August 22, 2019 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

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Vol. 49 • No. 34 • August 22-28, 2019

At City College, gay men helm the board by Mathew S. Bajko

Rick Gerharter

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, shown at the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club’s Pride breakfast in June.

Pelosi wants name off Shanti award by Meg Elison

ouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants her name taken off a Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Shanti Project as this year’s honoree is Dede Wilsey, a philanthropist who this summer hosted a re-election fundraiser for President Donald Trump. Shanti, which suffered last year when its fall gala was canceled due to the hotel workers’ strike and fundraising was moved online, is now under fire from agency clients over its decision to honor Wilsey. Pelosi’s (D-San Francisco) office told the Bay Area Reporter Wednesday that the speaker wanted her name removed from the award because it could “cast a partisan and political shadow on an occasion meant to celebrate Shanti’s compassionate care in our community and the recipient’s generous support of their work.” Kaushik Roy, Shanti’s executive director, told the B.A.R. that Pelosi, who is in town this week to attend the Democratic National Committee meeting and other events, cannot attend this year’s gala. She asked Shanti Tuesday to just call the recognition a “lifetime achievement award” without her name attached, which Roy said the agency will honor. Wilsey, who has been a generous donor to Shanti and its Pets Are Wonderful Support program, is slated to receive the award at the nonprofit’s Compassion is Universal gala in October. She received an award from PAWS at its 2016 fundraiser. An August 3 email invitation from Shanti still had the award named for Pelosi above Wilsey’s photo, as did its website as of Wednesday morning. Some people reacted to the announcement with the sentiment that Shanti, which provides practical support and other services to people living with HIV/AIDS and other illnesses, is out of step by recognizing someone who fundraised for Trump’s re-election. The president and his administration have struck blows against health care coverage for millions of Americans and devised rules for providers to allow refusal of care for LGBTQ people due to their religious beliefs. Local author Robert Strom expressed his outrage at the agency honoring Wilsey. See page 14 >>

ears ago, Alex Randolph and Tom Temprano both benefited from attending community colleges in Southern California, in San Diego and Ventura respectively, prior to enrolling at fouryear universities in the Bay Area. Today, they are leading one of the largest community colleges in the country. Earlier this year Randolph, 36, became president of the San Francisco City College Board of Trustees, while Temprano, 33, became vice president of the governing body. It is believed to mark the first time that the two leadership positions have been jointly held by gay trustees as well as by two millennials. (Shanell Williams, a bisexual woman, also serves on the board.) Ahead of the start of the fall semester, which began August 17, the Bay Area Reporter sat down with Randolph and Temprano to talk about the challenges they have faced leading the community college board, from addressing multimillion-dollar budget deficits and hiring a new college chancellor to implementing a free tuition program for full-time students paid for by the city. “For me personally, I’m excited to be here, because it’s not been an easy year at

Courtesy Facebook

Tom Temprano, left, and Alex Randolph smiled after their first City College of San Francisco board meeting as vice president and president, respectively.

City College, definitely, to take the presidency,” said Randolph, a former City Hall aide who now works for Uber handling policy and public affairs. “We have a lot of challenges that we still need to address and

are addressing. But I think we’ve made a lot of good progress toward achieving the goals the board has set.” Added Temprano, a legislative aide to gay See page 15 >>

Silicon Valley Pride to tout its diversity by Heather Cassell

he South Bay will tout its diversity and resistance at the 44th annual Silicon Valley Pride this weekend. This year’s theme is “Diversity in Action.” Pride festivities will take over Cesar Chavez Park in the heart of San Jose August 24-25. It’s expected that several thousand people will be celebrating. The weekend’s events will kick off Saturday with the Transgender and Friends Rally, followed by the Night Festival. The festival will turn back the clock 50 years with a disco-themed dance party in commemoration of the Stonewall riots, according to a July 1 news release from Silicon Valley Pride. The parade will step off at 10 a.m. Sunday from Market and Julian streets, winding through downtown San Jose toward the park. “I always look forward to the parade,” said Adrienne Keel, director of LGBTQ programs at the LGBTQ Youth Space, a program of Family and Children’s Services of Silicon Valley, which is a division of Caminar. “It’s cool to see allies on the sidelines and little kids waving Pride flags. It’s important for caretakers to show kids that there are all kinds of ways to exist. That is really meaningful to me.”

Still resisting

The celebration has added importance due to the political climate in the country and the 50th

Jo-Lynn Otto

Maribel Martínez, right, director of the Santa Clara County Office of LGBTQ Affairs, marched with the office’s contingent in the 2016 Silicon Valley Pride parade.

anniversary in June of the Stonewall riots in New York, which ignited the modern LGBT movement. Keel and Maribel Martínez, director of the Santa Clara County Office of LGBTQ Affairs, recognized the importance of this year’s Pride festivities, noting the underlying rebelliousness of Pride’s foundation in protests and resistance. “From Stonewall to 2019, the LGBTQ community has been fighting for equality, equity, and fairness. Especially, this year, with the recent wave of hate crimes, coming together is paramount to

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

the health of our community,” wrote Martínez, a 38-year-old indigenous queer woman of color, in a statement to the Bay Area Reporter. One of those incidents, while not designated as a hate crime, was the vandalism of the LGBTQ Youth Space’s drop-in center earlier this summer The space’s door and windows have since been repaired with the assistance of local businesses and community members. Cameras will soon be installed outside of the building and will operate only when the center is closed, Keel said. See page 14 >>

<< Back to School

2 • Bay Area Reporter • August 22-28, 2019

North Bay agency pilots LGBT youth program by Matthew S. Bajko

uring their junior year at Sonoma Valley High School José Valdivia joined the Gender Sexuality Awareness Club. At one of its meetings, a staffer from the nonprofit LGBTQ Connection came to talk to the high school students about its youth leadership teams. The program piqued the interest of Valdivia, who during their sophomore year in 2016 came out as queer and uses gender-neutral pronouns. They were interested in the chance to meet and work with other queer youth in the area on a project that would benefit the local LGBT community. The nine youth participants that semester landed on the idea to host a drag show and all-ages dance, which they called the Queer Rose Ball. Held at the Sonoma Valley Woman’s Club, the free event attracted more than 70 people. “We wanted to create an event for the community to come together for one night and be whoever you wanted to be, dance, and have fun. That was what the night was; it was amazing,” recalled Valdivia, 17, who this month began their freshman year at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania

Participants in a youth leadership team show off the Pride flag they were able to fly at Sonoma Valley High School that includes the campus’ dragon mascot. Holding up the flag, from left to right, are Maria Ramirez, Axel Sagrero, Itzel Montes, Maggie Castro, Michel Bernal, and José Valdivia.

where they are studying, as of now, comparative literature. “I think it was our first real marker of showing Sonoma that LGBTQ youth are here, we are organizing, and we are doing things.” Providing LGBTQ youth leadership skills is a primary goal of LGBTQ Connection, a program of the nonprofit On The Move that provides services in Napa and Sonoma counties. It launched the

youth leadership teams as a fiveyear pilot program in March 2017. It received a $1 million grant from the California Reducing Disparities Project, which is funded through the Mental Health Services Act, to launch the program and evaluate its results over the five years. To date, more than 850 youth have benefited from the initiative, either by taking part in planning various projects or attending the events.

One of 35 grantees across the state funded by the disparities project, six of which are focused on the LGBT community, the hope is that the various programs can serve as models for other agencies to replicate, explained Napa resident Ian Stanley Posadas, 41, a gay man who grew up in the wine country city and is the founding director of LGBTQ Connection. “The point of the project is not just to fund great work but to fund great work so it can be evaluated and so the models and learning from that work can be shared in other communities throughout California,” said Posadas. The agency offers the youth leadership teams at four locations in the North Bay counties. The main site is in Napa inside the VOICES Youth Center, with a second in Santa Rosa at a sibling youth center also called VOICES. The program is also offered in Calistoga on the Junior Senior High School campus. And the fourth location at the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley is in the process of being relocated to the Sonoma Valley High School campus. During both the fall and spring school semesters LGBTQ Connection recruits a cohort of youth, ages 14 to 24, for each of the four sites

who work together on a project to benefit their local LGBTQ community. It is up to the youth to decide what that project will entail. “Our staff person works with those youth to help them become a strong team and what is means to be a strong team working on issues important to them,” explained Posadas. “They do a project that leaves a lasting change in their community.” And hopefully also has a positive impact on the participants. Valdivia told the Bay Area Reporter that the program allowed them to take on leadership roles in their community, as they became president of their GSA club during their senior year of high school. And through the youth leadership project, they advocated to have a Pride flag bearing their school’s mascot, a dragon, be flown on campus this past May until the end of the school year.

Full circle

“It just felt like I had come full circle. Going into my freshman year I was a kid with so much anxiety, depression, and was so scared of being queer and at this high school. I was scared of being bullied, having already been bullied,” See page 11 >>

Castro eatery must end alcohol sales by Sari Staver

new Castro eatery has been ordered to stop serving alcohol because it doesn’t have a liquor license and authorities have launched a criminal investigation. Cook Shoppe, the restaurant at 215 Church Street that took over the space when longtime cafe Chow abruptly closed last winter, must stop serving alcohol until it receives a license from Alcoholic Beverage Control, the state agency that issues permits that allow businesses to sell alcoholic beverages. On August 16, ABC officials notified owner Mark White that the restaurant must immediately stop serving alcoholic beverages, following a complaint filed with the agency this month that the restaurant was serving alcohol without a license. In a telephone interview, White, a gay man, said he believed the dis-

Sari Staver

Cook Shoppe has been ordered to stop selling alcohol.

pute came about because of a “clerical error” in filing the application. White told the Bay Area Reporter that he hoped the dispute could be resolved “quickly” and that his at-

torney was handling the details. White, who moved to San Francisco from New York, is also working to open Gramercy Park, under construction at 216 Church Street,

where Crepevine used to be. But a spokesman for ABC said the issue was a bit more complicated. Justin Gebb, the ABC supervisor in charge of San Francisco and San Mateo counties, told the B.A.R. in a telephone interview that a new owner cannot start serving alcohol until the agency has approved their application. After the agency surrendered Chow’s license, a new owner had to start from scratch, he said. On Wednesday, Gebb said the agency has launched a criminal investigation into the matter. “A criminal investigation is underway,” Gebb said. “Until that is resolved, their application will remain in pending status.” Complicating the matter, said Gebb, was that two different people had filed “protests” that the license to serve beer and wine should not be granted. The agency has determined that both protests are

considered “valid” and must be resolved before a license can be issued. The protests could delay the approval for months, said Gebb. If the protesters withdrew their complaint, the license application could be issued “within weeks,” he said. If the restaurant owner believes that the dispute is “just a clerical error,” Gebb said, “I need to go out and talk to the owner about our process.” The protests were filed shortly after White submitted his application to ABC in May, Gebb said. White conceded that the protesters “have every right to be heard.” He said he knew who they were, but preferred to keep their identities confidential. In the meantime, Cook Shoppe is not allowed to serve alcoholic beverages and also cannot allow customers to bring their own bottles, said Gebb. t

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<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Reporter • August 22-28, 2019

Volume 49, Number 34 August 22-28, 2019 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Meg Elison CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Roger Brigham • Brian Bromberger Victoria A. Brownworth • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani • Dan Renzi Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone David Guarino • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Lois Pearlman • Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota Bob Roehr • Gregg Shapiro • Gwendolyn Smith Sari Staver • Tony Taylor • Charlie Wagner Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan • Fred Rowe Steven Underhil • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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Keeping Castro from complacency T

he recent mass shooting in nearby Gilroy, as well as the other incidents in El Paso, Texas; Dayton, Ohio; and many other cities, prompted us to gauge whether the Castro is prepared with safety plans for a violent emergency. The results were about what you’d expect: people are concerned but many don’t really know what they would do in an emergency. President Trump’s racist language encourages white supremacists and homophobes to take violent action, and like it or not, the Castro is a target. For decades, the neighborhood has been careful and vigilant to gay bashings and crime, but there was a new sense of vulnerability three years ago after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, where 49 people were killed and 53 others were injured. Just last week, a neo-Nazi was arrested in Las Vegas on suspicion of planning to blow up an LGBTQ club and a synagogue. Shootings at houses of worship are a major concern too, as folks at Congregation Sha’ar Zahav on Dolores Street noted. So, it was reassuring to report that the queer synagogue and groups like Castro Community on Patrol take safety seriously. We want residents, business owners, and their employees to be earnest about their safety too – and since our article was published, that seems to be the case. Greg Carey, chair of CCOP, has been working to spread his violence prevention message. Years ago, he told us, CCOP and the state Alcoholic Beverage Control agency held a training session for club owners on checking IDs and liquor over-pouring. It was well attended, Carey told us, and all these years later, he’s observed the sessions have stuck as the owners have continued to train their

employees. He’d like to organize something similar for violence prevention, not necessarily an active shooter drill, but some type of training utilizing the San Francisco Police Department that would teach club owners and workers how to spot someone casing the neighborhood, for example, because that can deter other potential incidents. CCOP is now working with gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, the new D8 safety coordinator, Jessica Closson, and the Castro Merchants group to develop various training options. Ken Craig, CCOP’s training director, has already started working with SFPD to develop a draft for training club security personnel. CCOP will also continue offering its civilian version of active shooter training sponsored by SFPD’s tactical unit if there are interested groups, Carey said. We support this endeavor and encourage businesses, houses of worship, and neighborhood groups to take advantage of the opportunity. “Training helps people develop a plan without needing to invent one on the spot,” Carey

said. “Knowing we already have a plan lets us take a controlled deep breath to give our mind time to take actions than can save ourselves and others.” Amanda Ripley, author of “The Unthinkable – Who Survives when Disaster Strikes – and Why,” offers important insights into how people without a plan react when a crisis happens: often, their “fight or flight” instinct is short-circuited by shock and terror; others freeze up and are unable to move to save their own lives. Stress and fear can cause severe time distortion, she noted. Carey said that an incident in the Castro involving a subject with a knife seemed to last for 30 minutes. Yet, when he reviewed the body-cam footage it showed police were there in four minutes. CCOP has scheduled a basic self-defense seminar at Strut, the men’s health center in the Castro, for October 8. CCOP, which is a volunteer group, has trained over 500 people in this course over the years. Its focus is on responding to stranger-danger, whether it is a street robbery or a person who seems intent on assault. It does touch on active shooters, but the basic content is about awareness, seeking assistance from others, and having an escape plan – which everyone should learn for their own personal safety. Mandelman told us that Trump’s hateful rhetoric places queers, people of color, immigrants, and others at heightened risk, and he explained that going back to 1978 when disgruntled ex-supervisor Dan White assassinated gay supervisor Harvey Milk, the LGBT community has been a potential target of gun violence. So, there’s nothing new here. Staying home, however, only gives the haters what they want: a society so fearful that normal daily life ceases. We will not give in to terrorists, foreign or domestic, and you shouldn’t either. But we should have a plan.t

Teachers’ unions on front line of LGBTQI equality fight by Jeff Freitas

“M

y name is Jeff Freitas, I am an American Federation of Teachers vice president, the president of the California Federation of Teachers, and I am a gay teacher.” This is how I introduced myself in July of this year when, acting in my capacity as a vice president of the American Federation of Teachers, I attended the Education International (EI) World Congress in Bangkok, Thailand. The EI is an organization of international education unions and the World Congress is the EI’s convention, held every four years. At this conference, I addressed my international union siblings in support of a resolution that answered the call to fight for LGBTQI rights. I did this because I believe that LGBTQI rights are human rights. I believe they are worker’s rights. And I believe that LGBTQI issues are critical to public education. In many ways, there has been steady progress in the arena of LGBTQI rights. But with a U.S. president who is increasingly hostile toward many marginalized groups – including LGBTQI communities – our fight is far from over. Previously, the Trump administration eliminated the ability of transgender people to serve in the military. And just this month, the administration proposed a new rule that would allow businesses who contract with the federal government to discriminate against their workers on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, and LGBTQI status, among other characteristics. Those businesses need only show “religious objections” to engage in such discrimination against classes for whom the labor movement and our allies have sought to ensure workplace protections. As trade unionists, one of our most important duties is to help eliminate discrimination and harassment in the workplace and support the rights of all workers. And as the recent Trump administration proposal shows, one of the biggest tar-

Jeff Freitas

gets of such mistreatment remains the LGBTQI community. Despite recent progress in visibility and legal protections, many LGBTQI students, educators, and support personnel still live in places that allow societal and/or employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender expression or identity. That is why the resolution passed by the Education International World Congress sought to “include LGBTI equality in all campaigns for the right to quality education for all children, young people, and adults.” And while the world stage is a critical place to raise these issues, we are equally committed to continuing this fight at home in California, in our school districts, and in our classrooms. For example, California was the first state to pass a law demanding the inclusion of LGBTQI history in social studies curriculum. The CFT was a strong supporter of this historic bill in 2011, called the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Act and

authored by gay then-state Senator Mark Leno, which incorporated not only LGBTQI history into public education curriculum, but ensured the inclusion of the history of a wide range of Americans, including Native Americans and individuals with disabilities. Since California passed this law in 2011, three other states have followed suit: Colorado, New Jersey, and, most recently, Illinois. This year we are supporting AB 493 by gay Assemblyman Todd Gloria (D-San Diego). This bill focuses on training at least once every two years for school employees to support LGBTQI students in California. The Human Rights Campaign and researchers at the University of Connecticut found among other items that 77% of LGBTQI teenagers surveyed report feeling depressed or down over the past week. Understanding these issues and the needs of all students is vital to making a safe and supportive environment for the students. The California Federation of Teachers has also been a strong partner of Equality California, an organization whose mission is to advocate for civil rights and social justice for members of California’s LGBTQI community. I currently serve as a board member of EQCA and helped to launch its survey on Safe and Supportive Schools, which asked K-12 unified school districts to respond to a range of LGBTQI practices and policies and specifically looked at the ways that districts are protecting LGBTQI students from bullying and violence and are serving at-risk students. As a longtime teacher and advocate for public education and education professionals, I have worked to ensure that our classrooms and campuses are free from discrimination and are safe and supportive environments for students and workers alike. At CFT, we will continue our important work to fight for diversity, equity, equality, and respect for all. t Jeff Freitas is president of the California Federation of Teachers.

Politics >>

August 22-28, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

At 19, gay school leader already has eyes on higher office

by Matthew S. Bajko

e has served less than a year on the San Leandro Unified School District Board of Education yet James Aguilar already has his sights on running for higher office. The gay 19-year-old has pulled papers to run for a state Assembly seat should it become open in 2022. If elected, Aguilar could become the first LGBT state legislator from the East Bay, as well as the youngest out member of the Legislature. In a recent interview with the Bay Area Reporter, Aguilar explained his reasoning for signaling his future political ambitions so soon after becoming a public official. In December, Aguilar joined the governing body for the school district after being appointed to his Area 6 seat last year since no one else filed to run for it. “I filed now because someone like me takes two to three years to mentally prepare, to network with people, to raise money, and to get my name out there,” said Aguilar, a sophomore this fall at SF State where he is studying political science and education. “I am young. I am only a school board member. I am just getting started in the political arena.” The likelihood is that Aguilar will have to wait until 2024 to seek a legislative seat. Currently, San Leandro falls within the boundaries of the 18th Assembly District, held by Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland). The city’s continued inclusion in the district will depend on the results of the 2020 census, which will determine legislative boundaries. Aguilar doesn’t expect the district boundaries for the Assembly seat to change much, if at all, due to the new census figures. As for Bonta, whom Aguilar interned for over the summer, he is not termed out of his Assembly seat until 2024. At the moment, Bonta is focused on seeking re-election in 2020. Should he run in 2022 for a final two-year term in the Assembly then Aguilar would seek re-election to his school board seat that November and wait until Bonta leaves office to run to succeed him. Aguilar is a product of the Assembly district, having grown up and attended public elementary and middle schools in Oakland. Six years ago his family relocated to San Leandro in search of better housing, he said. But he ended up attending high school in San Lorenzo, since it was

Courtesy James Aguilar

Glenna Wurm-Hayenga administered the oath of office to San Leandro Unified School District Trustee James Aguilar. She was his American Sign Language and leadership teacher at San Lorenzo High School.

closer to his home and that school district also serves a portion of San Leandro. Aguilar went on to become student body president of his high school and served as the student representative on the board for the San Lorenzo Unified School District. Due to his duties as a San Leandro school board member, Aguilar must reside at home and can’t live on campus at SF State. He has arranged his class schedule around his school board meetings and commutes to the college Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. “Being on the school board legally binds me to San Leandro. I wish I had my own place,” said Aguilar, who shares a one-bedroom apartment with his parents, older brother, and 7-year-old niece. His interest in serving in the Legislature mirrors why he sought his school board seat, said Aguilar, to fix what he considers to be California’s broken public education system. “We are the fifth largest economy in the world and we are among the top 10 states in America when it comes to per capita prison spending. And we are the 41st state in per pupil spending for public schools. That is ridiculous,” he said. “Our school districts don’t have the resources to fully fund special education or revitalize their facilities.” In addition to being a voice for school issues in the state Legislature, Aguilar said he would push measures to address California’s high housing costs, which impact teachers across the state, and climate change. “I love my state. I want to be part

of the change for future generations,” he said. Since joining the school board Aguilar has pushed the district to be more inclusive with the terminology it uses. He successfully advocated that its Latino Achievement Night be called Latino/Latina Achievement Night and plans to continue to push for it to use Latinx. “I want to make sure our students feel welcome and they don’t feel necessarily disenfranchised,” said Aguilar, who self describes as Latinx. He would also like his school district to follow Berkeley’s lead in doing away with gender-specific terminology altogether. At its August 6 meeting the school board asked the staff to include the idea in its deliberations over a new strategic plan it will be adopting. “At the very least I got discussion about it,” said Aguilar, who has begun talking to the district superintendent about instituting such a policy. San Leandro Unified was one of the districts that did not take part in the school report card on LGBT issues that Equality California released for the first time this year. The deadline for it to do so was prior to Aguilar’s joining the board, and he told the B.A.R. he will work to ensure it takes part in the next one. “I wouldn’t see any problem with us participating in the future,” said Aguilar, noting that the San Leandro district was the first to have a contingent in the annual San Francisco Pride parade. See page 14 >>

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Letters >> More LGBTs needed in Congress

Your article about Carl DeMaio’s run for Congress prompted me to do some research [“Gay GOPer seeks CA House seat” item in Political Notebook titled, “Lesbian California Senate candidate aims to make history,” August 8]. Currently there are only 10 LGBT people in Congress, out of 535 in both houses. This is only 1.8% of members. According to biologist and sexologist Alfred Kinsey and other researchers, we are 10% of the U.S. population. We deserve 10% of the seats. Both major parties need to be pressured by our community to nominate, and elect, more LGBT members to Congress. Arlo Hale Smith San Francisco

Omar is a hypocrite

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) is a fraud and a hypocrite. It seems the rights of LGBT Palestinians are a “distraction.” Omar won’t come out and condemn a decision this week by the Palestinian Authority to ban LGBT activities. The Palestinian Authority announced that it would not allow an LGBTQ group to hold a demonstration, and called their activities “harmful to the higher values and ideals of Palestinian society.” It appears the only people in the Middle East Omar is willing to criticize are Israelis. She tweeted very dismissively about the silencing of the LGBTQ group, saying,

“Pretending that this act somehow balances or mitigates Israel violating the dignity & rights of Palestinians – or undermines case for defending Palestinian rights – is deplorable!” She referred to the criticism as a mere distraction. “LGBTQ rights are human rights and we should condemn any effort to infringe upon them. But we should also condemn any effort to equate this with the occupation or use this as a distraction,” Omar said. LGBTQ people are being silenced, tortured, and murdered in Gaza and in many places in the Middle East, with the notable exception of Israel. I guess that’s not important. Omar has been among the most vocal members of Congress against Israel and in favor of the Palestinian cause. She has also been an advocate for LGBTQ causes, but apparently that takes a back seat to her animosity against Israel. Her canceled trip last week to Israel was sponsored by Miftah, a group that has published antiSemitic and white nationalist propaganda, according to media reports. I am sick of the love affair the left wing of the Democratic Party has with her. I hold her accountable for her myopic fixation on Israel at the expense of all other human rights violators across the world. She is a fair-weather friend. Joseph Barrett Oakland, California

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<< Back to School

6 • Bay Area Reporter • August 22-28, 2019

Rabbi is queering religion at Jesuit university by Meg Elison

he University of San Francisco has appointed its first-ever rabbi in residence. Rabbi Camille Shira Angel accepted the position at the 164-year-old Jesuit institution early this month. She sat down with the Bay Area Reporter last week to discuss being a rabbi, an out lesbian, and what it means to “publicize the miracle.” Angel’s office is in the University Ministry Building, as that body partially supports her position. However, the majority of the funding for her residence comes from the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social

Justice, and she mentioned that first. “I’m here thanks entirely to the financial generosity of the Swig program and that family of benefactors. I used to go to Camp Swig! Swig gave me my Jewish identity, so being the Swig rabbi in residence has a great deal of meaning for me,” Angel said. The Swig family is known across the Bay Area for its philanthropy, turning Manhattan and San Francisco real estate money into the Jewish Studies and Social Justice program at USF, among other endeavors. Camp Swig was one such offering until it was sold in 1998, moved to Camp Newman, and ultimately destroyed by wildfire in 2017.

Angel comes from an impressive background. As a ninth-generation rabbi, she made her name as a senior rabbi for 15 years at Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, the Bay Area’s flagship queer synagogue. After that, Angel spent two years at the private Brandeis School in San Francisco, teaching social studies and Holocaust studies classes. The rabbi has been partnered for five years to Wendy Brummer, a program manager for Pacific Gas & Electric Company. Angel has one child from a previous marriage. Now, she’s the first-ever rabbi in residence for the prominent Catholic university, where she’s on a mission in

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queering religious studies for a diverse group of students every semester. Aaron Hahn Tapper (brother to CNN’s Jake Tapper), director of the Swig program, asked Angel to teach a class on LGBTQIA+ religion, and suggested that she use the word ‘queer’ in the class description, she recalled. “There’s no other class on campus that has that word in its title, and he figured it would be popular,” Angel said. Hahn Tapper confirmed that the class had been his idea. He also expressed his support of Angel. “I have seen her work tirelessly in supporting USF students no matter their identities (Jewish, non-Jewish, queer, non-queer, etc.). She is a rabbi for the people, not for Jews only. And her passion with our students continuously energizes me to mirror such divine work,” he wrote in an email. Angel said the word “queer” has been a difficult one for many people over the years, including herself. “The first assignment is to tell my students to figure out how to explain to their parents or a future employer why they took this class, why it’s on their transcripts,” Angel said. One of her straight students told his Texan Pentecostal mother that he was taking a class in queering religion; her response was to ask whether he was trying to come out to her. Angel said that the student explained he was trying to learn to relate to people he had been brought up to think of as “other.” “At the same time, I want to locate that word in its awful history,” Angel, 54, said, focusing for a moment on the word “queer.” Angel herself is a lesbian and prefers that word to a more general term. However, she recognizes that younger generations prefer a less strict view of their own identity, in many cases. Angel said that she associated the word “queer” with gay bashing incidents in the city’s history. “When I started at Sha’ar Zahav, I was told ‘you cannot use the word ‘queer’ from the pulpit,’” she said. “But within just a few years, younger people in the congregation told me that was their word. A younger generation is reclaiming that word. “Not all of my students in this class are queer-identified,” Angel said, stressing that for many of her students, her teachings are the first positive experience they have at the intersection of queerness and religion. “Many of my students come in with tremendous church hurt. The Human Rights Campaign has done some really great studies that show bisexual youth and Latinx youth, and what you can see that inevitably, the rates of suicidal thinking and mental health challenges are far higher for LGBTQ youth. Something like 70% of both groups have been hurt by a message from their faith community or a representative of their faith tradition,” Angel said, referring to HRC’s “Growing Up LGBT” and “Latino LGBT Youth” reports. She said that she also learns from her students. “Students bring in big learnings for me about indigenous contexts for gender and sexuality that existed before colonization,” Angel said. “I can point to that within Judaism, in the Talmudic texts canonized in the fifth century. There’s a variety of gender addressed, but it took until the late 20th and early 21st century for our indigenous stories about gender [to emerge]. They’ve been buried.” The rabbi said that these writings were suppressed and only rediscovered by young trans students and scholars, mentioning that there are currently four trans rabbis that she knows in the Bay Area. Angel will teach “Queering Religion” for the next two terms at USF. She has been teaching there since 2017. Angel is not sure how long her residency will last. When asked whether the funding provided for a year or

Meg Elison

Rabbi Camille Shira Angel stands in her office at the University of San Francisco, where she is the first rabbi in residence.

more, she said that no limit has been placed on her position as yet. “The idea is that I’m going to be here, god willing, for many years to come. I’m hoping to be here for the rest of my working career,” she said.

Unusual job

However, her position is an unusual one. Angel opened up about what it’s like to be both very visibly Jewish and visibly lesbian on a Catholic campus. “I’ve had nothing but a warm welcome,” she said. “For me to be here, in one of the greatest cities in the world, contributing to Catholic-Jewish dialogue, is really exciting.” “I’m not the only professor here who opens their classes with people stating their pronouns,” she said with some satisfaction. “I’m seeing a lot of them adding their own to their email signatures.” Angel allowed that the fight for gender-neutral restrooms on campus has been a contentious one. At a recent gathering for new faculty held in the Gleeson Library at USF, she had the opportunity to confront resistance to that idea head-on. Despite the updated signage indicating the all-gender status of the restrooms, Angel said the speaker informed the crowd of the locations of the men’s and women’s bathrooms. “So at the first opportunity, I went to him,” Angel recalled. “He had given us something to read that was a letter to [the late gay African American author] James Baldwin from his uncle. A beautiful piece of literature I had not encountered before. There’s this phrase in it about ‘an upheaval to our reality.’ I said to him that this nonconforming and breaking the binary of gender is just that: an upheaval to our reality. I wanted to introduce to him the notion that when you let us know at the beginning of our day that there was a men’s room and a women’s room, he would do better in the future to say that we have an allgender bathroom.” Angel was very careful in delivering anything like criticism. “We have these great policies. But the implementation of our great policies requires each of us to walk the walk”, she noted. When asked how the speaker, who she did not name, received that tip, she said, “I don’t think he liked that.” While the rabbi plans to walk the walk, she was also aware of the symbolic power of her very visible presence in such an unexpected place. “Sometimes I think I should be publicizing simply the miracle of being Jewish on a Catholic campus,” she said, looking at her office’s wealth of rainbow-colored artwork and a miniature of Michelangelo’s statue of Moses where the Jewish prophet is depicted with horns. Angel pointed out a brass menorah sitting in the window of her sunny office. She explained that in the Jewish tradition, it is not enough to simply light the candles as part of the ceremony, but that it must be a public act that is displayed to the community. t

Community News>>

August 22-28, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

Life at San Francisco Towers is everything you love about the city and more. It’s a smart, sophisticated, inclusive senior community. Stay involved in your favorite activities. Enjoy the conveniences of a Life Plan Community. And experience the peace of mind that comes with planning for the future now. For singles or couples, San Francisco Towers is the welcome you’ve been looking for.

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The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will be recognized by Glide with a Legacy Award.

Glide to honor Sisters drag troupe compiled by Cynthia Laird

he Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will be honored by Glide at the 10th anniversary of its Legacy Gala Saturday, September 7, from 8 p.m. to midnight at August Hall, 420 Mason Street in San Francisco. The Sisters will receive the Reverend Cecil Williams Legacy Award for their devotion to community service, ministry to those on the edges, efforts in promoting human rights, and respect for diversity and spiritual enlightenment, according to a news release. Joining young activists and philanthropists at the event will be Williams and his wife, Janice Mirikitani, cofounders of Glide, and Karen Hanrahan, Glide president and CEO. The evening benefits Glide’s social programs and is geared toward young professionals. About 800 people are expected. The Sisters said they were honored and proud. “Being recognized by this amazing organization is one of the highlights of our 40-year history,” Sister Roma wrote on Twitter. Mpumi Nobiva, an international speaker and graduate of the first class of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, will receive the Legacy Award named for Mirikitani. Nobiva currently serves on the board of the academy and does advocacy work on domestic violence and HIV/AIDS in South Africa. “It is inspiring to see this young generation of philanthropists supporting Glide,” Hanrahan said in the release. “We are building on our 50-plus-year history to create a new generation of services to help those in crisis and poverty, and the support that Glide receives from the Legacy Gala ... will help us meet those goals.” The gala will feature entertainment from the Glide Ensemble and The Change Band, with beats by DJ King Most. There will be on-site poems by Ars Poetica. General admission tickets are $100, which includes the reception, dancing, and concert with hosted bar until 10 p.m. VIP tickets at $190 include a meet and greet with Williams, Mirikitani, and Hanrahan from 7 to 8 p.m., special access to VIP areas, and premium access to specialty cocktails and small bites. For tickets, visit https://www.glide. org/events/legacygala/. Glide is part of the Methodist church of the same name and has a separate foundation. It has filed suit against its parent United Methodist Church, which has attempted to take it over. The foundation and the church continue to operate as they have been, providing food, social services, and worship services. The foundation is located at 434 Ellis Street; the church is located at 330 Ellis Street. For more information, visit www.glide.org.

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Free Due South concert

San Francisco Parks Alliance is one of several entities promoting Due South, a free concert series at Jerry Garcia Amphitheatre in San Francisco’s McLaren Park, 100 John F. Shelley Drive. The first concert is Saturday, August 24, and features the Mexican Institute of Sound and Helado Negro. The second concert takes place Saturday, September 7, with headliners Giraffage and Astronautica. Both take place from 2 to 6 p.m. There will be food and beverages available for purchase. In addition to the Parks Alliance, District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, and Noise Pop are co-sponsoring the concerts. All Parks Alliance members are eligible to receive one free drink ticket at the event and discounted reserved seating. For a full schedule, visit https://dothebay.com/due-south.

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Open house for Castro Market Street project

San Francisco Public Works, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and the San Francisco Planning Department will hold an open house to discuss the city’s proposed Better Market Street Project and its impacts on the Castro/ Upper Market Street area. The meeting takes place Tuesday, August 27, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Sanchez Elementary School, 325 Sanchez Street (between 16th and 17th streets). Castro Merchants President Masood Samereie wrote in an email to members that of particular concern will be additional vehicle restrictions on Market Street between Octavia Boulevard and east to Hayes Street. Under the design alternative, private vehicles from the Castro would not be allowed eastbound on Market Street between 12th Street, Van Ness Avenue, and 11th Street and (existing restrictions) farther east; and westbound from downtown to Franklin Street. Commercial vehicles would not be allowed westbound on Market Street from Hayes to Franklin streets. The meeting will include a brief presentation followed by an opportunity for attendees to see details on display boards and ask questions. Samereie wrote that while the plan has been in the works for nine years, there was only minimal community outreach by the city until recently. It is now moving to final public comment and approval phases. More information on the Better Market Street Project is available at http://www.bettermarketstreetsf.org/. See page 15 >>

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<< Queer Reading

8 • Bay Area Reporter • August 22-28, 2019

UCSF doc pens bestseller on aging by Sari Staver

hile aging presents challenges for everyone, LGBT people who plan to grow old in San Francisco will have more than their share of obstacles. That was one of the predictions of geriatrician Dr. Louise Aronson, professor of medicine at UCSF and the author of the New York Times bestseller “Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life,” published by Bloomsbury in June. In a recent interview with the Bay Area Reporter at her office on the UCSF campus, Aronson, a 55-yearold lesbian, offered her perspective on aging, based on both her personal and professional life in the city. A graduate of Harvard Medical School and the master’s of fine arts program for writers at Warren Wilson College, a private liberal arts school in Swannanoa, North Carolina, Aronson has helped her parents, as well as thousands of elderly patients she has seen in her practice, to navigate the complicated issues that arise later in life. The problem, said Aronson, is that society “has turned old age into a dis-

ease ... a condition to be dreaded, disparaged, neglected, and denied.” With modern increases in lifespan, the period she calls “elderhood” – the third and final stage after childhood and adulthood – may now span 40 years of people’s lives, or more. To deal with the adjustments people must make to cope with the changes physically and intellectually after age 60 (the age Aronson defines as the beginning of elderhood), people must change their attitudes to see elderhood not as an ending or decline, but “as yet another stage of life with its hardships and challenges” as well as “opportunities and joys.” Aronson urged people to re-examine the meaning of aging and to “reframe our later decades to better prepare for and thrive” in those final years, she said. For those living in San Francisco, several realities will make life more difficult, she conceded. In addition to the astronomical cost of living in the city, few of the homes and apartments were built to meet the needs of the elderly. Often two- and threestory residences built into the side of a hill are difficult to navigate for people with mobility issues, she said. Cities like New York and Chicago, filled with

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Sari Staver

Geriatrician and author Dr. Louise Aronson

elevator buildings without steps, can better accommodate the elderly. In San Francisco, people who can afford to stay because they live in a moderately priced rent-controlled apartment still have challenges, she said. “I’ve seen elderly patients in walkup rent-controlled apartments that they won’t leave because it’s all they can afford,” Aronson said, adding that often, they become homebound because they can’t navigate the stairs. Housing geared for the elderly is rare here, she said. “We don’t have nearly the number” of affordable housing units for senior citizens, Aronson explained. And when it comes to housing for LGBT elders, the problem is even worse, she said. While giving high praise to Openhouse, the agency that offers housing and community programs for LGBT seniors, Aronson said that the waiting list for housing “is very long.” As the B.A.R. recently reported, the last tenants are moving into Openhouse’s new affordable apartments for seniors at 95 Laguna Street this month. The new $40 million building includes 79 units of housing, and more than 1,300 people applied. (Fifteen of the units were designated for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and another six went to people living with HIV/AIDS.) The agency’s first phase of the project at 55 Laguna opened in 2016 and saw a former college building remodeled into 40 housing units and the Bob Ross LGBT Senior Center, named for the B.A.R.’s founding publisher. Karen Skultety, Ph.D., a bisexual woman who is Openhouse’s executive

director, previously told the B.A.R. that the agency is open to having conversations around more LGBT senior housing. But officials from Mercy Housing, which developed the Openhouse projects, said there are currently no LGBT-specific senior housing projects in its pipeline. (The Openhouse units aren’t specifically for LGBTs but the agency expects a majority of the residents at 95 Laguna will identify as such.) “Openhouse is fantastic,” Aronson said. “but we need more services” like those offered there. Senior housing for LGBT people is important, she said, because of the history of discrimination faced by the current generation of baby boomers entering elderhood. What’s more, Aronson said, LGBT people have a higher rate of chronic diseases, in part because of the stress of being in a marginalized group, which can lead to accelerated aging. In addition, LGBT people are less likely to have children, who can often provide support for aging parents as well as housing options.

Fragmented care

When Aronson works with elderly patients facing serious illnesses, she tries to talk with them about planning for end-of-life care, an area that can be fraught with anxiety. While a number of studies have indicated that people “say they want to age at home,” that choice will work best for people who have outside social support that can “get them out of the house and socializing” with others, she noted. “Isolation” becomes a real problem, Aronson said. Because such a small percentage of people are able to see a physician who

is trained to deal with elderly patients, care is often fragmented. “There are specialists for children and adults but very few for the elderly,” Aronson said, recommending that people who want to find a geriatrician look for a physician who is “board certified and fellowship trained,” referring to passing specialty exams after completing an accredited training program. “There are lots of doctors who call themselves geriatricians” after being grandfathered into the specialty, she said. Few graduating medical students are interested in a career in geriatrics, Aronson said, leaving lots of unfilled positions in graduate training programs. “Pediatrics fills up quickly,” she said, while slots for geriatric trainees remain unfilled. The medical community is subject to the same attitudes and prejudices as the general population, she said. “Dealing with the elderly has a bad rap,” Aronson said. She decided to specialize in geriatrics when she was a medical student. “I really, really like working with elders,” Aronson said. “It is fascinating to hear their perspective of life and it’s a field where I believe I can put my training to good use.” Both of Aronson’s parents developed successful “encore careers,” perhaps adding to her optimism that elders can find new and satisfying opportunities after retirement. Her dad, previously in management at a manufacturing company, started a business that helped people to locate hard-tofind products. And her mom, who had worked as a fundraiser, launched a startup that did research to provide data to foundations to help them decide where to donate their funds. “The key is to have a plan,” Aronson said. In her clinic visits with patients, Aronson said that she tries to help people “figure out their priorities” for the coming years and then “try to figure out what’s possible.” As for herself, married without children, the future looks bright. As an academic physician with a writing career on the side, Aronson said she has “absolutely no plans to retire.” (She did not respond to an email asking her spouse’s name.) “A person’s attitude about aging is so important,” she said. “If you believe those years can be good, and if you’re socially engaged and physically active, elderhood can be and often is the happiest time of your life.” t “Elderhood” can be purchased at bookstores or online.

Finn Town to become private event space by Sari Staver

inn Town, the “tavern with a twist” in the Castro, will close its doors as a full service restaurant Sunday, August 25, and become a private event space next month. In a Facebook note Tuesday to friends and family, owner Rick Hamer urged people to stop by in the next few days so they can “choose to celebrate that we were here rather than lament what could have been.” Starting September 3, Finn Town, located at 2251 Market Street, will become a private event and party space, Hamer wrote. “We have space for professionals looking to do a pop-up event and amateur chefs seeking to impress their friends with their cooking abilities in an inviting setting with a full

Courtesy Finn Town

Finn Town in the Castro will close August 25 and reopen next month as a private event and party space.

bar,” with professional help available, he wrote. Caterers and artisan food producers are also welcome to rent the kitchen, which has a full baking and pastry station, he added. Hamer, whose effusive personal-

ity became part of the Finn Town experience as he greeted friends with a hug, said he wanted to thank customers “from the bottom of our heart for all the support and love See page 11 >>

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<< Election 2020

t Harsh reaction to Log Cabin’s Trump endorsement 10 • Bay Area Reporter • August 22-28, 2019

by Lisa Keen

og Cabin Republicans, the national gay Republican group, made a big splash August 15 when it published an opinion piece in the Washington Post announcing its decision to endorse President Donald Trump for re-election. The reaction was nothing like an endof-the-summer pool party. In the “Comments” section under the endorsement article, readers characterized the endorsement as equivalent to “Chickens for McNuggets” and “Jews for Hitler.” Charles Moran, a gay man who was a Trump delegate to the 2016 convention and who is on the Log Cabin board, serving as its spokesman, said the response to the endorsement “has been what was expected.” “Our chapters are thrilled – they wanted this overwhelmingly, so this really is of benefit for them,” said Moran. And “the left, especially the gay left, is apoplectic.” Gay blogger Andy Towle, at www.Towleroad.com, called the endorsement “delusional.” Earl Fowlkes, chairman of the Democratic National Committee’s LGBT Caucus, said he couldn’t understand “how an LGBTQ organization of any kind can support an individual who has consistently shown a disregard for the rights of LGBTQ Americans.” But it was not just the left criticizing the endorsement. Gay former Representative Jim Kolbe (RArizona) and Log Cabin founder Rich Tafel do not support the move. “While I find President Trump’s positions on LGBTQ issues to be mixed, he would get as many poor marks as good ones, including the ban on transgenders in the military,” said Kolbe. He said he “regrets

very much that they have taken this position, especially so early in the campaign.” Tafel said, “I just don’t think Trump’s a good leader and he’s not a conservative.” Locally, the San Francisco Log Cabin chapter said it endorsed Trump in June. “Log Cabin Republicans of San Francisco is proud to have endorsed President Trump at our membership meeting on June 26, 2019 in front of California Republican National Committeeman Shawn Steel,” the board wrote in a statement to the Bay Area Reporter. “During the meeting, Mr. Steel was presented with a letter from Log Cabin California Chairman Matthew Craffey announcing the unanimous endorsement of the 11 other California Log Cabin chapters. The first Log Cabin Chapter in America is proud to be leading the nation in the support of President Trump’s re-election.” The timing of the endorsement was both unusual and unfortunate for the group. In the past, Log Cabin’s board has put off endorsing a candidate until very close to the convention. In 2016, it put the endorsement vote off until just two weeks before the election (and it voted to “withhold” endorsing Trump). This year, it’s taken the vote 10 months ahead of the Republican convention. And the endorsement arrived between two high profile moves by the Trump administration to take stands against LGBT equality – one in a Supreme Court case, the other in a federal contractor regulation. “It takes a certain level of perverse chutzpah, or a certain level of confidence in your gaslighting abilities, to claim that President

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“I just don’t think Trump’s a good leader and he’s not a conservative.” –Rich Tafel, founder, Log Cabin Republicans

Trump is good for LGBTQ people in the same week that the Trump administration moved to let federal contractors use ‘religious exemptions’ as an excuse to discriminate against LGBTQ Americans in the workplace,” wrote Daily Beast senior editor Tim Teeman. On the same day the endorsement article ran in the Post, the U.S. Department of Labor published a proposed rule change in the Federal Register, saying it would “clarify” the civil rights protections for “religious organizations” that enter into contracts with the federal government. The change would allow contractors to “prefer” hiring people “who share their religion” and to “condition employment on acceptance of or adherence to religious tenets as understood by” the employer. LGBT legal organizations say the proposed change gives a “green light” to employers wishing to discriminate against LGBT people. On the day after the endorsement ran, Solicitor General Noel Francisco submitted a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that the justices should rule that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act does not prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. The court will hear arguments on the case, Harris Funeral Homes v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in October.

Trump’s anti-LGBT positions run deep

Most critics of the endorsement cited one or more of the many other actions the Trump administration has taken that have appeared to undermine equal treatment of LGBT people. In July 2017, Trump tweeted he was barring trans people from serving openly in the military. His administration has withdrawn Obama-era guidance from the departments of Education and Health and Human Services that had sought to eliminate discrimination against LGBT people. It instructed the U.S. Census Bureau to remove any mention of LGBT people on upcoming surveys and instructed all departments to remove barriers to employers using “religious” or “moral” reasons for gender-based discrimination. The Department of Justice has put the Trump administration on the side of employers who discriminate against LGBT people in several cases and sought waivers for states to discriminate against LGBT people

in foster care. The Log Cabin endorsement essay makes only brief reference to these actions. “While we do not agree with every policy or platform position presented by the White House or the Republican Party,” stated the endorsement, “we share a commitment to individual responsibility, personal freedom, and a strong national defense. ... We are committed to letting all qualified Americans serve in the military, and Log Cabin Republicans was a leader in the legal fight to end the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. We oppose the transgender service restriction and will continue to press the administration to reconsider.” “To be treated equally, fairly, and justly under the law is our goal, and we know that ‘Inclusion Wins’ is a mantra we share with the president,” concluded the essay. “The Log Cabin Republicans endorse Donald Trump for re-election as president.” The endorsement essay was bylined by Log Cabin Republicans’ national board chairman Robert Kabel and Vice Chair Jill Homan. Kabel is an attorney who served as a special assistant to President Ronald Reagan and was appointed to the White House HIV Advisory Board by President George W. Bush. Homan is a member of the Republican National Committee’s executive committee. Both live in Washington, D.C., and both served on the Republican National Committee’s Rules Committee at the 2016 convention that nominated Trump. According to Kabel and Homan’s essay, Trump has taken “bold actions that benefit the LGBTQ community.” The endorsement credits Trump with having “committed to end the spread of HIV/AIDS in 10 years,” using U.S. influence to “persuade other nations to adopt modern human rights standards,” and “launching an initiative to end the criminalization of homosexuality” in other countries. It applauds the president for having appointed gay diplomat Richard Grenell as ambassador to Germany and says Trump has appointed “many LGBTQ” people to serve in his administration. The Log Cabin news release announcing the endorsement said the Log Cabin board consulted with more than 50 chapters in 21 states before voting for the en-

dorsement. Spokesman Moran said the group also had “multiple meetings with senior campaign officials at HQ in Arlington before we started this process, and they were enthusiastic.” “Throughout this process, they were welcoming of our support, were desiring of our endorsement, and offered technical assistance if needed,” said Moran. After the endorsement, he said the group received “shares, retweets and kind words from the highest levels of the RNC and Trump campaign.” This week, Trump boasted of the endorsement during a press gaggle. “Well you know I just got an award and an endorsement yesterday from the exact group. You saw that,” Trump said, according to Think Progress, referring to the Log Cabin Republican endorsement that was in fact from last week. “They gave me the endorsement yesterday, and I was very honored. Log Cabin. The Log Cabin group. And I was very honored to receive it.” The president was responding to a question from the Washington Blade about whether Trump was OK with the way his administration has made it easier to discriminate against LGBTQ workers; Trump ignored the question. The Republican National Committee made no mention of the endorsement on its website, but RNC Chairman Ronna McDaniel did retweet the Post article on her Twitter site. Dan Innis, a gay Republican and former state senator in New Hampshire, said he hopes the endorsement will “keep the issues of the GLBT community front and center in [President Trump’s] policy decisions.” “I was a strong advocate for the endorsement,” said Innis. “While no one agrees with everything a president does, President Trump has been steady in a number of areas that are important to me. Overall, I think he is supportive of our community.” But Casey Pick, a former program director for Log Cabin, expressed shame over the endorsement. “I know personally the calculations that go into Log Cabin’s decision of whether or not to endorse a presidential candidate,” wrote Pick in an essay posted on her Facebook page. “I saw the aftermath of rejecting George W. Bush, I was part of the process leading to the endorsement of John McCain ... and mine was the hand that wrote the announcement and explanation of our endorsement of Mitt Romney in 2012.” In the Romney endorsement, wrote Pick, “we did not sugarcoat the candidate’s flaws; we acknowledged that we were coldly weighing the benefits of having a conservative we felt we could work with in office against our calculation that the Federal Marriage Amendment he had supported was no longer a threat, and making a call that would have allowed us to be a voice of influence on behalf of LGBT people if Romney were to have won. “I am not ashamed to have written that [Romney] endorsement,” wrote Pick. “I am convinced that the board of directors of today’s Log Cabin Republicans should be ashamed to have put their names on this one.” Tafel, who founded the national Log Cabin group in the 1990s, said, “We often think that polarization is between the left and right, but when you get into the conservative movement, there are huge divisions over this president. This endorsement is a good example.” t

Election 2020 >>

August 22-28, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

Buttigieg outraises 2020 Dems in LGBT areas by Lisa Keen

his may not be a surprise, but it is news: Gay presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has outraised his Democratic competitors in most heavily LGBT neighborhoods around the country. And he is now the third largest fundraiser among the 23 major candidates for the Democratic nomination. But the data, and an examination of who has given money, suggests that the LGBT community is keeping significant support behind other major Democratic presidential candidates and that the community’s potential has much room for growth. According to Federal Elections Commission’s reports through the second quarter (June 30), Buttigieg had raised $32 million, behind Senators Bernie Sanders (with $46 million) and Elizabeth Warren ($35 million). An analysis of dollars to Democratic candidates in 40 ZIP codes known to have heavily LGBT populations indicates that Buttigieg raked in 38% of the total dollars. He was followed by Senator Kamala Harris (with 22%), Warren (18%), Sanders (13%), and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. (9%). Contributions in ZIP code areas considered heavily lesbian were a little different: 31% gave to Warren, 22% each to Buttigieg and Sanders, 19% to Harris, and 5% to Biden. Buttigieg was the top dollar collector in 23 of the 40 heavily gay ZIP codes. In heavily LGBT ZIP codes where another Democratic candidate raised the most money, there was usually a home-state

Finn Town

From page 8

you have shown to Finn Town over the past few weeks and since we first opened. We wish we could have done better these past few weeks, but major problems in the kitchen really contributed to a less than wonderful experience and we would like to profusely apologize for that.” Hamer, contacted by the B.A.R., did not elaborate. After opening to great reviews in December 2016, the restaurant – like so many others in the neighborhood – saw a drop in business that Hamer attributed in part to dips in foot traffic in the Castro as a result of increased street crime and homelessness. In a story in the Bay Area Reporter two weeks ago, Hamer said that if business did not improve, he would have to make a decision about how much longer he could stay open. At the same time, Hamer announced he would not open the planned take-out cafe, Little Finn, which he has under lease a few doors south of Finn Town. Hamer and his business partner, Wil-

North Bay

From page 2

said Valdivia. “I think I would have been out but I wouldn’t have become the person I am today. I feel the youth leadership team did what it was supposed to do. It built up my leadership skills; I definitely feel like I am a leader now.” Napa resident Jude Orozco, 20, also credits the youth leadership program for providing him an opportunity to connect with other LGBTQ people their age. After graduating from high school in American Canyon, Orozco enrolled at Napa Valley College. At the same time he came out as a transgender man to his family and close friends.

Rick Gerharter

Gay presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has outraised his competitors in heavily LGBT Zip codes around the country.

advantage. For instance, Warren (Massachusetts) raised the most in Northampton and Wellfleet, Massachusetts; Harris (California) took two ZIP codes around Oakland, California; and former Representative Beto O’Rourke (Texas) outraised everybody in the LGBT districts of Oaklawn in Dallas and Montrose in Houston. But there were some surprises. Warren was the top dollar fundraiser in three New York City ZIP codes. All three – Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and Boerum Hill – have large concentrations of female same-sex households, according to census records. She also won top dollar in the heavily LGBT neighborhood of Kerrytown near Ann Arbor in Michigan. Buttigieg collected the most small-dollar donations from the Castro area of San Francisco. Of liam Vastardis, still own Papi Rico, a Mexican cantina at 544 Castro Street. In his farewell note, Hamer said he grew up as an only child in San Francisco, without a great deal of family. Finally, at age 42, he “had the courage to come out ... without much of a support group.” “Since then, I have been so blessed by getting to know so many of you in the community and consider you my family,” he wrote. “Your support of me and my endeavors has been amazing and I am so grateful to all of you. The support you have shown for Finn Town, especially after my last email call for help, has touched me beyond words.” Hamer said that he loves the Castro. “We do not like seeing another empty storefront so will do our best in the interim as a private event space and will try our best to find a good home for Finn Town with a new owner who loves the community as much as we do,” he wrote. “A final heartfelt thank you to most of my staff and our general manager Oscar Enriquez who did his very best!”t For a class he took in 2017 Orozco landed an internship with LGBTQ Connection and learned about the youth leadership team program. He decided to apply for it not only as a way to meet other like-minded youth but also to give back to the community. “In high school I had never been involved with anything in the community. I was super closeted and didn’t even join any GSAs,” said Orozco, who is studying psychology and wants to go into art therapy. “I really liked the idea of being with other people who I could relate to and just be open about who I was. At the same time See page 12 >>

the roughly half-million dollars raised there, 42% went to Buttigieg, 29% to Harris, and 16% to Warren. Provincetown, Massachusetts gave only $95,000 to Democratic candidates, but 86% of the small dollars went to Buttigieg (and 9% to Warren). As a state, LGBT ZIP codes in Florida were more loyal to Buttigieg, giving 51% of their smalldollar donations to him. Illinois had the second strongest preference for Buttigieg, giving 50%.

Ah, the caveats

These numbers do not mean that the LGBT vote is reliably behind Buttigieg. First, the dollar counts are just that: dollars, not votes. Second, not all LGBT people live in ZIP codes with heavily LGBT populations.

Third, some people who gave money to a Democratic candidate gave money to two or more candidates. Also, the data on contributions by ZIP code represents only “small-dollar donations.” It originated with a Democratic political action committee that runs the ActBlue fundraising website. ActBlue.com provides a way for people who want to support Democratic candidates and organizations to give small-dollar amounts (less than $200) quickly and easily. In the first six months of 2019, the PAC raised $345 million that way. Several major media organizations, such as the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, have processed the ActBlue raw data from the FEC in ways that illustrate how well each Democratic candidate is doing in getting individual donors and how well each is raising money in each ZIP code. The New York Times, for instance, discovered that Buttigieg has the third largest number of individual donors through ActBlue (390,000). That puts him behind Sanders (746,000) and Warren (421,000) but ahead of Harris (277,000) and Biden (256,000). When looking at FEC reports, which count both small-dollar contributions and contributions of $200 and above, Buttigieg raised $32 million, putting him in third behind Sanders ($46 million) and Warren ($36 million). Finally, a search through FEC records for the names of individual LGBT leaders, well-known activists, and celebrities found that only 19 out of 100 had made a reportable contribution to any Democratic presidential candidate so far. Given that the FEC records the names of only those donors

who give $200 or more, the other 81 might have given contributions of less than $200. Barring that, the numbers suggest that LGBT leaders, generally speaking, are not yet ready to go “all in” behind one Democratic frontrunner just yet. Of the 19 who had given to a Democrat: Only five had given the maximum ($2,800) to any one candidate for the primary. Former assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and San Francisco supervisor Roberta Achtenberg has given $2,800 to Harris and four others – comedian Ellen DeGeneres, film producer David Geffen, former president of the U.S. Export-Import Bank Fred Hochberg, and current Fort Lauderdale, Florida Mayor Dean Trantalis – have all given $2,800 to Buttigieg. Six had given to Buttigieg and at least one other of the top-tier candidates. The next round of campaign funding reports is due into the FEC on September 30. Meanwhile, the latest national polling shows Buttigieg may have slipped in the standings. In mid-June, a Fox News poll of more than 400 Democratic primary voters found the South Bend mayor at 8%. In mid-July, the Fox poll found him at 5%. And in mid-August, he’s tied with Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and businessman Andrew Yang at 3%. (Margin of error is 4.5 points.) An averaging of all national polls calculated by RealClearPolitics.com shows Buttigieg still hanging on to fifth place with 5.2%, behind Biden with 30.5%, Warren with 17.3%, Sanders with 16%, and Harris with 8%. t

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<< Community News

12 • Bay Area Reporter • August 22-28, 2019

Queers keep up momentum at ICE protests by Samantha Laurey

ueer and trans people joined in the Month of Momentum Monday afternoon in front of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in downtown San Francisco as they led a peaceful protest encouraging the abolishment of the agency, stopping deportations, and ending detentions and raids. The rallies take place every day this month to protest ICE. A different community group that shares a reason to protest the agency leads each demonstration. The protests take place from noon to 1 p.m. at 630 Sansome Street. The groups that organized the August 19 “Queers Melt ICE” protest were Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism, or QUIT; Gay Shame; Lucy Parsons Project; and LAGAI-Queer Insurrection along with the endorsement of Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club. Tab Buckner, an executive board member of the Milk club, told the Bay Area Reporter in an email that the group is strongly supportive of the march’s goals. “The Milk club regards U.S. im-

Samantha Laurey

QUIT organizer Carla Schick speaks in front of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s San Francisco office Monday during the Queers Melt ICE rally.

migration policies as being among its most abusive,” Buckner wrote. “This has been the case over many presidencies but the Trump administration’s escalated detentions and inflamed rhetoric has exasperated an unnecessary crisis. Club members support human rights universally, including those of immigrants.” As participants spoke to the

crowd about the unfair conditions that ICE presents to LGBT immigrants in and out of its custody, the crowd was chanting at high volumes, and drivers honked horns to show support as they passed by. “We are here for all of the trans and queer people who have died, nearly died, or suffered permanent injuries because of what they have

experienced in prisons that they should have never been in,” Kate Raphael, an organizer, told the crowd. ICE’s record on protecting the health and well-being of transgender people in its custody has been an ongoing issue for years and has received scrutiny following two deaths of two trans women during, or just after being in, custody. As the B.A.R. noted in an online article earlier this month, Roxsana Hernández, a 33-year-old trans woman who was seeking asylum from Honduras, died in ICE custody in New Mexico in May 2018, suffering from dehydration and complications from HIV. Hernández’s death was followed almost exactly one year later by El Salvadoran trans asylum-seeker Johana Medina Leon in El Paso, Texas. Leon was just a few days out of ICE custody when she died June 1. Leon, a 25-year-old nurse, had been in custody for six weeks and had pleaded with her jailers for water, salt, and sugar to treat her own symptoms of extreme dehydration, according to her family. The cause of her death was also

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reported as complications from HIV. Leon’s family has filed a claim against the federal government. Protesters said Monday that life in a detention facility is dangerous. “As a queer person, it’s not easy to feel safe,” said Carla Schick, a QUIT organizer. “To take that feeling and times it by 1,000 is what it feels like for immigrants coming from repressive countries.” Officials at ICE did not respond to a message from the B.A.R. seeking comment on the August protests. Month of Momentum wraps up Saturday, August 31, with an action at noon outside ICE’s San Francisco office. Organizers said there will be food, music, and speakers. t

North Bay

From page 11

it was not the only thing we talked about.” Orozco’s team produced a conference that educated parents, teachers, and community members about LGBT issues. Each of the youth also addressed the nearly 100 attendees on the topic of trust, mostly related to their relationship with their families. “It was the first time I ever spoke about anything really personal in front of so many people. The leadership team was so supportive. Because of it, I was able to do something like that,” said Orozco, whose second project involved putting on a dance. Utilizing the leadership skills he had gained, Orozco convinced LGBTQ Connection to hire him on as a youth advocate. He has used his part-time position to start a transgender support group. “I think what we do is really special because we focus on what the youth want and what the youth say they need,” said Orozco. “There are not many places where young people have a voice or are heard. I think that is really important. It is so easy for young people to think that we don’t have a voice and can’t advocate for anything for ourselves.” The program is held after school, for the most part, said Posadas, and is set up in a way that even those youth still in the closet can feel safe participating in it. In addition to providing mental health benefits to the youth, the program aims to have a lasting impact on how the state and other entities provide mental health services. “We want to grow how the mental heath field thinks about mental health based on the words and experiences of LGBT people,” Posadas said. “It has been really amazing how much support we have been able to grow in smaller communities. Seeing what the youth have been making happen in Calistoga and Sonoma with our really small communities has been really moving.” To learn more about the youth leadership team program or apply, visit https://www.lgbtqconnection. org/youthleadership. t

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<< Community News

14 • Bay Area Reporter • August 22-28, 2019

Silicon Valley Pride

From page 1

“Pride, for me, is equally political and celebratory. In this current political climate, when our rights are toyed with seemingly on a daily basis, there is a continued need for action and resistance,” said Keel, a 32-year-old lesbian. “I also think it’s still important to celebrate our resilience and existence in a world that doesn’t always make it easy.” Both women will be marching in the parade with their organizations’ contingents and their groups will have booths at the celebration. Last week, the San Jose Police Department announced it would increase security at large events and schools in light of the recent shootings in nearby Gilroy and around the country.

Political Notebook

From page 5

Pride officials told the B.A.R. that their records show that the San Leandro Unified School District’s first parade contingent was in 2011. They also said that the first official education contingent was in 2008 when the United Educators of San Francisco union marched, followed by a group of independent schools in the Bay Area and the San Mateo Community College District. Aguilar marched in this year’s parade contingent with fellow gay school board member Peter Oshinski and gay San Leandro City Councilman Victor Aguilar, no relation. The school board and City Council jointly raised a Pride flag near City Hall in June since the two governing bodies both have offices in the building, which was also lighted in the colors of the flag that month. “I would sure as hell be interested in getting Pride flags up at our schools, that would be nice,” said Aguilar. He backs pending legislation in Sacramento that would require school districts to start later so that students could get in some extra sleep in the morning. “I just think the current start times – we have 8 or 8:10 a.m. and some schools start at 7:30 a.m. – it is ridiculous,” said Aguilar. “Our kids need time to wake up, eat, and take care of themselves before they come to school.”

the next generation will inherit this movement.” The celebration will also include the Hey Girl women’s stage; Leatherland, the High Tech Pavilion, Family Garden, and more for Pridegoers. The B.A.R. is a media sponsor of Silicon Valley Pride. t

One of the ways that the South Bay pride event is showing its diversity is by tapping the LGBTQ Youth Space to host a teen space during Pride.

It will be the first time in about seven years that teens will have a space to call their own to play games, get creative, and simply hang out with friends, said Keel. She said she was happy to create the space for teens at Pride. Keel believes it’s important to have a space for youth so they will “feel included,” she said, especially at an event that doesn’t usually offer a lot for people under 21. Keel praised Pride organizers for resurrecting the designated teen space and for increasingly reaching out to various LGBT communities to participate in the annual festivities. “I think that it’s important for any Pride organizer anywhere to be intentional about including young people,” said Keel. “Not only do young queer and trans youth deserve spaces, but

his endorsement of her 2020 bid for the state’s 5th Senate District seat in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties Monday. Lesbian Senator Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton) is term limited from running again next year. Her district includes the cities of Modesto, Riverbank, Stockton, Manteca, and Tracy. Also seeking to succeed Galgiani is Democratic Modesto City Councilman Mani Grewal, who is straight. He has angered LGBT advocates and officials for peddling homophobic and inaccurate attacks against Senate Bill 145. The legislation aims to ensure LGBT adolescents are treated the same as their heterosexual peers when faced with the possibility of being listed on the state’s sex offender registry. But statements and an online ad that Grewal has made about the bill allowing adults to molest young children have drawn condemnations from LGBT leaders over the past week. As the B.A.R. reported online August 16, statewide LGBT advocacy group Equality California said it would ask the state Democratic Party to censure Grewal for the comments. The bill’s author, gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), also told the B.A.R. that he and his staff had repeatedly talked to Grewal to explain to him the bill’s purpose and that in the spring Grewal had told him he would no longer mischaracterize it.

Yet only days later Grewal released his ad featuring Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse and wrote that he was “proud of my work to guarantee that adults who molest children continue to register as sex offenders.” Grewal and his campaign have yet to respond to the B.A.R.’s request for comment. But sometime after the B.A.R. posted its story, Grewal quietly took down the ad from YouTube and deleted his post about it on his campaign Facebook page. Nonetheless, LGBT leaders continue to call on the Democratic lawmakers who have endorsed Grewal, including Galgiani, to withdraw their support. And EQCA, in an August 19 letter to Grewal, called on him to publicly endorse SB 145 and issue a formal apology to Wiener, Eggman, and the LGBT community. “To continue to knowingly lie about the bill – as recently as last week – and traffic in false homophobic stereotypes cannot be viewed reasonably as anything but an attack on LGBTQ civil rights,” wrote EQCA Executive Director Rick Zbur in his letter to Grewal. EQCA has yet to formally request that state party officials censure Grewal. Nor does it appear from Grewal’s campaign site that any of his endorsers have pulled their support to date. As for Newsom’s sole endorsement of Eggman in the race, he noted that she “is a proud product of the Central Valley who fights every day for its people and progress. She’s commit-

ted her life to public service – from wearing the colors of our country in the Army, to her devotion as a social worker, and her work on the Stockton City Council and the State Assembly.” Newsom added that “the Valley deserves another powerful voice in our state Senate and I have every confidence that Susan will be that voice.” Eggman said she was humbled to receive Newsom’s support. “Too often it feels like those in Sacramento forget about this part of the Valley, but the Governor has shown that he is committed to expanding opportunities to our region and I look forward to working with him as a member of the state Senate,” stated Eggman in a release announcing Newsom’s endorsement. Grewal is likely to face questions about his campaign tactics at an event being held in Modesto this Saturday, August 24. He is expected to take part in a panel discussion that afternoon being hosted by Congregation Beth Shalom – The Center for Jewish Life in response to the plans for a straight pride parade to be held in Modesto. The synagogue is screening the 2017 documentary “Dear Freddy,” about gay Jewish athlete Freddy Hirsch who ran a daycare center for children at Auschwitz, at 2:30 p.m. The panel discussion with Grewal, Rabbi Shalom Bochner, and others is scheduled to begin at 3:45. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 1705 Sherwood Avenue in Modesto. t

get closer to one another and not further apart.” First awarded to Pelosi herself in 2012 on the occasion of her 25th year in Congress, Shanti has also given the award to gay former U.S. ambassador James C. Hormel and gay former state senator Mark Leno. The B.A.R. was unable to contact Wilsey. A well-known donor to Bay Area causes and an heiress to the Dow Chemical fortune, Wilsey recently stepped down from her 21-year position as the president of the San Francisco Fine Arts Museums board. She is now listed as “chair emerita.” The FAMSF board did not return a request for comment. Melissa Powers, manager of board relations, said members were unlikely to respond to something that wasn’t “board-specific business.” The San Francisco socialite’s known political contributions do not include any donations to the Trump campaign, according to OpenSecrets.org. Wilsey’s last listed amount was a gift of $2,500 to the 2012 Senate campaign for Republican Charlie Summers, former Maine secretary of state. Summers ultimately lost his bid for a Senate seat to former Governor Angus King (I-Maine). Before that, Wilsey contributed to the 2000 Senate campaign of former Republican Congressman Tom Campbell, who was badly defeated that year by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California). According to the Federal Elections Commission website, Wilsey gave $2,800 to the Kamala Harris For the

People campaign, supporting the California Democratic senator’s 2020 presidential bid. The bulk of her giving this year has been to Republican candidates and committees. The B.A.R. is a media sponsor for the Shanti gala. Publisher Michael Yamashita commented on the controversy via email, writing, “For many years, the Bay Area Reporter has been supportive of Shanti’s critical work in the fight against HIV/AIDS on behalf of the LGBT community so we’re happy to be a media sponsor.” Yamashita said the paper had no role in selecting the gala’s honorees. “I can understand that people may have good reasons to object even if that person is a generous benefactor,” he wrote. “However, I’d prefer to focus on the benefits to those in need that Shanti continues to provide and not see it punished for accepting necessary funds from any donor willing to support the cause.” Others being honored at Shanti’s gala include client Hulda Brown, who will receive the James C. Hormel Community Spirit Award, and Brisdell Hunte, a former board member who will be posthumously recognized with the Margot Murphy Women’s Cancer Inspiration Award. t

On its website, Silicon Valley Pride officials said that metal detection wanding and bag checks would be in use this year at all entrances. Officials with Silicon Valley Pride didn’t respond to the B.A.R.’s multiple requests for comment. The parade contingents will march right into the celebration area, where multi-platinum R&B and soul singer Macy Gray (“I Try,” “Sexual Revolution,” and “Sweet Baby”) is headlining an energetic lineup of entertainers, including Emergency Tiara, AtraLogik, and Rebel Kings of Oakland. Tiara told the B.A.R. in an email interview that in between making the video for her latest single, “2 Kool 4 Skool,” she is excited about performing at Pride. A fan of Gray’s, she is especially excited about opening for the singer,

Tiara added. “We love the energy at Pride events,” she said, adding that Prides are one of the band’s favorite events to perform at. She wrote she’s looking forward to “bringing our high energy live act to Silicon Valley Pride with our colorful costumes and choreography.” “In today’s crazy political climate, it is more important than ever to celebrate the LGBTQA community,” Tiara wrote. “We hope that [we] bring a little bit of sunshine to their day!” Gray didn’t respond to the B.A.R’s request for comment by press time.

And Aguilar hopes that Governor Gavin Newsom will sign into law Assembly Bill 711 authored by Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco). It would require public schools to update the records for transgender and nonbinary students so that they match their legal name and gender identity. The legislation passed out of the Legislature last week and is before Newsom for his approval. Aguilar told the B.A.R. that his district already uses a record-keeping system that allows students to update their name and gender on their school forms. Asked to describe his tenure so far on the school board, Aguilar responded that there are power dynamics to navigate at times but that overall there is a lot of camaraderie between the seven members, one of whom is a student. “Mostly, it has been a very positive one. I am very fortunate to be on a school board where we feel like we are family. We all respect each other,” he said. “We can come to common ground and define what we want for our students as a board collectively.”

Newsom endorses Eggman for Senate

Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has waded into a contentious intraparty fight for a state Senate seat in the Central Valley by throwing his support behind lesbian Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton). He announced

Teen space returns

Shanti award

From page 1

“I’ve been a Shanti client since 2008, taking their classes for HIV-positive men to learn to care for ourselves,” Strom told the B.A.R. in a phone interview. “And it’s just baffling.” Strom, 58, is a gay man who has been living with HIV since 1995. He said he received the emailed invitation to the gala and knew he would not attend because of the $250 cost of the ticket. “But I wouldn’t have gone anyway, even if I could afford it,” he added, citing the Wilsey honor. “It’s just very contradictory.” “I know it’s an executive decision,” Strom said, trying to understand how this choice came about. “I know nonprofits have to fundraise. But it’s a prestigious honor named for a Democrat like Ms. Pelosi being given to someone who hosts dinners for the opposition. Shanti should be ashamed.” Wilsey co-hosted a cocktail reception and fundraiser for Trump in July, though the president himself did not attend. According to SFist, the major draw for donors was the opportunity to rub elbows with the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former TV host, attorney, and ex-wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Tickets for the Trump fundraiser reportedly started at $1,000 per individual and $15,000 per couple, which included a photo opportunity. For $35,000 attendees could receive

A screen grab from Wednesday, August 21, shows the award for Dede Wilsey still includes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s name on Shanti’s website.

“Team 100 Membership,” the benefits of which are unknown. Roy told the B.A.R. that Wilsey is Shanti’s third lifetime achievement award recipient and was chosen for her “long-term impact on the SF nonprofit universe.” Asked about the irony of bestowing an award based on Pelosi’s legacy to a Republican donor, Roy was thoughtful. “Wilsey is one of Shanti’s most long-standing generous benefactors,” he said in a phone interview. “And Shanti’s not the only organization that can say that. We consider her a very appropriate choice. I appreciate the emotional responses people have had to this news, but it’s important to say it’s not about how I, or anyone, feels about this president.” Roy did not hold back his own feelings about Trump. “I think the president has done ir-

reparable damage to this country,” he said. “I think he is the greatest domestic threat to this country since the Civil War. But this isn’t about that. It’s about what a community-based nonprofit does when there are people in the community who feel that we should not honor someone once we’ve learned about their political support.” Roy also rejected the idea of banishing anyone from the community for their beliefs. “This organization has never had any kind of litmus test, political or otherwise, for anyone: clients, volunteers, or staff. This president is hellbent on creating an us-versus-them world, and our model is an antidote to that,” Roy said. “To disengage from anyone for their political leanings supports the creation of that world. If this country is ever to heal, we must

Silicon Valley Pride happens August 24-25, from noon to 6 p.m., at Cesar Chavez Park, 1 Paseo De San Antonio in San Jose. Some events, like the Transgender and Friends Rally August 24, from 4 to 6 p.m., and the parade, August 25, from 10 a.m. to noon, are free and open to the public. Entrance to the Pride celebration is $5 each day. For more information, visit http:// www.svpride.com.

Shanti’s 45th anniversary gala is scheduled for Thursday, October 3, at 6 p.m. at the Palace Hotel, 2 Montgomery Street in San Francisco. For tickets and more information, visit https://www.shanti.org/ news-events/events/compassion-isuniversal/

t <<

Community News>>

News Briefs

From page 7

Learn about working for 2020 census count

The San Francisco LGBT Community Center will hold a job readiness drop-in clinic for people to learn about employment opportunities with the U.S. Census Bureau ahead of next year’s census. The event takes place Thursday, August 29, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at 1800 Market Street. There is no cost to attend. People will receive information about the employment application process, part-time versus full-time work, employee benefits, and more.

For more information or to reserve a spot, visit https://www.eventbrite. com/e/us-census-employer-spotlight-tickets-69761778357.

Duboce Park Tag Sale coming up

Clean out your closets and garages, the 21st annual Friends of Duboce Park Tag Sale is Saturday, September 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Duboce Park, located on Duboce Avenue between Steiner and Scott streets. Friends of Duboce Park have used funds raised at tag sales to help build the children’s playground that opened in 2000, the Scott Street Labyrinth that opened in 2007, and the youth play

August 22-28, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 15

area that opened in 2012. Additional projects have included a new coat of paint for the playground, replacement of two rusting staircases in the playground in 2016, and lighting the alley on the north side of the Harvey Milk Recreation Center for the Arts. Organizers will accept donations for the tag sale at a rental truck that will be parked near the photo center from 5:30 to 7 p.m. from Tuesday, September 3 through Friday, September 6 and before the event. A full list of items that can be accepted is online at https://friendsofdubocepark.org/ events-activities/tag-sale/. Items that are especially popular include stuff for children, toys, and clothing.

City College

From page 1

District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, “I think we have done a good job in challenging circumstances in righting the ship at a really critical institution for San Francisco.” Both trustees joined the board – Randolph was appointed to a vacant seat in 2015 and a year later won election to a four-year term, as did Temprano – amid the institution’s fight to maintain its accreditation and stay open. While the college secured a seven-year renewal of its accreditation in 2017, the controversy led to a significant drop in its enrollment that it is still trying to recoup. A decade ago, City College’s head count numbered 90,000. Last year, it had 67,638 full- and part-time students enrolled. The college now has close to 23,000 full-time equivalent students and is aiming to increase that number back to 32,000. The board has had to grapple with declining revenues in recent years and faced closing an estimated $32 million budget deficit this year. It has led to class cuts and inducements for staff to retire in order to save costs. When it meets Thursday, August 22, the college board is set to adopt its first balanced budget in 10 years. It has set a budget of roughly $165 million for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. “This board has made it very clear that the days of deficit spending at City College are done,” said Temprano, who acknowledged that the reduction in staff and courses offered “is a pain that is being felt across the college.” But he argued that the plan the board has put in place is also a “fair” one that prioritized the needs of students and ensures they can graduate within two years. “We are trying to minimize the impact of these cuts on students, and are trying to, you know, prioritize courses that have high student enrollment and are courses that lead to completion of degrees and certificates,” said Temprano. The governing body Thursday is also expected to finalize the agreement with the city of San Francisco

Bill Wilson

City College board President Alex Randolph, left, and Vice President Tom Temprano attended the pink triangle ceremony in June atop Twin Peaks.

to cover the cost of providing free tuition to full-time students. The Free City Program will provide the college with $15 million this fiscal year from the city’s general fund and a backfill payment of $5.2 million. Cementing a long-term deal with the city to ensure the funding for the program would be there each year was a top priority for Randolph as board president. It was vital for the college’s students, he said, so they had assurances their tuition would be paid. “That amount of money they were getting through the program was key to their being able to remain at the college and having sort of hanging over the program this, this uncertainty, I think, made a lot of our students anxious. And so this provides security for the college,” said Randolph. The infusion of cash from the city will increase in subsequent years to at least $16.4 million. Students who also qualify for the California College Promise Grant will receive grants from the Free City Program equal to $46 for each enrolled credit unit. “It is targeted toward first-time community college students,” explained Randolph. While the college did see a bump in enrollment when the free city college first began, it has since flatlined. “We saw modest growth last semester, which is counter to the

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anese American internment camps during World War II. He revisits his childhood in his new graphic memoir, “They Called Us Enemy.” Currently, he hosts a YouTube series, “Takei’s Take,” and is the subject of “To Be Takei,” a Jennifer M. Kroot documentary on his life and career. Tickets are $45 for nonmembers, $35 for members, and $15 for students (with valid ID). Premium seating (includes book and front-row seating) is $60 for members and $70 for nonmembers. (Prices subject to change.) For tickets and more information, visit http://www.commonwealthclub.org. t

Offering a cannabis certificate, added Randolph, “is another example where we know that there’s a lot of jobs in this emerging sector in the state that a lot of people, honestly, don’t have the skills right now to participate in.”

existing binary restrooms to be designated as all-gender, noted Smith. He expects that permanent signage will be affixed across all campuses by the end of the fall semester.

Gay actor and activist George Takei will speak at the Commonwealth Club Tuesday, September 24, at the Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. Check-in is at 5:30 p.m., the program starts at 6:30. Takei, who appeared in TV’s “Star Trek,” has become an outspoken activist for equality and civil rights and will be in conversation with Mina Kim, an evening anchor for KQED News. He will reflect on his career and activism, from playing Hikaru Sulu on “Star Trek” to discussing how his family was wrongfully imprisoned in Jap-

LGBT concerns

trends across the state that are seeing community college enrollment decline sharply. And this year’s budget is actually based on flat enrollment growth,” said Temprano. “If we are able to stay flat, we will be among the leaders in the state in terms of enrollment and not declining.” With extremely low unemployment rates in San Francisco, people can easily find jobs rather than seeking new degrees, the trustees pointed out. “San Francisco is at, what, a 1.9% unemployment rate. And whenever the economy is going well, and people have jobs, there’s no reason for them to go back to school, get new training, or take classes,” said Randolph. According to the state Employment Development Department, the unemployment rate for San Francisco County was 2.4% in July. One way to boost enrollment is to gear the degrees and certificates City College offers to today’s economy and workforce. A prime need is training workers to enter the state’s marijuana industry, especially now that recreational use is legal. Both Temprano and Randolph have been supportive of seeing the college offer a cannabis degree that anyone could take online. The hope is it will become available sometime in 2020. “That will be one of the first in the country,” noted Temprano.

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Amid the cost cutting, the college has been able to address a number of LGBT concerns on campus. It is set to open this semester a new Queer Resource Center at the main Ocean Campus that will be staffed year-round. In the past a faculty member had overseen the center, meaning it had limited hours during the semester and was shut during the summer months. “It’s exciting that, you know, in this coming school year, you’re going to have new, good facilities for the Queer Resource Center and are going to have a full-time classified staff member who staffs it so that there is this year-round access,” noted Temprano. This semester the college is offering for the first time an Associate of Arts in Social Justice Studies: Feminist, Queer, and Trans Studies for Transfer. The two-year degree is a joint program between the Women’s and Gender Studies and the LGBT Studies departments. “It’s the first in the state of California,” said Temprano of the degree. A number of queer studies classes are now being offered as online courses as well, so anyone in the country can enroll in them, noted Randolph. And this week the college announced it is moving to ensure there are gender-neutral bathrooms at all of its campuses and facilities. “While CCSF will continue to have binary men’s and women’s restrooms, the addition of all-gender restrooms will increase inclusivity, accessibility, and awareness across campuses. Currently, 15% of CCSF restrooms are all-gender,” wrote Rueben Smith, Ph.D., the college’s senior vice chancellor for facilities, planning, and public safety, in an email to the college community August 19. Temporary and permanent signage has been posted on select pre-

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Bond in 2020

A top priority for Randolph and Temprano, who is set to become board president next year, is passage of a $850 million bond on the March 3 primary ballot that will go toward upgrading City College’s buildings at its various campuses around town. The college board in September is expected to approve placing the bond on the 2020 primary ballot. It will need more than 55 percent of the vote in order to pass, and college officials are confident that voters will support it. The last time they sought the public’s support for a bond was in 2005, when Proposition A passed and provided city college with $246.3 million for capital needs. The college hopes to break ground on a number of projects in coming years so they can be complete by 2025 when it marks its 90th anniversary. It has an estimated $1.6 billion in infrastructure needs, so another bond measure will likely be put up for a vote on a future ballot. “What a lot of people don’t realize is that we are, you know, an 84-yearold institution. And a lot of our buildings haven’t been touched or upgraded since the 1950s or 1960s,” said Randolph. Both trustees told the B.A.R. that they plan to seek re-election in the fall of 2020 to another four-year term. “We are on a good City College board. I think that the board works well together,” said Temprano. “I think that we are as cohesive and collaborative, if not more cohesive and collaborative, than prior City College boards.” Added Randolph, “We’re going to be passing one of the largest bonds in City College history next year. So I think I would like to see a lot of the projects that I started with my colleagues come to fruition, and that will require me to serve on the board for another four years.” t

<< Legals

16 • Bay Area Reporter • August 22-28, 2019

Legal Notices>> NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF MERAH PAYNE CARVELO IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF ALAMEDA: FILE RP19026771

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of Merah Payne Carvelo; Merah P. Carvelo; Merah Carvelo; Merah Payne. A Petition for Probate has been filed by Suzanne P. Mathieson in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda. The Petition for Probate requests that Suzanne P. Mathieson be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: August 26, 2019, 9:31 am, Rm. 201, Superior Court of California, County Of Alameda, 2120 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704, Berkeley Courthouse. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: Bryan R. Walters (SBN#309780), Gregory F. Dyer (SBN#114486) Jones & Dyer, APC, 3031 F St #101, Sacramento, CA 95816; Ph. (916) 552-5959

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038729400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUMMERBERRY COACHING, 154 MIDDLEFIELD DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KIRIN KAUR PARMAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/23/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/23/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038730700

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

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038728900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STANALAND & COMPANY, 500 WASHINGTON #475, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RUSSELL STANALAND. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/23/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038729000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STANALAND & ASSOCIATES, 500 WASHINGTON #475, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RUSSELL STANALAND. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/23/19.

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

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

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

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

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

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038735200

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

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

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038731300

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038731500

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

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DO GOOD STUFF, 600 PORTOLA DR #15, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed P. TYRONE SMITH LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/15/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/24/19.

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

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555102

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

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

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

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038742500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MATT STYLING STUDIO, 315 SUTTER ST 4TH FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MATTHEW SITHIRAJVONGSA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/05/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/05/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038741500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RANDIE INN, 493 YALE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AUREA MIRANDA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/05/19.

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

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

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NORTH BAY WINDOW TINT & AUDIO, 4199 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CARLOS ANTONIO QUIJADA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/24/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/24/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038740100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ONE MAIN WEST, 1317 EVANS, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed OREN ZAKHRABOV. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/02/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/02/19.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO DHARMA COLLECTIVE, 2701 FOLSOM ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO DHARMA COLLECTIVE (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/12/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/12/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019

In the matter of the application of: NAI QUN BAKER, 4736 MISSION ST #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner NAI QUN BAKER, is requesting that the name NAI QUN BAKER AKA NAI QUN LIAO, be changed to NAI QUN LIAO BAKER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, on the 24th of September 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038753700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KIND EARTH PRODUCTIONS; THE BOYS WHO SAID NO!; COLORADO JONES PRODUCTIONS, 139 CORBETT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JAMES PRINCE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/12/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/12/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038746400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE GENIE MUSIC, 16 LUNDYS LN, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LUIS MONTERROSA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/07/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/07/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038733000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CCS ALERTS, 1461 PINE ST #501, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANDREW GABLE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038744500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FILLMORE FLORIST SAN FRANCISCO, 1880 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FARAMARZ TABAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/06/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038741000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAKE LOVE, 2948 FOLSOM ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JIRAPORN HALVERSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/02/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/02/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038743000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WCI PROJECTS, 555 MISSION ROCK ST #415, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94158. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ELIZABETH WARBURTON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038743200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHATFUEL, 490 POST ST #526, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed 200 LABS INC. (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/09/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038737300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PENANG GARDEN RESTAURANT #3, 728 WASHINGTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FORTUNE FAMILY SIX INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/31/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038741200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHINA CENTRAL SERVICE, 1235 STOCKTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CHINA CENTRAL SERVICE (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/20/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/05/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038745900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OSBELIA HAIR SALON INC., 4699 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed OSBELIA HAIR SALON INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/07/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/07/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038733400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RAE VINO, 1387 DE HARO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed RAE VINO 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 07/26/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038749300

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038743500

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038748500

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038759200

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038753800

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038758500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OZ BURGER, 4092 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed EYLUL LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/08/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NAKED CHICKEN, 11218 PADDOCK AVE, BAKERSFIELD, CA 93312. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed NAKED CHICKEN GROUP LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/07/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: QUICK CLIMB CREDIT SOLUTIONS, 1535 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed THE LOVE EXTENSION PROJECT LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/12/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/12/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 SUMMONS (STATE OF MICHIGAN) ALLEGAN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT, 113 CHESTNUT ST, ALLEGAN, MI 49010 NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: MOBOLAJI ADENIRAN KUDEHINBU, 200 CORONADO AVE, DALY CITY, CA 94015, YOU ARE BEING SUED. PLAINTIFF’S NAME IS KRISTINE ANN KUDEHINBU 630 HIGHPOINT DR #2, ALLEGAN, MI 49010. CASE NO. 19-61087-DO

DOMESTIC RELATIONS CASE There are no pending or resolved cases within the jurisdiction of the family division of the circuit court involving the family or family members of the person(s) who are the subject of the complaint. CIVIL CASE There is no other pending or resolved civil action arising out of the same transaction or occurrence as alleged in the complaint. SUMMONS: NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT: In the name of the people of the State of Michigan you are notified: 1. You are being sued. 2. You have 21 days after receiving this summons and a copy of the complaint to file a written answer with the court and serve a copy on the other party or take other lawful action with the court (28 days if you were served by mail or you were served outside this state). 3. If you do not answer or take other action within the time allowed, judgment may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint. 4. If you require special accommodations to use the court because of a disability or if you require a foreign language interpreter to help you fully participate in court proceedings, please contact this court immediately to make arrangements. Issue date 07/01/2019, Expiration date 10/02/2019

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555122

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TOTALLY CLEAN, 1772 DOLORES ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TODD V. GRAHAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THAI COTTAGE RESTAURANT, 4041 JUDAH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HILDA SAHESALAEH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/23/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/14/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OOZIE LIGUS, 875 VERMONT ST #101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SLAWOMIR LIGUS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/14/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038740900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FENIX CONSTRUCTION, 321 TURK ST #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FRANCISCO ESPARZA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/05/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/02/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038756100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LET’S ABACUS, 2125 EL MANTO DR #4, RANCHO CORDOVA, CA 95670. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SOUFIANE SAOUAF. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038748600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BF TAX SERVICES, 2423 27TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BORIS FUDYM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/02. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038739700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: POLO’S DENTAL LABORATORY, 1484 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LEOPOLDO A. LOPEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/02/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/02/19.

In the matter of the application of: BETH SUZANNE DOWNEY, 885-1/2 FULTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner BETH SUZANNE DOWNEY is requesting that the name BETH SUZANNE DOWNEY aka BETH DOWNEY, be changed to BETH SUZANNE BARTLETT-DOWNEY. 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 8th of October 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038754600

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555123

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038762700

In the matter of the application of: LISA LYNN SMITH, 885-1/2 FULTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner LISA LYNN SMITH, is requesting that the name LISA LYNN SMITH aka LISA SMITH, be changed to LISA LYNN DOWNEY-BARTLETT. 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 8th of October 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038764000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ECOGREEN CARPET CLEANERS, 615 BRUNSWICK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HANG LY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/19/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038747600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MIRALOMA CLUB, 749 PORTOLA DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HOSSEIN KAJOUEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/13/08. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038747700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HYDE OUT, 1068 HYDE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HOSSEIN KAJOUEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/13/08. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038763700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CRYSTAL’S PRECIOUS COLLECTIONS, 1657 CLEMENT ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BARON LEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/19/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/19/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038752800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FC PARTNERS, 2517 MISSION ST #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KA LAI CHOW. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/05/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/12/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROCK JAPANESE CUISINE, 614 PINE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ROCK ENTERPRISE (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/08/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BOOMERS MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION, INC., 626 22ND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BOOMERS MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/16/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038753300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PACIFIC EDGE REAL ESTATE GROUP, 4040 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ALEC MIRONOV INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/15/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/12/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038755900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: M/ OPPENHEIM EXECUTIVE SEARCH, 253 CERVANTES BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MCAM 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 08/13/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038763300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MONKEY BRAINS, 286 12TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ANOTHER CORPORATION ISP, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/18/06. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/16/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038762800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PAWLYPAL, 350 ARBALLO DR #M-L, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed JUMU LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/15/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/16/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038754300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LOVE SHACK; LOVE SHACK BY SPARC; 502 14TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LOPARC, 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 08/13/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019

Wrong way

Wash & fold

Diva worship

Mother issues

Vol. 49 • No. 34 • August 22-28, 2019

Cory Weaver

www.ebar.com/arts

Opera from the far left edge

by Philip Campbell

hallenged by production costs, complicated site procurement, and a problematical performance space, West Edge Opera Festival 2019 can still be called a success. See page 24 >>

Macheath (Derek Chester) in West Edge Opera’s production of “The Threepenny Opera.”

Chris Gabello

“Correspondents” author Tim Murphy.

Elton John takes flight

Ambition in the Green Zone by Tim Pfaff

by David-Elijah Nahmod

ar has a way of producing great literature, but you don’t want to count on it. “The Iliad”/“Gone with the Wind” is what I’m getting at. I initially sensed a word play lurking in the title of Tim Murphy’s new novel, “Correspondents” (Grove Press), but if so, it went past me. See page 18 >>

ctor Taron Egerton is transformed into gay rock star Elton John in the acclaimed biopic “Rocketman,” which comes to DVD/Blu-Ray after a highly successful theatrical release. The film grossed $187.3 million against a $40 million budget. See page 22 >>

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

<< Out There

18 • Bay Area Reporter • August 22-28, 2019

Dramatically incompetent by Roberto Friedman

he arrival of farce and slapstick on Bay Area boards seems particularly well-timed for our historical moment. Unfortunately, the Mischief Theatre production of “The Play That Goes Wrong” that briefly occupied the SHN Golden Gate Theatre last week in a touring version both fit and missed the bill. Out There attended opening night. The entire arsenal of farcical comedy – voluminous spit-takes, spirited pratfalls, prop and scenery fails, set-piece destruction, music miscues, acting atrocities – is well-represented in this Jeremy Daniel play-within-a-play in which the “The Play That Goes Wrong” cast in the national tour that played the Cornley University Drama Golden Gate Theatre for a short run last week. Society puts on, or attempts to put on “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” a creaky mystery Of course the irony is that what’s it mines much of the same territhat falls (and fails) from theatripresented as amateurism in acttory. This is the kind of mindless cal cliché to cliché. OT’s heartiest ing, faulty scene and sound design, entertainment that you once found laughs came when Drama Society property mismanagement, etc., in the West End “for the tired busihead Chris Bean (Evan Alexander takes great control, coordination nessman”; we were having sex-farce Smith), who also directs and stars and precision, comic timing, etc., flashbacks especially when Jamie as Inspector Carter, broke the fourth to pull off. So the very unprofesAnn Romero, as Sandra Wilkinson, wall and berated the audisionalism they portray is appeared onstage in a barely-there ence for not appreciatwhat makes this comteddy for no apparent reason. It was ing the play correctly. pany eminently profesall fun and games until everyone in When the audience sional. We were espethe cast got hurt, but honestly the reacted, Bean snapped cially taken by Angela biggest laughs for OT came from the back, “Boo, huh? Well, Grovey as hapless stage Drama Society’s mock programboo, you!” manager Annie Twilloil; within-the-program, in which we The plot is a lame Ned Noyes as clueless learned that sound operator and murder mystery, but newbie Max Bennett; Duran Duran fan Trevor Watson frankly when the auand Peyton Crim as (Brandon J. Ellis) “is only pardience can see the Stanislavsky method ticipating in ‘The Murder at Haver“corpse” move around actor Robert Grove. sham Manor’ to earn much-needed stage on its own volition, the surBroadly directed by Matt DiCarlo. credit for his engineering course. prise and suspense are in short The gold standard for this kind Once he has passed the course, he supply. The fun comes in when of knockabout, slap-around farce is will not continue to work with the absolutely everything in a mismanDrama Society. Trevor credits his surely the classic “Noises Off,” and aged theatrical enterprise that could success to his sunny disposition and though “Play That Goes Wrong” possibly go wrong promptly does. his positive outlook on life.”t doesn’t reach quite those heights,

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Correspondents

From page 17

The two principal characters are war correspondents, the war being 43’s Iraq invasion. The journalist is Rita Khoury, an ambitious IrishLebanese-American reporter for the American Standard; her sidekick is her Iraqi interpreter, Nabil. Rita’s equally ambitious creator has attempted a novel whose plot has an elaborate structure cantilevered over a foundation of shifting sands. Like his previous novel “Christodora,” about the AIDS epidemic and its never-ending wake, “Correspondents” is, like the Gaul in Caesar’s war journal, divided into three parts. Its contortionist, multi-layered plot ricochets across an American century, but the best parts are the central ones about the war: life and, more often, grisly death in Baghdad. Murphy’s manipulation of the reader is as savage as Dick Cheney’s engineering of the conflict. I took cover with the opening clause, “Before everything changed that afternoon.” That change comes by way of a sudden act of American gun violence the reader is brought to the very trigger of, only to have to wait 300 pages for the gun to go off. I don’t think that’s what Chekov meant. Hanging from the narrative cliff, we are dropped over Rita’s whole family history, only some of which is necessary to grasp the fullness of the homegrown American horror to come. Rita would not need this pedigree to be as multi-faceted as Murphy makes her, which is to say that there are things you like about her and things you don’t, slanted toward the latter. She is as chronically self-absorbed as a Jane Austen heroine, an aspiring “journalist” in the Christiane Amanpour mold minus the accent, though accents of all kinds, including Boston Brahmin,

are all but characters in this everclever book. She considers her big mistake on the man front her American relationship with Sami, also of Lebanese roots but rootless and as much a stranger to ambition as she is a slave to it. At the bookends of the novel, she has a putatively healthier relationship with a too-good-tobe-true young Jewish professional. Healthier for her, anyway. His doting costs him his life in the bloodsplattered, multicultural climax the reader has almost forgotten awaits. Rita leaves Sami to make her name in the Green Zone, throwing him out of their apartment. Her affair with the bottle while in Baghdad has resulted in her sending Sami a long, rambling email about what a complete, obscene cockup the American invasion has been. Sami (reasonably, as I see it, and to Rita’s eventual advantage) makes it public, while Rita sees only the downside of being fired from the American Standard. Sami dutifully vacates their immaculate apartment but takes the cat (the least of the reasons for which we love Sami) and assures it of another life, new lives being one of Murphy’s central preoccupations. He would have you believe that in the compass of his novel, Rita’s primary if non-sexual relationship is with Nabil, an understandably closeted gay Arab. In their most intimate moment in Baghdad, Rita, well-meaningly of course (it could be Nabil’s passport out of Iraq) bluntly asks him, “Are you gay?” There’s more self-preservation than denial in his answer, “No, I’m not. I don’t know why you ask me that. I am very offensive.” It’s a sour note for the author to sound about Nabil’s literally life-saving English. Murphy does give convincing accounts of everybody’s PTSD, narratively essential to power the book’s tangled, post-Baghdad denoue-

ment. Rita, as recovered as she’s going to get, swaps her journalism career for a far more lucrative one as an international-conflict specialist for the Foreign Affairs Foundation in D.C., impressing her friends with her policy-wonk, talking-head “brand” while pouting that it was a lot more rewarding when she was the one asking the questions. The vastly more sympathetic Nabil makes a harrowing escape to Syria, before that civil war, in Damascus making his first moves as a gay man, with a blond Dane bossy bottom. Blackmailed by the undercover police, he makes another getaway to Beirut and, at novel’s end, to the muscular physique and Craftsman-style San Diego house of his savior boyfriend, a Marine stationed at Pendleton. Rita, who for eight months accidentally forgot to reply to Nabil’s email requesting a reference for a journalism job, goes to visit the pair, not knowing Nabil’s hitched to the doting Jorge. In a forced happy ending, Rita and Nabil, the “Danger Twins,” take a dip before what reminds them, sentimentally, of a Baghdad sunset, in the icy Pacific. The writing, always professional, underwhelms by overachieving.t

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20 • Bay Area Reporter • August 22-28, 2019

Day-Lewis comes clean

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y 1985, Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government had been in power 10 years and was well on its way to dismantling much of the U.K.’s welfare state. Class tensions, traditionally an issue, were exacerbated. Immigrants, especially those who looked different from native Britons, often faced vicious prejudices. Most gays and lesbians, although less closeted than 20 years earlier, still risked dreadful consequences if their sexual orientation were known. This is the world of Stephen Frears’ dazzling “My Beautiful Laundrette” (1985), now out on Criterion Collection DVD. Omar Ali (appealing Gordon Warnecke) is a young, unemployed Pakistani living with his alcoholic father, Hussein (Roshan Seth), once a celebrated left-wing journalist, now full of self-pity and mourning his dead wife. Hussein’s brother, Nasser (Saeed Jafrey), is a successful businessman who has negotiated a complex working relationship with the English community. At Hussein’s request, he offers Omar a job washing cars. Impressed by his nephew’s work ethic, he appoints him manager of a rundown laundrette and tasks him with making it profitable. Omar is thrilled by the opportunity. He’s also glad to meet other relatives and Pakistani immigrants. Among the latter is Salim (frightening Derrick Branche), who traffics drugs. He gets Omar to drive him and his wife to the airport to complete a deal. On the way home, their car is attacked by unemployed, working-class white toughs, led by Johnny Burfoot (wiry, buffed Daniel Day-Lewis), Omar’s boyhood friend. After the incident, Omar looks for Johnny, hoping to reconnect. He succeeds and offers him a job at the laundrette. Johnny, who wants a better life, accepts. In a startling scene, he passionately kisses Omar,

who responds with equal ardor. Are they resuming a physically intimate relationship, or was the kiss a culmination of mutually suppressed desire from earlier years? It’s never discussed. It doesn’t matter. Both want to turn the laundrette into a beautiful place that will draw customers with its decor and cleanliness. This requires money, which they earn by running drugs for Salim. The freshly painted, charmingly decorated, spotless laundrette is gorgeous. On opening night, customers line up to use it. Before admitting anyone, Omar confronts Johnny about his racist, xenophobic past. Johnny says he cannot change what he was, but that’s all over with. He is committed to Omar. The two make love in the back room, barely escaping discovery when Nasser, his English mistress Rachel (Sally Anne Field), his daughter Tania (Rita Wolf), and Salim arrive. Hussein, sober and spruce, also shows up. He pleads with Nasser to get Omar (and Johnny) to attend college. He wants an educated son. Tania confronts Rachel, who, humiliated, leaves. Nasser is furious with Tania. Omar drinks too much and proposes to Tania, who is determined to leave home. Omar longs to expand his business. To raise capital, he offers Salim the opportunity to invest, a way of laundering his dirty money. Salim accepts, but his contempt for Johnny and his xenophobic friends is overt. He injures one with his car. The toughs avenge themselves by trashing Salim’s automobile and attacking him. They also smash the laundrette’s windows. Johnny reluctantly helps Salim, driving his former friends away. Tania returns the next day and asks Johnny to leave with her. He refuses, suggesting Omar is the reason. Will Omar and Johnny pursue their business and personal dreams despite the horrendous attacks they are likely to face again? Will these two outcasts plan a life together?

How will Omar navigate between ambition and personal happiness? The ending is not explicit. Frears had worked almost exclusively in TV for well over a decade before making “Laundrette.” He brings the intimate virtues of the small screen without losing the power that only movies have. He captures the dreariness of poor London neighborhoods and the bleak lives that residents of grim public housing face each day. He also shows the complex world that the better-educated and ambitious Pakistani immigrants have to traverse. He reveals the limited options women had then and in many cases still do. The contrast between Tania and Rachel is illuminating and moving. First-billed Warnecke is terrific as the complex Omar: sexy and dreamy, a devoted son who wants to please his father; a grateful nephew; a striving capitalist entrepreneur ready to compromise his values if necessary; and a young man who may be prepared to risk everything for a life with Johnny. In his breakthrough role, fourthbilled Day-Lewis is electric and virile as the magnetic Johnny. He longs to shed his past. He also knows his happiness is contingent on Omar. He is equally compelling as the brutish hood and as Omar’s gentle lover. He is both direct and subtle, consistently surprising yet always believable. The movie was released in the U.S. in 1986. Day-Lewis won the Best Supporting Actor Award from the National Board of Review and the same prize from the New York Film Critics Circle. Frears gets exceptional performances from the rest of the large cast. Hanish Kureishi wrote the startling, complex, original screenplay. The fine cinematography is by Oliver Stapleton. The issues raised by “My Beautiful Laundrette” seem as timely today as they did in 1985. The film has lost none of its power or freshness.t

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22 • Bay Area Reporter • August 22-28, 2019

Motherhood finds the class divide by Jim Gladstone

rovocative, poignant, funny and fleet, “Cry It Out” is a refreshing work of just-slightly-heightened social realism. Playwright Molly Smith Metzler’s punchy take on class and motherhood, now playing in a Just Theater production, presents complex perspectives in a straightforward form. Over a well-paced 95 minutes, first-time new moms from varied economic backgrounds share confidences and conflicts about childcare, spouses and careers in a scruffy Long Island backyard. Recent theater seasons have found Bay Area companies presenting an abundance of contemporary cultural critiques told through clever (sometimes excessively so) meta-theatrical narratives, among them “Fairview,” “Straight White Men,” “Kill Move Paradise,” “King of the Yees,” even the musical “Soft Power.” In “Cry It Out,” there’s no showy structural convolution, just nuanced characters and conversation; no cerebral gamesmanship, but plenty of emotional heft and moral quandaries. I mean it entirely as a compliment when I tell you that the domestic drama of “Cry It Out” strikes a tone midway between “Roseanne” and Arthur Miller.

Courtesy Just Theater

Cast members of Just Theater’s production of playwright Molly Smith Metzler’s “Cry It Out.”

In the opening scenes, we meet new next-door neighbors Lina (Martha Brigham) and Jessie (Lauren English) as they bond over coffee and always-on baby monitors in Jessie’s tiny yard. They have exhaustion, weekday loneliness and brief maternity leaves in common, but their differences are significant: Lina and son are living in her unemployed babydaddy’s childhood home, along with him

and his alcoholic mother. Jessie, a New York lawyer on the verge of partnership, and her husband have recently moved from their city apartment to save for a future home in a fancier suburb. Lina dreads returning to work as a hospital admissions clerk because finances dictate leaving her baby in the care of her soused monster-in-law. Jessie dreads telling her husband that she’s contemplating taking a break

from her career – and jettisoning his upward-mobility fantasies – to be a stay-at-home mom. The two form a close friendship that allows them to look beyond their socioeconomic differences and genuinely empathize with each other’s struggles. Brigham’s Lina is a comic delight, a New Yorkaccented tough cookie whose thick skin covers a deep well of panic. English brings an extraordinary translucence to her portrayal of Jessie: the desires to care for her baby, her husband and herself are almost always simultaneously visible, but they shift in intensity when a blush rises in her cheeks, tears well in her eyes, or a quaver in her voice belies a more confident posture. Smith Metzler complicates matters with an awkward-but-efficient plot maneuver that suggests a childrearing “Rear Window.” There’s a third new mom in the neighborhood (or slightly above it), whom we learn of only when her anxious husband, Mitchell – who’s been observing Jessie and Lina’s gettogethers via telescope – arrives to beseech the duo to let his spouse join in their daily coffee talk. He and his wife Adrienne (Lauren Spencer), a luxe jewelry designer, live in a posh hilltop development nearby,

from which he’s been spying on Jessie and Lina. To hear Mitchell tell it, Adrienne has become a different person since giving birth, chilly and keeping a distance from their baby. To hear Adrienne tell it – which we eventually do, in a lacerating monologue – she has refused to become a different person just because she’s given birth, mothering her child with the aid of a nanny and personal assistant, but also remaining fully committed to her work. While economic status clearly informs each of the three mothers’ options and decisions, Smith Metzler’s insightful script and Molly Aronson-Gelb’s sensitive direction make “Cry It Out,” titled after an infant bedtime regimen, something richer than an articulation of maternal class divide. Each of the play’s distinct, utterly believable women must also reckon with profound psychological divide, working to strike an internal balance between her sense of responsibility and her sense of identity.t Cry It Out, through Sept. 1. Just Theater, in association with Custom Made Theatre Co. 533 Sutter St., SF. Tickets from $20: (415) 798-2682, www.justtheater.org

Teachable moments by David Lamble

head. This social satire shows why free speech is so hard to defend when young people have scant info on old First Amendment battles. “Safe Spaces” reminds us that the pursuit of social “safety nets” can be an entertaining if volatile ride for characters with a propensity for wagging fingers at family members and imperfect strangers alike.

ustin Long, the handsome, boyish actor previously known for comic teen fare, TV computer ads, the early 2000s NBC comedy “Ed” and director Sam Raimi’s “Drag Me to Hell,” provides a comic turn as an embattled Manhattan college professor in “Safe Spaces.” Long’s Josh is an articulate, aging preppie who takes on the forces of political correctness in director Daniel Schechter’s witty social comedy that had the Castro Theatre rocking with laughter at this year’s San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. Josh’s grandma is dying in the hospital. Josh is going out of his way to convince Dad (Richard Schiff) to visit her, though his relationship with her over the last years has been strained. Grandma is Mom’s mom, and the parents are divorced. Another cross Josh bears in this socially charged moment is Generation Z’s dismissal of him as a member of a virtual “over-the-hill”

Rocketman

From page 17

Comparisons to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the film about Queen front man Freddie Mercury, released a short time before “Rocketman,” are inevitable, but the two productions are in fact as different as night and day. While “Bohemian Rhapsody” largely glosses over Mercury’s homosexuality, “Rocketman” makes John’s homosexuality a major plot-point. Director Dexter Fletcher is not afraid to show John kissing men, or to include a some-

Dividing lines

gang: a white, straight, cisgender male. Josh presents what he hopes will be a spontaneous teachable moment for his freshman Social Ethics class, only to find the forces of political correctness after his what graphic scene in which John makes love to a man. Nor does “Rocketman” avoid John’s battles with alcohol and pills. As the film opens, John, dressed in his full-stage regalia, a flaming red devil’s outfit with a huge set of wings, walks into an addiction rehabilitation meeting and announces that he is an addict. His story is then told in flashbacks as he begins to share with the group. Viewers are taken back to John’s childhood in England. Born Reginald Dwight, he was raised in a home without love – both of

Israeli filmmaker Avi Nesher’s “The Other Story” is a multilayered, soapopera-style drama that explores just how interesting Israel’s “Wild East” neighborhood can be. Unfolding in today’s Jerusalem, the film offers the seldom-told tale of rising tensions between secular and religious folks in a nation whose political birth-pangs date back three-quarters of a century.

It’s a deliberately paced film that treads deeply into themes dividing secular and religious Jews, to say nothing of the fast-growing Palestinian minority. If you pay attention you’ll receive a dramatized explana-

his parents are cold and distant, though he does get affection and support from his grandmother. It’s Grandma who recognizes the boy’s musical genius. She takes him to the Royal Academy of Music, where he displays his uncanny ability to instantly replay a piece of music after hearing it once. As a young adult, Reginald begins playing in bands. He meets lyricist Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell), and the two begin collaborating together, very quickly attracting the attention of record executives. Young Reginald, who changes his name to Elton John (he gets Elton from a bandmate, and John from The Beatles’ John Lennon) appears to be falling in love with Bernie – he attempts to kiss his friend. “I love you, man, I do,” says Bernie. “But not that way.” In one of the film’s loveliest moments, John sits down at the piano and plays “Your Song,” their first hit, for the first time, while Bernie stands in the background watching. “My gift is my song, this one’s for you,” John sings, as he smiles at

Bernie. Bernie smiles back. “Yours are the sweetest eyes I’ve ever seen. And you can tell everyone that this is your song.” As they look at each other, it becomes apparent how deeply they love each other, a gay man and a straight man, songwriting partners, best friends, brothers. Throughout the film, many of their best-known songs are used as metaphors to illustrate what John is feeling, such as the plaintive “Tiny Dancer,” which John sings at a party as he watches Bernie walk off with a young lady. Though Egerton doesn’t quite sound like the real Elton, he sings beautifully in his own right. The film also spends a good deal of time dealing with John’s relationship with John Reid (Richard Madden), a music promoter who becomes John’s manager and his lover, and who is eventually revealed to be a cad who manipulates John to further his own career. Madden is quite good in his role as a calculating user who cares for no one but himself. One of the film’s most moving

tion of the meaning of terms like “hazara betshuva” (“returning to the faith”), which describes many Israelis after their country’s victory over invading Arab armies in the 1967 war. In practice, “hazara betshuva” results in formerly secular people adopting the religious practices of the Orthodox. A young woman trades her parents’ secular life for the spell of a young, charismatic rabbi – a young man, it turns out, with a troubled past. A veteran Israeli cast includes the 23-year-old rising star Joy Rieger; screen vet Maya Dagan, previously seen by American audiences in director Nesher’s 2014 “The Matchmaker”; and Sasson Gabai, whom many Bay Area film buffs may recall for his fine work in 2007’s “The Band’s Visit.” In Hebrew and English, with English subtitles.t The latter film opens Friday.

sequences comes when John, now a world-famous rock star, visits his estranged father and tries to rekindle their relationship. He’s met by a cold, distant man who clearly doesn’t love him and wants little to do with him, though this portrayal of Dad has been disputed by John’s half-brother, Geoff Dwight. With any biographical film there are bound to be historical inaccuracies, and this is most likely true of “Rocketman.” But what the film does very well is to capture the essence of who Elton John is. He’s a musical genius who has struggled with his sexuality (eventually embracing it), struggled with addiction, and struggled to find true love. He’s a complicated man who has lived a very complex life. Thanks to a fully developed screenplay by Lee Hall, deft direction by Fletcher and a magnificent turn by Egerton in the lead role, “Rocketman” emerges as a wonderful film, highly enjoyable to watch, intense in parts, and filled with great music. It will leave viewers with a clear picture of who Elton John is.t

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<< Music

24 • Bay Area Reporter • August 22-28, 2019

Diva singer-songwriters by the dozen by Gregg Shapiro

little time in doling out attentiongrabbing songs. Banks fattens up the sonics with atomic beats and synths on “Stroke,” “Gimme,” and the gorgeous “What About Love,” with string arrangement by queer musician Owen Pallett. This year seems to be the one in which several female singersongwriters, such as Soak and Cate Le Bon, are making forward leaps in their music. New Zealand’s Aldous Harding is another good example. Her new album “Designer” (4AD) is full of all sorts of aural surprises and delights, ranging from the title cut to “Zoo Eyes,” “Pilot” and “Weight of the Planets.” Originally released 25 years ago, newly reissued in an expanded edition including nine bonus tracks, “Garage Orchestra” (Omnivore) by Cindy Lee Berryhill sounds like it could have been recorded just this week. The album’s timelessness is to Berryhill’s credit and a pleasure for listeners. Berryhill’s first album “Who’s Gonna Save the World?” was released to acclaim in 1987. She suffered from sophomore slump

with the follow-up, then redeemed herself with 1994’s “Garage Orchestra.” The album is full of Berryhill’s unique performance style, which comes through on “Song for Brian,” “Gary Handeman” and “Every Someone Tonight.” On “Solutions” (Night Street/ Interscope), her third full-length album in five years, K. Flay (aka Kristine Flaherty) continues to straddle the worlds of pop and hiphop. “Solutions” leans more towards pop. Songs “DNA,” “I Like Myself (Most of the Time)” and “This Baby Don’t Cry” have the potential to reach a wider audience. “Good News,” Flay’s first full-fledged dance track, could earn her a following in the queer and club music scenes. A skilled debut that’s a raw, powerful breakup album, Ada Lea’s “What We Say in Private” (Saddle Creek) also features some of the singer-songwriter’s visual art in its CD booklet. Audio and visual components combine experimentalism with accessibility, and the outcome is compelling on “For Real Now (Not Pretend),” “What Makes Me

Sad” and “180 Days.” With the right remix, “The Dancer” will have everyone on their feet and dancing. Those in the know may recognize the name Julia Shapiro from her band Chastity Belt and side-project Childbirth. A fierce feminist voice for her generation, Shapiro was notable for incorporating biting humor and wit into her songs. “Perfect Version” (Hardly Art), her solo debut, is something else, more serious and intimate. It’s a respectable move on Shapiro’s part, best represented in “I Lied,” “A Couple Highs” and “Tired.” Katie Toupin is best-known as the member of her former band Houndmouth. Questionable album cover art aside, Toupin’s solo debut “Magnetic Moves” (katietoupinmusic.com) will attract listeners on the strength of her voice and songwriting abilities. Knockout numbers include “The Hills Are Calling,” the retro “Someone to You” and the title cut. Led by the divine Davina Lozier, Davina and the Vagabonds may be based in the Twin Cities, but their sound and style are pure New Orleans. Sweet and sticky as a warm beignet, “Sugar Drops” (Red House) picks up where Fitz & The Tantrums left off, with the benefit of Davina’s dynamic pipes. Delectable original tunes include “Little Miss Moonshine,” “Devil Horns” and “Magic Kisses.” The deluxe edition CD features five bonus tracks, including a cover of Nina Simone’s “I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl.” New albums by (L.-R.) Jenny Lewis, Sharon Van Etten and Cate Le Bon put the diva in diva-licious.t

numbing experience of director KJ Dahlaw’s re-invention of Gluck’s re-invention of 18th-century opera didn’t make a good start. “Reframing the Orfeo myth through a queer lens” was nonbinary director dance artist Dahlaw’s intriguing intention, but there was little onstage that differed much, at least visually, from most productions that cast a mezzo-soprano as Orfeo. At least having nonbinary and women artists in control of the narrative offered present-day insight to the ancient story. Realization of any deeper meaning was less clear, blunted by amateurish dancing that was more distracting than expressive. The corps of six performed gamely in awful costumes, but energy alone couldn’t enliven the direction. Striking poses to declaim emotionally, Nikola Printz’s latest WEO engagement showed range and commitment as Orfeo. Pairing well with San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow (2015) Maria Valdes’ clear-toned Euridice, Printz was ultimately convincing. Shawnette Sulker (a featured artist in several SFO productions) gave bright insouciance to the role of Amore. The West Coast professional conducting debut of noted singer Christine Brandes provided vibrant and focused orchestral support. The chorus, stationed with the musicians, added force to Gluck’s beautiful music. Instead of using Gluck’s improbably happy ending, Dahlaw left the titular lovers in a more believable limbo. Director Elkhanah Pulitzer’s take on Donmar Warehouse, London’s foul-mouthed 1994 translation of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s “The Threepenny Opera” generated big pre-festival buzz. Her record at WEO is legendary, with a neverto-be-forgotten “Powder Her Face” by Thomas Ades topping the list, which also includes another Brecht/ Weill collaboration, “Mahagonny Songspiel.”

The new location did the usually inventive director no favors. Sitting in the stuffy air of a matinee performance pondering endless pages of spoken dialogue, the sold-out house faced a surprisingly sluggish show. The marvelous Weill tunes popped up periodically to wake us, but they only occasionally worked. Three hours with intermission seemed at odds with Brecht’s incisive view of modern morality. The settings were minimal, though Mack the Knife’s London looked tacky enough in Christine Crooks’ amusing costumes. Conductor David Moschler got the band off to a shaky start with a messy Overture. The multi-tasking musicians recovered and jammed idiomatically, as if playing in a pub or cabaret rather than a hangar. The singing actors faced the same odds. Brecht and Weill’s “opera for beggars” is a satire on the conventions of the genre as much as social manifesto. Pulitzer staged it with

Brechtian agitprop style, but killed the acerbic and haunting musical in the process. Tenor Derek Chester made his WEO debut as Macheath, offering some high-energy physicality. Despite heavy makeup and lewd posturing, he still came across as an amiable instead of nasty villain. Soprano Maya Kherani sang Polly Peachum with expected depth and warmth, but her listless acting proved unsympathetic. Character actor/singer mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook gave another scene-stealing performance as Mrs. Peachum. Partnered with a nuanced Jonathan Spencer as Mr. Peachum, together they triumphed. West Edge Opera has already released plans for next summer’s festival. Given its remarkable history of invention and adaptability, another season in Oakland near the East Bay landing of the Bay Bridge should still attract adventurous music-theatre fans.t

here aren’t a lot of musicians who have a backstory as fascinating as Jenny Lewis’. A child actress who appeared in the camp flick “Troop Beverly Hills” alongside Shelly Long, and the CBS series “Brooklyn Bridge” alongside Marion Ross, she went on to form the indie pop band Rilo Kiley. Her solo albums, in particular the amazing “The Voyager” from 2014 and her new one “On the Line” (WB), put her in league with brilliant songwriters such as Aimee Mann. “On the Line” feels like an intentional companion piece to “The Voyager.” Lewis’ ongoing development as a songwriter of note shines through on “Hollywood Lawn,” “Wasted Youth,” “Party Clown” and the title song. From the first dramatic notes of “I Told You Everything,” then the “holy shit” lyrics, you know that “Remind Me Tomorrow” (Jagjaguwar) by Sharon Van Etten is going to be unlike anything you’ve ever heard. Van Etten, like contemporaries Mitski and Angel Olsen, is rewriting the singer-songwriter handbook. In sheer musical variety alone, “Remind Me Tomorrow” never fails to dazzle, from the modern balladry of “Jupiter 4” to the dance-floor anthem “Comeback Kid” and the futuristic pop of “No One’s Easy To Love,” Van Etten has created one of the best albums of 2019. “Reward” (Mexican Summer) is not only Welsh singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon’s most accessible album, it’s also her best. This is immediately clear on the radiant opener “Miami,” as minimalist as it

is abundant. A daring pop album buoyed by tunes “Home to You,” “Daylight Maters” and “Sad Nudes,” Le Bon’s album is extremely rewarding indeed. At the dawn of this decade, a British singer-songwriter named Rumer burst onto the scene and created a stir for the way she sounded like Karen Carpenter. On the sumptuous “Titanic Rising” (Sub Pop), Weyes Blood (aka Natalie Mering) pulls off a similar feat. Effortlessly constructing a nostalgic 1970s sound crossed with a 21st-century mood, the songs on “Titanic Rising” soar. There’s not a false move on this accomplished 10-song album, making it difficult to choose favorite songs among “Picture Me Better,” “Andromeda” and “A Lot’s Gonna Change.” Even if you dig Banks and got hooked on her beginning with her 2014 eponymous debut album, you have to admit you had slog through more than half the record to get to the good stuff on “Beggin’ for Thread” and “Bedroom Wall.” That’s less true of her third album “III” (Harvest), where she wastes

Cory Weaver

Nikola Printz as Orfeo and Maria Valdes as Euridice in West Edge Opera’s production of “Orfeo ed Euridice.”

West Edge Opera

From page 17

Programming three shows and getting them up and running is no small feat, and if the first two productions varied in quality, the third, composer Missy Mazzoli’s and librettist Royce Varek’s “Breaking the Waves,” opened to positive word of mouth. The artistic leadership of General Director Mark Streshinsky and Music Director Jonathan Khuner has grown West Edge Opera (WEO) to an exciting brand, known for innovative productions that honor tradition and boldly break the rules. The not-for-profit started 40 years ago as Berkeley Opera, founded by Cal professor Richard Goodman, managed by Khuner from 19942009. Streshinsky joined in 2009, and the collaboration has guided the company through an amazing

decade of wildly entertaining experiments staged in offbeat venues. From the best spot at the abandoned 16th Street train station in Oakland, to cavernous Pacific Pipe Oakland and the better-suited but expensive Craneway Pavilion in the old Ford plant in Richmond, WEO has now landed at the Bridge Yard in Oakland. It is the least amenable site so far. Long, narrow, and highceilinged (open industrial beams), with poor ventilation and acoustics, it’s a wonder the Festival managed to adapt. Free wine, beer, and an airy outdoor tent make a welcoming scene, but once inside, even close to the elevated stage, sightlines are bad, and ambient noise is intrusive. The lack of intimacy was damaging to both of the first two operas, Brecht and Weill’s “The Threepenny Opera” and Christoph Willibald Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice.” I saw them in reverse order, and the

Cory Weaver

Mr. Peachum (Jonathan Spencer) and Mrs. Peachum (Catherine Cook) in West Edge Opera’s production of “The Threepenny Opera.”

Nightlife Events

Leather

www.ebar.com

Shining Stars Vol. 49 • No. 34 • August 22-28, 2019

Veronica Klaus

The much-missed chanteuse returns to Martuni’s by David-Elijah Nahmod

I Jose A. Guzman-Colon

t’s been several years since singer Veronica Klaus, for many years a fixture on the San Francisco cabaret scene, departed these shores for new adventures in upstate New York. But on August 31 and September 1, Klaus returns to the city where it all began. She’ll be performing four shows at Martuni’s, accompanied by the Tammy Hall Trio. See page 26 >>

Arts Events

Aug 22-29, 2019

Veronica Klaus

Summer’s end keeps shining with arts events all over the Bay.

Sun 25 Trina Robbins @ Cartoon Museum

Listings start on page 26 > { THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

<< Cabaret

26 • Bay Area Reporter • August 22-28, 2019

Russ Lorenson

Veronica Klaus at last year’s Martuni’s concert, with the Tammy Hall Trio.

Veronica Klaus

From page 25

Klaus is an old-school performer whose feet are firmly planted in the 1940s and ‘50s. Her shows conjure up images of smoky nightclubs of generations past. Her unique song stylings have garnered her a loyal fan base in San Francisco, and though she’s happy with her new life in New York, she promised her fans and friends in the Bay Area that she would always return home. “Things are good,” Klaus tells the Bay Area Reporter of her new life. “I have a show coming up when I get back home to New York, and a show coming up for Harvest Festival. It’s an annual event here in Sharon Springs, which usually brings about 8,000-12,000 people into town. Usually the village is 540 people, so it’s a big deal.”

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

Thu 22 Building the Building @ SOMArts Cultural Center SOMArts 40th anniversary exhibition with works by 16 artists; thru Sept. 3. 934 Brannan St. www.somarts.org

Classic and New Films @ Castro Theatre Aug 22: Blade Runner: The Final Cut (3pm, 7pm) and Tron (original 1982; 5:10, 9:10). Aug 23: The Thing (John Carpenter’s 1982,

Since 1977

Klaus explained why she made the move after having been in San Francisco for thirty-plus years. “I had my studio apartment in San Francisco, which was charming and lovely, but it was tiny,” she said. “It started to close in on me, and I started to feel claustrophobic. There was no way I could have afforded anything bigger.” Klaus added that she also felt frustrated, as a lot of the venues where she had been singing had closed. “I didn’t know what else to do in San Francisco,” she said. “Where to go, or what was ahead of me there. I mean, I love the city, but it’s very hard to get through to the new demographic when you’re doing what I do.” Klaus, who grew up in Illinois, also cited missing the seasons as a reason for her move. While San Francisco remains mild for most of

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at the same time there’s something really special about those pieces of music that have become standards. They’ve lasted for a reason.” Klaus cites jazz musicians Jimmy Scott, Etta James, Etta Jones, Ernestine Anderson, Peggy Lee, among others as her musical influences. “I like loads of different things,” she said. “So it’s hard for me to say one person.” Klaus is also a big fan of The Divine Miss M, Bette Midler. She recalls checking Midler’s first album out of the library when she was in the fourth or fifth grade. She said she never brought it back! “It was the first time I heard things that really spoke to me,” she said of Midler. “Things that I related to, that I aspired to; the love. the joy, and the heartbroken songs, the drama of it. I just loved it and related to it.” When she makes her return en-

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

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

Entwined @ 1544 Events, Oakland Fundraiser reception for AXIS Dance Company, with performances, food, open bar and DJed dance music. $100-$125. 7pm-10pm. 1544 Broadway, Oakland. www.axisdance.org

Fri 23

Lino Tagliapietra @ Montague Gallery

Radar Productions reading series, with Chibueze Crouch, Vanessa Rochelle Lewis, Anthony Veasna So and Yodassa Williams. 6:30pm. 2700 16th St. radarproductions.org

Opening reception for Radiance, the acclaimed glass sculptor’s exhibit of beautiful new works. 6pm-8pm. Thru Sept 28. 445A Sutter St. www.montaguegallery.com

Wicked @ San Jose Center for the Performing Arts

Robert Howard @ Old First Church

Broadway San Jose presents the megahit musical about Oz’s rival witches. $62-$112. Tue-Thu 7:30pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm & 6:30pm; thru Sept. 8. 255 South Almaden Blvd., San Jose. (online and in-person $25 lottery tickets available) broadwaysanjose.com

The acclaimed cellist performs works by Beethoven, Bruch, Janacek, Shostokovich and the West Coast premiere of Akshaya Ticker’s The Hear Savors Its Fragrance ; with pianist Kevin Korth. $5-$25. 8pm. 1751 Sacramento St. www.oldfirstconcerts.org

The San Quentin Project @ BAM/PFA

Fri 23

Sat 24

Nigel Poor and the Men of San Quentin State Prison follows the evolution of artist Nigel Poor’s (b. 1963) social art practice and her collaboration with the men incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County; thru Nov. 17. 2155Center St. Berkeley. www.bampfa.org

Border People @ The Marsh

All My Friends are Depressed! with Tiny Baruch @ Potrero Stage

Month of Momentum @ Immigration and Customs Enforcement Daily protests, performances and actions protesting ICE’s cruel and abusive internment of refugees and their children; daily through August. 630 Sansome St. tinyurl.com/ MonthofMomentumGroup

Veronica Klaus with the Tammy Hall Trio, Saturday August 31 and Sunday September 1, 4pm and 7pm, Martuni’s, 4 Valencia St. $40. Tickets: www.brownpapertickets. com/event/4265338

Linda Lee

Show Us Your Spines @ Jolene’s

Granny Cart Gangstas @ Bindlestiff Studios

gagement to Martuni’s, Klaus said that she and the Tammy Hall Trio will be doing some new material, as well as some Joni Mitchell songs. Martuni’s is her main venue whenever she’s in San Francisco. It’s a room for which she has a lot of affection. Klaus says it’s a lovely place that feels like home, and she enjoys the intimacy of the room. “It’s a wonderful, communitysupportive place,” she said. “It’s real homey and I love it.” But she’ll also be glad to getting back to her new home. “It’s beautiful up here,” she said of New York. “This community is very welcoming and very queer friendly and supportive.” t

Veronica Klaus at her 2018 Martuni’s concert.

7:15) and Cat People (5pm, 9:30). Aug 24: Poltergeist (2:30, 7pm), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (4:50) and Halloween III: Season of the Witch (9:15). Aug 25: Triple 007 with Bond cars on display on the street. Goldfinger (2pm, 9pm), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (4pm) and Moonraker (6:45). Aug 26/27: Yesterday (7:15, 5pm, 9:10), and Wild Rose (5pm, 9:10, 7pm). Aug 28: Vertigo (2:45, 7pm) and High Anxiety (5pm, 9:20). Aug 29: Bullitt (7pm) and Dirty Harry (9:10). $8-$16. 429 Castro St. www.castrotheatre.com

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

Serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner all day

the year, never getting hit by winter weather and rarely getting warm, upstate New York is blessed by four seasons. “I love the countryside,” she said of New York. “It’s so beautiful up here. The seasons are amazing here, because you get these progressions. You can practically set your clock by the kinds of wildflowers you get in the middle of the summer and at the end of summer. You feel those seasons coming in your bones and it’s really lovely. For a long time I didn’t realize I was missing that, and I’m really enjoying it.” Klaus may have found the perfect home in her new town. She purchased an 1850 Greek revival Lutheran church, which she is slowly refurbishing to be both her home and a small bed and breakfast. She has done several gigs at Albany’s New York Historical Society and has sung at the Harvest Festival before. She’s also sung at a restaurant in Cooperstown, among other venues. “Whatever works,” she said. She said that she’s excited to be returning to San Francisco and looks forward to seeing all her friends. She’s also thrilled to be performing with the Tammy Hall Trio. “Tammy is phenomenal,” she said. “We’ve known each other since 1995 or ‘96. She’s an incredible musician. There’s such soul and depth to her playing. She’s beyond intuitive. She really believes in the music above everything else. I can’t say enough good things about her.” Klaus is drawn to the music of the ‘40s and ‘50s because of the unabashed romanticism. That music, she noted, doesn’t have a problem saying, “This is how love feels, this is how heartache feels.” “The melodies were real melodies then,” she said. “I’m not someone who hates everything else, but

Dan Hoyle’s new solo show embodies multiple characters based around the U.S./Mexico border wall controversies; extended thru Aug; then Sept 13-Oct 26. 30. $25$100. Wed-Fri 8pm, Sat 5pm. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarsh.org

Writer, poet, host Baruch PorrasHernandez’ comic illustrated storytelling journey about dealing with resistance exhaustion. $21.50. 3pm. 1695 18th St. www.playground-sf.org

The Flick @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley Shotgun Players performs Annie Baker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2014 drama/comedy about three people working in a cinema. $7-$40. Thru Sept 22. 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. www.shotgunplayers.org

Pushing West: The Photography of Andrew J. Russell @ Oakland Museum Pushing West: The Photography of Andrew J. Russell, historic photos of the Transcontinental Railroad’s western expansion; thru September 2. Also, Mildred Howard’s TAP: Investigation of Memory, a multimedia installation with themes of identity, church culture, gentrification, dance, and activism. Take Root: Oakland Grows Food, and other exhibits. Free/$15. 1000 Oak St. http://museumca.org/

Roan at the Gates @ Berkeley City Club Central Works’ production of Christina Gorman’s political thriller (adapted from her novel) about an NSA analyst’s secret life, and his wife’s possible betrayal. $22-$38, extended thru Aug 25. 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. www.centralworks.org

Arts Events>>

August 22-28, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

Off the Wall @ Mission Cultural Center

Sat 24 All My Friends are Depressed! with Tiny Baruch @ Potrero Stage

Exhibit and sale of historic Mission Grafica Printmaking Studio’s decades of posters and prints; main Gallery, thru Sept. 20. 2868 Mission St. missionculturalcenter.org

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

Terry Baum @ Alley Cat Books The lesbian playwright reads from One Dyke’s Theater, an anthology of her short plays. 2pm-5pm. 3036 24th St. alleycatbookshop.com

Wed 28 Interior/Exterior @ Museum of Craft/Design

San Francisco Mime Troupe @ Bay Area Parks

Trina Robbins @ Cartoon Museum

The company celebrates its 60th anniversary and performs Treasure Island, an update on the classic tale, with a development/greed scandal as the story. Free/$20 donations; at Bay Area locales thru Sept 8. www.sfmt.org

Cartoonist and historian leads a guided tour of the summer exhibition The Teen Age: Youth Culture in Comics. 2pm. Also, Surfside Girls, original work from book illustrator Kim Dwinell; other ongoing exhibits. Free-$10. 11am5pm, except Wed. 781 Beach St. www.cartoonart.org

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

Vintage Paper Fair @ County Fair Bldg. See and buy stuff from dozens of vendors of vintage posters, postcards and ephemera. Free. 10am-6pm. Sun 11am-5pm. Golden Gate Park, 9th Ave. at Lincoln Way. www.vintagepaperfair.com

Sun 25 The Broadway Princess Party @ Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek Broadway stars Laura Osnes, Susan Egan, Christy Altomare, Arielle Jacobs and muscial director Benjamin Rauhala, with guestprince Nick Pitera, performs songs from hit musicals with a royal style. $73-$85. 3pm. feinsteinssf.com

Daniel Glover @ Old First Church The accomplished pianist performs Polish music; lesser-known works from the 20th century by Dutkiewicz, Bacewicz, and Szymanowski, alongside Chopin’s 24 Preludes, Op. 28. $5-$25. 8pm. 1751 Sacramento St. www.oldfirstconcerts.org

Mon 26 Chosen Familias @ GLBT History Museum Exhibits Chosen Familias: Bay Area LGBTQ Latinx Stories, and The Mayor of Folsom Street: Alan Selby’s Legacy, an exhibit of the leather culture pioneer. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

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

Tue 27 Aunt Charlie’s @ Tenderloin Museum Multimedia exhibit about the historic Tenderloin drag bar, including Beautiful by Night: Photographs from Aunt Charlie’s Lounge by James Hosking. Exhibit thru Dec 1. 398 Eddy St. http:// www.tenderloinmuseum.org/

Naked Men’s Sketch @ Eros Get naked and take turns modeling at the sex club’s popular weekly event. Donations/no entrance fee. 7pm-9pm. 2051 Market St. www.erossf.com

Richard Caldwell Brewer @ Lost Art Salon Exhibit of works by the late gay artist (1923-2014). Mon-Sat 10am5:30pm. 245 South Van Ness Ave., #303. https://lostartsalon.com/

Summertime @ Jenkins Johnson Gallery Group exhibit of summerthemed photos and paintings. Tue-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat til 5pm, thru Aug. 30. 464 Sutter St. jenkinsjohnsongallery.com

Thu 29 Annabeth Rosen @ Contemporary Jewish Museum Annabeth Rosen: Fired, Broken, Gathered, Heaped, an exhibit of works by the Californian sculptor; thru Jan 19. Other exhibits, too. Free/$17. 736 Mission St. https://thecjm.org/

Anything Goes @ Hillbarn Theatre, Foster City The 1987 fun nautical take on 1930s musicals gets a South Bay production. $37-$60. Thru Sept 15. 1285 East Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City. hillbarntheatre.org

Queer Asia, BearPad @ Strut

Sprightly @ SF Public Library

Queer Asia: Identity [re]defined, a group exhibit of Bay Area queer Asian artists’ works. Also, Woof/Grrr, X/O, BearPad’s exhibit of illustrated colorful gay erotica. Thru August. 470 Castro St. www.sfaf.org

Weekly hangout for LGBTQ youth, with crafts, snacks and activities. 12:30pm-2:30pm. James C. Hormel Center, 3rd floor, 100 Larkin St. sfpl.org

Tattoos in Japanese Prints @ Asian Art Museum Tattoos in Japanese Prints and The Bold Brush of Au HoNein, both thru Aug. 18; also, Contemporary works by Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, Kim Heecheon and Liu Jianhua; exhibits of sculpture and antiquities. Sunday café specialties from $7$16. Free-$20. Tue-Sun 10am5pm. 200 Larkin St. asianart.org

Group exhibit of works curated by Ariel Zaccheo; also, Dead Nuts: a search for the ultimate machined object, curated by David Cole; both thru Dec. 1. Cocktails and artis chats, plus hands-on workshops (Aug 15, 6pm-9pm). 2569 3rd St. https://sfmcd.org

Theater Unplugged @ ODC Theater

Tue 27

Terry Baum @ Alley Cat Books

Resident Artist Larry Arrington presents a work-in-progress performance of an “astrological folk dance,” No Quarter. $15-$20. 8pm. 3153 17th St. www.odc.dancet

Playmates and soul mates...

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<< Nightlife Events

28 â&#x20AC;˘ Bay Area Reporter â&#x20AC;˘ August 22-28, 2019

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

Wine Bar Cabaret @ Pause Wine Bar

Sat 24

Thu 22

Red Hots Burlesque brings their saucy cabaret show to the stylish wine bar. 8pm-10pm. 1666 Market St. www.yieldandpause.com

GAPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cirque du Runway @ Herbst Theatre

Contact; Connect @ Lone Star Saloon

Get out for fun, in the shade or under the sun.

Meet & greet of drop-the-digital faceto-face connections. 6pm-9pm. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Sat 24 La Bota Loca @ Club 21, Oakland

Deeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Keys @ Beaux

Banda Los Shakas performs live at the LGBT Latinx night. $10. 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St. club21oakland.com

Steven Underhill

Weekly live piano and open mic night with Dee Spencer. 4pm-8pm. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

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

Brunch @ Joleneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Nightlife Events

Events @ Steamworks Berkeley

Aug. 22-29, 2019

The stylish bathhouseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s DJed events take place through the week. $7-$62, plus annual memberships $160. Open 24/7, every day. 2107 4th St., Berkeley. (510) 845-8992. www.steamworksbaths.com

Rice Rockettes @ Lookout Local and visiting Asian drag queensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; weekly show with DJ Philip Grasso. $5. 10:30pm show. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

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

Rock Fag @ Hole in the Wall Enjoy hard rock and punk music from DJ Don Baird. Also Fridays. 7pm-2am. 1369 Folsom St. 431-4695.hitws.com

Martini Thursdays @ Trax The Haight gay bar offers cheap gin & vodka cocktails. 1437 Haight St. http://www.traxbarsf.com/

Daft Punk Disco @ Rickshaw Stop

Herbie Hancock, Kamasi Washington @ The Greek Theatre, Berkeley

The middle Eastern/North African dance party brings together lovely people, belly dancers, and ethnic dance mixes. $15. 10pm-2am. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

The master pop-funk bands perform, along with Robert Glasper, at the spacious open-air auditorium. $50$125. 7pm. 2001 Gayley Road, UC Berkeley campus. thegreekberkeley.com

Karrin Allyson @ Feinsteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at the Nikko

Dance it up at the historic (and still hip) East Bay bar. 9pm-2am. 6551 Telegraph Ave. whitehorsebar.com

Five-time Grammy Award-nominated jazz vocalist/pianist performs original music with her band. $30-$65 ($20 food/drink min.) 8pm. Also Aug 24. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. karrin.com www.feinsteinssf.com

Get Busy @ Driftwood

Latin Explosion @ Club 21

Friday Nights at the Ho @ White Horse Bar, Oakland

Asheq @ Oasis

KJ Dana hosts the weekly singing night; unleash your inner American Idol ; first Thursdays are Costume Karaoke; third is Kinky Karaoke 8pm. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Bears and fun at the leather bar with Paul Goodyear, cubs and chubs gogo studs. $5. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Drag and variety show with glittering locals and visiting talents; 6pm-8pm. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Fri 23

Queer Karaoke @ Club OMG

Growlr @ SF Eagle

Punk-influenced pop band headlines; Pissed Jeans, Marissa Nadler and Choir Boy also perform. $20. 9pm. 420 Mason St. augusthallsf.com

Drag Alive @ The Stud

Rock bands play at the famed leather bar. $8. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

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

Ceremony @ August Hall

Retro mix night with Popscene DJs Aaron Axelsen and Omar Perez. $10$15. 10pm-2am. 155 Fell St. www.rickshawstop.com

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle

The Monster Show @ The Edge

House, Disco & Techno music with DJs Eâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Lish, Wes Charles and more. $5. 9pm-2am. 1225 Folsom St. www.driftwoodbarsf.com

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

Pac 10 @ Atlas

Free | Downtown San JosĂŠ

#PartyOnPost

Steam @ Powerhouse

Uhaul @ Joleneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

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ions

Explore

The popular womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dance party returns at the new nightclub, now weekly. 10pm-2am. 2700 16th St. at Harrison. http://jolenessf.com/

t le Talen Incredib

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Make Me Wait @ The Stud DJs David Harness, Marke B, and Rolo Talorda play classic house grooves. 9pm-3am. 399 9th St. studsf.com

Eat Drink SF @ The Midway Sample local and regionally-made food, wines and cocktails at the food-stravaganza. $129-$229. 12pm10:30pm. 900 Marin St. www.eatdrink-sf.com

Entwined @ 1544 Events, Oakland Fundraiser reception for AXIS Dance Company, with performances, food, open bar and DJed dance music. $100-$125. 7pm-10pm. 1544 Broadway, Oakland. axisdance.org

Into the Crypts of Gays @ Lone Star Saloon

Mother @ Oasis

Bathhouse-style fun at the cruisy bar, with towel-clad gogos, wetness and Steamworks Berkeley goodies. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Attract

Runway 31, the Gay Asian Pacific Allianceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual gala drag competition and entertainment extravaganza, with cohosts Mr. GAPA 2013 Nguyen â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sir Whitney Queersâ&#x20AC;? Pham and Miss GAPA 2012 Jezebel Patel. $25-$50. 7pm (5pm VIP reception). 401 Van Ness Ave. www.cityboxoffice.com/runway31

Piano Bar @ Martuniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

The hunky sexy East Bay funk band plays on a bill with Forrest Day, Unlikely Heroes and other musicians. $15-$18. 9pm. 1743 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. www.thenewparish.com

SAT | SEPT 21, 2019 | 6P-2A

Cirque du Runway @ Herbst Theatre

DJs Bulldog Mike and Metal Bob play classic heavy metal music. $5. 9pm-2am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Musician extraordinaire Joe Wicht leads tasteful sing-along selections. 5:30-8:30pm. 4 Valencia St.

Enjoy DJed grooves, chicken & waffles, veggie scrambles and more, with brunch cocktails, at the new queer bar. 11am-3pm. Also Sundays. 2700 16th St. www.jolenessf.com

Super-cruisy jock-gear-themed night, with DJed grooves, gogo studs and clothes check. $10-$20. 10pm-3am. 415 10th St. www.atlas-sf.com

Planet Booty @ The New Parish

Thrilling

Heklinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s popular weekly drag show, with special guests and great music themes, and MadDogg 20/20 in the Fez Room. August 24 is a Tori Amos vs Florence and the Machine night. $10-$15. 10pm-3am (11:30pm show). 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Nitty Gritty @ Beaux Josh Carmichael with DJ Salazer host the tattoo appreciation night. $10. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Polyglamorous @ F8 Lovefingers and Heidi Lawson guest-DJ the groovy queer dance party. $10-$15. 10pm-4am. 1192 Folsom St. www.eventbrite.com/o/ polyglamorous-11856137047

Qtease @ The Stud Queer burlesque and cabaret show. 6pm-8pm. 399 9th St. studsf.com

creening

sS Wellnes

Bay Areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Largest LGBTQ+ Wellness Festival

www.PostStJubilee.com Supported, in part, by a Office of Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San JosĂŠ. Event is subject to change, see website for complete details. A PROJECT MORE FOUNDATION INITIATIVE

DOMOREPROJECT.ORG

Fri 23

Planet Booty @ The New Parish

August 22-28, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 29

Freeball Wednesdays @ The Cinch

Fri 23

Free pool and drink specials at the historic neighborhood bar. 8pm-1am. 1723 Polk St. www.cinchsf.com

Asheq @ Oasis

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

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

Queeraoke @ El Rio Rogue @ SF Eagle Rubber, latex and kink night with DJ Josh Cheon. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Shake It Up @ Port Bar, Oakland DJ Lady Char spins dance grooves; gogo studs, and drink specials. ‘Thank U, Marsha’ (4th Sat.) and Tinsel Teese’s ‘Kiki at the Port Bar’ (8pm). 2023 Broadway. (510) 823-2099. www.portbaroakland.com

Tower of Power @ Fox Oakland

Mon 26 C U Laterz @ The Stud Going away party for VivvyAnne ForeverMore (who’s going to Amsterdam for grad school). 6pm9pm. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

International Mondays @ Qbar Enjoy world grooves all night. 9pm2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Karaoke Night @ SF Eagle

The legendary funk band performs; Con Brio opens. $60-$80. 8pm. 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.thefoxoakland.com

Sing along, with hosts Dulce De Leche, Eduardo Wagar, three Pristine condition and Patty Daniel, plus prizes, local celeb judges, and $2 draft beer. 8pm-12am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Sun 25

Music Mondays @ Pause Wine Bar

Beer Bust @ SF Eagle The popular daytime party, where $10-$15 gets you all the beer you can drink, supporting worthy causes. 3pm-6pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Big Gay Beer Bust @ The Cinch Benefits and plenty of beer at the historic neighborhood bar. 3pm-7pm. 1723 Polk St. www.cinchsf.com

Dirty Musical Sundays @ The Edge Sing along at the popular musical theatre night, with a bawdy edge; also Mondays and Wednesdays (but not as dirty). 7pm-2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Gigante @ Qbar Frisco Robbie spins Latin and Hip-Hop grooves. $5. 9pm-2am (weekly beer bust 2pm-9pm). 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Glam Sundays @ Valencia Room New weekly house, funk, soul T-dance with guest-DJs and no cover. 3pm9pm. 647 Valencia St. www.glamsundays.com

Jock @ The Lookout Enjoy the weekly jock-ular fun, with DJed dance music at sports team fundraisers. 12pm-1am. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Leather Bar Showtunes Sing-Along @ SF Eagle Ace pianist Barry Loyd leads a rollicking night of showtune fun. Sing out, Louise! $10. 7pm-11pm. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Renegade @ Atlas The weekly cruisy semi-private party. 6pm-10pm. $5-$20. Now also Truck Tuesdays, and Thursdays, 9pm-2am. 415 10th St. www.atlas-sf.com

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550 The popular two-stepping linedancing, not-just-country music night, with free lessons, celebrates its 21st anniversary; free admission. 5pm-10:30pm. Also Thursdays 6:30pm-10:30pm. 550 Barneveld Ave. www.sundancesaloon.org

Marcus plays live music at the sttlish wine bar; weekly 8pm-10pm. 1666 Market St. www.yieldandpause.com

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

Vamp @ Beaux Women’s night with a sultry vampire theme; goth, red & black, lingerie attire welcome but not required; bondage and BDSM demos, too. DJs Olga T and Jayne Grey. $5-$15. 8pm2am. 2344 Market St. beauxsf.com

Witch Camp @ Oasis Amber Martin and Nath Ann Carrera perform covers of songs by Led Zeppelin, Yoko Ono, Pentangle, Pink Floyd, Buffy Sainte-Marie, The Stone Poneys, Black Sabbath, The Ises Black and more; in the Fez Room. $15. 7:30pm. 298 11th St. sfoasis.com

Tue 27 Crash Test Dummies @ The Chapel Canadian rock band reunites for the first time in 17 years to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their sophomore album God Shuffled His Feet. Jill Sobule opens. $44. 8pm. 777 Valencia St. www.thechapelsf.com

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

Karaoke Cocktails @ Ginger’s The new basement tribute to the old Ginger’s Trois hosts weekly singing fun. 8pm-12am. 86 Hardie Place. www.gingers.bar

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

TnT with the Meme Boys @ Powerhouse Travis, Traci and Tyler cohost the game night. 9pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Vice Tuesdays @ Q Bar Queer femmes and friends dance party with hip hop, Top 40 and throwbacks at the stylish intimate bar, with DJs Val G and Iris Triska. 9pm2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Midweek drag rave and vocal open mic, with Dulce de Leche, Rahni Nothingmore, Beth Bicoastal, Ginger Snap and guests. 10pm. 3158 Mission St. http://www.elriosf.com/

Thu 29 Gym Class @ Hi Tops Enjoy whiskey shots from jockstrapped hotties and sexy sports videos at the popular sports bar. 10pm-2am. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Literary Speakeasy @ Martuni’s Enjoy cocktails and readings with writers and poets Skye Allen, Erika Atkinson, Lisa Galloway, Minyoung Lee, and Gary Pei, with host James J. Siegel. 7pm. 4 Valencia St.

Queer Karaoke @ Club OMG KJ Dana hosts the weekly singing night; unleash your inner American Idol ; first Thursdays are Costume Karaoke; 3rd is Kinky Karaoke 8pm. 43 6th St.

San Geronimo @ The Chapel The band performs Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album. $20. 8pm. 777 Valencia St. www.thechapelsf.com

Star Trek Live! @ Oasis

Wed 28

The hilarious drag king/ queen parody performance of a classic episode of the scifi TV series teleports back to SoMa, starring Leigh Crow (Capt. Kirk) and a crew of queens and kings. $27.50$50. Thu-Sat 7pm. Thru Sept 21. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

B.P.M. @ Club BnB, Oakland Olga T and Shugga Shay’s weekly queer women and men’s R&B hip hop and soul night, at the club’s new location. 8pm-2am. 2120 Broadway, Oakland. www.bench-and-bar.com

Cabaret Karaoke @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko

TwerkBack Thursday @ Port Bar, Oakland

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

Follies & Dollies @ White Horse Bar, Oakland Weekly drag show at the historic gay bar. 9:30pm-11:30pm. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.com

DJ Deft plays hip hop grooves, gogos at 10pm, with hosts Mahlae Balenciaga and Amoura Teese. 2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com

Mon 26 VivvyAnne ForeverMore’s C U Laterz @ The Stud

Leo Forte

Steven Underhill

Nightlife Events>>

Want your nightlife event listed? Email events@ebar. com, at least two weeks before your event.t

<< Leather

30 • Bay Area Reporter • August 22-28, 2019

Here we go again Mr. SF Leather 2020 contest crowns kinksters

Rich Stadtmiller

Winners Trey Onyx (left), the new Mr. SF Leather 2020, and Jessie (center), the new SF Bootblack 2020, with Reika (right), Ms. SF Leather 2019.

Rich Stadtmiller

Mr. San Francisco Leather 2020, Trey Onyx (center), with SF Bootblack contestant Unicorn boy (left) and Angel Garfold, President of the SF Bay Area Leather Alliance (right).

by Race Bannon

he Mr. San Francisco Leather and San Francisco Bootblack 2020 contest took place this past weekend. You might be thinking “Didn’t we just have this contest in March? You would be correct. That was for the 2019 titleholders. The producer, San Francisco Bay Area Leather Alliance, felt there were compelling reasons to move the date. As a result, we have two of the same contests but for different years in the same year. In 2018, the timing of the contest as it relates to the International Mr. Leather (IML) contest began being discussed within the Alliance. It was decided that whoever won Mr. SF Leather 2019 would have the option of competing at IML right away or wait until after their step-down and compete for IML in May 2020.

Jawn Marques, Mr. SF Leather 2019, decided to compete at IML last May where he placed an impressive First Runner-Up. Therefore, the Alliance moved the contest for the 2020 titleholder year. The main reasoning for this change was to give the current Mr. SF Leather more time to focus on involvement in his local community. The change also allows for preparations to compete at IML over an eight-month rather than two-month period. Going forward, the contest (it’s really two contests running in parallel) will happen on the third weekend of August. This new iteration of the contest began with a Meet and Greet at Mr. S Leather on Friday night. The

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crowd then walked to the SF Eagle to witness the technical portion of the bootblack contest and watch the fantasy grab bag portion of the Mr. SF Leather contest. Contestants pulled three random items from a bag and had to produce a quick erotic scene in a couple of minutes using all the bag’s contents. Competing for the Mr. SF Leather 2020 title were Trey Onyx representing Onyx Northwest, Manny Ojeda representing the SF Eagle, and Spencer Adam representing the Powerhouse. Vying for the SF Bootblack title were Unicorn boy and Jessie. Judges for the contest included local and national kinksters and titleholders. For Mr. SF Leather, the judges were Danny Thanh Nguyen, Amp Somers, Nico Watson, Haley Alice, Doriam Couto, Krystal Kayceepuppy, and Estefan Reitz. Judging the bootblacks were Douglas Ambrose, Elliot Musgrave, and Brynn Mack. On Saturday the contestant interviews took place earlier in the day. That night was the main contest held at a new venue, Folsom Street Foundry. I like the new venue. Emceeing this year were local leatherman Lance Holman and entertainer Alotta Boutté. Alotta also sang the national anthem to begin the show and then belted out a couple of great numbers at the halfway point. The main show’s components were what I refer to as leather presentation where the contestants try to confidently strut their best kinky self on stage while also answering a pop question, and the speech portion where contestants deliver a speech to the audience on any topic of their choosing. Everyone looked great on stage, carried themselves well, answered the pop questions without any faux pas, and delivered good speeches. Spencer Adam won the Leather Heart Award, an honor voted on by all the contestants to highlight the person who most had their backs during the competition. Winning SF Bootblack 2020 was Jessie. Winner of Mr. SF Leather 2020 was Trey Onyx. Trey was the first out trans man in U.S. military service during the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era and is the first trans man to win Mr. SF Leather. As both a trans man and person of color, he will lend a voice to broadening the participation of both in the wider leather and kink scenes. On Sunday the contest weekend ended at Sunday Streets SoMa with a gathering at the Leather Hub, the street section of the event organized by the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District.

I hesitate to add this next comment because it will seem like I’m pointing specifically to this contest, but I’ve been meaning to offer this observation for years about the countless contests I’ve attended, and my mention just happens to sync with this one. When possible, I believe audiences would appreciate if the biographies that are typically read from the stage were shortened dramatically, and that goes for everyone from

contestants to judges to producers. Perhaps implementing a strict word limit would help. Or, maybe even better –since so many contests now utilize projected slideshows during the contest– create a photo and concise information slide about each contestant, judge, emcee, producer or staff member that the contest wants to highlight and rotate their projection throughout the event. This would also ensure that people coming to the contest late, or who left the room to get a drink or take a bathroom break, still learned about each person. Again, this pertains to virtually all contests nationally, although at least one contest I’ve attended recently has adopted this slideshow concept and it worked extremely well. Congratulations to Trey and Jessie. May you have wonderful title years. The Mr. SF Leather and SF Bootblack 2021 titleholder contest will be held the third weekend of August 2020. Check out the Alliance website in the future for details. www.leatheralliance.orgt

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

All photos: Rich Stadtmiller

Top: Two of the many women in the audience at the Mr. SF Leather and SF Bootblack 2020 competition.Mr. SF Leather 2016. Middle: Cody Elkin 2016 (right) with his posse of handsome cheering section men at the finals of the Mr. SF Leather and SF Bootblack 2020 contest. Bottom: Leather is alive and well as it continues to attract handsome young men such as these two audience members at the Mr. SF Leather and SF Bootblack 2020 contest.

Shining Stars>>

August 22-28, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 31

Shining Stars Steven Underhill Photos by

REAF 25th Anniversary Benefit @ Herbst Theater

he Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation’s 25th anniversary benefit concert, Help Is on the Way, held August 18 at the Herbst Theater, included a super-talented array of Broadway and local cabaret singers, including Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless, Leanne Borghesi, Paula West, Sam Harris, Kimberley Locke, Bruce Vilanch, and several others. Playwright Del Shores ran the live auction with aplomb. Executive Director/CEO Ken Henderson and Board Chair Joe Seiler honored decades-long volunteers onstage. Longtime show biz legend Carole Cook was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her quarter-century of AIDS fundraising, before she performed one of her wry monologues with a few songs. The pre-show and post-show receptions, held in the upstairs Green Room, saw local luminaries and philanthopists schmoozing with the performers, as food, wines and chocolate treats were served. The next benefit concert will be Sept. 16, with cast members from Hamilton. www.reaf-sf.org See plenty more photos on BARtab’s Facebook page, facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at StevenUnderhill.com.

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For headshots, portraits or to arrange your wedding photos

call (415) 370-7152 or visit www.StevenUnderhill.com or email stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com

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