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Vol. 51 • No. 17 • April 29-May 5, 2021

Housing top concern for LGBTQ seniors

by John Ferrannini

A Rick Gerharter

Shireen McSpadden sits at a conference table in her office; she will soon lead San Francisco’s homeless agency.

SF aging director McSpadden leaves LGBTQ legacy

by Matthew S. Bajko

A

s she departs May 1 for the unenviable job of overseeing San Francisco’s response to homelessness, Shireen McSpadden is leaving behind a nationally recognized legacy of tackling LGBTQ aging issues as the executive director of the city’s Department of Disability and Aging Services.

McSpadden, 57, who is bisexual and grew up in San Francisco, for the past five years oversaw an agency responsible for more than 70,000 seniors, adults with disabilities, caregivers, and veterans. Under her leadership DAS, as the department is known, worked to ensure that a groundbreaking report on LGBTQ aging issues was implemented and not shelved away to collect dust, as was the case with a similar report released in 2003.

“She had, I think, from the very beginning of that project a deep sense of investment in LGBT senior issues, both personally and professionally,” said Bill Ambrunn, a gay man who chaired the task force that wrote the report and has now launched the LGBT Better Aging Project for California. “She was just 100% on board from the very beginning and really just did absolutely everything she could do to follow through. She has been a very gifted and adept leader on aging issues and, in particular, for our community on LGBT aging issues.”

Since the issuance of the 2014 report, “LGBT Aging at the Golden Gate: San Francisco Policy Issues and Recommendations,” progress has been made on addressing nearly all 13 areas of concern it had highlighted and implementing practically all 40 of the specific steps the report suggested be taken to benefit the city’s LGBTQ senior population, estimated at roughly 22,220 residents age 60 or older as of 2020.

As for the couple of suggestions from the report left to be tackled, those are outside of the purview of DAS but several, coincidentally, fall under the focus of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, which Mayor London Breed tapped McSpadden to now oversee. One involved ensuring the city’s shelters are welcoming to LGBTQ people, while the other called for making sure the city’s stock of single-room-occupancy hotel housing is safe for LGBTQ seniors to move into.

In an interview with the Bay Area Reporter this month, McSpadden pledged to work on those issues once she has settled into her new job.

“It is one thing I will definitely pay attention to when I move over to the new department,” she said. “But there are so many things that need attention before that. Once I get in there, I plan to figure out with staff, community partners and all stakeholders what is happening and what the priority should be.”

The programs DAS has launched focused on transgender seniors have been the first of their kind in the country. Another policy from the report that was put into place by San Francisco then statewide was an LGBTQ seniors’ bill of rights. It protects those residents of assisted living facilities from being See page 5 >>

round the country, among allies and foes alike, San Francisco often acts as a byword for progressivism and queer liberation.

But the city is also the epicenter of the state’s housing crisis, and for many LGBTQ seniors – particularly those who are of color or trans – who’ve dealt with that experience, life in the City by the Bay hasn’t always been somewhere over the rainbow.

Veronika Fimbres, 68, who is a former San Francisco veterans affairs commissioner and in 2018 was a Green Party candidate for California governor, has lived in the city’s Sunnyside neighborhood for a dozen years. Her experience has run the gamut of housing in San Francisco.

“Although we think of San Francisco as a progressive, forward-thinking city, it’s not,” Fimbres said. “It is still racist. It is still discriminatory. I don’t know what else to call it.”

Fimbres, a Black trans woman, told the Bay Area Reporter she first moved to the city in 1996 from Indiana.

“I came here to save my life,” she said, noting that she’d been diagnosed with HIV and both her fiancé and brother had died of AIDS. “My brother died four days before my birthday in 1992,” Fimbres said. “There, they didn’t treat my brother accordingly.”

Rick Gerharter

Veronika Fimbres sits on a bench in the garden at Sunnyside Conservatory near her home.

Fimbres took residence in a number of downtown hotels, such as the Pacific Bay Inn at Jones and O’Farrell streets, like many when they first arrived in the city.

“Crack moms everywhere,” she recalled about the experience in the mid-1990s. “People smoking crack, going up and down the stairs; everywhere people causing drama.”

Fimbres, a nurse, began to get involved in politics, activism, and government. She served as the co-chair of the Re-Elect Willie Brown Lavender Group, was a volunteer client services manager with the AIDS Emergency Fund, a member

of the board of directors for the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee, and served on the city’s veterans commission for 14 years – the first openly trans person to be appointed in the City and County of San Francisco.

Yet during that time she found herself homeless.

Fimbres had been living in an apartment by Bayshore Boulevard.

“I loved that place,” she recalls. “Dishwasher, huge kitchen; I brought my mother and father there.”

But when a roommate and the man she was dating at the time began to start a relationship of their own, Fimbres became uncomfortable.

“They were having a relationship, and they shouldn’t have been because he was supposed to be my boyfriend,” Fimbres said. “But I said, ‘be together, but be somewhere else.’”

The roommate went to the city’s Housing Authority, however, and told them that she was Fimbres’ caregiver. Fimbres said that she had been considering it but the roommate was not her caregiver because nothing had been agreed to.

Between the dispute and the trio being behind on rental payments, Fimbres and the others were evicted, and Fimbres was without a place to live.

After a month of couch-hopping and more hotels, Fimbres found the place she is living now via Craigslist in November 2009.

See page 2 >>

Fairfield welcomes out police chief

by John Ferrannini

D

eanna Cantrell never thought she’d be a police officer, let alone a police chief.

“I did not like police growing up,” the Fairfield police chief told the Bay Area Reporter.

“I grew up underprivileged in New Mexico, in a household with a lot of violence, so police came quite a few times and I didn’t care for them. So, if you ask anyone who knew me then, nobody would have thought that’d be my path.”

But Cantrell, a 50-year-old lesbian, became the first woman and the first LGBTQ person in her position last October. She said her feelings toward the police began to change after a chance encounter with a stranger at a party decades ago.

“He was a nice guy, and eventually it comes up: ‘what do you do?’ Cantrell said. “He said ‘I’m a police officer,’ and in all my 22-year-old wisdom I said, ‘that’s unfortunate.’”

But through their discussion, Cantrell began to reassess her views.

“He took it well,” Cantrell said. “He worked in domestic violence – with people whose parents had been incarcerated – and that was my story.

I was like ‘I thought you just harassed people’ and he laughed; he didn’t take it personal, and we talked about the things that police actually do that I was not aware of.”

(Both of Cantrell’s parents were incarcerated.)

And so in 1994, when she was 23, Cantrell started the process of becoming a police officer in Mesa, Arizona. She eventually rose to the position of deputy chief there.

Cantrell said that, in her experience, LGBTQ acceptance has come a long way in police departments since that time.

“I think back to 1994, and even just gay rights – Ellen DeGeneres, the first lesbian I remember on TV, being canceled – that’s what it was like,” she recalled. “Mesa is a very conservative city with a very conservative police department, and I was an in-your-face lesbian because I was sick of it. I wore a rainbow necklace, Pride shirts, and I just wanted to be treated equally.”

Cantrell said that she became the LGBTQ liaison for the department. She was also the chair of Mesa’s Human Rights Forum.

“Chairing the human rights group – an LGBTQ group in Mesa – they asked the police de-

Courtesy City of Fairfield

Fairfield police Chief Deanna Cantrell

partment to march in Phoenix Pride with them.

I was like ‘absolutely,’ and I didn’t consider it not being accepted,” Cantrell said. “The chief at the time – thank goodness – was supportive.”

Yet, nonetheless, Cantrell said she received hate mail.

“I got rude things in my mailbox,” she recalled.

“I thought we’d come a long way, but we hadn’t and there was a lot of hate and misunderstanding of the LGBTQ community.”

When Mesa police marched in Phoenix Pride, Cantrell said, Phoenix police who were providing security for the event were “shocked” to see them, and “turned their backs.”

A decade later, however, “there will always be people who have biases … but now I don’t feel like it’s a thing anymore. We have come a long way.”

Move to CA Central Coast

After receiving a job offer, Cantrell became the chief of police in the Central California coastal college town of San Luis Obispo in 2016. During that time, she worked with Douglas Heumann, a trans man, on LGBTQ training for officers.

“SLO is a very progressive city and really accepting,” Cantrell said. “[Doug is] such a fantastic guy. He transitioned in the 1980s, and we had discussions about what we did for training for the police department about understanding the trans community.”

Heumann, an attorney, was chair of Trans Central Coast.

“They gave me about 20-30 minutes and I trained people, including dispatch, on how to interact with trans people correctly and why that’s important,” Heumann said.

Heumann said that Cantrell reached out to the community to inform them about how policing worked, and is committed to diversity and inclusion. “[Deanna] put in a lot of work and police time for the whole community,” he said. “It was an education that allowed people to see what police are doing, and put a face on it.”

In 2019, a woman identified only as “J” (because she was a victim of violence) said she was attacked by members of a group of men she believes were on a business trip from Fresno as she walked up the stairs to her room at a San Luis Obispo hotel, as the San Luis Obispo Tribune contemporaneously reported Heumann said there was some back and forth between the police and the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s office about whether to charge the incident as a hate crime. Cantrell said it eventually was.

“I think there’d been a problem about some of the actions of the trans woman, but that doesn’t excuse being hit, shoved on the ground, and assaulted,” Heumann said about why there was initially hesitation. “My understanding is that a hate crime was charged.”

Cantrell admits the police could have handled the situation better.

“The officer that went out didn’t do everything that could have been done,” Cantrell said. The case was charged, she said.

“Thankfully, the best part of that was we had a relationship with the LGBTQ community,” Cantrell said, which helped smooth over issues that could have arisen from the incident.

But another incident during Cantrell’s tenure drew headlines, too – this time calling her professional conduct into question.

While using the restroom at lunchtime at an El Pollo Loco in July 2019, Cantrell removed her gun – which had been in a holster. She did not put it back on when she left the restroom.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Cantrell said she realized her mistake within minutes but when she returned to the restroom, the gun was gone.

See page 10 >>

<< Community News

2 • Bay Area Reporter • April 29-May 5, 2021

t

Torrid town hall on cameras to yield only more discussion

by John Ferrannini

A

two-hour town hall about a proposal to place 125 security cameras in San Francisco’s Castro district yielded no clear consensus April 27 – except, that is, that there will be more discussions going forward.

The meeting was hosted by the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District, which was going to vote last year on accepting some $695,000 from tech mogul Chris Larsen to pay for the security camera network. Larsen has funded CBDs to install cameras around San Francisco, as the New York Times reported in July 2020, in such neighborhoods as Fisherman’s Wharf, Lower Polk, MidMarket, Tenderloin, Union Square, and Japantown.

However, the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club successfully pressured the Castro CBD to delay the installation of the cameras in order to gather more community feedback. The Castro LGBTQ Cultural District had also expressed its own “grave concern” about the plan at the time.

That community feedback included an online survey and the town hall originally scheduled for February, but for which the April 27 date was eventually settled upon) before the CBD was to move forward with the plan.

The issue has split the city’s LGBTQ community, with some advocates voicing alarm at people visiting the Castro being surveilled in such a way, especially if individuals are not out of the closet. Others fear they will be used by law enforcement against queer people of color and transgender individuals, two groups historically targeted by the police for petty crimes.

Others, from residents to business owners in the LGBTQ neighborhood, argue the cameras will help to address a rash of burglaries and street crimes in the area. They contend they can be installed with clear rules regarding what will be

<<

Housing

From page 1

“He gave me the keys that day, and I’ve been here since,” Fimbres said, though there have been attempts to buy out the tenants in the ensuing years.

Fimbres said that she is not alone in having had housing upheaval in her

Screengrab

Andrea Aiello spoke at an April 27 town hall on a camera proposal.

done with the footage the cameras capture.

Complicating matters, a lawsuit was filed against the city last year by the American Civil Liberties Union alleging police illegally conducted mass surveillance on the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted in the late spring by commandeering private security cameras in the Union Square area.

The two sides began to square off before the town hall even got underway. The Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club joined the Milk club in expressing its opposition, calling the camera plan “dangerous.”

Then, in emails shared with the B.A.R. ahead of the meeting, Milk club leaders assailed the Castro CBD leadership for not alerting them directly about it or inviting them to participate. In their email to Castro CBD Executive Director Andrea Aiello, the Milk club alleged the CBD deemed the political group as not “from the Castro,” while noting that Aiello herself does not reside in the neighborhood. (She lives in Pacifica.)

The Milk club demanded that the Castro CBD take no action on the installation of the security cameras until the two community groups can discuss the matter “in

an agreed-upon setting mediated by a neutral third party.” It also informed the CBD that it would not take part in the town hall and criticized the wording of the survey about the cameras.

By the time the town hall began, the cultural district – which was to present a camera-skeptical case – had pulled out from its planned presentation.

“We withdrew because our requests to include others on this panel and not be the sole voice of opposition were declined,” Stephen Torres, who sits on the cultural district’s advisory board, wrote to the B.A.R. over Zoom chat. “We asked to include other members of our coalition (Milk club, United to Save the Mission, [and] a privacy expert either from [Electronic Frontier Foundation] or ACLU or Media Justice) .”

The program at the town hall (about 50 minutes of the two hours) then got underway as a largely pro-camera affair, which elicited backlash from some of the 80-odd participants in the Zoom meeting, who said in the chatbox and after the program of presenters that they felt they were being sold on the idea of cameras, rather than witnessing a debate on whether cameras would be a good idea.

past, and that while she’d love to buy a house, there have been many obstacles.

“There are still many transgender people out there on the street, homeless,” Fimbres said. “I know your story focuses on older [people], but there are many young trans people who are out there, who need housing and need it right away. … This city was based on white, gay men so all the services

were based on that, and Black, trans and even lesbian women weren’t included in that until, like, 1995.”

San Francisco’s particular housing crisis is a microcosm of a statewide or even a national problem, and its disproportionate impact has led LGBTQ housing advocates and experts to do what they can in manifold attempts to put roofs over people’s heads.

“I don’t think there’s a consensus at all,” Jason Wyman, a San Francisco resident at the meeting, said when it was his time to speak. “You need to go to square one and have a conversation about policing in the Castro, engaging in gay history and trans history. … It is incumbent upon you to make sure you do good communication.”

Lee Hepner, who noted he wears several hats around the city, including as a legislative aide for Supervisor Aaron Peskin, but was speaking in his role on the Milk club board, said he felt “quite a bit of frustration.”

“The poll you put out was very skewed,” Hepner said. “If this was a good faith collaboration, community partners would be involved from day one. That includes the Milk club, and as a member I resent the idea the Milk club is not from the Castro. We are not on a good path. I look forward to more engagement, but I think some trust has to be rebuilt with the community if we are ever going to find a path forward.”

Aiello took that point about community engagement, and said she will be speaking with Hepner and others more going forward.

“Lee and I have been texting, over email, today and have been talking about a meeting between different organizations,” Aiello said. “I think that’s probably the next step, and at that meeting we will iron out the next steps from here.”

Steven Bracco, who is on the cultural district’s board but also has covered the camera proposal for Hoodline, asked why Larsen was not at the meeting.

“Chris Larsen is just, he’s just a funder,” Aiello said. “He’s just a philanthropist. He’s not making a decision. The CBD board will be making a decision about this.

We’ve never met with him. Larsen has not met with CBD board members or any of that. He’s just a funding stream.”

A representative for Larsen did not respond to a B.A.R. request for comment by press time.

‘Cameras ... just show what happened’

Data illustrate problems

of the general U.S. adult population), and that showed 30% of trans people have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives.

Some 12% of the total had experienced homelessness within the past year “because of being transgender.”

Of the survey participants, 803, or

The National Center for Transgender Equality considers homelessness among trans people “a critical issue.”

The center undertook a national survey with almost 30,000 participants in all 50 states, published in 2016, that showed only 16% of respondents owning homes (compared to 63%

At the beginning of the meeting, Aiello introduced a program of presenters by speaking about the proposal and noting that there are already hundreds of cameras in the CBD’s footprint.

“To be perfectly honest, having a camera program allows a program like this to be community driven,” Aiello said. “There are 224 separate cameras – with multiple views – that have no policies and no procedures. People can do whatever they want, or not do anything with it.

This allows one voice for the community, so we can work together with community leaders.”

Aiello said that only one person would be able to access the video, who would judge law enforcement requests in accordance with pre-set policies. Videos would only be released “on a case-by-case basis, for investigatory use only” for crimes reported to the San Francisco Police Department. Videos would only be retained for 30 days, focus only on public space, and there would be an annual audit to ensure compliance with the policies, Aiello said.

“There will be no live monitoring of video, no audio/video recording, and no facial recognition,” Aiello said.

Aiello and others stressed that videos can exonerate people of crimes they did not commit.

“Sometimes eyewitness testimony is not as accurate as people would hope,” Aiello said. “Cameras, really, just show what happened.”

Randall Scott, the executive director of the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District, said there are 40 cameras in his district, which has a less restrictive policy than the one being proposed for Castro.

“In my experience, no one’s asked to remove them,” Scott said.

“They’ve only asked for more.” t

Matthew S. Bajko contributed reporting.

See page 6 >>

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<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Reporter • April 29-May 5, 2021

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t

Facts not faith needed for Better Market project T he public deserves real answers from several city agencies and BART about the proposed phase 1 Better Market Street project (http://bettermarketstreetsf.org/index.html), which would tear up Market Street, between Fifth and Eighth streets, for as long as two to four years to replace water, sewer, and rail lines. This would suspend service for the popular F Line historic streetcars, which will negatively impact Castro-area businesses already struggling to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. As we reported last week, streetcar service would be replaced with buses, a less attractive experience that won’t entice tourists with rides from Fisherman’s Wharf to the Castro.

On April 26, the Community Advisory Committee for Better Market Street held a virtual meeting – it has been discussing the project for years – and heard updated reports from San Francisco Public Works, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Estimated to cost $80 million, the phase 1 project already has funding lined up, including state and federal grants and city bond money.

But after the presentation, committee members focused on how to shorten the construction timeline. Committee member Peter Straus pointed out that phase 1 involves only a small section of Market Street.

What about the rest of the major artery, he asked, and speculated that the F Line could be out of service for a decade or longer as other parts of the street get their makeovers.

Cristina Olea from public works pointed out that phase 1 is “meant to be exploratory” and that funding has not been secured for other segments of Market Street. “We don’t know enough about the rest of the corridor,”

Courtesy SFMTA

A slide shows old Muni tracks over the years, and what will be done during phase 1 of Better Market Street between Fifth and Eighth streets.

she said. “I’m asking you to take a leap of faith on phase 1.”

The discussion turned to accelerating the project after Olea mentioned that the construction crews had worked on the Third Street Bridge renovation 24/7 so that it would be ready for the opening of the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center. But when she said that a similar effort might not be sustainable for Market Street, committee member Rick Laubscher, president and CEO of the nonprofit Market Street Railway, had had enough. Referencing the wealthy owners of the basketball team and how work was speeded up for them, Laubscher questioned the city’s commitment to small businesses that would be severely impacted by the loss of the F Line, including those in the Castro and Mid-Market. “The surface work is desirable. It’s the underneath stuff that’s a real problem.

I’m not hearing enough of a commitment to the schedule,” he said, and explained that the environmental impact report that had already been approved stated a one-and-a-half to two-year disruption. “Now it’s three years and could vary between two and four,” he said. “Merchants and bicyclists will be inconvenienced. You ask us to

take a leap of faith ... but I am worried about it.”

Committee member Jim Haas, a gay man, has had a literal bird’s eye view in front of his apartment of another public works project that is updating Van Ness Avenue with dedicated bus lanes to improve traffic flow. The Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit project, which broke ground in 2017, was planned to be completed in 2019. Still ongoing, the estimated completion date is 2022. “I’ve never felt the contractors had any sense of urgency,” he said of that project. “Build some urgency into this. Work 10 hours a day instead of eight; speed it up a little.”

Olea said project officials are considering including incentives in the contract to reward quicker progress, but the final draft would have to be reviewed by the city attorney’s office. “We would like to work in urgency,” she said.

No one from BART spoke during the meeting, but its portion of the project is limited compared to the other city agencies. Gay BART Director Bevan Dufty told us last week that the transit agency needs to install canopies above entrances to comply with state law. At Monday’s meeting it was pointed out that BART needs to install new grates.

Small businesses, residents and riders who will be adversely affected by the loss of the F Line during this project deserve answers and a real plan, not asked to take it all on faith. As one speaker pointed out, people don’t care about what pipes are beneath the street. They do care about delays and inconvenience, which seem inevitable on big infrastructure projects like Better Market Street even if incentives are part of the contract. The community advisory committee plans to meet again May 17. The San Francisco Transportation Authority, which comprises 11 members of the Board of Supervisors, will hear about the project May 25. City agencies should be upfront with all stakeholders about delays and develop some concrete solutions to lessen the consequences. t

It’s time to honor this landmark of lesbian history

by Christina Morris

O

n a hilly residential street in Noe Valley, the small house at 651 Duncan Street gives no hint of its outsized role in influencing over 50 years of LGBTQIA+ civil rights. From the moment they purchased the property together in 1955, partners, advocates, and authors Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin energized the San Francisco LGBTQIA+ community, offering their home as a safe space for women to champion women’s rights. Over many decades they successfully fought to validate and decriminalize lesbian identity, shape anti-violence and antidiscrimination policies, and promote marriage equality and elder rights.

At a time when lesbianism was characterized as immoral or illegal, there were almost no public places lesbians could safely meet in 1955. This is why the Lyon-Martin House had to serve as the de facto headquarters for the Daughters of Bilitis, the first national lesbian rights organization and one of the most influential and enduring LGBTQIA+ organizations in the United States.

Over the next four decades, Lyon and Martin would be instrumental in founding or supporting numerous organizations, councils, and commissions that advocated for gender equality and LGBTQIA+ civil rights.

Their lifetime of work touched the lives of countless women and men struggling with their identity and sexuality, who were seeking to achieve self-acceptance while also combatting discrimination, harassment, and violence. In her public comment letter to the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission in February, Mary Means, the groundbreaking founder of the nationwide Main Street program, shared just how much the writings of Lyon and Martin meant to her – and many girls like her – growing up in the 1950s.

“Had it not been for courageous Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, their pioneering visibility and their magazine The Ladder (which came in a brown paper wrapper), many more of us would have buried our silent pain with alcohol and drugs, or even ended our lives,” Means wrote.

Remarkably, Lyon and Martin continued to shatter barriers well into their 80s, achieving international recognition in 2004 as the first samesex couple married in San Francisco by thenmayor Gavin Newsom. Lyon acknowledged the broad-reaching implications of their 2004 wedding saying, “We got it started for everybody else.

Rick Gerharter

The home of late lesbian pioneers Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin sits on a hilly street in Noe Valley.

We didn’t get married just for us. We knew it was important to a lot of other people.”

The couple married a second time in 2008 immediately following the California Supreme Court decision In re Marriage Cases – in which Lyon and Martin were plaintiffs – establishing that it is unconstitutional for the state to ban same-sex couples from obtaining a civil marriage. Upon the passing of Martin in 2008, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) credited them with paving the way for so many other same sex couples, saying, “We would not have marriage equality in California if it weren’t for Del and Phyllis.”

While the many achievements of Lyon and Martin have earned accolades, from the American Civil Liberties Union to NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists to the White House, the home where they lived together for 65 years and conducted much of their work is largely unknown and unprotected. In the documentary entitled “No Secret Anymore: The Life and Times of Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin,” Lyon observed that she and Martin never would have been able to achieve the level of political activism and organizing they did in San Francisco if not for their purchase of the Duncan Street property years earlier.

It is a problem that is all too common. Sites of women’s history and LGBTQIA+ history are woefully underrepresented in official designations, such as the National Register of Historic Places and city local landmark programs. Even in a city like San Francisco with such a rich LGBTQIA+

history, only four of the city’s hundreds of local landmarks are listed for their representation of LGBTQIA+ achievements. And none of them recognize the importance of lesbian activism.

It is this kind of systemic disparity that inspired the National Trust for Historic Preservation to launch a new national campaign for Where Women Made History to identify, honor, and elevate places across the country where women have changed their communities and changed the world. By galvanizing support for the preservation of sites like the Lyon-Martin House, we help create a more truthful and inclusive collective history where people can see themselves reflected in the places around them.

Thanks to the leadership of gay San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, the Friends of Lyon-Martin House, and many others, the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission took a critical step in February by approving designation of the Lyon-Martin House as San Francisco’s first local landmark of lesbian activism.

The Board of Supervisors Land Use and Transportation Committee unanimously approved landmarking the house at its April 26 meeting; the matter now moves to the full board May 4.

With its vote the Board of Supervisors can honor the pioneering roles that Lyon and Martin played in shaping policies that benefited not only the LGBTQIA+ communities in San Francisco, but across the nation. And a vote for landmark designation also will provide critical protection for this modest home so that the accomplishments of Lyon and Martin will be remembered and serve as a source of inspiration for years to come.

With the support of the property’s new owner and Mandelman, a coalition – including the Friends of Lyon-Martin House, the GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco Heritage, CyArk, and the National Trust – has formed to conduct extensive documentation of the Lyon-Martin House and make its history widely accessible to new audiences, while also identifying contemporary uses for the property that will encourage a new generation of activists to build on Lyon and Martin’s legacy.

The Board of Supervisors should embrace this opportunity to correct decades of oversight and inequity by approving the Lyon-Martin House as a San Francisco landmark of women’s history and LGBTQIA+ civil rights activism. t Christina Morris is senior field director of the Los Angeles Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and manager of the National Trust’s campaign for Where Women Made History.

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Politics >>

April 29-May 5, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Mahogany seeks to be SF Dems 1st trans Black party chair

by Matthew S. Bajko

A

year after becoming the first nonmale identified transgender person elected to the body that oversees the San Francisco Democratic Party, Honey Mahogany is now aiming to become its first transgender chair and first drag queen to lead the local party.

If Mahogany is elected, it is believed she would also be the first Black person to ever chair the local party.

Mahogany, who also identifies as queer and nonbinary, is set to officially announce her candidacy for the party post at noon Thursday, April 29, at the corner of Turk and Taylor streets. It is the site of the Compton’s Cafeteria riot in August 1966, the first documented trans uprising in American history.

“I do feel like I am ready to take over as chair,” Mahogany, the chief legislative aide for District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney, told the Bay Area Reporter. “I think the timing is right with all the anti-trans legislation we are seeing passing across state legislatures across this country and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement and the Chauvin case just receiving a verdict.”

Due to his being elected as the incoming vice chair of the California Democratic Party, gay San Francisco Democratic Party Chair David Campos plans to step down from the local leadership position after he is sworn in to the statewide post May 1 during the state party’s virtual convention this weekend. Campos, formerly the city’s District 9 supervisor and now chief of staff for embattled District Attorney Chesa Boudin, has led the local party since the summer of 2017.

He will remain an elected member of the Democratic County Central Committee, which runs the San Francisco Democratic Party. Having first appointed Mahogany to a vacant seat on the DCCC, Campos is supporting her to be his successor as chair when the DCCC members vote at their May 26 meeting.

“Given what is happening with the trans community, it will send a powerful statement,” said Campos.

According to several DCCC members the B.A.R. spoke with, it appears Mahogany has the votes needed to become chair. So far no other DCCC member has indicated they plan to run for the chair position against her.

Thus, Mahogany is set to become one of the highest-ranking trans and nonbinary Democratic Party officials in the state and country. And she will

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McSpadden

From page 1

discriminated against and provides a mechanism for reporting violators to DAS. Yet few complaints have been received, said McSpadden, whose department has worked with the local facilities to train them on LGBTQ cultural competency and the needs of their residents.

“We have heard more anecdotally from people who work at those facilities that they really welcome it to have and share with families, caregivers and individuals themselves,” she said. “Often LGBTQ seniors don’t even know these are their rights and don’t consider they have rights as LGBTQ people, so it is helpful to share the information with them.”

SOGI data

One key area McSpadden, who has worked in various roles at DAS for 18 years, took a leadership role in was the collection of sexual orientation and gender identity data.

The department has helped train other local aging agencies on how

Courtesy Honey Mahogany

Honey Mahogany is seeking to be elected the city’s next Democratic Party chair.

also be one of the highest-ranking out Black LGBTQ Democratic Party leaders in California.

In San Francisco, Mahogany will join bisexual college board president Shanell Williams as the top-ranking LGBTQ Black leader on an elected body. Mahogany is a San Francisco native, like Williams, and grew up in the Sunset district.

“I think it will be such a powerful thing to have a Black trans person as head of the San Francisco Democratic Party,” said Mahogany, especially when the city’s top two officials, Mayor London Breed and Board of Supervisors President Shamann Walton, who represents District 10, are also Black.

“I just think it would be an amazing opportunity for San Francisco to again invest in Black leadership and Black trans leadership at this time. It would speak to San Francisco’s tradition of being a progressive beacon and ideal for the liberal movement and the Democratic Party in general.”

With the city dealing with myriad issues wrought by the COVID pandemic, and local elections set to take place next year, Mahogany told the B.A.R. she would like to assist in the efforts to revive the city’s economy and address the various issues it is facing, such as homelessness and a lack of affordable housing, as party chair.

“For me, politics is a means to an end,” said Mahogany. “I think that our city is really in a state of crisis right now, and we are going to need both to be able to bring people together as best we can and really create policies that will help us build a new future post-pandemic. I think the Democratic Party has an important role in that.

“We do endorse ballot measures and policies that will be an important part

to gather the SOGI information and to use it to address gaps in service among LGBTQ older adults.

For San Francisco, the SOGI data has revealed that although LGBTQ seniors are comfortable accessing programs specifically targeted for them, they are less likely to seek out services developed for a general older adult population. And the information collected helped DAS pivot early in the COVID pandemic to help LGBTQ seniors with food assistance to ensure their pantries didn’t go bare due to their having to sequester at home.

“What I learned from this is we were fortunate we had the ‘LGBTQ Aging at the Golden Gate’ policy recommendations to use as fodder for us,” said McSpadden.

Other issues among LGBTQ seniors the SOGI data had already showcased that were exacerbated

by COVID included social isolation and suicidal ideation in older people and people with disabilities. DAS early on in the pandemic worked to address those needs with its community partners, such as LGBTQ senior services agency Openhouse and Shanti, which provides support to older and vulner-

of our restructuring, and we endorse candidates we trust in and believe will lead us in the right direction,” Mahogany added. “I want to be a part of that.”

As for Campos, he is the focus of speculation that he will run to be city attorney in 2022 with the expected departure of City Attorney Dennis Herrera later this summer to take over as general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Breed on Monday named Herrera to take over the troubled agency, whose previous general manager, Harlan Kelly, was arrested last November by federal authorities on corruption charges.

Once Herrera is officially given the GM job, Breed will be able to name his successor as city attorney. But she is unlikely to do so until later this summer so the person does not have to run to fill out Herrera’s term through the end of 2022 on the same ballot as the recall of Governor Gavin Newsom this fall. The Republican-backed push to remove Newsom from office was officially declared as having met its needed threshold of signatures to qualify by Secretary of State Shirley Weber on Monday.

Instead, the person will likely have to run on the June primary ballot in 2022 and then seek a full four-year term on the November ballot that year.

Campos told the B.A.R. Tuesday that he has not made a decision on whether to run for city attorney.

“I haven’t really thought much about it,” said Campos, who worked for Herrera’s office years ago and has long been talked about as likely to run to succeed him whenever he decided to depart.

He did express concerns that Breed will now get to choose the person who will oversee the corruption investigations Herrera has begun into various city departments and City Hall sparked by the January 2020 arrest of former Public Works director Mohammed Nuru on federal fraud charges. The federal investigation led to Harlan’s arrest as well as the resignation of his wife, Naomi Kelly, as city administrator.

“I am worried about the fact there are ongoing investigations of the current administration and the mayor is going to appoint the person who will oversee those investigations,” said Campos. “That is really troubling to me; it is not how it should work.” t

able adults through programs like its Pets Are Wonderful Support.

“Due to the fear of COVID and the fear of coming out, there was just an incredible loneliness,” noted McSpadden, who like many DAS employees was redirected to work on the city’s COVID response in addition to continuing to focus on their regular duties. “We started off early figuring out how to mobilize resources, such as volunteer resources, for getting help to people in their homes.”

McSpadden praised her staff for being able to quickly mobilize at the start of the pandemic to address the needs of the department’s clients.

Many continued to venture out into the field despite the health risks to ensure people’s needs were met.

“They are committed to the people they serve even though it is hard to go out when you are unsure if you will get ill or if the PPE is protecting you and if your clients are protected,” she said. “We are serving some of the most vulnerable. I think we learned lasting lessons on how to break down silos between city departments.”

See page 8 >>

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<< Community News

6 • Bay Area Reporter • April 29-May 5, 2021

<<

Wait list is long at SF’s Openhouse

Housing

From page 2

3%, identified as being age 65 or older.

“The homelessness rate was substantially higher among respondents whose immediate family had kicked them out of the house, with nearly three-quarters (74%) of these respondents experiencing homelessness,” the survey results report states. “The homelessness rate was also nearly twice as high among respondents who have done sex work (59%) and those living with HIV (59%), as well as respondents who have lost their job because of their gender identity or expression (55%). Transgender women of color, including American Indian (59%), Black (51%), multiracial (51%), and Middle Eastern (49%) women, also experienced especially high rates of homelessness.”

Almost one-fourth of respondents, 23%, reported experiencing housing discrimination in the previous year (such as eviction or being denied a home or apartment) because of their trans identity.

“Many of those who experienced homelessness in the past year reported that they avoided using a shelter because they feared being mistreated as a transgender person, and those who did use a shelter in the past year faced high rates of mistreatment based on their transgender status, such as being kicked out of the shelter, being verbally harassed, physically attacked, or sexually assaulted,” the report continued.

As the B.A.R. previously reported the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced in February that discriminating against people because of their gender identity is illegal under its reading of the Fair Housing Act. Laying aging onto the intersecting tracks of the LGBTQ and minority communities reveals an even more complex story. Studies have shown that LGBTQ people face greater health disparities, in the aggregate, than cisgender and heterosexual communities – challenges that increase as people age, and that make work and access to housing more difficult.

Steven P. Wallace, Ph.D., a professor at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, was a leading expert on aging and communities of color, until

Rick Gerharter

The Openhouse LGBTQ-affirming apartment complex at 95 Laguna Street opened in 2019.

his unexpected death last month.

Wallace co-wrote a 2011 report on the health of aging LGB adults in California, focusing on people ages 50-70.

Speaking to the B.A.R. March 3, before his passing, Wallace said researchers had to focus on that population specifically because the California Health Interview Survey data at the time yielded more uncertainty about the data for people over 70. Gender identity was not yet a standard demographic question on the survey, with the first release of trans data from the survey happening only in 2017.

“Twenty-two percent of transgender adults have ever attempted suicide, compared to 4 percent of cisgender adults,” the UCLA center stated at that time. “Transgender adults are about three times more likely to have had lifetime suicidal thoughts, 34% to 10%, and nearly four times more likely to have experienced serious psychological distress in the past year, 33% compared to 9%,” according to the brief. “They are significantly more likely to report having a disability due to a physical, mental or emotional condition, 60% to 27%. They are more likely to delay or not get needed doctor-prescribed medicine compared to cisgender adults, 32% compared to 11%.”

Wallace said that when he studied LGB adults, “we found gay men were more likely to have hypertension, diabetes, psychological distress and chronic condition, a series of chronic conditions.”

Lesbians also faced challenges.

“Lesbians did not have the chronic

physical conditions; and high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease were basically the same,” Wallace said.

“But when you look at psychological distress, that was higher, along with physical disability and poor self-image.

The gay men and lesbians were more likely to say their health was fair or poor.”

Wallace said that the 2011 survey was “one of the most cited pieces I’ve written,” which illustrates the need for more studies of LGBTQ elder health.

“What that shows is the need for and limited supply of systematic data on LGBTQ older adults, to be quite honest,” Wallace said. “We definitely need more data and research.”

Wallace died unexpectedly March 30 at age 63, according to an announcement from the center.

“Dr. Wallace was an internationally-renowned scholar on health, health disparities, and health policy of older adults, immigrants, and communities of color including Latinx, American Indian and Alaska Natives, African Americans, and Asian Americans,” the center stated in its announcement.

A more recent report from Wallace on the demographics of older adults in communities of color found that older people, particularly LGBTQ people of color, face a triple-threat in terms of health risks and interventions.

In homeless counts, Wallace said he knew age and gender were included but was not sure about sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data.

“In LA county, the over-50 population is overrepresented in the homeless population,” he said.

was a time when gay people really just wanted to be left alone to do their own thing. The last thing we need in these post-Snowden days of mass surveillance is a convenient government database. The Nazis found the “Jude” data collection from the 1930 census to be quite convenient.

Imagine, you show up to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital in an ambulance for a broken leg and your glee- fully displayed vaccine passport connects you to the health department’s SOGI database and it flashes to the triage nurse: “Oh, he’s a homosexual.” Now you get some judgmental doctor who sees blood and is afraid to work with blood in homosexuals and without telling you orders an HIV viral load test – even though it isn’t FDA approved for diagnostic or screening purposes and has a 20-70% false positive rate on HIV negatives, and traumatic injury is one of the conditions known to cause false positives. Now it comes back “positive” (which means nothing when used off-label) and you get sent over to the SFDPH for “surveillance” and they put you in a databases as a “suspect case” and then use your identity to inflate their “probable cases” for Ryan White Part A funding claims – for the rest of your life.

Meanwhile, your own treatment is delayed because the doctors don’t want to work with you until they get back the results of this lousy PCR test, and they’ve also called the SFPD officers who responded to the accident where you broke your leg, and they freak out because one of them accidentally touched blood, and now they come in and

As the B.A.R. has previously reported, San Francisco is unique among Bay Area municipalities in that it actually has two of the dozen LGBTQ-affirming affordable residences throughout the United States, according to a list provided by Services & Advocacy for LGBT Elders, or SAGE. The Openhouse residences are located at 55 and 95 Laguna Street near upper Market Street. Mercy Housing manages the apartments.

The city last year spent $12 million to purchase the building and parcel at 1939 Market Street, mere blocks away from Openhouse’s campus, to construct affordable senior housing aimed at LGBTQ older adults. The Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development is expected to announce the developer for the project sometime this year and a clearer sense of how many units it will comprise.

Combined, the Openhouse residences contain 119 units. However, older adults shouldn’t expect to be able to fill out an application anytime soon, according to Carrie Schell, a queer woman who is the manager of community support services at Openhouse.

Schell said that the waitlist for Openhouse grew so long – to some 500 people – that it was closed “a couple of years ago.”

When spaces do open up, “we work with Mercy Housing, our staff and theirs, to see who’s next on the list and we call to give an announcement to them if a unit is available.

“Filling out applications is sometimes confusing for people, so we make sure they have the correct documents,” Schell continued.

Most of the rents are established, Schell said: about $1,100 for a studio and $1,200 to $1,300 for a one-bedroom unit. This can sometimes be challenging for people on a fixed income.

“Mercy Housing requires 200% of rent, so if rent is $1,100 then you need $2,200 [in monthly income] to be housed,” Schell said. “Now they are somewhat flexible on that. If they have enough to pay, even without much to have left, and we try to connect people to food resources and other kinds of subsidies. But there is a lack of a cushion, a lack of money, for a lot of se-

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niors, who sometimes are paying 90% of their income in rent.”

Mercy officials did not respond to a request for comment.

But just as finding a unit for interested individuals has become more difficult, so too has finding available rental subsidies.

“Q Foundation is on hold for new subsidies,” Schell said, referring to a San Francisco nonprofit that provides them. “That used to be something we’d be able to do, and because of COVID a lot of organizations are really impacted, so that’s not as much of an option anymore.”

Q Foundation confirmed that its publicly available rental subsidy programs are fully enrolled. It declined to make a subsidy recipient available.

Schell said that offering more rental subsidies would be less costly to the government than allowing people to live on the street.

“The city is moving in the right direction, with new buildings opening up, but we definitely need to push harder for more subsidized housing,” Schell said. “Living on [Social Security], or with disability in below market-rate housing is still not affordable. It’s more expensive to keep people homeless than to help people, especially our seniors. It’s harder to allow them to exist that way, and it’s unethical, in my opinion.”

Some of the units at Openhouse are set aside for people who are formerly homeless, or who are living with HIV, as part of government programs.

Continuum of care units are “specifically set aside for people who’ve struggled with homelessness,” Schell said. Tenants are chosen “not from a linear list, but [from] a pool of people” who qualify, by the Housing Authority. (Openhouse and Mercy don’t control who goes into those units, Schell said.) There are 23 COC units between the two buildings.

There are six units set aside through Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS, the only federal program dedicated to the housing needs of people with HIV/AIDS. “It kind of operates in the same way, where they prioritize some people over others based on need,” Schell said. The HOPWA program, which See page 10 >>

Letters >> A SOGI data nightmare

Regarding your article that the San Francisco Health Department lags other city agencies in collecting LGBTQ health data euphemistically called SOGI (since we need a separate acronym): good [“On LGBTQ data, SF health department lags other city agencies,” April 15]. There

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say, “Aha! You have viremia!” and then instead of asking you whether you want to take HIV meds immediately based on this bogus off-label test you didn’t know they were going to administer, and they trigger Stevens-Johnson syndrome and now your skin is falling off and you’re in critical at the ICU when really all you just wanted was them to put your leg in a cast. When you wake up then they say you have to keep taking the meds and when you respond, “Well, I want to have a confirmatory test and perform a differential diagnosis,” they come back with a psychiatrist and have you declared “in denial” and then get you declared insane and force medicate you ... and send you a bill.

All because of the SOGI data.

Thomas J. Busse San Francisco

Nothing lucky about Lucky Strike

I am very upset to see the Lucky Strike cigarette ad on your pages [April 22 print edition]. Cigarettes kill nearly half a million Americans each year from smoking-related diseases, like emphysema, lung cancer, and so on, and to see this ad in a gay newspaper is very disturbing. I am an MD and I know what I am talking about. Many people in America do not know about it but I know,

believe me. I see a lot of them in San Francisco General Hospital every day. We’re doing vaccination against COVID-19 right now, and smoking problems became in the shadow. But look, how many kids in our schools try to smoke cigarettes every day? I am sure that the gay community of San Francisco is against it too, but this kind of ad helps Americans to kill themselves. I understand that we need money. But all the money in the world cannot buy health. Lucky Strikes is not lucky at all, because it is deadly.

Georgy Prodorov San Francisco

Clarification

The April 22 article, “Founder Stevens buys back Curve magazine,” was incomplete in not stating what the publication schedule would be now that it is overseen by The Curve Foundation. It turns out that Curve magazine will not resume print or online publication of new issues right now.

Rather, as Frances “Franco” Stevens’ wife, Jen Rainin, told the Bay Area Reporter after the article was published: “The Curve Foundation has decided not to publish new issues of the magazine at this time. We are focused on lifting up the archive and putting out new writing around some of the archived articles quarterly.”

The online version has been updated.

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<< Community News

8 • Bay Area Reporter • April 29-May 5, 2021

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Union City man to be arraigned in killing of trans woman

by John Ferrannini

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Union City man will be arraigned April 29 on charges he murdered a transgender woman last week in Milpitas.

The killing of drag performer Natalia Smüt Lopez, 24, of San Jose, sent shockwaves through the South Bay’s LGBTQ community. She is the 16th victim of anti-transgender violence this year in the United States, according to the Project MORE Foundation, a nonprofit service provider to South Bay LGBTQs. Prosecutors allege that Elijah Cruz Segura, 22, stabbed Lopez to death early April 23. The two “had been dating for several months,” the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office stated in a news release.

Segura will continue to be held without bail until the arraignment takes place. It was originally scheduled for the afternoon of April 27 at the San Jose Hall of Justice, but Segura’s attorney, Peter Johnson, asked for more time to meet with his client, and that request was granted by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Vincent J. Chiarello.

Segura called 911 around 2:30 a.m.

April 23, the district attorney’s office went on to state, and officers respond-

ing at a residence in Milpitas found Lopez with multiple stab wounds. Segura had visible blood on both of his hands and was arrested at the scene. Lopez was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Rebekah Wise, a deputy district attorney with the office’s homicide unit, told the B.A.R. that nobody was aware that Segura had hired Johnson prior to the April 27 hearing, and so the continuance was to give Johnson the opportunity to meet with his client for the first time prior to an arraignment.

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen stated that it is the “everlasting hope” of prosecutors to see violence against the trans community come to an end.

“Our hearts go out to Natalia’s loved ones,” Rosen stated. “We are committed to getting justice for our community against those who commit domestic violence and violence against transgender and nonbinary people.”

Johnson, who is defending Segura, is based in Walnut Creek. He could not be reached for comment by press time.

Lopez’s family was at the San Jose Hall of Justice April 27 for the originally scheduled arraignment.

Another news release, from Mothers against Murder, a Los Altos-based nonprofit that advocates for crime victims, is calling attention to a Go-

Courtesy Facebook

Natalia Smüt Lopez

FundMe account seeking financial support for Lopez’s family. The fundraiser had raised $10,000 out of a $22,500 goal as of April 28.

“Our hearts are aching,” Lopez’s sister, Vanessa Singh, stated. “We are still in shock and overwhelmed with painful feelings. We feel a need to be pres-

ent in court when the accused appears before the judge to face the charge of murdering my beautiful sister.”

The GoFundMe is being organized

by Lopez’s friend, Kiara Ohlde. “Natalia was ... so young and so full of life! She was fabulous,” it states. “She would step into a room like a firework.

Everywhere she went, she brought energy, fierce looks, and a personality that shined bright like a diamond. Her beautiful soul and presence is no longer here on earth with us anymore but she is forever in our hearts. If anyone can find it in their heart to donate to help support the family, we would appreciate it so much as this was so sudden. Honestly, anything helps. Thank you. We love you Natalia [Smüt] Lopez and we will continue to seek justice for you until justice is served. All money goes directly to Natalia’s older sister, Vanessa Singh.”

Victim remembered

There was an outpouring of mourning for Lopez in and around San Jose’s new Qmunity District last weekend. A community vigil was held in her honor April 24 at City Hall, and Mac’s Club hosted a potluck the following day. The queer district centers on Post Street. The color of the lights in the Qmunity District were changed

to the colors of the trans flag for 16 days beginning April 24. “[Lopez] was known best for her motivating and creative spirit, captivating performances, and her love for advocacy within the community,” Nathan Svoboda, a gay man who is president of the Project MORE Foundation, wrote in an email. “Project MORE and the Qmunity District extend their condolences to loved ones, friends, and the community members who knew Natalia and to everyone triggered by this tragic incident.”

Speaking with the B.A.R. April 26, Svoboda said the vigil “was coordinated by members of the drag community and members of the family, just kind of an organic thing happening.”

“Where we got involved is we coordinated and managed with the Qmunity District in downtown San Jose,” Svoboda said. “Our part was to do what we could do for Natalia, to bring awareness to the senseless violence trans people are experiencing, people of color are experiencing, and have for some time.”

Svoboda expressed his sorrow that Lopez died at such a young age.

“Natalia was a person full of life and seemed like a person starting to be her authentic self, who also was fairly talented and becoming quite the drag performer,” Svoboda said. “She didn’t have the opportunity to showcase her talents at LGBTQ nightclubs, venues, and Pride events due to COVID, and so it’s sad that others can’t see the firecracker entertainer we had the opportunity to see in our community.”

Lopez could have helped others, he noted, come into their authentic selves, too.

“She was supportive of others in the trans community and others in transition,” Svoboda said, “so we’re losing a trusted person to help our trans community members and people in the process of transitioning. Having a peer or mentor is so helpful.” t

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McSpadden

From page 5

Having worked on the efforts to gather SOGI data, McSpadden said she wasn’t surprised to see the problems in collecting LGBTQ demographic info that the COVID pandemic brought to light. As the B.A.R. has reported, various issues have impeded local and state health officials from knowing exactly how widespread COVID infections have been within the LGBTQ community or how many LGBTQ individuals have gotten vaccinated.

McSpadden noted that she and her DAS colleagues continue to encounter pushback from some individuals who question why SOGI data is needed.

“We have a tough road ahead of us, even in 2021, to explain why this is important. I still have family members who say why should a person share such personal information,” she said. “We in queer communities in San Francisco have moved so far beyond that and so have our allies, but a lot of people haven’t. It has been a battle to get to the point where we normalize SOGI data like we have normalized a lot of other demographic information.”

The work that DAS and its nonprofit partners have done on SOGI data is one of her prouder achievements, said McSpadden. One of the projects it has overseen is conducting an LGBTQ COVID-19 survey whose results should be ready for release in the coming weeks.

“The staff here and our community providers have taken a lead on this. It is one of the programs we stepped out in front of and have been bold about it,” said McSpadden. “There are still a number of See page 11 >>

Community News>>

t Bonta sworn in as state’s new attorney general

April 29-May 5, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

compiled by Cynthia Laird

G

overnor Gavin Newsom swore in Rob Bonta as California’s 34th attorney general April 23. A national leader in the fight to reform the justice system, Bonta, a former East Bay assemblyman, is the first Filipino American in the state’s history to serve in the role.

But Bonta, an ally to the LGBTQ community, will have a race on his hands to keep the position. Already candidates have announced they will run against him, including Anne Marie Schubert, a lesbian who is the Sacramento County district attorney and a registered independent. Moderate Republican Nathan Hochman, former assistant attorney general in the Bush administration and the former president of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission, has also announced he is in the race.

Bonta must run in 2022 for a full term but could end up having to run to fill out his predecessor Xavier Becerra’s term on the same ballot as the recall against Newsom, which is expected to be held before year’s end. (State officials said Monday that Newsom opponents had gathered enough valid signatures to force a recall.)

During last week’s virtual ceremony, the governor praised Bonta.

“California and the nation need leaders like Rob Bonta to meet this pivotal moment in our history with the courage, energy and tenacity it will take to shape a society more reflective of our values,” Newsom stated. “Carrying the lessons of his remarkable upbringing at the center of historic social justice movements, Rob has been at the forefront of courageous fights for racial, economic and environmental justice from day one. As attorney general, Rob brings to bear the legal and moral authority to effectively engage a broad array of groups – community leaders, law enforcement, the Legislature and

more – in a meaningful dialogue, so that California continues to build bridges and advance together in a direction that does justice to all our communities.”

Confirmed by the Legislature April 22, Bonta was selected by Newsom to fill the position vacated

by Becerra, who was recently sworn in as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The governor announced the nomination in March at the historic International Hotel in San Francisco, a site where Asian and Pacific Islander Californians famously rallied in 1977 to save the homes of elderly residents and preserve their community.

“Thank you, Governor Newsom for the faith and trust you have placed in me. Serving as California’s attorney general is the honor of a lifetime,” Bonta stated. “There are a lot of challenges we face across America today. People see institutions that work well for those with wealth and power – at the expense of everyone else.”

With Bonta officially in office, Newsom announced Monday that there will be a special election Au-

Obituaries >> Kim Raasch

Irene Smith

July 23, 1960 – April 25, 2021

January 23, 1945 – April 4, 2021

Kimberly Donald Raasch passed away April 25, 2021 at the home of his sister, Melody Beres, in Quinnesec, Michigan.

He was born July 23, 1960 at home on the family farm, Town of Grant, Rusk County, Wisconsin, to Marian E. Raasch, née Weltzin, and delivered by his father, Robert E. Raasch.

Kim attended Ladysmith High School, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Wisconsin-Superior. Kim was proud of being in the U.S. Air Force ROTC. Kim was a lifelong member of the Republican Party. He resided in Denver, Colorado and then many years in San Francisco.

Kim worked as a technical support specialist, and then as a caregiver for people with special needs.

After leaving San Francisco in 2017 Kim lived and worked in Quinnesec with his sister, who graciously provided hospice care so that Kim could pass away at home with his beloved dog Shakira at his side.

In addition to his sister, Kim is survived by his dad, Robert J. Tomaszewski, of Ladysmith, Wisconsin; sister Dawn (Gary) Adams of Ojibwa, Wisconsin; brothers Greg and Timothy of Ladysmith; Kelly of Toledo, Ohio; and Robert “Zip” of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

San Francisco lost one of its greathearted citizens when the beloved Irene Smith, the first person to offer massage to people with AIDS, left her body from complications of esophageal cancer. As she transitioned, the woman whose touch was the last loving contact that so many received prior to their deaths was surrounded 24/7 by equally selfless caregivers who ensured she could die in her longtime Cole Valley garret.

Irene may have been born in Seattle, but it was the fierce independent spirit of a staunchly idiosyncratic Texan and niece of country singer Hank Williams that lived within her. Voted the prettiest girl in her high school, she migrated to San Francisco where a life of drugs, alcohol, and sex work was transformed through workshops with the foremost expert on death and dying, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.

Inspired by her mentor, Irene began offering massage through Hospice of San Francisco. When AIDS hit, she began going room-to-room on Ward 5B, the AIDS Ward of San Francisco General Hospital. Years later, Irene was the first person inducted into the National AIDS Memorial Grove for AIDS service.

After establishing massage programs for people living with AIDS worldwide through her organization, Service Through Touch, Irene founded Everflowing and taught mindful

Courtesy Governor’s Office

Governor Gavin Newsom, right, applauds after swearing in Rob Bonta April 23 as the state’s new attorney general.

gust 31, with a June 29 primary, to fill his East Bay Assembly seat, which includes Oakland, Alameda, and San Leandro. Already three LGBTQ candidates have stated they will run: James Aguilar, a member of the San Leandro school board; social justice attorney Janani Ramachandran; and San Leandro City Councilman Victor Aguilar Jr. (no relation to James). Bonta’s wife, Mia Bonta, president of the Alameda school board, is also running for the seat, as is Malia Vella, the vice mayor of Alameda.

NCLR to recognize B.A.R. at virtual gala

The Bay Area Reporter will be recognized by the National Center for Lesbian Rights for its 50 years of covering the LGBTQ community at the nonprofit’s Champions for Justice virtual gala Saturday, May 8, at 6 p.m. Pacific Time.

Another queer media outlet, the Windy City Times in Chicago, will also be honored, along with people who have made a difference in fighting for the LGBTQ community.

They include Dee Deirdre Farmer, an advocate for incarcerated people; poet Andrea Gibson; gay Pennsylvania state Representative Malcolm Kenyatta; former pro football player Chris Kluwe of Athlete Ally; trans

touch as an integral component to end-of-life care. Untold numbers of people worldwide have died feeling loved thanks to her book, “Massage in Hospice Care, An Everflowing Approach,” videos, workshops, and personal example.

An online memorial for Irene Smith will be held Thursday, May 27, at 3 p.m. To register, visit https:// www.mykeeper.com/event/irenesmith-memorial1/. For more on her life, see the recent letter to the editor at https://www.ebar.com/opinion/ letters/news//303922/letters_to_the_ When editor (second item).

Delaware state Senator Sarah McBride; and actor Ryan O’Connell.

Additional honorees are Radical Monarchs, an activism organization for girls of color; author Paola Ramos; cartoonist Rebecca Sugar; conversion therapy survivor Adam Trimmer; and Raquel Willis, an award-winning writer and activist.

Co-hosts for the evening will be Michelle Meow and Michael Tate.

Registration for the event is free, though donations are accepted. NCLR has a goal of raising $400,000, and as of press time had brought in nearly $270,000.

For more information and to sign up, go to https://app.mobilecause. com/e/p40jjw?vid=igwel.

AIDS grove recognizes Zamora scholars

The National AIDS Memorial Grove recently recognized this year’s Pedro Zamora scholars. The announcement coincided with National Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Day, which was April 15.

Last year, eight scholars were selected from six states and each received $5,000 in financial scholarships. Their studies and work range from mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS in communities of color and other marginalized communities and supporting mentor programs to reduce homelessness to helping people navigate the criminal justice system and providing counsel to help people living with HIV through the challenges of COVID-19, according to a news release.

The scholars are: Moses Aina, New York University Tisch; August Clayton, Towson University in Maryland; Caterina Dong, Brown University in Rhode Island; Bo Hwang, UCLA; Philip Jones, San Francisco State University; Adel-

eye Mesogboriwon, Edward Waters College in Florida; Brandon Staple, Colorado University; and Matthew Zheng, Stanford University.

The scholarship is named in the honor of the late AIDS educator, activist, and reality television pioneer who died more than 20 years ago from AIDS-related illness.

Applications for the Fall 2021/ Spring 2022 academic year are now being accepted. The deadline is July 15. For more information, go to https://www.aidsmemorial.org/ pedro-zamora-scholarship.

Coast Pride celebrates birthday with open house

Coast Pride in Half Moon Bay will celebrate its birthday next week, but unlike last year’s pandemic-induced virtual event, organizers are asking people to mask up and visit its new center for a quick tour and a cupcake.

The event takes place Thursday, May 6, from noon to 5 p.m. at the office, 711 Main Street in Half Moon Bay. Officials are also asking people to support this year’s Coastside Gives, an online fundraiser for coastside nonprofits. Coast Pride, with $11,000 in challenge grants, encourages people to donate between now and May 6 so that their donation can be doubled. For more information, go to https://www.coastsidegives.org/coastpride.

Finally, to kick off Pride Month in June, Coast Pride will have a car parade Monday, June 7, from noon to 1 p.m. Businesses are expected to display rainbow flags, and people can drive by and honk their support.

For more information about Coast Pride, go to https://coastpride.org/. t

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former longtime San Francisco resident and activist, died January 11 in Washington state, where she had been living in a memory care facility before being moved to hospice. She was 83.

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<< Community News

10 • Bay Area Reporter • April 29-May 5, 2021

<<

Housing

operates under the Department of Housing and Urban Development, “makes grants to local communities, states, and nonprofit organizations for projects that benefit low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families,” according to its website. HUD is thus in charge of those units, Schell said.

While many people are unable to get into Openhouse’s residences, the organization tries to help seniors where they are, too.

Schell said that one common situation the agency tries to assist with is when older people need accommodations to continue aging in place in their home, and where they often need to stay due to moving being prohibitively expensive.

“The need for LGBT seniors is so high,” Schell said. “So many people have been living, three stories up with rent control, and can’t afford to leave because their rent is, like, $500. But as they age, they can’t do stairs, so we work with people to see if we can find funding for a chair lift, for instance.”

Oftentimes landlords have to approve accommodations like chair lifts because of the Americans With Disabilities Act, “but won’t pay for it,” Schell said.

“It’s not that people need housing,” Schell said, about these situations. “It’s that the housing they’ve had for years, decades, isn’t suitable anymore, and they can’t afford to live anywhere else.”

The same challenge is sometimes faced by older people who live in single-room-occupancy units. “Living in an SRO, sharing a bathroom with 10 other people, becomes untenable,” Schell said.

Fimbres said that before Openhouse was completed, she and others were invited to tell the organization what trans people would need to be comfortable there, in exchange for a slot when it opened.

“They had an interview with trans senior women and men, and

<<

with Mercy Housing, have always followed fair housing rules and the San Francisco process for housing placement.”

From page 6

Fairfield police chief

From page 1

promised us housing when we gave feedback,” Fimbres said. “When it got off the ground, nobody got a place there and I felt like we were used. This was before anything was built. It just seems like they listened to what we said we wanted, but didn’t have a place for us. We were used for our knowledge.”

When asked about this, Karyn Skultety, Ph.D., a bisexual woman who is the outgoing executive director of Openhouse, told the B.A.R., “I cannot speak to this directly since it sounds like her experience is from several years ago.”

“Affordable housing is handled in San Francisco through a lottery system and residents cannot be preselected or chosen for any building,” Skultety said. “We are proud that due to Openhouse’s extensive outreach into the community, advocacy, and ongoing housing assistance services for LGBTQ+ seniors that our buildings are majority LGBTQ+. And, Openhouse, along

The city’s Our Trans Home initiative is tasked with providing rental subsidies to transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals, including trans seniors.

According to Clair Farley, a trans woman who is executive director of the city’s Office of Transgender Initiatives, Our Trans Home is funded to the tune of $1.6 million this fiscal year and is expected to be funded at around $1.7 million in Fiscal Year 2021-2022. With all city departments facing 7.5% cuts per Mayor London Breed’s directive to close budget deficits, however, this latter amount is subject to change.

Joaquin Remora, the program director at Our Trans Home, told the B.A.R. that there are 81 participants enrolled in subsidies, and there are 12 participants enrolled at the Bobbi Jean Baker house in the Mission district.

The program also provides housing subsidies to the Transgender District, the TGI Justice Project, and the Trans Activists for Justice and Accountability Coalition, Farley stated.

There are a total of 15 rooms in the Mission neighborhood house, so Our Trans Home is “currently assessing participants for three more rooms,” Remora stated.

The Bobbi Jean Baker house, on Capp Street, is intended for people currently experiencing homelessness. Residents in the three-floor house receive case management services. As the B.A.R. previously reported, Our Trans Home opened a residence on Washington Street in early 2020. In June of that year, it was moved to the Mission district, Farley confirmed.

child neglect, because of an unclean living environment and drug paraphernalia that was present in his house, according to the Cal Coast Times.

Orndoff’s daughters, then 7 and 9, were placed in foster care.

Cantrell did not report the theft for the first two hours after it happened, and a “be on the lookout alert” was not issued for more than eight hours after the gun was lost. The delay in reporting led to concerns from Fairfield officials after Cantrell’s hiring there

was announced, the Cal Coast Times reported.

“It was terrible,” Cantrell told the B.A.R. “That could have ended tragically. I am beyond careful and I don’t know how to explain that. I’m super proud of the way I handled it. I was incredibly humbled, and I was transparent. While there were headlines, it was fully investigated.”

Cantrell said it won’t happen again.

“I learned that the community wants transparency,” she said. “It was difficult for my community, difficult

Courtesy Karyn Skultety

Openhouse Executive Director Karyn Skultety, who will step down in May, spoke at a Board of Supervisors meeting after receiving the District 8 Visionary Woman Award in March 2019.

Courtesy B.A.R. Archive

The gun was recovered when a man describing himself as the brother-inlaw of the alleged gunpocket turned in the firearm.

Skeeter Carlos Mangan of Los Osos said he had taken the gun, according to an Associated Press wire story. No charges were filed.

A man named Cheyne Orndoff, who was misidentified as the man who took the gun, was arrested for

Our Trans Home

50 in 50: 1974, MCC confab in SF

M

etropolitan Community Churches was the first denomination to perform same-sex marriages (though they were not legally recognized at the time) and was at the forefront of LGBTQ rights battles. Started in 1968 by the Reverend Troy Perry, MCC at one time had two churches in San Francisco, and in 1974 its fifth annual conference was held in the city. The Bay

Area Reporter’s front page article (no date is listed) welcomed the confab and reported on local church officials preparing for the event. One of the goals of the conference, organizers said, was to show the straight community that LGBTQs were involved in “many other activities besides fun and frivolity.” To see the issue, go to https://archive.org/details/BAR_19740808.

When asked how many people over 65 are being served by Our Trans Home, how many people have been able to graduate from emergency housing to a subsidy, and how many of those are over 65, Remora wrote that “we are not at the moment prepared to present deeper demographics data as we are working on a data report in the moment.”

Our Trans Home officials said they would find a client to talk with the B.A.R. about housing but never did.

SFAF works on housing subsidies

Vince Crisostomo, a queer man who is the director of aging services with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and is the program manager of the Elizabeth Taylor 50-Plus Network, said that the foundation has a number of resources and connections that can help people stay housed.

The Elizabeth Taylor 50-Plus Network is so named because the “Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation was the lead funder for the 50-Plus Network with its five-year grant commitment to the program.

That funding was awarded in 2015 is now renewable on an annual basis, so the program will continue to be named in Elizabeth’s honor,” Chad Ngo, SFAF communications manager, stated to the B.A.R. The actress established the foundation that bears her name in 1991.

“50-Plus is made up of people from the AIDS generation – people who survived through the AIDS epidemic,” Crisostomo said.

“There’s a lot of trauma, a lot of unresolved feelings in the community.

“I’ve been with the program since 2014 and housing has been the No. 1 issue,” Crisostomo explained. “We have a housing benefits department that provides housing subsidies to clients, mostly 50+, and that links people to Q Foundation, or to [AIDS Legal Referral Panel] for legal help. There

for the police department; so I had lessons there I took away, but I’m also a human being and hope I’m not forever judged on one mistake after 27 years of carrying a firearm.”

Move to Fairfield

On October 14, 2020, Cantrell became Fairfield’s police chief, moving to the Solano County city with her partner, Kristi.

Cantrell said that in the past six months, “we’ve been working on our purpose and mission, starting to get the foundation.”

Cantrell said everything the department does should be connected to its mission statement.

“We exist in policing today to make people’s lives better and to decrease harm in the community,” she said. “At the root of what we do – ask any police officer – is helping people, helping youth, so having a purpose defined helps our vision and our values.”

Over the next year, that will be implemented in every facet of the department, including “training, performance evaluation, development, [and] promotions.”

Cantrell said she is supportive of non-police entities taking over some responsibility for public safety if it is in line with the police department’s mission. Restorative justice programs and youth programs can play a role, she said.

Already, Cantrell has told officers she does not need a traffic ticket quota.

“I don’t believe in just writing tickets,” she said. “I believe the reason we should write tickets is to avoid collisions, because that’s what causes harm. I don’t need the statistic.”

Already, Cantrell has met with Crisis Assistance Helping Out On the Streets, or CAHOOTS, in Denver, which as the B.A.R. previously report-

t

are other groups, like [Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom] that provide low-cost legal services.”

A person referred by Crisostomo ultimately declined to speak with the B.A.R. about housing issues.

Crisostomo is currently advocating for more housing subsidies in San Francisco for 300 households in Fiscal Year 2021-2022. He said that he planned to meet with gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman.

Mandelman provided the B.A.R. a copy of the budget request from the HIV/AIDS Providers Network, which includes SFAF. Three hundred housing subsidies, at $10,000 each, would cost $3 million.

“It is critical to support new housing subsidies for people living with HIV, to address the greatest disparity in health outcomes – housing status and homelessness,” the document states. “HAPN’s goal is to house 1,500 individuals living with HIV over the next five years (300 individuals/year).

For the first year, we request funding for housing subsidies for 300 households.”

This is one of six items in the budget request.

Mandelman told the B.A.R. that “I think the asks are strong and make sense.”

“There are housing subsidies [in the document], which are desperately needed,” Mandelman said. “In this 40th anniversary year of the first diagnosis, I support their asks and I think they are worthy and I’ll work with members to support as much of these as I possibly can.”

The budget has to be voted on by August 1, according to gay Mandelman aide Tom Temprano. Deliberations occur in June and it is voted on by the board in July. t This article was written with the support of a journalism fellowship from The Gerontological Society of America, The Journalists Network on Generations, and the RRF Foundation for Aging.

ed is a program in other jurisdictions that will send medical professionals to situations where that would be better called for.

“I think that if there’s any problem society can’t figure out, it’s gotten thrown at policing,” Cantrell continued. “We need more mental health services. We need more things outside policing. It’s stuff we’re working on.”

Jonathan Cook, a gay man who is the executive director of the Solano Pride Center, had positive things to say about Cantrell.

“She’s been here just a short amount of time, but she’s the first chief who has reached out to the Solano Pride Center, so I appreciate the effort she’s made,” Cook said.

Cantrell invited Cook to serve on the citizen police audit committee, which overviews complaints about police officers. He started in the beginning of April, and said she has made efforts also to reach out to the Black and Latino communities in Fairfield.

“Our community is so diverse, and of course, Black Americans are part of the LGBTQ community, so the national conversation we are having is something we are concerned about, and there is a historic connection with the Stonewall riots and [the] Compton’s [Cafeteria Riot],” Cook said, referring to the 1966 uprising in San Francisco. “But the fact that we have an out police chief in Fairfield is a significant improvement. I hope LGBTQ people can see themselves represented at all levels of government. And I applaud the chief for introducing herself to various community leaders.”

Ultimately, Cantrell said, the police and LGBTQ worlds need not be at odds.

“You can love both; they’re not mutually exclusive,” she said. “It may feel separate, but we’re not.” t

t <<

Community News>>

McSpadden

From page 8

other entities across the counties and at the state level that need to jump on that bandwagon and move this work forward.”

McSpadden, who has been serving as president of the California Association of Area Agencies on Aging, told the B.A.R. that she will

April 29-May 5, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

forever be proud of the leadership role she and her staff, along with community partners, have taken to address LGBTQ aging issues.

“It is certainly something I am proud of and something I will keep in my heart as I go from here into my new position,” she said.

Tom Nolan, 76, a gay man who is manager of special projects at DAS and staffed the LGBT Aging Policy

Task Force, called McSpadden “a fabulous leader” and an “inspired choice” to now be the city’s de facto homelessness czar.

“The mayor chose wisely and well,” said Nolan, who plans to remain working at the aging department.

Praising McSpadden’s ability to listen and then act on community concerns presented to her, Ambrunn told the B.A.R. he is confident

she will continue to be adept in her new role and is excited to she what proposals and programs she implements to address homelessness and housing insecurity among both LGBTQ seniors and youth.

“It is pretty well documented at this point the LGBTQ community is over represented in the homeless community and that includes, in particular, transgender people

who are aging and are part of that homeless community. I know Shireen will always keep them in mind and do whatever she can to make their lives better,” he said. t

name or names on 05/31/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/29/21.

APR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2021

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 10, 2021, 9:00 am, 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: MARISSA C. SMITH, 4306 GEARY BLVD #301, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118; Ph. (415) 742-4522.

APR 22, 29, MAY 06, 2021

authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: MAY 26, 2021, 9:00 am, 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: RICHARD H. MCKANNAY JR., 170 AVILA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123; Ph. (415) 217-9696.

APR 29, MAY 06, 13, 2021

consent of the other party or an order of the court, except in the usual course of business or for the necessities of life; and 4. Creating a nonprobate transfer or modifying a nonprobate transfer in the manner that affects the disposition of property subject to the transfer, without the written consent of the other party or an order of the court. Before revocation of a nonprobate transfer can take effect or a right of survivorship to property can be eliminated, notice of the change must be filed and served on the other party.

You must notify each other of any proposed extraordinary expenditures at least five business days prior to incurring these extraordinary expenditures and account to the court for all extraordinary expenditures made after these restraining orders are effective. However, you may use community property, quasi-community property, or your own separate property to pay an attorney to help you or to pay court costs.

APR 29, MAY 06, 13, 20, 2021

To read San Francisco’s 2014 LGBTQ aging report, visit https://bit.ly/3gNxIIe

Legals>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556235 In the matter of the application of ALVIN YANG, 2334 28TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner ALVIN YANG is requesting that the name ALVIN YANG be changed to ALVIN CHEN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 13th of MAY 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556223 In the matter of the application of JARELL MARSAE GREEN, AKA JARELL GREEN, 2500 ARELIOUS WALKER DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JARELL MARSAE GREEN, AKA JARELL GREEN is requesting that the name JARELL MARSAE GREEN, AKA JARELL GREEN be changed to JARELL MARSAE BOYD. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the11th of MAY 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE JD18-3146 In the matter of the application of SELENA RAIN HURSHMAN, C/O AHTOSSA FULLERTON (SBN #196939), WASACZ HILLEY & FULLERTON LLP, 459 FULTON ST #209, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner SELENA RAIN HURSHMAN is requesting that the name SELENA RAIN HURSHMAN be changed to SELENA RAIN ALTAMIRANO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 425 on the 7th of MAY 2021 at 10:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556238 In the matter of the application of JANE ELIZABETH PHILIPPS ROSS, 18 LOYOLA TERRACE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JANE ELIZABETH PHILIPPS ROSS is requesting that the name JANE ELIZABETH PHILIPPS ROSS be changed to JANE ELIZABETH PHILIPPS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 18th of MAY 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556243 In the matter of the application of GILLIAN GARRETT MACMANNIS, 301 MISSION ST #33F, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner GILLIAN GARRETT MACMANNIS is requesting that the names GILLIAN GARRETT MACMANNIS be changed to GILLIAN JAMES and AVERY JUNE MACMANNIS be changed to AVERY JUNES JAMES MACMANNIS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N on the 18th of MAY 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039306900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SOHAIR STUDIO, 1538 PACIFIC AVE #115, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SOHEA HYUN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/25/21.

APR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039307800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as DESIGNSPEAK, 333 GONZALEZ DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JULIA AYANA AIRAKIAN-MANCE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/30/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/26/21.

APR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039296100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as EDWARD LAU FILM, 1527 NORIEGA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EDWARD C. LAU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/07. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/17/21.

APR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039308200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LIMPIO PROFESSIONAL CLEANING, 1275 FAIRFAX AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FABIO GARCIA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039298700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as NATIONAL PETROLEUM – SAN FRANCISCO, 2831 CESAR CHAVEZ, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ENGINEER’S ASSOCIATES, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/21.

APR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039305500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BODY AND SOUL YOGA COLLECTIVE, 3271 16TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LOTUSLAND INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/12/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/24/21.

APR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039298200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as OTTAVINO WINES; OTTAVINO, 495 BARNEVELD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed OTTAVINO WINES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/14/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/21.

APR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556248 In the matter of the application of SU JUNG HAN, 1924 GREAT HIGHWAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner SU JUNG HAN is requesting that the name SU JUNG HAN be changed to CLAIRE SUJUNG HAN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103 on the 20th of MAY 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 15, 22, 29, MAY 06, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556260 In the matter of the application of CARMINA PRICILLA GONZALEZ, 1188 MISSION ST #2013, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CARMINA PRICILLA GONZALEZ is requesting that the name CARMINA PRICILLA GONZALEZ be changed to PRISCILLA CARMINA CORTEZ. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 20th of MAY 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 15, 22, 29, MAY 06, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039306100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as OTHER OPTIONS; MORGAN OAKES GALLERY, 1465 CUSTER AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed SHERIDAN OAKES & CAROLINE OAKES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/87. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/25/21.

APR 15, 22, 29, MAY 06, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039288700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LITTLE DOG WALKER, 100 FILBERT AVE #B, SAUSALITO, CA 94965. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed STACY PARLIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/16/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/10/21.

APR 08, 15, 22, 29, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039315100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN’S CHORUS, 170 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GOLDEN GATE PERFORMING ARTS, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/78. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/09/21.

APR 15, 22, 29, MAY 06, 2021 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF RAYMOND C. YIN (AKA RAYMOND YIN, AKA RAYMOND CHING HSIANG YIN) IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-20-303725 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of RAYMOND C. YIN (AKA RAYMOND YIN, AKA RAYMOND CHING HSIANG YIN), C/O MARISSA C. SMITH (SBN#275382), 4306 GEARY BLVD #301, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. A Petition for Probate has been filed by JACQUELINE L. YIN in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that JACQUELINE L. YIN 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

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556277 In the matter of the application of CASEMIRO TEIXEIRA CAMARA, 77 VAN NESS AVE #1011181, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CASEMIRO TEIXEIRA CAMARA is requesting that the name CASEMIRO TEIXEIRA CAMARA AKA CAS CAMARA be changed to CAS CAMARA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 1st of JUNE 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 22, 29, MAY 06, 13, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039317400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as HYDE & PACIFIC LIQUOR, 1600 HYDE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHRISTINA YOUNG SIN PARK. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/04/09. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/13/21.

APR 22, 29, MAY 06, 13, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039316000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as YAMEEN, 5758 GEARY BLVD #224, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YAMEEN FRIEDBERG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/12/21.

APR 22, 29, MAY 06, 13, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039316200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SF BAYSHORE GROCERY OUTLET, 355 BAYSHORE BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BAYSHORE FAMILY MARKET (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/12/21.

APR 22, 29, MAY 06, 13, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039313600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as DIM SUM CLUB, 2237 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DIM SUM CLUB INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/11/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/07/21.

APR 22, 29, MAY 06, 13, 2021 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF LYNN MCKANNAY, AKA LYNN BLASKOWER MCKANNAY IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-18-302353 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of LYNN MCKANNAY, AKA LYNN BLASKOWER MCKANNAY, C/O RICHARD H. MCKANNAY JR., 170 AVILA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. A Petition for Probate has been filed by RICHARD H. MCKANNAY JR. in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that RICHARD H. MCKANNAY JR. 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

SUMMONS (FAMILY LAW) SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO NOTICE TO RESPONDENT: CARMEL VALENZUELA SANCHEZ, YOU ARE BEING SUED. PETITIONER’S NAME IS MICHAEL JAMES SANCHEZ CASE NO. FDI-15-784009 You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this Summons and Petition are served on you to file a Response (form FL-120 or FL-123) at the court and have a copy served on the petitioner. A letter, phone call, or court appearance will not protect you. If you do not file your Response on time, the court may make orders affecting your marriage or domestic partnerships, your property, and custody of your children. You may be ordered to pay support and attorney fees and costs. For legal advice, contact a lawyer immediately. Get help finding a lawyer at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp), at the California Legal Services website (www.lawhelpca.org), or by contacting your local county bar association.

NOTICE: The restraining orders following are effective against both spouses or domestic partners until the petition is dismissed, a judgment is entered, or the court makes further orders. They are enforceable anywhere in California by any law enforcement officer who has received or seen a copy of them.

FEE WAIVER: If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the clerk for a fee waiver form. The court may order you to pay back all r part of the fees and costs that the court waived for you or the other party.

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, 400 MCALLISTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102; the name, address, and telephone number of petitioner’s attorney, or the petitioner without an attorney, is: MICHAEL JAMES SANCHEZ, 750 O’FARRELL ST #107, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107.

July 05,2015 Clerk of the Superior Court by MELISSA ORTIZ, Deputy.

WARNING: California law provides that, for the purposes of division of property upon dissolution of a marriage or domestic partnership or upon legal separation, property acquired by the parties during marriage or domestic partnership in joint form is presumed to be community property. If either party to this action should die before the jointly held community property is divided, the language in the deed that characterizes how title is held (i.e., joint tenancy, tenants in common, or community property) will be controlling, and not the community property presumption. You should consult your attorney if you want the community property presumption to be written into the recorded title to the property.

STANDARD FAMILY LAW RESTRAINING ORDERS: Starting immediately, you and your spouse or domestic partner are restrained from: 1. Removing the minor child or children of the parties, if any, from the state without the prior written consent of the other party or an order of the court; 2.

Cashing borrowing against, canceling, transferring, disposing of, or changing the beneficiaries of any insurance or other coverage, including life, health, automobile, and disability, held for the benefit of the parties and their minor child or children; 3. Transferring, encumbering, hypothecating, concealing, or in any way disposing of any property, real or personal, whether community, quasi-community, or separate, without the written

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556177 In the matter of the application of LIA CRUZ, 1265 INGALLS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner LIA CRUZ is requesting that the name LIA CRUZ AKA LESLIE ANN LOREN CUSHMAN AKA ANALEIGH LISETTE CUSHMAN AKA LESLIE ANN LOREN CUSHMAN-MELVILLE be changed to ALESSIA THALIA ALTA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 3rd of JUNE 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APR 29, MAY 06, 13, 20, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039320600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as DEXISION CONSULTING, 1101 PACIFIC AVE #501, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANGELO FRANCHINI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/22/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/16/21.

APR 29, MAY 06, 13, 20, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039309300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as URBAN VERSES, 255 KING ST #308, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALEXIS L. SPENCERBYERS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/04/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/02/21.

APR 29, MAY 06, 13, 20, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039320700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as FULLFILLED FOODS; MASAK MASAK, 1661 TENNESSEE ST #2K, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FULLFILLED LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/08/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/16/21.

APR 29, MAY 06, 13, 20, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039321400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as KALEIDOSCOPE; KALEIDOSCOPE FOODS, 1661 TENNESSEE ST #2K, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed REGENERATION FOODS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/19/21.

APR 29, MAY 06, 13, 20, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039314400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MAXWELL’S PET BAR, 1734 CHURCH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed THE DOG BAR LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/7/21.

APR 29, MAY 06, 13, 20, 2021

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Bruce LaBruce’s Saint-Narcisse

by Brian Bromberger

O

UTshine Film Festival, South Florida’s premiere showcase for LGBTQ+ films, has grown from a three-day event to the current format of 10 days with 65+ films.

Most of the feature and short films can be viewed online. Here are a few highlights.

Can You Bring It—Bill T. Jones and DMan in the Water is an occasionally absorbing documentary of how Jones and Arnie Zane, choreographers and personal/professional partners, formed their own post-modern dance company in the 1980s as they both struggled with AIDS. Zane died of the disease in 1988 but Jones, though HIV+ survived, and created what many critics consider his masterwork, D-Man in the Water. In 1989 it was performed as a tribute to Zane and as a celebration of company dancer Demian Acquavella’s (the D-Man himself) determination to fight his illness before his death later that year.

Beyto is a winning entry from Switzerland.

Beyto is a champion swimmer and model son of Turkish emigres, who run a kebab restaurant serving as the community hub for the Turkish citizens there. Beyto is covertly in love with his coach Mike and as the relationship progresses, becomes public knowledge.

The film accurately portrays the role of stigma and shame in enforcing status quo mores yet manages to show some respect for traditional values while simultaneously challenging their conventionality.

Saint-Narcisse isn’t for the faint of heart or those who love Hollywood-style predictable packaged plots. It’s written and directed by the inimitable Canadian filmmaker Bruce

Festive films from afar OUTshine Film Festival highlights

La Bruce. He always delights in pushing the envelope to its explicit boundaries as the king of queer avant-garde exploring sexual taboos.

In Saint-Narcisse he’s poking fun at the Narcissus myth through Dominic (a gorgeous Felix-Antoine Duval, but no Laurence Olivier) who fetishizes himself, masturbating to Polaroid selfies. By no means for every taste, but in its own depraved unpredictable hippie chic style, the film takes you on an exhilarating ‘by the seat without your pants’ ride.

Sublet, the latest from the great gay Israeli director Eytan Fox may well be his masterpiece and my favorite film of OUTshine. In a rare lead role, gay stage character actor John Benjamin Hickey scores a career-defining triumph as Michael, an intrepid travel writer visiting Tel Aviv.

He sublets an apartment in a hip neighborhood from Tomer (Niv Nissum) who will eventually act as his tour guide. Tomer is a sexual free spirit

and ridicules the idea of Michael’s monogamy.

It seems the film will develop into a May/ October romance, but it’s really a touchingly realized tale of intergenerational mentoring, of what both men can teach each other. While recognizing it will appeal more to older gay men, it has wisdom to impart about fear and emotional intimacy that is universal; a sublime love gift to the LGBTQ community.

My First Summer on first glance seems like it will be a whimsical bucolic Australian teen lesbian summer coming of age story, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. 16-yearold Claudia’s (Markela Kavenagh) mentally ill mother has drowned (a weird homage to Virginia Woolf) under suspicious circumstances witnessed by teen pariah Grace (Maiah Stewardson). The police are investigating and Grace visits Claudia at her remote isolated property, starting a friendship which develops

into something deeper. There’s a sweet nonthreatening chemistry between the two leads.

Narcissus and Goldmund is the most conventional Hollywood-type movie in the festival, a fictional historical epic (i.e. Becket, The Lion in Winter) popular during the 1960s, but this one is Germanic. It’s based on the famous novel by Herman Hesse that was long thought unfilmable because most of the action is the interior spiritual wrestling of Narcissus to attain perfection as an ascetic monk.

Mostly absorbing for a two-hour feature, though it sags a little in the middle but ultimately the film is insightful about the interdependent relationship between carnal and spiritual struggles to understand our identities as mortal beings.t

ple, are paying for a Torah scroll to be inscribed so they can show their community how pious they are. They hope to arrange a marriage for their daughter Rivkeleh (Elena Faverio). But Yankl and Soreh aren’t quite as pious as they seem. They’ve made their fortune by running a brothel in the basement of their building.

The acting is superb, with Faverio and Piazza offering riveting performances as two young women in love. Alperin is also quite good as Rivkeleh’s abusive father, and there’s an appearance from Bay Area theater legend Naomi Newman, who appears in a male supporting role.

the audience.

The director, who is queer, also points out that in Asch’s original script Mankeh is a bit manipulative, trying to get Rivkeleh to come to the new brothel that she’s going to and to use her as a pawn.

“And I wanted to erase that,” he said. “I want it to be one beautiful thing that shines in the whole story with this relationship, the purity of it. And I also changed something else.

Asch’s original play revolves all around Yankl; every great actor wanted to play Yankl. I always felt that Rivkeleh and her mother Soreh were pushed to the side a little bit, so in this version I was able to really put my camera on Rivkeleh, and tell the story through her eyes.”

Bierman spoke of the challenges of putting a play together via Zoom, and of getting the actors to interact with each other when they’re not in the same room. While most of his cast was from the Bay Area, they also had actors from far flung places such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York.

The result is a riveting drama. God of Vengeance, as translated by O’Brien and directed

by Bierman, is as close to an evening in the theater as we’ll get during the pandemic. Both Bierman and his cast should be commended for doing such a wonderful job under such difficult circumstances. $18-45, $45 tickets include a Zoom chat with the production team and special guests on May 23 at 4pm.t

Yiddish Theatre Ensemble

Elena Faverio (Rivkeleh) and Zissel Piazza (Mankeh) in God of Vengeance.

God of Vengeance

Yiddish Play Features Theater’s First Lesbian Kiss

by David-Elijah Nahmod

T

he 1906 play God of Vengeance, written by Sholem Asch, caused a sensation when it was first performed across Europe. When the play was translated into English and performed on Broadway in 1923, the cast was arrested on obscenity charges due to its lesbian kiss, possibly the first in theater history.

From May 2 through May 31, a new production of God of Vengeance will be available for streaming in a translation by Caraid O’Brien.

Originally planned as a live theater piece, direc-

tor Bruce Bierman brought the play to Zoom after the pandemic hit, with each actor performing their lines from their own homes.

Bierman transports the story from turn of the century Eastern Europe to New York City in the early 1930s, with set designer Jeremy Knight providing painted backdrops which effectively recreate Depression-era New York.

Knight’s work was inspired by photos from New York’s Tenement Museum.

God of Vengeance touches upon many themes and leaves the viewer with much to think about.

As the play begins, Yankl and Soreh (Roni Alperin, Jill Eickmann), an observant Jewish cou-

Love story

Bierman, who has directed a number of shows around the Bay, tells the Bay Area Reporter that the lesbian relationship in the story is why he wanted to do this play.

“I still think it’s the most beautiful thing in the play,” he said. “Unbelievable that this tender passionate loving scene was written in 1906.”

He noted that in Asch’s original script that the lesbian relationship comes in at the end of act one, and that it was intended to shock

Read more film reviews, with trailers, on www.ebar.com

www.klezcalifornia.org

Read the full article on www.ebar.com

A warm welcome back

from our cold-blooded icon.

Now Open Reconnect with your Academy favorites.

From Claude the albino alligator to the wildflowers on the roof, the building is bursting with life.

You’re invited to come explore.

Make your reservation at calacademy.org.

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3/25/21 2:51 PM

<< Music & Books

14 • Bay Area Reporter • April 29-May 5, 2021

To Hell and back

by Gregg Shapiro

W

“I only move forwards, never backwards, darling.”

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ith its 1977 debut album Blank Generation, Richard Hell and the Voidoids were at the forefront of the New York punk scene. Hell, who had done time with Television and Johnny Thunders’ the Heartbreakers, elevated the punk art form on the first album, but then struggled to follow it up with Destiny Street five years later. This was at a time when punk/New Wave bands (see The Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads) were cranking albums out at about one (sometimes two) a year.

The expanded and remastered double disc reissue Destiny Street Complete (Omnivore) features three versions of the same album – 1982’s original Destiny Street, a Richard Hell 2009 version (Destiny Street Repaired) featuring new vocals by With more than 40 years under it Hell and new guitar solos by Marc belt, The Fleshtones can still rev up Ribot, Bill Frisell and Ivan Julian, the listener, and themselves, into a and 2021’s Destiny Street Remixed rocking frenzy. If nothing else, The consisting of Hell and Nick Zinner’s Fleshtones deserves kudos for the new remix of the unearthed 1982 song “Alex Trebek,” an affectionate 24-track master tapes. tribute to the late longtime Jeopardy In addition to that there are 12 host, as well as the subtle twang of tracks that make up the Destiny “Waiting On A Girl” and a respectStreet Demos (1978-1980). All of ful cover of the Rolling Stones’ Bthis is to say that with originals such side “Child of the Moon.” as “The Kid With the Replaceable Two young bands – Kiwi Jr. and Head,” “Lowest Common DomiShy Boys – have released new alnator,” “Downtown At Dawn,” the bums that are as much of their time funky, spoken title cut, and a cover as those by Hell and the Fleshtones of Them’s “I Can Only Give You Evwhen they were young’uns. Enerything,” Destiny Street is a worthergetic Canadian quartet Kiwi Jr. while successor. sounds like it might owe a debt of Would The Fleshtones even exgratitude to both these predecesist without the groundwork laid by sors. Just listen to “Undecided VotHell? Keep in mind that The Fleshers,” the second track on Cooler Retones’ full-length debut album Roturns (Sub Pop/Kiwi Club), which is man Gods was released in 1982, the subtly punk and garage. same year as Hell’s Destiny Street.

Throughout the 13 tracks, inMore on the garage punk end of the cluding “Highlights of 100,” “Only spectrum, return with Face of the Here for a Haircut,” “Guilty Party,” Screaming Werewolf (Yep Roc).

t

“Nashville Wedding” and “Norma Jean’s Jacket,” Kiwi Jr. display marvelous songcraft and musicianship, in addition to a distinctive sense of humor, something very necessary during these tumultuous times.

Talk Loud (Polyvinyl), the third album by Shy Boys, a quintet from Kansas City demonstrates that everything is up-to-date over the course of 11 songs clocking in at under 30 minutes. Beginning with album opener “In Gloves,” Shy Boys envelops its Beach Boysesque harmonies in 21st-century pop settings. That momentum is maintained all the way through the final track, “Good Thing,” with “Fraid I Might Die,” “Trash,” “Nighttime Party,” the shimmering “The Pool” and the title tune being particularly notable.

Technically, The Avalanches (Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi) are a musical duo. But the magic The Avalanches conjured over the course of three albums, including the latest, We Will Always Love You (Astralwerks/Modular), is much greater than the considerable sum of its parts. Sonic quilters of the highest order, The Avalanches take the art of sampling to a whole new level. Seriously, you may never listen to The Roches’ “Hammond Song” or Alan Parsons Project’s “Eye In The Sky” the same way again after one listen to “We Will Always Love You” or “Interstellar Love,” respectively.

With each song, The Avalanches bury us in distinctive musical sculptures that seem to reveal something new with each spin. Guest artists Leon Bridges, MGMT, Johnny Marr, Mick Jones, Perry Farrell, Jamie XX, Neneh Cherry, Tricky, Kurt Vile, Karen O, and others, only add to the exhilaration.t

Sam Rush’s ‘Swallow’

by Mark William Norby

I

nd the fi u o y elp We’ll h ct gift this perfe ay!

D s ’ r e Moth

Helpful hint: This is not that perfect gift!

479 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA 94114

Proud to support the community

www.cliffsvariety.com

n the new poetry collection Swallow by Sam Rush (Sibling Rivalry Press), we’re given a lot of content that wakes up the reader into identity, forms, breaking forms, and into freedoms that are part of our constant becoming. Swallow vibrates the human organism and enlivens us who have been sidelined at points in life, and the poet-punk shatters the windows through which we look in order to liberate LGBTQ identity from its confines.

Said Rush, “I want to work in a way that adds to a conversation that is growing around disability poetics and the power that people with disabilities, particularly sensory differences, have to highlight the rift between what is agreed upon as reality and the multiplicities of reality that exist for different individuals.”

Rush began losing his hearing at the age of 15 and then turned to the creation of poetry. Today, Rush is 34. He hails from New England and recently made a move to Savannah, Georgia where he works in the schools teaching poetry. In the warm months, he leads youth groups in eco-conservation.

He says, “I want to create space for this dissonance to be seen for all it can add to the world. I want us to be much more than our struggles. I want other writers who perceive a reality outside of the accepted version to expand into themselves and out into the world.”

Unabashed and individual, Rush occasionally trashes while retaining a kind of unique respect for the sonnet’s meter count, like other poets are now doing, experimenting and thereby broadening the definition of the sonnet. Below Rush

Matthew Radwan

Author Sam Rush

breaks the 10-meter tradition enabling the form to evolve through his chosen language, as in “Sonnet for cock sucking & baptism,” Forgive me, Lord. For I have a mouth full of dicks & not all of them organic.

Forgive me the virgin coconut oil in lieu of water-based lube like I think I’m better than that or some shit.

Anointed, dick. I grease the word and slick my tongue in it. Let all I lap be wrapped & swaddled in. I spit & poof: Magic.

Watch the plastic twitch. Lord, inside my salve your accidents grow stiff. Suck fist to dick.

The knuckle, dick. I laughed, Dick Midas, now the sky is dick. I sling my lips to dick.

I speak the name you choose yourself aloud & don’t we feel it, every inch.

Rush’s collection draws the reader in powerfully to consider the Self,

the persona, as 20th-century psychologist Carl Jung identified the necessity for the soul to have a container, a vessel of identity which always comes back to the body. In this respect, all queer people are trans, at the very least transitory, becoming, always in process. What hides inside of us is our truth; a truth we either choose to speak or to not speak. The poet says, “Why not speak?”

Rush tells us, “There are things that I understand about being trans, as a white, andrgynous, trans-masculine person, and there are things I will never understand.

My experience of walking down the street being trans and transness is so different than a black transfemme’s experience, from the trans person in a wheel chair, the trans person in prison. I sometimes hear friends talk about wanting to try out different pronouns, or explore gender identity, but not wanting to ‘take up too much space.’ I welcome anyone to transness.”t Swallow by Sam Rush, Sibling Rivalry Press, $15.95. www.siblingrivalrypress.com

Read the full review on www.ebar.com

t

Royality, Books & Packages>>

April 29-May 5, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 15

Coronation 56 crowns Juanita MORE! and David Glamamore

Gooch

Empress Juanita MORE! and Emperor David Glamamore.

by Jim Provenzano

T

he Imperial Council of San Francisco’s 56th Coronation crowned local nightlife event producer, DJ and drag star Juanita MORE! as Empress and couture designer and performer David Gla-

mamore as Emperor in the online ceremonies held April 24.

While Glamamore ran unopposed, Ehra Amaya was the other Empress candidate. Emperor William Bulkley and Empress Mimi Osa cohosted the event, streamed live and themed ‘Get Lit: a Novel Idea.’

Kinky capers of ‘Alice in Leatherland’

by Jim Provenzano

Q

ueer comic fans, rejoice. Alice In Leatherland, a series by writer Iolanda Zanfardino andillustrator Elisa Romboli follows a young woman’s journey to San Francisco and its sexy subcultures. In the multi-part story, a sheltered young woman finds her girlfriend has been cheating on her, so she moves to San Francisco to find love and find herself.

When Alice gets a job in a sex-positive shop called Leatherland, she discovers a new family and a way to explore herself and her sexuality.

The comic book series, created by real-life couple Iolanda Zanfardino (writer) and Elisa Romboli (artist),

was inspired by Iolanda’s experiences as a young woman in San Francisco. (The fictitious Leatherland is actually inspired by Good Vibrations on Valencia).

Zanfardino and Romboli’s collaboration lusters in color and monochromatic pages with fluid style. As the creators describe the book, “Sex is recounted as a way to investigate our relationship with ourselves and others, with our bodies and our place in the world; sexual pleasure as self-affirmation and growth. There is room for Love, too, and bravery. And for many good laughs, that never hurts.”

Order copies at blackmaskstudios.comt

50 years in 50 weeks:

April 1974: Undies at The EndUp

A

s advertised in the April 17, 1974 Bay Area Reporter, the EndUp’s Jockey Short Contest took place frequently at the South of Market nightclub. Immortalized

by Armistead Maupin in his best-selling Tales of the City series, the momentous competition was dramatized in the 1993 BBC/ PBS series adaptation, with the late Marcus D’Amico, as Michael “Mouse” Tolliver, shaking his goods in tighty-whities (although the bar scene was shot at Kilowatt on 16th Street).

The Endup (at 401 6th St.) was one of the B.A.R.’s earliest and longtime advertisers, with its iconic cartoon hunk smiling, head over heels, as it were.t

Enjoy more vintage issues at https://archive. org/details/bayareareporter

In previous years, the event annually drew royals from around the world to a week of festivities, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year it was presented online via Twitch and shot at Oasis nightclub.

In-person voting took place at various locations on April 17.

MORE! and Glamamore, longtime friends and collaborators, have been a stellar part of San Francisco nightlife for decades. Also a prominent community organizer, MORE!, paired with Glamamore, will assuredly bring vibrancy to the Court, and the local nightlife fundraising scene, despite pandemic limitations.

“This is the city I came out in as a teen and have actively been a part of all my adult life,” MORE! wrote.

“Unknowingly, many of my accomplishments have aligned with Jose Sarria’s vision.”

The Imperial Court’s legacy goes back more than half a century to when Sarria dubbed himself Empress, aka The Widow Norton.t

Let’s talk cannabis.

CASTRO • MARINA • SOMA C10-0000523-LIC; C10-0000522-LIC; C10-0000515-LIC

Avenidas May 2021

Calendar of Events

Q Programs Coordinator/Community Liaison.

Initiative, will provide his unique insights into the May 3 & May 17, 2:30pm-3:30pm

LGBTQ Elder Empowerment and Connections Group.

“LGBTQ+ History Awareness – Nationally and locally”

n, Stanford Forgiveness Project.

Join Avenidas Rainbow Collective Empowerment and Connections group this month as we explore LGBTQ+ History and mental health.

He offers easilyand practiced skills in American society, both nationally locally.

HOP 2

On May 3 we will discuss LGBTQ+ history in broader national context. From Stonewall to having a member of the LGBTQ community serving as US Cabinet member and all points in between.

On May 17 we will have special guest Ken Yeager present on local queer history in Silicon Valley. Ken is a local politician, first elected LGBTQ Santa Clara County Supervisor, and an educator at San Jose State University. He will introduce us to Queer Silicon Valley, a website created as an effort by the BAYMEC Community foundation to celebrate the people and leaders and document the milestones and accomplishments of the LGBTQ+ community in Santa Clara County.

Empower yourself and the community by helping us to create an environment of support and learning. Join us on the first and third Monday of each month. Email LGBTQ@avenidas.org for information on how to register for the group.

SSUES Diana Dean Gendotti May 6 & May 20, 2:30-4:00pm Wonder Woman Lesbian Social Group ndotti is an estate planning and trust administration who has been licensed for 31 years, and has an You are invited to come be a part of our lesbian community. Open discussions, social conversations, and good times are Los Altos. toShe will highlight critical be expected.

Bring yourthe unique flair andaspects personalityof to the group and help us in becoming the best social group for Lesbian women Santato Clara County. Join us on the first and third Thursday of each month. anning, especially as in it north relates LGBTQ issues. y burning questions!

May 13 & 27, 3-3:30pm

Gay Men’s Walking Group

Instructor,The will lead inisaa great quick Gay Men’severyone Walking Group wayand to get out of the house and make new friends in a safe and responsible way.

HOP 4

The guys meet for lunch, exercise, and social engagement, while social distancing and wearing masks, during the second and fourth weekend of each month. The Thursday meeting on Zoom is the planning meeting for the upcoming walk.

Join us and get out of the house. Join us on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 3pm to plan the walk for the following weekend.

May 13 & 27, 4:00pm-5:00pm

Song Appreciation Group May 13 Theme of the Day- “Favorite Song about Friendship” May 27 Theme of the Day- “Favorite Song from the 60’s”

OUR VILLAGE rs: Jenn Chan and Loretta Austin, Avenidas Songs hold meaning, so come join us and share the songs that have touched your life. Submit your song in advance via ity is especially important right now. Building and email to the group facilitator Thomas Kingery at LGBTQ@avenidas.org, then during the group zoom meeting we will ening yourplay village willand help you Discover your song provide thethrive. lyrics to the group to read along. After the song has been played, we discuss the meaning of theconnections song and how it relates theintergenerational you and the topic of the day. Join us on the second and fourth Thursday of the month at 4pm. ities for new with to our program and social groups. Learn where to find Email LGBTQ@avenidas.org for more information on how to register for these great events, groups, and opportunities presented by ty resources andRainbow how to build toa our safe space.

Avenidas Collective older LGBTQ Community members.

Affairs

Free and inclusive to all!

(650) 289-5400 • www.avenidas.org With support from the County of Santa Clara, Office of LGBTQ Affairs

n up at www.avenidas.org

Register on our website at avenidas.org/programs/lgbtq-seniors-initiative/ or email LGBTQ@avenidas.org, or call (650) 289-5433 to get registration assistance.

Please reference the name of group or event that you are interested in joining.

Call (650) 289-5433 or sign up at www.avenidas.org