August 16, 2018 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

Ghost Ship shocker

Night minister retires

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Vol. 48 • No. 33 • August 16-22, 2018

Castro’s ‘pretty clean,’ mayor says by Alex Madison

Cynthia Laird

Jason Van Dyke’s letter to the Bay Area Reporter demands a retraction for an opinion piece by the paper’s Resist columnist Christina DiEdoardo.

Proud Boys threaten B.A.R. with legal action by Alex Madison

he Proud Boys, an international, far-right male fraternity, threatened the Bay Area Reporter with legal action last week after an August 9 opinion column was published describing the group as “white supremacists” and “fascists.” The Proud Boys’ website describes its members as “Western chauvinists who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world,” and that they long for days when, “girls were girls and men were men.” It denies being an alt-right group and says it welcomes all races. The Southern Poverty Law Center has long labeled the Proud Boys a hate group. The B.A.R.’s Resist column, “Proud Boys not welcome in Oakland,” by Christina A. DiEdoardo, recounted a July 23 protest objecting to an announced meet-up of a Bay Area chapter of the Proud Boys at Make Westing, a bar at 1741 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland. The protest was held after a vigil for Nia Wilson at the MacArthur BART station the same night. Wilson, an 18-year-old African-American woman, was allegedly killed by a white man at MacArthur station July 22. Many who attended Wilson’s vigil also marched to Make Westing to protest the Proud Boys. DiEdoardo’s column, which was labeled as commentary, suggested the protesters successfully barred six white men, allegedly Proud Boys members, from entering Make Westing. B.A.R. publisher Michael Yamashita said the column was clearly labeled commentary and that it was not a news article. The words are DiEdoardo’s opinion he said, and that he did not see any bias or violation on her part. “It smacks of press intimidation without any real knowledge of how the press operates in relation to news articles, commentaries, columnists, and reporters,” Yamashita said. “They each have different parameters and guidelines that they have to abide. If anything, this is a misunderstanding on [Van Dyke’s] part about what constitutes libel and what was actually said in the column.” In a cease and desist demand letter emailed to the B.A.R. August 10, a day after the column was published, Proud Boys’ representative Jason Van Dyke, an attorney in Texas, denied that the group of men who met at Make Westing were Proud Boys. See page 13 >>

n her third unannounced neighborhood walk since taking office, Mayor London Breed visited the Castro Monday and declared it “pretty clean.” Breed’s visit came in response to the Bay Area Reporter’s August 9 editorial inviting her to the district after her initial merchant walk was canceled due to weather when she was acting mayor in January. Shortly afterward, Breed’s colleagues on the Board of Supervisors voted her out as acting mayor and installed Mark Farrell as mayor. Breed won the mayor’s race in June. Additional Bigbelly trash cans, outreach for the homeless population, continued beat cop coverage, and cleaning up dog and human feces were the mayor’s main takeaways from her unannounced 25-minute walk up Castro Street to Jane Warner Plaza. Sandra Zuniga, director of the Mayor’s Fix-It Team, was also present. One of her first greetings were to two homeless men sitting in front of Posh Bagel on Castro Street. “Our friends are going to come out to see what we can do to help you,” Breed said. Breed quickly had her team call Jeff Kositsky, director of the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. Later in the walk, she said an area of improvement is getting her team to respond more quickly to requests regarding homeless people. Passing the CVS parking lot, Zuniga

Rick Gerharter

Mayor London Breed checks out the Bigbelly trash can on Castro Street during her unannounced walk around the neighborhood Monday.

mentioned the decrease in car break-ins and loitering in the lot since the installation of a security gate that locks at night. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency announced plans last month to install another security gate in the Walgreens parking lot on 18th street between Castro and Collingwood streets. A Castro resident, Seth, who declined to give his last name, then approached Breed, urging her to improve the safety and cleanliness of the Castro and expressed his concern of the

sustainability of tourism in the area. “I agree,” Breed said to the man. “That’s why I’m doing this. I come out, check it out, call my team. I want some attention paid to all of these neighborhoods.” She said she expects the Fix-It Team to be in the Castro everyday cleaning the streets. Andrea Aiello, executive director of the Castro/ Upper Market Community Benefit District, was at See page 12 >>

Guerneville gears up for Pride

by Charlie Wagner

eeking to maintain LGBT Pride activity in Guerneville following Sonoma County Pride’s move to Santa Rosa this year, the inaugural Russian River Pride celebration will be held August 24-26. The main event is a parade down Main Street at 11 a.m. Sunday, August 26. Rodger Jensen, Pride producer and event coordinator at the R3 Hotel, has announced many other activities. The theme for the weekend is “River Proud, River Strong, A Celebration of Diversity.” Since 2009, the annual Sonoma County Pride celebration had been held in June in Guerneville, but in March, the Sonoma County Pride board moved that event to Santa Rosa, in what was ultimately a successful effort to attract more attendees. Russian River Pride activities start this Saturday, August 18, with a lighting ceremony at the Guerneville Bridge, a pedestrian span. Jensen said organizers were “inspired by the Bay Bridge lighting,” and view the event as the “true kickoff for Russian River Pride.” According to Jensen, the evening will start with a pre-celebration from 8 to 10 p.m. at the R3 Hotel, located at 16390 Fourth Street. People will then walk to Guerneville Plaza and give a blessing of the bridge. After the lighting ceremony, people will gather back at the plaza, then head to an after-party at the Rainbow

Charlie Wagner

Russian River Pride head of décor Nicholas “Little Nick” Carrigan, left, and Pride producer Rodger Jensen have lined up lots of activities for the inaugural Russian River Pride weekend.

Cattle Company, located at 16220 Main Street. The entry to the bridge crosses Guerneville Plaza, where a rainbow flag is flown along with U.S. and California state flags. Starting in the spring, the rainbow flag was stolen repeatedly. On July 13, Vincent Joseph O’Sullivan was sentenced to 36 months’ probation and 100 hours of community service for those thefts. Jensen believes walking through the plaza will commemorate, “the whole crisis we’ve been going through with the rainbow flag theft.”

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

Nicholas “Little Nick” Carrigan is volunteering as head of décor for Russian River Pride. Carrigan revealed they plan to attach 17 different types of lights to the bridge’s exterior. “We will meet at the south end of bridge after dark, and walk together to the flagpole,” he said. “We plan to leave the lights on until Monday, August 27,” Carrigan said. “The lights will recognize what an iconic monument the Guerneville See page 12 >>

<< Community News

2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • August 16-22, 2018

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Judge rejects Ghost Ship plea deal by Alex Madison

n a highly unusual move, a judge rejected the plea deal of Ghost Ship defendants Derick Almena and Max Harris following emotionally charged statements from family members in an Oakland courtroom last week. In early July, Almena, 48, and Harris, 28, reached a joint plea agreement that sentenced them to nine and six years, respectively, in county jail for their part in the December 2, 2016 warehouse fire in Oakland that killed 36 people, including three trans victims. With good behavior and credit for time served, the pair could have served half that time. Alameda County Superior Court Judge James Cramer came to his decision after a two-day hearing last week, where families intensely criticized the plea deal as being too lenient; some called it a “slap on the wrist.” [See related story for an interview with Almena.] The mothers, fathers, and siblings of the victims expressed their anger at the negligence, greed, and lack of remorse shown by Almena and Harris, who had both pleaded no contest as part of the agreement. They also called out the “apathy” and “incompetence” of the city of Oakland and its various departments for not taking action in response to the multiple calls received about the noise, trash, and illegal happenings at the warehouse. The three trans women who died in the fire included Feral Pines, 29, Cash Askew, 22, and Em Bohlka, 33. Askew’s mother, Lisa Askew, and stepfather, Sunny Haire, spoke at the hearing.

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“I have spent the last year, eight months, and seven days avoiding thinking of what her last moments on this earth were like and what must have gone through her mind as she gasped and choked and pushed through the smoke,” Haire said. “She was trying to find a way out. She wanted to get home to the girl she had fallen deeply in love with. She wanted to get home and call her family. She wanted to get home and work on her music and her art. She wanted to get home to just get on with the business of living.” He described the night of the fire and how he and his wife got in their car and headed toward the Ghost Ship after getting word their daughter was at the dance party that night. “We had no idea what to expect and assumed it must be some exaggeration and we could get there and all would be fine,” he said. “As we crossed the bridge we saw the smoke billowing and that’s when we smelled it, the acrid smoke.”

He described their daughter as a beautiful, charismatic, and magnetic person who people flocked to. “Cash was right on the precipice of coming into her greatness as an adult woman. All of that potential, all of that shimmering potential was snuffed out in that warehouse on December 2.” Askew was a musician in the Bay Area pop-duo Them are Us Too, and was taught to play the guitar by her stepfather, who was the former manager of the Lexington Club, a now-closed lesbian bar in the Mission district, according to the Washington Post. Feral Pines’ mom, Nancy Fritz, was not present, but wrote a statement that was read by her attorney, Mary Alexander, at the August 9 hearing. Fritz was more outspoken about her anger toward Almena and Harris and blamed them for the fire. Almena had previously rented the See page 8 >>

Almena blasts judge’s decision by Ed Walsh

say, ‘I’m guilty.’” As part of the plea agreement, host Ship founder Derick Almena was required to admit guilt. Almena is blasting the judge The Ghost Ship chief said his ability who threw out the plea deal last to defend himself was also limited week and said it is no longer posfrom the beginning because much sible for him to get a fair trial. of the evidence was destroyed beIn a jailhouse interview with fore he was even arrested. the Bay Area Reporter Monday, “How could I defend myself 150 Van Ness Apartments at 150 Van Ness Avenue, August 13, Almena was also critiwhen all of the evidence was deSan Francisco CA 94102 cal of Oakland city officials for not stroyed and dumped in a muddy accepting responsibility for their field?” he said, reading from a 3-Studios at $1140.00 a month; 27-1 Beds @ $1303.00 a month; share of the blame for the 2016 fire statement that he said he was pre18-2 Beds at $1465.00 and 2-3 Beds at$1628.00 month. that killed 36 people. vented from reading during his In overturning the plea deal, sentencing hearing last week. 21 stacker parking spaces (size restrictions apply) available to BMR Alameda County Superior Court renters for an additional $100 a month and will be offered to houseAlmena noted that numerous holds in lottery rank order. Must be income eligible and must not own Judge James Cramer ordered Altimes firefighters, police officers, a home. Households must earn no more than the maximum income mena and his co-defendant, Max and child protective service ofCourtesy Alameda County Sheriff’s office levels below: Harris, to stand trial, saying that ficials looked over the Ghost Ship Derick Almena Almena did not show true remorse. space and, in some cases, compli55% of Area Median Income Almena and Harris had pleaded mented him on it. In a previous “My wife, she just wanted to die no contest to 36 counts of involinterview with the B.A.R., Almena One person - $45,600; 2 persons - $52,100; right then,” Almena said referring untary manslaughter in the case. 3 persons - $58,600; 4 persons - $65,100; said that the building’s owner, to the moment the judge stunned Almena and Harris received a nine 5 persons-$70,300, 6 persons-$75,550, Chor Ng, was aware of how the the courtroom by throwing out 7 persons-$80,750.00 and Rental six year Apartments sentencing under the space was being used and that he, Market Rate (BMR) Available Below Market Rate (BMR) Rental ApartmentsBelow Available the pleaCA agreement. pleaat 150 bargain, respectively. not the owner, made safety im150 Van Apartments Van Ness Avenue,With San Francisco 94102 “It’s not fair. 150 Van Ness Apartments at 150 Van Ness Avenue, SanNess Francisco CA 94102 It’s just not Beds fair.” at $1465.00 and 2-3provements Applications mustabe received27-1 by 5pm on @ August 24, 2018. 3-Studios $1140.00 month; 27-1 @ $1303.00 18-2 Beds at to the space. credit timeBeds served and good aatmonth; 3-Studios at $1140.00 month; Beds $1303.00 a at month; 18-2aBeds atfor $1465.00 and 2-3 Beds Almena added that the details $1628.00 month. Postmarks will not be considered. Apply online through DAHLIA, $1628.00 month. behavior, Almena could have been Ng is reportedly set to collect of the deal had been arranged and the SF Housing Portal at https://housing.sfgov.org or mail in a paper released in three and a half years, more the $3 million in insurance 21 stacker apply) available to BMR renters an additional a were agreed uponforbefore the hear- $100 21 stackerapplication parking spaces (size restrictions apply) available to BMRspaces renters for restrictions an in additional $100 a with a self-addressed stamped envelope to: parking and(size Harris under two years. money. She has not been charged, month willMust be offered to households in lottery rank order. eligible must not own month and will be offered households in lottery rankand order. be income eligible mustthe not own ingMust and be thatincome the judge gaveand every 150toVAN NESS BMR, The deal also and allowed men but prosecutors have not ruled a home. Households no more than the maximum indication income levels a home. Households earn more than maximum income must levels earn below: that below: he approved of the P.O. Boxmust 420847, Sanno Francisco, CA the 94142. to serve their time at Santa Rita out charges against her in the fudeal. Jail, where they are currently, rathture. She is also one of two-dozen 55% of Area Median Income 55% of Area Median Income can be downloaded from Paper applications “What really hurts is that I am than state prison. defendants, including the City of One person - $45,600; 2erpersons - $52,100; 3 persons - $58,600; 4 persons - $65,100; 5 personsOne person - $45,600; 2 persons - $52,100; 3 persons - $58,600; 4 persons - $65,100; 5 personshttps://housing.sfgov.org or picked up from one of the housing one of the few people willing to Almena said Cramer took Oakland, Alameda County, and $70,300, 6 persons-$75,550, 7 persons-$80,750.00 $70,300, 6 persons-$75,550, 7 persons-$80,750.00 counseling agencies listed at take any responsibility,” Almena quotes from his prepared statePG&E that are facing civil lawsuits. https://housing.sfgov.org/housing-counselors. said. “The DA than will- Apply Applications must be received by 5pm on August 24,that 2018. Postmarks willwas notmore be considered. Applications must be received by 5pm on August 24, 2018. Postmarks will beof considered. Apply mentnot out context, implying Almena’s attorney, Tony Serra, ing to go through thea horthrough DAHLIA,he thewasn’t SF at https://housing.sfgov.org or with mail in paper application online through DAHLIA, the SF Housing Portal online at https://housing.sfgov.org or Housing mail in a Portal paperHe application remorseful. added told the Associated Press on Monday Please contact the 150envelope VAN NESS team rific P.O. trial,Box further traumatizing a self-addressed to 150permitted VANCA NESS BMR, 420847, San Francisco, CAhe will seek a change of venue with a self-addressed stamped to leasing 150 with VAN NESS BMR, P.O. stamped Box San never Francisco, that420847, theenvelope judge that for more information at (916) 686-4126 94142. Paper applications downloaded from https://housing.sfgov.org or to picked oneaoftrial if he can’t work out anthe families in order proveup thefrom for 94142. Paper applications can be downloaded from https://housing.sfgov.org orread picked from one of himcan to be his up complete stateor agencies bmr@150vanness.com. the housing counseling agencies listed at https://housing.sfgov.org/housing-counselors. Please contact the housing counseling listed at https://housing.sfgov.org/housing-counselors. Please contact city is not responsible, totally free ment in court. other plea deal with prosecutors. The the 150atVAN NESS leasing team for more information at (916) 686-4126or bmr@150vanness.com. the 150 VAN NESS leasing team for more information (916) 686-4126or bmr@150vanness.com. from blame.” “You know that if you take anyAlameda County District Attorney’s Units available through the Almena said a fair trial for him thing out of context you can twist office declined to comment on the available throughand the Community San Francisco Mayor’s Office Housing and Community Development and Units available through the SanMayor’s Francisco of Housing Development and ofnow San Francisco Office Mayor’s of Units Office is not possible and that he itfor around andrestrictions. make it seemVisit about are subject to monitoring and other www.sfmohcd.org for program information.interview. A new hearing on the case are subject to monitoring and other restrictions. Visit www.sfmohcd.org program information. Housing and Community Development was set up. me,” Almena, 48, told the B.A.R. is scheduled Friday. t and are subject to monitoring andother restrictions. “No way,” he said. “It’s impos“This statement was about everysible to get a fair trial. They misthing. I have been remorseful since To read Almena’s complete Visit www.sfmohcd.org for program information. quoted me. This has been orchesthe moment this happened.” statement that he says he was trated to the highest degree.” prevented from reading in The Ghost Ship master tenant He added, “How am I going to court, see the online version of said he was shocked when Cramer find a jury that hasn’t heard me the story at www.ebar.com. wouldn’t let the plea deal go forward.

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<< Open Forum

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • August 16-22, 2018

Volume 47, Number 33 August 16-22, 2018 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Alex Madison CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani Christina DiEdoardo • Richard Dodds Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone David Guarino • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • Juanita MORE! David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Sean Piverger • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Adam Sandel • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Tony Taylor • Sari Staver Jim Stewart • Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez Ronn Vigh • Charlie Wagner • Ed Walsh Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan Steven Underhil • Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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News Editor • news@ebar.com Arts Editor • arts@ebar.com Out & About listings • jim@ebar.com Advertising • scott@ebar.com Letters • letters@ebar.com Published weekly. Bay Area Reporter reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement which the publisher believes is in poor taste or which advertises illegal items which might result in legal action against Bay Area Reporter. Ads will not be rejected solely on the basis of politics, philosophy, religion, race, age, or sexual orientation. Advertising rates available upon request. Our list of subscribers and advertisers is conﬁdential and is not sold. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, and writers published herein is neither inferred nor implied. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

Trump’s ‘fake news’ is fake news T

oday, the Bay Area Reporter joins 200-plus publications across the country, spearheaded by the Boston Globe, in condemning President Donald Trump’s constant attacks on the news media. “The impact of Trump’s assault on journalism looks different in Boise than it does in Boston. Our words will differ,” read the Globe’s request circulated by the Association of News Editors. “But at least we can agree that such attacks are alarming.” We certainly do. From “fake news” to “dangerous and sick” to, most terrifyingly, “an enemy of the people,” Trump’s tweets and statements disparaging the media and journalists are intended to discredit the investigations swirling around the administration and, more importantly, to cast doubt on news organizations and their reporting. It is way past time for Trump and his sycophants to end this dangerous rhetoric, but we know they will not. We all must reject his baseless criticism. When the president regularly tells the country that reporters write or broadcast “fake news,” it has a chilling effect on freedom of the press – and on consumers who depend on accurate accounts of what the administration is doing and saying, including the president. News articles repeatedly call out the president’s hypocrisy with little effect on his supporters. He says his tariffs “are great,” while soybean farmers in the Midwest will soon be eligible for a government bailout because they’re losing their shirts over Trump’s harmful trade policies. The president says he can’t do anything about families being separated at the border and then signs an executive order ending a practice that he never had to implement in the first place. The president rails against “chain migration,” and yet his in-laws become American citizens through that very process. The list goes on and on. A month after Trump took office, he declared the media to be “an enemy of the people.” Since

then, according to CNN, he has used “fake,” as in “fake news,” “fake stories,” “fake media,” and “fake polls,” more than 400 times. The consequences are dire for LGBT people, because as Trump blasts the media for writing “fake stories,” we are reporting on the president’s very real decision to ban trans service members from the military and his efforts to scrap the Affordable Care Act, which has greatly benefited trans people and those with HIV/AIDS. Those aren’t fake actions, they’re really happening. The Trump administration is chipping away at policies set by President Barack Obama that benefit LGBT people. He’s instructed federal departments to follow a “religious freedom” doctrine that may be used to discriminate against LGBT people. He’s even infecting the judiciary by picking nominees who embrace this exception to discriminate.

Many Americans now view journalists with suspicion and mistrust due to the president’s attacks on the media. That makes it harder for journalists to do our jobs because we depend on people to provide tips and comment for articles. It’s tougher now to focus on our community if LGBT people are reluctant to agree to an interview. Some, especially immigrants, people of color, or trans people, will not speak to reporters for fear of retaliation from the federal government. Don’t fall for the clickbait on social media and don’t let the president define your reality for you. He says it’s “fake news” when media does not flatter him. We say be aware of news that affects you and your community, here, across the country, and around the world. Trump will continue calling media “fake news,” but that doesn’t mean it’s true. A democracy depends on a free press; Trump’s creeping authoritarianism is dangerous for our democracy and the American people.t

Build it, and the people will come by Ken Jones

he Castro Muni station has meant a lot of different things to me during the past four decades: a construction site. A community rallying place. A point of entry for gay people from around the globe. And now, a workplace. I got a call. “You want me to do what?” I asked. The mission: to support Muni’s Twin Peaks tunnel renovation from June 26 (the day after our Pride celebration) until the end of July. I worked at the entrance to the Castro Street station from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m., most weekdays and some weekends. Although I’ve lived in San Francisco since 1972, I don’t think I’d ever seen and experienced the city like I did for this assignment: in the daytime; with all four seasons in one day. During the 1970s, it was kinda “in” to say, “Meet me under the clock” (located at the Hotel Saint Francis on Union Square). Now we say, “Meet me at the rainbow flag.” One of my first observations while working at the Castro Street Muni station was just how important, meaningful, and significant the rainbow flag is to people from all over the world. Locals almost casually take it for granted as a meeting place. For tourists, it’s a different story. Visitors from all over – from Turlock and from as far away as Slovenia or South Africa – come to the Castro station just to see the rainbow flag and to see Harvey Milk Plaza, named for the slain San Francisco supervisor. They come up from the Muni station, look at the flag, and take pictures. This flag is important. Our rainbow flag has meaning across the globe. I really didn’t understand until I observed this day after day, tourists yearning for a glimpse, a photo of the gay community’s oversized rainbow flag in the Castro. It is THE rainbow flag, like no other. But, I am jumping ahead. I still remember my enthusiasm and the city’s excitement about the grand opening of the Castro Street Muni station in May 1980. Shuttles took us underground to the Van Ness station, where Sylvester performed and the champagne flowed freely – as did the poppers. But, what did we know except we had to boogie, oogie, oogie till we just couldn’t boogie no more? The next month the Castro station opened for business. Five years later, on September 15, 1985, Mayor

photo

Ken Jones, left, talks to a visitor at the Castro Muni station.

Dianne Feinstein, Board of Supervisors President John L. Molinari, and Milk’s successor, Supervisor Harry Britt, dedicated Harvey Milk Plaza. Previously the name was Castro Station and Plaza. Informally known as the “Mayor of Castro Street,” Milk was omnipresent in the neighborhood after he opened Castro Camera at 575 Castro Street in 1973, and was active in the neighborhood during his campaigns for supervisor, which culminated with his 1977 victory. (He was assassinated a year later, in November 1978.) The corner of Castro and Market streets became the de facto gathering place where rallies, meetings, homage, inspiration, hope, and dreams coalesce even today. Thirty-three years ago, in 1985, none of us imagined all the changes that would come to the Castro district: more and more of us are having children and some of us are living long enough to age. As I began working at the Castro Street station, I noticed how difficult it was for seniors, the physically challenged, and the little tots to navigate the stairs down to the platform. Yes, there’s an elevator, but it’s located on the other side of Market Street. Yes, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency does have plans to install an elevator in the plaza in 2020, but there are other issues with the station and plaza that I soon learned about as I worked my daily shifts. Issues not necessarily about accessibility, but about our history.

It would soon become obvious (and painful) that hundreds of tourists visit the Castro every single day to see the rainbow flag and “experience” the Harvey Milk Plaza. Presently, the tribute to Milk is largely a poster-board composition that looks like the City and County of San Francisco spent a whopping $38.16 on it from Target. I’ve witnessed the shock and horror in visitors’ eyes as they look down at the presentation, asking, “This is how you treat your heroes?” Castro, we can do better. It is our responsibility to the LGBT movement to do better. And the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, a volunteer group of community leaders, is doing better. FHMP has been working with the community for two years to transform Harvey Milk Plaza so that it truly honors and resonates Milk and speaks to the LGBT history that took place in the Castro, all while drastically improving access and public safety, so that we can finally, proudly show the world the way we treat our heroes. Cleve Jones understands how important it is to honor our heroes and our history. He reminds us, “Harvey understood that the LGBT community was part of something larger, and creating something special here will inspire others to carry on the global movement for peace and social justice” that began in our Castro Street transit hub. I’ve been asked how this project will get funded. And, I have to tell you that, sometimes, simply asking, “Can you help?” might just touch the hearts and purse strings of people coming to the plaza looking to honor Milk, and may very well be pleased that you chose them to be an important piece of this challenge. Hope will never be silent.t Ken Jones is a longtime San Francisco resident who was portrayed in the ABC miniseries, “When We Rise.” He was also an LGBT Changemaker in the Bay Area Reporter’s Pride issue. For that story, go to http:// www.ebar.com/news/news/261504. For more information about the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, visit https://www.friendsofharveymilkplaza.org/.

Letters >>

August 16-22, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

What a headline

What a headline that was – “No obits” [“B.A.R.’s ‘No obits’ turns 20,” Guest Opinion, August 9]. It was one of amazement and hope that, at the same time, reinforced our forever grief, drawing together a hopeful future with an unbearably painful past. Vivian Imperiale San Francisco

Texas, Tennessee mentality

The Board of Supervisors’ recent decision to bar cannabis sales in Chinatown strikes me as representing a Texas or Tennessee mentality [“Supes 2, pot 0,” Editorial, August 9]. In response to the 21st Amendment (the repeal of federal prohibition of alcohol sales) many Southern states authorized cities and counties to designate themselves as “dry.”

Of course, this ignoble experiment hasn’t worked. Folks in Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, and North Carolina just go to the nearest “wet” county to buy liquor. In TV world “Mayberry,” moonshine was being sold rampantly and the town drunk was always drunk – in a “dry” county. Do the supervisors really believe that Chinatown residents who want to smoke cannabis won’t just take a bus ride up Market Street or down Mission Street to legal pot clubs? I want to thank Supervisors Rafael Mandelman, Vallie Brown, and Hillary Ronen for their wisdom in rejecting Aaron Peskin’s Texas-style legislation. If cannabis legalization advocates are up to it, could I suggest a voter initiative to repeal the Peskin “dry district” law? Arlo Hale Smith San Francisco

LGBT clubs snub out SF school board candidates by Matthew S. Bajko

start of 2009, as he ran unsuccessfully the year before for supervisor rather than seek re-election to his seat on the education board. Prior to his winning his school board seat back, all of the other out candidates who had run for school board in the preceding eight years had lost.

f the trio of out candidates seeking seats this year on the San Francisco Board of Education, it appears two have failed to secure the support of either of the city’s two main LGBT political clubs. Two transgender candidates and a gay man are running in the citywide race for three seats on the seven-person school board. Two of the three seats on the November ballot are open since the incumbents are not running for re-election. Shamann Walton is instead running for District 10 supervisor, while Hydra Mendoza-McDonnell recently resigned her seat due to moving to New York City for a job with its school district. Emily Murase, Ph.D., is seeking re-election. Because of the open seats, the filing deadline was extended until 5 p.m. Wednesday. As of Tuesday evening, 28 people had pulled papers for the race, with 14 qualified for the ballot and the others pending. While transgender advocate Mia Satya earned an early endorsement of her candidacy from the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, she appears to have failed to earn the endorsement of the more moderate Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club. Satya is vying to become the first transgender female elected leader in the city. The Alice club’s political action committee over the weekend had recommended endorsements for Murase and Michelle Parker but took no position on who should be endorsed for the third school board seat. While the club members voted Monday night on approving the endorsements in the school board race and a number of other contests on the November ballot, Alice’s leadership said it would not make the school board endorsements official until after the close of the extended filing deadline. Asked if the club would revote on its endorsements in the race, Alice co-chair Eric Lukoff told the Bay Area Reporter, “We will evaluate the situation if additional candidates enter the race.” A source supportive of seeing Satya be endorsed by the club told the B.A.R. that it did not appear she had succeeded in doing so. In a note to her supporters Monday prior to the vote, Satya noted that she had support from many Alice board members and “would be extremely honored to receive” an endorsement from the club, of which she is a member. As for the Milk club, its PAC over the weekend recommended it endorse two straight women of color in the race: Alison Collins

Barry Schneider Attorney at Law

Rick Gerharter

School board candidate Mia Satya is administered the oath of candidacy August 10 by San Francisco elections clerk Matthew Selby.

and Gabriela Lopez. Milk members will vote on the endorsements at the club’s meeting Tuesday, August 21. Should they be approved, it would mean that the two other out school board candidates would be snubbed by both of the city’s LGBT political clubs. Martin Rawlings-Fein is vying to become the first elected male transgender public official in both the city and state. He would also be the first bisexual man to win elective office in San Francisco. He came in third place at the Milk club PAC meeting last Saturday when it considered who to endorse for the other two school board seats. As of Tuesday, it was unclear how hard he would fight to be endorsed by the club. “I think that the two women of color that the PAC put forward are great candidates, and while I am still running, I am weighing my options of getting folks at the Milk club to open their minds to endorsing two trans candidates,” RawlingsFein, a married father, told the B.A.R. Tuesday afternoon. The other out candidate in the race is Phil Kim, a charter school employee who came up short in his 2016 school board bid. He is aiming to be the only LGBT Asian-American currently holding public office in the city. Sarah Thompson-Peer, a lesbian married mom who served on the city’s Children & Youth Fund Oversight and Advisory Committee, had pulled papers last year to run for school board. But she opted against doing so and recently was hired as a staff attorney at La Raza Centro Legal. Until last year, it had been eight years since the school board, which oversees the San Francisco Unified School District, had a member on it from the LGBT community. Gay school board member Mark Sanchez was elected to the school board in November 2016 and seated in January 2017. Having previously won a seat on the board years ago, Sanchez had stepped down from the body at the

CA on verge of having trans male official

The Golden State is on the verge of having its first transgender male public official. As of the B.A.R.’s deadline Wednesday afternoon, Adam Spickler was the only person seeking an open seat on the Cabrillo Community College Board of Trustees in Santa Cruz County. Gary Reece opted not to run again for his Area II seat on the oversight body, meaning candidates had until 5 p.m. Wednesday to enter the race. If Spickler remains unopposed for the college board seat, he would be appointed to the college board in lieu of an election and become the first transgender man to hold public office in California. Two transgender women have won elected office in the state, one to a judicial seat and the other to the Palm Springs City Council. Spickler, 47, lives in Santa Cruz with his husband and works for the county human services department as a senior analyst. He attended Cabrillo prior to his transition and worked in the education field before becoming an aide to several local state lawmakers.

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One out East Bay water official is opposed

The terms of two out East Bay water officials both expire December 31, but only one will need to run for re-election in November. Since the other is unopposed, they will not appear on the November ballot and are automatically elected to another four-year term. Marguerite Young, a lesbian single mom, first won election to her Ward 4 seat on the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s oversight body in 2014. She had launched a re-election bid this summer and picked up the Sierra Club’s endorsement in early August. After no one filed papers to run against her by the filing deadline to do so last Friday, she thanked her supporters “for being ready to jump in” to defend her EBMUD seat in a Facebook post Saturday morning. “Please turn you (sic) attention to flipping Congress and other worthy races,” wrote Young. Her colleague on the local utility board, Andy Katz, a bisexual man who also identifies as gay, will appear on the November ballot since he drew a challenger for his Ward 4 seat. Katz, who lost his second bid for the state Assembly District 15 seat

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<< Commentary

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • August 16-22, 2018

Let the kids be, all right? by Gwendolyn Ann Smith Since 1977

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recently had the pleasure of speaking at an elementary school LGBTQ support group, where I shared my experiences as someone who is now as old as so many of the “community elders” I met when I was first coming out. It is so exciting to see so many younger people who are light years ahead in understanding themselves than I was at their age. When I was a kid, I tended to hide my trans feelings. While I was fortunate to learn that trans people like myself did exist, and that there were care options for us, I also learned at an early age that my parents were not equipped to navigate my trans identity. So, rather than face the truth, I hid it, and tried to swim upstream within my feelings. Even though I have since transitioned and am pretty comfortable with myself, I know there are still some deep seated negative aspects that may have been substantially lessened if I hadn’t had to navigate an unwanted boyhood and masculine adolescence. Oh, yes, and the effects of years of unwanted testosterone on my body. Aside from hoodwinking my

StevenUnderhill PHOTOGRAPHY

parents into a few dolls and such to play with, and the constant struggles to get my mother to allow me to wear my hair longer than she would allow, I remained largely in the closet, only revealed a time or two when caches of clothing or such has happened upon. Now, I see so many kids who are able to enjoy their elementary school years being more or less affirmed in their gender identity or expression, and while it is not by any means a cakewalk, it is still far beyond the world I experienced. There has been some pushback, however. For one, people outside of the trans community still are adverse to us. They fear what may happen in school restrooms and changing areas, or how being exposed to trans students might affect their own kids – as if being transgender is a communicable disease that they can vaccinate against. One of the bigger arguments lately against letting young trans people be affirmed in their gender, and be provided with puberty-blocking

through my entire childhood. Like I said earlier, the concern is that these young kids, taking puberty blockers, will grow to regret their choices. Indeed, the notion of “trans regret” is one that is deeply ingrained in a lot of dialogue about transgender people from those who are not trans. I’m sure, too, that people who are not transgender would indeed feel regret if they attempted to live in a gender opposite the gender they identify with – especially if they did do something permanent to their body to attempt to align with a gender that wasn’t theirs. For those of us who are transgender, however, the regret isn’t in our transitions, but in years or decades lost not being able to live in our genders, being forced in one way or another to conform to a gender identity that is foreign to us. I’m not going to say that transition is like waving a wand. A lot of the troubles one faces before transition are still there post-transition, and the traumas we may have faced over our lives still leave scars both visible and otherwise. On top of that, being out and visibly trans in this society has often been a challenging and unpleasant experience, with hurdles placed in our way at every turn, and hundreds of people more than willing to share their typically-negative opinions about our lives. Yet, for those of us who are trans, being able to experience and explore our identities at the same time as our school-age peers means living a whole life. Now, in a time when kids face greater threats from an uncaring Trump administration, is the time to stand up for trans youth, and let them thrive.t Gwen Smith is more than willing to ask, “What if?” You’ll find her at www.gwensmith.com.

B.A.R. leather columnist receives award

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medication, is based out of a fear of what these medications can do. People argue that these medications will leave these kids sterile, and when they apparently come to their senses and decide to live as their birth gender, they will not be able to reproduce. If anything, it is an ignorant view: puberty blockers have a long history of use outside of trans circles, being used to aid kids dealing with precocious (early) puberty, for example. Once the medication is stopped, the body continues to mature. Kids are not generally given surgery or hormone replacement therapy. Mostly because they’re, well, kids. Puberty blockers, if anything, give them room to breathe and figure out what will be best for them without facing an irreversible puberty. Of course, those who think providing this care is wrong may also have a view that a kid identifying as trans is simply a phase they’ll grow out of. This, however, isn’t how being trans works. When I was a kid, I was convinced I was going to be an oceanographer. I loved sea life, and shells, and all but practically worn out the household copy of the Time Life book “The Sea.” A year or so later, my interest waned, as I was dead set on being an astronomer by then, and was happily pointing my cardboard-tube Sears telescope at the skies from the backyard. Yet in all those years of waxing and waning interests, my understanding of my gender – and in my particular case, the idea that my gender was somehow wrong and abhorrent – remained. It was as innate as my hair color or my lefthandedness, and was the thing I prayed would be fixed, every night,

compiled by Cynthia Laird

415 370 7152 T

he Bay Area Reporter’s leather columnist was recognized by a national sex-positive organization at an event in the Castro. The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom presented its advocacy award to Race Bannon Friday, August 10. The organization, which fights for sexual freedom and privacy rights for adults who engage in safe, sane, and consensual behavior, also renamed the award in Bannon’s honor going forward. “NCSF is honoring Race in recognition of his lifetime of support for research, community development, and advocacy, which has made a significant impact on our fight against discrimination,” NCSF founder and board chair Susan Wright told the B.A.R. Bannon, 64, has a long history in the kink community, predating his column, which he started writing for the paper in January 2014. The B.A.R. had been seeking a leather columnist after the departure of Scott Brogan, who wrote the column following the death of Marcus Hernandez, aka Mister Marcus, in October 2009. Bannon, a gay man, played a key role in the effort to remove alternative sexuality from the American Psychiatric

Liz Highleyman

Bay Area Reporter leather columnist Race Bannon received the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom’s advocacy award from board member Russell Stambaugh, as NCSE founder and board chair Susan Wright, left, looks on.

Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the so-called bible of the psychiatric profession. He spearheaded the creation of Kink Aware Professionals, a database of kink-friendly psychotherapists and medical referrals. He has written numerous books, including the BDSM how-to manual “Learning the Ropes,” and founded Daedalus Publishing Company. “NCSF is a hardworking and

vitally important organization, now more than ever as emboldened conservative forces would like nothing more than to see anyone who expresses their uniqueness and identity through their sexual expression or relationship configurations be pushed back into closets, while what rights we have attained are stripped away,” Bannon said. “When it comes to standing up so that every LGBTQ, leather, kink, polyamorous, or sexually liberated person can live their lives openly, proudly, and fully, all I can say is – keep resisting.” See page 12 >>

Community News>>

August 16-22, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

Trump at the fore of LGBT Asian conference

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GBT Asian activists discussed the Trump administration’s policies and global issues at its recent conference in San Francisco, which attracted nearly 700 people. The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance met in the city late last month and had its largest gathering since the organization was founded in 2007, said spokesman Patrick Lee. “This political moment is so critical, particularly what is happening in this country,” gay Asian activist and NQAPIA Executive Director Glenn D. Magpantay told the Bay Area Reporter. “The need for the LGBT Asian Pacific Islander community to come together, to heal from the trauma, and to strategize about the work that we need to do, is critical.” NQAPIA is a coalition of queer Asian organizations. It hosts the conference every three years. Attendees discussed family, community, politics, global issues, and political action strategies at more than 100 workshops and networking events during the July 26-29 conference.

Resistance

Many activists spoke about the effect President Donald Trump’s administration was having on the Asian community and said they are overwhelmed by the multipronged attacks chipping away at rights. “It’s important to recognize that not only do we need to stand in solidarity with other communities of color that are coming under attack, but also naming when it is Asian Pacific Islanders who are under attack,” said Shabab Ahmed Mirza, a 27-year-old queer transgender activist who was a co-presenter at several workshops. She pointed out that Asians are the fastest growing immigrant population in the United States and that it’s often overlooked that Asians, including South Asians, are being held in immigration detention facilities too. Mirza said that when Asians are attacked it is “very much in the form of Islamophobia.” “The fact is that people who are Muslim, or racialized as Muslim, are increasingly under attack in the form of hate crimes or hate speech,” she said. Some of the issues on people’s minds included Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s travel ban and immigration policies, health care, and protecting their communities and families. The potential citizenship question on the 2020 census was also a concern to many. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ visit earlier this year to Sacramento made clear to activists that California is directly in the eye of the Trump administration as it attempts to make an example out of the state. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra continues to defend California from the federal government’s onslaught of legal attacks, said Aarti Kohli, executive director of Advancing Justice at the Asian Law Caucus. Kohli, a straight ally, was a panelist at the “Resistance and Persistence: API Issues in California” discussion, where community leaders described an atmosphere of profound fear among Asians as the Trump administration continues to pass policies harming their communities, strip rights away from

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National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance Executive Director Glenn D. Magpantay speaks to reporters at the organization’s recent conference in San Francisco.

people, and embolden white supremacists to attack communities of color who are peacefully demonstrating. It’s been a wakeup call, said Cynthia Choi, a straight ally and co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, who was moderating the discussion. She pointed out that the progressive movement is one Supreme Court justice away from losing abortion rights. But a lot of the battle is against familiar entities, she noted. “We’re still fighting the same institutional and structural barriers,” she said. The difference is that the Trump administration has intensified a sense of unease among communities that already don’t trust government institutions. It’s created “hyper anxiety,” not just among community members, but also community leaders. Concerns about the potential citizenship question on the 2020 census have led people to decide not to participate in the census, Choi told a room of about 25 participants. “The community doesn’t care,” she said about census officials stating that they aren’t supposed to share information with other agencies. “They’re like, ‘I think I’m going to get deported if I share my information.’ If I’m Muslim, I think I’m going to get profiled by the FBI [and they] will come and visit me, so I’m not doing this.” Community leaders don’t know how to advise people, she said. “We don’t think we can tell our people to do it,” she said, quoting a common sentiment she’s heard from community leaders, particularly about the census. Choi told the group that it’s important to have these difficult conversations about how to advise people and be honest about what they know and don’t know. The panelists also talked about how Trump has mobilized people to get active. This includes engaging on political and social campaigns. They told the workshop participants how they were tapping into that energy and using technology to combat misinformation. They also discussed the importance of victories, such as not allowing local police to aid immigration authorities in California, which is a sanctuary state. (The Trump administration has sued the state over those sanctuary laws, which Governor Jerry Brown signed last year.) “People need wins,” said Kohli. “We can’t just constantly hear about what the administration’s doing without some ... feeling like, ‘Yes, there is a check.’”

Revitalized

Activists who spoke with the B.A.R. said they were appreciative of NQAPIA bringing them together to heal, learn from each other, and return home energized to continue working within their communities. “This conference is a great place for community, for us to come together, to hold each other, and support each other,” said Mirza. “We’re living in scary times right now. Places like this allow us to come together to rejuvenate [and] to recommit to the work that we are all doing in our respective communities.” Selena Velasco, 29, is a pansexual nonbinary femme who is of Chamorro descent. “NQAPIA is a powerful place where Asian South Asian Pacific Islander queer and trans folks of color can come together,” they said. Velasco co-led the workshop about skill building for queer trans APIs and attended other sessions. They found the parenting workshop to be “really powerful.” “It was really powerful to hear what people’s hopes and dreams are and parenting for folks who identify as queer and trans API,” said Velasco, who lives in Seattle. They also appreciated “being able to share the intersections of being a parent in their activism with other parents in ways that were modeling, transforming, and queering the concept of family.” Some activists said they were preparing to fight for their rights. “The space is transformative and contributes to the ways in which we are working toward liberation for our communities,” added Velasco, who plans to bring back stories and skills learned at the conference to “build power and solidarity across the API community.” Mirza agreed. “We’re getting ready to fight back. We’re going to tell our stories. We are going to speak truth to power,” she said. “We need to remember that our voice has power, that our stories have power. We can use the power of our stories to make sure that our protections remain in place.” Magpantay couldn’t be prouder of the outcome of the conference. “The conference is exhilarating. The feedback that I’ve gotten, where we can hold this space where LGBT APIs across the United States can be affirmed, can be supported, can express all of their identities, is such a rare opportunity,” he said. “People love this conference, we love each other – it’s fantastic.” t

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<< Queer Reading

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • August 16-22, 2018

‘Unbound’ explores gender identity and fluidity by Brian Bromberger

or readers bewildered by how to make sense of gender today, a new book by sociologist Arlene Stein, “Unbound: Transgender Men and the Remaking of Identity,” recently published by Pantheon Books, follows the journey of four patients: Ben, Parker, Lucas, and Nadia as they prepare to receive surgery to masculinize their chests on the same day in the Florida clinic of Dr. Charles Garramone, a specialist in this field. The four patients, and more than a hundred others, opened up to Stein about how they conceived their identities and sexuality, how they decided to transition, the impact on their families and communities, and the challenges they faced post-transition. Stein explores the internal experience of gender identity, its fluidity, and the lived reality of transgender men, focusing primarily on younger transgender people as they question society’s assumptions about what it means to be men and women, to view gender as a matter of choice rather than something fixed at birth. Having received rave reviews, for those wanting to learn more about transgender people, especially as their issues continue to make news, “Unbound” serves as a useful primer, including a glossary of new transgender terms. Stein, 49, identifies as a lesbian and is a professor of sociology at Rutgers University. She’s also the director of the Institute for Research on Women. She agreed to be interviewed by the Bay Area Reporter via email. Stein was asked what led her to studying trans men. “A few years ago, a friend of mine told me about a doctor who performed top surgeries – chest masculinization – in Florida, and about the long line of young transmasculine people in his office,” she wrote in the email. “I am a sociologist who has studied gender and sexuality for 25 years, but I didn’t really have a way of understanding the scene in the doctor’s office. So, I went down there to find out more. “I wanted to hear the stories of some of those who were seeking out top surgery, and those close to them, including their friends, significant others, and family members,” she added. Stein had seen Ben’s crowdfunding page online and had contacted him. Ben never identified as a woman and having large breasts he struggled continually with body image. Having a supportive family, he started taking hormones and eventually decided to undergo top surgery. He immediately agreed to let Stein follow him during this surgery week and for a year afterward. “His openness and interest made the whole project possible,” she wrote. Stein was intent in correcting misconceptions that both LGBT and straight people have about transgender men. “The first misconception many of

Ghost Ship

From page 2

warehouse and illegally converted it into an entertainment venue and residence for about 25 people, some of who died in the fire. Harris helped collect rent and schedule concerts. Each man was charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter for each person who died in the fire. The cause of the fire was not determined. In her statement, Fritz criticized Almena for not installing sprinklers or receiving the proper permits for running a residential space, and not having fire extinguishers or ensuring the exits were accessible that night.

Courtesy Rutgers University

Author Arlene Stein

us have is that transgender men barely exist,” she wrote. “In actuality, there have long been female-assigned individuals who have identified as male – but they have not had access to body modifications until fairly recently. “Another popular misconception, derived from early medical narratives, is that transgender men are ‘men trapped in women’s bodies.’ While some transgender men describe themselves in these terms, the range of transgender experience is much broader than this, as the millennials I interviewed showed me. I’m not sure that female-to-male transitions are more common today than maleto-female ones, but the population of transgender men is certainly growing at a faster pace than that of trans women,” she added. “That’s because it had been suppressed until fairly recently.” Stein said today’s trans men have greater access to knowledge about transitioning, mostly thanks to the internet. “The lesbian subcultures of my youth are also on somewhat more precarious ground; as we know, the last lesbian bar in San Francisco (and other cities) has recently closed. Many individuals who may have identified in the past as butch lesbians are today seeking out body modifications – because they can,” she wrote. “The fact that the lesbian bar communities which once provided a refuge for masculine females are somewhat more difficult to access today may also be a factor leading to the rise of transmasculine identities.” Many transgender men have top surgery but not bottom surgery. “Phalloplasty is extremely expensive and often surgically risky,” Stein wrote. “Some transgender men would sign up for it if that weren’t the case. Currently, only a miniscule percentage of transmale-identified individuals undergo bottom surgery. It’s a practical decision, in part. But many younger transgender men also have a more expansive understanding of gender: they believe they can be men and retain their ‘original plumbing.’ “Many transgender men decide to modify their bodies as a way of aligning their bodies with their sense of self, or identity,” she added. “Those “Were you ever motivated by anything beyond expediency and profit,” Fritz’s statement read. “Your sentences are unbelievably generous for the damage you have done and the unnecessary tragedy you are responsible for.” Speaking on behalf of the other parents of the Ghost Ship fire victims, Fritz said, “The rest of our lives we must go on with the excruciating, heartbreaking fact that our children are gone, and life will never be the same.” Pines was a bassist, artist, and poet who lived in Berkeley. Bohlka’s wife, Natalie Jahanbani, who is also being represented by Alexander, did not speak. Bohlka held a master’s degree in literature,

who seek to ‘fully’ transition and present themselves in the world as men must figure out what that means – which is often a complicated process. What makes a man a man? The answer to that question is not simple or straightforward. That means that gender transitions are never simply a medical ‘fix.’” Some of Stein’s subjects had some ambivalence about masculinity, especially the toxic variety in this #MeToo period, yet they decided to embrace their maleness. “Three of my subjects identify as transgender men; a fourth identifies as a butch lesbian. They had all been shaped by feminist ideas: they recognize that men continue to hold the upper hand in many aspects of society,” Stein wrote. “Today, as we know, the occupant of the White House is an unapologetic sexual harasser. The transgender men I profile seem acutely aware of the fact that they are embracing their masculinity at a time when masculinity can be particularly fraught.” But there are still advantages of male privilege. Stein writes in her book, “Two-thirds of the individuals interviewed, some of whom were open as trans men on the job while others were stealth, reported that becoming men led to increases in workplace authority, a perception of competence, and more rewards and recognition for their hard work, including higher salaries.”

Concepts challenged

Even long-accepted concepts in the transgender field are being challenged, such as gender dysphoria, Stein said. “Many, but not all, of the individuals I interviewed embrace the medicalized term ‘dysphoria’ as a way of making sense of their lives and gaining access to body modifications. (Hormones, on the other hand, are increasingly available these days without a formal diagnosis.) The word ‘dysphoria’ speaks to a sense of distress that some experience growing up in this society as masculine individuals who have been given female gender assignments,” Stein wrote. “To access surgery, and to gain the support of their families, many use the term ‘dysphoria,’ especially if they are undergoing ‘full’ gender transitions. I think gender fluid individuals are less likely to identify with this term,” she added. Gender fluid, or genderqueer, is defined by Stein as “identities that signal a critical stance toward the gender binary, as well as a gender presentation that lies outside the categories of male and female; also referred to as nonbinary.” Stein profiles the work of writer and activist Leo Caldwell, who has developed a cube model of gender, representing it three-dimensionally. “Each side of the cube represents a different axis of gender; a self identity

rhetoric, and composition from Cal Poly Pomona and was a published poet, according to KQED.

Other families

Many of the other family members talked about how their lives will never be the same, the incredible loss they feel on a daily basis, and the anger they still have toward the defendants and the city of Oakland. As well, their frustration that the city has not yet created a permanent memorial dedicated to the victims, though it held a ceremony outside the ruins of the warehouse on the one-year anniversary of the fire. Oakland City Councilman Noel Gallo, whose district includes the

(how you feel when you are alone), axis (x); a social identity (the way one is perceived at work, home, or among friends), axis (y); and a cultural identity (how a stranger sees you), axis (z),” wrote Stein. Each axis, she explained, “is visualized as a spectrum: masculinity on one side, femininity on the other with the exact middle as gender-neutral. Thus, Caldwell defines himself as 3Xm, 2Yf, 3Zm.” Stein summarized the importance of Caldwell’s work as suggesting that gender is both highly subjective and also socially embedded. “How we feel, how we experience our ‘authentic’ selves, is never simply a matter of ‘who we are,’” Stein wrote. “We make sense of our embodied desires and feelings in relation to the messages others give us about our bodies, the categories societies create to order those bodies, and the ways we make sense of ourselves in relation to those categories.” Understanding Caldwell’s model, it is not hard to see why Facebook recognizes 56 custom gender options. At a trans health conference Stein attended, she noted how there are even more categories to choose from, “that our gender identity is so deeply personal that the only thing each of us can say for sure is that we alone possess it.” While many younger transgender people see gender as a choice, rather than something assigned biologically at birth, Stein doesn’t think it is entirely correct to say that gender is “chosen.” “There are elements of gender that are chosen and others which are not chosen at all,” she wrote. “Many people think of their gender as just ‘how they are.’ But the act of modifying one’s gendered body, and claim a non-normative gender identity (as trans, queer, gender-nonconforming, and so forth) is certainly a choice, at least in part.” This choice component, Stein believes, may account for the right wing’s antipathy to transgender people. “Collectively, the right stands for the reinforcement of racial, ethnic, class, gender, and sexual hierarchies and the belief that those hierarchies are natural and/or God-given,” Stein wrote. “The existence of transgender people is threatening to them because it suggests that many aspects of who we are as individuals aren’t really fixed at all. The rise of LGBT people, which challenges the belief that our gender, our sexuality, and, indeed, our identities, are fixed at birth, is a continuation of that long movement toward personal autonomy. It declares that individuals should have the capacity to invent ourselves and make our own choices. That is precisely what is so unsettling to those who oppose transgender rights. “Movements for social justice, on the other hand, have long been

organized around the idea of individual and collective self-determination,” she added. “I hope the transgender movement, and the gay/lesbian movement with which it is now allied, continues to think imaginatively, offering alternatives that go beyond simplistic ‘born this way’ arguments.”

Ghost Ship, said there are legal reasons preventing the city from creating a permanent memorial at the site. “We are just waiting for permission,” Gallo told the Bay Area Reporter. “We need to wait until the civil and criminal lawsuits are handled.” Another ceremony is scheduled for November 4, Gallo said, near Fruitvale Village in Oakland. Colleen Dolan, mother of 33-year-old Chelsea Faith Dolan, who died in the fire, spoke the day before Cramer threw out the plea agreement and expressed her frustration over not being able to have the satisfaction of a trial.

“I used to be a nice person,” she explained. “I taught my two daughters to be nice people but the incompetence and apathy surrounding the Ghost Ship fire and this convenient cover-up of a plea bargain has changed me.” She continued, “This plea bargain has nothing to do with sparing the families. What bullshit,” she said. “We deserve the investigation that would have come from a trial.” Legal observers have told reporters that Almena and Harris could face trial or prosecutors could try and reach another plea deal with more jail time. The Alameda County District Attorney’s office declined comment for this story. t

Trump unraveling protections

Stein was clear that President Donald Trump is unraveling policies that have expanded rights for trans people. “Trump is trying to undo everything President Obama did to protect the rights of vulnerable populations in this country and to expand access to medical care and other essential services they need,” Stein wrote. “Transgender people are among the populations who are threatened by this administration, though of course they’re not alone,” she continued. “Many transgender people, who were becoming more visible during the past 10 years, have been pushed further underground by Trump’s policies, and by the culture of bullying he champions.” However, Stein sees a saving grace in Facebook and Twitter. “Social media plays an enormously important role in the mobilization of transgender people – it has helped them to find one another, gain access to knowledge about how to live, and how to transition if they wish,” she wrote. “Older trans people were much more likely to create face-toface communities in major cities. Younger people have the capacity to create virtual communities in the places of origin – and even find others like themselves while still living under their parents’ roof.” And this new technology can aid in mobilizing and resisting Trumpian bigotry, including trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which made it illegal for health insurance companies to refuse coverage to patients with pre-existing conditions, including gender dysphoria, thus threatening the well-being of transgender people. Stein is honest in writing how her encounter with her four subjects and the research she did for her book challenged her own beliefs about gender. “We baby boom feminists saw gender as something that could be tamped down and minimized. Our goal was to create a society in which gender distinctions would play little, or no, role,” she wrote. “This generation, in contrast, is claiming gender as a source of personal meaning and as a key aspect of identity. It’s a bit mind-boggling to some of us older feminists and queers. Many of us are trying to play catch-up. I hope that my book helps to play a role in helping general audiences understand the brave new world of gender politics. Gender doesn’t come in only two flavors – there’s a lot that is in between male and female.” t

Community News>>

August 16-22, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

Drag queens challenge social norms

THIS IS THE

by Jack Shea

san francisco

rag queens and their fans attended an intimate conversational-style panel to share their experiences in hookups and sex. The panel discussed social issues and how they relate to drag queens, particularly within the queer community, and provided space for unfiltered conversation. The event, “All the T About That D: Drag Queens Talk Trade” was hosted by drag queen LOL McFiercen (Kevin Seaman) August 10 at Strut, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s health center in the Castro. Inspired by McFiercen’s personal relationships with social justice and drag, “All the T About That D” challenged social norms through provocative questions. Popular belief in a gender and sexual binary suggests that the space for drag stars to experience sexual freedom could be limited, and McFiercen confronted the limitation. “This event came out of some deeper work that I’m doing called, #femmasculine,” McFiercen said in an interview prior to the panel. “It’s exploring the impact of toxic masculinity on the queer community and helping to create community in different spaces, demoting racism, transphobia, and systems of oppression,” they said. McFiercen’s effort to construct the conversation around drag and sexuality stems from their career in creative jobs, which includes wearing multiple hats. The talk displayed McFiercen’s originality in their eagerness to engage with audience members and learn from fellow drag stars and speakers: Tamale Ringwald (Danyol Leon), U-Phoria (Peter Griggs), and Rock M. Sakura (Bryan Bradford). McFiercen generated intellectual conversation with forward questions about conversations on dating apps, experiences with spontaneous hook-ups, and social issues. Through this questioning, the space explored sexuality, drag, and institutions of oppression within different day-to-day activities of the drag stars. Audience members, and anyone who’s been on a date or hookup, could relate

Columbariu M Funeral Home and

formerly the Neptune Society

Rick Gerharter

LOL McFiercen, right, gets the audience primed for her questions to the panel of local drag queens at the Strut event “All the T about the D: Drag Queens Talk Trade.” Panelists, at left, were Rock M. Sakura, U-Phoria, and Tamale Ringwald.

as the answers from each drag star were extremely diverse. Each drag star expressed varying levels of interest in sex, ranging from asexual preferences to sexual fluidity. Their diverse opinions and stories exhibited how any person with a kink, vanilla preference, or asexual preference could experience dating, sexuality, and social interactions in similar ways to the drag stars on stage. One story involved a sexual encounter in which the drag star’s partner said, “You’re the only drag queen I’d allow to fuck me.” In this context, the drag queen’s partner was a gay male who considered himself masculine. The partner, who sleeps with men, believes his masculinity is justified by society through his behavior as “straight-acting” and personalizes the sexual encounter with the drag star as acceptable but not with another drag queen. The intellectual stimulation did not stop there. On each social issue, the drag stars demonstrated a passion for understanding what the history of the issues were and an interest in helping others explore their underlying biases and prejudices to question their beliefs about different groups of people. “It’s very inspirational to witness these ladies be incredibly

honest and vulnerable on stage about their experiences in dating and dealing with femphobia in particular,” said attendee Samuel Russell. “I was surprised learning about the different ways these ladies face systems of oppression from other members of the queer community, especially since one could mistakenly think all members of the queer community are We’ve expanded our services woke, but I’m happy to see that these ladies are getting heard and and kept the that there is action happening now spirit and tradition. to promote more positive spaces for more people within the queer and non-queer communities.” The panel initiated a discusOne Loraine Court sion about sexual freedom and between Stanyan & Arguello acceptance for anyone queer, or non-queer, to explore sexuality and drag. As the evening for the FD 1306 COA 660 drag stars’ discussion came to an end, audience members were left with diverse answers to dealing with opposition and an awakening to a movement toward sexualSF_Columbarium_2x7.625_033017.indd 1 8/11/17 freedom of drag stars within their own communities. “These conversations are important to reconcile the masculine and feminine binary on one body,” said McFiercen. “I’m really hoping to pinpoint the impact of toxic masculinity on gay communities and other queer communities.” t

Call (415) 771-0717

Political Notebook

From page 5

in the June primary, first won election to the EDMUD board in 2006. He represents the Alameda County cities of Albany, Berkeley, and Emeryville as well as a portion of Oakland, and represents the Contra Costa County cities of El Cerrito and Kensington. According to the Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters, Elliott Smith pulled papers in July to run against Katz. On Friday, Katz emailed his supporters to announce he had filed to seek re-election and had also secured the Sierra Club’s support, though he had to twice resend the note due to an inaccurate link to his fundraising page. Saying it’s “an honor to represent” his district, Katz added that he looks “forward to your input to help protect our environment and improve our local services.”

Gay Dublin candidate facing better odds

A gay East Bay city council candidate making his first bid for public office is now facing better odds of winning because neither incumbent filed for re-election. In the race for two seats on the Dublin City Council, both seats are now open since Councilman Abe Gupta opted not to run again. And Councilwoman Janine Thalblum,

LGBTQ PARADE

Cynthia Laird

School board candidate Martin Rawlings-Fein

appointed earlier this year to a vacancy, stayed true to her commitment not to seek the seat. It gives a leg up to gay Navy veteran Shawn Kumagai’s bid to represent the Alameda County city. As last week’s Political Notebook pointed out, Kumagai would be the first out LGBT person elected to a city council seat in the Tri-Valley area of the East Bay. Candidates had until 5 p.m. Wednesday, after the B.A.R.’s deadline, to pull papers for the race. According to the county registrar’s office, five candidates had filed to seek the two council seats, which are elected citywide, as of Wednesday morning.

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 the new leader of the South Bay’s main LGBT political group. t Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes. Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

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<< Community News

t Blind man starts nonprofit to help homeless youth 10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • August 16-22, 2018

by Belo Cipriani

n August 2013, Laurel Hilbert arrived in Los Angeles on a student visa to learn English. Then named Ahmad, the blind 17-year-old had no money, no friends, and did not know the language of this vast country. “I came here because I didn’t have too many options in Saudi Arabia,” he said. Hilbert was born in Syria and had moved to Saudi Arabia as a kid. As an inquisitive child, he quickly noted that his disability would keep him from advancing in life and embarked on the journey west – an expedition that would render him homeless in Los Angeles, a college student in New York City, and, finally, an entrepreneur in San Francisco. “It starts with an idea,” he said. “I want to be someone who contributes to society.” Hilbert is now 22, a gay man, and

Courtesy Laurel Hilbert

Laurel Hilbert

the founder and CEO of A Dignified Home Children and Youth Services, a nonprofit public charity that aims to provide permanent, sustainable housing for homeless young people

between the ages of 12 and 24. “A Dignified Home Children and Youth Services is also a family foster agency, as well as [an] adoption agency,” said Hilbert. “The organization in itself was inspired by my own personal experience,” he continued. “Having lived the perpetual life of being bounced from one unstable living situation to another, I decided to start an organization that will give people a dignified home, and not ask the young people we serve to leave at a moment’s notice. Our philosophy at A Dignified Home is rooted in permanence and driven by a true belief in each individual’s unique potential to blossom and succeed.” With the use of adaptive

technology for the blind, such as a screen reader, Hilbert is leading his organization through its first year of inception. “At A Dignified Home Children and Youth Services, I have four independent contractors, four board members, including myself, and a little over 29 volunteers,” he said. Like for any entrepreneur, funding is a priority for Hilbert, and he recently ran the San Francisco Marathon to raise funds for his organization. “It was hard,” he said with a laugh, “but it was worth it.” Hilbert completed the 26-mile run with the help of Chad Upham, a board member at A Dignified Home, who guided Hilbert through the sloped streets in San Francisco.

Upham said, “He pushed through the wall around [the] 17/18-mile mark but strained his knee on a down hill from Haight Street into the Lower Haight around mile 21. Nevertheless, he persisted, walking steadily the final five miles, even when the surprise bump in the road would cause more pain.” Hilbert would like to see A Dignified Home grow into a large organization. He said, “I am focusing on local first, but would like to grow into an agency with a national presence.” To support A Dignified Home, visit https://adignifiedhome.org/. t Belo Cipriani is an award-winning author and prize-winning journalist. His new book, “Firsts: Coming of Age Stories by People with Disabilities,” will be published October 1. Learn more at www.belocipriani.com.

Longtime San Francisco night minister to retire by David-Elijah Nahmod

he gay longtime executive director of the San Francisco Night Ministry will retire at the end of the month. The Reverend Lyle Beckman, who has been a minister for 40 years, has

been involved with the night ministry since 2003. The nonprofit ministry provides counseling, pastoral care, and crisis intervention to those who are anxious, afraid, suffering, or wondering. “On August 31, 2018, I will retire, joining my colleagues Chuck Lewis

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and Don Fox as one of the night ministers emeriti,” Beckman, 66, wrote in a letter to supporters. “I’m looking forward to spending time with family and pursuing other opportunities as they present themselves in the future.” The letter noted that a new leader for night ministry has yet to be chosen. “The Night Ministry Governing Board is in the process of interviewing and hiring the new team that will lead the night ministry into its next chapter,” Beckman wrote. “I have the utmost confidence that they, along with our staff, crisis line counselors, and other volunteers will work together to ensure a successful transition, and that they will be eager to encourage and support the new staff when they are in place by September 1.” Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco), a longtime supporter of night ministry, told the Bay Area Reporter that Beckman leaves behind a powerful legacy. “Night ministry helps so many people who are struggling on our streets,” Wiener said. “It’s an incredible organization. Reverend Beckman is a force of nature and has played a key role in making the night ministry what it is. He will be greatly missed, but he leaves behind a strong organization that will continue to play a key role in our response to homelessness.” Transgender pastor Megan Rohrer, who serves at San

“Lyle’s supportive ministry to the LGBT community in San Francisco has been a gift to everyone he has touched,” Rohrer said. “His time leading the night ministry is coming to an end, but his mentoring of pastors and seminarians will live on for decades.”

Calling at young age

Rick Gerharter

The Reverend Lyle Beckman

Francisco’s Grace Lutheran Church, echoed Wiener’s sentiments. “Lyle is an amazing pastor, colleague, and friend,” Rohrer said. “In all the years that I have known Lyle, I have never heard him say an unkind word about anyone. He truly embodies kindness and compassion and patience, characteristics our world is in great need of. Lyle listens with an open heart and without agenda, he makes others feel like they are worthy of love and capable of living fuller lives.” Rohrer also feels that Beckman’s work will lead to fewer faith leaders who are out of touch or abusive toward the LGBTQ community.

Beckman told the B.A.R. that his pastoral calling began at a very young age. “I always had a heart for people who were struggling and suffering, so it seemed like an appropriate vocation to follow,” he said. “I was 12-13 when I pursued seminary and ordination. I went to a Lutheran high school and college. Every step was a step toward being a minister. I was ordained at age 26.” Before coming to the Bay Area, Beckman worked as a police and fire department chaplain in Union City, New Jersey. “When they had an emergency I would get the call to provide pastoral care to people who lost their homes or a loved one,” he recalled. “I also provided chaplaincy to the police officers and the firefighters, as they needed it as well.” The reverend also did a weekly worship service and Bible study at a psychiatric hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In Hartford, he worked in gang intervention. See page 12 >>

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Enjoying Rosie rally day

veryone got into the spirit of Rosie the Riveter Saturday, August 11, at the Rosie Rally Home Front Festival in Richmond. From left, Mary Davis, Leanne Babcock, Maxine Topper, and Sue Basso dressed in their best Rosie outfits. The day fea-

Jane Philomen Cleland

tured several costume contests, entertainment, and information about the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historic Park, which helped organize the event with the Rosie the Riveter Trust.

Sports >>

August 16-22, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

Paris delivers by Roger Brigham

n the end, Paris proved to be exactly what the Gay Games needed. It had been more than a decade since 10,000-plus LGBT athletes and their supporters had gathered for a global sports and cultural festival, gathered in such numbers to compete, perform, and celebrate in unity. In the interim there had been declining participation and interminable talks between Gay Games supporters and the organizers of the World Outgames, aka the Anti-Gay Games, that thankfully went nowhere, leaving the Gay Games intact and the Outgames out of business. Through all of that, Paris organizers stuck to their task and their vision. Over the first few days of August, in ghastly hot weather, the Paris games grew better and stronger with every passing day. Final financials are not yet available, but it would appear that Paris did what Chicago accomplished in 2006: bringing five-digit participants together and, unlike New York City, Amsterdam, and Sydney before them, finishing in the black. That, as I wrote last week, is the Gay Games at the macro level. At the micro level, the level at which athletes and artists from across the globe compete and perform, see old friends and form new bonds, encourage each other and hear each other’s stories – at that level, these Gay Games proved to be what the athletes sought, and then some. You could see it at the track and field competition at Stade Charlety Stadium, a distance runner pausing briefly mid-stride in his competition to cheer a successful high jump completion. As always, the stands were virtually empty except for other track and field athletes, since for the most part, at the Gay Games, the athletes are the spectators. Their cheers

Courtesy Scott Shafer

SF Tsunami water polo teams had a terrific Gay Games, with the recreational team taking gold, and the competitive squad winning silver.

mean more than the cheers at most events, since at other events the cheers do not come from people connected with the sport or the team except for their branding preference. At the Gay Games, the cheers come from peers who have lived parallel struggles on and off the playing field, have felt the same joys and pains, and know exactly what it took for their fellow athletes to be there at that shared time and place. You could see it in the range of nervousness, calm, confidence, and wonderment that engulfed competitors before their events. “I am from Zulu nation,” Johannesburg’s Bongani Nyathi, a former Oakland resident, told me the day before his javelin competition. “We know how to throw the spear.” He took silver. You could see it on social media, where first-time participants showed their medals and wrote heart-felt essays on what the experience meant to them. You could see it at the bars and the concerts, where athletes recovered and shared the joy of just being who they were. You could see it in the crowds of teammates exploring the

city streets and sights, sharing the joy of discovering the architectural genius of generations long past with the formed-families endemic to sports participation. You could see it with old rivals from Gay Games past joining together for one last hurrah, as happened when veterans of San Francisco Rockdogs and Los Angeles/Long Beach Rebels joined forces for one last shot. “We were all up in age,” Rockdogs co-founder Alex Herrera, 50, told the Bay Area Reporter’s Heather Cassell. “We decided that we wanted to give one last hurrah and we all wanted to play together. We were all competing against each other for so long that we want to unite as one team.” “This is probably the first-time, and maybe the last-time, that we will all come together as a team,” said Dwight Tunn, 54. “So, it’s pretty special for us.” The combined Rebels squad took the silver in the men’s master division. Athletes from the San Francisco Bay Area had solid success in aquatics. SF Tsunami swept the medals in synchronized swimming pairs in the

30-39 age group and took gold and silver in the 50-59 pairs; and Derek Douglas of Stanford Diving Club swept the golds in his 55-59 age group. Cristina Estrada-Pozzi of SF Tsunami swimming won five golds in butterfly sprints and freestyle distance races in her age group; Duke Dahlin and Kristian Nergaard dominated the over-70 crowd in men’s freestyle and individual medley; and Bart McDermott, swimming in the 60-64 age group, swept the golds in the 50-meter, 100meter and 200-meter freestyle. SF Tsunami water polo fielded two teams, one in the competitive division, which took home the silver; and one in the recreational group, which brought home gold. Roz McCree, team president and playercoach of the Tsunami water polo team, said she was proud to be part of the organization. “What we did in Paris – a gold and a silver medal – was truly a team effort and was built on nearly 20 years of team tradition and team building,” McCree wrote in a Facebook message to the B.A.R. “Water polo is a tough sport, and not one that’s always accessible to LGBTQ people. That is what makes our team special and why all of us – including our terrific straight allies – are so proud to be a part of it.” McCree was on the recreational team and coached the competitive team that won silver. Scott Shafer, a gay man who was part of Tsunami water polo’s recreational team, said it beat London, Sydney (twice), Paris, Melbourne, Montreal, and Manchester en route to the gold medal game, where the team defeated Toronto 5-4. Shafer, who’s senior editor for politics and government at KQED, wrote

in a Facebook message that his team had more women than any other. Most intensely, you could feel the Gay Games magic in the stories told by athletes who had come to the quadrennial event because loved ones from the past who wanted to be there were no longer with them. René Schildt of Berlin shared one such story with his fellow wrestlers. During practices in Paris, Schildt, a big bear of a man, wore a T-shirt with the name “Josh” on it followed by notes indicating Josh had died during the twin towers attack on 9/11. Josh, Schildt told us, was a classmate of his and a very dear friend. Schildt, who has a wife and two daughters, is only now coming out and the trip to the Gay Games, he said, was the completion of that. He said he first heard of the Gay Games when Josh told him he wanted to compete in the event. “I can still remember the sparkle in his eye when he said, ‘Gay Games,’” Schildt recalled. After his friend died, Schildt vowed to compete in the Gay Games in his honor. He found support in his family and in the Berlin gay wrestling club, but was unable to attend the event in Chicago, Cologne, or Cleveland. He figured going to Hong Kong in 2022 would be too expensive for him, so Paris was his best shot. He wrestled a pair of Aussies from Melbourne and took the silver. But the look in his eye, tears flowing, when he kissed the medal and spoke of his friend – well, that was our gold. And yes, his eyes sparkled. t Results from 2018 Gay Games events are available at http://www. paris2018.com.

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<< Community News

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • August 16-22, 2018

Mayor

From page 1

the walk, and said her cleaning team of about four full-time employees works well with the mayor’s Fix-It Team, both of which clean the Castro streets on a daily basis. Aiello said her team starts around 5 a.m. everyday and takes care of the “big stuff,” then the Fix-It team members help fill in the gaps. CBD staff focus more on the commercial areas of the Castro, while the Fix-It team focuses on the residential areas. Aiello said she is working on collaborating more effectively with Fix-It to make sure the teams are not covering the same areas simultaneously. In front of the Castro Theatre, Zuniga pointed out the Bigbelly trash bin. Zuniga worked with the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District to install the Castro’s current five Bigbelly bins earlier this year. In July, Breed proposed roughly

Guerneville Pride

From page 1

Bridge is. We hope they will give life to the bridge again.”

Art walk, river float

Russian River Pride events will continue Friday, August 24, with a special Pride art walk in downtown Guerneville from 3 to 8 p.m. The walk will feature West County artists and craftspeople, and include art galleries, open studios, musicians, and performance art. A map is available at the Sonoma Nesting Company, located at 16151 Main Street. Saturday’s schedule starts with the “River Float with Part-Timers,” organized by an ad hoc group of San Francisco and River residents. People can go down the river in inflatable rafts, canoes, or kayaks. The event will end at Johnson’s Beach, now owned by two gay men. As of press time, starting point and

News Briefs

From page 6

Family weekend at San Jose museum

Children’s Discovery Museum in San Jose will hold its fourth annual Proud of My Family weekend August 18-19, from noon to 4 p.m. Museum officials said that children and adults will enjoy activities designed to celebrate all types of families, especially LGBTQ parents, relatives, and friends. The jam-packed weekend includes festive rainbow art activities, moving and grooving in the Rainbow Dance Zone, getting creative with the temporary art installation around the colors of the rainbow flag, and learning from partner organizations who will be onsite sharing resources about the LGBTQ community.

Night minister

From page 10

“The church was on the borderline between two gangs,” he said. “We had a program called Street Alternatives, which offered basketball, boxing, and a lot of coaching and conversation. I hung around all the time to provide a spiritual connection. I told them how important it was to treat their girlfriends with respect and to take care of their children. It was such a poor neighborhood with boarded up buildings, but we helped them see that there were other options if they’d entertain them.” Beckman publicly came out as gay at a time when church policy still prohibited LGBT pastors who were partnered or married from serving – LGBT pastors were required to be celibate. Beckman was one of a group of such pastors who became known as Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries. “First United Lutheran Church and St. Francis Lutheran Church decided to call pastors who were openly gay,

$725,000 in additional resources to support the Fix-It Team to take care of graffiti, broken streetlights, and unpainted curbs throughout the city, according to a news release circulated by the Mayor’s office. The two-year budget amendment will also include the installation of 20 more Bigbelly bins throughout the city. “These are the trash cans we need everywhere,” Breed declared about the 150-gallon self-compacting receptacles that can accommodate almost five times as much as the traditional 32-gallon bins scattered throughout the city. As the mayor arrived at Jane Warner Plaza, she was notably surprised at how clean it was. “It’s real clean,” she said. “I mean very clean. I am really happy about that.” In response to Breed’s calling Jane Warner Plaza “clean,” Aiello said, “The Castro benefit district was out here at 5 a.m., that’s why it’s clean.”

Aiello also added that she is optimistic about the mayor’s ability to lessen the homeless crisis in the area. Typically, the plaza is a hotspot for homeless people and trash, as Zuniga explained, and said it’s a “hit or miss every hour” whether it’s clear or not. Across the street at the Harvey Milk Plaza and Castro Muni station, Breed was approached by 32-year-old Afik Cohen, on his way to work. Cohen, a gay man, wanted to know what the mayor was going to do to mitigate the amount of homeless living in his neighborhood. “It’s not just one thing,” Breed told him about her homeless solution plan. “It’s going to be a lot of different things because not every homeless person has the same situation, and you have to treat it as such. It’s a process.” Breed also mentioned that she’d like to see more Navigation Centers open in or near the area and mentioned the 125-bed center that opened in 2015 on

Bayshore Boulevard. “The most important thing to me right now is helping the homeless and getting them off the streets,” Cohen, who supported gay former state lawmaker Mark Leno in the mayor’s race, told the B.A.R. after his conversation with Breed. “It’s not humane to them, it’s not humane to residents, and it’s not sanitary to anyone dealing with people living on the streets.” Strolling up Market Street, Breed spoke with a San Francisco Public Works employee in an orange vest who was cleaning the public restroom at the intersection of Market and Castro streets. Breed plans to install more public restrooms in the area and beyond, she said. She also called on her team to replace a broken traditional trashcan on Market Street. Two Castro beat officers strolled by and shook hands with the mayor. “Glad to see you out here,” she said. “We have to make sure we have our

beat officers, our people, and folks out here on a regular basis.” She also said people with dogs need to be held accountable in picking up their pet’s waste. Though she planned to make it to the Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Memorial Branch Library, her walk was cut short due to time constraints. “It’s clean for now, but we need to make sure it’s like this all the time,” Breed said. Aiello said she was hopeful changes would continue. “Personally, I am hopeful with the new administration, particularly Mayor Breed, that she will work collaboratively with the entire Board of Supervisors and really address the homeless issue,” Aiello said. “That is what everyone in the city is hoping for.” The mayor has completed two other unannounced walks in the Tenderloin and South of Market since she took office July 11. t

time were still being worked out. Jensen said the R3 will host an after pool party. Saturday evening at 8:30, the R3 will present the River Boat Queens Drag Show Extravaganza, featuring entertainers Mercedes and Girl. Dancing with music by DJ Kirk Herst will follow. Four events are planned for Sunday before the parade. From 8 a.m. to noon, gay-owned 3 Alarm Grill, located at 16218 Main Street, will offer a special Pride breakfast with a prix fixe menu. (The eatery is owned by gay former San Francisco police Lieutenant Chuck Limbert, who retired from the department in 2015 amid an embezzlement investigation of another gay former officer, Michael Evans.) Next door, the Rainbow Cattle Company will open at 9 and provide front-row parade-viewing for interested parties. Also starting at 9, the R3 will be mixing pre-parade Bloody Mary’s. The parade route will go down Main Street from west to east, ending

at Guerneville Plaza. For those arriving early, DJ Kirk Herst will start playing music at 10. Jensen is replacing the float judging, which formerly happened at the Pride parade in Guerneville, with a DJ playing music. “I want to convey the idea that ‘everybody is a winner,’” he explained, “and support the whole community.” Jensen is using the acronym LGBTQA, where “A” stands for allies. “I want to include the straight community that supports us tremendously,” Jensen said, “so Russian River Pride is an LGBTQA party.”

closed to vehicles. At the same time, a kid-friendly, alcohol-free Friends and Family Country Fair with swimming happens around the pool at the West Sonoma Inn, located at 14100 Brookside Lane. For adult attendees only, Absolut Vodka will host a “Retro Party” at the Woods Resort, located at 16484 Fourth Street, with DJ Brian Bean. DJ Bear Mittenz will spin music around the pool at the R3 all afternoon. On Sunday evening, the final scheduled event is a Pride party at the R3 Resort. Jensen is producing the weekend through his Rodger’s Play Haus event production company and expressed special pride in how quickly he was able to raise the money from merchants and private donors. He said the total, at last count, had passed $12,000. “We wanted to keep it more affordable than Sonoma Pride and tailored it for ‘River budgets,’” he said. “There

is no charge for the vendors at the street fair and the parade entry application was only $20” for contingents. There is no cost to watch the parade and no gate fee for other events. The biggest corporate sponsor is Absolut Vodka. The Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are participants and also major sponsors. The Russian River Chamber of Commerce is not a sponsor, but chamber President Jennifer Neeley released this statement: “Leaders of the Guerneville LGBTQ community, many of whom are members of the Russian River Chamber of Commerce, have planned a spectacular 2018 Pride Celebration in Guerneville. The Russian River Chamber of Commerce supports the Russian River Pride organizers and all of their future success with Pride events in Guerneville.” t

and panel discussion in the Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin Street. In a news release, Chu noted that California is ranked the third worst state when it comes to women voter registration. The W Challenge is being launched to increase voter participation. The panel will include a discussion of how women can get appointed to city boards and commissions.

that the underlying inspiration for “A Sacred Beautiful” was inspired by curatorial research of the “reclamation of our hair-itage.” The exhibit is free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. As part of the exhibit, aspirational conversations with Chartrand, artists KaliMa AmiLak and Nye’ Lyn Tho, and natural hair practitioner Egyptsia Mcgillvery will be held Saturday, August 18, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Ashara Ekundayo Gallery, 480 23rd Street in Oakland. Tickets for the August 18 event are $5 to $10 sliding scale. For more information, visit http:// www.theblackwomanisgod.com/ and click on “Events.”t

Street fair

Four different options will be available Sunday afternoon from noon until at least 5 p.m. First is a street fair on Fourth Street between the Timberline Restaurant and West Sonoma Inn, with food, beverages, and music for dancing by DJ Brian Hughes. The street will be

Award-winning children’s artist Tim Cain performs Saturday, the Rainbow Women’s Chorus takes the stage on Sunday. Both days will feature drag queen storytime at 3:30 p.m. with a meet-andgreet; and a Pride parade at 4. Both are sponsored by Silicon Valley Pride, which takes place the following weekend. “Our goal is to always make every family feel welcome and celebrated at the museum,” Marilee Jennings, executive director of Children’s Discovery Museum, said in a news release. “This event helps foster understanding while recognizing that families come in all types of configurations and that what binds us are the shared hopes and dreams for our children and their futures.” Admission is $15 for adults and children, and $14 for seniors. Infants

and museum members are free. All activities are included in the price of museum admission. Children’s Discovery Museum is located at 180 Woz Way in San Jose. For more information, visit https:// www.cdm.org/.

partnered, or married, and who were not approved by the national church,” he said. “So this extraordinary way was the way gay pastors were ordained. It was a parallel process. It was a way to stand up and witness to the whole church that there are Lutheran pastors who fall into the LGBT spectrum who serve well and who are called by God to serve.” The mainstream Lutheran church changed this policy in 2009. Beckman explained how he became part of San Francisco Night Ministry. “I had just left First United and was working part-time in a church in Marin and I was looking for extra income,” he said. “With night ministry I felt it was work I was well prepared for. In the past I had worked in inner cities, working with people who were living in poverty or had mental health issues, so I felt I had something to offer night ministry.” Beckman began with the night ministry part-time in 2003, becoming executive director in 2005.

He spoke of the services that night ministry provides. “We walk the streets at night, talking to homeless people, people who work at night, and people in the bars and clubs,” he said. “It’s counseling and crisis intervention first, as well as a spiritual presence. Sometimes people are angry, sometimes they want to know the meaning of life, sometimes they want prayer, and sometimes they want information on services and resources that are available to them. “Sometimes they just want conversation because so many people are incredibly isolated and lonely. I’m not sure I had a clear agenda at first. I just wanted to continue the work that night ministry had done, but once I got started I took advantage of a few opportunities that came along,” he added. One of those is an outdoor worship service. On Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Civic Center BART station and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. at the 16th and Mission BART station, people in need gather for prayer services.

Women’s Equality Day

San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Carmen Chu, the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women, and the League of Women Voters of San Francisco will hold a Women’s Equality Day event to expand women’s voter registration and representation in government. The event is Thursday, August 23, and begins with a “W Challenge” kickoff at 5 p.m. on the steps of City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place. It continues at 5:30 with a reception

Black Woman is God exhibit

The San Francisco Human Rights Commission will feature The Black Woman is God exhibit’s “A Sacred Beautiful – Natural Heritage Hair: An African Diasporan Photo Expose” that runs from August 30-October 2 at 25 Van Ness Avenue, eighth floor, in San Francisco. Curator and researcher April Martin Chartrand said in a news release

“One-third of our people are homeless,” Beckman said. “One-third are living in poverty in hotels and shelters, and one-third are people who like the idea of a community that gathers on a street corner rather than in a traditional church setting.” Another program is Sacred Space San Francisco. “Many people who identify in the LGBT spectrum have been hurt or abused by the church,” Beckman explained. “So there’s a lot of hurt and pain out there. This program attempts to bring healing and reconciliation to those who’ve been hurt or shamed so they can have a healthy and whole relationship with God and the divine.” Beckman also developed the clinical pastoral education, or CPE, program for the night ministry. Seminary students can complete their work caring for the homeless, hungry, vulnerable, and lonely on the streets of San Francisco, instead of in a hospital, as most do. “For the LGBTQ community this is important because it means that future

For more information, visit www. russianriverpride.org.

Liz Highleyman contributed reporting.

pastors are learning to love and care for the full diversity of San Franciscans, including substantial time in the Castro, Tenderloin, on the Ducal Court, in bars and at drag shows,” said Rohrer. Now that his work is done, Beckman is ready to move on. “I have no sadness about leaving,” he said. “It will be a lovely and wonderful transition into what’s next. I will still volunteer at night ministry – I love them and I’ll be around in some capacity. I just don’t know what yet, but the timing is perfect and I’m ready.” There will be two sendoffs for Beckman. On Sunday, August 19, Beckman and friends will have high tea at Trinity St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 1620 Gough Street at 2 p.m. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased at https://bit. ly/2w3yRlS. On Friday, August 31, from 6 to 9 p.m. there will be a party at the Encore Karaoke Lounge at 1550 California Street #2. Tickets are $150 and can be purchased at https://bit. ly/2PaqZHR.. t

Election 2018>>

t Trans woman wins Vermont primary for governor

August 16-22, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

by Lisa Keen

36,000. In that contest, incumbent Republican Governor Phil Scott won 66 percent of the vote despite a strong challenge over his willingness to accept some gun restrictions. Hallquist, 62, ran on a platform of growing the economy for the people with the bottom 20 percent in income,

expand Medicare, and improve public education. “Just like we’ve got to take care about every marginalized community, regardless of their race, gender, color, and all that stuff, we’ve got to take care of every one of our communities. No matter how small our communities are in this state, we’ve got to take care of them,” Hallquist told her supporters on election night. Hallquist thanked her spouse, Pat, and their three children for their support. She transitioned in 2015, when she was a top official at the Vermont Electric Cooperative. This is her first run for office. In Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, lesbian businesswoman Angie Craig secured a second chance to face off against a Donald Trumplike radio talk show host named Jason

Lewis. Lewis won the seat in 2016 by 47 percent to 45 percent, but an independent candidate siphoned off a significant 8 percent of the vote. The U.S. Senate’s first, and only, openly LGBT member, Tammy Baldwin, secured the Democratic Party nomination to run for re-election in November. She’ll face Republican state Senator Leah Vukmir. Vukmir has a record of voting against the interests of LGBT people, and she’ll likely have the financial backing of the Koch brothers and other right-wing interests who want very much to turn Baldwin’s seat into a Republican one. Vukmir won 49 percent of the vote, compared to her closest competitor, with 42 percent, and three other candidates. Gay Michigan state House Representative Jon Hoadley won the

Democratic Party nomination for re-election. And lesbian Dana Nessel won the Democratic Party’s nomination for Michigan attorney general. Nessel was the attorney who represented a lesbian couple in one of the key cases that challenged state bans on same-sex marriage at the U.S. Supreme Court. In Kansas, lesbian Sharice Davids won her Democratic primary August 7 for a congressional seat representing the 3rd District. Davids, an attorney and Native American, won 37 percent of the vote but beat out two other candidates for the nomination. In Washington state on August 7, three openly LGBT Statehouse candidates won their Democratic nominations – including two incumbents (Nicole Macri and Christine Kilduff) and one newcomer (Kathy Gillespie). t

DiEdoardo wrote in an email. As well, Make Westing posted on its Facebook page July 20 that the Proud Boys announced their intention to gather at the bar July 23. “The Proud Boys, a group of white racist nationalists notorious for violent confrontations across the country, including the terrible events in Charlottesville, have decided to throw a meet-up in our city,” the post said. “[The Proud Boys] declared an intention to host their event at Make Westing, an establishment whose values stand in direct opposition to this Alt-Right group.” The Facebook post also called for a “Pro-Oakland Movement,” a gathering of residents and organizations to “take a stand in Love and against hate,” on July 23 at the bar. On Twitter, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf also responded to the possible Proud Boys’ appearance saying, “We refuse to be intimidated and will not back down or stand by quietly as racist hate groups threaten violence and bring messages of hate to our neighbors.” Schaaf linked the tweet to Make Westing’s Facebook page. In the email sent to the B.A.R.,

Van Dyke asked for the retraction of the use of the words “white supremacists” and “fascists” that were used to describe their group. Van Dyke also claims the column insinuates that the Proud Boys gathered, or intended to gather, for the purpose of protesting the vigil of Wilson. However, the column states that the Proud Boys’ meeting was planned before the Wilson vigil was announced. During the interview, Van Dyke vehemently denied that the Proud Boys are white supremacists. “We certainly respect the right of a publication like the Bay Area Reporter to disagree with some of the views of the Proud Boys, but in the story it’s a statement of fact that we are white supremacists and that’s completely untruthful,” Van Dyke said. Van Dyke reiterated that the group allows men of all races and “homosexuals” to join. Oakland mayoral candidate Cat Brooks was also quoted in DiEdoardo’s column as referring to the group as “fascists” at Wilson’s vigil. SPLC was also criticized by Van Dyke in his email for its hate group classification of the Proud Boys, calling the civil rights organization “a

discredited and highly disreputable attack dog of the far left.” SPLC, on its website, claims that the Proud Boys affiliate with known extremists, are known for their antiMuslim and misogynistic rhetoric, and that the group attended the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville last year, in which Heather Heyer was killed after a car allegedly driven by a white supremacist plowed into a group of counterprotesters. Van Dyke denied that the Proud Boys were involved in the Charlottesville rally. In threatening legal action against the B.A.R., Van Dyke, in the email, wrote he was instructed to make only one demand for a correction and retraction and “failure to respond to this letter in a timely fashion may result in referral of this matter to our attorneys in California for legal action against you.” Van Dyke told the B.A.R. he has sent over 150 letters to various publications for referring to the Proud Boys as white supremacists, white nationalists, or racists. In response to this threat, DiEdoardo, who’s an attorney, said, “While it’s cute they think they’re being

intimidating, their best efforts will never be sufficient to stop trans and queer columnists and activists like me from doing our job in these times, any more than police harassment deterred our foremothers during the Compton’s Cafeteria and Stonewall uprisings.” The Compton’s riots, which happened in 1966 in San Francisco, and the Stonewall riots in New York City in 1969, are considered important events of modern LGBT history. The Proud Boys was founded in 2016 by Vice Media co-founder and former commentator Gavin McInnes. Shortly before a Unite the Right 2 rally took place August 12 in Washington, D.C., McInnes and the Proud Boys’ Twitter accounts were suspended. A Twitter spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that it suspended the accounts for “violating our policy prohibiting violent extremist groups.” Van Dyke said these efforts and the narrative that describes the Proud Boys as white supremacists or nationalists are being fictionalized because companies like Twitter and the press are trying to prevent mainstream conservatives from being elected in the midterm elections. t

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038227200

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038228200

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038224100

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038233000

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038216400

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038220800

AUG 02, 09, 16, 23, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038226000

t’s been a stellar month for LGBT candidates. Two non-incumbent gay candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives advanced to the general election, Senator Tammy Baldwin won the Democratic Party nomination in her re-election in Wisconsin, and a transgender candidate won the Democratic nomination for governor in Vermont. Christine Hallquist’s victory in Vermont drew the most media attention. She is the first transgender person in the nation to secure a major party nomination for governor. Hallquist took 41 percent of the Democratic primary vote against three other candidates. The total turnout for Democrats – 67,000 – was twice that for the Republican primary

Proud Boys

From page 1

“We determined that the rumor of a Proud Boy meet-up at Make Westing was an internet hoax that originated on Twitter and 4Chan,” Van Dyke wrote in the letter. “No meet-up of our Bay Area chapter was ever planned at that establishment or at that time.” In an interview with the B.A.R. this week, Van Dyke said he called the president of the Bay Area chapter of the Proud Boys and he confirmed the Proud Boys never intended or announced they planned to meet at Make Westing. Though it is not confirmed if the six white men who attempted to enter the bar were members of the Proud Boys, DiEdoardo said that at the protest, the men didn’t deny being a part of the group even after protesters were yelling, “Get the fuck out.” “When the five or six jokers tried to run our lines, the crowd called them out as Proud Boys and they didn’t deny it, claim they were somebody else, etc, – they just grinned and tried to force their way through,”

Courtesy Reuters

Christine Hallquist speaks to supporters Tuesday night in Burlington.

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18554088

In the matter of the application of: TAO LIANG, 519 39TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner TAO LIANG, is requesting that the name TAO LIANG, be changed to JEAN QINGFENG NALAN. 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 23rd of August 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-554047

In the matter of the application of: LISA FARMER AKA MELISSA MARIA FARMER, 2800 LAKE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner LISA FARMER AKA MELISSA MARIA FARMER, is requesting that the name LISA FARMER AKA MELISSA MARIA FARMER, be changed to MELISSA MARIE FARMER. 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 23rd of August 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-554059

In the matter of the application of: JOSEPHINE LEE, 248 27TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JOSEPHINE LEE, is requesting that the name JOSEPHINE LEE, be changed to JOSEPHINE LEE WON. 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 28th of August 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-554075

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GLOBAL EPICURE, 175 BLUXOME ST, UNIT 129, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOINA LIAO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/16/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/20/18.

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038227500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NEW GENERATION, 48 HAIGHT ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PEDRO J. SHAPIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/20/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/20/18/18.

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038224500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TCR CONSULTING, 3012 CESAR CHAVEZ ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TARA CHAFFEE ROBINSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 06/04/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/18/18.

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038220400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 5-7-9 MARS HOA, 7 MARS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed SEAN GRANT & RAMON PERAZA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/23/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/23/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: B & M STUDIO, 3412 25TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed BENJAMIN GUERRA ESQUERA & MINERVA A. HALLACY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/11/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/11/18.

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038203000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: REVAMP SALON, 2164 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed RE: GROUPE INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 06/28/2018. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/28/18.

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038202900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NATALIE BLAIR SKIN STUDIO, 301 MAIN ST UNIT F31, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NATALIE BLAIR MORRIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/16/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/16/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: REVAMP SALON, 3167 16TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed RE: GROUPE INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 06/28/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/28/18.

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038222200

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038223100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WHITE RABBIT, 3138 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PIERCE PARTNERS 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 07/18/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EMPIRE JIU JITSU, 2356 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed EMPIRE JIU JITSU LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/09/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/16/18.

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-035677300

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: REVAMP, 2164 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by HUY R. LE. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/24/14.

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-554100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OYE MANAGUA, 3385 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GABRIELA D. RIVAS SOZA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 04/18/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/17/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CALIFORNIA CUSTOM METALS INC., 1321 EVANS AVE #C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CALIFORNIA CUSTOM METALS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/17/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/17/18.

In the matter of the application of: KYLE GEORGE SPORLEDER, 1845 LINCOLN WAY #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner KYLE GEORGE SPORLEDER, is requesting that the name KYLE GEORGE SPORLEDER, be changed to KYLE MAGALLANES CASTILLO. 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 13th of September 2018 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: BILLYGOATS / CABRITAS CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, 330 MADRID ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANGELICA GUERRERO HERNANDEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/26/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KATLETKI, 2948 FOLSOM ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HANNA KERNAZHYTSKAYA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/19/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/19/18.

AUG 02, 09, 16, 23, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038230000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ENDLESS SOLUTIONS CO.; TAXPROS365.COM, 345 15TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HUNG C. LY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/23/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/24/18.

AUG 02, 09, 16, 23, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038223400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KATHERINE MICHIELS SCHOOL, 1335 GUERRERO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed KATHERINE MICHIELS SCHOOL INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 09/01/84. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/17/18.

AUG 02, 09, 16, 23, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038233200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: URBAN CURRY, 523 BROADWAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SANGAMSTAR FOOD INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/25/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/18.

In the matter of the application of: HUIJUAN HUANG CHUNG, 630 BURROWS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner HUIJUAN HUANG CHUNG, is requesting that the name HUIJUAN HUANG CHUNG, be changed to SHELLY HUANG CHUNG. 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 30th of August 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038224400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: INTREPID RIGGING AND WRANGLING; ANOMALY EVENTS, 140 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SCOTT RICHARD CAMERON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/18/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/18/18.

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038219600

AUG 02, 09, 16, 23, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038234800

AUG 02, 09, 16, 23, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038225600

JULY 26, AUG 02, 09, 16, 2018

AUG 02, 09, 16, 23, 2018

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LA CUISINE CAFE, 1145 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LA CUISINE CAFE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/10/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/13/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOWA ASSOCIATES, 551 37TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed J. HANA TORRISI HOWA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/27/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/27/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHUN MAK DDS-PHD INC, 929 CLAY ST #205, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CHUN MAK DDS-PHD INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/01/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/19/18.

<< Classifieds

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • August 16-22, 2018

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038227700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ORIGIN, 745 CLEMENTINA ST UNIT A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ORIGIN PROTOCOL, INC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/20/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/23/18.

AUG 02, 09, 16, 23, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038231100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 1667 GREEN STREET APARTMENTS, 1667 GREEN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a trust, and is signed JOHN H. KIRKWOOD. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/25/18.

AUG 02, 09, 16, 23, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038234300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROBINS TERRACE, 158 DOWNEY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed KAYKO WATANABE ROBINS & DONALD BRUCE ROBINS. 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 07/27/18.

AUG 02, 09, 16, 23, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038230300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE SHOESHINE GUILD, 555 CALIFORNIA ST, CONCOURSE LEVEL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed A SHINE & CO, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/18/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/24/18.

AUG 02, 19, 16, 23 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038235100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CIRCLES OF DETERMINATION, 280 NEWHALL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HOUSE OF THE ORISHAS CULTURAL CENTER (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/26/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/27/18.

AUG 02, 09, 16, 23, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037687200

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038248600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUMO, 420 JUDAH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SHI HUI HUANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/03/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/03/18.

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038221100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: A WEST AFRICAN COFFEE COMPANY, 2069 O’FARRELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MAKEBA MCLEOD. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/12/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/16/18.

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038227400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SOUF, 2261 MARKET ST #273, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SOFIA AVILA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/19/28. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/20/18.

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038244300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HEALING REALMS, 605 CHENERY ST #B&C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROBERT GRANT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/31/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/01/18.

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038238300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THRIVE BABY FOOD, 218 JERSEY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PAULA PETERSEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/27/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/30/18.

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038241300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALENA’S MAGICAL SCHOOL, 2267 16TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EDWARD ROMANOV. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/30/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/31/18.

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038242500

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: AB CLEANING SERVICES, 899 HILLSIDE BLVD #5, DALY CITY, CA 94014. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by ANIBAL RODAS. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/18/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: YOUNG MUSIC PRODUCERS, 518 1/2 LINDEN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSEPH M. RODRIGUEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 06/25/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/31/18.

AUG 02, 09, 16, 23, 2018

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038241600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CLAIRE DE LUNE SKIN CARE, 2208 FILBERT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CLAIRE EVE ANDERSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/30/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/30/18.

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038242600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VITALITY AND HEALING FUNCTIONAL WELLNESS SOLUTIONS, 1800 10TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed TODD JEFFREY RUTKIN & XIAORONG LI. 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 07/26/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AMSTERDAM, 930 GEARY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AMSTERDAM CAFE (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 07/31/18.

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038246400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: IZUMI KAITEN SUSHI, 1737 POST ST #355, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed IZUMI KAITEN SUSHI INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/02/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/02/18.

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038240200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SPINNERIE, 1401 POLK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed 1401 POLK STREET INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/30/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/30/18.

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038247900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE UPS STORE, 660 4TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JING STORE, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/01/05. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/03/18.

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038241800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BURMA GOLD, 695 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed UNITED KMA, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/12/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/31/18.

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038240500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO SURGICAL ENDOSCOPY, 3838 CALIFORNIA ST #616, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed T. PHILIP CHUNG MD, YANEK CHIU MD, LAWRENCE YEE MD, MICHAEL ABEL MD. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/08/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/31/18.

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, gloriﬁed, loved and preserved throughout the world now and forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. St. Jude, worker of miracles, pray for us. St. Jude, helper of the hopeless, pray for us. Say prayer nine time a day. Publication must be promised. B.K.

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038233400

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038235200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MIKMOI, LLC, 1666 GOUGH ST #306, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MIKMOI, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 06/30/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/27/18.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038246200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SHUNPING HOME IMPROVEMENT, 420 LISBON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LIWEI DING. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/02/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/02/18.

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 06, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038254600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KIBATSU, 400 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MUTEKI INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/08/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/18.

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 06, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038243300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TALLER TECHNOLOGIES, 555 CALIFORNIA ST #4925, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DELAWARE QUADRIGA, INC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/01/13. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/01/18.

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037451900

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 06, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038258100

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-035963600

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 06, 2018

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: ALENA’S MAGICAL SCHOOL, 2267 16TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by RIMMA S. DARZHINOVA. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/31/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CMME CONSULTING LLC, 1536 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CMME CONSULTING LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/09/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/10/18.

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: RAINBOW BRIGHT’S CASTLE, 2270 21ST AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by RIMMA S. DARZHINOVA. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/25/14.

AUG 09, 16, 23, 30, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038255700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ACCENT REDUCTION STUDIO, 1621 LINCOLN WAY, #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARY DAVIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/07/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/09/18.

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 06, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038254000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MANGROVE KITCHEN, 312 DIVASADERO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ATTHAPON INKHONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/07/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/07/18.

/lgbtsf

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 06, 2018

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT NOTICE TO PROPOSERS - GENERAL INFORMATION The SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, California, is advertising for proposals to provide Plaza and Walkway Cleaning Services at BART Stations West Bay, Mission West Bay, East Bay North and East Bay South Locations, Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 6M3405, on or about August 8, 2018, with proposals due by 2:00 PM local time, Tuesday, September 11, 2018 at the District Secretary’s Office, 23rd floor, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, California 94612. DESCRIPTION OF WORK TO BE PERFORMED The District intends to engage the services of one or more firms to provide plaza steam cleaning or pressure washing services at various BART stations, walkways and/or covered parking. The District presently intends to enter into separate Agreements for each Area location (Area 1, West Bay Locations; Area 2, Mission West Bay Locations; Area 3, East Bay North Locations; and Area 4, East Bay South Locations). Each Agreement will cover up to a five-year performance period, which includes a three-year period and two one-year options for extension of the Agreement. Proposer(s) may submit a proposal price for any one or more Area locations (Area 1, Area 2, Area 3 and/or Area 4) listed in the Scope of Services, Attachment A, Exhibit 1, Agreement for Technical Services. The price proposal for each Area shall cover a 60-month term as described above. BART intends to make one or more, but in no case more than four (4), award(s) resulting from this RFP to the responsible Proposer submitting the lowest Total Proposed Price. It is anticipated that the total amount awarded under this RFP shall not exceed Four Million, Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($4,200,000.00); however, there is no guaranteed minimum level of compensation as more particularly described in the RFP No. 6M3405. This is the maximum amount to be awarded regardless of the number of awards. Proposal Meeting: A Pre-Proposal Meeting will be held on Monday, August 20, 2018. The Pre-Proposal Meeting will convene at 10:00 AM at BART’s Administrative Building located at 300 Lakeside Drive, 16th Floor, Room 1600, Oakland, CA. 94612. At the Pre-Proposal Meeting the District’s Non-Discrimination Program for Subcontracting and Small Business Program will be explained. All questions regarding MBE/ WBE participation should be directed to Fei Liu, Sr. Civil Rights Officer at (510) 874-7348 – FAX (510) 464-7470. Prospective Proposers are requested to make every effort to attend this only scheduled PreProposal Meeting. The pre-proposal meeting will also discuss other Plaza and Walkway Cleaning Services. Networking Session: Immediately following the Pre-Proposal meeting, the District’s Office of Civil Rights will be conducting a networking session for subconsultants to meet the prime consultants for MBE/WBE participation opportunities. REQUIRED REGISTRATION ON BART PROCUREMENT PORTAL In order for prospective Proposers to be eligible for award of an Agreement being solicited on the BART Procurement Portal, such Proposers are required to be currently registered to do business with BART on the BART Procurement Portal on line at https://suppliers.bart.gov and have obtained Solicitation Documents, updates, and any Addenda issued on line so as to be added to the On-Line Planholders List for this solicitation. If a prospective Proposer is a joint venture or partnership, such entity may register on the BART procurement portal with the entity’s tax identification number (TIN) and download the Solicitation Documents to be listed as an on-line planholder under the entity’s name prior to submitting its Proposal. If such entity has not registered on BART procurement portal in the name of the joint venture or partnership prior to submitting its Proposal, provided that at least one of the joint venturers or partners registered on line on the BART Procurement Portal and downloaded the Solicitation Documents so as to be added to the On-Line Planholders List for this solicitation, such entity will be required to register with the entity’s TIN as an on-line planholder following the submittal of Proposals, in order for the entity to be eligible for award of this Agreement. PROPOSERS WHO HAVE NOT REGISTERED ON THE BART PROCUREMENT PORTAL PRIOR TO SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL, (OR FOR JOINT VENTURE OR PARTNERSHIP AS DECRIBED ABOVE PRIOR TO AWARD) AND DID NOT DOWNLOAD THE SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS FOR THIS SOLICITATION ON LINE SO AS TO BE LISTED AS AN ON-LINE PLANHOLDER FOR THIS SOLICITATION, WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR AWARD OF THIS AGREEMENT Any questions regarding this Notice to Proposers should be directed to the BART Procurement Department, Attention: Leo Berry-Lawhorn, 300 Lakeside Drive, 17th Floor, Oakland, CA. 94612, email address: LberryL@bart.gov, telephone (510) 464-7546.

35 PUC # 176618

To place your classiﬁed ad, call

415-861-5019

Then go have a drink & relax...

Dated at Oakland, California this 8th day of August 2018. /S/ Oji Kanu Oji Kanu, Manager, Contract Administration San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District 8/16/18 CNS-3162838# BAY AREA REPORTER

Taylor made

Cook's tour

Skater girls

Skater boys

Vol. 48 • No. 33 • August 16-22, 2018

www.ebar.com/arts

Banish the Meanies!

Courtesy Lamplighters

Buccaneers stop here

by Sari Staver

by Philip Campbell

Sterling Liska as Samuel in Lamplighters Music Theatre’s “The Pirates of Penzance.”

new digitally remastered, singalong version of the Beatles’ animated film “Yellow Submarine” will screen at the Castro Theater for five days, beginning on Fri., Aug. 17. See page 19 >>

Subafilms Ltd.

f the Gilbert & Sullivan “big three,” which include “H.M.S. Pinafore” and “The Mikado,” “The Pirates of Penzance” or “The Slave of Duty” arguably remains the most popular. See page 16 >>

Jeremy and the Chief Blue Meanie, from “Yellow Submarine.”

Audun Rikardsen/BigPicture

Glorious images of the natural world

by Sura Wood

e’re swinging into the final round of summer, which means it’s time for the California Academy of Sciences’ annual “BigPicture” show, where a cavalcade of eye-popping color photographs is now on view. The exhibition showcases 48 images, many of them astonishing, taken by winners and finalists of the Natural World Photography Competition, which the museum is hosting for the fifth year. Supplemental scientific information augments the images, if you visit in person, but viewing the exhibition online (www.bigpicturecompetition.org), where the high-resolution photographs are offset by a black background, offers an even more dramatic visual experience. See page 20 >>

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

“The Rescue” from “BigPicture: Natural World Photography” at the California Academy of Sciences.

<< Out There

16 • Bay Area Reporter • August 16-22, 2018

Opera under a mushroom cloud by Roberto Friedman

onesuch has just released the first recording of “Doctor Atomic,” composer John Adams’ opera about the Manhattan Project, which had its world premiere from San Francisco Opera in 2005. Out There, who was in the audience at its debut, gave the recording a deep listen. On the two-CD box set, the Bay Area composer conducts the BBC Singers and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, with a cast led by Gerald Finley and Julia Bullock as the alpha couple Dr. J. Robert and Kitty Oppenheimer. Peter Sellars created the libretto, drawing from original sources and poetry to explore the final hours leading up to the first atomic bomb explosion at the Alamogordo, New Mexico test site in 1945. A 64-page bound booklet includes archival photos, the libretto, and an essay by Mark Swed. It’s easily one of Adams’ most accomplished and musically complex scores. A feeling of apprehension and doom pervades from its very first bars, and the opera’s standout aria, the Act I closer “Batter

Nuclear opera from genius composer John Adams.

Nonesuch

my heart,” in which Oppenheimer battles his demons to the lines of a transcendent John Donne sonnet, is up there with the very best of Adams’ entire oeuvre. The opera’s main problem is that the Sellars-curated libretto is just not dramatic enough to sustain audience engagement. It’s a shame, since Adams’ score is intensely exciting, as evinced in the opening scene of Act II, Kitty Oppenheimer’s (Julia Bullock) anxiety monologue “Wary of time O it

seizes the soul tonight.” Then an orchestral interlude, “Rain over the Sangre de Cristo,” segues into Kitty’s Tiwa Indian maid Pasqualita’s (Jennifer Johnston) “Cloud-flower Lullaby.” Throughout, the music is stirring, multi-layered, and allusive. But the actual preparations for, and complications of timing around, the test blast are simply not operatic in nature, nor are they very compelling as narrative drive. There’s a lot of information, as in meteorologist Frank Hubbard (Marcus Farnworth)’s lines: “We have visibility greater than sixty miles. The surface wind from the east southeast is three to six miles per hour below 500 feet.” Engineers scurry about, worrying about radio connections and techno snafus. “Tosca,” this is not. But a great 21st-century score it certainly is. Along with everyone else at the opera’s premiere, the big question for OT was, How would Adams convey the cataclysmic detonation, the opera’s climax, in music? Turns

h time, t 4 y m s. as “This w h 3 BBB virgin as wit and I w VED it!”

OV We all L – Lynn B.

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Pirates of Penzance

From page 15

Full of hummable tunes and surefire comic shtick, the story of a fellow trapped by the obligation of his indentured servitude (and an outrageous plot twist) has been tickling audiences for close to a centuryand-a-half. Vintage G&S with a typically absurd ending, “Pirates” ticks all the boxes. San Francisco-based Lamplighters Music Theatre recently hoisted the Jolly Roger in Walnut Creek to start a four-city run that sailed to Mountain View next, and opens this week at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco. The hardy but softhearted buccaneers end their current voyage at Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center on Aug. 25-26. Nicolas Aliaga Garcia, from Pocket Opera, directs his first Lamplighters production with a nod to #MeToo, emphasizing the late-19thcentury model of the “New Woman.” Major-General Stanley’s winsome wards are every bit as adventurous as the pirates confronting them. They still admire a well-turned moustache and masculine beauty, but brook no guff from any man. The pirates have met their match and surrender willingly, with renewed loyalty for Queen and Country. The director’s approach is less revisionist than smartly contemporary. The assortment of characters remains formulaic but unobjectionable, and Gilbert’s women are uncommonly spunky anyway. Aliaga only highlights their resourcefulness. Of course, there is the usual battle-ax on hand, but she always maintains her self-respect, and the curtain rarely falls on an unhappy face. In this production, the belligerent woman changes from frump to femme fatale between acts, and out-pirates the pirates in the end. Aliaga has wisely discerned between freshening and meddling. The Company’s 2016 production of “The Mikado” moved the action from Japan to Italy in an ill-conceived attempt at political correctness. Inserting Suffragette banners and costumes decades before the movement actually became widespread isn’t as jarring. The authors would probably have approved, and even purist Savoyards will enjoy the heightened relevance. The essential ingredients for any successful G&S interpretation are the Lamplighters’ trademark, and

out it’s the quietest, most anti-climactic nuclear explosion in history. The world enters the nuclear age not with a bang but with a whimper, in the low woodwinds.

Beaton goes on

his bedroom among those of two of his male lovers after his death), the film includes appearances by David Hockney, Isaac Mizrahi, David Bailey, Leslie Caron and Hamish Bowles.” Cecil is all here: from his outsize talent to his eagle eye, from his snobbery, class consciousness, and prejudice to his openness to the new, the spontaneous, and the visual knockout.t

Guess we knew the work of late British aesthete Cecil Beaton best from his Oscar-winning production and costume designs for “Gigi” and “My Fair Lady,” but his life work also included photography, visual art, theatre and film design, and his published diaries and scrapbooks. We enjoyed the new documentary “Love, Cecil” from director Lisa Immordino Vreeland, full of previously unseen footage and stills, with excerpts from his diaries narrated by Rupert Everett, and many interview scenes of Beaton describing himself in his own words. Publicity says, “From Zeitgeist Films his work for Vogue, as a photographer in WWII, to his relationship A self-portrait by Cecil Beaton, with the Royal Family and his from “Love, Cecil.” alleged affair with Greta Garbo (her picture was discovered in

Desnoyers portrays the conflicted slave-to-duty Frederick with a nice blend of wit and innocence. His clear voice pairs well with the lovely nuanced tone of Erin O’Meally’s resolutely sympathetic Mabel. Her coloratura in “Poor wandering one!” is both ravishing and droll. Their parts are doubled by Carmello Tringali and Julia Mulholland. Gwendolyn Reid Kuhlmann was Ruth at the opening matinee. I have seen alternate Deborah Rosengaus in the role and worried that memories of her performance (really funny, wacky and sexy) might have Courtesy Lamplighters spoiled me. Kuhlmann starts out looking and acting frowF. Lawrence Ewing as Major-General Stanley in Lamplighters Music Theatre’s zier, but her transformation during intermission equals “The Pirates of Penzance.” Rosengaus’ va-va-voom. Her Ruth is a bit of a dominatrix Aliaga makes the most of his quality by Act II, and she sings with resources. The painterly scenery by full-throated power. set designer Peter Crompton frames Jonathan Spencer is beginning the action with period charm, and his 29th Lamplighters season. His the gorgeous costumes by Miriam Pirate King (it is a glorious thing Lewis, with hair and wig design by to be) commands the stage with Kerry Rider-Kuhn, perfectly accent brusque charm. Another Company the pretty stage picture. Lighting veteran, F. Lawrence Ewing is the designer Brittany Mellerson’s sudglib model of a modern Majorden shifts in color are attractive, General. When they face off in Act meant to emphasize drama, but I for some silly word-play we are in often unsubtle. G&S heaven. The whole shebang could be done Charles Martin is an engaging at lecterns when the musical values deep-voiced and rubber-legged are so high. There isn’t a weak link in Sergeant of Police. He has shown his the ensemble, from the richly sonoversatility many times before, and rous musicians in the pit through the has also been a dashing Pirate King. characterful soloists and well-drilled Leading his uniformed cronies chorus onstage. Conductor/Music “With cat-like tread” in Act II (you Director David Drummond has built may recognize it as “Hail, Hail, the an international reputation, and his Gang’s All Here”), he had the audiLamplighters debut signals the start ence roaring with laughter. of a fine relationship. As the Major-General’s other The vocally taxing principal roles daughters, Melissa Sondhi, Kristin of Frederic, Ruth, and Mabel are Avila and Ashley Chen (debut) double-cast throughout the run. At looked and sounded perfect in their the first matinee in Walnut Creek, nicely detailed archeologist, geolotenor Michael Desnoyers, mezzogist, and botanist costumes.t soprano Gwendolyn Reid Kuhlmann and soprano Erin O’Meally filled Info: www.lamplighters.org. their parts without a trace of jitters.

On the web This week, find Victoria A. Brownworth’s Lavender Tube column, “Ring around Rosie O’Donnell,” online at www.ebar.com.

What makes our Northern California

coast

unlike any place else on Earth... where

mighty mammals

rule the sea, and

coast redwoods drink from the fog?

Now Open Discover the connections that only happen here. Plus, ascend through an ancient redwood interactive, explore marine mammal skeletons and models, roll through a fog room, and more at this new exhibit.

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

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<< DVD

18 • Bay Area Reporter • August 16-22, 2018

Elizabeth Taylor as a phoenix rising by Tavo Amador

rom 1945-66, Elizabeth Taylor (19322011) appeared in 16 movies that were among the Top 10 box office films of their respective years. For three of those years, she made no movies. Then, with John Huston’s “Reflections in a Golden Eye” (1967), a fine version of Carson McCullers’ novel starring Taylor and Marlon Brando, her box office potency ended. She would never again draw large audiences to movie theatres. But she starred in another 14 feature films, some of which are fascinating. Among them is “Ash Wednesday” (1973), available in DVD. Barbara Sawyer (Taylor) is a wealthy, middleaged matron unhappy with her appearance. Her face and figure no longer look like they once did. Without telling her husband Mark (Henry Fonda), she goes to a European clinic for cosmetic surgery. She hopes that the results will rekindle his sexual desire. She knows he’s been unfaithful and has a younger mistress. At the clinic, she meets David (Keith Baxter), a fashion photographer who’s also having work done, not for the first time. He reassures her that she will look beautiful when it’s over. Dr. Lambert (Maurice Teynac), the plastic surgeon, details everything he’ll do, and promises she won’t be disappointed. Watching the surgical preparations is grimly engrossing. The film graphically shows what’s involved. It’s not for the squeamish. After the surgery, her face, hands, breasts are

heavily bandaged. She’s in considerable pain. But David and Dr. Lambert insist it’s a small price to pay. When the bandages are removed, her face is swollen and discolored. She’s told not to look at herself. Soon enough, however, everything heals, and quelle surprise, Barbara has been transformed into the stillbeautiful Elizabeth Taylor, then only 41 years old. Naturally, Barbara is pleased with the results. She dines alone at her hotel’s swank restaurant, and is delighted with the attention she commands. At another table, a woman slaps a handsome young man (Helmut Berger) and leaves the restaurant. Barbara makes eye contact with him, then laughs. She gets a call from Mark. Last-minute business dealings mean he won’t be arriving as scheduled, but will get

there as soon as he can. Frustrated, disappointed, she orders several desserts. The next evening, Barbara again dines alone. The young man from the night before approaches her table, and, uninvited, joins her for dinner. His name is Erich. She knows he’s a gigolo. When the check arrives, he looks away. She asks his room number. He gives it to her, thinking she plans to visit him later. Instead, she writes it on the check – a splendid scene. David takes her to a disco. She enjoys it. He takes her to a gossipy party where she sees Erich. She approaches him. She’s drawn to him but hesitant. They dance, then kiss hungrily before spending the night together. Her daughter Kate (Margaret Blye) arrives unexpectedly. She’s

stunned by how beautiful Barbara looks. She also tells her it’s too late to save her marriage. Mark is in love with his young girlfriend and wants a divorce. Barbara refuses to believe her. Kate tells her she doesn’t need Mark – she can have any man she wants, except Mark, the one man she does want. Mark finally arrives by train. Barbara is at the station, watching him. He doesn’t see her. Finally, she embraces him, happy, clearly in love. He’s distant, but mutters, “My god, my god, you’re beautiful.” This gives her hope. That night at dinner, she gives him an expensive watch. He’s uncomfortable. They dance to “The Very Nearness of You,” a song they both love. She sees Erich, but is only interested in Mark. He’s cold and rejects her displays of affection. In their hotel room, he says, “We can’t live on memories.” She asks what happened. “It’s all wrong. A charade.” He no longer cares about his business. He’s changed. “We don’t satisfy each other anymore. You frighten me.” He wants a divorce. It will help her regain her self-respect. Desperate, she asks him to look at her breasts, at her face. He admits she looks like the woman he married, but it doesn’t matter. She tells him about Erich. He’s hurt, but says he’s glad for her and wants her to be happy, to make a new life for herself. He insists she can handle

it, and promises to always be there for her should she need him. She’s devastated. He leaves. At the train station he says, “Take care. Be happy.” She’s heartbroken. But he’s right. She will be OK. Taylor gives a nuanced, often touching performance. After several films in which she played a shrew, critics commented favorably on her more balanced, often gentle characterization. She’s convincing in her belief that a physical transformation would save her marriage – a classic example of a woman being judged primarily by her appearance. Fonda is fine. He doesn’t try to make Mark sympathetic. He superbly conveys a man desperate to begin a new life. He’s reluctant to hurt her, but will if he must. Baxter is terrific as David. Berger is ideally cast and effective as Erich. Blye is excellent as the realistic Kate. Larry Peerce’s direction seems influenced by Douglas Sirk’s lavishly produced melodramas of the 1950s, but doesn’t rise to that level. Jean-Claude Tramont wrote the screenplay. Filmed in Cortina and other posh Italian locations. With glorious cinematography by Ennio Guranieri and a rich score by Maurice Jarre. Produced by writer Dominick Dunne. Edith Head designed Taylor’s wardrobe, which often fails to hide her zaftig figure. Some of her creations actually made Taylor, frequently photographed full-length at a distance, appear top-heavy. Valentino designed the stunning, flattering white gown that Taylor wears to a Mardi Gras party. Many of the jewels she sports were from her famous private collection. The performances and firstrate production values make “Ash Wednesday” a guilty pleasure.t

Portland underground by Brian Bromberger

Stray City: A Novel by Chelsey Johnson; Custom House/HarperCollins, $25.99

esbian novels have rarely caught the public imagination, but this deserves to change with the publication of “Stray City,” a tender, insightful debut novel set in 1990s Portland. Johnson, who teaches at the College of William and Mary, establishes herself as an extraordinary new talent, the American Sarah Waters. While “Stray City” concludes in 2009, with its implied critique of identity politics it seems tailorfit for 2018. Closeted lesbian Andrea (Andy) Morales, 23, has escaped her conservative Catholic parents in Westerly, Nebraska by attending Reed College in Portland. She becomes part of the lesbian underground there, forming her own family, affectionately dubbed the Lesbian Mafia. Now working in a letterpress shop and recovering from a recent breakup with her older ex, she goes out drinking with friends only to discover that same ex is now dating another of Andy’s exes. Feeling betrayed and drunk, she hooks up with a straight scruffy man, Ryan Coates, a drummer for The Cold Shoulder, a grunge band poised for a breakthrough. Ryan doggedly pursues her. She feels a certain attraction to him, though never denying her attraction to women.

Andy discovers she’s pregnant. While she initially wants an abortion, after telling her astonished Lesbian Mafia the truth, she decides to have the baby. She must then decide the course of her relationship with Ryan. This second section is cleverly conveyed through letters, emails, and answering machine messages. The final third of the novel occurs in 2009, when 10-year-old daughter Lucia starts asking questions about her father, much to the consternation of Andy, now in a two-year relationship with the love of her life, a Brazilian woman, Beatriz. How Andy reconciles her past and its implications for her current life conclude the book.

The heart of this novel is a bait-and-switch where queers are the norm and heterosexuality is the weird aberrant. Comically, Johnson turns the closet on its head by showing how Andrea and Ryan can only date in secret, sneaking off on trips without the fear of discovery. The scene where Andrea tells the Lesbian Mafia she is not only pregnant but has been dating a straight guy is a hilarious riff on the standard coming out saga. LGBTQ people can be as prejudiced about gender and sexuality roles as heterosexuals. Andy observes, “It seems in our urgency to redefine ourselves against the norm, we’d formed a church of our own as doctrinaire as any, and we too abhorred a heretic.” Johnson gently satirizes the bias against bisexuals. For Andrea, “the bisexual was the earnest white girl in your women’s studies class who had a nice boyfriend and wanted to clock in a little oppression.” She pokes fun at how rigid identity formations can be. Johnson skillfully recreates Portland in the 90s, with its punk, riot grrrl, zines, and homocore culture. But the novel’s final section is weak, because it loses the winsome Andy’s voice. In the rushed conclusion the Lucia and Beatriz characters feel incomplete, almost rough outlines. Still the reader won’t feel cheated, as Johnson is grappling with questions of how the self we present to the world can be different from who we really are.t

Theatre>>

August 16-22, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 19

Performing pros are on their way by David-Elijah Nahmod

“I

t’s nice to be appreciated at my age,” 94-year-old entertainer Carole Cook told the B.A.R. “I really appreciate it. I’d appreciate it at any age.” Cook, still quite active in cabaret, is one of more than a dozen performers who will be taking to the stage of the Herbst Theatre on Sun., Aug. 19 for “Help Is on the Way 24,” the latest fundraising variety show for the Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation. Cook, a regular at these fundraisers, said that she was happy to be back and to once again be helping REAF raise critical funds for a variety of AIDS and other charities. “It’s the audiences,” Cook said. “You feel so good because you’re doing something good. The audience is for you. It’s a joyous event, even though what we’re there for is not joyous.” Cook was referring to the AIDS epidemic, which, in spite of PReP and drug cocktails, still kills people. “People think it’s over, but it’s not,” she said. “Other terrible things happen, so everything drops down. I don’t like the term ‘you take a cocktail.’ These cocktails aren’t fun, and your immune system is still shot. It’s hard to live with AIDS. I’ve seen too many of my friends die, it’s always hanging over your head. The kids are cavalier about it, so we just have to keep doing what we do to make people aware. We’re doing a show, but I never want people to forget why we’re there.”

Yellow Submarine

From page 15

Coinciding with the film’s 50th anniversary, the newly restored version will give audiences “the best version of this film they’ve ever seen,” said Richard Abramowitz, chief executive officer of Abramorama, which was hired by the media company Apple Corps, formed by the Beatles in 1968, to distribute the film. Based on the Lennon-McCartney song “Yellow Submarine,” the film spins a fantastic tale of peace, love and hope. The score includes “Eleanor Rigby,” “When I’m 64,” “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “All You Need Is Love.” The animated heroes team up with Young Fred and the Nowhere Man and journey across seven seas to free Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, make peace with the militant Meanies, and restore music, color, and love to the world. According to the Castro Theatre’s program notes, the film is a “landmark in animation, with Heinz Edelmann’s inspired art direction conjuring up a nonstop parade of wildly different styles and techniques. “The film was hand-restored in digital 4K, frame by frame, from the paper-doll residents of Pepperland to the tinted photography of the soot-covered roofs and smokestacks of Liverpool, the menagerie of fanciful characters in the Sea of

Both photos: Courtesy REAF

Left: Cabaret star Carole Cook and Right: Cabaret performer Leanne Borghesi.

The Broadway veteran said she was still putting together what she’ll be doing when she performs at the Herbst. “I’m working on a news story about when I first went to New York,” Cook explained. “Wonderful things happened to me. Lucille Ball heard about me and brought me out to Los Angeles. She was my good friend, and I was her protege.” Cook will be joined at “Help Is on the Way” by an impressive list of performers, including Jai Rodriguez, late of “Queer Eye for the

Straight Guy,” and Mary Wilson, a founding member of legendary girl group The Supremes. Also in the show is popular cabaret performer Leanne Borghesi. “I’ve been working with REAF since 2005 or 06,” Borghesi told the B.A.R. “It’s more than just a community of friends. It’s wonderful to be part of this organization, and lend my talent and my voice to help this community in the work that REAF does.” Borghesi is particularly happy to be helping the charities that ben-

efit from the REAF performances, which for this show are Meals On Wheels San Francisco and the AIDS Legal Referral Panel. “REAF has been a thriving nonprofit for over 20 years that has really dug in and helped those in our community who are in need,” Borghesi said. “One of the unique things about REAF is their consistency in helping these organizations.” Like Cook, Borghesi underscores the need to teach younger people about HIV and AIDS. “Since 1997

Monsters, the kaleidoscopic colorsplashed rotoscoping of ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,’ the vertigoinducing Op Art of the Sea of Holes, and the triumphant euphony of the ‘It’s All Too Much’ finale.” The Castro screenings, including three for moviegoers who would rather not hear the audience sing, are expected to draw large audiences, said Keith Arnold, programmer and general manager of the Castro Theater. Arnold, who has been with the Castro for 11 years, said that “Yellow Submarine” is “rarely available” for theatrical screenings, and was last seen in San Francisco in 2012, just after an earlier restoration. “When I saw it was available, of course I booked it immediately,” said Arnold. “It’s a blue moon. Only the fool on the hill wouldn’t book this.” Sing-alongs do well at the Castro, he said. Classics such as “Sound of Music,” “West Side Story,” “Grease” and “Beauty and the Beast” have screened at the Castro “hundreds of times,” he said. A sing-along version of “Little Mermaid” opens at the Castro later in August. After its five-day run in August, Arnold said, it will probably be “another five years” until the film is available for theatrical screenings. “On the big screen, this has been a powerful film that has reached people since it was made 50 years ago.” Abramowitz discussed his enthusiasm for the new version of “Yellow

Submarine,” which began a tour of hundreds of theaters nationwide last month. “There is no such thing as too much of the Beatles,” he said. Although the film has been available on DVD and Blu-ray and iTunes for years, “nothing compares to seeing it communally on the big screen.”

He’s seen the film “many times,” and recalls seeing three generations of a family enjoying the film together. The film is “a natural” for a singalong version, said Abramowitz. In the original film, the finale was accompanied by subtitles of the lyrics, “giving the audience license to do

Subafilms Ltd.

The Beatles get lost in the Sea of Holes, from “Yellow Submarine.”

I’ve been an advocate in education, helping young people understand how HIV is spread,” she said. “It’s important to bring focus to the younger community, to remember where we’ve been, and to know that the fight isn’t over. This is still a deadly disease, still being spread.” Borghesi’s advocacy goes far beyond performing in the REAF shows. “I worked with Kaiser,” she said. “We’d go into schools and teach them how to protect themselves and how to put on condoms. We had one-onones. This is important work to do.” At HIOTW, Borghesi will be doing what she does best. “I’ll be singing a solo number by Alan J. Lerner,” she said. “The song is called ‘No Man Is Worth It.’ I’ll have four dancers. We’re choreographed by Damian Beard.” Both performers said that they’ll be attending the post-show afterparty and look forward to chatting with fans. “Everyone gives their all to put on a wonderful show of quality entertainment,” said Borghesi. “As an artist, to share my talent for the cause is the way I can give back to the community with love.”t REAF presents “Help Is on the Way 24” concert & gala, Sun., Aug. 19, Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., SF. VIP reception & silent auction: 5 p.m.; gala reception: 6 p.m.; show: 7:30 p.m.; after-party: 9:45 p.m. Tickets ($65-$350): https://www.reaf-sf.org/.

what they wanted to do: sing along,” he said. When he’s been at the theater, hundreds of people always broke into song during the finale. “They knew all the lyrics, but seeing the words on the screen allowed them to sing along. Now they won’t have to wait until the end.”t

<< Film

20 • Bay Area Reporter • August 16-22, 2018

Skateboarder angst by David Lamble

he Sundance Award-winning doc “Minding the Gap” arrives Friday at the Roxie Theater. Three young men open their hearts and reveal heart-breaking glimpses of their lives in a film that uses a passion for skateboarding to expose the connections between poverty, race, sex and class in Trump’s America. At one point, the film’s young director Bing Liu asks an African American teen about the nature of his bond with his now-dead dad. “Well,” he begins, “they used to call it child abuse.” The star of the film is a shaggyhaired charmer named Zack. In a series of clips that feel like time-

lapse photography, we witness Zack’s broken relationship and how it drove him to drink. We also hear his ex-girlfriend (and mother of his infant son) describe how Zack attacked her when drunk, pointing to a large scar along her right eyebrow. At another point we watch one of the film’s subjects blow off steam by subjecting his skateboard to the kind of abuse some rock stars reserve for their guitars at climactic moments in a concert. “Minding the Gap,” which will also stream on the Hulu website, provides insight at how young men from dysfunctional families try to alter their fates – in Zach’s case, by leaving town and moving to Den-

ver. But whether they stay or go, the internal weather inspired by an abusive parent often lingers in the new setting. There are tears shed as the director confronts his mom about the abuse he received from her second husband. There are graveside scenes where a young man cleans the tombstone of a deceased violent dad whose early death he’d once prayed for. Far from the exuberance expressed in surf-and-skateboard rock songs on the radio like “Surf City, here we come,” “Minding the Gap” shows the scars on young men who may never totally free themselves from bad memories they associate with what should have been their lives’ most carefree chapters.t

Courtesy the filmmakers

Scene from director Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap.”

Girl skateboarder posse

Magnolia Pictures

Scene from director Crystal Moselle’s “Skate Kitchen.”

by David Lamble

“S

kate Kitchen” is a terrific new girls-can-skate-too New York City drama from San Franciscoborn, Tamalpais High Schooleducated director Crystal Moselle. In her captivating 2015 doc “The

BigPicture

From page 15

Truth be told, this is one of my favorite shows to write about each year, not only for the beauty and superior quality of the photographs, but also for the wondrousness of subjects often hidden from the eyes of the less intrepid among us. The featured photographers, who compete in an array of categories, employ a mixture of stealth, cunning, treks to remote parts of the planet, and inhuman patience to retrieve the prize-winning images. This year’s grand prize was awarded to Tanya Houppermans’ “Harmony,” a portrait of a shark who’s achieved Nirvana, at one with the world, or at least with the daily lunch special. While diving in near-total darkness inside the wreckage of a sunken German WWII freighter that functions as an artificial reef off the coast of North Carolina, Houppermans nailed a clear shot of the underbelly of a sand tiger shark floating above her in a maelstrom of bait fish. “It was beautiful and peaceful, which are two words most people don’t associate with sharks,” she recalls. Snuggled in a voluptuous bed of feathers like a Vegas showgirl and appearing for all the world like a tangerine fur ball, a Caribbean flamingo chick, newly arrived on the planet, tentatively peers out from under its mother’s wing, and within range of Claudio Contreras’ camera, to glimpse what will be its universe for the first week of its life. Hunkered down in a nest safely ensconced in a conical mound of mud shaped like a mini volcano, the chicks are able

Wolf Pack,” Moselle uncovered six brothers who had been kept indoors and home-schooled all their lives by their paranoid dad. With some obvious bows to bad-boy director Larry Clark’s 1995 aimless-teens street saga “Kids,” Moselle’s new entry “Skate Kitchen” to stand within hours of hatching, though they’re not exactly roadworthy. They’ll be protected by their vigilant parents until they’re able to make a graceful exit. A gorgeous Roseate Spoonbill on the verge of landing on its nest is the exquisite headliner of Donna Bourdon’s “Rhapsody in Pink,” a finalist in the Winged Life category. Impossibly delicate, long-necked and bony-legged, this exotic wading bird is seen folding lushly feathered wings that resemble a costume from the Folies-Bergerre. But for unbridled joy, there’s no matching “Playtime in Mom’s Bubbles,” which walked (or swam) away with the Aquatic Life trophy. The shot, taken by underwater photographer-biologist Renee Capozzola, who specializes in wide-angle, over-under images, captures an ecstatic humpback whale calf cavorting in the azure blue seas of French Polynesia. It rises toward the surface, opening its mouth to snatch the bubbles its mother has exhaled, seeming to clap its fins in juvenile delight. Eduardo Acevedo’s “Hood Ornament” details the quandary of a glasseye fish with its mouth agape, apparently flustered by the ice-blue parasite that’s parked itself right between its eyes. The party-crasher will feed on its unfortunate host’s blood as it hitches a ride through the tropical waters of the Canary Islands. Back on land, the otherworldly sight of the Northern Lights is savored by a European common frog with an uncommon view of shooting stars streaming across the Arctic sky. Warmed by organic compounds in its veins that act like

plants you with a pack of 16-year-old girls with a lot of energy to burn, and a gravity-defying love for all the neardeath highs and bone-breaking lows that a wild child can find within sight of the Empire State Building. Our heroine is Camille (a lowkey sizzle from newcomer Rochelle

Vinberg, whose Plain Jane glasses are an inverse badge of toughness). The opening scene finds Camille taking a bad fall to a heckling chorus of grade-school boys. After she’s patched up, the ride home has her immigrant mom coercing a promise that she abandon her board. “Otherwise you won’t be able to have kids.” Instead, Camille hops a Long Island Railroad train for “the City,” where she meets up with a Lower Manhattan girl posse that skates a far tougher course. “Skate Kitchen” reminds us that teen girls, when they swing out against rule-making parents and cops, can be a whole lot scarier that their mouthy punk boyfriends. A poignant moment finds a high-flying girl skater, whose ankle-twisting mishap keeps her out of action, starting to fear that her ferocious girl buddies may leave her behind without so much as a backward glance. Camille keeps zigging back and forth between the girls and the boys, including the junior heartthrob antics of a punk-boy skater named Devon (Jaden Smith). Camille’s in-

Donna Bourdon/BigPicture

“Rhapsody in Pink” from “BigPicture: Natural World Photography” at the California Academy of Sciences.

ability to stick with either the girls or the boys marks her as a problem in a world that insists a kid pick sides long before the consequences of those choices become clear. The film also features delightful moments when the kids navigate the precincts of downtown office towers protected by security guards resembling their often-missing dads. We don’t get a neat “the girls are OK” ending. By closing credits, Camille has survived, only to realize that the adult world is full of falls not so nearly survivable as the ones from her board. Kudos for the highly mobile camera of Shabiek Kirchner, the editing of Nico Lemnen, and the hip music track by Aska Matsumiya. This is one soundtrack to look out for. And if, like me, you fear heights, “Skate Kitchen” is a thrilling if temporary vacation from your phobia. But you are strongly advised not to try these tricks at home. Opens Friday at Landmark’s Embarcadero Cinemas and the Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley. Rated R for drug use and language, strong sexual content, and some nudity.t antifreeze, it submerges itself in the freezing river to hibernate for the winter; no other creature can survive this far north. Norwegian photographer Audun Rikardsen, who took home several ribbons from the competition, including one in the Terrestrial Wildlife category for this picture, photographed the scene in a single exposure, steps away from his house. As if posing for a money shot, a winter-white arctic fox narrows its eyes and licks its chops with a long pink tongue for Canadian photographer Peter Mather. Mather was snowmobiling during a threeweek trip to Alaska’s North Slope when, after a painstaking two-hour approach, he immortalized this wild beauty, which he initially mistook for a rock. Trevor Frost’s “Crocodile Tale” won the Human/Nature award, but human nature doesn’t win any prizes, especially in light of one of the most revolting yet awesome spectacles in the show: the sight of a slain 15-foot-tall saltwater crocodile. The largest and most aggressive of the species, once nearly extinct in Australia’s Northern Territory, it’s propped up on its tail with its belly exposed and its snout roped to an upper tree branch to show off its full height. The two weary hunters who harpooned and killed it after an epic two-hour struggle stand on either side of the captive prehistoric giant, affirming man’s status as the deadliest predator on earth. We’ve seen the enemy, and it is us.t Through Oct. 21. calacademy.org.

Drag King Contest

Arts Events

www.ebar.com

Shining Stars Vol. 48 • No. 33 • August 16-22, 2018

Aish Music artist reflects on love, family and loss on debut album by David-Elijah Nahmod

Marka

n August 23 the single-named Aish will take to the stage of Rickshaw Stop to perform songs from Mother, his debut album. The album, now available, features an eclectic mix of sounds: haunting vocals, strings, harp and electronics. On the album’s various tracks, the San Francisco resident reflects on his tumultuous childhood, his estrangement from family, his struggles with his sexuality, and his migration across continents. See page 22 >>

Nightlife Events

Gorgeous guys at Silicon Valley Pride.

August 16-23

Fri 17 Ray Gunn at Black Manarchy @ DNA Lounge

NorCal Pride

Big and small town celebrations by Dan Renzi

une is recognized as Pride Month, but many of Northern California’s Pride events continue on for months. These festivals may not have the big name entertainment or famous Grand Marshalls like San Francisco, but at their cores are groups of volunteers with big dreams and even bigger hearts. Take a look at some of the other Pride festivals coming up as the summer months come to an end. See page 24 >>

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

Listings start on page 25

<< Performance

22 • Bay Area Reporter • August 16-22, 2018

Aish

From page 21

“I am a musician,” Aish, a native of India, tells Bay Area Reporter. “I paint large cinematic landscapes in my compositions with intricate vocal arrangements. For your musically astute readers, I incorporate strange, rare electronics like the Buchla (a synthesizer), or chamber instruments like the Santur (a Persian string instrument) or Gamelan (percussion instruments from Indonesia) in my compositions whenever I can.” Aish wanted to ensure that his sound was unique. “I was bored with the same old plug in the amp there, set those drums over there, and go sing into a mic, end of show,” he said. “I wanted an entirely different palate to what I was doing before. Something that challenged me, something that surprised my listeners, something that really puts my education in music composition up to a challenge. A sound that’s modern and rare.” Aish had been dreaming of a music career since his youth. But there were few opportunities in his homeland, and so he began to train his eyes on California, where he felt he would have more options for his art as well as acceptance for himself as a gay man. Determined to make his dream come true, he earned a degree in computer science, then began working in the West Coast tech industry. The money he made went towards his fledgling music career. He rented studio time, recorded, and began playing live shows. Aish now reflects on the various aspects of his life that shaped the musician, and the person, that he’s become. “I’m a person of color, gay, and an immigrant who’s grown up in parts of the world very different musically and culturally,” he said. “Those parts of my identity have gifted me a unique combination of experiences that shows up in my compositions

Brandon Gong

Aish performing in his unique Mondrian-inspired garb.

and writing about the beauty in love and loss, identity, migration and belonging.” The press release for Mother includes a photograph of Aish and his mother, taken in Bilaspur, India in 1989. In the photo, Aish and his

mom are kneeling on the ground, petting a bunny and a puppy. At the time his mother was finishing her Masters in Literature. Aish noted that these are his most cherished memories of his mother. He recalls her typewritten papers laying

about and what he calls the “casual poetry” of her conversations. His fondest recollections, he says, are the study breaks his mother took in the garden, where she spoke to him of plants. Aish says that he’s not haunted by these memories from the past. “Haunted is the wrong word,” he said. “Ghosts haunt. Memories, experiences, and the love my mother and I shared don’t haunt me, they are very much alive. They remind me of beauty, the shape of love and loss, and that’s really the larger idea behind Mother and the work that I do.” It’s been many years since Aish has seen his mother, and that estrangement has inspired some of his songs. As with many gay-identified people, sexuality played a role in the break between him and his family. “What led to the estrangement?” he asks. “I’ll answer that with a

Aish performing

question. What’s the archetypal coming out story? For a few fortunate ones, coming out is a welcoming, celebratory experience of unconditional love and acceptance. But for most of us it’s a very difficult process, often leading to families falling apart, us having to rebuild the narrative of who we are, carving out an entirely new life for ourselves. And that putting myself back together, that sculpting of a new life for myself, I’ve worked all out through my music. That’s what Mother is about. It isn’t just about my mother, it’s about the mother I had to become to raise my new self to flourish and bloom in my new reality.” For Aish, the struggle with his sexuality included dealing with the harsh realities of gay life in a conservative, homophobic society. Like many before him, he was drawn to San Francisco for the refuge that it offered. “When you grow up in a society where the norm is heteronormative white patriarchy, you’ll experience struggle if you’re anything other than a straight, white male,” he points out. “It’s a real, day-to-day struggle where people don’t talk to you, where there’s unprovoked violence on a public bus or cops just walk in on you because they suspect you’re gay and the next thing you know you’re in jail for who you are. Then there’s the struggle within family. Has that struggle been resolved? Yes. Once I got a chance to escape to San Francisco, I got a lucky chance at the observer’s perspective of my own situation, and that’s when I decided the struggle was over. So here I am putting my best work out, touring the country doing exactly what I love, being exactly who I want to be.” Aish is very excited about his upcoming show. “Expect fashion, art, and of course incredible music at one of the best sounding west coast venues, the Rickshaw Stop,” he said. “This is the last stop of the Mother tour on the west coast, and I’ll have the Magik*Magik orchestra backing me for this set. I’ll be sharing pieces from Mother and exclusively previewing only for the San Francisco audience three new pieces from my next full-length album, due out in the Spring of 2019. Some great bands will be opening the night, and then your boy will close the show!”t Aish performs Thursday, August 23, 8pm at The Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell Street, $10. www.aish.space www.rickshawstop.com

Drag>>

August 16-22, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 23

Kings at Sea Salty swaggering Drag Kings dock at Oasis

Fudgie Frottage (right) with nautical drag kings.

by David Elijah-Nahmod

n Wednesday August 22 the 23rd annual Drag King Contest comes to the Oasis. This year’s show, dubbed “Salty Swaggering Sea Men,” invites audiences to man the torpedoes full speed ahead for a nautical-themed show which will feature seamen, mermen, sailors, scuppers and poop decks. Real Admiral Sister Roma and Admiral Fudgie Frottage will serve as MCs. Frottage explains exactly what a drag king is. “A drag king dresses in clothing of the opposite sex for entertainment purposes to poke fun at masculine stereotypes and for gender-fuck purposes, similar to drag queens who parody women and femininity,” he said. “It gets confusing when you reject the binary system, but basically that’s it in a nutshell, or nut sac as the case may be.” For a long time drag kings existed in the shadows of the queens, but Frottage feels that kings are coming into their own. “I think with the world being

more exposed to drag, kings are growing in numbers and able to work at more venues and festivals, but we are a long way from seeing drag king as a job title,” he said. Frottage has been a busy drag performer for over twenty years. He spoke of the genesis of his character and what inspires him to do drag. “Fudgie is a character that burst out on the scene after years of inspiration from Queens like Divine, Doris Fish & The Sluts A-Go-Go, and Miss P. from the Parliament House,” he recalls. “Before I chose the name I would wear male drag in rock bands I was in or perform in some of the Sick & Twisted Players shows in drag such as Mr. Brady in Friday The 13th Starring the Brady Bunch. In the early 90’s Leigh Crow was performing as Elvis Herselvis and that inspired many of us to take the stage as kings. Fudgie’s basic backstory is that he is a child of the free love ‘60s and free drugs ‘70s and that I was discovered by Versace while feltching Donatella at his Miami mansion while in a K-hole during one of his infamous orgies, but

part of that story is not true. The part that I could get sued for is the part that isn’t true.” He noted that drag is an outlet where he can be funny and creative at the same time, and promises that there will be a lot of humor at the drag king contest. “This is an all-star show and a contest, so the energy on stage is always amazing and fierce,” he pointed out. “Having a theme and encouraging the audience to dress up adds to the fun, makes it more of an event than a show because everyone participates. The nautical theme is broad: sailors, mermen, mermaids, pirates, fisherman, Love Boat, Gilligan’s Island, Titanic, Poseidon Adventure, sea monsters …” But the entertainment doesn’t begin and end with the show’s contestants. Frottage has lined up an equally colorful line-up of celebrity judges, beginning with the ever-popular Leigh Crow. Still fondly remembered for her ‘90s performances as Elvis Herselvis, Crow now hosts Dandy, a monthly drag king cabaret at Oasis. Also serving as judges are April Kidwell from Showgirls, The Musical and I, Nomi, 1998 San Francisco drag king title holder Arty Fishal, and Max Manchester, drag king title holder for 2016. Frottage couldn’t stop singing the praises of his co-host. “Sister Roma is a whore, a media whore, the most photographed nun in the world,” he said. “We have been friends since the 80’s and I love working with her, she is a multitalented comic genius and emcee extraordinaire.” The proceeds from this year’s contest will benefit two organizations which will warm the hearts of animal lovers. PAWS-Pets Are Wonderful Support, is a charity which provides no cost food and vet care

to people with AIDS and other disabilities. Rocket Dog Rescue is the other beneficiary. “PAWS has been a beneficiary for many years,” Frottage said. “The mission of PAWS is to preserve, support and nurture the humananimal bond for those most vulnerable in our community. Rocket Dog Rescue is a volunteer based organization serving the greater Bay Area, dedicated to saving homeless and abandoned dogs and placing them in foster and then permanent homes.” Frottage has very personal reasons for supporting these charities. He’s the proud owner of two Pomeranians and two orange tabbies, and says that his pets keep him sane. “El Sevan, one of the Kings who won last year’s contest –there was a tie for first place– will again be performing with his service dog, Olive.”

Frottage said. “She is a talented Tibetan Mountain Dog who was a rescue. She is a wonderful dog.” In addition to the contest, there will be dancing before and after the show. In keeping with the theme of the contest, DJ Mysterious D, formerly of Booty, will be playing nautical-themed songs as well as mash-ups. “Do not miss this show,” says Frottage. “Don’t opt for the lame excuse, ‘Oh, I’ll see pics and videos on social media tomorrow.’ Because whatever you do see online, it will not equal being there in person feeling the energy, love and community this event generates.”t 23rd Annual San Francisco Drag King Contest, Wednesday, August 22, 8 pm Oasis, 298 11th Street. $25-$40. www.sfoasis.com www.sfdragkingcontest.com

A group number at 2017’s Drag King Contest, where contestants El SeVan and Emjay Mercury tied for the win!

Hookups =

Visit www.squirt.org to hook up today

<< Pride

24 • Bay Area Reporter • August 16-22, 2018

Left: Russian River Pride Parade Right: Silcon Valley Pride

NorCal Pride

From page 21

Russian River Pride Saturday, Aug. 25, and Sunday, Aug. 26

Guerneville, Monte Rio and other small towns are known for their

year-round vacation weekend for LGBT folks, but they’ve also got a lot of queer locals who like to put on a show, including a two-day festival of rainbow fun. Friday, Aug. 24 includes a special Pride Art Walk in downtown Guerneville. Aug. 25’s River Float with gaily

decorated floats, kayaks and canoe contingents. Aug. 26 includes a river boat queens drag show with Mercedez Munro and crew, with DJed dancing at R3 Hotel and Resort. www.russianriverpride.org

Silicon Valley Pride Saturday, Aug. 25, and Sunday, Aug. 26

The organizers of the festival in San Jose changed their name to Silicon Valley Pride, to include the Peninsula LGBTQ community, but the events are still centered in the city of San Jose itself. Along with the various fundraisers and drag brunches of every Pride, this year’s celebration includes a Trans Rally on Saturday, Aug. 25, at Plaza de César Chávez. The main parade starts at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 26, along Market St., before everyone heads back to Plaza de César Chávez again. Although the event that could be the most fun is the weekend before SV Pride: on August 18 and 19, Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose will host “Proud of My Family,” a two-day event celebrating LGBTQ persons of all ages. The schedule includes Drag Queen Story Hour on Aug. 19 at 3:30 p.m. Can someone loan us a kid so we can go to Drag Queen Story Hour? Please and thank you. www.svpride.com/events www.cdm.org/event/proud-ofmy-family-2/

in the East Bay may not be the Pride festival, however; Berkeley Art Museum will host an outdoor screening of West Side Story, on its giant LED outdoor screen. Admission is free, singing along is optional, and dancing is not technically allowed, but how are you going to stop anyone from twirling on the grass? www.oaklandpride.org

Redding Pride, Saturday, Sept. 21 and Sunday, Sept. 22

If there has even been a town that

needs a big party, that place is Redding. With the Carr Fire scorching thousands of acres of land all the way around Redding, it remains to be seen how the Pride festival will unfold. But if the organizers can make it happen, this could be a fun event. Imagine caravanning up to Redding to support the community (and spend some dollars) with attendance at this small-town Pride festival. Because that’s what pride and community are all about. www.reddingpride.org t

Stockton Pride Saturday, Aug. 25

Who knew Stockton has its own Pride festival? The fest is organized by the staff of San Joaquin Pride Center, a delightful community center that supports the Stockton area with support groups and social events. Unlike many Pride events in smaller cities that are staged in random locations to save money, Stockton hosts their Pride right in the middle of town for all to enjoy, at Weber Point Events Center. There is a list of performers, with singers and drag queens and such, but does it matter? This is the kind of event that is fun to just browse, take it all in, and maybe get a snack. www.stocktonpride.com

Oakland Pride Sunday, Sept. 9

Technically the Oakland Pride parade and festival is Sept. 9, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the parade running along Broadway between 13th St. and 21st St. (Sometimes these shorter parades are fun, since things run quicker and the entries can be cute.) But there are events all week around town. Of note is The CMA - an Oakland Pride Open Mic, featuring comedians and musical acts, on Thursday, Sept. 6, 9 p.m. at Club BNB. Watching the parade is free, obviously, since it there is no way to control who is standing on a street and watching a parade, but entry to the festival is $10. The gayest spot

Top: Celebrations at Stockton Pride. Middle: Sampson McCormick (upper) and Deborah Cox (lower), performing at Oakland Pride. Below: Redding Pride event.

August 16-22, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 25

Cornelius Washington

Nightlife Events>>

Fri 17 Adam Killian at the Final Nights @ Nob Hill Theatre

Final Nights @ Nob Hill Theatre The historic strip close closes in days. Be part of a Naked Sword video filming Aug. 17, with Adam Killian, Woody Fox and other studs ($30$50). Closing party and super strip show Aug. 19. $15-$20. 729 Bush St. http://thenobhilltheatre.com/

Latin Explosion @ Club 21 The popular Latin club with gogo guys galore and Latin music. $10-$20. 9pm-3am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

Madame @ Oasis Jaymes Mansfield is a guest-performer at the new drag show, with D’Arcy Drollinger, Lady Hyde, DJOmar and more. $10 (VIP bottle tables, too). 10pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Makeout Party @ SF Eagle Nark Magazine’s monthly smoochfest, with DJs Robin Simmons and Elaine Denham; Jell-O shots in the photo booth. $10. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Manimal @ Beaux

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

Fri 17

Thu 16

Black Manarchy @ DNA Lounge

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

The Monster Show @ The Edge The weekly drag show with host Sue Casa, DJ MC2, themed nights and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Nightlife @ California Academy of Science Animal Behavior night with demos, SPCA kittens and puppies, meet a sloth!, DJed music (Magic Touch), talks, dance performance, cocktails and food. $12-$15. 6pm-9pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. www.calacademy.org

Pet-A-Llama Comedy Fest @ Petaluma Venues Inaugural comedy festival, with Scott Thompson (as Buddy Cole), Guy Branum, Brian Posehn, The Sklar Brothers, Rory Scovel, Caitlin Gill and others. Free/$25. Thru Aug. 18. Shows at The Mystic Theatre, The Big East and Copperfield’s Books. https://www.petallama.com/

Picante @ The Cafe Lulu and DJ Marco’s Latin night with sexy gogo guys. 9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Porchlight: Tattoo Tales @ Contemporary Jewish Museum The popular storytelling series presents revealing tales about tattoos and those who love them, with hosts Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick. $15. 6:30pm. 736 Mission St. at 3rd. www.thecjm.org

See the world’s first all-Black, all-male Burlesque revue, where talented Black men showcase full-spectrum masculinity; featuring performers with talents ranging from burlesque to ballet to modern dance to hip hop, with AngHell, Isaiah Esquire, Jet Noir, Johnny Sparks and several other performers. $15-$30.

La Bomba Latina @ Club OMG Drag show with DJ Jaffeth. $5. 9pm2am. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Comedy Fiesta! @ Qube Bar & Grill, San Mateo Jesus U. Bettawork hosts and performs at the now-monthly laughfest at the LGBTQ-friendly bar and restaurant. Door donations. 8:30pm. 4000 South El Camino Real, San Mateo. www.jesusubettawork.com www.qubelyfe.com

Comedy Returns @ El Rio Irene Tu, Ronn Vigh, Paco Romane, Sandra Risser, and host Lisa Geduldig tell smart jokes for nice people at the monthly show. $10-$20. 7pm. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Creature @ The Stud

This Charming Band, BloodFlowers @ The Chapel The Smiths and The Cure tribute bands perform at the cool venue, with Madferit (Oasis tribute band). $15. 9pm. 777 Valencia St. www.thechapelsf.com

Wuhfff @ Powerhouse Pedal Pups’ AIDS Ride fundraiser, with drink specials and gogo pups and DJ Mareck Midshadow. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. powerhousebar.com

Sat 18 Beatpig @ Powerhouse Juanita MORE! and crew’s eclective night of butch, glam and fun. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Bootie @ DNA Lounge 15-Year Anniversary August 18! Resident DJs and guests spin at the mash-up DJ dance party, with Adrian A, Mysterious D; four rooms of different sounds and multiple DJs; The Monster Drag Show hosted by Sue Casa. $10-$15 and up. 9:30pm3am. 375 11th St. www.bootiesf.com www.dnalounge.com

GameboiSF @ Rickshaw Stop

Drag with Hollow Eve, ZoJob, Yves St. Croissant and more; DJs Natasha Kmeto, Zedgar Infiniti and GossipCat. $5-$10. 10pm-3am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

The monthly Gaysian & pals dance party returns, with an August Glow Party, featuring Electric Spectrum and LED Circus; dress in flourescent colors. $8-$15. 9:30pm-2am. 55 Fell St. www.rickshawstop.com

Dave Damiani @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko

LGBT Night @ Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Vallejo

The award-winning singer performa Frank Sinatra tribute with the No Vacancy Orchestra. $26-$55. 8pm. Also Aug. 18. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Sex and the City Live @ Oasis

Sister Roma and Morgan McMichaels (RuPaul’s Drag Race) cohost the night at the amusement park, with DJ Ray Rhodes; superhero theme and costumes encouraged. $45-$60. Tix include all-day pass (10:30am-8pm) and LGBT night in DC Plaza, 8pm12am. www.OutattheKingdom.com

Mother @ Oasis Heklina’s popular drag show, with special guests and great music themes. Aug 18 is a Rhianna tribute with Willam. DJ MC2 plays grooves. $15-$20. 10pm-3am (11:30pm show). 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Enjoy more drag parody episodes of the hit series about four women in Manhattan, with D’Arcy Drollinger, Sue Casa and others. $27-$250 (VIP tables). 8pm. Fri & Sat 7pm. Thru Sept. 8 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

O Town, Xavier Toscano @ Slim’s The pop quartet performs their hit songs; Toscano, the local gay pop singer, opens. $20-$35. 9pm. 333 11th St. www.slimspresents.com

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550 The Country-Western line-dancing twostepping dance event celebrates 20 years. Free thru April 29; $5 after. 5pm-10:30pm. Also Sundays. 550 Barneveld Ave. sundancesaloon.org

Gogo-tastic dance night starts off your weekend. $5. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Steve Miller Band, Peter Frampton @ Concord Pavilion

Fri 17

Irene Tu at Comedy Returns @ El Rio

Two ‘80s rock giants perform classic and new songs. $33 and up. 7pm. 2000 Kirker Pass Road, Concord. http://concordboxoffice.com

See page 27 >>

Playmates and soul mates...

San Francisco:

1-415-692-5774 Megamates.com 18+

<< Arts Events

26 • Bay Area Reporter • August 16-22, 2018

Arts Events August 16-23

Oth Kothsimeuang @ Strut

Expedition Reef @ CA Academy of Sciences

Love is Love is Love!, the artist’s exhibit of cute gay illustrations. Thru August. 470 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

Exhibits and planetarium shows with various live, interactive and installed exhibits about animals, plants and the earth; Deep Reefs, Giants of Land and Sea, Gems and Minerals, and more. $20-$35. MonSat 9:30am-5pm. Sun 11am-5pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. 379-8000. www.calacademy.org

Tue 21 Conversation 7 @ SF Arts Commission Main Gallery

Thu 16

Andrei Tarkovsky Films @ BAM/PFA

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

Thu 16 Andrei Tarkovsky Films @ BAM/PFA Artistic and award-winning films, including documentaries about artists; ongoing. Tarkovsky films thru Aug. 30. 2155 Center St., Berkeley. www.bampfa.org

Classic and New Films @ Castro Theatre Aug 16: Paris, Texas (7pm) and Repo Man (9:40). Aug 17-21 The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine 50th anniversary restored print (2pm, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm). Aug 19: The Smallest Show on Earth (2pm). Aug 22: Blade Runner: Final Cut (7pm) and One From the Heart (9:15). Aug 23: Blade Runner (7pm) and Alphaville (9:15). $11$14. 429 Castro St. www.castrotheatre.com

Desi Comedy Fest @ Multiple Venues Fifth annual South Asian comedy festival, created by Samson Koletkar and Abhay Nadkarni; 30 South Asian comedians from all over the US in San Francisco, Berkeley, Mill Valley, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Milpitas, Dublin, and Mountain View, and Santa Cruz. Thru Aug. 19. $17-$50. www.desicomedyfest.com

King of Cuba @ Central Works Cristina Garcia’s stage adaptation of her acclaimed novel features Marga Gomez as Fidel Castro, Grammywinning ‘bongocero’ Carlos Caro and a cast of Latinx characters who portray Cuba’s political landscape. $15-$38. Thru Aug. 19. 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. centralworks.org

Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards Exhibition @ SOMArts Annual group exhibition of works by diverse artists; the juried selection showcases best of Bay Area MFA programs. Thru Aug 20. Mon-Fri 12pm-7pm. Sat & Sun 12pm-5pm. 934 Brannan St. www.somarts.org

Washed Up on the Potomac @ Custom Made Theatre World premiere of José Zayas’ play about D.C. proofreaders caught up in a possibly murderous scandal. $30. Thu 7pm, Fri & Sat 8pm. Sat 3pm. 533 Sutter St. 2nd floor. www.sfplayhouse.org

Fri 17 Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi The musical comedy revue celebrates its 43th year with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. $25-$160. Beer/wine served; cash only; 21+, except where noted. Wed-Fri 8pm. Sat 6pm & 9pm. Sun 2pm & 5pm. 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd. (Green St.). 421-4222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

Come Here Often? @ Exit Theatre Left Coast Theatre’s ensemblewritten and performed play set in a mythical Castro gay bar, where historic people visit for drinks and monologues. $16-$30. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun pm. Thru Aug. 18. 156 Eddy St. http://lctc-sf.org/

Each and Every Thing @ The Marsh Berkeley Dan Hoyle returns with his hit show about attempts to connect in a busy digital world. $25-$100. Thu & Fri 8pm, Sat 8:30pm. Thru Sept. 29. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. www.themarsh.org

Get Ghandi @ Z Below The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuit Collective’s production of Anne Galjour’s ‘seriously radical feminist comedy’ about celibacy, celebrity, sexual hypocrisies and more. $15-$25. Thru Aug. 26. 470 Florida St. www.zspace.org

One Life Stand @ The Marsh Berkeley A Modern Girl’s Guide to Enlightenment & Other Disorders, Alicia Dattner’s solo show about heteronormative dating, how to spot narcissists, and more. $20-$100. Fri 8pm, Sat 8:30pm, thru Sept. 29. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. www.themarsh.org

Sondheim: A Choral Celebration @ Phoenix Theatre A dozen singers perform classic musical theatre songs by Stephen Sondheim. $45. Thru Sept. 7. 414 Mason St. 6th floor. jbpresents.org

Urinetown: The Musical @ Rueff, Strand Theater Conservatory student production of Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis’ hit satirical musical about a town without pee-ty. $25-$38. Wed-Sat 7pm. Sat also 2pm. Thru Aug. 18. 1127 Market St. www.act-sf.org

Sun 19 A Guided Tour of Hell @ Asian Art Museum Pema Namdol Thaye’s A Guided Tour of Hell (thru Sept. 16), Traces of the Past and Future, Fu Shen’s painting and calligraphy, thru Sept. Free-$20. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. 200 Larkin St. asianart.org

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

Mon 20 Empowerment in Print @ GLBT History Museum Empowerment in Print: LGBTQ Activism, Pride & Lust, a mini-exhibit of periodicals from the collection. Angela Davis: OUTspoken, and Faces of the Past: Queer Lives in Northern California Before 1930, part of the Queer Past Becomes Present main exhibit. $5. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Dual exhibit of works by Marcela Pardo Ariza and Farah Al Qasimi, who explore queer representation and the depiction of women in the U.S. and Arab countries. Tue-Sat 11am-6pm. 401 Van Ness Ave. #126. www.sfartscommission.org

Mascara vs Cabellera @ Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts New group exhibit of vibrant works interpreting the world of Mexican wrestling culture. Thru Sept. 8. Also, Diez Fridas, intimate exhibit of interpretations on Frida Kahlo. Thru Sept. 5. Chin Kana Gallery, 3rd floor. Reg. hours Tue-Sat 10am5pm. 2868 Mission St. http://missionculturalcenter.org

Peter Hujar: Speed of Life @ BAM/PFA, Berkeley Exhibit of photos by the New York 1970s-’80s art/celebrity scene gay photographer who died of AIDS in 1987; thru Nov. 18. Also, Way Bay 2, thru Sept 2. Cecelia Vicuna: About to Happen, thru Nov. 18. Ongoing film series at the Pacific Film Archive. Berkeley Art Museum, Pacific Film Archive, 2155 Center St. Berkeley. www.bampfa.org

Wed 22 The Clyde Always Show @ The Marsh The Bard of the Lower Haight’s comic monologue solo show. $20$100. Wed, 8pm thru Aug. 29. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarsh.org

We Players’ performs Nick Medina and Ava Roy’s adaptation of Shakespseare’s Julius Caesar, with a circus theme, performed outdoors at the park’s museum area. $35-$65. Thu-Sun 5:30pm. Thru Sept. 30. Music Concourse Drive at Golden Gate Park. weplayers.org

Comeda es Medecina @ Galería de la Raza Group exhibit of works by artists focusing on the topic of food justice from Latinx, Chicanx, Central American, indigenous, and immigrant perspectives. 2857 24th St. www.galeriadelaraza.org

Proud of my Family @ Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose Fourth annual two-day festival of kid-friendly activities, music, games, Drag Queen storytime and more fun for LGBTQ families of all kinds. $15. 12pm-4pm. Also, Aug. 19. 180 Woz Way, San Jose. www.cdm.org

Fighting Back: Transgender Rights Activism @ LGBT Museum A panel of historians, veteran organizers and younger activists will highlight the struggle and selfdetermination found in transgender lives, politics and cultures and will discuss how this history can help inform today’s resistance movements. $5. 7pm-9pm. 4127 18th St. www.lgbthistory.org

Thu 23 Chasing the Thunder @ Cowell Theatre Special screening of the fascinating documentary about anti-poaching activists at sea; followed by a Q&A with Captain Paul Watson, Founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Adam Meyerson, Chief Officer on the Bob Barker for Ice Fish. $20-$50. 6pm-9pm. Fort Mason, 2 Marina Blvd. www.intloceanfilmfest.org

Latinx Queerness @ GLBT History Museum Discussion moderated by Orlando de la Garza, artist and curator of Intimate Aphorisms: An Anthology of Queer Latinx Narratives, a recent exhibition at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts. Panelists include photographer Fabian Echevarria, MCCLA gallery coordinator Angelica Rodriguez and performer Shane Zaldivar. $5. 7pm9pm. 4127 18th St. www.lgbthistory.org

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Nightlife Events>>

August 16-22, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

Piano Bar 101 @ Martuni’s

Gigante @ Port Bar, Oakland

Blackberri, KB Boyce, Mya Byrne @ El Rio

Sing-along night with talented locals, and charming accompanist Joe Wicht. 9pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market.

Juanita MORE! and DJ Frisco Robbie’s new weekly event, with Latin, Hip Hop and House music, gogo gals and guys, and a drag show. $5. 9pm-2am. 2023 Broadway, Oakland. portoakland.com

The accomplished LGBT local musicians share the night with song and instrumentals. 8pm. 3158 Mission St. http://www.elriosf.com/

Queeraoke @ El Rio

Drags and dance music with Power Top Ramen, PopTart. $5-$7. 10pm2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Tue 21 Gaymer Night @ Midnight Sun Weekly fun night of games (video, board and other) and cocktails. 8pm12am. 4067 18th St. http://www.midnightsunsf.com/

Sun 19

Naked Night @ Nob Hill Theatre

Katya Smirnoff-Skky with Ethel Merman @ Martuni’s

Katya Presents @ Martuni’s

Nightlife Events

From page 25

Strip down with the strippers at the clothing-optional night. $20. 9pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Stag @ Powerhouse

Big Gay Beer Bust @ The Cinch

Ethel Merman is the guest performer at the Russian opera diva’s monthly cabaret show at the intimate martini bar, with pianist Russell Deason. $13. 7pm. 4 Valencia St. www.russianoperadiva.com

Single, or a couple looking for an extra? Cruise it up. $5. 5pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Benefits and plenty of beer at the historic neighborhood bar. 3pm-7pm. 1723 Polk St. www.cinchsf.com

Sexy Good Time Wrestle Show @ Oasis East Bay’s Hoodslam flies into the ring with campy pro moves. $20. 3pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

The weekly new super (semi) secret sexy play party in the tradition of Truck Bar. 9pm-1am. https://www.facebook.com/ groups/1848132005238191/

Mon 20

Wed 22

Sun 19 Disco Daddy @ SF Eagle DJ Bus Station John’s groovy retro disco T-dance, post-beer bust. $5-$7. 7pm-2am. 398 12th St. sf-eagle.com

Flagging @ The Leather Hub Flaggers spin at the Sunday Streets event, with parts of Folsom street closed. 11am. sfleatherdistrict.org

Gaymer Meetup @ Brewcade

Help is on the Way XXIV @ Herbst Theater Star-studded concert and gala with Leslie Jordan, Donna McKecknie, Eric Krop, Kimberley Locke, Carole Cook, Jai Rodriguez, LeAnne Borghesi and many more talents; produced by REAF (Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation); proceeds benefit SF Meals on Wheels and AIDS Legal Referral Panel. $65-$175 and up. 5pm VIP reception and silent auction, 6pm reception, 7:30pm concert. 9:45 after-party with the cast. 401 Van Ness Ave. reaf-sf.org

The weekly LGBT video game enthusiast night includes big-screen games and signature beers, with a new remodeled layout, including an outdoor patio. No cover. 7pm-11pm. 2200 Market St. brewcadesf.com

Les Miserables Cast Members @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The talented touring actor-singers perform in a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. $19-$40 ($20 food/drink min.) 7pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Truck Tuesdays @ SoMa Location

Dulce de Leche and Rahni NothingMore, Beth Bicoastal, Ginger Snap and Thee Pristine Condition perform weekly, plus karaoke for queens. 9pm. 3158 Mission St. http://www.elriosf.com/

SF Drag King Contest @ Oasis 23rd annual talent-filled drag king show, created and hosted by Fudgie Frottage. See article this issue. $20$40. 8pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Thu 23

Cuir Exposure @ The Stud

Gym Class @ Hi Tops Enjoy whiskey shots from jockstrapped hotties and sexy sports videos at the popular sports bar. 10pm-2am. 2247 Market St. 5512500. www.HiTopsSF.com

The Monster Show @ The Edge The weekly drag show with host Sue Casa, DJ MC2, themed nights and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Todd Murray @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko

Aish @ Rickshaw Stop The local art-pop musician/artist performs his unusual music, on a bill with Dagmar, Whitney Tai, For Now and a Dario Slavazza DJ set. $10. 8pm. 155 Fell St. www.rickshawstop.com

The accomplished baritone performs classic standards with piano accompaniment. $22-$50 ($20 food/ drink min.) 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Bottoms Up Bingo @ Hi Tops Play board games and win offbeat prizes at the popular sports bar. 9pm. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Club 88 @ Flore New weekly piano bar sing-along night with alternating hosts Maria Konner, Kitten on the Keys and Alan Choy. 9pm-12am. 2298 Market St. www.flore415.com

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

Thu 23

Blackberri (and KB Boyce, Mya Byrne) @ El Rio

Shining Stars Steven

Photos by

Underhill

Ewe Betta Wurq @ Driftwood

J collective BAAAHS (Big Ass Amazingly Awesome Homosexual Sheep - www.facebook.com/BAAAHS.13), known for their gigantic sheep bus, held a fundraiser on August 9 for the annual BAAAHS trip to Burning Man. Mark O’Brien, John Major, plus Kelly Naughton and & Michael Romano of Driftwood’s Dudes and Disco, spun grooves at SoMa’s coolest stray bar (straight/gay; yes, that’s a thing).Visit Driftwood at 1225 Folsom St. www.driftwoodbarsf.com See plenty more photos on BARtab’s Facebook page, facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at StevenUnderhill.com.