acting career. Her height (5’8”) pleased him – they made an attractive couple on stage. She knew about his homosexuality, but thought he would change. He didn’t, although he did have an unlikely affair with Dame Edith Evans. The Redgraves had three children, all of whom had theatrical success: Vanessa (b.1937), Corin (1939-2010), and Lynn (1943-2010). Vanessa and Lynn would do well in films and television, while Corin was also was a talented writer. Motherhood adversely affected Rachel’s career, yet when she performed, her notices were excellent. Michael almost always had a boyfriend in his life, whom he usually supported. Eventually, Rachel had affairs with actor Leo Genn and Gen Byam Shaw, who sometimes directed her and Michael in plays – all very civilized on the surface. Michael triumphed in works by Shakespeare, Wilde, and contemporary dramatists. His acclaim rivaled that of Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud. Money was a constant problem, so he made movies because they paid well. He became a film star in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes (1938), earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination in Mourning Becomes Elektra (1947), was moving in The Browning Version (1948), and dazzled as Jack Worthing in The Importance of Being Earnest (1952).

He worked steadily in movies after that, often in supporting roles. He had a good singing voice and was the first choice for Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady (1956), but a previous commitment forced him to decline. As he grew older, alcoholism (which plagued his mother) often caused memory lapses and stage fright. His sexual life included a growing interest in bondage with rough young men. Vanessa, perhaps the most famous in America, would marry bisexual, Oscar-winning director Tony Richardson (1928-1993), despite knowing about his affairs with men. Their daughters Natasha Richardson (1963-2009) and Joely Richardson (b. 1965) enjoyed acclaim, as has Corin’s daughter, Jemma, who works steadily on television and in films. Lynn’s popularity briefly rivaled Vanessa’s, especially after she became a star in Georgy Girl (1966). She earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for that performance, and Vanessa was also nominated that year, for Blow-up. They lost to Elizabeth Taylor in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Vanessa would win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Julia (1977), amidst controversy over her left-wing politics. Spoto expertly shows how the media distorted her positions on Israel and Palestine – she has never been anti-Semitic. She was an early opponent of the Vietnam War and continues to espouse

pacifism. Her father shared her political beliefs but didn’t discuss them publicly, yet was very proud of her courageous stands. Corin also took strong, left-wing political positions. Michael wasn’t a demonstrative father, but his journals show how much he loved his children, and his delight in their successes. All three accepted his sexual orientation. Corin, who ghost-wrote Michael’s autobiography (illness prevented him from doing so), didn’t discuss it, but later lamented that the era’s rampant homophobia caused his father so much unhappiness. Michael received his knighthood in 1959, a delay Spoto suggests was due to his sexual behavior. At the time, the honor was a rare distinction. He joined Olivier, Gielgud, and Ralph Richardson in earning it. (Gielgud received his in 1953, and shortly thereafter was arrested for soliciting sex from a man in a public lavatory.) Coward wasn’t knighted until 1969. The children got along well. Lynn spoke warmly of Vanessa’s kindness to her when they were growing up, although they were briefly estranged over politics. Vanessa divorced Richardson and had a long affair with handsome Italian actor Franco Nero, with whom she had a son. He wanted a traditional wife, but she refused. They separated, and she had a passionate relationship with Timothy Dalton, but later she and Nero reconciled and had a non-legal wedding ceremony. Tragedy tested Vanessa, and she met it resolutely. Michael died from Parkinson’s Disease, and Rachel succumbed to dementia. Corin and Lynn died the same year, she from cancer. In each case, Vanessa was present and supportive. Her lovely, gifted daughter Natasha, married to Liam Neeson, died following a skiing accident. The openly gay Spoto’s smooth style, careful research, and balanced assessment of a remarkable family bring them and their times to life. The book is well-illustrated, has a comprehensive index, bibliography, and source notes.t

Fine Art>>

April 18-24, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 17

Courtesy Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, New York

“George Washington Melted 4” (2011) by Valerie Hegarty; canvas, stretcher, paper, acrylic paint, gel medium; at Queen’s Nails.

Fine Art

From page 13

hand-crank devices; and, in a possible homage to Lloyd, an image of a teenage girl hangs on for dear life from the number 1. On the hour, the clock’s giant lit-up numbers swing out to form a round clock face, and a baton ceremoniously strikes a thunderous gong at the top of the structure before the apparatus folds back into itself. Also of note around town: Violence and dread, the stuff of horror movie tropes, inform The Modern Monster, a group show at the ever-inventive Queen’s Nails gallery, where Michelle Blade, Anthony Discenza, Valerie Hegarty, Jillian McDonald and George Pfau explore threats from without and the demons within. Of course, it’s our own questions and projections that really scare us. Wander into a darkened room and you’ll come face to face with same in the perplexing and troubling phenomena of McDonald’s 48-minute video, Valley of the Deer. Shot in the mist-laden, verdant hillsides of rural Scotland, sans dialogue, with rumblings in the distance and ominous chanting on the soundtrack, one half-expects the Druids to suddenly appear. McDonald assembles creatures wearing bunny suits or animal masks, some with horns or antlers; in at least one instance, a character dons a deer-bone face totem and a kilt. Whether they’re seen from a distance swaying in fields dotted with lonely stone houses or standing their ground in a deserted wood, one is left to wonder if a fertility rite or a human sacrifice is on the agenda. Valerie Hegarty’s painting “George Washington Melted 4” offers a portrait of the father of our country as we’ve never seen him, his head caving

in and dripping away like the Wicked Witch of the East; and Anthony Discenza’s video The Things combines the 1951 and 1982 iterations of The Thing, the sci-fi chestnut about unlucky scientists who discover an alien craft in the Arctic. Discenza also contributes yellowed parchment pages from “The Master at Work,” a faux Poe short story that reads: “Harker studied the room with the eye of a trained aesthete. There, Harker thought, Perfect. He was especially satisfied with the way the dead girl’s eyes matched the Monet hanging over the sofa.” (Through May 3.) A successful director of TV commercials and music videos for Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Madonna, the Venezuelan-born Cristobal Valecillos has turned his considerable talents to another form of packaging: cardboard constructions of contemporary family life that he has digitally photographed and printed on metallic paper for American Family, his debut solo exhibition at McLoughlin Gallery. He also erected a full-scale model of an American house forged from recycled materials and paper products that visitors can walk through. Call it art without waste, Valecillos says he’s converting society’s detritus into beauty. You be the judge. Rather than the typical white-bread families of the 1950s, he presents modern multi-ethnic nuclear units dressed in paper fashions. In “Under Surveillance,” a demure family group, putting forward an image tailored for public consumption, is gathered in one room, while a sullen juvenile-delinquent-to-be lurks just outside the door. Here’s hoping he doesn’t play with matches. (Through April 27.)t

Courtesy McLoughlin Gallery

“Under Surveillance” by Cristobal Valecillos; archival digital print on metallic paper; showing at McLoughlin Gallery.

<< Out&About

18 • Bay Area Reporter • April 18-24, 2013

The Cypress String Quartet.

Thu 18: Tokyo String Quartet @ Herbst Theatre

The Arsonists. Fri 19

Farewell performance of the classical music ensemble, started in 1969; also one of the last music concerts at the theatre before its three-year renovations close it. $36-$48. 8pm. 401 Van Ness Ave. 392-4400. www.chambermusicsf.org

Fri 19: Cypress Quartet @ Herbst Threatre The local string ensemble performs a world premiere by Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon. Entitled In the Shadow of Sirius, Higdon’s new piece is based on poetry by former American Poet Laureate W. S. Merwin and will be performed by the quartet with soprano Christine Brandes. It will be paired with Dvorák’s The Cypresses, twelve Moravian poems set by the Czech master as love songs for string quartet (recently released by the Cypress on AVIE); and Schubert’s Rosamunde. $15-$45. 8pm. 401 Van Ness Ave. www.cypressquartet.com

Heartstrings by Jim Provenzano

iolins, cellos, violas; enjoy the beautiful sounds of these instruments, played to perfection by acclaimed ensembles, at venues around town.

Sun 21: Hausmann Quartet @ Legion of Honor Enjoy classical music performed by the string ensemble in the Rodin Room. Free with admission (Free-$18). 12pm. 100 34th Ave. 750-3600. www.sffcm.org

Thu 18

My First Love @ SF Public Library, Martuni’s

Alfred Hitchcock Films @ Pacific Film Archive

Arlo Guthrie @ Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley

Second in a three-part reading series by LGBT poets: Sam Sax, Wonder Dave, Josh Merchant, Blythe Baldwin. 7:30pm. James Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center, 3rd floor, 100 Larkin St. www.sfpl.org April 23, the third edition features Regie Cabico, Baruch Porras-Hernandez, James J. Siegel, Cam Akward Rich and others. 6:30pm at Martuni’s, 4 Valencia St.

Screening of the major works of the master of cinematic suspense. April 19, Foreign Correspondent (9pm). April 20, Psycho (8:30). April 24, Frenzy (7pm). Thru April 24. $5.50-$13.50. UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2575 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-1124. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu

Consummate folk singer performs a concert of songs paying tribute to his iconic father Woody Guthrie. $22-$48. 8pm. Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 6429988. www.calperformances.org

The Balcony @ Vulcan Studios, Oakland Jean Genet’s still-controversial play is performed by Phoenix Sanctuary Theater Project, with deleted scenes, nudity and a queerly sensual immervise environment. Proceeds for some performances benefit the St. James Infirmary and Wolf Creek Sanctuary. $15. 8pm. Fri-Sun thru April 27. 4401 San Leandro Blvd. #25, Oakland. (510) 499-5751. brownpapertickets.com

Classic Films @ Castro Theatre April 18: Epidemic Film Festival. April 19: Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (7:30), Pretty in Pink (9:30) and Carrie (11:30). April 20: The Last Unicorn (12pm), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2pm), and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (5pm. 9pm). April 21: restored print of Lawrence of Arabia (2pm, 7pm). April 22: Chasing Ice (7pm) and Samsara (8:40). April 24, Paul Newman double feature with The Sting (7pm) and Slap Shot (9:25). April 25, Opening night of the SF International Film Fest. (festival.sffs.org) $8.50-$12. 429 Castro St. 621-6120. www.castrotheatre.com

The River @ A.C.T. Costume Shop Richard Montoya’s drama, directed and co-created by Sean San Jose, explores the cross-border cultural tensions of California immigrants, hipsters, families and desperados. $25-$35. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru May 4. 1117 Mission St. at 7th. 626-2787. www.theriver2013.eventbrite.com

Aurora Theatre Company’s production of Alistair Beaton’s new translation of Max Frisch’s classic comic parable about bourgeois complacency, and an absurdist allegory of the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia. $35-$60. Tue & Sun 7pm. Wed-Sat 8pm. Also Sun 2pm. Thru May 12. 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 8434822. www.auroratheatre.org

Strange Shorts @ Oddball Films

The Bus @ New Conservatory Theatre

Odd and vintage short films. This week, shorts from the 1930s Jazz Age (Betty Boop, The Great Gatsby). 8pm. April 19, 8pm: enjoy some Mad Men-era short promos in Selling the Dream: From Sex to Sedans. Each $10, 8pm. 275 Capp St. 5588117. www.oddballfilms.blogspot.com

James Lantz’ drama about two boys living in a rural conservative church town who have romantic trysts in an abandoned bus. $14-$45. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru April 28. 25 Van Ness Ave., lower level. Also tours May 3-11 in Central California. www.nctcsf.org

Stuck Elevator @ A.C.T.

Carnival! @ Eureka Theatre

American Conservatory Theatre’s production of Byron Au Yong and Aaron Jafferis’ innovative operetta about a Chinese food delivery man who gets stuck in an elevator, but can’t call for help, as it will draw attention to his illegal immigrant status. $20-$85. Tue-Sat 8pm. Wed & Sat 2pm. Sun 7pm. Thru April 28. 415 Geary St. 749-2250. www.act-sf.org

42nd Street Moon theatre company performs Bob Merrill’s jaunty musical about a girl who falls in love with a carnie. $25-$75. Wed- 7pm. Thu & Fri 8pm. Sat 6pm Sun 3pm. Thru April 21. 215 Jackson St. 255-8207. www.42ndstmoon.org

Tinsel Tarts in a Hot Coma @ The Hypnodrome Thrillpeddlers performs Scrumbly Koldewyn and Pam Tent’s new, full-length restored version of The Cockettes’ 1971 wacky drag musical comedy on the 42nd anniversary of the original production. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru June 1. 575 10th St. at Bryant. (800) 8383006. www.thrillpeddlers.com

Fri 19 Laura Antinou @ Various Venues Author of the popular lesbian SM leather mystery Marketplace series reads from and discusses her new book, The Killer Wore Leather. April 18, 6:30pm at Good Vibrations, 1620 Polk St. April 21, 4pm, at Good Vibrations, 2504 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. April 22, 7:30pm at Books Inc., 2275 Market St. April 23, 4:30pm at Wicked Grounds, 289 8th St. April 24, 7:30pm at Mr. S Leather, 385 8th St. www.cleispress.com

The Arsonists @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley

Visit the renovated fascinating science museum in its new Embarcadero location. Special outdoor light show April 17 & 18. Free-$25. Pier 15 at Embarcadero. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm (Thu night 6pm-10pm, 18+). 528-4893. www.exploratorium.edu

Hedwig and the Angry Inch @ Boxcar Theatre New local production of John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s popular transgender rock operetta, with multiple actor-singers performing the lead, including Katya Smirnoff-Skyy, Jason Brock, Arturo Galster and Trixxie Carr. $25-$40. Wed-Sat 8pm. Also Sat 5pm. Extended with open-ended run. 505 Natoma St. 9672227. www.boxcartheatre.org

Hunky Jesus: The Second Coming @ DNA Lounge The sexy savior portion of this year’s rained-out Sisters Easter in the Park, once free and outdoors, is now, indoors and costs $8-$20. 8pm-2am. Showtime… whenever. The Go Bang geniuses spin tunes. 375 11th St. www.thesisters.org

If Gender is a Kind of Doing @ MCCLA Gallery Group exhibit of visual art exploring the constructions of female gender. Tue-Sat 10am-5pm. Thru May 25. Mission Cultural Center, 2868 Mission St. 643-5001. www.missionculturalcenter.org

Let My People Go! @ Opera Plaza Cinema Mikael Buch’s gay and Jewish romantic comedy skewers stereotypes with a kitschy wit. 601 Van Ness Ave. 771-0183. Also at Berkeley’s Shattuck Cinema. www.landmarktheatres.com

Oleta Adams @ Yoshi’s, Oakland

Pericles, Prince of Tyre @ Berkeley Rep

The Coast of Utopia @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley

Obie Award-winning director Mark Wing-Davey revamps Shakespeare’s action-packed play seafaring drama full of knights, pirates, villains and kings. $29$77. Tue-Thu-Sat 8pm. Wed & Sun 7pm. Also Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru May 26. Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. at Shattuck. (510) 647-2949. www.BerkeleyRep.org

30th anniversary season of works by the acclaimed local choreographer, with new works that include a score by Edgar Meyer, and Academy Award-winning designer Jim Doyle. $25-$65. 8pm. April 20 gala event 6pm; $600. Wed Thu 7:30pm. Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 5pm. Thru April 28. Lam Research Theater, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard St. 978-ARTS. www.linesballet.org Warren David Keith’s solo show, Acid Test: the Many Incarnations of Ram Dass, about the ‘60s guru, returns. Fri 8pm. Sat 5pm. Thru May 18. 1062 Valencia St. at 22nd. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Taye Diggs

Celebrated French jazz singer, who’s sold out Carnegie Hall three times, performs classic Edith Piaf songs with a 16-piece orchestra. $30. 8pm. 1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600. www.yoshis.com

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright/ journalist Lawrence Wright’s intriguing two-person play dramatizes an interview with real-life journalist Oriana Fallaci. $14.50-$89. Tue, Thu-Sat 8pm. Wed & Sun 7pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru April 21. Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Opening reception for Slampop, an exhibit of the multimedia artist’s new works. 7pm10pm. 3128 16th St. www.elliottcnathan.com

Shotgun Players performs Shipwreck and Voyage, two parts of Tom Stoppard’s shipwreck utopian trilogy, about Russian pre-Revolutionary artists and lovers, in repertory. $8-$35. Wed & Thu 7pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 5pm. Thru April 21. 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org

Raquel Bitton @ Yoshi’s

Fallaci @ Berkeley Rep

Elliot C. Nathan @ Hangr 16

Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet @ YBCA

Ninth annual dance festival of performances and workshops with Caribbean and Latino musicians and choreographers; special guests Danza del Caribe from Santiago, Cuba. $10-$25. Different programs nightly. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St., Also April 26-28 at Laney College Theater. www.cubacaribe.org

The accomplished R&B/soul singer performs music from her new CD Let’s Stay Here. $35-$39. 8pm & 10pm. Also April 20, 8pm. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square. (510) 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

Acid Test @ the Marsh Opening Weekend @ The Exploratorium

Cuba Caribe Festival @ YBCA

Questlove @ Yoshi’s Internationally known drummer (The Roots, Jimmy Fallon’s house band), journalist and music producer plays a special DJ set. $22-$35. Friday, April 19. 10:30pm. 1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600. www.yoshis.com

Rock ‘n’ Roll @ Live Oak Theatre, Berkeley Actors Ensemble of Berkeley performs Tom Stoppard’s popular play about a Czech student who becomes fascinated by London’s rock music scene in the 1960s, and how music works toward social revolution; and their 20-years-later reunion. $12-$15. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru May 4. 1301 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 649-5999. www. aebofberkeley.org

Sat 20 Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi Musical comedy revue, now in its 35th year, with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. Reg: $25-$130. Wed, Thu, Fri at 8pm. Sat 6:30, 9:30pm. Sun 2pm, 5pm. (Beer/wine served; cash only). 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd (Green St.). 4214222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

The Bereaved @ Thick House Crowded Fire Theater’s production of the West Coast premiere of Thomas Bradshaw’s darkly comic play about sex, drugs and the American Dream, or nightmare. $10-$35. Wed-Sat 8pm. Thru April 27. 1695 18th St. at Arkansas. 746-9238. www.crowdedfire.org

The Happy Ones @ Magic Theatre Bay Area premiere of Julie Marie Myatt’s play about a 1970s appliance store owner in Orange County whose life gets upended. $22-$45. Wed-Sat 8pm. Tue 7pm. Sun 2:30pm. Thru April 21. Fort Mason Center, Bldg. D, 3rd floor. 441-8822. www.magictheatre.org

or other classical treats, many of them free, check out the Music Recitals at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, with student and faculty recitals of classical, renaissance and contemporary music. April 18, 8pm: String and Piano chamber concert (concert hall), and guitar students (recital hall). April 19, 8pm (and April 21, 2pm): Conservatory Baroque Ensemble. Other recitals nightly, 8pm. 50 Oak St. at Van Ness Ave. www.sfcm.edu Equally able to tug at one’s heartstrings; the second annual Concert to End Bullying, a special fundraiser presented by the Association of Yale Alumni and the Yale Whiffenpoofs Alumni Association. The evening will benefit New Conservatory Theatre Center’s YouthAware program. The Yale Whiffenpoofs, the Stanford Mendicants and special guest Taye Diggs (Private Practice) will perform a cappella and choral renditions of American jazz classics, contemporary pop hits, and more. $25-$150. VIP packages available. Saturday, April 20. 8pm. Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon St. (800) 595-4849. www.ayayale.com – J.P.

Out&About >>

April 18-24, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 19

Helen Reddy @ Uptown Theatre, Napa

Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir. Mon 22

The iconic pop singer, recently out of retirement, sings some of her classic hits. $40-$90. 8pm. 1350 Third St., Napa. www.UptownTheatreNapa.com

Kehinde Wiley @ Contemp. Jewish Museum New exhibit, The World Stage: Israel, a series of vibrant portraits of Middle Eastern and African men, created by the gay artist. Thru May 27. Free (members)-$12. Thu-Tue 11am-5pm (Thu 1pm-8pm) 736 Mission St. 655-7800. www.thecjm.org

Fred Raker @ Stage Werx Theatre How to Make Your Bitterness Work for You, the performer-comedy writers acerbic parody of a self-help program. $15. Sundays, 2pm, thru May 5. 446 Valencia St. www.bitternesstobetterness.com

Openhouse Spring Fling @ The Four Seasons

Jane Krakowski @ Kanbar Hall Tony Award winner ( Nine ), two-time Emmy nominee ( 30 Rock) and whimsical gorgeous musical actress performs her cabaret act, which the New York Times called “loaded with saucy double entendres.” $50-$67. Saturday, April 20. 8pm. Jewish Community Center, 3200 California St. 292-1200. www.jccsf.org

Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus @ Various Venues Man, Oh Man!, the chorus’ spring concert series, led by new artistic director Jeremiah Selvey, includes medieval chants, renaissance polyphony, spirituals and campy show tunes. April 20 (7pm) & 21 (5:30pm) at Odell Johnson Theatre, Laney College, Oakland. (800) 706-2389. www.oebgmc.org

Paul Eulalia @ Castro Country Club Opening reception for an exhibit of graphic designs by the local artist. 11am. Thru April. 4058 18th St. www.castrocountryclub.org

Reasons to be Pretty @ SF Playhouse Local production of Neil Labute’s dark comedy about superficial “beautiful” straight people. $30-$100. Tue-Thu 7pm. Fri/Sat 8pm. Sat 3pm. Thru May 11. Kensington Park Hotel, 2nd floor, 450 Post St. 677-9596l. www.sfplayhouse.org

SF Hiking Club @ San Francisco Join GLBT hikers for a 14-mile hike in and over SF parks, stairways, and hills. The hike will include Buena Vista Park, Pemberton Steps, Mt. Sutro, Mt. Davidson, Edgehill Park, Pacheco Stairs, and more. Meet at 8:45 at Safeway sign, Market & Dolores. 861-8956. www.sfhiking.com

Raven’s Touch @ Hotel Monaco Fundraiser for the women’s film by Dreya Weber and Marina Rice Bader, with drinks, dancing and food. $50. 7:30pm. 512 Geary St. www.skf.ticketbud.com/ravenstouch

Through the Lens @ John McLaren Park Photo walk and exhibit presented by the Harvey Milk Photo Center and Save McLaren Park. 3pm-5pm. Meet at picnic area at Persia and Sunnyvale Avenues. www.events.savemclarenpark.org www.harveymilkphotocenter.org

Sun 21 A Fierce Green Fire @ Dance Palace, Point Reyes Screenings of A Fierce Green Fire: The Battle for a Living Planet, a fascinating documentary on the history of the environmentalist movement, with a Q&A with Academy Award-nominated director Mark Kitchell. $8-$14. 4pm & 7pm. 593 B St. Point Reyes. 663-1075. www.dancepalace.org

Felice Picano, Ron Williams @ Books Inc. The prolific gay author reads from and discusses his latest, 20th Century Un-Limited, a fascinating pair of time-traveling tales; Williams shares his illustrated memoir San Francisco’s Native Sissy Son. 5pm. 2275 Market St. www.booksinc.net

Roberta Achtenberg and former Mayor Willie Brown, Jr. are honored at the reception and brunch fundraiser for the LGBT seniors nonprofit. $175 and up. 11am. 757 Market St. www.openhouse-sf.org/springfling

Soberlicious @ Eureka Valley Rec Center The Castro Country Club’s celebration of three decades of LGBT community recovery community, with MC Sister Roma, performances (Mrs. Trauma Flintstone, Castles in Spain, Thrillpeddlers, Dazie Grego Rustin), food, drinks, dancing, raffles and silent auctions, plus the 4th annual Miss CCC Pageant. $15. 4pm. VIP soiree and soberfest 12pm-4pm ($30-$35). 100 Collingwood St. (800) 838-3006. www.castrocountryclub.org

April Authors @ ABC Offices The local chapter of the National Lesbian/ Gay Journalists Association presents a panel with gay and lesbian author/journalists Randy Alfred ( Mad Science ), Katia Noyes ( Crashing in America ) and Minal Hajratwala ( Leaving India ). Free. 7pm. 900 Front St. www.nlgja.org/norcal

Wed 24 Career Fair @ LGBT Center Showcase of dozens of local large and small businesses seeking to hire qualified LGBT applicants. Network, learn and find out about opportunities. Business attire recommended. Bring your resumes. 12pm. 1800 Market St. 865-5614. Free/register: http://lgbtcareerfair2013.eventbrite.com

Ka-Bloom! @ Temple Visual Aid’s gala art auction, with works by dozens of artists up for sale. $35-$200. 6pm-VIP reception, 7pm main event, and live auction. After-party with desserts. 540 Howard St. www.visualaid.org

Legendary @ GLBT History Museum

Donna Sachet and Harry Denton host the weekly fabulous brunch and drag show. $45. 11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square. 395-8595. www.harrydenton.com

African American GLBT Past Meets Present, an exhibit focusing on African American words, images and sounds. Thru April 2013. Also, Migrating Archives: LGBT Delegates From Collections Around the World. $5. Reg hours Mon & Wed-Sat 11am-7pm. Sun 12pm-5pm. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistorymuseum.org

Mon 22

Thu 25

Sunday’s a Drag @ Starlight Room

California Native Plant Bloom @ SF Botanical Gardens Seasonal flowering of hundreds of species of native wildflowers in a century-old grove of towering Coast Redwoods. Free$15. Daily thru May 15. Golden Gate Park. 6612-1316. www.SFBotanicalGarden.org

Party for the Planet @ San Francisco Zoo Local edition of a nationwide Earth Day celebration taking place at 250 U.S. zoos. 10am-3pm. 1 Zoo Drive, Golden Gate Park. www.aza.org www.sfzoo.org

Reverend Billy and The Stop Shopping Choir @ Various Venues The wacky anti-consumerist street theatre troupe, led by the charismatically comic Rev. Billy, appears, well, all over! April 22, 7:30pm at Booksmith, 1644 Haight St. April 24, enjyo a full free show with the choir, 7pm at Studio Theater, Lone Mountain Campus at USF. April 25, 7pm at Dance Palace in Point Reyes ($12-$422). April 26, 4pm at Oakland City Plaza. April 27, 10am at The Chapel, 777 Valencia St. and April 27, 8pm at the Victoria Theater, 2961 16ht St. 635-1397. www.revbilly.com

Ten Percent @ Comcast 104 David Perry’s talk show about LGBT people and issues. This week, Perry interviews Koko Lin, board member of Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women & Transgender Community. Perry also talks to Pam Tent, beloved local actress and original member of The Cockettes, now featured in Thrillpeddlers’ new show Tinsel Tarts in a Hot Coma. Mon-Fri 11:30am & 10:30pm. Sat & Sun 10:30pm. www.comcasthometown.com

Tue 23 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater @ Zellerbach Hall World-renowned modern dance company performs several repertory pieces in four programs. $30-$92. Tue-Sat 8pm. Also Sat 2pm and Sun 3pm. Thru April 28. Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave., UC Berkeley campus. (510) 642-9988. www.calperformances.org

Comedy Bodega @ Esta Noche The weekly LGBT and indie comic stand-up night. This week, Karen Ripley, Marga Gomez, Nato Green, Dhaya Lakshminarayanan and Jennifer Dronsky bring a sublime mix of gay, straight and hilarious! 8pm-9:30pm. 3079 16th St. at Mission. www.comedybodega.com

David Dorfman Dance @ YBCA Prophets of Funk, the New York choreographer’s dance-performance celebration of Sly and the Family Stone’s uplifting soul sounds. $10-$30. 8pm. Thru April 27. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum, 701 Mission st. 978-2787. www.ybca.org

Fact/SF @ ODC Theater Falling, choreographer Charles Slender’s evening-length, highly physical work, developed with the performers. $23-$28. 8pm. Thu Sun. Thru April 28. 3153 17th St. 863-9834. www.factsf.org www.odctheater.org

Funky Chicken Dinner @ Mars Bar Dining Out for Life, the citywide fundraiser where a portion of your dinner bill at participating restaurants goes to Stop AIDS Project and the SF AIDS Foundation. Of note, Juanita More’s classic Funky Chicken Dinner. 6pm-9pm. 798 Brannan St. juanitamore.com www.DiningOutForLife.com

Out & Equal Gala @ Four Seasons Hotel Gala dinner, show and fundraiser for the LGBT workplace rights nonprofit, with MC Liam Mayclem and a performance by the Choral Project. $175. 6pm reception, 7:30pm dinner. 757 Market St. www.outandequal.org

Regreturature @ Swedish American Hall Litquake and the San Francisco Writer’s Grotto present the third edition of acclaimed authors reading some of their worst publsihed work; Jack Boulware MCs, with Simon Rich, Kim Wong Keltner, Todd Oppenheimer and Ellen Sussman and others. Musician Joshua Raoul Brody also performs. $12-$15. 8pm. 2174 Market St. www.litquake.org www.cafedunord.com

For more arts listings, see Out & About on www.ebar.com. To submit event listings, email jim@ebar.com.

<< Leather

20 • Bay Area Reporter • April 18-24, 2013

Golden Dildeaux dish

by Scott Brogan

t finally happened. After 13 years – count ’em, 13 – I finally won a Golden Dildeaux award – two, actually. Now I can retire all the Susan Lucci jokes, although I did enjoy not winning. I was able to play the sympathy card on random hot guys in the audience. Sometimes it even worked. But I guess 13 is a lucky number for me. And no, I did not sleep with anyone to win. Honest! Seriously though, the Golden Gate Guards’ annual Golden Dildeaux Awards were handed out last Saturday night at the Eagle. The awards poke fun at all those serious award shows, with categories such as “The Pitch Perfect” Award (the top of them all), “Wreck-It Ralph” (best power fisting top), and so on. With such a fun event and the chance to cheer on friends, the crowd was huge and in a very festive party mood. Best part of all is that all the money raised goes to the AIDS Emergency Fund. This year they raised $3,308, which, I believe, is a new record. After the awards, Michael Brandon took over and hosted his monthly Sadistic Saturdays event. Michael is always a very affable host and one of the few people out there who can make any event a fun one. Plus he’s pretty damn sexy. While the crowd at the Eagle was enjoying Brandon’s event, another crowd was over at the Powerhouse supporting Mr. SF Leather Andy Cross’ first time hosting the Black Saturday event. Cross is proving to be a very friendly and approachable representative for our community, always ready with that dazzling smile. He had a great sense of humor and outgoing nature. I predict he will wow everyone at International Mr. Leather next month and, dare I say it, bring the title back to SF. ILSb/ICBB judges announced: Judges for the International LeatherSir/boy and International Community Bootblack contests have been announced. They are, for the Sir/boy contest: Sir Alan Penrod, Pup Nitro Hankinson, Master Mike Zuhl, Race Bannon, Hardy Haberman, Sir Thom Butts, Lawrence Burden and Michael Brandon; and for Community Bootblack: Queen Cougar, Brenton Kornegay, kd, Luna, Nick Elliott, and Master Jack Pearce. The contests are a part of the Labor Day weekend events this Aug. 29 through Sept. 2, in Dallas. If you’ve ever been to Dallas you know what a great city it is, and the hospitality is second to none. If you

Scott Brogan

Chris Swanson enjoys his Golden Dildeaux Award, received last Saturday night at the Eagle.

haven’t been, you should go, you’ll have a great time. Go to: www.ILSbICBB.com for more info. IMsL: Tonight International Ms. Leather weekend begins! Be sure to head on over to the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway (1500 Van Ness) and join in the fun. There’s so much more than the contest on Saturday night, including separate play spaces for men and women, speakers and seminars, and so much more.

Scott Brogan

Michael Brandon lends his magic touch to Sadistic Saturdays, last Saturday night at the Eagle.

Check it all out at: www.IMsL.org. More sad news: I am saddened beyond words by the recent death of Jonathan Klein. An icon of the Castro and our community at large, Jonathan and his business partner Peter Greene opened their “Now, Voyager” in 1984. It was an early trailblazer in the thennew world of gay travel. Going to “Now, Voyager” and meeting with Jonathan was always the first step in everyone’s travel plans. My husband and I met Jonathan when we planned our first gay cruise. From then on, we always went to him with all of our travel needs. We also became friends, traveling together and socializing here at home. Just last Fall, he helped me plan the surprise trip to Hawaii for my husband’s 50th birthday. And he kept it a secret! Jonathan lived the San Francisco life that so many young gay men and women dream of. It’s a dream that is, I fear, fading. He moved to the city in the late 70s, opened his openly gayowned and -operated travel agency, and became a fixture of the Castro. Everyone liked and/or loved Jonathan. So much so that even in this day of the quick-and-easy travel websites, most of us still preferred to given Jonathan a call or stroll into the agency. That extra personal touch made all the difference. Rest in peace, Jonathan. We will always love you, we’ll never forget you, and you will live in our hearts forever. Remember: “Don’t let’s ask for the moon, we have the stars.”t

Books >>

Masochistic mystery by Jim Piechota The Killer Wore Leather by Laura Antoniou; Cleis Press, $16.95

est known for her five-part Marketplace series of pansexual, BDSM-themed erotica novels, prolific author and essayist Laura Antoniou outdoes herself with The Killer Wore Leather, an oversized yet entertaining and completely engrossing new mystery novel with a kinky twist. From the opening scene, it’s obvious that the author has been to more than a few leather conventions by the precise description of a Manhattan hotel atrium buzzing with anticipation and sexual energies – and plus-sized, corseted “Bitsy” Olmstead, a single slave nearing 40 who is looking for her “Master Wonderful”

while loudly announcing to the crowd when registration will begin. That’s

just an example of Antoniou’s grand command of atmosphere and characterization, on display throughout the mystery. Then there’s the Zodians, a stereotypical “confederation” of longtime kinksters who act like they’re on a Star Trek movie set. Antoniou obviously derived great pleasure concocting them. Bitsy and hundreds of other leatherfolk have arrived for the crowning of the Mr. and Ms. Global Leather and Bootblack competition, including past winner Mack Steel, a muchloathed leatherman who is “easily distracted with shiny things,” except for the three-pronged weapon that viciously slashes him in his hotel room. Enter NYPD detective Rebecca Feldblum, taking names, documenting evidence, and turning heads, namely that of her ex-girlfriend Trudy, who See page 22 >>

Karrnal >>

April 18-24, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 21

Intent to thrill by John F. Karr

y plan had been to review one movie from each of Titan’s three directors. While digging around the company blog (there’s lotsa stuff at Titan.net), I found that after a pretty fab 20-year career, Brian Mills has just retired; his last Titan movie is the forthcoming Down and Dirty. Paul Wilde, who’s been making extreme fetish flix for the company’s Rough line, is now Production Head and chief director, and still photographer Jasun Mark becomes secondary director. While Paul Wilde’s known for rougher sex, new Extra Firm is a movie of calmer, domestic pleasures. The smooth ride of its three scenes takes place around the house. Colby White makes a fine film debut slamming it to Dario Beck as a wake-up call one morning. They’re a fine combo of bodies smooth (White) and furry (Beck – especially his tasty-looking butt). They don’t have a special relationship, so their professional, sturdy fuck isn’t one for the record books. But White’s outrageous cum shot is. There’s gallons of goo, and it goes far. Scoring a bit higher is a scene for lean, blond, and slightly elfin Mike Tanner, who’s a swell cock-rider when bottoming for Titan Exclusive Hunter Marx. Extra Firm does have one truly stand-out scene, with Dirk Caber (husky dude with husky cock) and Jesse Jackman (towering wall of furry muscle). Other performers should watch and emulate them. Sure, they’re lovers in real life, but their attitude of playful raunch and their attention to pleasuring their partner are how porn stars should be striving to act. Rarely a celebration of gay sex, most porn seems almost a refutation of it. But Caber and Jackman deliver – their lasciviousness is alert. And don’t say I’m just a Pollyanna for a bit of romance. Caber presents the same qualities when inflicting some hearty BDSM on his partners in a couple of Wilde’s Rough movies. It’s all in the intention. Directors should strive to elicit this sort of informed performance from their players. How much deeper the indecencies could go! Jasun Mark’s new movie Grind maintains a bit more attitude throughout. One scene’s tattooing is hardly real, but Collin Stone sure is. Handsome of face and cock, and well-furred, he’s got a slightly feral look. Top or bottom – he flips with Christopher Daniels – he’s a hungry dude. Ditto for dark-haired newcomer James Corman. He gets to bottom for lusty star Jessy Ares, who throws a hip-grinding, rude face-fuck, which Corman takes and takes and doesn’t seem to ever need to breathe. My favorite scene stars heavy-hung, uncut Jimmy Durano, with one of my all-time faves, Cavin Knight. The Titan blog informs us this is Knight’s last scene ever, and I’ll miss him if that’s true. He’s got such unique qualities. That taut body with imaginative tattoos flowing so gracefully along his torso; that perpetual tan-line framing his crotch, with that superbly hard, stand-up cock at its center. Turn him around and you get tiny buttcheeks of solid rock that house the delight of a smooth pink slit. His cock-riding is a blessing for the eyes; I love the arch of his back. I was extremely pleasured watching him pleasure himself, pumping his little derriere on Durano’s stiff peg. Titan’s been putting out some low-priced Best Of collections of individual performers’ scenes (Damien Crosse,

TitanMen

Jesse Jackman and Dirk Caber heat up TitanMen’s Extra Firm.

(((((((((

TitanMen

Let’s all give thanks that Cavin Knight has a cell phone.

Dean Flynn, Trenton Ducatti, Dred Scott), and I sure hope they give such honor to Mr. Knight. Perhaps Brian Mills was energized by his impending retirement when he made Close Up. The other movies may have more better-known performers, but this one comes off best in toto. It’s a feisty flick. I hardly need to recommend a Trenton Ducatti scene, and he’s hot for big-dicked Jessy Ares. They’re a pair of man-hungry dudes, and go at it with gusto. Great camerawork takes

us right into Trenton’s no-longersecret secret places. Brian Davilla is right in line with Titan’s well-built dads with manly attitude and a sprinkling of grey in their beards and chest hair. He’s also got a big uncut dick, and in his flip with Will Swagger, they both show considerable, well, swagger. The movie’s smoother third scene has an implausible set-up, but it gets a cop out of uniform so he can glue himself onto the big ole dick of potential wrong-doer Mack Manus. The guys savor some savory things slightly slower than the preceding scenes do, but with no less intent. www.TitanMen.comt

www.ebar.com )))))))))

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

22 • Bay Area Reporter • April 18-24, 2013

SF Ballet

From page 13

who could do anything, and Boada is a valiant, brave, immensely strong, and generous partner who, despite having suffered from long-term injuries in the past, held nothing back and gave Chung all the support she needed to release herself into a passionate performance. Ballet is, after all, like football – it’s fantastically dangerous. The

dancers practice and practice. But onstage anything can happen, and it sometimes does. Dancers destroy their knees, they get concussed, they slip and fall (a corps girl fell in the last ballet that night, and hopped right back up and carried on just fine), it happens all the time. The spectacle of such bravery is thrilling to see – not as a blood sport, but as grace under pressure, the kind of heroism it’s life-affirming to see. Boada, indeed, danced one of his

solos with wild abandon – he never landed where he should have, but took off from that place into his next step nonetheless and hit all his marks, turned all his turns, finished all his jumps like a cat righting itself in the midst of every fall. It was a heroic performance; the audience cheered him to the skies and still probably has no idea how extraordinary it was, since the dancers never paraded their difficulties. Chung was no less wonderful. Indeed, the corps girls who played ladies in waiting at the nightmarish court of Rimini took fantastic chances in their brief solos, diving into their arabesques, attacking the movement like a hungry man going after a steak. And Vito Mazzio, dancing the monster-prince her husband, gave no hint of whining that he was the principal dancer in every ballet all night, but took every opportunity that the choreographer, Yuri Possokhov, former star of the Bolshoi Ballet and SFB and now SFB’s resident choreographer, gave him to create a gnarly, repellent snake of a prince. Even better on that program was Balanchine’s neo-classic Symphony in Three Movements (1972), which starred Jaime Garcia Castillo, Sasha da Sola, Vito Mazzeo and Yuan Yuan Tan, Lonnie Weeks, and Clara Blanco, five pairs of demi-soloists, and 16 corps girls who wear leotards and tights – the women are in ponytails, and their moves come as if they were musical instruments in an orchestra. SFB artistic director Helgi Tomasson starred in this ballet in 1972, when it premiered in New York City Ballet’s Stravinsky Festival. Unlike Possokhov’s Francesca, which wears its heart on its sleeve, Balanchine’s work has more than meets the eye. Though the moves are edgy and clear, the effect is that of Polanski’s film Knife in the Water. I have a desperate desire to see it again. It’s a great ballet, and it was danced as well as can be imagined, right down to the corps. Hansuke Yamamoto stood out among many

Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet dancers Yuan Yuan Tan and Vito Mazzeo in Helgi Tomasson’s Criss-Cross.

Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet dancer Sofiane Sylve in Val Caniparoli’s Ibsen’s House, a shrewdly contrived dramatic piece.

others who danced well in Tomasson’s Criss-Cross, which opened the program. Program 6, I think, is more interesting than it looked last Wednesday. Edwaard Liang’s Symphonic Dances, set to Rachmaninoff ’s score, was well-danced but does not appeal to me. There are some beautiful lifts and there is sensitive partnering, but I have no insight into the piece. Val Caniparoli’s ballet Ibsen’s House, set to Dvorak’s Piano Quintet, was the great event of that night. It roused the audience to a passionate response. Ibsen’s House is a shrewdly contrived dramatic piece: the ballerinas’ gestures reveal the strictures their characters endure, while their whirling trajectories,

Killer Wore Leather

From page 20

still harbors resentment at her decision to join the police force, a move that dissolved their relationship. Trudy once called Rebecca’s officer’s uniform an “emblem of oppression.” Attempting to wrap up the investigation in the span of a weekend proves no easy feat, especially for a detective who finds herself surrounded by such a wide array of leather and kink community personalities, each with their own axe to grind (or ass to flog). Antoniou’s depictions of the kink community and of the dynamics of the power exchange between people are both spot-on accurate and viscerally titillating. A 2011 recipient of the National Leather Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Antoniou continues to impress her faithful, kinky

their stabbing feet protest the fears they barely manage to keep down, the rebellion they are not allowed to demonstrate. Caniparoli also reveals sympathetic dimensions in the men, who, though they are the beneficiaries of the patriarchy in some ways, are as much the prisoners as their wives. Vanessa Zahorian, Ruben Martin Cintas, Clara Blanco, Luke Willis, Shannon Rugani, all had vivid success in this ballet. Raymonda Act III, in Nureyev’s handsome but unmusical staging of Petipa’s 1898 classic, had only intermittent success. Lorena Feijoo and Davit Karapetyan danced their star roles extremely well, but despite Glazounov’s wonderful music, the effect was stilted and unmusical.t

readership. Even readers of a more “vanilla” persuasion who are able to overlook the leather-slanted backdrop and steamy sexual situations will appreciate her flare for satirical dialogue and groups with acronyms that speak plenty (a protest group resembling the Westboro Baptist Church is drolly named the Western Harrisburg Alliance Church of Our Savior: WHACOS). Sexy, funny, a swanky procession of leathered-up masters and slaves with names like Mistress Ravenfyre, Lord Laertes, Master Zenu, Wolfboy, Prairie Master and LeatherDreamz – what’s not to love?t Laura Antoniou, proud member of the Middle-Aged Guard, will read from The Killer Wore Leather on Wed., April 24, 7:30 p.m., at the Leathermen’s Discussion Group, Mr. S. Playspace, 385A 8th St.

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