August 8, 2019 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

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Vol. 49 • No. 32 • August 8-14, 2019

Drag queens seek fair pay by Matthew S. Bajko

hat is a drag performer or performance worth? The question is at the heart of a movement, still in its infancy, to set a minimum booking fee for drag queens and kings in the Bay Area. In June, San Francisco-based drag queen Alexis Atauri posted a petition to the website www.coworker.org calling on the region’s bars, clubs, and other employers of drag entertainment to pay performers “at least” $40 for a two-hour show with a maximum of two numbers. If the drag performer’s pay is based on tips, then the petition calls on venue owners to make up the difference if the person falls short of $40 from the audience. “We want a fair return on our labor,” wrote Atauri. “This is no different from dancers, makeup artists, hair stylists, and other artists. We want employers to take us just as seriously when requesting our services so that we can establish and sustain good working relationships, and quality performances for customers to keep coming back.” The petition had garnered 1,991 signatures as of August 6, just shy of its 2,000 goal. It is the first step toward creating a nonprofit organiza-

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Governor Gavin Newsom

Newsom signs sex worker protection law by Meg Elison

overnor Gavin Newsom recently signed legislation to protect sex workers from arrest for misdemeanor sex work-related crimes after they report a serious and violent felony, such as robbery or assault. The bill also includes a provision that the possession of condoms cannot be used as evidence of sex work. This law will take effect January 1. Authored by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), Senate Bill 233, which was signed July 30, provides an unprecedented level of health and safety protections for sex workers, and is the first law with these specific protections in the nation. Current law allows sex workers who come forward to report crimes committed against them to be arrested for prostitution. This complication makes reporting violent crimes too risky for most sex workers, and can heighten public health risk as a result. The health issues are particularly true if condoms can be treated as evidence of sex work, which induces sex workers to carry few or none at all. Sex workers have a heightened risk for contracting sexually transmitted infections such as HIV. Current laws that allow condoms to be treated as evidence of a crime create an environment wherein sex workers are even more at risk and less able to protect themselves, advocates said. In a phone interview, Wiener said he was pleased to have made this kind of progress through agreement in the Legislature. “We got overwhelming support in both houses, including a number of Republicans,” he said. “I’m just thrilled my colleagues immediately saw it as a common-sense measure.” Wiener also pointed out that everyone should be able to report a crime committed against them. “We’ve tried to make a safe space for sex workers that they can feel comfortable and confident to report a violent crime without getting arrested themselves,” he said. Ultimately, Wiener said, this bill was a step toward the decriminalization of sex work itself, and the eradication of the trafficking that thrives in the secrecy that policies like condoms-as-evidence have helped maintain. See page 10 >>

Rick Gerharter

Drag queen Alexis Atauri performed at the monthly Fruit Factory club night at the Midnight Sun August 4.

tion that can provide resources to the local drag community, Atauri explained in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “The big reason why I landed at this petition is I have had wonderful experiences working with all these professional, hardworking artists but was heartbroken our labor is not adequately dignified with correct compensation,” said Atauri, 31, who is transgender and nonbinary.

Since they started performing in drag in 2016, Atauri has seen a broad disparity in the compensation they have been offered, from zero dollars to $60 for performing at a bar to as much as $500 for one number at an event. “The pay scale is all over the place; it depends on the bar and producer of the show,” said Atauri, who asked that their given name See page 12 >>

SF DA debates get personal by Meg Elison

n the first open district attorney race in San Francisco in 110 years, four candidates made their pitches to voters at two recent debates. Not surprisingly, the candidates largely agree on most issues. Deputy Public Defender Chesa Boudin, Deputy State Attorney General Leif Dautch, former prosecutor and San Francisco Police Commission president Suzy Loftus, and former Deputy State Attorney General Nancy Tung immediately got into the business of trying to outshine one another. The Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club and the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance co-sponsored the first debate last month at the African American Art and Culture Complex. The candidates met again August 6 at UC Hastings College of the Law in a forum that was co-sponsored by several organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Indivisible SF. Both debates drew standing-room only crowds. With each of the contenders hoping to fill the seat of departing District Attorney George Gascón, who announced last year that he would not seek re-election, the tenor of discussion was at times tense. At Tuesday’s debate, Tung was the only candidate who disagreed with the Board of Supervisors vote in June to close San Francisco’s juvenile hall, comparing that to “eating cotton candy for breakfast.” She pointed out that eliminating, rather than reducing, the footprint of juvenile detention

Rick Gerharter

San Francisco district attorney candidate Chesa Boudin, second from left, speaks at a forum Tuesday at UC Hastings College of the Law. Other candidates, from left, are Suzy Loftus, Nancy Tung, and Leif Dautch.

means that violent juvenile offenders will just be shipped out to another city. She received dozens of thumbs-down from the audience. In a similarly unpopular moment, Dautch called the idea of releasing people from prison en masse “reckless,” and suggested a more thoughtful approach based on recent changes in the juvenile justice system; by addressing root causes of criminal behavior and adjusting services toward rehabilitation and mental health reforms. Loftus, who currently serves as legal counsel for

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San Francisco Sheriff Vicki Hennessy, was strong on the issue of police oversight, leaning in on her reputation for having terminated more individual officers than any other police commission president before her, as well as insisting on body cameras for all cops in this city, and bringing reforms to the department’s use-of-force policies. Loftus promised transparency in investigations of the police themselves if she wins the election, pointing to her track record. See page 12 >>

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2 • Bay Area Reporter • August 8-14, 2019

Man held for trial in Castro burglary by Meg Elison

man was held over for trial Tuesday in the case of an alleged burglary in the Castro in late June in which jewelry and other items were stolen from the home of a prominent lesbian attorney. The alleged burglar left behind used needles, heroin, and dirty dishes, homeowner Angela Padilla previously told the Bay Area Reporter. Carlos Gomez-Miranda, 31, of San Francisco, was arrested and arraigned at the end of July in San Francisco Superior Court on charges of first-degree burglary, grand theft, and a misdemeanor charge of receiving stolen property. During a preliminary hearing August 5, San Francisco Police Sergeant Chien-Ping Chou testified that he had arrived to evaluate the home on July 1, after the victims had begun to clean up. The house showed extensive signs of violation; with every dresser drawer dumped out and every closet ransacked, he said. The timeline for the alleged burglary was difficult to establish. Padilla and her family had been away for a week, and did not discover the break-in until they came home and noticed the mess on the morning of July 1. Chou told the court that Padilla provided him with pieces of evidence she had found: wrappers

and packages from food items she said had come from outside her house, as well as two receipts from a nearby 7-Eleven where the items had been purchased. Taking those and an inventory of Padilla’s missing jewelry, Chou told the court that he began to investigate. The store manager of the 7-Eleven provided Chou with the surveillance footage from the time stamp on the receipts, he said, as well as stills from the video. Using those images, two other officers apprehended Gomez-Miranda and brought him to Chou for questioning. He was booked into San Francisco jail July 20, according to the San Francisco Sheriff ’s Department. Chou testified that at the time of his arrest, Gomez-Miranda had five pieces of jewelry on his person that Padilla was able to identify as her own when he emailed her pictures.

San Francisco Deputy Public Defender William Helvestine attempted to establish a line of questioning as to how the house was secured: asking did Chou believe Gomez-Miranda had broken a window or a lock to gain entry, or had simply come in through an open window. He asked if the back door had been discovered unlocked. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Vedica Puri dismissed those questions as irrelevant. Based on Chou’s testimony on the value of the recovered items, prosecutor Samuel Beckerman of the San Francisco District Attorney’s office asked that Gomez-Miranda’s misdemeanor property charge be upgraded to a third felony charge. The judge granted that request. Gomez-Miranda pleaded not guilty to all three charges. Helvestine made a renewed request to release Gomez-Miranda on his own recognizance pending trial, citing the defendant’s involvement in treatment programs in San Francisco that have been caring for him since his HIV diagnosis earlier this year. Helvestine also pointed out that Gomez-Miranda has lived in the city for 17 years and would not be likely to flee. At that moment, Beckerman asked for a sidebar and the attorneys conversed with the judge out of earshot. Afterward, Puri announced to

the courtroom that Gomez-Miranda is also awaiting trial for a second separate felony residential burglary. The B.A.R. spoke briefly with Helvestine, who confirmed the additional felony burglary charge, but said that it was a San Mateo County case and he didn’t know much about it yet. When asked whether the news came as a surprise to him in court, Helvestine said that he probably shouldn’t answer that question. The case was filed in June, before the Padilla burglary allegedly took place. “Invasion of someone’s home is a crime that will not be tolerated in San Francisco,” Puri said from the bench. She noted that she had evaluated the alternatives, seeking to be fair to Gomez-Miranda. However, based on the evidence and the additional charge, Puri was not inclined to be lenient. “Simply availing himself of these services is not enough of a reason,” she said, denying release. Bail was set at $25,000. The B.A.R. verified the San Mateo County burglary case online. Michael Hroziencik, Gomez-Miranda’s defense attorney in that case, spoke with the B.A.R. by phone Tuesday with an update. “It started off as a felony, but a judge reduced it to a misdemeanor,” he said, explaining that this previous burglary was not as serious. “Gomez-Miranda broke into

this guy’s RV. If he’d been living in it, that would be a residential. But it was in storage, and so not his residence. Gomez-Miranda was just a homeless guy looking for a place to sleep.” Gomez-Miranda was arrested June 3 in that case and pleaded no contest to the charges. Gomez-Miranda was sentenced to 30 days in jail and was released June 18, based on good behavior, Hroziencik said. In July, after the alleged San Francisco break-in, Padilla, the 53-year-old homeowner, attorney, and nonprofit founder, told the B.A.R. she was done with the city; after 28 years this was the last straw. https://www.ebar.com/ news/crime/278455 She said that she had previously planned to remain in San Francisco until her children had finished school, but that this incident made her feel as though it was unsafe to stay. Padilla has three children: 12, 14, and 17 years old. “Yes, I’m still planning to leave,” Padilla told the B.A.R. via text message August 2. “It’s just too much.” Padilla told the B.A.R. that she intended to be present at every court date. “I am going to make sure the D.A. doesn’t let the case get dismissed without a proper trial,” she wrote. However, Padilla was not present Tuesday. She told the B.A.R. via text that she had a family emergency.t

Men raise awareness of sex worker rights in Amsterdam by Heather Cassell

unky male sex workers took to the windows of the My Red Light organization in Amsterdam last weekend during Pride. It was a rare opportunity for Am-

sterdam Pridegoers to take pictures of the male escort models, as photos aren’t allowed in the red-light district without sex workers’ permission. Aligning with Amsterdam Pride’s theme, “Remember the Past, Create the Future,” the goal of the August 3

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event was to bring awareness to male sex workers and sex workers’ rights. Usually, the peepshow-like windows that line the red-light district, known as De Wallen, are filled with scantily-clad female sex workers advertising the brothels. My Red Light, a sex worker rights organization, also has windows in the district. Jens Schmidt, a gay man who founded HUNQZ (http://www. hunqz.com/escorts), which partnered with My Red Light (https://myredlight.nl/) to organize the project, said he walks through the red-light district regularly on his way home. HUNQZ is the largest escorting network for gay, bisexual, and transgender companionship service with more than 38,000 registered users worldwide. Clients and escorts can discreetly chat and book dates through the network. “How different it would be if there were men in the windows too?” Schmidt said in an August 2 news release. “We wanted to partner with My Red Light to raise awareness that every sex worker deserves the same respect and rights as anyone else for the work they do,” said Schmidt. Four male escort models volunteered for the project. “I think we made a bit of a splash,” Lukas Daken, one of the models in the window, wrote in an email interview with the Bay Area Reporter. The 30-year-old queer male escort appreciated the “opportunity to create solidarity among gay and straight sex workers and getting equality for gay people,” he wrote. “The red-light district is very straight-dominated, so it’s good to get a bit of gayness in there,” he continued, explaining that there is one street for transgender sex workers and another for women, but none for gay men. “The best thing to come out of it was raising visibility around male sex workers – they do exist – and also helping to promote greater gender equality during Pride in Amsterdam,” he wrote, adding that the project received a lot of positive feedback.

Red zone

The Netherlands, once upheld for its progressive stance on prostitution

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Escort model Lukas Daken, left, dances with a fellow HUNQZ escort model, right, to raise awareness of sex worker’s labor rights in the My Red Light window in Amsterdam’s redlight district during Amsterdam Pride August 3.

when it legalized the practice in 2000, is experiencing a backlash with growing opposition to regulated sex work. To target sex trafficking, the Dutch Senate is considering legislation that will punish sex workers’ customers if they pay for sex with someone who has been trafficked, pimped, or otherwise coerced, reported the Independent. According to opponents, brothels are already shutting down and sex workers are being pushed out throughout the country. Prostitution supporters and opponents continue to debate the issue, especially in the country’s capital city, Amsterdam, which has benefited from its famed district. Human trafficking, particularly sex trafficking, underlines much of the debate of legalized prostitution. Since prostitution became legal, the Netherlands has increased its vigilance against human trafficking and other crimes. Conflicting government reports show a decrease, but assume the number is greater due to the hidden nature of sex trafficking. Sex work is “constantly conflated with human trafficking” or the dichotomy of the “happy hooker” and the “poor victim,” Velvet December,

advocacy coordinator for Proud, a sex worker-led group, and who works at the Netherland’s only lesbian-owned escort agency, De Stoute Vrouw (The Naughty Woman), told Foreign Policy. This perception of sex workers “leaves no room for the realities we face and to address the problems we see,” she said. Compounding the issue, recent government-supported gentrification meant to preserve the historic De Wallen has damaged the neighborhood’s bustling sex industry and tourist attraction. An estimated 112 sex worker windows and coffee shops that line the streets have shut down and sex work is limited to two streets: Oude Nieuwstraat and Oudezijds Achterburgwal, reported Foreign Policy. In the face of these challenges, Amsterdam’s sex workers are pushing for equal employment rights. Sex workers are required by law to register as independent workers pay taxes, and pay for health insurance, but they aren’t afforded many rights that other independent workers receive, such as opening a business bank account or unemployment, pensions, and other benefits, reported Foreign Policy. Amsterdam’s government is working to fix the issue by expanding permits beyond the historic red-light district in order to provide sex workers with more opportunities, but they claim it’s still out of touch with their reality. Amsterdam’s sex workers want services like HUNQZ.com, where they have the ability to book clients online, which is currently prohibited, Foreign Policy reported. They also want the ability to work from home or visit clients, which is a gray area, according to the Amsterdam government’s website (www.amsterdam.nl/en/policy/policy-health-care/policy-prostitution).

SF benefit for asylum project

Dine and party in style while raising funds to support Middle Eastern and North African LGBT asylum seekers at “Flamboyance: Wild Arabian Nights” Thursday, August 15, at Berber, 1516 See page 12 >>

<< Open Forum

t Lara’s lack of transparency distracts

4 • Bay Area Reporter • August 8-14, 2019

Volume 49, Number 32 August 8-14, 2019 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Meg Elison CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Roger Brigham • Brian Bromberger Victoria A. Brownworth • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani • Dan Renzi Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone David Guarino • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Lois Pearlman • Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota Bob Roehr • Gregg Shapiro • Gwendolyn Smith Sari Staver • Tony Taylor • Charlie Wagner Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan • Fred Rowe Steven Underhil • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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ay state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has been under fire in recent weeks from consumer groups who say he’s too cozy with the industry he’s charged with regulating. One group, Consumer Watchdog, filed a public records request for Lara’s calendars; after weeks of foot-dragging, the Sacramento Bee reported Monday that his office said it would release the documents by August 31. While Lara has not been accused of wrongdoing, he fumbled his response to the complaints, which allowed critics an opening to pile on. We’re glad he will release his calendars soon – he should have done so from the beginning of his tenure in January. There are also reports of him meeting with a major insurance executive with business before his department, a possible violation of state law, and intervening in cases affecting a donor, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Reports have state he’s accepted donations from the insurance industry. In response, Lara told the paper that he will hire a treasurer for his reelection campaign and return the money. California’s insurance commissioner oversees the largest insurance market in the country, with $310 billion in annual policies. One speech is generating questions from some mainstream media outlets. On July 25, Lara spoke to a meeting of insurance attorneys in Hollywood. During the nearly hourlong speech and Q&A, Lara talked about a number of new initiatives he wants to pursue. We watched a video of the meeting and it does not appear that there was anything “cushy” about it. Lara encouraged the industry to become more consumer-friendly, stressed the importance of insurance coverage for devastating wildfires and earthquakes, and discussed the need for public partnerships to combat distracted driving and promote disaster preparedness. More needs to be done online, he pointed out. “Consumers are tech savvy and live on their

State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara

smartphones,” he said, adding that consumers expect businesses to interact with their needs. With the majority of Californians using smartphones for everything from shopping to online banking, Lara said the time has come for the insurance industry to catch up and follow suit. “This is the reality and our department has to start thinking this way,” he said, adding that protecting consumer privacy is also paramount. “Today, people can file a claim online. It’s clearly time to provide more interactions online.” Regarding auto insurance, Lara said providers should utilize technology, in this case telematics like GPS or navigation systems. “We can no longer talk about auto insurance without considering tech, in my view,” he said. Lara wants to modernize California’s antiquated auto-rating criteria for calculating rates from the current system that was established under state Proposition 103. And that could be good for drivers by lowering premiums, he told the attorneys.

In many vehicles, technology controls safety, he added, advocating that companies look at “actual factors, as opposed to gender, and marital status and where drivers live.” Smartphones are now integrated with most vehicles. Monitoring driving, he said, “will change behavior. So, I’m excited about the prospects.” Responding to a question, Lara said that legislation isn’t needed to engage in discussion. He said his department has working groups that can gauge what people want: “People want access quickly, know what’s covered, and if there’s a problem, talk to someone quickly.” One attendee noted that an unnamed consumer group might have issues about using technology to monitor driver location and behavior. But Lara was resolute, saying he’s a “firm believer” in the need to update the industry. “I don’t want to lessen consumer protection. We’re also looking at other innovations. We’re putting everything on the table. We want people to come in with creative ideas.” When we endorsed him last year, we noted that Lara pledged to work with groups that share his allegiance to consumers, patients, working families, and the state’s most vulnerable communities. In order to accomplish this, Lara also needs to talk to principals in the industry, like the attorneys he spoke to last month; that doesn’t mean he’s in cahoots with them. Discussions are the start of a longterm endeavor to create change so that more people can obtain insurance coverage that meets their needs. Lara’s engagement is a hopeful signal for a more consumer-friendly state insurance department. In a recent statement to Politico, Lara said it’s his job “to meet with insurers, consumers, legislators, local government leaders, and all those affected by the industry.” He’s right, but he needs to be smarter about it going forward so he doesn’t give critics the opportunity to distract him from his goals. t

Change takes time, but action is key by Edafe Okporo

hat is the cost of inaction to me and the people I love? This is the question I ask myself each time I find myself with a bullhorn and a group of people marching and protesting for change. This was the same question I asked myself when I stood in front of the Nigeria Embassy in New York City to protest the country’s inhumane anti-gay law. In sevenplus countries, including Nigeria, gay men can be stoned to death. I knew the cost of inaction; I knew how I almost committed suicide several times because I believed people like me should not exist. I’m not a coward to be an openly gay man from Nigeria, where the law means I could face a prison sentence up to 14 years. The cost of inaction is allowing another young gay Nigerian to contemplate suicide. I’m praised for being a man of action for standing up for gay rights, for constantly protesting, tweeting, and posting pictures of my relationship. The world might see me as a man of action publicly, but unknown to most is the constant fail I have had mentally, facing the contemplative mind of my action, constantly asking myself what is the cost of my bravery. To better understand, my actions have cost me my entire life, they have cost me my relationship with family and friends, they have cost me ridicule by community members. I have also shamed myself for being a man of action in public and allowing the contemplative mind take a hold of me when I am alone. Looking at the big picture, I realized the contemplative mind has enabled me to take those actions I’m proud of, why shame it? Why not embrace the importance of winning over the contemplative mind by being reasonable enough to take actions that give other people the chance of survival. My name on the internet has been synonymous with fighting, yet I have lost my sense of self-worth that comes from being associated with my brave actions. I know clearly the pain of my actions of coming out, the pain of being ridiculed for my actions. The pain of reading my story online and all I see are hate trolls and shame from people who think I am an idiot, as well as those who see me as a hero. Truth to be told, I am not a coward. I’m not doing this for name recognition; I’m just

Courtesy Edafe Okporo

Edafe Okporo

living. My activism is my life, and my life has been a total fight for the right to exist – the right to exist as a gay person in a heteronormative world, the right to exist as a human being in a world that classifies immigrants like myself as illegal. When I gained protection in America as a gay asylee, to my activist mind I had won, I said. But the contemplative mind keeps on asking me, what would be the cost of inaction? The cost of inaction is death. Silence equals death – the death of members of my community caused by homophobia and stigma. What is it all worth to me to keep silent, what is the worth of me having freedom? I ask myself, why can’t I act like most Africans living in America? Keep quiet, work, save some money, send some money back home to family and keep them happy. What is the worth of my actions, my contemplative mind asks? Can’t you see the number of messages I receive on social media from people telling me how brave I am? Are you blind to my actions? The contemplative mind replies, I see your actions. What about the toll it takes on you to get back to normal after the haters troll you? I reply, why can’t you be happy for all the work you have done, Mr. Contemplative Mind.

Don’t call me brave, call me a human. I’m consistently shocked on a regular basis when Nigerians come into my inbox and tell me of the horrifying circumstances they face for being gay. In all honesty, I feel like a coward when people think this fight is set aside for someone. I’m just living my life as I ought to but I should not be the last resort to people who are abandoned by their government. The Nigerian government is in denial; it claims that gay men do not exist. We do exist; we are hiding underground. Randomly, people message me of how they feel alienated and left alone by their family and country. I had the same feelings, which made me flee the country I loved that didn’t love me back. I have suffered for my actions, but gay rights cannot be won by hiding. Visibility matters, the stories of gay men from West Africa need to be heard. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a famous Nigerian writer, said, “When you portray as people continuously as one thing, as one thing only, you begin to see the people as that thing.” We need to tell the stories of gay men. I’m proud to post pictures of my partner and I having a happy relationship, normalizing the stereotypes of what relationships should look like. It is hard to conceive the importance of this in a big city like New York but for me coming from Nigeria, I know the importance of the contemplative mind, which allows me to take actions. In the past gay rights were won by protest, but visibility made the difference. Today we can create visibility for the community by allowing the contemplative mind time to become an action mind. Change takes time, but crawling is better than being stagnant. I remember back home in Nigeria when I used to be a conservative Christian it took a lot of exposure for me to become a mind of action, not by my design but by the circumstances I found myself in. Woke people have to understand the words of Malcolm X: “What I know today, I did not know yesterday or 10 years ago.” So I should allow people the time to contemplate for change to happen. t Edafe Okporo is a writer and founder of the Pont LLC. For more information, go to the Facebook page at https://bit.ly/2YrPxVj.

Politics >>

August 8-14, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Lesbian California Senate candidate aims to make history

by Matthew S. Bajko

an Bernardino City Unified School District board member Abigail Medina came close in 2016 to winning an Assembly seat in the state’s Inland Empire region. Following her defeat, she regrouped and won a hard-fought re-election campaign for her school board seat. She then bided her time for the next opportunity to seek a state legislative seat. But in 2018 she opted against running again for the Assembly seat due to the personal issues she was addressing at the time. Medina had come out of the closet as both queer and lesbian and was in the process of divorcing her husband of 23 years. She also landed a job as executive director of the Inland Region Equality Network, which advocates on behalf of the area’s LGBT community. Now, with state Senator Mike Morrell (R-Rancho Cucamonga) termed out of his 23rd Senate District seat next year, Medina has decided the time is right to once again seek higher office. She is one of two Democratic women to have entered the open Senate race, which has also drawn three Republican challengers. Should Medina survive the March 3 primary and then capture the seat next November, she will make history as the first out woman of color elected to the state Senate. She could share the political pink-ceiling shattering achievement with lesbian Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton), who is seeking the 5th Senate District seat currently held by lesbian state Senator Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton), as she is termed out of office next year. Both Eggman and Medina are Latina, and if elected to the state Senate, not only would they be the first out women of color to serve in the Legislature’s upper chamber, they would be the only LGBT senators of color serving in it. To date the only other out Senate candidates in 2020 are both white incumbents. “People don’t understand being an LGBTQ Latina there is a struggle,” Medina, 43, told the Bay Area Reporter during a recent phone interview. “That is why I think it would be huge for Susan and I to be able to break those stereotypes and misconceptions and voice the concerns of who we are, and addressing all of our LGBTQ communities as well.” Last month, the seven-member Legislative LGBT Caucus endorsed Medina’s Senate bid. This week, she secured an early endorsement from Equality California, the statewide LGBT advocacy group that is working to either maintain or increase the ranks of the legislative caucus next year. “I’m both extremely honored and excited to represent my community in Riverside and San Bernardino County,” Medina told the B.A.R. Tuesday about having EQCA’s support in the campaign. Medina’s parents are both immigrants from Mexico. The oldest of three siblings, she was born in Torrance in Los Angeles County and was placed in foster care at the age of 7. She ended up living with her grandmother, who relocated them back to Mexico for a year. After high school, Medina enrolled at San Bernardino Valley College. She never graduated, as she found it “very difficult” to study while also raising her children. She now shares custody of her five children with her ex-husband, though the youngest, a son age 15, lives with his father. Her second youngest, a daughter age 18, will be attending Cal State East Bay in Hayward this fall. Coming out late in life came as a shock to her religiously conservative

Courtesy Medina for state Senate campaign

State Senate candidate Abigail Medina

family, said Medina, whose divorce was finalized last year. She has been with her partner, Angelica Dalderas, since December. “I lost all my family except for my mom and my sister,” said Medina, who is now once again on speaking terms with her father. “In my Latino family, it was something you don’t talk about. If you are (gay), you make sure nobody knows. It isolates you.” Between her work on school issues via the school board, of which she is currently president, becoming an advocate for LGBT issues, and having grown up with no health insurance, Medina argues she has the lived experience to be an effective legislator and representative for the Senate district. “I don’t come from money. I come from working-class community members,” said Medina. “I am trying to make sure we are provided the same opportunities like everybody else: health care, clean air, clean water.” The 23rd Senate District includes all or parts of Banning, Beaumont, Big Bear City, Big Bear Lake, Cedar Glen, Calimesa, Cherry Valley, Crestline, Homeland, Hemet, Highland, Lake Arrowhead, Loma Linda, Menifee, Mentone, Nuevo, Phelan, Pinion Hills, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, San Bernardino, San Jacinto, Wrightwood, and Yucaipa. It is a purple district, which Medina acknowledged presents challenges for a progressive candidate like herself. And being “a woman coming from an immigrant family is still an issue for some communities,” said Medina, who is relying on her grassroots organizing skills to give her an edge in the race. With a large chunk of the electorate centered in San Bernardino, where she has lived for years and already has high name recognition due to her past campaigns, Medina hopes to have a hometown advantage in the race. “I feel like whoever has run in the past neglected areas of San Bernardino. I think it is time to have that voice at the table and making sure our needs are met,” said Medina, who plans to hold a fundraiser soon in the Bay Area. To learn more about Medina’s campaign, visit www.abigailforsenate.com/.

Gay GOPer seeks CA House seat

Republican gay former San Diego councilman and failed mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio has entered the 2020 race for the California House seat held by disgraced Congressman Duncan Hunter (R), who is battling charges he misused campaign cash for affairs with several women. DeMaio officially launched his

campaign Monday for Hunter’s 50th Congressional District seat, and in doing so, stepped down from his radio show he had been hosting. In 2014, he came close to winning the seat and garnered headlines for featuring his male partner in a campaign video. He faced his own political scandal, as two former campaign aides accused him of sexual harassment. DeMaio denied both charges, neither of which were ever substantiated by law enforcement officials. One of his accusers pleaded guilty to trying to frame his former boss with fake emails. Last year, DeMaio led the successful recall campaign against former Democratic state Senator Josh Newman due to his support for raising the state’s gas tax. DeMaio came up short, however, in his attempt to repeal the gas tax increase last November, and Newman is now running next year to regain his seat. Several other Republicans were already running against Hunter, who is under growing pressure to resign from Congress in the coming days so that a special election can be called to fill his seat. His trial is slated to begin in September, and if convicted, he would be forced out of office. The unusual circumstances had given a boost to the campaign of Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar, a relative unknown when he ran against Hunter in 2018. His having a winning shot at flipping the seat next year is a large reason why DeMaio jumped into the race and Republican former Congressman Darrell Issa is also considering doing so. Should DeMaio win, he would be the first openly gay GOPer elected to Congress. And he would bring the number of out House members from the Golden State to three, as bisexual Congresswoman Katie Hill (D-Agua Dulce) and gay Congressman Mark Takano (D-Riverside) are both running for re-election next year, and so far, face no serious challengers.

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Governor Gavin Newsom has named lesbian retired Naval Commander Zoe Dunning to the California Veterans Board. The governor’s office announced the appointment of the San Francisco resident to the statewide panel August 2. Dunning, 56, served on active duty in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps from 1985 to 1991, and in the reserves from 1991 to 2007. She has worked as a change management consultant with various firms since 2005. Currently, she is a member of the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission, the San Francisco Library Commission, and the advisory board for the nonprofit Vets in Tech. She must be confirmed by the state Senate and will receive a $100 per diem. t Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reported on EQCA’s endorsement process in the 2020 presidential race. Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes. Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

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6 • Bay Area Reporter • August 8-14, 2019

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lus Products Inc. announced Tuesday that it has sent a check for nearly $61,000 to the San Francisco LGBT Community Center from proceeds from the sales of its annual Rainbow Sorbet special edition cannabis-infused gummies. As part of its commitment to strengthening and supporting communities in which it operates and sells products, Plus contributed $1 for each of the 60,937 units of the Pride-themed Rainbow Sorbet gummies that were sold during Pride Month, a spokesman said. Plus is headquartered in San Mateo. A center spokeswoman said the donation is appreciated. “We’re proud to partner with local businesses that are committed to supporting the SF LGBT center and building a better Bay Area,” Dani Siragusa, the center’s director of development, said in a news release from Plus. “This generous donation demonstrates Plus’ investment in the LGBTQ community, as well as

Courtesy SF LGBT center via Facebook

The San Francisco LGBT Community Center, shown here in June’s Pride parade, has received nearly $61,000 from Plus Products for the sale of its cannabis-infused gummies.

the overwhelming enthusiasm of fellow Californians to work with us to create a more welcoming, equitable world.” Plus cannabis-infused edibles are available at over 300 licensed retailers in California. The product is

expected to be available at licensed retailers in Nevada by the end of summer, according to the release. “This special edition and the accompanying donation is just a small way for Plus to show support for the LGBTQ+ community,” Jake Heimark, co-founder and CEO, said in the release. “Our company was honored to have the opportunity to work with the SF LGBT center this year. We care deeply about being a truly engaged partner and look forward to finding more opportunities to work together in the future.”

Sunday Streets comes to SOMA

Livable City will bring over a mile of open space to Folsom Street with Sunday Streets SOMA August 18, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Spanning Folsom Street from Essex to 10th streets, the car-free route connects western SOMA

with the Financial District for attendees to reimagine their city streets as accessible, public, and car-free spaces for all, a news release stated. “Seeing open streets filled with children playing and space for everyone – right next to downtown skyscrapers – shows us a new, safe, walkable vision of what our city could be,” Katy Birnbaum, Livable City associate director, said in the release. People can visit Folsom between Sixth and Seventh streets for a Filipino food market. At Second and Essex streets, the East Cut Community Benefit District’s hub will feature a dog fashion show and music from the SF Rock Project, while Yerba Buena CBD’s arts and culture hub between Fourth and Fifth streets will celebrate with the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Marching Band (the city’s official band). Sunday Streets is a program of Livable City, presented in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, San Francisco Department of Public Health, and the Shape Up SF Coalition. Additional city support comes from public works, the mayor’s office, and the Board of Supervisors. For more information, visit www.sundaystreetssf.com. See page 12 >>

Obituaries >> Peter Todd Metcalf

June 17, 1961 – January 7, 2019

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“Ever ything louder than everything else.” Peter was born in Brooklyn, New York, raised in Bayside, Queens, and attended the Bronx High School of Science and Long Island University. He came to San Francisco after the 1989 earthquake, worked for a while in the classical section at the late, historic Tower Records in the Castro, and became involved with the Radical Faeries and Black Leather Wings for a time. Peter also attended San Francisco City College, where he was one class and an internship from obtaining California alcohol and drug counselor certification. His goal had been to become a licensed psychotherapist. Peter was an artist, took classes in painting at the famed Art Students League in New York but eventually preferred performance art. His performances as Miss Representation at the annual Ambassador Hotel talent show are legendary throughout Tenderloin Neighborhood Development, the nonprofit housing agency. After Peter was diagnosed with portal hypertension and cirrhosis of the liver in 2008, he always said, “It’s not how long you live, it’s how you live your life.” He loved art, animals, silent movies, dinosaurs, eating out, books, and music, including classical music, opera, and, especially, punk rock. Peter is survived by his sister Amy of New York, his bereft partner of 28 years, Dennis Conkin, his cat Dexter, his best friend Jeff Swayne, and many friends. Peter was cremated. Memorial services remain pending. Contributions to Sutter Hospice at Home, Tenderloin Outpatient Clinic, the Asperger/Autism Network, or Reclaiming Collective are preferred.

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<< Business News

8 • Bay Area Reporter • August 8-14, 2019

Castro monthly art events hit 2-year mark by Matthew S. Bajko

bustling crowd showed up for the August 1 opening of local artist Ariel Gold’s solo exhibition featuring her works inspired by the street life of San Francisco. She had created a number of brush stroke paintings based on people she spied walking along the sidewalk and more textured works that evoked cityscapes peopled with various individuals. “I love the vibrancy of the city and the way people interact,” explained Gold, whose studio is off Market Street near the Hayes Valley neighborhood and has lived in San Francisco for a decade. Gold, 34, was one of the artists featured during this month’s Castro Art Walk. The Art Attack SF gallery (2358 Market Street, Suite 1) had included her works as part of a group show during the June art walk, at which she sold four pieces. Thus, Gold was delighted at being invited back for the August event, where her acrylic on canvas works ranged in price from $180 to $3,200. “We live in such a big city and tend to spend most of our time with friends in our own tribe. These events allow you to get out of that and in-

teract with people in the community you may not otherwise meet,” Gold, a straight ally, told the Bay Area Reporter about participating in the LGBT neighborhood’s monthly art walks. Held in the evening of the first Thursday of the month, the Castro Art Walks are marking their second anniversary in September. Castro business leaders contend the monthly art events have helped drive additional foot traffic to the commercial area those nights. “The whole idea is to bring people to the neighborhood,” said former Castro Merchants board member Angie Stitcher, who helped conceive of the art walks when she worked as the gallery manager of Spark Arts (4229 18th Street). “In 2019, I think we have really hit our stride.” Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District Executive Director Andrea Aiello said the monthly events “have been fantastic” in terms of pulling people into the neighborhood. “When I walk around those nights I’ve observed people are coming for the art walk. It is driving people to the neighborhood,” said Aiello, who will program musical acts those evenings in Jane Warner Plaza at 17th and Castro streets.

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Paintings by Ariel Gold were featured at Spark Arts Gallery during the monthly Castro Art Walk August 1.

Pleased by the success of the art walks, which Stitcher helps run pro bono with several volunteers, the Castro Merchants business association this year approved increasing the budget for them. It is contributing $4,500 for the events out of the annual dues its members pay. “It generates more visibility for the merchants that participate,” said Castro Merchants President Masood Samereie, a real estate agent in the neighborhood. Because of its financial backing of the events, only Castro Merchants members are allowed to be featured on the monthly maps and on the website for the art walks, which can be found at https://www.castroartwalk.com/. Businesses that decide to participate are asked to feature some art component in their establishment that night. It can run the gamut from showcasing the work of a local artist like Gold to offering materials for people to create their own art project, such as Flore (2298 Market Street) restaurant often does. Retail store Local Take (3979 17th Street) invited the gay-owned Michael’s Chocolates to offer tastings last week, as it sells its confections. Enjoying a complimentary glass of wine at the shop was Skot Land, 57, a gay man who lives in Nob Hill and has attended all but two of the art walks held in the Castro since 2017. In addition to meeting artists and crafts people, Land enjoys the mini street fair vibe of the events. “Because I am a creative person, I like to see what everybody else is doing,” said Land, a multimedia artist in his spare time who works as a recruiter. “I want to get inspiration for my own art and I want the free wine.” Since the spring Stitcher has been inviting restaurants and bars in the Castro to also participate in the art walks. For instance, during the May event restaurant Finn Town (2251

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Market Street) featured a cocktail inspired by the late artist Diego Rivera. For the August event, cocktail bar Blackbird (2124 Market Street) featured the exhibit “Anywhere” by artist Larissa Grant. And Blush! Wine Bar (476 Castro Street) held a meet and greet with artist Edgar-Arturo Camacho-Gonzalez, whose works it is featuring through September 3. Any business in the Castro is encouraged to take advantage of the monthly events as a way to promote themselves to attendees who could then become regular customers. The next Castro Art Walk will take place 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, September 5. The line up of participating merchants will be posted later this month to the website.

New mural coming to the Castro

One project Stitcher is working on as the art walk events enter their third year is a self-guided walking tour of the various murals to be found in the Castro. One of the oldest and most well known can be viewed on 16th Street just off Market Street. Elba Rivera and Clif Cox created “The Hope For A World Cure” mural in 1998 in response to the AIDS epidemic. They worked in collaboration with a number of other artists under the purview of Precita Eyes Muralists. Another mural created in response to AIDS, as well as the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, is David Seibold’s “Laughing Gorilla” painted on the side of the building housing an organic grocery on 19th Street at Castro. As the B.A.R. reported in June, two gay artists repaired the work this year as it had faded with time. More recent murals include ones featuring the late gay supervisor Harvey Milk on the facade of the building that houses gay dance club the Cafe (2369 Market Street); drag queen Juanita MORE! on the building housing clothing store Unionmade (493 Sanchez Street); and a gay couple’s marriage proposal on the Noe Street side of Indian eatery Kasa (4001 18th Street). A self-guided tour, said Stitcher, would allow people “to walk around the neighborhood to see the murals. And they could do it not just during the art walk events.” There is no timeline for when the tour will debut, she said. Once it is completed, it will be uploaded to the website for the art walks. The neighborhood should see a new mural be unveiled next summer, as the city set aside $25,000 for its creation at the request of gay former District 8 supervisor Jeff Sheehy. The Castro CBD is working with the city’s arts commission on its installation

and recently put out a call for submissions from artists interested in painting the mural. A potential location along 18th Street is being eyed for the artwork, though Aiello told the B.A.R. that its placement has yet to be finalized. The CBD needs to secure permission from both the building’s owner and merchant tenant if it is to be painted on the facade of a business. It is working under a deadline of June 30, when the city’s current fiscal year ends, to have the mural in place.

LGBT history plaques installed

This week city crews installed the next set of LGBT history plaques along the 2300 block of Market Street between Noe and Castro streets. An official unveiling is planned at 10:30 a.m. Friday, August 10. Part of the Rainbow Honor Walk, the sidewalk markers honor eight deceased LGBT luminaries. They are part of the second group of 24 people to be added to the walk that was announced in 2016. As the B.A.R. first reported in June, the group includes lesbians Chavela Vargas, a Costa Rican-born singer of Mexican music, and American physician and political activist Marie Equi; bisexuals American singer Josephine Baker and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury; gay men ballet dancer Alvin Ailey, English poet W.H. Auden, and Congressman Gerry Studds; and trans pioneer Lou Sullivan. The 3 foot by 3 foot bronze plaques cost roughly $7,000 each and feature the visage of the person, a short bio, and their signature. Four are being installed along the sidewalk on both sides of Market Street. A plaque that had been installed honoring the late gay Iranian poet Fereydoun Farrokhzad is being replaced. Local Iranian leaders asked for a revision to the text about his life, said David Perry, a gay man and public relations professional who helped conceive of the project. Perry, who was recently named to the board of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, is aiming to have the next set of eight plaques installed along Market Street by October 11, National Coming Out Day. They will honor lesbians American pianist and singer Gladys Bentley and radical feminist and political activist Audre Lorde; gay drag queen actor Divine; transgender activist Sylvia Rivera; and gay men Air Force veteran Leonard Matlovich, American film historian Vito Russo, English writer Quentin Crisp, and American illustrator and author Maurice Sendak. Additional honorees for the Rainbow Honor Walk are to be announced in early 2020, said Perry. t Got a tip on LGBT business news? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

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<< Election 2020

10 • Bay Area Reporter • August 8-14, 2019

Buttigieg stuck in fifth place after debate by Lisa Keen

ay South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg was polling fifth out of 24 candidates going into the second round of Democratic presidential debates last week, and he was polling fifth coming out of those forums. But two remarks he made during the July 30 event in Detroit did seem to register some impact. The first remark came in a discussion about the minimum wage. Buttigieg said, “So-called conservative Christian senators right now in the Senate are blocking a bill to raise the minimum wage when scripture says that whoever oppresses the poor taunts their maker.” The remark drew the notice of numerous Christian websites, some of which applauded his willingness to quote from the Bible, and most of which criticized him. A Harris Poll conducted right after the July 30-31 debates found that 66% of voters say religion is an important part of their lives, so Buttigieg’s appeal to voters’ religious sensibilities could work to his benefit, or backfire. Buttigieg, an Episcopalian, has talked comfortably about his faith since entering the presidential field in January. During last Tuesday’s debate, he referenced an Old Testament passage (Proverbs 14:31) to criticize senators who refuse to advance a bill to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. “Believers across the political spectrum pay attention when a candidate evokes scripture,” noted Christianity Today. The site reported that the number of internet searches for the Proverbs passage tripled on Bible Gateway right after Buttigieg’s remark. But the Christian Post, an evangelical news site, said Buttigieg’s remark shamed conservative Christians and that “conservative Christians didn’t take too kindly

Sex worker law

From page 1

“Sex workers face huge risk of violence, a huge risk of victimization, and a huge risk of STIs,” he said, referring to sexually transmitted infections. “We make it very hard for them to protect themselves by arresting them when they report violent crimes and by using condoms as evidence against them. It makes

Courtesy CNN

Pete Buttigieg received generally favorable reviews in last week’s CNN debate but remains stuck in fifth place.

to Buttigieg’s remark during Tuesday’s debate.” “This is not the first time that Buttigieg has tried to shame conservative Christians,” said the Post. It noted that, in the first round of Democratic debates in June, Buttigieg remarked that it was hypocritical for the Republican Party to “cloak itself in the language of religion.” The conservative National Review was quick to point out that the city of South Bend “advertises numerous positions at pay rates below $15 an hour.” It acknowledged that Buttigieg “pushed to raise” the city’s hourly minimum wage from where it had been – the federal minimum of $7.25 – to $10.10 but suggested that was pandering. “Nothing in the Bible dictates that Christians pay their employees whatever wage is arbitrarily chosen by politicians eager for votes,” said the Review. As a gay candidate, Buttigieg won’t be worried about losing evangelical votes, but he does need to be concerned about garnering the support of those 66% of voters who say religion is important to

their lives, observers believe. The Harris Poll suggests that he’s got some work to do there. The poll surveyed 2,214 registered voters nationwide on July 31 and August 1 and asked, among many other things, “Which of the Democratic presidential candidates shares your values the most?” Only 10% chose Buttigieg. Buttigieg’s second notable remark in the CNN-hosted debates addressed concerns expressed by several candidates on the stage that the Democratic Party can’t defeat President Donald Trump if it embraces ideas seen as too progressive or too left-leaning. “It is time to stop worrying about what the Republicans will say,” said Buttigieg. “If we embrace a far-left agenda, they’re going to say we’re a bunch of crazy socialists. If we embrace a conservative agenda, you know what they’re going to do? They’re going to say we’re a bunch of crazy socialists. So, let’s just stand up for the right policy, go out there, and defend it.” Buttigieg made the remark in the midst of a discussion about whether Democrats should push for “Medicare for all” or allow

no sense whatsoever. I hope that this puts us on a path to decriminalizing sex work. At some point, we have to grapple with this issue.” Wiener said that opponents of legislation like SB 233 have argued that criminalizing sex work provides a way to intervene and rescue victims of human trafficking. “I don’t agree with that,” he said, taking care to rhetorically separate victims of trafficking from people

who choose sex work. “Victims of human trafficking are not committing a crime. They’re victims. But the way we’ve treated it, victims will not report their traffickers because they think they’ll get arrested themselves,” Wiener said.

Unclear condom policies

Condom policies have not always been clear at the local level, even when San Francisco Police claimed

workers to keep their private health insurance. Buttigieg has a middle ground proposal: “Medicare for all who want it.” When the Harris survey asked voters “Is it more important that the Democrats nominate a presidential candidate with a strong chance of beating Donald Trump or that the Democrats nominate a presidential candidate who shares your position on issues?” they were deeply split. And when asked which Democrat has the best chance of beating Trump in November 2020, only 1% named Buttigieg. (Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. took the lead there, being named by 36%. Senator Bernie Sanders came in a distant second, with 11%.) The second round of debates did not appear to affect Buttigieg’s ranking. The Harris Poll broke out the responses of the 585 Democrats who participated in the survey and found that 4% were “most likely” going to vote for Buttigieg. While that sounds low, it kept him in fifth place. (Biden had 34%, followed by Sanders (17), Senator Kamala Harris (9), and Senator Elizabeth Warren (8). The Harris Poll suggests Buttigieg has considerable catching up to do on name recognition alone. While 56% of respondents in the poll were familiar with Buttigieg, 88% were familiar with Sanders, 87% with Biden, 77% with Warren, and 72% with Harris. Even former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke, who has consistently polled under Buttigieg, had 62% name recognition. The lagging name recognition might be related, to some degree, to his last name being difficult for some people to pronounce. His campaign has tried to overcome that by referring to the candidate as “Mayor Pete,” a name the twoterm mayor of South Bend urged his constituents to use, too. But surveys don’t list that as an option.

Solid fifth place

in 2012 that officers did not photograph condoms as evidence of sex work or enter them into the record as proof. Captain Denise Flaherty, who at that time was head of the SFPD’s special victims unit, told the B.A.R. that condoms didn’t have “any evidentiary value whatsoever,” and should not be confiscated or treated as evidence. However, conflicting reports from vice cops indicated that this policy was not widely

understood or practiced in a uniform fashion. Flaherty admitted an on-ground flexibility on this issue, saying, “I can’t speak to what a police officer may do.” This was followed by an announcement from former Police Chief Greg Suhr stating definitively that condoms would not be taken by

A look at 13 national polls of Democrats or voters leaning Democratic, taken by seven different media polling groups prior to last week’s debates, showed Buttigieg with a solid hold on fifth place. But some political commentators are beginning to ask whether he will be able to climb out of the single digits in the polling on a national basis. (He has garnered double-digit support in two of the early voting states: as high as 14% in Iowa and 15% in New Hampshire but is now polling at about 7% in Iowa and 7 to 10% in New Hampshire. A Monmouth University poll in South Carolina, released July 25, showed Buttigieg in fifth place with 5% support.) The most recent national poll published before the secondround debate also showed Buttigieg in fifth place, with 6% of the support. That poll, taken by Quinnipiac University July 2528 of 579 voters who identified as Democratic or leaning Democratic (5.1-point margin of error) showed Biden (34%) in first, followed by Warren (15), Harris (12), and Sanders (11). Buttigieg’s closest contender below was, and has consistently been, O’Rourke (with 2%). More national polling will be released in the next few days and weeks, and the next round of Democratic debates are just a month away. The criteria for participating in the third round are twice as high as the last: To qualify, the candidate must have 130,000 unique donors and poll at least 2% in four national surveys. Many pundits say the criteria are likely to eliminate half of the field from the crucial television opportunity. At deadline, only eight of the 24 have qualified to be on stage for that debate. Buttigieg is one of them. t

See page 12 >>

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<< Community News

12 • Bay Area Reporter • August 8-14, 2019

Drag pay

SF DA debates

From page 1

In the portion of the evening when the candidates asked questions of one another, things got pointed. Dautch attacked Loftus twice: once on campaign finance, pointing out that she is the only candidate who did not pledge not to solicit or accept contributions from city employees, agreeing only that she would not solicit them. Loftus responded that she thinks people should be allowed to help choose who their boss will be. The second time, he called out a case in which a bisexual woman filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court

Out in the World

From page 2

Broadway in San Francisco. Guests will enjoy “four sensual boylesque acts” by Berber performer Juliano Wade, who will be joined by drag chanteuse Bebe Sweetbriar, hoop dancer Dylan Bradley, aerialist David

News Briefs

From page 6

Name and gender marker legal clinic

Bay Area Legal Aid and the San

what the petition is trying to do,” said Wood, who is paid $20 when he performs at the twice-monthly “Rebel Kings of Oakland” show at the East Bay’s White Horse gay bar. Michael Trung Nguyen, 37, a gay man who performs in drag as Juicy Liu, is also supportive of the goal behind the petition. Ever since being crowned Miss GAPA 2016 he has seen how hard it can be for drag performers, especially performers of color, to break into the local drag scene and make a living from performing. “It is costly, so I do agree with the overall spirit of the petition. There needs to be more of a standard for how drag performers are paid,” said Nguyen. “It is sort of a Catch-22 thing if you can’t do it unless you can pay for it. Once you get paid for it, you want to keep doing it.” Last August, Nguyen launched his own showcase for drag queens and other performers of color the fourth Thursday of the month at Castro gay bar the Lookout. Called “Juicy Thots,” Nguyen set out to pay performers well, with those doing one number earning $40 and those doing two numbers receiving $80. “It is in line with that petition. It just happened to be I was already doing it,” said Nguyen, who takes home whatever is left over from the door, as there is a $5 cover charge. “My intention, again, for this show is not to make a bunch of money. It is to create a showcase for trans and people of color performers and have it in the Castro.” In light of the conversation the petition has sparked, Isaac Soria, whose drag queen persona is Cassi De La Cunt, approached the owners of Ginger’s, a gay bar in San Francisco’s financial district, about increasing the budget for his drag show he hosts there on Thursday nights called “C U Next Time.” When he first launched the weekly show, which has no cover

charge, he wasn’t able to pay the performers, who worked for tips. In June, having built up a customer base, Soria began paying his show cohosts $30 and performers $15 for two numbers for the night. They also get to keep their tips. Come September he is bumping up both pay rates by $5 and is aiming to increase it more soon after. “As the show has continued to grow, I pushed myself to ask the bar to get a bigger budget,” said Soria, 30, a gay man who started performing in drag four years ago in New York City. Fully supportive of the petition launched by Atauri, who has performed at his show, Soria said there has been some confusion that it’s calling for the creation of a union to represent drag performers. “The goal is for venues to pay more equally and for performers getting paid fairly,” he said.

last week after her federal civil lawsuit was dismissed against the San Francisco Police Department for failure to process hundreds of rape kits. Heather Marlowe held a news conference July 31 in which she said Loftus, when she was on the police commission, assured her no such backlog existed. At the time, Loftus worked for former state Attorney General Kamala Harris, now a U.S. senator running for president. In a statement last week, Loftus, who is named in the petition, referred the B.A.R. to the city attorney’s office and pointed out that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that there were no valid claims against her or the

police commission when it dismissed Marlowe’s case. John Coté, spokesman for the city attorney’s office, told the B.A.R. last week that Marlowe’s lawsuit is “meritless” and defended the police’s handling of her case. At Tuesday’s debate, Loftus pointed to the reforms she instituted, including a 120-day limit for rape kit testing and required victim notification. At the July 29 Alice club forum, all four of the candidates came out against cash bail. Boudin spoke about his unusual background. His parents, members

of the Weather Underground, were incarcerated in 1981 when he was 14 months old for driving the getaway car in an armed robbery that left two police officers and a security guard dead. His father is still in prison. Boudin’s experience is unlike most. He described how prison visits shaped his expectations of the criminal justice system, calling it “profoundly broken,” and pointed out that he has been working to end money bail for years. Tung spoke of her concept of “community-centered justice,” and expressed a desire for a holistic approach to rehabilitating people out of the “revolving door” of the current justice system. She also spoke on the

need for better language and cultural competency training for police and administrators to serve San Francisco’s immigrant community. Loftus said that she wants the people of San Francisco “to reject the idea that we can either be safe or we can have systems that are just.” While Loftus opposed cash bail, she pointed out that its proposed alternatives – electronic monitoring and search conditions – basically reproduce the conditions of probation for people who have not yet been convicted of a crime. t

Nguyen, and others as they experience a four-course menu of Middle Eastern and North African cuisine. An optional wine pairing will be available at an additional cost. The evening will be the supper club’s first-ever LGBT event. “This is going to be the first time that people are going to see some

male belly dancers,” said Wade, 33, a gay Colombian man who is producing the fundraising event, noting that it’s “not very usual to see males doing this kind of dance.” The event will donate 10% of the proceeds to the LGBT Asylum Project, a legal advocacy organization representing LGBT immigrants and asy-

lum seekers, said Borhen Hammami, operating partner at Berber. Flamboyance takes place August 15, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $95 for the dinner, plus an additional $50 for the optional wine pairing. They can be purchased at https:// resy.com/cities/sf/berber-supperclub?date=2019-08-15&seats=2.

For more information about the LGBT Asylum Project, visit www.lgbtasylumproject.org. t

Francisco Public Library will hold a name and gender marker legal clinic Sunday, August 18, from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Latino/Hispanic room at the main library, 100 Larkin Street. The clinic will provide free as-

sistance for people completing their documents to change their name and/ or gender marker. Advance registration is required and space is limited. Those who are interested should contact Jeanie Aus-

tin at (415) 516-1163 or Jeanie.austin@sfpl.org or Bay Area Legal Aid at probono@baylegal.org to reserve a spot. t

ther to go. In 2014, former Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill authored by gay former Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) that required prosecutors attempting to use the possession of condoms as evidence of prostitution or loitering with intent to commit prostitution to submit a motion to the court stating the reasons that condoms were relevant to the case. This was a step toward condom decriminalization, but ultimately did not do enough to prioritize public health, since it still allowed condoms to become evidence of wrongdoing.

California is not the first state to take this step. A similar law passed in New York in 2013.

Outreach Project Sacramento. “Allowing sex workers to carry condoms and report violent offenses will be lifesaving,” she added. Toni Newman, executive director of St. James Infirmary, a San Francisco occupational health and safety clinic for sex workers of all genders, told the B.A.R by phone she thought this was an excellent move toward the overall decriminalization of sex work. “I think it’s a great move toward decriminalization in California, which we’re working on now,” she said. “As the executive director of an organization that serves a lot of

From page 1

not be published as the pay initiative has been met with some criticism and was concerned about being harassed at their non-drag job. Their intention is not to shame venue owners or promoters with the petition, explained Atauri. They do not envision creating a union for drag performers, or requiring signed employment contracts. Rather, they want to promote those venues that are fairly compensating drag performers and other staff involved in putting on drag shows, perhaps through a sticker or sign that can be posted by the bar or nightclub to alert patrons they offer a fair wage. “There won’t be any signed agreements, like you find in a union-business relationship. The enforcement is creating a positive encouraging culture rather than shaming and putting people on blast – at least for this petition,” Atauri told the B.A.R. “We have nothing finalized, but we are thinking about making window stickers or signs to give bars to display at their discretion, to let performers and audience members know that they value the drag entertainment at their establishment.” Drag king Holden Wood, 22, a transgender man who goes by Mads Leigh-Faire off stage, supports the intent of the petition but does have concerns about setting a pay minimum for drag performers at $40. He told the B.A.R. that setting the base pay at $25 for gigs in bars and clubs may be a more realistic benchmark. “I am nervous it will turn the scene a little monotonous,” said Wood, as bars may begin to only book those performers they believe are a big enough draw to warrant being paid $40. “I think the conversation needs to be had with bars and performers

Sex worker law

From page 10

SFPD as proof of prostitution. Since then, this issue has come up time and again in San Francisco policing and legal circles, with District Attorney George Gascón weighing in in 2013, assuring the city that the late Public Defender Jeff Adachi’s office had agreed to “eliminate any discussion concerning the presence or absence of condoms as evidence in convicting or acquitting an individual of a prostitution-related crime.” At the state level, the question of condoms and sex work had fur-

Courtesy Rainbow Community Center

East Bay drag queen Bella Aldama was compensated for her performance during the Pride in the Plaza event in Concord in June.

together. It can not be one side making a demand of another.”

Costs of doing drag

Wood said that Atauri has been receptive to his concerns going forward. He said how performers are paid is an important issue to address as the public may not realize the costs one incurs doing drag. “It is incredibly important to recognize while drag is something we enjoy doing, it is work,” said Wood, who lives in Oakland and is the reigning Royal Crown Prince of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties for the Ducal Court. “This petition has really started a conversation about what are we going to do to really negate some of these costs.” Performing in drag requires an investment, noted Wood, as the makeup, wigs, and outfits one needs quickly add up. Before even getting on stage, a drag performer has spent two hours or more getting ready, he added. “Once you get into explaining in detail the work involved, then people can put it together. I think that is

No to cash bail

Reaction

Organizations and individuals reacting to the new law describe it as nothing short of historic, and an unexpected victory for sex work, the fight against human trafficking, and disease prevention. “After 40 years in the sex trade, and being trafficked for 10 of those years, I never thought that we would see a change in my lifetime,” said Pearl Callahan in a news release. Callahan is the outreach director for the Sex Workers

Nonprofit issue

One of the more controversial positions Atauri espouses is that nonprofits should compensate drag performers when they book them to perform at their events. “I stand firm you should properly budget for all sources like catering and entertainment,” they said. “Drag queens and kings are entertainers. You are asking us for our art and resources so you should compensate us.” Since coming on board in the spring as the executive director of the Rainbow Community Center in Concord, Jack Rednour-Bruckman has made sure any drag performers booked for the LGBT center’s events are paid. A performer themselves in a band, Rednour-Bruckman believes entertainers deserve to be compensated for their time unless they are donating their services for a charitable cause. “First and foremost, I believe in paying people for their time,” said Rednour-

Bruckman, who signed on to Atauri’s petition after being asked about it. “When a nonprofit is going to ask folks to volunteer, for food and what have you, I have no problem asking a caterer to give us a discount or write it off as a tax deductible donation.” As for performers, the center compensated those who took the stage at its annual Pride event in June and also pays those drag queens it asks to do readings for children. “Especially for drag queens and drag kings, it takes time to get ready, and if someone asks you to haul yourself to some stage at 11 a.m. in the morning I am going to pay you,” said RednourBruckman. “I come from a performance perspective and am not going to ask anybody to do something for free.” Nguyen, who started out doing drag to raise money for the gay softball league and other nonprofits, doesn’t believe there needs to be a rule governing what drag performers should be paid at charitable events. He thinks it should be up to the individual to decide if they are going to ask to be paid or donate their time. The size of the event should also be factored in, he said, such as whether it is a beer bust benefit at a local bar or a costly gala. “If I don’t believe in the cause, I won’t perform at the event. If I do, I will,” he said. It is just one of the issues Atauri hopes their petition is bringing greater awareness to and can be addressed by their nonprofit, to be called Bay Area Drag (BAD) Resources. They are hosting a $15 beer bust benefit from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, September 21, at the Lone Star Saloon, 1354 Harrison Street in San Francisco, to raise money for it. To read the petition, visit https:// www.coworker.org/petitions/no-payis-a-drag-sf-bay-drag-employers-seta-min-booking-fee.t

Got international LGBT news tips? Call or send them to Heather Cassell at WhatsApp: 415-517-7239, or Skype: heather.cassell, or oitwnews@gmail.com.

/lgbtsf

women of color, many of whom are doing survival sex work, I can tell you jail is not the answer.” Speaking beyond SB 233, Newman was optimistic about the future of this movement. “We’re working with the ACLU, building a coalition to draft a bill for statewide decriminalization to give to Scott Wiener,” she said, referring to the American Civil Liberties Union. The full text of SB 233 is available at https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/ faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_ id=201920200SB233. t

Sports >>

August 8-14, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 13

Final reports from Gay Games Paris note the highs and lows by Roger Brigham

ay Games X last year in Paris was a rousing success. It turned a profit, drew more than 10,000 participants, and provided supportive, inclusive competition for the athletes. Final reports made public last week by Paris organizers help illuminate the drama, anger, joy, frustrations, fractured relationships, and sacrifices involved in making that magic happen. The reports will be discussed during the annual Federation of Gay Games general assembly at the end of October in Guadalajara, Mexico as preparations progress for the 2022 Gay Games, scheduled for Hong Kong. After successively smaller Gay Games in Cologne and Cleveland the previous two quadrennial cycles, Paris brought Gay Games participation back over 10,000 while becoming the first Gay Games held outside of North America to make a profit. Paris reported 10,317 athletes and artists participated. That makes Paris the fifth Gay Games to draw more than 10,000 participants, joining New York City, Amsterdam, Sydney, and Chicago. In the Gay Games business model, successfully creating such a big constantly moving multi-sports and cultural festival from scratch requires a cooperative working relationship among the host organization, which is quickly assembled to do something it has never quite done before; international mission-focused LGBT sports organizations, which represent tens of thousands of athletes and have spent years creating procedures for the ideal, inclusive sports competitions; and the FGG, the licensing body that brings everyone to the table while securing the future of the event. The reports show that model was frequently undercut. The vision that Paris organizers had of what the sports should be and how they should be run sometimes clashed with those of the LGBT sports groups and the FGG itself. Some of clashes were predictable; others are head scratchers.

Highs and lows

• Paris 2018 thought the Gay Games name sucked. “Of course, the name is militant, but in this day and age, ‘Gay Games’ does not reflect diversity and inclusion,” the public relations report said. “Instead, the name ‘Gay Games’ connotes exclusion of all who are not ‘gay,’ which is often interpreted as excluding women, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people, and the entire non-gay world, including the heterosexual community. Please keep in mind that in most of the world, the word ‘gay’ means gay men only.” Of course, this is not the first time anyone has taken a shot at the name. It was adopted when organizers of the first Gay Games in 1982 were sued and blocked by the United States Olympic Committee for the use of the word “Olympic” in the name. The words “gay” and “lesbian” are still used in many longtime LGBT+ sports and cultural organizations, such as the European Gay and Lesbian Sports

Courtesy Facebook

Members of Cheer New York performed in front of Notre Dame ahead of their competition at last year’s Gay Games in Paris.

Federation, founded in pre-acronym times when those were the terms used to signal inclusiveness and diversity. So athletes and artists from those organizations know the term refers to inclusion, not exclusion. The name was also attacked for much of the past decade by critics, including some in the FGG itself, who were focused on getting the FGG to end the Gay Games and stage a unified event with the now-defunct Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association. Their calls to drop the name were soundly rejected by Gay Games stakeholders. The report concluded by saying Paris 2018 marketed what it labeled the “militant” approach (calling the Gay Games by its name) and a “politically correct” approach (labeling them “A Celebration of Diversity.”) “Experience showed that only the first approach was successful,” the report said. • Paris 2018 complained about the fees that come with some of the sanctioning LGBT sports organizations and said many did a poor job of promoting the event. “Relationships with most international LGBT federations were very difficult and generally not very collaborative, with the exception of IAGLMA (martial arts), FrontRunners (athletics and running), and GLTA (tennis),” the community relations report said. “Complementary and additional funding requests from associations such as ESSDA, GLTA, IGLFA, etc. caused major issues and required a lot of time. The FGG needs to step up and address this issue NOW and keep at it for the entire planning cycle. The host and the participants should NOT pay for additional requests from sports or cultural federations.” The report was referring to the European Same-Sex Dance Association and the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association. Such fees, accepted when sports federations sign their agreements with a host, are standard operating procedure when they sanction tournaments to help offset the cost of the benefits they provide to participants and the organization of the meets. Paris should not have been surprised, representatives of sports federations told the Bay Area Reporter. “Paris should have done more research before wanting to host the games,” said Gus Penaranda, presi-

dent of the IGLFA. “Just because you do not agree with something doesn’t mean you understand why it is done. We charge a membership fee to protect our members and to provide them what they need at tournaments and beyond. IGLFA has gained the reputation of providing top certified refs, and our tournaments are well organized and usually issue-free. We work hard to protect the integrity of the game.” The tennis group also defended its fees. “The Gay and Lesbian Tennis Association has 84 sanctioned tennis events around the globe,” said Dan Merrithew, CEO and president of GLTA. “All of our tournaments have the same fees assessed for using our software, ranking database, website listings, support, etc. We assessed those same fees to the Paris organization ($4 per player). We did not request any ‘complementary or additional fees’ as they have reported in their final report.” Merrithew did say that since 2006, when the Montreal World Outgames lost millions of dollars, GLTA has required all multi-sport events such as the Gay Games to pay a 50% deposit up front. “We have this requirement due to historical non-payment from other multi-sports events: Montreal Outgames filing bankruptcy, Miami Outgames folding without paying, etc.,” he said. “But that pre-payment requirement is agreed upon when they request GLTA sanctioning.” Kim Shephard, FGG rep for the International Gay Bowling Organization, said, “We consider that the report is inconsistent with facts and, for the moment, are choosing to engage directly with the Federation of Gay Games and related entities.” • Paris had its own view of what some of the disciplines should be like, occasionally clashing with the vision and mission of the LGBT sports and cultural organizations. “Cheerleading was out of place at an international event. Cheerleading is too American. To ensure a future for cheerleading, it is essential to remove PCA’s monopoly on competition,” the Paris 2018 cultural report stated, referring to the Pride Cheerleading Association. “This exclusivity makes any innovation and any evolution impossible. Cheerleading must open up to the world and show a new face that is more in line with reality and less caricatured and in line with the tastes of the public of the organizing country.” Sara Toogood, secretary of PCA, countered, “Cheerleading is truly international – there is nothing ‘too American’ about it and there hasn’t been since 2004 when the recognized world governing body of cheerleading, the International Cheer Union, was first established. Utilizing cheerleading as a vehicle to engender social change and make impactful donations to charities that support health and wellness in our LGBTQ+ community is the most innovative of all.” Toogood also noted ICU has clubs in “116 nations across the world, with

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3.5 million athletes on all continents.” As for any monopoly, Toogood said, “It was abundantly clear that no PCA team affiliation was necessary. There were groups in the competition that were not PCA-affiliated, including the group that won the group stunt gold medal. “In fact, in an effort to level the playing field and reduce the perception of PCA exclusivity and potential bias, groups were encouraged to name and uniform themselves in such a way that did not clearly identify them by their PCA team,” Toogood added. “Many chose campy themes (hence the ‘caricature’ reference in the Paris 2018 report) that were exceptionally amusing to our sold-out house of spectators. The competition was soldout so far in advance, that Paris 2018 actually had to open up for a second round of ticket sales.” In my sport, wrestling, the usual format calls for the men’s and women’s freestyle tournaments to be held on the same day as exhibition matches for wrestlers who have little or no competition in their own weight/age/gender groups. Wrestlers WithOut Borders and the Gay Games were the first to offer women’s wrestling in a major international meet when they introduced it in 1994, 10 years before the Olympics. Because the same number of weight classes are offered in both men’s and women’s competition (unlike the Olympics, which offers fewer women’s divisions), exhibitions – many across gender lines – form a key component of the female and gender fluid wrestlers’ Gay Games experience. But Paris disdained that model and instead moved the exhibitions to the next day – when wrestlers who otherwise would have participated in them were recovering or involved in the grappling tournament. Hence, several women did not get the exhibitions they expected. “We sometimes felt that we were being asked to impose an archaic and macho vision of the wrestling,” the Paris wrestling report said. “We tried very hard to move forward concerning the event – to feminize, diversify, innovate, and propose something new. If associations are asked to take charge of the venue and competition, they must be trusted and especially listened to regarding their vision of the event.” Which would, of course, be the Outgames model. • The FGG’s technological regression is crippling the cohesiveness of the Gay Games movement. In the late 1990s, San Francisco volunteer Erich Richter designed a state-of-the-art Debby Award-winning website for the federation. In 2004, while I was volunteering on the communications committee, I increased outreach to news media and participants by expanding the site and adding a participant-focused electronic newsletter. Since then, the newsletters have been published irregularly and lost their focus on participants, and the website has undergone a series of redesigns and collapses.

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“The FGG did not have an upto-date site for several years during the preparation of Paris 2018 Gay Games,” the public relations report said. “The FGG messages on social networks and in newsletters were not dynamic and did not focus on the issues of LGBT sport and culture. The FGG does very little, too little, regarding communication and public relations. Each host must start from zero, losing valuable time and resources. The FGG does not promote its brand, resulting in a cause and event that is unknown by most people. Marketing and communication should be the main activity of the FGG, its board members, and its delegates – for the entire four years of the event cycle.”

Head scratcher

• The most puzzling report was one filed by Emy Ritt, former FGG president who also served as site selection and host relations officer before her tenure with Paris 2018. She cited many of FGG’s known weaknesses and repeatedly introduced her complaints with the phrase “considering the FGG requires a payment of $400K-$500K from the host” before saying more FGG resources should have been devoted to this, that, and the other. The comments are puzzling because during her tenure up to, and through, the 2014 Gay Games, she was in the optimal position to help the FGG focus on those issues instead of expending the federation’s limited resources on constant rapprochement discussions with the failed-enterprise Outgames. • No shocker here: the broiling and parched opening ceremonies received positive comments from less than 20% of the participants, according to a post-game participant survey conducted by the FGG. All other aspects of Paris 2018 received approval ratings of at least 60%. Participants polled by the FGG showed that more than 80% were happy overall with the sports themselves as well as transportation, the accreditation process, and the closing ceremony; and almost every other aspect of the event earned at least a 60% approval rating – except the opening ceremony, historically the bane of the larger-scale Gay Games. Part of that, the reports noted, was that because too many tasks – ceremonies, parties, village, ticketing, access control, and payment system – were all overseen by just one individual, which reduced organizers’ ability to oversee outsourced operations. That was especially problematic when the opening ceremonies attendees were greeted by a huge heat wave, poor access to food and beverages, and were steered by volunteers who often did not know where to send them. For instance, the report said, the subcontractor for food and beverages had been prepared for 4,000 people – not the 15,000 expected. As advice for future hosts, the report offered, “Never trust an artistic director when he says ‘Trust me, it will be amazing.’ Never trust politicians when they say ‘two-minute speech’ – especially if they are French.”t

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<< Legals

14 • Bay Area Reporter • August 8-14, 2019

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555008

In the matter of the application of: CARMEN LOO AKA CARMEN HIP LEONG, 2438 36TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CARMEN LOO AKA CARMEN HIP LEONG, is requesting that the name CARMEN LOO, be changed to CARMEN HIP LOO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 22nd of August 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JULY 18, 25, AUG 01, 08, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555010

In the matter of the application of: EMEK JUMAH AKA EMEK KEIDAR, 245 NORTHPOINT ST #3311, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner EMEK JUMAH AKA EMEK KEIDAR, is requesting that the name EMEK JUMAH AKA EMEK KEIDAR, be changed to EMEK KEIDAR. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 22nd of August 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JULY 18, 25, AUG 01, 08, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555015

In the matter of the application of: PATRICIA GUAN LIU AKA HUI MING GUAN LIU, 1870 41ST AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner PATRICIA GUAN LIU AKA HUI MING GUAN LIU, is requesting that the name PATRICIA GUAN LIU AKA HUI MING GUAN LIU, be changed to HUI MING GUAN LIU. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, on the 27th of August 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JULY 18, 25, AUG 01, 08, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038720200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SHIGE KIMONO, 1730 GEARY BLVD # 203, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ASAKICHI SAKAKIHARA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/14/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/15/19.

JULY 18, 25, AUG 01, 08, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038719300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BLINDN-VISION, 1390 MISSION ST #1003, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JUAN MANUEL VELASQUEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/12/19.

JULY 18, 25, AUG 01, 08, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038715600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DCC LEGAL, 77 VAN NESS AVE #101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAINA CAROLINE CHIU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/10/19.

JULY 18, 25, AUG 01, 08, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038713000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ISLAND SHRIMP SHACK, 1142 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DANIEL LIU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/09/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/09/19.

JULY 18, 25, AUG 01, 08, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038712700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PICNIX BISTRO AND CARRY OUT, 3872 SACRAMENTO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed TUOI HONG NGUYEN & HONG TUYET PHAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/09/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/09/19.

JULY 18, 25, AUG 01, 08, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038694800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DEAR INGA, 3560 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed EPICER (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/20/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/20/19.

JULY 18, 25, AUG 01, 08, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038712800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BOAVIDA, 3560 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed 3560 TARAVAL, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/02/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/09/19.

JULY 18, 25, AUG 01, 08, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038716600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CALL ME FOODIE, 1130 OCEAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TANCHAN LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/11/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/11/19.

JULY 18, 25, AUG 01, 08, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038715500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ERN MILLS, 242 SAGAMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed AME HOME SOLUTIONS LLC. (NV) The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/10/19.

JULY 18, 25, AUG 01, 08, 2019

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038719800

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038725000

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038730700

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038742500

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038741500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SALON NUNA, 2906 OCTAVIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SALON NUNA LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/15/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: USED RIDESHARES LLC, 350 RHODE ISLAND #240, SAN FRAN CISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed USED RIDESHARES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/09/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/18/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LITTLE HANDS DAYCARE, 1523 LA SALLE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ASHLEY BERKLEY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/24/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/24/19.

JULY 18, 25, AUG 01, 08, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038705800

JULY 25, AUG 01, 08, 15, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038707400

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038728900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PIPELINERX, 600 CALIFORNIA ST, #520, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PIPELINE HEALTH HOLDINGS LLC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/01/19.

JULY 18, 25, AUG 01 08, 2019 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037153100 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: SAN FRANCISCO STUDENT HOUSING, 875 POST ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business was conducted by a limited partnership and signed by PACIFIC EQUITIES WEST LLC, GP OF POST 875 LP (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/27/16.

JULY 18, 25, AUG 01, 08, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555009

In the matter of the application of: HANNAH PATRICIA LUTZ, 2622 1/2 SUTTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner HANNAH PATRICIA LUTZ, is requesting that the name HANNAH PATRICIA LUTZ, be changed to HANNAH ELOISE LUTZ. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, on the 22nd of August 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JULY 25, AUG 01, 08, 15, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038720500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LEDA COHORT 5 FUND, 773 TEHAMA ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed VINCENT CASTANEDA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/15/19.

JULY 25, AUG 01, 08, 15, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038719000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: INTERNATIONAL VISA SERVICE, 20 JOICE ST #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KAYLA L. PAPAYIANNIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/05/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/12/19.

JULY 25, AUG 01, 08, 15, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038723700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LOLO’S UNICORN JUICE BAR, 957 CONNECTICUT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOY SWANTA WILLIAMS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/12/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/18/19.

JULY 25, AUG 01, 08, 15, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038721400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KALIBRATION; CALIBRATION; GUIPAIR, 166 SWEENY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed IVANEI CUNHA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/16/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/16/19.

JULY 25, AUG 01, 08, 15, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038719900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CORTLAND NAIL SALON, 626 CORTLAND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CUONG VIEN LA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/01. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/15/19.

JULY 25, AUG 01, 08, 15, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038717800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SWEETLEAF COLLECTIVE, 77 VAN NESS AVE #1901, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MODERN HEALTH SOLUTIONS (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/11/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/11/19.

JULY 25, AUG 01, 08, 15, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038722400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE DALE + ALLA TEAM, 1400 VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed THE DALE + ALLA TEAM (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/17/19.

JULY 25, AUG 01, 08, 15, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038717900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALTRSM LLC, 77 VAN NESS AVE #1901, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ALTRSM LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/11/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/11/19.

JULY 25, AUG 01, 08, 15, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038722900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GAME AFFILIATED, 149 GARFIELD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed GAME AFFILIATED LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/02/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/02/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STANALAND & COMPANY, 500 WASHINGTON #475, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RUSSELL STANALAND. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/23/19.

JULY 25, AUG 01, 08, 15, 2019 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037830900

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038729000

JULY 25, AUG 01, 08, 15, 2019 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF JOHN SELBY MAUCIERI IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-19-303041

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038716900

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: LETISHA MOODY DESIGN, 1800 WASHINGTON ST #912, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by LETISHA JANE MOODY. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/06/17.

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of JOHN SELBY MAUCIERI. A Petition for Probate has been filed by SELBY SCALBERG in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that SELBY SCALBERG be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: September 11, 2019, 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: Steven E. Davidson, Esq. (SBN#65588), 1300 Clay St #1300, Oakland, CA 94612; Ph. (510) 527-6774.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 2019 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF MERAH PAYNE CARVELO IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF ALAMEDA: FILE RP19026771

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of Merah Payne Carvelo; Merah P. Carvelo; Merah Carvelo; Merah Payne. A Petition for Probate has been filed by Suzanne P. Mathieson in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda. The Petition for Probate requests that Suzanne P. Mathieson be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: August 26, 2019, 9:31 am, Rm. 201, Superior Court of California, County Of Alameda, 2120 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704, Berkeley Courthouse. 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: Bryan R. Walters (SBN#309780), Gregory F. Dyer (SBN#114486) Jones & Dyer, APC, 3031 F St #101, Sacramento, CA 95816; Ph. (916) 552-5959

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038729400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TACO CHIDO, 685 MARKET ST #120, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TACO CHIDO LLC. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/17/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUMMERBERRY COACHING, 154 MIDDLEFIELD DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KIRIN KAUR PARMAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/23/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/23/19.

JULY 25, AUG 01, 08, 15, 2019

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STANALAND & ASSOCIATES, 500 WASHINGTON #475, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RUSSELL STANALAND. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/23/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TAQUIRA DEMOLITION & HAULING SERVICES, 149 GOETHE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JONATAN TAQUIRA COYOTE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/11/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/11/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038713900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HIGHER SELF ADVENTURES, 2423 45TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAVID COGAN HOLT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/10/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038735500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TRUSTED DENTAL, 1868 VAN NESS AVE, COMMERCIAL UNIT 2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed NONNA VOFSON DDS, PROFESSIONAL CORP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/29/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038735200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOME, 455 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HOME COFFEE COMPANY, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/29/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038733800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: UNION DOOR, 167 TOLAND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed UNION ROLLING DOOR COMPANY (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/18/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038731300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE DENTAL PRACTICE/SF, 187 PINE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed RATHOD DENTAL, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/23/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/24/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038673200

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: LITTLE HANDS DAYCARE, 330 HOWTH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by ASHLEY BERKLEY. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/30/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555070

In the matter of the application of: SHALLY SHALINI IYER, 3520 20TH ST #8, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner SHALLY SHALINI IYER, is requesting that the name SHALLY SHALINI IYER, be changed to SHALINI IYER RANA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 17th of September 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MATT STYLING STUDIO, 315 SUTTER ST 4TH FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MATTHEW SITHIRAJVONGSA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/05/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/05/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RANDIE INN, 493 YALE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AUREA MIRANDA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/05/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038734700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CALEF LIVE WORMS GALLERY, 1345 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual and is signed NANCY CALEF. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038731400

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AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038735400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KOKYLLOS CATERING SERVICE, 75 DORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MANUEL ARAUJO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/24/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/29/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038719200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FOCUS TRAVEL SERVICE, 1539 21ST AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ZHI XIONG HE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/20/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/12/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038734300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: INNOVATION PROPERTIES GROUP, 181 2ND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed INNOVATION REAL ESTATE GROUP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038729600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DRIVEZY, INC., 63 BOVET RD #316, SAN MATEO, CA 94402. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DRIVEZY, INC. (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/19/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/23/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038718600

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AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038731500

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Vol. 49 • No. 32 • August 8-14, 2019

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Tony Yazbeck: “There’s a reason people were attracted to watching Fred and Ginger.”

Courtesy the subject

Brenna Merrit

Comedian and “Who’s Your Mami?” curator Marga Gomez.

Marga’s ‘Mamis’

Tapping in

by Rae Raucci

by Jim Gladstone

or comedian Marga Gomez, coming to queer comedy happened at an early age. So it only made sense to put together her own type of live comedy series. See page 16 >>

hen Tony Yazbeck takes the stage at Feinstein’s at the Nikko on Aug. 15 & 16, you’ll get the expected singing and storytelling, See page 20 >>

H. Alan Scott in director Aliza Rosen’s “Latter Day Jew.”

Gay comedian crosses boundaries by Brian Bromberger

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

Courtesy SFJFF

t wouldn’t seem like a promising premise for a film: a gay man from a poor Midwestern Mormon family, who is an LA cancer survivor, writer and comedian, converts to Judaism at age 31, as we follow preparations for his November 2017 Bar Mitzvah. Yet this documentary, “Latter Day Jew” (as in Latter Day Saints, the official name for Mormons), about H. Alan Scott, chronicling his spiritual and cultural transformation in an entertainingly candid way, became a hit at this year’s San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. Scott appeared on the Castro Theatre stage after the screening to huge applause acknowledging his artful way of crossing boundaries, part of a universal story of “finding out who you are and where you belong.” See page 18 >>

<< Out There

16 • Bay Area Reporter • August 8-14, 2019

Husky, hairy men inspire art by Roberto Friedman

ot all models are Twiggy, and not all skin is silky-smooth. Chris Komater is a San Franciscobased artist whose career Out There has followed for a long time. His sixth solo exhibition “Jack & Mack” is currently showing at Mercury 20 Gallery, 475 25th St., in Oakland, through Sept. 7. “Jack Radcliffe and Mack are the preeminent bear porn stars, considered icons in the bear community,” say the gallery’s press materials. “The bear community is a segment of the gay community that exalts the physical characteristics of bears – lots of body hair and big tummies. The movement embraces an ideal of beauty quite outside of the mainstream.” “This is a body of work that I created in 2002, but have never exhibited in its entirety,” said Komater. “I’m interested in challenging and subverting received ideas of beauty by examining this new ideal. I’ve introduced a different kind of artifice into these images of Jack & Mack, photographing them in poses

taken from Renaissance painting, bringing together two very different codes of physical expression, each of which heightens the experience of the body in its own fashion.” Komater’s photographs and sound installations have been shown at galleries in SF, LA and beyond. He is the recipient of a WESTAF-NEA Regional Visual Arts Fellowship, a Market Street Art-in-Transit grant, and was the founding director of Secession Gallery, a nonprofit gallery without walls in San Francisco, and the online arts venue Marjorie Wood Gallery. OT contacted Komater via email with a few choice questions that the artist graciously considered. Out There: Do you see Jack and Mack in primarily erotic terms, or in aesthetic terms, or in some combination of erotic & aesthetic appraisal? Chris Komater: “The tension between the erotic and the aesthetic is where most of my work finds inspiration. Jack Radcliffe and Mack were initially part of my fantasy life. I chose poses from the paintings of

! 1 3 . c e D g i n s o Cl t seats available! Gre at

Courtesy the artist and Mercury 20 Gallery

“Jack Radcliffe (after Bellini) #1” (2002) and “Mack (after Caravaggio) #6” (2002), digital C-prints by Chris Komater.

Giovanni Bellini for Jack because Bellini’s subjects are otherworldly, inhabitants of heaven, their faces devoid of expressiveness so that the viewer could project emotions onto them. Jack, to me, was a denizen of some divine realm. I projected my desires onto him, vicariously made love to him through his films and in photo spreads in Bear magazine. Mack seemed very much of this world, his intense sexual energy so down-to-earth. He was even available for hire! The models in Caravaggio’s paintings likewise feel very grounded in Caravaggio’s time and experience, and seemed an obvious pairing. Jack and Mack, my two fantasy men, graciously agreed to pose naked in front of my camera, transforming my desire for them into an aesthetic visual encounter that I could share with my viewer, a different experience of their bodies both transcendent and sublime, the sacred meets the profane.” Would a hairy man without their girth have the same appeal to you as a model? Would a plus-sized model without the hirsute hide work as well? “One of the first times I went to the Lone Star, San Francisco’s bear bar, I observed a man, really big, flabby, super hairy, shirtless, surrounded by groping men, each visibly aroused

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Marga Gomez

From page 15

“Who’s Your Mami?” comedy is coming to Brava Theater Center’s Cabaret three times from August through September. “I grew up as an only child of entertainers and artists,” said Gomez. “When I left my parents’ house, I moved to a white neighborhood, and my dreams of following in their footsteps of show business slowed down because I realized nobody looked like me, nobody was my skin color, and there were no masculinepresenting women and nobody with a gap between their teeth. So I kind of gave up on it, and I was going to be a teacher. Later on, I came to San Francisco only because my parents found out that I was gay in New York and I wanted to get the fuck away from them – hostile is the word for it. “I started performing here in the early 80s at various clubs like the Valencia Rose, which was very historic for its presentation of LGBTQ comedians and cabaret theater – in San Francisco, there was an audience for it, fortunately. “They were also activists as well. I tend to be a little bit of a firebrand up there on stage, and ‘Who’s Your Mami?’ follows the path of what I saw when I came here to San Fran-

and each posturing for his attention. I realized that outside of that venue, outside of the bear community, this man would be seen in a very different way, that there were very few positive erotic or artistic depictions of this kind of body. Then I saw Mark d’Auria’s ‘Smoke’ at the Frameline film festival in the early 90s. In the film, we see older chubby men lovingly and tenderly caressed by the camera, one of the first times I’d ever seen anything like that. But I’m not answering your question, am I? For me, husky and hairy are such a powerfully erotic pairing. I could appreciate beauty in any form, but I photograph what I love to look at, and big hairy guys are my thing. My desires and attractions guide my photographic explorations, and maybe getting older they’ve become more sharply defined. In my more abstract work, I photograph flesh and hair very close-up, the gaze of the lover, to bring my viewers in for an intimate encounter with a kind of body they may not have seen as sensual or beautiful. My boyfriend is a big husky redhead, and I am thrilled by the possibility of exploring his dazzling fluorescent flame-orange furscape with my camera someday. Stay tuned!” You took these portraits or finished them as artworks 17 years ago. Are Jack and Mack cisco, where I found alternative comedy. Even Robin Williams, who became famous here, always had a very clear observational, very creative way of doing comedy. Comedy coming out of the rest of the country wasn’t that so much, and then in clubs in San Francisco like Valencia Rose and Josie’s, there was the feeling that there was a wide umbrella to be queer, a very wide umbrella, and performing there was about challenging the status quo. So I took that to heart, and my comedy was like that. I didn’t really do a lot of mainstream comedy shows, I forged my own venues at like-minded comedy centers around the country. “‘Who’s Your Mami?’ will have the same spirit of alternative comedy. The series will definitely be social justice issue-oriented, but it’s also going to be funny. I’m the curator of it, and I looked for people who inspire me as who they are, and what they come out of – as people of color, as trans comedians, women comedians, and lesbian comedians. “Every show has a very strong host, and I have booked hosts who are actually stars of the show and headliners as well. I feel the host is in every way as important as the headliner. I have here people that I know personally, who are heroes of mine, who crack me up. “I think some people are scared

still working in the field of bear erotica today? Have the standards of beauty changed since their heyday? “I’ve had only fleeting contact with Jack and Mack in the years since photographing them. Jack I know is married and in real estate, he’s my Facebook friend. Mack still maintains a website where one may purchase videos, see him play ‘Misty’ on the piano, and order Mack-soiled apparel. You could even call him for phone sex! His libido remains unceasingly effusive. I don’t know that standards of beauty have changed that much in 17 years, but there seems to be a lot more visibility of bear culture and an acceptance of a wider array of body types. There has been a tendency to pathologize excess body weight, or to find extremes of humor or pathos in it, and we still see that in the antics of Seth Rogan or Zack Galifianakis. But we also see characters with more heroic and romantic appeal, like Sean Astin or Police Chief Hopper in ‘Stranger Things,’ for example.” “Jack & Mack” shows at Mercury 20 along with two other solo exhibitions, Nick Dong’s “Mendsmith Project” and Ruth Tabancay’s “Geometricity 3.0.” Artists’ reception: Sat., Aug. 10, 4-6 p.m. First Friday Art Murmurs: Sept. 6, 6-9 p.m. Info: (510) 701-4620.t to go to comedy shows these days. Nowadays comedy is so unoriginal and hateful and cheap. The name of this particular series, ‘Who’s Your Mami?’ uses ‘Mami’ as a term of endearment for people who are in touch with their feminine side. This series is for people who are fed up to here with the ‘bro’ culture in San Francisco.” Performers in the show agree with Gomez’s take about this series. As Jesus U Bettawork, performing in the series in August, said, “I love and appreciate that ‘Who’s Your Mami?’ comedy showcases and celebrates diversity! The audience is in for a variety of comedic voices, identities, experiences, political views, etc. That is, all the delicious factors that make our nation so wonderful, whether those in authority see it or not.” Natasha Muse, a trans comedian who will perform in the “Who’s Your Mami?” series in November, also has a positive view of the series. “Shows like this are a great way to relax, laugh, and replenish your soul and whatnot.”t “Who’s Your Mami?” comedy series plays Thursdays, Aug. 8, Sept. 12, Nov. 14, 8-9:30 p.m. at Brava’s Cabaret 2773 24th St., SF. Tickets ($10 advance, $15 door): (415) 641-7657 or www.brava.org.

Music>>

August 8-14, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 17

Soul-snatching & shape-shifting opera pearances as “Two Women.” accessible score. Filled Mezzo-soprano Edith Grossman “If I Were You” may not amount with trademark melo(Elma, NY) was memorable as Rachel, the unfortunate (or lucky) girlto much as existential drama, but it dies cut short before friend of Paul who is killed before handsomely fills the bill as a training turning glib, soaring she can be inhabited. Tenor Brandon vehicle and showcase for developing lyrical lines, and catchy Scott Russell (Springfield, MO) as talent. That is Merola Opera Prorhythms, the music Fabian’s final incarnation photoggram in a nutshell. is also orchestrated rapher David, and baritone Eduard This year’s “Merola Grand Fiwith a kind of highLaurenson (Auckland, New Zeanale” will take place Aug. 17 at the end-Broadway flair. land) as the cop Jonathan, ran with War Memorial Opera House, with Conductor Nicole Paietheir choices and fleshed out cona wide-ranging program of arias ment, of extraordinary vincing portrayals. Sopranos Cheland ensembles. For more informaOpera Parallele, led the tion or tickets, visit http://merola. sea Lehnea (Chattanooga, TN) and full 32-piece orchestra org or call the San Francisco Opera Amber R. Monroe (Youngstown, in a beautifully assured Box Office at (415) 864-3330.t OH) were entertaining in their apperformance. Heggie and Scheer’s dubious usage of the word “Hallelujah” as a recurring motif and some outdated, cringeworthy writing for scenes in a biker bar were overcome by the fresh-faced cast. Even as lost souls parading in the shadows a la “The Walking Dead,” the first of the two casts performed with professional confidence. They visually forced the more anachronistic writing into a feeling of current style. Smaller roles received just enough Kristen Loken material to create quick Cara Collins as Brittomara, a shape-shifting devil appearing here as a characterizations. Dihairdresser, and Esther Tonea as Diana in the world premiere of “If I Were You” ana’s friend Selena (she by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer, presented by Merola Opera Program at the also gets a body takeHerbst Theatre. over by Fabian!) was a standout sung by soProfessional headshots / profile pics prano Patricia Westley role, navigating a wide range of by Philip Campbell Weddings / Events (Santa Barbara, CA). “Handsome emotions. Diana falls for shy nerdy brute” Paul was essayed believtarting with a hook as catchy Fabian and tries to follow him, even ably by baritone Timothy Murray as anything in Puccini, comafter he has accepted Brittomara’s (Whitefish Bay, WI), and bassposer Jake Heggie and libretFaustian offer to inhabit the bodies baritone Rafael Porto (Sao Paulo, tist Gene Scheer’s latest operatic of others at will. He uses the eternal 415 370 7152 • StevenUnderhill.com Brazil) lent nuance to his portrayal collaboration received its world power by intoning a Sanskrit incanof Fabian’s irritable middle-aged premiere at Herbst Theatre in San tation from an ancient book. The boss Putnam. Francisco last week. Fulfilling the price, of course, is his soul, and this first-ever commission in the 62is an early indicator of the libretto’s year history of full training in the increasingly iffy premise. famous Merola Opera Program, We have already suspended disbe“If I Were You” drew appreciative lief by accepting the devil exists and cheers from a packed house for there is a soul that can be bargained Heggie’s pulsing score, but left for. Now we are asked to agree death more than a few scratching their and damnation will result from heads at the philosophical signifibreaking the deal. I joined readcance of Scheer’s mood-shifting ily in the fun, until it dawned that libretto. Fabian was making virtually all of Based on the novel “Si J’ étais his choices only to get out of sticky vous” by French-American author situations, rather than to find some Julien Green, the opera is a complex promising new identities. It also got story of longing for viable identity me wondering about the real meanin a world filled with temptation. ing of damnation and why he is so Told with plot devices drawn from willing to risk it. To what exactly the supernatural and characters will he be damned, anyway? When ranging from ordinary to demonic, Brittomara (Spoiler Alert!) exults at STAGE DIRECTOR: Ellen Brooks “If I Were You” is entertaining from her final victory over Fabian, in an start to finish, but sensible? Maybe CONDUCTOR: Baker Peeples arioso equivalent of “I’ve got you not so much. It is dark, funny, scary, now, my pretty,” I thought: Okay, and strangely portentous; figuring it but for what? No time to answer, out is the tricky part. she’s already off to her next victim. The talented young performers, If my French were better, I would double-cast from this year’s crop tackle the novel. Maybe Julien of talented Merolini, energetically Green’s existential dilemma is lost in portray inhabitants of “a small city,” translation. Still, Scheer has turned “Time: the present,” with admirable an intriguing premise into a ripconviction. They also sing uniformping yarn that unfortunately ends ly well, which makes the plot more up feeling silly in contemporary credible, despite its glaring holes. context. If the story had remained Restless young would-be writer in its original post-WWII setting, it Fabian, portrayed on opening might have been more pointed. night by appealing tenor Michael Director Kiturah Stickann is Day (Rockford, IL), wakes from a building an exciting career with interrible car accident attended by novative work at West Edge Opera a strange EMT, “the Devil” in disand San Francisco Opera. Using guise. Brittomara, a shape-shifter every inch of the challengingly small who assumes many guises as the Herbst stage, she created a dynamic, tale goes on, was brought to vivid almost cinematic production, greatlife by mezzo-soprano Cara Collins ly helped by scenic designer Liliana (Amarillo, TX). Her strong singing Duque Pineiro and Lucas Krech’s anchored the part, and her acting atmospheric lighting. The state-ofdefined the variety of superficial the-art sound design by Teddy Hulpersonalities she assumed. sker and projection design by Peter Another important character, Torpey completed the show’s sleek one who manages to keep her own and functional look. identity, is lovely, cheerful Diana, Composer Heggie’s obvious “Not the virgin goddess,” as she affection for singers and expert Mountain View San Francisco introduces herself. Soprano Esther tailoring to their abilities earned Center for the Performing Arts Blue Shield of California Theater at YCBA Tonea (Buford, GA) kept her pure his smart commission for Merola, tickets: 650-903-6000 tickets: 415-392-4400 tone steady in a deceptively simple and he has delivered a typically

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<< Books

18 • Bay Area Reporter • August 8-14, 2019

More lives of a cat

Courtesy Pushkin Press

“Crossing” author Pajtim Statovci.

by Tim Pfaff

he novel “My Cat Yugoslavia” made a spectacular debut, seemingly out of nowhere, in 2014, surfacing in a superb English translation by David Hackston in 2017. It narrated the refugee experience before the topic became (rightly, in my estimation) ubiquitous. It deployed, masterfully, a patent surrealism. Humans are almost crowded out of the novel by talking snakes and cats, a bipolar, dominatrix one in particular. The writing was so assured it took the reader to the lip of what the

H. Alan Scott

From page 15

The documentary charts his hilarious yet poignant path to become the “best Jew possible,” putting his own gay stamp on this ancient tradition. “Obviously I can’t spiritually become a man without understanding where I came from,” so the film explores growing up Mormon and gay, the ultimate outsider, though his mother Kathleen is supportive, disagreeing with the church on other issues as well. We meet his gay Rabbi, Zach Shapiro of Temple Akiba, appreciating its diversity, as Scott sits in on a Bar Mitzvah class with a bunch of 12-year-olds who become his accomplice-friends. We accompany him retrospectively through his chemotherapy for cancer, an experience that prodded him to take Judaism more seriously. He shares a Passover seder in New York with a Mormon couple converting to Judaism. He visits Israel, attending Tel Aviv Pride, buying his first “talit” in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, wearing it to the Wailing Wall and his Bar Mitzvah. We encounter his mentor, Yiscah Smith, a trans Jewish educator who experienced a spiritual rebirth after her gender reassignment surgery. He eventually discovers that being Jewish is more than being born to a Jewish mother. “It’s about community, it’s about your outlook on humanity,” he explains beautifully in a speech

mind would not spit out. An Albanian-Kosovan Muslim by birth, author Pajtim Statovci emigrated to Finland sufficiently long ago that he writes in Finnish. If “My Cat Yugoslavia” left dazzled readers wondering where Statovci might go next, the answer, again translated by Hackston, has come in his second novel, “Crossing” (Pushkin Press). He has gone deeper. The territory is still the refugee experience, depicted with even more harrowing realism this time. The battle between whether hunger or cold is the greater tormentor is depicted in savage

terms, cold the eventual winner. With the refugees on America’s southern border now claiming the spotlight in the news, “Crossing” comes as a potent reminder of the ongoing refugee crisis playing out in the fatal nexus of the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern and Southern Europe. But there’s nothing calculatedly topical about “Crossing.” Its scope now addresses the equally topical issues of boundaries of gender and sexuality, owing to their changeability and endless complexity. Without becoming confusing, time is both elastic and circular. The

at his Bar Mitzvah, which serves as a reunion for all the people he met on his journey. Scott spoke to the B.A.R. in a face-to-face interview. Scott had approached director Aliza Rosen about making a TV show based on his popular truecrime podcast, and she asked him about his Star of David necklace. He told her his story, and she immediately wanted to make a documentary. “She saw the vision, and I went with it.” As for reasons why he decided to convert to Judaism, Scott replied, “There is no simple answer. I always felt Jewish, fundamentally it was always a part of my spirit, even as a Mormon, though I didn’t have the vocabulary for it. Throughout my 20s in New York [as a political consultant], I was surrounded by Jews, with many Jewish friends. I wasn’t a practicing Jew, but I was leading a very Jewocentric life. It was only when I moved to LA that I decided to pursue it more formally.” His cancer diagnosis/treatment as soon as he arrived in LA gave him spare time to read and study, clarifying for him that faith is about living life now rather than what happens after you die, a Mormon focus he never liked. He discovered that women were always central in his life, and he became inspired by powerful Jewish women in the Reform movement who pushed for change. Towards the end of the film, Scott proclaims, “I can’t be the Jew who

I am without the Mormon I was, meaning we are the experiences we have lived.” Throughout the course of his story, Scott learns that “I am the best Jew because I am me, which involves talking. listening, and growing with other people. I wouldn’t say I’m religious, but I wouldn’t say I’m secular either. I’m deeply committed to Jewish community. For me, so much of spirituality is the community you belong to, the one you choose and are willing to step up for.” Scott believes Judaism has made his life better. “I feel more centered. Before I converted, it was always ‘The H. Alan Scott Show,’ with no identity apart from the comedic-writer one. I needed a larger identity beyond myself, a place where I belonged, my home.” For Scott, his film’s main theme is freedom of choice. “You are not defined by who you were told you were supposed to be in the younger part of your life, or who society tells you to be. It’s a uniquely queer message because LGBTQ people are told time and again, ‘You’re supposed to be straight, this isn’t the direction you are supposed to go, because your life will be so hard, leading to endless struggle.’ These are all comments to stop you from being the person you are meant to be. Queer to me speaks to my desire not to be categorized. In a spiritual sense I wasn’t supposed to be Mormon. I was always Jewish, but I had to get to that point when I could make that realization.” As a gay man, Scott believes he is revitalizing Judaism. “Through my story, I’m telling born Jews who might have left the faith after their Bar Mitzvah and are now returning, you can be any type of Jew you want. You don’t have to be the hardcore religious Jew your parents wanted you to become.” Scott understands LGBTQ people who reject institutional religion since their criticisms are often valid. He takes a nuanced

protagonist, Bujar, is a 20something cis, straight-leaning male, and his almost Mark Twainian sidekick for much of the novel is his friend from childhood Agim, born a boy but longing to be a woman. The motive desperation they share is to escape the political perils and grinding poverty of life in late-20th-century Albania. There’s something almost comedic in their flight, their scant belongings in plastic bags. The resourceful if hardly practical Agim carries more, because he’s thought to bring along clothes purloined from his mother and sister, and a wad of cash and a pistol from his father. There comes a point in their peregrinations that the two, who openly love one another, add sexplay to their nighttime diversions. Bujan tentatively asks Agim if the latter is gay – “peder” in their native slang – and is humorously brushed off with Agim’s reply that a female can’t be a pederast. The play continues, untarnished by obsession. In Helsinki nearly a decade later, another trans woman eagerly awaiting gender reassignment asks Bujar if he is gay, before he replies, “Yes, among other things.” Statovci recounts Bujar’s reaction to the question in a passage typical of his willingness to wrestle with the question, whether or not it is an autobiographical concern. Upon being asked the question, Bujar confesses to the reader, “My teeth start to ache in the frozen wind, my chest tight, as if an iron hoop were wrapped around it.” To his interrogator he continues: “I don’t know whether I’m gay or straight, I feel like saying. I want to tell her I’ve never thought that I might like men who like men, only

men who like women and who therefore never like me, but I’ve been with women too, and I want to tell her that I find it impossible to become aroused, but I have still had sex with men and women when the men and women in my life have wanted it.” Alone, Bujar undertakes the life of a wanderer, trying, futilely, to start new lives in cities as far-flung as Rome, New York and Istanbul. His survival eventually entails sex with exploitative men and more genuinely interested women, if usually trans. He’s particularly enchanted by a trans woman who calls herself Tanja and later himself takes on the name. In one of the novel’s most profound observations, made while Bujar is living with Tanja, he says, “For what I would understand the least, and she doesn’t yet understand at all, is the nature of desire, the numbness that follows when it’s fulfilled. That’s the worst of it, when nothing is the way you thought, when you realize you’ve been living a lie, telling yourself a story – the feeling that you would give everything away to go back to the beginning, to revive your story’s origins.” Bujar does return to Albania, to a desiccated shadow of a mother who doesn’t recognize him. But in what is easily the most imagination-driven, near-surreal section of the novel, he earlier takes part, under the name Tanja, in a singing competition that represents the “real” Tanja’s highest ambition. Only a novel of this ambition, depth and deep, compassionate humanity could herald how little is clear – that is, what it seems – without once lapsing into cliche.t

Courtesy the subject

H. Alan Scott, subject of the documentary “Latter Day Jew.”

view on being part of a tradition where strands of it can be homophobic. “We need to be open to the idea that people view the world differently. It’s cool if you think that and I think this.” Scott feels the film has sharpened his voice. “Before, I was all over the place, and now I’m much more direct, secure about who I am in my work and in my life. My comic act previously was all dumb jokes and silly videos, but now I’ve incorporated talking about my faith. It was

difficult at first, yet now it’s second nature. It helped me learn that not everything has to be funny, like Hannah Gadsby. It’s fine if the audience doesn’t laugh through the entire show. It’s okay to let people think for a minute. Everything can be funny, but doesn’t need to be funny.” Life is looking up for Scott, now cancer-free, with a new boyfriend. “Latter Day Jew” continues its screenings at film festivals, with the hope it will be eventually be streamed, perhaps on Netflix.t

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<< Music

20 • Bay Area Reporter • August 8-14, 2019

Gayer & gayer by the minute

by Gregg Shapiro

t looks like 2019 is going to be a good year for out R&B artist Rahsaan Patterson. His song “Tears Ago” is one of the few highlights on Dionne Warwick’s new studio album, her first in five years. Patterson himself steps into the spotlight with his sixth studio album “Heroes & Gods”

(Shanachie), a set of songs that strikes a balance between his smooth and funky sides. On rhythmic numbers “Silly Love Fool,” “Catch Me When I Fall” and the title cut, Patterson invites us to join him on a hot, sweaty dance floor. He also knows how to provide the perfect soundtrack for chilling on “Sent from Heaven,” “I Try” and “Oxford Blues.”

By now, hot, out former Judybats frontman Jeff Heiskell has been a solo act longer than he was in the band he formed. He’s released more albums under the Heiskell moniker than the Judybats did when they were signed to a major label. Somewhat edgier than what he did with the Judybats, Heiskell’s solo work is definitely gayer. This has never been

truer than on “Alexanderbear69” from his new album “Songs in the Key of H” (heiskellmusic.com). The Knoxville-based artist pays tribute in the wonderful “Knoxville Town” featuring a rap by Matt Honkonen, and is nothing less than radiant on “Neon Yellow.” Heiskell leads us down an Americana path before shifting gears on the homewrecker anthem “For a

Day.” Also of note is the queer drinking song “I’m Still Around,” the gorgeous “Trashcan Romeo,” the rocking “Dirty Unicorn” and the raunchy retro “On the Down Low.” Reflective of personal and political change, “The Medicine Show” (Concord) by Melissa Etheridge is subtitled “an unrivaled true story of redemption and a 74 Fender.” Etheridge rocks harder than she has in years on the title opener, and continues in that vein on “Shaking,” “Love Will Live” and “Wild and Lonely.” It’s not all blistering rock and roll, as you can hear on “Woman Like You,” “Faded by Design,” the exquisite “I Know You,” the power pop ballad “The Last Hello,” and the lightly funky “This Human Chain.” French Vanilla effortlessly recaptures the queer spirit of the 1980s for 21st-century ears on its second album “How am I not myself?” (Danger Collective). Making the best use of a saxophone and female lead vocals since Romeo Void, French Vanilla has delivered a timeless record. It’s the kind of disc that’s as at home at an 80s downtown New York loft party as it is at a queer dance party in a Miami Arts District warehouse. It’s also intelligent pop that asks you to think about its messages while you work your body to songs “Lost Power,” “Bromosapien” and “Sensitive (Not Too Sensitive).”t

Mideast soap opera by David Lamble

sraeli filmmaker Sameh Zoabi’s screwball-style romantic comedy “Tel Aviv on Fire” opens Friday. In it, Salam, a shaggy-haired Palestinian TV writer, stumbles into an odd but rewarding collaboration when he’s pulled over at an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) checkpoint. The Israeli officer in charge, General Assi, gives the nebbish-like Salam a hard time until he discovers the young man is writing for a wildly popular Palestinian TV soap opera, “Tel Aviv on Fire.” The general doesn’t realize that Salam is a newbie writer, just promoted from prop assistant in the Ramallah production company owned by his nervous Uncle Bassam. “Tel Aviv on Fire” (the soap) flashes back to the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the conflict that led to the present-day situation where the IDF controls the Palestinian West Bank, subjecting its Arab population to humiliating

Tony Yazbeck

From page 15

but you’ll also get tap-dancing, a craft infrequently plied on the small-to-non-existent stages of cabaret venues. “A lot of my songs are accompanied by a two-piece band,” says Yazbeck, a veteran of 10 Broadway shows, including the 2014 revival of “On the Town,” for which he won the Astaire Award as the year’s best hoofer. “My music director plays the piano, and I’m playing the drums with my feet. “I’ve done my cabaret act all over, but I’ve never played this room before, and I’m big on the architecture of the venues I play, so as soon as I get to San Francisco, I’ll take a look and start thinking about what I’m going to do,” says Yazbeck. “Some of my steps are set, but a lot of what I do tap-wise is improvisation.” “I can’t not improvise,” explains Yazbeck, who made his Broadway debut at age 11, as a newsboy in the Tyne Daly production of “Gypsy.” “The audience should feel like

daily border interrogations. Palestinian Salam, a clumsy apprentice adult who early in the film comes off like a goofy Kramer type from TV’s “Seinfeld,” starts to come into focus as he tussles with the Israeli officer Assi for control of their joint artistic project. The film overflows with a quirky supporting ensemble, from screenwriters who need to be eating while they work to a gaggle of older Palestinians who can’t shake the bad vibes from their battlefield debacle. It’s enough to distract us from the harsh reality that ancient rivals are still quarreling over a slice of real estate about the size of New Jersey. Lubna Azabai is sublime as Tala, who in the show-within-the-film plays a fictional Palestinian spy during the 1967 war. While you may need a scorecard or at the least a copy of the 2019 SF Jewish Film Festival program, where it received its Bay Area prethey’re watching a real-time event, not something that’s canned or rote, which isn’t interesting to me, either.” Yazbeck almost audibly winces when he thinks back on his days in musical theater. “Earlier in my career it was so strict, the choreography. Doing that isn’t real art to me, it’s a kind of commercial entertainment, which is fine, but it’s not really interesting to me to do that exactly the same, eight times a week. It starts to feel terrible. And it can look dead. But you always have that angst and tension in a career as a performer. You want to be creative, but you also need to make the money. Pay the bills.” The lyrics to Billy Joel’s “The Entertainer,” a song Yazbeck recently performed at Lincoln Center, directly speak to this dilemma while ironically allowing Yazbeck to flex his more artistic side. “People are so accustomed to seeing tap used to portray a simple sense of joy, but it can be deeper, more profound. It can express melancholy. I find tap to be a good tool for dealing with frustration. It can

Cohen Media Group

Assi (Yaniv Biton) and Salam (Kais Nashif) in director Sameh Zoabi’s “Tel Aviv on Fire.”

miere, to unravel all the plot-lines and twists, remember that this is a smart political satire from a very

tough neighborhood, where laughs are often hard to come by. Winner of a Best Actor award at the Venice

Film Festival, “Tel Aviv on Fire” is in Hebrew with English subtitles, with a running time of 97 minutes.t

be very therapeutic. About seven years ago, I was very frustrated with the Broadway routine. I would go to tap studios and just bang on the floor to get out all my feelings.” At the time, says Yazbeck, “I was asking myself what I was doing. I started to hate going by the book. It gets stale after a while, no matter how well your career is going. I was either going to quit or I was going to create something, and nobody was going to stop me.” That’s when Yazbeck first began developing a solo act. “Cabaret is completely your own, from scratch,” he says. “I was getting so tired of the business, and I just wanted to create something that felt completely authentic to me. I invested a lot of money in the show and the album I recorded based on it [“The Floor Above Me”], but the return on it was incredible.” Around the same time, Yazbeck encountered a second reanimating force in his future wife, dancer/ choreographer Katie Huff, who proved a much-needed source of

encouragement. And a third: the role of Gabey in the dance-dominated “On the Town,” in which his solo numbers allowed him the breathing room to dance differently and more expressively every night. Since then, he’s had the opportunity to work on two shows, “Prince of Broadway” and “The Beast in the Jungle” choreographed by Susan Stroman, who Yazbeck says has the confidence to “set parameters, and then let you do your thing.” Yazbeck has realized that his thing is storytelling. “Acting, singing, dancing – it all comes from the same place. The instrument is the body, but we’re all storytellers, that’s what you have to do well to succeed. I’ve been regarded as an acclaimed dancer, but I’m not remotely as technical as others. I can’t kick my head like some of them can do, I don’t do four or five turns. But being able to make the dance tell a story is more important than those skills. If I just started tap-dancing without a story to share, you might be impressed at first, but after a couple minutes you’d get bored;

you’d want to know what’s next.” Yazbeck, whose parents enrolled him in dance class after watching their four-year-old son mimic a Fred Astaire film on television, is now beginning to explore on-screen possibilities for himself. “There’s a real hunger for musical storytelling on TV and in movies right now,” he says. “But they’re not doing original work yet. And big movie-star names don’t have the skill set to do it in a way that you don’t have to edit a big dance into a hundred shots. There’s a reason people were attracted to watching Fred and Ginger from head to toe. “I’m working with writers to develop and tell stories in new ways for today. There’s nothing in my career that feels more important right now than bringing more theater people on board. It could be the beginning of a new MGM era.”t Tony Yazbeck, Aug. 15-16, 8 p.m., Feinstein’s at the Nikko, 555 Mason St., SF. Tickets ($45$75) feinsteinsatthenikko.com.

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Caitlin Gill

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Vol. 49 • No. 32 • August 8-14, 2019

Tyne Daly & Sharon Gless ‘Cagney and Lacey,’ together again at REAF benefit concert by David-Elijah Nahmod

n Sunday, August 18, Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless, stars of the iconic 1980s police show Cagney and Lacey, will reunite onstage at the Herbst Theater for Help Is On The Way 25, a concert and gala which will raise money for two good causes. The evening is a benefit for the Richmond Ermet Aid Foundation, with proceeds going to Meals On Wheels San Francisco and Raphael Hose, an organization that helps low-income and homeless families achieve stable housing and financial independence. See page 22 >>

August 8-15, 2019

Nightlife Events

Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless

Marques Daniels

Celebrate late summer with fog and fun, in or out of bars and nightclubs.

Wed 14 Pan Dulce @ Beaux

Listings on page 23 > { THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

<< Benefit

22 • Bay Area Reporter • August 8-14, 2019

Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless in the classic TV series Cagney and Lacy.

Gless/Daly

From page 21

For seven seasons Cagney and Lacey followed the lives of two women New York City police detectives who were partners: Christine Cagney (Gless), a career-minded single woman, and Mary Beth Lacey (Daly), a wife and mother. Both actresses won Emmy Awards for their work on the show. Cagney and Lacey remains a groundbreaking series, and a show that women in particular were drawn to. Gless and Daly have remained friends since the series’ cancellation, and have worked together several times in other dramatic projects. When they take to the stage for Help Is On The Way, they’ll be doing something audiences might not have seen them do before: singing a duet.

“We’re doing a number from City of Angels called ‘You’re Nothing Without Me,’” Daly said in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter from New York City. Daly noted that the song will be performed with new lyrics. “It’s something we worked a long time ago, so we have to update the jokes,” Daly said, who added that she was inspired to perform in Help Is On The Way to help raise money and call attention to under-served people. “It’s terrible that everything hasn’t been fixed,” she said. “But everything hasn’t been fixed.” This isn’t the first time that Daly has stepped up to the plate to help the homeless. “These organizations (Meals On Wheels and Raphael House) are similar to PATH in Los Angeles, which assists the homeless, and which has

a wonderful record,” she said. “I’ve worked with them for about thirty years. And in New York City there’s Meals On Wheels New York which I also support and do various things for over the years, so I think those organizations are similar; helping the under-served, as they say.”

Groundbreaking TV

Daly laughs about the fact that some of her fans look up to her as a “legendary” figure. “Legendary is one of those euphemisms for old,” she said. “I try not to pay much attention to that. Ms. Gless is always very nervous about singing, but my job is to reassure her that they love us.” She looks back upon Cagney and Lacey as a show that offered her one of the best jobs on television for women. She recalls that prior to Cagney and Lacey, she spent 15 years

Above: Tyne Daly Below: Sharon Gless

playing victims, and was glad to have an opportunity to play the hero. “We struggled for awhile at the beginning,” recalls Daly. “But we finally got the right combination, and so Ms. Gless and I had a long and fruitful and funny association, and we’re still friends.” Gless feels that Cagney and Lacey changed the history of television for women. “It was the first show starring two women that was not comedic,” she said. “There was a lot of controversy around it. I was not the first Cagney, I was the third Cagney. When the show began, a wonderful actress named Meg Foster played Cagney. “The belief at the network was that there was too much similarity between the two characters. They did six shows and were thrown off the air. Then Tyne and I did twentytwo shows and we were thrown off the air. Cagney and Lacey was cancelled three times, but eventually it became the most famous women’s show, and probably still is today.” Gless noted that the show was about the two women, not about their job. She points out that the characters were not best friends, and yet their lives depended on each other. “This had never been done before,” said Daly. “And I don’t know if it’s been done since. It did change the history of television for women. They started writing roles for women that were not the old cliché.”

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Gless has also co-starred on another groundbreaking show, the gay primetime drama Queer as Folk, which aired on Showtime from 2000-2005. “I’ve been very blessed,” Gless said. “Cagney and Lacey was groundbreaking in its time because of the jobs the women had. And then Queer as Folk, absolutely, because there hadn’t been a dramatic gay show. It addressed the lives of these five boys trying to find their way. I had never seen a script that had been as graphic as Queer as Folk.”

Gless recalls asking the producers if they were really going to film what had been written. “They said, every word,” she recounts. “And I said ‘Send me in, coach, because I want to be here when this happens!’ They tried to sell it to HBO. HBO wouldn’t touch it, but Showtime had the courage to buy it, and they had the bravery to show the sexual content.” The actress describes Debbie, her Queer as Folk character, as her own mom, albeit with a dirty mouth. “I was one of those lucky children who was so loved by her mother,” she said. “My mother just adored me, and I always knew it. So I knew what it was like to love that much. I played my mother’s love for me, except that Debbie was vulgar, had a mouth on her, and was much more current, and much more involved in her son’s life. And Debbie wasn’t just the mother to Michael, she was mother to all of them.” Gless said that she does shows like Help Is On The Way, “because we need the help, and it takes money.” Her own mom had been a volunteer for Meals on Wheels in Carmel, California, and she’s happy to be helping the homeless. “If the money’s going to put a roof over their head, then I’m proud to be a part of it,” she said. Gless plans on attending the REAF after-party that follows the show. “I won’t have on my red Queer as Folk wig,” she said. “I’m always honored to be included. It’s really fun to do, and we get to raise money for a good cause. It’s nice to be invited.”t Help Is On The Way 25, a Concert and Gala Celebrating Broadway, also features cast members from ‘Hamilton,’ Paula West, Del Shores, Carole Cook, Sam Harris, Kimberley Locke, Bruce Vilanch and other talented performers. Sunday, August 18: VIP Reception and silent auction: 5pm, in the Green Room. Performance: 7pm (Herbst Theater), After-party 9:30pm. $50$5,000. 401 Van Ness Ave. www.reaf-sf.org

Nightlife Events>>

August 8-14, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 23

The Playground @ Club BNB, Oakland

PJ Morton @ New Parish, Oakland

Dance night at the popular hip hop and Latin club. $5-$15. 9pm to 3am. 2120 Broadway. (510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter performs. $32.50. 10pm. 1743 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. www.thenewparish.com

Writers With Drinks @ The Make-Out Room

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550

Namwali Serpell and Vanessa Hua are featured, with Lynn Breedlove, Sarah Rose Etter, Seth Katz, Brandon Melendez, and host Charlie Jane Anders, at the monthly literature and liquor night. $10. 7pm. 3225 22nd st. www.makeoutroom.com

The popular two-stepping linedancing, not-just-country music night, with free lessons, celebrates its 21st anniversary; free admission. 5pm10:30pm. Also Thursdays 6:30pm10:30pm. 550 Barneveld Ave. www.sundancesaloon.org

Sun 11 Blessed @ Port Bar, Oakland

Sun 11

Vanessa Bousay @ Oasis

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

Outside Lands @ Golden Gate Park

The comic performs Stuff I’ve Memorized, with opener James Mwuara. $10. 7pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

The annual huge music, comedy and food festival includes headliners Paul Simon, Flume, Blink-182, Counting Crows, Mavis Staples and dozens of other acts (see last week’s issue for coverage of queer acts: https://bit. ly/2ywoxEw ). $155-$700. 11am-11pm. thru Aug. 11. Polo Fields, Golden Gate Park. www.SFOutsideLands.com

Comedy @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley

A Star Is Born: the Concert @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko

Thu 8 Anthony Zuccaro @ Oasis

Johnny Steele, Karen Ripley, Ian Williams and Lisa Gedudig share their wit and wisdom at the East Bay performing arts space. $15-$20. 8pm. 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. www.ashkenaz.com

Scott Coulter, Carole J. Buford, John Boswell and Kelli Rabke perform in a new cabaret concert of songs from the three musical films. $45-$75. 8pm. Also Aug 10. 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinssf.com

El Primo Inocente @ El Rio

Uhaul @ Jolene’s

Folk and punk music and performance with Rosa Lee, Scout Tran, Bog Princess. No cover. 8pm-10pm. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Puff, That’s So Ravin’ @ The Stud Cannabis appreciation party with DJ Dank, drag acts, prizes $10, 6pm-9pm; then, rave tracks with DJs Chrissy, Siobhan Aluvalot, Chuck Gunn and Kelly Rowland. 9pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Some Are Camp @ R3, Guerneville Lodge Juanita MORE!’s annual poolside parties at the Russian River, with oneday parties, weekend camping options. Thru Aug. 11. $10$100. 16390 4th St., Guerneville. juanitamore.com

Fri 9 Boy Division @ Cat Club Shake Yer Bootie, New Wave & Pop Mashup Night, with DJs Xander, Adrian A, and more. $ 9:30pm-3am. 1190 Folsom St. www.sfcatclub.com

Cubcake @ Lone Star Saloon The monthly cubs, chubs, sweets and treats night, with DJ Ben Stefonik. $5. 9pm-2am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Drag Alive, XO @ The Stud Drag and variety show with locals and visitors, 6pm-8pm. Followed by XO’s 7-year anniversary; DJs Liv and Lady Ryan; 9pm-3am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Fade to Connie @ Oasis LA performer John Cantwell returns as Love Connie in a Roxy Music tribute of dance, drag and strangely beguiling multimedia. $27.50-$50. 7pm. Also Aug. 9. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Lick It @ Powerhouse Lance Holmon’s monthyl cool cruise night with DJ Blackstone. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

The popular women’s dance party returns at the new nightclub, now weekly. 10pm-2am. 2700 16th St. at Harrison. http://jolenessf.com/

Sat 10 Creature XXVI @ El Rio Daytime queer blood rave with vampire drag encouraged! DJ collective No Control, performers Johnny Rockitt, Cyanide, Lisa Frankenstein and others. $10. 2pm8pm. 3158 Mission St. elriosf.com

Daddy’s Boy @ Atlas Dads and lads get intimate at the super-cruisy party with a jock strap suggested dress code. $10-$20. 10pm-3am. 415 10th St. atlas-sf.com

Del Shores @ Oasis The gay playwright and author performs S-Stirrer, his solo show full of impromptu gossip and dish. $20-$40. 7pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Dewele @ Yoshi’s Oakland The talented R&B singer performs with his band. $44-$74. 7:30pm & 9:30pm. 510 Embarcadero West., Oakland. www.yoshis.com

Mother @ Oasis Heklina’s popular weekly drag show, with special guests and great music themes, and MadDogg 20/20 in the Fez Room. Aug 10 is Sia vs. Bjork! $10-$15. 10pm-3am (11:30pm show). 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Nudie Nubies, Pound Puppy @ The Stud Burlesque strip show, 6pm-8pm. Followed by the gay dance party with DJs Jeremy Castillo, Nonsuit, and Kevin O’Connor. 9pm-4am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Out at the Kingdom @ Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Vallejo LGBT night at the DC Universe, with Soju ( RuPaul’s Drag Race ) DJ Ray Rhodes, and MC Sister Roma, plus comic book-themed rides. $45. 8pm-12am (admission good from 10:30am). OutattheKingdom.com

Amoura Teese and Ava Lashay cohost a weekly drag show. 2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com

The Dirty Dozen @ Lone Star Saloon

Swagger Like Us @ El Rio

Mon 12 Karaoke Night @ SF Eagle Sing along, with host Beth Bicoastal, plus prizes, local celeb judges, and $2 draft beer. 8pm-12am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Munro’s at Midnight @ Midnight Sun Drag night with Mercedez Munro. No cover. 10pm. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Rocky Horror Burlesque Show @ DNA Lounge

Booty-droppin’ hip-hoppin’ queer dance party. 2pm-8pm. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Hubba Hubba Revue’s tribute to the Rocky Horror Show. $9-$14. 9pm. 375 11th St. www.dnalounge.com

Vanessa Bousay @ Oasis

Underwear Night @ 440

The local drag chanteuse sings I’ve Gotta Be Me, a new concert of Rat Pack-era classic songs, with co-stars Steven Satyricon, Tom Shaw on piano and Roberta Drake on drums. $25. 7pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

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

See page 25 >>

Beer bust fundraiser includes an art exhibition/auction of 12 artists’ homoerotic works curated by Joseph Abbati, benefitting the OCSF Alliance Health Project. $15 beer bust. 4pm8pm. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Drrrty Queer @ The Stud Queer performance and dance night. $7-$20. 7pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Kronos Quartet @ Yoshi’s Oakland The award-winning acclaimed music ensemble perform at the elegant restaurant-nightclub. $49-$89. 7pm. 510 Embarcadero West., Oakland. www.yoshis.com

Pink Martini @ Stern Grove The sophisticated swing band performs; Barrio Manouche opens. Free, BYO picnic, blankets. 2pm. 19th Ave. at Sloat Blvd. www.sterngrove.org

Sun 11

The Dirty Dozen @ Lone Star Saloon

<< Leather

24 • Bay Area Reporter • August 8-14, 2019

Collective compersion Expanding our erotic lexicon

PhotosbyDot

Terry Miller offers a (consensual!) crotch grab and nipple tug at the 2019 Up Your Alley Street Fair.

by Race Bannon

t seems that every day the word compersion makes its way further into daily discourse. While its usage is by no means pervasively common, at least not yet, I’ve noticed it being uttered verbally or in print much more often lately. While mainstream dictionaries have yet to adopt and define the word as part of our standard lexicon, its use in everyday life appears to be here to stay. Compersion is usually defined as a feeling of joy associated with seeing one’s sexual or romantic partner having a sexual or romantic relationship with someone else. It’s how I usually use the word. It’s how I describe when people with whom I’m intimately connected experience happiness when intimately involved with another. In polyamory circles references to compersion are prevalent. While

the presence of compersion by no means ensures that jealousy is not also present in the dynamic between two people, I believe the increased acceptance of the concept will over time counterbalance the appearance of jealousy in relationships. Optimistic? Yes. I admit to a bias that a world in which compersion is more readily experienced will be a better world. Time will tell if my wish blossoms into reality. So, there’s that version of compersion, the personal relationship kind. Keep that concept in your back pocket if it’s not something you’ve embraced previously. Even if you’re in a monogamous relationship, you can still feel joy when your partner interacts deeply with others, such as spending quality time with a close friend.

A less frequently used purpose of the word is to expand it beyond intimate relationships to include expression of happiness when others experience good things happening in their lives. Taking pleasure in someone else’s experiences isn’t just about blunting jealousy. It’s about broadening our capacity to love. More love for others, which translates into more love for ourselves. Similar to jealousy, envy is its kissing cousin. We might be jealous that someone is going to take something we have from us, like our partner or the person we’re dating, but envious of what someone else has that we do not. Compersion can be a perfectly legitimate reaction to what might otherwise be internal pain that jealousy or envy might elicit. I contend compersion can represent feelings beyond its typical relationship structures – a type of antidote to those nagging struggles with societal jealousy and envy. It can apply to pleasant feelings we have towards a wider circle of people such as family, friends, associates and the general public, experiencing their own joys. I call this collective compersion. Taken within the context of LGBTQ generally and kink cultures specifically, promulgating awareness and adoption of compersion could have a profound effect on the entire array of such communities. We’re human. It’s likely we’ve all felt the tugs of jealousy or envy outside of our closest relationships. Wouldn’t it be great if we could alleviate some of the sting of those feelings?

Words into action

So how might this play out in real leather and kink life? Often, we witness someone within the kink scene denigrating someone else for not presenting or acting in a certain way that the accusing person feels is correct and appropriate based on their own biases. This sadly happens a lot. You might hear statements like: they aren’t dressed appropriately; their presentation is too playful and this leather stuff is serious business; they don’t follow protocols; they’re not a serious leather person because they’re not into BDSM; that type of sex is blatantly unsafe; and so on. The list of negative comments and outright denigrations is long, and we hear or read them all the time. Rarely is any of this useful. I believe the root cause of much of it

PhotosByDot

Top: These beefy pups were among the many from their community hanging out at the Up Your Alley Street Fair. Bottom: In spite of the warm temperatures during the Up Your Alley Street Fair, a few brave souls still dressed in full head-to-toe gear.

is jealousy and envy, and the solution is fostering compersion. Wouldn’t it be better to hear statements like: I’ve never seen someone dressed that way, but I can see why it’s hot for them; I’m pretty set in my ways, but good for them if how they’re presenting turns them on; I’ve never seen that done without protocols in place, but maybe I can learn something new here; I love BDSM, but my non-BDSM kink friends are every bit as much kinksters as I am; or, I follow fairly rigid safer sex standards but I respect that others have different approaches.

Compersion on display

I was able to observe collective compersion during the recent Up Your Alley Street Fair. It was one of the best such fairs I’ve experienced in a while. Part of it was that I saw relatively little judgment and a whole lot of compersion. I saw couples and poly families

openly cruising and erotically manhandling each other while the others in their relationship smiled on in appreciation. I saw some staid and buttonedup leathermen revel in their own classic presentations while mingling and cruising amid guys presenting themselves at the edges of kink garb and style, with no problems whatsoever with any of it. I saw a highly experienced BDSM player who was heavily flogging a guy later take a newcomer aside and gently walk him through some introductory BDSM information. Compersion; relationship compersion, collective compersion. It’s good for us individually. It’s good for us collectively.t

For Leather Events, visit www.ebar.com/events Race Bannon is a local author, blogger and activist. www.bannon.com

Comedy>>

August 8-14, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 25

Caitlin Gill Comic comes home, celebrates ‘Major’ album at Verdi Club

appear with fellow comics Jackie Kashian and Chris Fairbanks at the Verdi Club at 8pm. The occasion is the album release party for Major, Gill’s debut recording, though she’s hardly new at making people laugh.

Gill has been at it for years. Major was recorded live at The Punch Line, a favorite venue of the performer. Listening to the album will make Gill newbies realize why she’s been keeping audiences in stitches for so many years. She often delivers her zingers with a hysterical screech which is quite hilarious. Gill often gets her laughs by sharing stories from her own life, such as her lesbian relationship. When she first moved to San Francisco she had only been with men, but, as she puts it, “the town will flip you if you let it.” Listening to Gill gives audiences a real sense of who she is and where she comes from. She finds humor in her relationship with her dad and his quirks, as well as seemingly mundane things like depositing a check into an ATM. “How is it possible that a check deposit can take one to three days to hit your bank account,” she asks. “I can pull out a computer from my pocket, that computer has a camera in it. I can take a picture of that check and that hand computer will send that picture of that check into outer space, where it is interpreted instantly by a satellite that replies to that computer in my hand faster than I can think to tell me that this transaction will be completed in one to three days!” Gill’s gift is that she makes the ordinary sound extraordinarily funny. “I grew up watching stand-up specials and quoting them incessantly,” Gill said in her Bay Area Reporter interview. “So many of the performers that I loved spent time

Cabaret Karaoke @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko

Thu 15

Caitlin Gill

by David-Elijah Nahmod

tand-up comic and former San Francisco resident Caitlin Gill returns to the scene of the crime on Friday August 16, when she’ll

Nightlife Events

From page 23

Tue 13 Cock Shot @ Beaux The weeknight party gets going with DJ Chad Bays. No cover. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Gaymer Night @ Midnight Sun Weekly fun night of games (video, board and other) and cocktails. 8pm-12am. 4067 18th St. www.midnightsunsf.com

Trivia Night @ Port Bar, Oakland Big gay trivia night at the East Bay bar with host Robert Perez; drinks specials and prizes. 8pm. Pose viewing party at 10pm with Pearl Teese. 2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com

Wed 14 Bondage-a-Gogo @ The Cat Club The weekly gay/straight/whatever fetish-themed kinky dance night. $7$10. 9:30pm-2:30am. 1190 Folsom St. www.bondage-a-go-go.com

Sun 11

Dick Bright MCs the new karaoke night at the elegant nightclub. $12-$15. ($20 food/drink min.). Thru Sept. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinssf.com

NSA @ Club OMG Weekly underwear party at the intimate mid-Market nightclub. $1 well drinks for anyone in underwear from 9pm-10pm. 43 6th St. http:// www.clubomgsf.com

Pan Dulce @ Beaux Drag divas, gogo studs, DJed Latin grooves and drinks at the Hump Day fiesta 9pm-2am (free before 10:30pm). 2344 Market St. www.clubpapi.com www.beauxsf.com

Woodstock 50th @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley Stu Allen and Mars Hotel, Tammi Brown, Luna Fish, San Francisco Airship and Kyra Gordon perform classic rock hits (Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane) celebrating the half-century anniversary of the Woodstock concerts. $15-$50. Thru Aug 18. 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. www.ashkenaz.com

Drunk Drag Broadway: Dizney! @ Oasis

in San Francisco. Since I grew up near there, it finally clicked in my late 20s that stand-up was something that I actually wanted to try; the logical place to go seemed San Francisco.” Gill noted that while she leans towards the comedic, she thinks there are a lot of funny moments in life’s biggest dramas. She enjoys acting; her first experiences as a comedic performer were when she did stage shows in high school. “I didn’t know at the time that I was chasing an addictive drug,” she said. “I’ve been chasing it ever since. It’s an incredible feeling, it’s a great way to communicate with fellow human beings.” Gill’s album is named after her little dog. When she recorded the album, the dog was the family member that was with her. “Her name is Major,” Gill said. “Major Margaret Hot Lips Houlihan, goes by Major. She earned the album’s title.” Gill assures us that the stories she tells do indeed come from her own life, from who she calls her “silly friends and family.” “I wish I could make that stuff up,” she said. “I talk about what actually happens to me, and I’m thankful for all the experiences because they turned out to be pretty humorous, both to live them and to retell them.” Her dad loves being part of her routines. Gill said that there’s no bartender that hasn’t heard about the sets in which she talks about her dad. He’s been enthusiastic about her career from the beginning, for which Gill considers herself lucky.

“I’m so pleased to share it with people,” she said. “And sharing it with more and more people sounds pretty nice. I think this album is good and I want people to listen to it, and it feels really nice to be able to say that.” Gill identifies as bisexual, and though she admits that bierasure is a very real phenomenon, she hasn’t had much experience with it. “Being bi is one ingredient,” she said. “But it hasn’t been one that’s held me back or pushed me forward. I haven’t felt erased; in my art, it’s just me, a microphone and a light. I can tell you exactly what I am. You can’t erase it. It’s on my album.” She hopes that people who hear the album will feel good and giggly, and is excited to be coming home to San Francisco. She said that she loves the crowds, who she calls “smart and understanding. “Since San Francisco is where it began, I’ll never not come back,” she said. This album is only the beginning for Gill. She hopes to be seen on television and says that she’s just getting started. “There’s so much stuff out there to watch and consume,” she said. “I’m honored that somebody might pick my album and I’m honored that anyone might shine a light on it.”t Caitlin Gill Album Release Party with Jackie Kashian and Chris Fairbanks, Friday August 16, $2030. 8pm. Verdi Club, 2424 Mariposa St. www.verdiclub.net

Drunk Drag Broadway: Dizney! @ Oasis Chyna Maykit and her crew performs classic songs with a boozy edge. $25$50. 7pm. Also Aug. 16., 17, 22-24. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

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Flamboyance @ Berber Wild Arabian Nights, a fundraiser for the LGBT Asylum Project, includes a delicious four-course meal ($95), wine-pairing option ($50), singer Bebe Sweetbriar, and sensual Boylesque acts Dylan Bradley, David Nguyen and Julaino Wade. 7:30pm10pm. 1516 Broadway St. https://bit.ly/2Y40wEf lgbtasylumproject.org

Junk @ Powerhouse MrPam and Dulce de Leche cohost the weekly underwear strip night and contest. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Show Us Your Spines @ Jolene’s Radar Productions reading series, with Chibueze Crouch, Vanessa Rochelle Lewis, Anthony Veasna So and Yodassa Williams. 6:30pm. 2700 16th St. www.radarproductions.org t

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<< Arts Events

26 • Bay Area Reporter • August 8-14, 2019

Arts Events Aug 8-15, 2019

Rosie Rally @ Craneway Pavilion, Richmond

Boze Hadley @ SF Main Library

Annual day celebrates women WWIIera laborers; dress up like Rosie! Enjoy food, music, dancing, costume contests and more. 11am-4pm. http://www.rosietheriveter.org 1414 Harbour Way South, Suite 3000, Richmond. nps.gov/rori/index.htm

Author of Marilyn Forever: Musings on an American Icon by the Stars of Yesterday and Today (2016) and Marilyn: Lost Images from the Hollywood Photo Archive (2018) discusses his books, available for sale and signing. 1pm. Hormel Center, 3rd floor, 100 Larkin St. www.sfpl.org

Three Solo Exhibitions @ Marcury 20, Oakland Nick Dong’s Mendsmith Project, Chris Komater’s homoerotic Jack & Mack, and Ruth Tabancay’s Geometricity 3.0. Artists’ reception Aug 10, 4pm-6pm. Reg. hours ThuSat 12pm-6pm. Thru Sept 7. 475 25th St., Oakland. mercurytwenty.com/

Sat 10

Rosie Rally @ Craneway Pavilion, Richmond

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

Granny Cart Gangstas @ Bindlestiff Studios

Ziggy, Stardust and Me @ GLBT History Museum

Thu 8

Enjoy sketch comedy delights from the all-women Asian-American troupe. $15-$30. Thu-Sat 8pm thru Aug. 25. 185 6th St. bukaka.bpt.me

Aunt Charlie’s @ Tenderloin Museum

Into the Woods @ Strand Theater

Young-adult novelist James Brandon reads from and discusses his gaythemed ‘70s-set novel. $5. 7pm. Aug 9: Community Forum: LGBTQ Asian/Pacific Islander Justice, 7pm. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Multimedia exhibit about the historic Tenderloin drag bar, including Beautiful by Night: Photographs from Aunt Charlie’s Lounge by James Hosking. Exhibit thru Dec 1. 398 Eddy St. www.tenderloinmuseum.org

Building the Building @ SOMArts Cultural Center SOMArts 40th anniversary exhibition with works by 16 artists; thru Sept. 3. 934 Brannan St. www.somarts.org

Classic and New Films @ Castro Theatre Aug 8: The Dead Don’t Die (7pm) and Night of the Living Dead (8:55). Aug 9: The Dead Don’t Die (7pm) and The Return of the Living Dead (8:55). Aug 10 & 11: Lawrence of Arabia (Sat 2:30, 7pm; Sun 1:30, 6pm). Aug 12 & 13: Midsommar (5pm, 8pm). Aug 14: Psycho (7pm) and Remember My Name (5pm, 9pm). Aug 15: Gloria (6:15) and Jackie Brown (8:30). $8-$16. 429 Castro St. www.castrotheatre.com

Events @ Manny’s Aug. 8, 6:30pm: Farming Hope Pop-Up Dinner. Aug 9, 5:30pm: Jedidiah Jenkins on biking from Oregon to Patagonia. Aug 10, 5pm: LGBT rights in China with Ying Xin. Aug 10, 7:30pm: screening of Tangerine. Aug 12: Pod Save America’s Dan Pfeiffer. 3092 16th St. welcometomannys.com

American Conservatory Theatre student production of the beloved Stephen Sondheim musical. $20$35. Thu-Sat 7pm, Sat 2pm. Thru Aug. 17. 1127 Market St. www.act-sf.org

Michelle Meow Show @ Commonwealth Club Meow and cohost John Zipperer discuss LGBT issues with guests. Weekly, 12pm. 110 Embarcadero. www.commonwealthclub.org

Month of Momentum @ Immigration and Customs Enforcement Daily protests, performances and actions protesting ICE’s cruel and abusive internment of refugees and their children. Daily through August. 630 Sansome St. www.facebook. com/events/663063917438708/

Preservation Hall Jazz Band @ SF Jazz Center Eme Alfonso joins the acclaimed band for a night of New Orleans music. $60-$110. Also Aug 10 & 11. 201 Franklin St. www.sfjazz.org

Who’s Your Mami Comedy @ Brava’s Cabaret Marga Gomez hosts and headlines a new monthly standup series, with Bernadetee Luckett, Dominique Gelin, Jesus U. BettaWork and Josiah Luis Alderete. $10-$15. 8pm. 2773 24th St. www.brava.org

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Fri 9 Garrett + Moulton @ YBCA Four Acts of Light and Wonder, Janice Garrett and Charles Moulton’s new 40-performer radiant dance work with live music by composer Jonathan Russell. $35-$42 (Aug 10 post-concert gala reception, $75-$500). 8pm. Aug 10, 8pm; Aug 11, 3pm. 700 Howard St. https://garrettmoulton.org/

A History of World War II @ The Marsh Berkeley Theatre Rhinoceros’ Artistic Director/ playwright John Fisher’s solo show about WWI stories, including a bungle plot to assassinate Hitler. $20-$100. Fri 8pm, Sat 5pm. Thru Sept. 7. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. www.themarsh.org

Judy Grahn, Francesca Bell @ Alley Cat Books The poets read from their new works. 6:30pm. 3036 24th St. 3036 24th St. alleycatbookshop.com

Off the Wall @ Mission Cultural Center Opening reception for an exhibit and sale of historic Mission Grafica Printmaking Studio’s decades of posters and prints. 6:30pm-9pm. Main Gallery, thru Sept. 20. 2868 Mission St. missionculturalcenter.org

Queer California: Untold Stories @ Oakland Museum Multimedia exhibition documenting California LGBT lives, thru Aug. 11. Friday 5pm LGBT film screenings. Also other exhibits. Free/$15. 1000 Oak St. http://museumca.org/

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Opening reception for Queer Asia: Identiy [re]defined, a group exhibit of Bay Area queer Asian artists’ works. 7pm-9:30pm. Also, Woof/ Grrr, X/O, the artist’s exhibit of illustrated colorful gay erotica. Thru August. 470 Castro St. www.sfaf.org

Cabaret @ SF Playhouse New local production of Kander & Ebb and Masteroff’s classic musical based on the John Van Druten play and stories by Christopher Isherwood, set in Weimar Germany. $35-$125. Tue-Thu & Sun 7pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Also Sat 3pm, Sun 2pm. Thru Sept. 14. 450 Post St. www.sfplayhouse.org

Women’s Open Mic @ Plymouth United Church of Christ, Oakland Singer-songwriter Shazam is featured, with open mic (7:30) and potluck (6:30pm) for women. $7-$10. 424 Monte Vista, Oakland. www.plymouthoakland.org

Sun 11 Queer Tango @ Finnish Hall, Berkeley Same-sex partner tango dancing, including lessons for newbies, food and drinks. $5-$10. 3:30pm6:30pm. 1970 Chestnut St, Berkeley. www.finnishhall.org

Smack Dab @ Manny’s Queer open mic with host Larry-bob Roberts. 5pm. 3092 16th St. www.welcometomannys.com

Tattoos in Japanese Prints @ Asian Art Museum Tattoos in Japanese Prints and The Bold Brush of Au Ho-Nein, both thru Aug. 18. $7-$16. Free-$20. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. 200 Larkin St. www.asianart.org

That Don Reed Show @ The Marsh Berkeley The acclaimed solo performer’s show about dealing with racism in show business returns for an extended run. $20-$100. Sat 8:30pm, Sun 5:30pm. Thru Sept. 1. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. www.themarsh.org

Mon 12 Queer as German Folk @ SF Public Library Exhibit of ephemera and memorabilia about Stonewall rebellion commemorations in Germany and worldwide; film series Thursdays in August (Aug 8 & 15); additional exhibit also at Eureka Valley Branch, 1 Jose Sarria Court at 16th; both thru Sept 26. 100 Larkin St. www.sfpl.org

Queer Voices @ American Bookbinders Museum Paperbacks and Periodicals Forging Community, an exhibit of pulp fiction and early paperback books; thru Aug. 31. Tue-Sat 10am-4pm. 355 Clementina St. www.bookbindersmuseum.com

Wed 14 Lisa Duggan @ Alley Cat Books The author of Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed, discusses her book with B. Ruby Rich. 7pm. 3036 24th St. 3036 24th St. www.alleycatbookshop.com

Mirage Group Reading @ Wattis Institute Poetry readings by Jeremy Benson, Brendan Cook, Sofía Córdova, Ryanaustin Dennis, Lourdes Figueroa, Ivy Johnson, and Jacob Kahn; introduction by Eric Sneathen. Free. 6:30pm. 360 Kansas St. https://wattis.org/view?id=704

Richard Caldwell Brewer @ Lost Art Salon Exhibit of works by the late gay artist (1923-2014). 6pm-8pm. MonSat 10am-5:30pm. 245 South Van Ness Ave., #303. lostartsalon.com

Thu 15 Butch Voices @ Oakstop 10th annual festival of butch lesbians, with workshops, performances, panels, and more. $100-$200. Thru Aug 18. 1721 Broadway, Oakland. www.ButchVoices.com

Flamboyance @ Berber

Book launch for the author’s novel, Life of Ganesh. 7pm. 1680 Market St. at Gough. www. TheGreenArcade.com

Wild Arabian Nights, a fundraiser for the LGBT Asylum Project, includes a delicious four-course meal ($95), wine-pairing option ($50), singer Bebe Sweetbriar, and sensual Boylesque acts Dylan Bradley, David Nguyen and Julaino Wade. 7:30pm-10pm. 1516 Broadway St. https://bit.ly/2Y40wEf www.lgbtasylumproject.org

We Are More @ California Humanities, Oakland

The Gay Divorce Play @ Potrero Stage

Syed Afzal Haider @ Green Arcade Bookstore

Exhibit of art by four queer comic artists; Ajuan Mance, Breena Nuñez, Lawrence Lindell, and Trinidad Escobar. Thru Sept. 538 9th St. Suite 210. Oakland. www.calhum.org

Tue 13 Andy Warhol @ SF MOMA Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again, a new exhibition of the iconic pop artist’s works, the first retrospective in 25 years; thru Sept 2. other exhibits of Modern art. Free/$25. Fri-Tue 10am-5pm; Thu 10am-9pm. 151 3rd St. www.sfmoma.org

Carson Beker, Nicole Jost and Genevieve Jessee’s immersive interactive theatre ritual of a queer marriage dissolution party. $26.50. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 7pm, thru Aug. 25. 1695 18th St. www.queercatproductions.com

Wicked @ San Jose Center for the Performing Arts Broadway San Jose presents the touring company of Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz’s megahit musical about Oz’s rival witches, based on the Gregory Maguire novel. $62-$112. Tue-Thu 7:30pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm & 6:30pm; thru Sept. 8. 255 South Almaden Blvd., San Jose. www.broadwaysanjose.com t

Shining Stars>>

August 8-14, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

Shining Stars Steven Underhill Photos by

Playa in the Grove @ National AIDS Memorial Grove

nder slightly foggy August 3 skies, fans of outdoor grooves and artistic splendor enjoyed the fourth annual Playa in the Grove, produced by the queer Burning Man camp Comfort & Joy, and held at the National AIDS Memorial Grove. As DJs Bus Station John, Jason Godfrey and Hil Huerta spun music, guests danced, hula-hooped, flagged and relaxed in the lovely ambiance, as others swirled in, under and around site-specific art works by Brian ‘Chickpea’ Busta, Jim ‘Neon’ Hobson, and David ‘Noodles’ Cooney’s Heart Space Labyrinth. www.aidsmemorial.org See plenty more photos on BARtab’s Facebook page, facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at StevenUnderhill.com.

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