August 23, 2012 edition of teh Bay Area Reporter

11

Preparing to fly again

Eagle deal collapses

ARTS

8

17

Honore Daumier

The

www.ebar.com

Serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities since 1971

Vol. 42 • No. 34 • August 23-29, 2012

Senior housing group seeks $53M

Officials take aim at STD spikes

by Matthew S. Bajko

by Matthew S. Bajko

T

W

ith rates of sexually transmitted diseases continuing to rise in San Francisco and across California, public health officials are taking aim at the rate spikes with new Rick Gerharter testing practices and treatment regimens. SF STD chief They are also Dr. Susan Philip deploying mobile devices as a way to reach sexually active gay and bisexual men. The messages sent via cellphones can alert subscribers to the service about upcoming appointments to be tested for STDs or deliver targeted texts with speSee page 13 >>

Bird’s eye view P

assengers on a Blue and Gold ferry cruise got an up-close view Monday of a practice session for the America’s Cup World Series that begins today (Thursday, August 23) on San Francisco Bay. The regatta races this weekend are a warm-up for next year’s Amer-

Bill Wilson

ica’s Cup final. Organizers encourage people to watch the 45-foot racing boats from the Marina Green, where an America’s Cup Village will be set up daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

It is near Marina Boulevard at Fillmore Street.

Admission is free.

he hunt is on to find $53 million to build what project sponsors say will be the country’s largest affordable housing development for LGBT seniors.

Openhouse, a San Francisco-based agency focused on LGBT elders, has plans to construct 110 units of senior housing at the 55 Laguna project in the city’s lower Haight and upper Market neighborhoods. It is part of a larger infill development that will see an additional 330 new multi-family rental units built at what was the UC Berkeley Extension campus.

Last week, for the second time in four years, the city’s Planning Commission signed off on the project. Wood Partners, the lead developer, needed to go back before the oversight panel because it changed the layout of its planned residential buildings as well the location of a community garden and other public amenities.

Officials at Openhouse have spent years laying the groundwork to build housing for the See page 12 >>

Candidate SF Pride hands out $142K to groups named to college T board

by Elliot Owen

by Seth Hemmelgarn

S

an Francisco Mayor Ed Lee named a candidate running for the City College board as a trustee Tuesday, instantly giving him a possible advantage in the race by running as an appointed incumbent.

Santos for college board The mayor named Rodrigo Santos structural engineer Rodrigo Santos, 54, to serve out the remaining few months of Trustee Milton Marks III’s term on the San Francisco Community College board. Marks died earlier this month of a brain tumor.

The appointment, which the mayor announced at a City Hall news conference, comes as San Francisco City College, which See page 13 >>

wo months after hundreds of thousands of people filled the streets to attend the 42nd annual San Francisco Pride Parade and festival, the SF LGBT Pride Celebration Committee gathered Tuesday, August 21 at the LGBT Community Center to distribute grant checks to the local nonprofit organizations that helped facilitate 2012’s successful Pride event.

The Pride Committee handed out a total of $142,482 to 75 organizations.

It’s called the annual check granting party, whereby nonprofits that volunteer during SF Pride through its Community Partners Program are given grants based on their participation as either beverage partners, donation partners, or accessibility partners. Beverage partners oversee Civic Center’s beverage booths, donation partners collect donations at the gates during the entire weekend’s events, and accessibility partners oversee deaf and hard-of-hearing spaces as well as the parade’s wheelchair-accessible grandstands.

“Writing checks to organizations who are doing all kinds of important work is by far one of the best parts of this job,” Pride Committee Executive Director Brendan Behan told the Bay Area Reporter. “It’s important that everyone have a piece of Pride’s success.”

The LGBT Center’s Rainbow Room was packed with over 100 people who shared stoSee page 12 >>

Bill Wilson

Representatives of local nonprofits were all smiles as they received their checks from the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee’s Community Partners Program at a party Tuesday night.

{ FIRST OF TWO SECTIONS }

<< Community News

2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • Date August 23-29, 2012

▼

Green again S

upervisor Scott Wiener, center, cuts the ribbon Saturday, August 18 at the celebration of a restored area near Storrie and Ord streets in the Eureka Valley neighborhood.

The formerly blighted parcel is now a charming garden, thanks to the hard work of neighbors and a variety of groups, including the San Francisco Parks Trust, the Department of Public Works, and the Storrie Ord Neighborhood Group.

Jane Philomen Cleland

Popular restaurant worker dead at 51

by Seth Hemmelgarn

F

amily and friends are mourning the death of a popular gay San Francisco man who spent years in the restaurant business, including most recently at a Castro eatery.

Patrick Lovett, 51, was found Wednesday morning, August 15, in his home in the 900 block of Broderick Street, near Golden Gate Avenue.

A San Francisco Police Department report lists the cause of death as “unknown” and doesn’t indicate that police regard his death as suspicious. It appears Lovett had been ill.

The medical examiner’s office isn’t likely to release the cause of death publicly for several months.

According to police, Lovett’s roommate found him on their kitchen floor at about 8:30 a.m. last Wednesday. He was pronounced dead around 20 minutes later.

Lovett recently worked as a host at Jake’s on Market, at 2223 Market Street. Brad Becker, who co-owns the restaurant, said Lovett was “a lot of fun to work with and had a lot of customers that knew him for many years and enjoyed seeing him here.”

Lovett had worked at the space when it was known as 2223, and had stayed on when Jake’s opened in February, Becker said.

Becker estimated he’d last seen Lovett a month ago, around the time

Patrick Lovett

Lovett left Jake’s, and he had seemed fine.

Teddy Newport, 50, was Lovett’s best friend for 30 years, and also recalled his “gregarious” nature. They moved to the city together in 1992.

Newport, who now lives in Oakland, said Lovett was “larger than life.”

“He was like Auntie Mame,” Newport said, referring to the witty, funloving film character. Lovett “knew a million people” and “always had everybody’s back,” Newport said.

However, it appears things had taken a turn in recent years. Newport said two years ago, Lovett “lost a good job, and it seems like he nev-

er really got a job at that level again.”

Lovett had been living with HIV for more than 20 years, Newport said, but he added he’s been living with HIV for 24 years “and I’m in spectacular health, so I don’t know what happened at the end. I don’t know if he stopped taking care of himself.”

Just before he died, Lovett “kept everyone at bay, so nobody knew what happened in the last couple weeks that led up to this,” Newport said.

“He told everyone he fell really bad on the street and he was bruised really bad,” and said he was “laying low,” Newport said. He said he’d last seen his friend about three weeks ago and he’d seemed “fine.”

According to police, Lovett’s roommate reported that he’d been “very sick” and had been in bed for the past two weeks. He said that he’d last talked to Lovett more than a week before his death via a text message.

Police listed “green vegetable matter,” a pipe, and prescription medications as being among Lovett’s property. Lovett smoked marijuana for medicinal purposes, Newport said.

According to an online obituary, his father, stepmother, and other family members survive Lovett.

Online condolences are welcome at http://www.mackenfuneralhome. com.▼

Rosie O’Donnell suffers heart attack

by David-Elijah Nahmod

O

ut comedian and former talk show host Rosie O’Donnell is recovering from a heart attack she suffered last week, various media outlets reported.

The Los Angeles Times reported that O’Donnell, 50, is recovering at home.

“I’m lucky to be here,” O’Donnell wrote on her blog.

O’Donnell wrote that she was helping who she described as an “enormous woman struggling to get out of her car.”

Afterwards, O’Donnell said her body hurt and she had an ache in her chest.

While at home, she developed more pain and felt nauseous.

“Maybe this is a heart attack,” she wrote, adding that she Googled women’s heart attack symptoms.

“I had many of them but really? – I thought – naa,” she wrote.

She said she took a Bayer aspirin.

“Saved by a TV commercial, literally,” she wrote.

She did not call 911, something she urged other women to do.

“Know the symptoms, ladies,” O’Donnell wrote. “Listen to the voice inside, the one we so easily ignore. Call 911.”

The next day she went to a cardiologist and an EKG revealed 99 percent blockage in her LAD (left anterior descending) coronary artery.

She was sent to a hospital, she said, where doctors put in a stent.

The Times noted that August was a particularly difficult month for O’Donnell. Her fiancee, Michelle Rounds, was diagnosed with desmoid tumors, a rare condition that can destroy tissue in a way that’s similar to cancer.

O’Donnell is of course a role model to many lesbians. In addition to her careers as an actress and talk show host, she’s one of the country’s most visible lesbian moms, having adopted four children. While she’s

Ric

Rosie O’Donnell

become known for her strong opinions and sometimes volatile temper, her coming out in 2002 was one of many within the entertainment industry that helped to show young LGBT people that it’s okay to live an out, proud life. She and her former spouse, Kelli Carpenter, were married in San Francisco during the “Winter of Love” in 2004 when thenMayor Gavin Newsom ordered city officials to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. O’Donnell and Carpenter split in 2007.

In a 1996 segment on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, O’Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres joked about being “Lebanese.” DeGeneres came out the following year. ▼ A video clip of the 1996 segment accompanies the online version of this story.

▼

Election 2012>>

August 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 3

Tempers boil over SF water supply measure

by Matthew S. Bajko

T

he fight over whether San Francisco should continue to store the majority of its water supply in Yosemite National Park’s Hetch Hetchy Valley is headed to a state courtroom this month.

The backers of the Water Conservation and Yosemite Restoration Initiative, designated Proposition F on San Francisco’s fall ballot, accuse city officials of misleading voters about the measure’s aim and focus. They are asking a Superior Court judge to re-write the question voters will be asked in November that the City Attorney’s office submitted to the Department of Elections.

As currently written, the ballot question reads, “Shall the city prepare a two-phase plan that evaluates how to drain the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir so that it can be restored by the National Park Service and identifies replacement water and power resources?”

Leaders of Restore Hetch Hetchy, the group behind the measure, want the ballot question to be expanded to also talk about other issues such as water recycling, conservation, and decreasing polluted storm water discharge.

“The city attorney has selectively chosen to omit key elements of the plan from the ballot question,” stated Mike Marshall, the Yosemite Restoration Campaign’s director, in a press release announcing the legal challenge. “The initiative clearly states that there are three parts to this plan: water quality, water conservation and new sources of water and power. To omit two of the three is to misinform the voters.”

Leaders of the effort to defeat Prop F are confident a judge will not want to override the city’s ballot language. They are expected to be in court Tuesday, August 28.

“They are probably going to lose,” PJ Johnston, a spokesman for the Save Hetch Hetchy, No on

Courtesy Restore Hetch Hetchy

O’Shaughnessy Dam, built along the Tuolumne River in Hetch Hetchy Valley, is a key component of San Francisco’s water delivery system.

F campaign, told the Bay Area Reporter during an editorial board meeting this week.

If passed, Prop F will require San Francisco to spend $8 million to create a water conservation task force that will present a plan to voters in November 2016 for how to achieve the measure’s goals for greater water conservation and restoration of the High Sierra valley that is now submerged under water behind the O’Shaughnessy Dam. Both campaigns accuse the other of using deception to confuse voters. Johnston argued that the Yes on F camp purposely fails to mention the Hetch Hetchy reservoir on its mailers because doing so would cost it support.

The closest that the mailer comes to discussing draining the dam is a reference to “consolidating our nine reservoirs into eight.”

“Voters should know what they are voting on. This campaign is deceptive,” charged Johnston. “If it only called for water recycling and

increased conservation, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

He later added that, instead, Prop F’s backers have “come at us with a fake concept. It’s a Trojan horse.”

During a separate editorial board meeting with the B.A.R. Marshall also complained about the messages opponents of Prop F are using.

“There is a lot of misinformation already about it,” said Marshall, executive director of Restore Hetch Hetchy. “The question before voters only focuses on draining the reservoir and nothing else. It is misleading.”

Century old fight The fight over the city’s water supply is a century old. Under a highly contentious law adopted in 1913 by Congress, known as the Raker Act, San Francisco officials won the right to construct a dam in the pristine valley following the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire.

Noted naturalist John Muir

waged the unsuccessful fight against seeing what became known as the O’Shaughnessy Dam be built along the Tuolumne River. Environmentalists ever since have carried on the battle that Muir started so many years ago.

Both sides are bracing for a tough fight over Prop F. In a rare instance of political unity, the city’s elected leaders universally oppose any plans to tamper with the city’s water system.

Nevertheless, “it’s been a challenge to get people to take it seriously,” said Johnston.

The No on F campaign, which is being run by political consultant Ace Smith, has yet to launch a website, and as of the latest campaign finance reporting period, had raised more than $100,000. But it reported only having $21,000 in cash on hand.

“It is tough to raise money in a presidential election year,” said Johnston.

On the other side a number of environmental groups are backing

Prop F. They include the National Parks Conservation Association, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Nevada Alliance, Foothill Conservancy, Forest Issues Group, Friends of the River, California Water Impact Network, EcoEquity, Endangered Species Coalition, and the Planning and Conservation League.

But missing from the list is the Sierra Club, which Muir founded.

It has yet to endorse the ballot measure.

Marshall conceded the campaign is facing “a big fight” to pass Prop F. It has raised $200,000 so far, he said, with a goal of reaching $600,000 by November. According to its latest financial report, it had less than $20,000 in the bank.

“San Francisco is the only city to occupy a national park with a water storage facility. This is about our ability to absorb carbon and restore habitat,” he said. “This initiative asks San Francisco to leap forward to the front of the line and do new things.”▼

SkyCube plan lets you send ‘tweet’ from space

by David Duran

S

elf-proclaimed spaceflight nut and amateur astronomer Tim DeBenedictis has decided to send a satellite up into space.

The openly gay DeBenedictis, 40, said that he was too young to remember Neil Armstrong walk on the Moon but does vividly remember the space shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986. His fascination with outer space really came to life during the Voyager space craft missions where outer moons were discovered and “became real places to me,” DeBenedictis said.

Due to NASA budget cuts, the last space shuttle launch was in 2011.

DeBenedictis, who was fortunate to have a friend who had won tickets to the launch, was there for the final Atlantis launch (STS-135) in July 2011. At this point, DeBenedictis’s company, Southern Stars, which primarily functions as a mobile app company, was already extremely successful.

“Around the same time as the launch, we released a new version (v3) of our SkySafari iPhone apps, and they started making a lot of money,” he said. “So much money, in fact, that we started contemplating our own space mission.”

DeBenedictis admits that although the idea was “fun,” the reality of it was that orbital rocketry was beyond Southern Star’s capabilities.

However, during their research, they came across the concept of CubeSats – little university satellites

David Duran

Tim DeBenedictis holds a true to size model of a SkyCube frame and the compacted inflatable balloon.

that “piggyback” onto a larger rocket launch, for a “relatively” inexpensive ride into space. About 150 CubeSats have been launched since the early 2000s, when they were pioneered at Stanford University by Professor Bob Twiggs, according to DeBenedictis.

“We realized that a CubeSat mission was within our technical abili-

ties – after all, we already built small electronics – and within our budget,” he told the Bay Area Reporter.

As a result, SkyCube, Southern Stars’ first orbital space mission, was born. The company has developed apps that let people explore the night sky. Now, it is launching something that lets people go a step further – a personal, interactive sat-

ellite into space.

From an iPhone (or Android devise), consumers will be able to request an image from the satellite, orbiting 300 miles above the Earth.

They will be able to send a message to SkyCube from their phone as well, which it will then broadcast at 915 MHz into deep space. SkyCube will also broadcast the message back down to Earth, therefore, people with amateur radio gear can hear it, and so can anybody else with a smartphone. In addition, SkyCube messages will be reflected in the satellite’s Twitter feed, which will be created prior to the launch.

“You’ll also be able to see Sky Cube, visually, with your own eyes – you don’t need a telescope,” said DeBenedictis. At the final stage of the mission, SkyCube will inflate an onboard balloon to about 10 feet in diameter. The balloon will appear as a bright star, “sailing across the twilight sky,” said DeBenedictis, “and it’ll be a transformative moment for kids, parents, teachers, students, and anyone else who helped put it up there.”

The balloon serves a second purpose: it will rapidly drag SkyCube out of orbit. Space debris is becoming a real problem, according to DeBenedictis.

“We don’t want to leave our junk up there when the mission ends,” he said.

Atmospheric drag on the balloon will pull the satellite out of orbit about three weeks after it is inflated.

SkyCube will eventually flash into

the upper atmosphere, like a meteor, and vaporize cleanly. SkyCube will actually be the first CubeSat to de-orbit itself deliberately when its mission ends. Southern Stars hopes to set a precedent for future CubeSat missions.

Southern Stars has purchased a launch on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2013. Currently, the rocket is set to launch in March. SpaceX is the first private company that has flown a cargo capsule to and from the International Space Station. The launch will take place from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

Costs for SkyCube total about $200,000, with the launch taking up $125,000 of that total. Operational costs will mostly be free since Sky Cube is utilizing a network of ground stations operated by the U.S. Navy for its own and other university CubeSat projects.

Southern Stars is using Kickstarter to allow millions of people worldwide to be part of the project.

Consumers have purchasing options that include 10 seconds of the mission and 1 unique 120-character broadcast, or “tweet,” from space for $1. For $6, a consumer will get 60 seconds, a broadcast, and a photograph of the Earth taken from the satellite at the time of their choosing. Many other purchasing options are available, including some that include VIP seating at the launch. Corporate sponsorship is also available. Complete details about the mission are available on www.skycube.org.▼

<< Open Forum

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • Date August 23-29, 2012

Volume 42, Number 34 August 23-29, 2012 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Thomas E. Horn Bob Ross (Founder, 1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko Seth Hemmelgarn Jim Provenzano CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dan Aiello • Tavo Amador • Erin Blackwell Roger Brigham • Scott Brogan Victoria A. Brownworth • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Chuck Colbert Richard Dodds • David Duran Raymond Flournoy • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell John F. Karr • Matthew Kennedy David Lamble • Michael McDonagh David-Elijah Nahmod • Elliot Owen Paul Parish • Lois Pearlman • Tim Pfaff Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr • Donna Sachet Adam Sandel • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Ed Walsh • Sura Wood

ART DIRECTION Kurt Thomas PRODUCTION MANAGER T. Scott King PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland Marc Geller Rick Gerharter Lydia Gonzales Rudy K. Lawidjaja Steven Underhill Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge Christine Smith GENERAL MANAGER Michael M. Yamashita DISPLAY ADVERTISING Simma Baghbanbashi Colleen Small Scott Wazlowski NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

LEGAL COUNSEL Paul H. Melbostad

BAY AREA REPORTER 395 Ninth Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 415.861.5019 www.ebar.com

News Editor • news@ebar.com Arts Editor • arts@ebar.com Out & About listings • events@ebar.com Advertising • advertising@ebar.com Letters • letters@ebar.com A division of Benro Enterprises, Inc. © 2012 Published weekly. Bay Area Reporter reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement which the publisher believes is in poor taste or which advertises illegal items which might result in legal action against Bay Area Reporter. Ads will not be rejected solely on the basis of politics, philosophy, religion, race, age, or sexual orientation.

Advertising rates available upon request.

Our list of subscribers and advertisers is confidential and is not sold. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, and writers published herein is neither inferred nor implied. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

▼

Assembly must pass SB 1172 O

ne of this year’s top legislative priorities among LGBT organizations is the passage of Senate Bill 1172, which would ban socalled conversion therapy of youth. It’s likely that the bill will be voted on in the Assembly this week, and it’s imperative that it pass. Governor Jerry Brown then needs to sign it.

Far too many LGBT youth are forced by their parents into reparative therapy programs by questionable state licensed mental health providers who claim that these young people can “pray away the gay” or be turned straight through therapy. This is nonsense, supported by junk science, right up there with Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin’s comments Sunday that victims of “legitimate rape” can’t get pregnant.

Being LGBT is not a mental illness. Yet in California some licensed mental health providers make dangerous claims that they can turn a person straight through counseling. Some parents may be misled by false hope in this practice, but others force this type of therapy on their children. The results are often tragic and place queer youth at risk for depression, shame, decreased self-esteem, social withdrawal, substance abuse, self-harm, and even suicide. Some young people will be unhappy for years as a result of having endured conversion therapy. The leading medical and mental health professional organizations have warned that there is no credible evidence that any type of psychotherapy can change a person’s sexual orientation.

Naturally, the right wing has made SB 1172, authored by state Senator Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), a priority for defeat. State lawmakers need to side with science in this debate, and support the bill.

The Senate should approve, and Brown should sign, this bill.

The bill would restore the media’s ability to conduct pre-arranged, in-person interviews with specific prisoners. This is a critical issue.

Democracy depends on freedom of information, as Ammiano recently stated, “and that means complete information about all our public institutions” – even state prisons.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that California’s overcrowded prisons are unconstitutional, which led to last year’s implementation of realignment, whereby some inmates are being moved to county jails. Ammiano said the overcrowding issue, as well as a 2011 hunger strike by prisoners, underscores the need for taxpayers to have information about what goes on inside our prisons.

In addition to prohibiting in-person, prearranged interviews with a prisoner, reporters are currently not allowed to ask for a follow-

up interview with an inmate they might have interviewed while on a “random” press visit, according to radio journalist Nancy Mullane.

Ammiano correctly noted that without reporters having the ability to interview specific prisoners, it is nearly impossible to report on news events in prisons, or do in-depth stories with continuity. There are legitimate areas of interest to the LGBT press, including the treatment of transgender prisoners and how the prison’s medical system serves prisoners with HIV/AIDS. Being able to interview trans and HIV-positive prisoners would go a long way toward advocating for changes within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which we suspect are sorely needed.

Ammiano said that his bill has the support of wardens and correctional officers. Eight versions of the bill have been passed by the Legislature, only to be vetoed by previous governors. If passed by the Senate, Brown has an opportunity to reverse that trend.

The media used to enjoy access to prisoners; the state’s prison system needs to be open again.▼

Lift media access ban in CA prisons For the last 16 years, media have been prohibited from choosing their interview subjects inside California’s prisons. The state Senate is poised to take up Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s bill, AB 1270, that would lift the media access ban. The bill recently passed the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Obama’s made progress on trans issues

by Justin Tanis

T

hey are supposed to represent us, too.” A transgender woman spoke these words to me as we stood gazing at the federal buildings in Washington, D.C. during an advocacy event I helped organize when George W. Bush was president. That event was an epiphany for her because she realized that she, too, had every right to be included in a government “of the people, by the people, for the people,” but that goal seemed so far away.

What has happened since that day is truly remarkable – transgender people have gained so many new protections against discrimination during President Barack Obama’s term in office and that is why I’ve joined with other trans people and our allies to support Trans United For Obama, a national volunteer effort to activate transgender people, their supporters, families, and friends to re-elect the president. These efforts include fundraising, voter registration, and other grassroots efforts aimed at getting the message out that Obama must be re-elected.

Over the past four years, the Obama administration has made tremendous strides in living up to the promise of the American system of government. We have seen solid progress in laws and policies which impact transgender people every day of our lives. Literally, the world has opened up more fully to us because we can now obtain passports and immigration documents without having to undergo surgeries that many of us cannot afford and some of us do not want.

In a world where transgender people continue to face rampant discrimination in all areas of life, we now see these much needed protections added by the Obama administration.

At home: The National Transgender Dis-

crimination Survey found that nearly 1 in 5 transgender people had experienced homelessness during the course of their lives because of their gender identity; now, federal housing programs bar discrimination against transgender people, helping to ensure that this safety net exists for transgender people and our families as well.

At work: The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission clarified that the federal laws that ban gender based discrimination at work include protections for transgender people, as well as anyone who breaks sex stereotypes. When this administration began, we could be fired for no other reason than our gender identity in all but a handful of states; now, trans and gender non-conforming people across the country have a federal agency to file claims with to address discrimination against them. We still need to work for the passage of clear federal legislation to ban workplace discrimination, so that employers will proactively change workplace policies and cultures.

Barack Obama fully supported a federal bill to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity even before he ran for the presidency. His administration has also banned discrimination based on gender identity in federal employment and provided information to help create safe working environments for the government’s transgender employees.

At school and on the streets: For the first time in our nation’s history, federal law protects transgender people since Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. In addition, the Obama administration has worked with members of our community to talk about ways to end violence against transgender people, including taking steps to address the bullying that many transgender

young people endure.

In health care: Health programs that receive federal funds are now barred from discriminating against transgender people.

The federal government is now collecting data on the health needs of LGBT Americans to address the ongoing disparities in health care we experience. Transgender veterans are benefitting from new policies that afford them equal access to the services they need and have earned. New grant opportunities are being made available for services that address the health care of transgender women of color so disproportionately impacted by HIV. In our government: Obama has appointed three openly transgender people to serve in his administration, a first in our nation’s history. And several government agencies are now collecting data about the well-being of transgender people in our country and across the world.

In the past four years, Obama has begun unprecedented work for the rights of trans people in our country. There is still much more to do before transgender people are truly equal in our country. Obama has gone so much further than any president in our history to protect the rights of transgender people in our country and around the world.

We need to keep this movement going until the day when we and our families are safe and respected in all walks of life.

You can read more about the president’s advances for transgender people on his campaign’s blog: http://www.barackobama. com/news/entry/president-obamas-recordon-transgender-equality-in-the-workplacelgbt/. To join Trans United for Obama, visit www.transunitedforobama.org.▼ Justin Tanis is a co-author of “Injustice at Every Turn,” the report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. He is currently a Ph.D. student at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.

▼

Letters >>

August 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

Castro Catholics could start own nonprofit Unfortunately, the good Catholic members of Most Holy Redeemer continue their obedient financial support of a religious empire that actively conspires with other groups to undermine our community [“MHR clarifies no-drag policy,” August 16].

Here’s a very simple solution for our friends who support MHR: set up an MHR escrow account under an alternate 501(c)3 entity to benefit Catholics in the Castro, and encourage all who pledge regular gifts to MHR to divert these amounts into the MHR escrow account. With a little publicity, others who would never give to MHR’s current establishment will join you. And the archbishop will take notice when MHR’s operating funds dry up as he’s making up his mind.

The predictable “compromise” for the hierarchy will be to once again give a temporary inch by turning a blind eye toward MHR. It is too much to expect the archbishop to make an outright gift of the property assets of MHR to an alternative independent Catholic entity that is prepared to fully respect and serve our community and is not controlled by the Vatican. And too much to expect that good Catholics will create one. So, let’s take one step at a time.

Reverend Wayne Jones, MFT San Francisco

It’s a mystery It has always been a mystery to me why LGBT people want to be a part of a church that is fundamentally homophobic, discriminatory and bigoted, whether it’s in the Castro or not. Maybe some parishioners of Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church can explain this to me.

The current pope, Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger, is a right-wing cleric, as are the majority of Catholic bishops in the U.S. I presuppose the new archbishop of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone, will be in lock-step with the reactionary Ratzinger as well as former Archbishop Niederauer. When will thinking LGBT Catholics and other Castro residents take a stand against this corrupt institutional hierarchy? I would urge LGBT groups like the Castro Country Club to boycott Most Holy Redeemer.

Stop supporting those who intentionally harm our community. I can think of many better uses for the land on which this church sits.

Daishin Sunseri San Francisco

MHR now irrelevant A friend encouraged me to check out MHR by attending the Renew meetings they were offering. Renew was an attempt to woo fallen Catholics back by interpreting the Bible as relevant for the 20th century. I think it was around 1987 and I did attend a few of the Renew meetings. I felt MHR might be relevant enough and I decided to join the church choir as part of my own ministry.

The choir was a fun experience and I felt proud to be a part of the church. The old MHR was very progressive and I was able to ignore, or deny, many of the contradictions between my church and the Vatican. Over the years I donated much money and gifts to MHR, and I even paid for a new pew for the remodeling. Several friends I had made at MHR died of AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s, and MHR represented their memories, not to be forgotten until now.

At a midnight mass one Christmas Eve the whole congregation was abuzz with the anticipated arrival of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Before the mass began, three of the Sisters walked slowly up the aisle, single file, in drag that would have made Marie Antoinette proud. They politely took their seats in the front pew and waited quietly for the service to begin. Father Zackary even made a joke during the service that Jesus received the three kings, not the three queens. The whole church howled. It was wonderful.

The Vatican has made a brilliant move to appoint this anthropocentric homophobe as the new archbishop of San Francisco. He is bound to fill the pews with hyperbreeders from the increasingly homogeneous SF. The new MHR will certainly avoid Earth’s massive resource overdraft and the evil acceleration of extinctions for all living things due to extreme human overpopulation. I guess MHR has officially become irrelevant for me. If I ever decide to join another spiritual group to fill my own delusional needs it will certainly not be Catholic.

David Grounds, MS San Francisco

Archbishop-elect had a hand in MHR The issue is really not about drag queens, but rather how we define ourselves as a church. There is no doubt in my mind that Father Brian Costello, the pastor of Most Holy Redeemer, is a good man, and his primary concern is with the day-to-day operation of his parish, its facilities and their proper use.

The Archdiocese of San Francisco is now under new leadership; the October 4 installation ceremony is just a reflection of that fact. There should be no doubt in anybody’s mind that Archbishop-elect Cordileone is calling the shots at Most Holy Redeemer parish and Costello understands that very important fact.

It is Cordileone who has chosen to put the spotlight on this parish, the drag issue was just pretext to publicly whip the parish into submission on issues of inclusivity, much like the Vatican trying to whip the Leadership Council of

Women Religious into public submission over their ministries. If the parish is to remain a Roman Catholic parish under this raw use of authority it will have no other recourse than to submit in the wind or break. While this is a painful observation for me to make that homophobia, not love, will guide this parish’s destiny, it is a public reminder to LGBT Catholics and our allies of how much work needs to be done in building up the kingdom.

To the parishioners at Most Holy Redeemer I would say you have created something very beautiful and meaningful, you have welcomed all who knocked on your door.

You have ministered to the many faces of Christ in the San Francisco community. You have nothing to be ashamed of; if anything it is the new archbishop-elect who should be ashamed of his abuse of authority in this matter.

The Rainbow Sash Movement will stand with the parishioners of MHR whatever the outcome and be assured you are in our prayers. Your ministries reflect your faith in this matter, not Archbishop-elect Cordileone’s actions.

Joe Murray, Executive Director Rainbow Sash Movement Chicago, Illinois

Best reason to read the B.A.R.’s arts section Am I the only one out there who thinks Tavo Amador’s film essays are just about the best reason to read the B.A.R. (Arts section)? Film criticism is all over the place, but a good film historian really puts things in a different perspective.

His recent piece on Joan Crawford was classic [“Pre-Code Joan Crawford,” August 9].

The details of her life are fairly well known and pretty much available everywhere. By analyzing one of her early movies, Possessed, in terms of the Hays Code, it told me a lot more about Hollywood’s self-censorship obsession, and how such a film could not have been made after 1934, and the changes the script would have had to undergo if it had been. It makes me that much more curious about seeing that and other films of the period.

Give that man more work to do – and a raise, please!

Frank Brooks San Francisco

Gay Rodeo promotes cruelty, not community This is in response to Bruce I. Roby’s letter [Mailstrom, August 9]. He claims that “every International Gay Rodeo Association member loves and protects domestic pets and stock farm animals.” If you “love and protect” an animal, you don’t twist his head around violently to force him to slam to the ground. You don’t tie ropes tightly around his abdomen, jump on his back and dig spurs into his flesh to force him to buck in pain and aggravation. You don’t roughly yank his legs up in the air to force underwear onto him as quickly as possible, laugh at him with your friends like a playground bully, then violently pull his rope making him crash to the ground when he playfully runs after you (see position 3:00 at this video of the 2011 Bay Area Gay Rodeo: http://youtu. be/zd0C6mNTNoc). You don’t chase terrified baby animals and rope them by the neck. You don’t expose them to real dangers of injury and death for “fun” and money.

In fact, IGRA’s own 2010 convention minutes confirm that there are problems with injuries and deaths among its members: http://lgbtcompassion.org/gayrodeo/ convention.htm.

When I’ve asked Bay Area Gay Rodeo personnel if they treat their pets like this, they simply give examples where they have done so for “self-defense” or “training purposes.”

One representative even volunteered to us on video that it’s “fun” and “totally okay” to hurt animals: http://youtu.be/ab_aJbcSxv4.

Gay Rodeo presents itself as “beneficial” to the LGBT community, and makes it appear that fundraising for charity is a major goal. In fact, according to its 20062011 IRS returns, less than 7 percent of its revenue was donated to charities. There are ways to more efficiently raise money for charity, without harming others in the process. Furthermore, we feel that Gay Rodeo’s cruelty for money and entertainment damages the community’s public image and reinforces negative stereotypes.

Mr. Roby’s letter suggests that different standards of compassion should apply to domestic pets and stock farm animals. All animals have the same capacity for fear, pain, and suffering, and the same needs and desires for safety, security, family, and affection. For LGBTs to decide that certain animals deserve less compassion based on their species or how they can serve us is no different than the “justifications” humans use to oppress and abuse other, less powerful, groups of humans – including LGBTs. The oppressed become the oppressors.

Thankfully, organizations formerly supporting Gay Rodeo have been changing their minds after considering the cruelty. Recently, Most Holy Redeemer Church canceled an event planned with the Bay Area Gay Rodeo, a fundraiser at the Edge bar was “postponed,” and Paws and Hearts Pet-Assisted Therapy refused a donation from the Palm Springs Gay Rodeo. In 2011, Winery-SF withdrew as a sponsor/supporter.

Instead of abusing and bullying others for “fun” and money, let’s use our creativity to re-define Gay Rodeo as a fun and compassionate country-western themed event without animals. If we want to enjoy live farm animals, it’s easy to do so at nearby animal rescues/sanctuaries Farm Sanctuary, Animal Place, and Harvest Home.

Andrew Zollman LGBT Compassion San Francisco

<< Commentary

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • Date August 23-29, 2012

▼

Take care

by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

O

ne of the biggest issues of the 2012 presidential campaign has been the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. It is widely viewed as the president’s greatest domestic achievement, while the Republicans are campaigning largely on promises of repealing it. Much like President Barack Obama campaigned for health care reform four years ago, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is running on somehow reforming the reform, even though he signed a similar health care law while governor of Massachusetts.

Much attention has been paid to the ACA, and more words have

been written on the law than I could ever hope to use in this one column. Regardless of your opinion on the ACA, I think it cannot be denied that the law is a landmark piece of legislation, and can have the sort of impact one attributes to other signature laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, among others.

We’ve particularly heard a lot about contraception access and other women’s health needs via the ACA. The push to repeal – as well as a litany of everincreasingly stupid and misogynist statements out of the mouths of many right-leaning politicians – has led to the belief that we’re facing a “war on women” from the GOP. Yet if this push to repeal is a war on women, then it is, by extension, a war on all transgender people.

Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act prohibits insurers from discriminating, based on the aforementioned Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its many amendments. One of the many protected classes is sex.

Over the last couple years – and most recently in an April decision issued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission – an increasing number of cases have shown that workplace discrimination against transgender people is prohibited under Title VII, and specifically violates the federal ban on sex discrimination.

With this in mind, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has clarified that the ACA does indeed protect transgender

Christine Smith

people within Section 1557, on the basis of gender identity and sex stereotyping.

HHS has stopped short of requiring insurers to cover transition-related surgery, but this does mean that a transgender person cannot be turned away from necessary medical care based solely on not adhering to, as the HHS put it, “stereotypical notions of masculinity and femininity.” The department has promised further guidance at some point, but does not intend to define what exactly is “masculine” or “feminine” in the scope of the rules.

This may well be one of the biggest transgender-related decisions to come out of this administration – though to be honest, this administration has been party to a number of breakthroughs. In addition to the HHS clarification on the ACA and EEOCs decision on Title VIII protections, we’ve see the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development set new federal rules barring transgender discrimination in housing, the Federal Aviation Administration eliminate

costly and unnecessary psychological testing of transgender pilots, and even saw a Transgender Day of Remembrance observance hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice last November.

As a transgender activist, it is very easy to get cynical. I’ve watched the Employment Non-Discrimination Act have transgender protections pulled from it more than once, and been told to “wait our turn” on ENDA for far longer than that.

I’ve watched precious resources get funneled into the gay marriage battle over and over, as critical transgender rights are forced under the bus. I know what it feels like to see my needs forgotten over and over and over again.

By the same token, I look at the Obama presidency and I see many missed opportunities. I see a prison that was promised closed on day one that is still operating. I see so many promises of change and hope get trampled under the heel of political pragmatism. I’ve seen a president who has played it far too safe, even avoiding an executive order to implement some of

the ENDA protections. I’ve grown weary of seeing the so-called liberals of mainstream political politics move further right as if it was some counter to increasingly hard-right conservatives.

I do know, however, that President George W. Bush did precious little for LGBT rights. Likewise, President Bill Clinton did a lot less as well, in fact, he hindered progress by signing the Defense of Marriage Act and the disastrous “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which was finally repealed last year. I don’t think I need to delve further back, and discuss the non-existent transgender policies of Bush Sr., Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, or their predecessors.

Don’t expect a Romney presidency to be all that friendly to transgender people either. Let us not forget that Romney, in 2006 while governor, blocked publication of a Massachusetts anti-bullying guide because it used the words “transgender” and “bisexual.” This is without looking at Romney’s advisers, including Eric Fehrnstrom, who took great glee in outing political activist and onetime member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Althea Garrison, or accusations of Romney’s own involvement with gay bashing a student during his high school years.

I’m not going to tell you who to pull the lever for, hang the chad, or otherwise vote for in November.

You may have your reasons for voting for Obama, Romney, a third party candidate, or even writing in a flying pig. What goes on behind the curtain at your local polling place is your business – not mine or anyone else’s.

I do hope, though, that if you are transgender you will think about the actions this administration has taken for people such as you and I, and will decide that you would like these actions to continue.

If we can get this far in the first four years, then why not four more?▼ Gwen Smith prefers to vote in her own self-interest. You can find her online at http://www. gwensmith.com.

Jane Philomen Cleland

Remembering Compton's riot A

group of transgender people and allies held a memorial march Monday, August 20 to mark the 46th anniversary of the Compton’s Cafeteria riot, widely viewed as the beginning of the LGBT rights movement in San Francisco. The 1966 riot, the exact date of which is unknown, saw transgender patrons of the restaurant stand up against the police, who were called to Compton’s to quell a disturbance. It preceded the more famous Stonewall rebellion in New York City by three years. Two of the people at Compton’s that night, Dee Dee Yubeta, right, and Felicia (“Flames”) Elizondo, center, took part in the anniversary march, which started at City Hall and ended at Turk and Taylor streets, where Compton’s once stood. A documentary about the event, Screaming Queens, directed by Victor Silverman and Susan Stryker, was released in 2005.

▼

Politics>>

August 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

Alice Club likely to snub Olague for Breed

by Matthew S. Bajko

A

lready facing detractors among the city’s progressive political camp, bisexual District 5 Supervisor Christina Olague now has to fight for support from moderates.

Olague is likely to see the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, the more moderate of the city’s two main gay political clubs, snub her in the race. The group’s political action committee has recommended that Alice give a sole endorsement in the District 5 race to London Breed, executive director of the African American Art and Culture Complex.

Alice members will vote Monday, August 27 to finalize the club’s endorsement slate. It is rare for the PAC recommendations, which need to meet a 60 percent majority vote threshold for approval, to be rejected by the full club.

Alice co-chair Reese Aaron Isbell told the Bay Area Reporter Breed’s pick shouldn’t be a surprise as she has built up strong ties with Alice members over the years. The club held its mayoral debate last year at the complex that Breed runs.

“We have had a great relationship with her for years,” said Isbell, noting that Breed received more than 66 percent of the vote, the threshold needed to secure a sole endorsement.

He painted the PAC’s decision less as a statement about Olague’s time in office and more having to do with her lack of relationships with Alice members.

“When Supervisor Olague was appointed, our club didn’t really know her that well,” he said. “It is not really like a rejection. It is more of positive support for London because we love her.”

The Alice vote comes after gay state Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) announced his backing of a second opponent against Olague. He has now endorsed both John Rizzo, City College Board of Trustees president, and Julian Davis, president of the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center, in the race for the D5 seat.

In an email sent August 20 by Davis’s campaign to announce Ammiano’s endorsement, the state lawmaker is quoted as saying, “Julian represents a new generation of progressive leadership that San Francisco desperately needs. He shares my values of justice and equality. I know we can count on him in City Hall.”

The one consolation for Olague is her chances of landing the endorsement of the progressive Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club seem to have improved following the club’s forum with D5 candidates it held Tuesday, August 14. She received the largest round of applause from the audience that night during the closing statements.

The Milk Club will vote on its endorsements in mid-September.

Mayor Ed Lee appointed Olague, formerly president of the Planning Commission, to fill the vacancy created when Ross Mirkarimi resigned to become San Francisco sheriff.

(He is fighting his suspension from the post by Lee after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor stemming from an altercation with his wife. The matter is set to go before the Board of Supervisors following the Ethics Commission’s recent vote to uphold Lee’s decision.)

But Olague’s ties to the moderate

Rick Gerharter

District 5 supervisor candidate London Breed

mayor failed to help her secure the endorsement of the city’s Democratic Party. As the B.A.R.’s Political Notes online column from Monday noted, none of the eight people seeking the Haight and Western Addition centered seat could muster up enough votes to secure the support of the Democratic County Central Committee.

Despite the makeup of the DCCC moving more to the city’s political middle following the June election, it wasn’t enough to help Olague beat back efforts by several of her higher profile opponents to see that the party’s endorsement be withheld in the race. She was the only incumbent not to secure the party’s endorsement.

Olague could now have the distinction of being the sole out candidate on the fall ballot not to secure an Alice nod. But she may not be the only incumbent supervisor to be snubbed by the group.

The PAC went with David E. Lee, executive director of the Chinese American Voter Education Committee, over District 1 Supervisor Eric Mar. Gay BART board member Tom Radulovich and gay District 9 Supervisor David Campos, running unopposed, won the PAC’s blessing, as did the city’s other BART board member, Lynette Sweet.

District 3 Supervisor David Chiu, the board president, and District 11 Supervisor John Avalos, also running unopposed, secured nods from the Alice PAC. Joel Engardio, a gay journalist seeking the open District 7 supervisor seat in the neighborhoods west of Twin Peaks, landed in the third place slot in his race. Voters can pick up to three candidates in supervisor races, and the Alice PAC chose Port Commissioner Francis Xavier “F.X.” Crowley for first place and Board of Appeals President Michael Garcia for second place.

Gay attorney Rafael Mandelman was among the three people the Alice PAC tipped its hat to in the race for four seats on the community college board. Amy Bacharach and incumbent Natalie Berg rounded out the list. Incumbents Steve Ngo and Chris Jackson failed to make the cut.

In the race for four seats on the school board, the Alice PAC went with the three incumbents seeking re-election: Sandra Fewer, Rachel Norton and Jill Wynns. There are no out candidates in that race, in which four seats are at stake.

East Bay LGBT Dem club announces endorsements, awardees The East Bay Stonewall Demo-

cratic Club announced last week that it had voted to give early endorsements to six of 10 openly LGBT people running for East Bay political offices this fall.

In order to secure Stonewall’s backing, candidates needed to receive 60 percent from the voting membership. Incumbents Oakland City Council at-large member Rebecca Kaplan and District 2 Berkeley City Councilman Darryl Moore both won the club’s endorsement, as did Berkeley City Councilman Kriss Worthington in his bid to be mayor of his hometown.

Newcomers Richard Fuentes, running for the District 3 seat on the Oakland School Board, BART board candidate Rebecca Saltzman, and Judy Appel, seeking a seat on the Berkeley School Board, were all endorsed by Stonewall.

“This is an impressive slate of candidates by any standard,” stated Stonewall PAC Co-Chair Michael Colbruno. “All of these candidates have a broad range of expertise on a variety of issues, as well as a proven track record as successful advocates and campaigners. If this is what the future of California politics looks like, then the future looks bright.”

The other out candidates will have a second shot at landing the club’s support next month. Stonewall members will reconsider the club’s slate of endorsed candidates at their September 19 meeting.

The remaining out candidates are Sean Sullivan and Alex MillerCole, who are both running for the District 3 seat on the Oakland City Council; Dollene Jones, running for the A.C. Transit Board’s at-large seat; and Dmitri Belser, seeking the Berkeley City Council’s District 3 seat.

In other club news, Stonewall leaders announced they are honoring 18 individuals with Trailblazer Awards next month as they mark the group’s 30th anniversary this year.

The list of honorees include lesbian former San Francisco state Senator Carole Migden; artist Kim Anno; James Chambers and Eric Hsu, two of the club’s original founders; musician Mary Watkins; and Rabbi Reuben Zellman of Congregation Beth El in Berkeley.

The awards ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. Sunday, September 9 at the Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline Street near the Ashby BART station. Tickets for individuals cost $50.

To buy tickets and see the full list of awardees, visit http://www.eastbaystonewalldemocrats.com.

Harris headed to Charlotte So far the Democratic National Convention speaker lineup is void of any LGBT people, but a host of straight allies will be addressing attendees of the quadrennial confab set to take place September 4-6 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

This week California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage, was added to the list. The former district attorney for San Francisco, Harris was an early backer of President Barack Obama four years ago.

Her selection ratcheted up speculation that the UC Hastings School of Law-educated litigator could be headed to a high level post in D.C. if Obama is elected to a second term.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she is named the next attorney general,” said Wayne Friday, the B.A.R.’s former political editor.

To learn more about the convention, visit http://www.demconvention.com.▼

Make Contact/After Hours Chamber of Commerce & GGBA Networking Event Tuesday, September 11, 5:30-8:pm Union Bank Historic Banking Hall 400 California Street, San Francisco

e your Reserv rly a space e 2013 ages Pride P ow on sale. o ising n -8040 t Advert 2 5 5 5 1 Call 4 ve your space r e res

N E TOW H T F TALK O E NATIONAL TH AN WITH LESBI & Y A G F BER O CHAM RCE E COMM T UR LGB O Y Y F I ESS CERT BUSIN D E N OW SINESS U B E R MO TO GET TH UST 28 G U A , AY TUESD BENEFIT FOR S$ $ FREE EMBER M R ce U O ife Offi 600 L k r o #1 New Y treet, S t e k r 425 Ma rancisco, CA San F

<< Community News

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • Date August 23-29, 2012

▼

Transgender pilot wins battle against FAA

by Catherine Pickavet

I

n a matter of weeks, Bay Area transgender pilot Tamsyn Waterhouse could once again be fully licensed to fly planes, because she challenged the Federal Aviation Administration and won.

Waterhouse, 32, with support from the Transgender Law Center, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and the National Lesbian and Gay Task Force, waged a three-year battle against the federal agency, ultimately prompting it to ease restrictions against transgender pilots.

“After three years of advocacy, we are thrilled to see the FAA remove unnecessary and burdensome barriers for transgender pilots,” said Masen Davis, executive director of the TLC, in an email to the Bay Area Reporter. “At [TLC] our goal is to create a society where every person can live authentically, free from discrimination. For Tamsyn, that means being able to fly.”

Prior to June 2012, and as stipulated in the FAA Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners, transgender pilots were required to undergo a battery of psychiatric evaluations in order to obtain medical certification. According to Waterhouse, the tests cost thousands of dollars and took days, and, in the end, certification could still be denied.

“Given what an incredibly positive experience gender transition was for me in every respect – from my friends, my family, my colleagues – it kind of made me expect everything would be perfect all the time,” Waterhouse said in an interview at Google’s San Francisco offices where she is a software engineer.

“At the same time I was hitting a wall with the FAA. It was kind of a shock. And so I had a desire to move a wall and the confidence that, if everything else can work, then maybe this can, too.”

Taking flight

ebar.com

Waterhouse knew she wanted to fly from a very young age. A photo of her father posing with one of his planes was a fixture in their house.

“One of my clearest and fondest memories was flying with my dad in this plane, sitting on a phonebook and getting to touch the controls for the first time. I was hooked,” she said.

In 2003, Waterhouse received her private pilot’s license, which consists of two parts: the license itself, which never expires, and a corresponding medical certificate, which must be renewed every three years.

To obtain the medical certificate, pilots must visit an aviation medical examiner for a routine physical.

“In the typical case, or at least the ideal case, the AME writes your medical certificate and hands it to you right there,” Waterhouse said.

“That was the experience I’d had.

It was really simple and straightforward.”

Not this time. On April 30, 2009, Waterhouse, who had recently begun her gender transition, visited a Bay Area AME for what she thought would be a routine test.

She decided to disclose that she was trans. That decision changed her life.

“The AME was a little less than professional after I disclosed I was trans,” Waterhouse said, though she does acknowledge he was following FAA procedure. “He told me that my appointment was over and that he would instead forward my file to the FAA.” The FAA responded with a letter to Waterhouse, dated May 26, 2009,

Catherine Pickavet

Pilot Tamsyn Waterhouse is preparing to apply for medical certification in the wake of changes in FAA policy.

requiring her to submit copies of psychological and psychiatric tests, as well as a current medical status report and electrolyte panel if she wanted to be considered for certification.

Waterhouse proceeded on divergent paths. She said she considered taking the time off work to pay “thousands of dollars” to take the tests and hope that the FAA would decide that her results were satisfactory.

She also called psychiatrists and psychologists in the area to tell them about the FAA’s psychological testing policy for transgender pilots.

“Most were surprised,” she said.

“One was livid and said that’s every test he had ever heard of.”

Ultimately, Waterhouse declined to undergo additional psychological exams. She did, however, reply to the FAA’s request, sending letters from her licensed clinical social worker and endocrinologist, both of whom confirmed she was physically and psychologically fit to fly.

Those letters weren’t sufficient.

In a letter dated July 7, 2009, the agency informed Waterhouse that she failed to meet the medical standards prescribed in the agency’s code of federal regulations and denied her request for medical certification.

During this time, she called TLC, which worked with NCTE and NGLTF, as well as Congressmen Mike Honda (D-San Jose) and Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), to implore the FAA to change its guidelines.

Waterhouse, in the meantime, pounded the advocacy pavement.

She sent emails, conducted research, talked to various people in the community, and chased leads, all the while flying with her instructor to keep her skills sharp and train toward her instrument flight rating.

And she waited. Then in May, the combined efforts of Waterhouse,

advocacy groups, and politicians put an end to the waiting game.

“I heard from the TLC and NCTE that there was motion at the FAA,” she said. “They said that guidelines were being revised and, fingers crossed, things might get better this summer and that I might want to brush up.”

Indeed, in June, the FAA revised its policy for transgender pilots.

While documentation from primary care physicians, as well as psychologists or psychiatrists, is still required, the revision removes the psychological testing requirement. The changes are posted online under “Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners” (http://tinyurl. com/949sm8p).

“It has been an honor to work with Tamsyn, as she has shown great principle in fighting for this change,” Davis said. “She is an example of how one person can truly make a difference.”

Waterhouse is aware of the significance of the FAA’s policy amendment, and especially the advocacy behind the change.

“I discovered that there really are people out there who work to make progressive change,” Waterhouse said. “That there are people who work to transform policy and culture and help organizations – even big bureaucratic ones like the FAA – move forward and make it a fairer and safer place for all of us.”

However, she notes there is still progress that can be made, as she prepares to apply once again for her medical certification.

“An informed progressive change would not have been possible without the concerted efforts of organizations like TLC and NCTE and Representative Honda and Representative Frank to work with the right people at the FAA to educate them to participate in the revision of FAA medical policy,” she said.

“It’s not a complete solution, but it’s bureaucratically equivalent to moving a mountain.”▼

▼

AIDS 2012>>

August 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

Researchers look at HIV and hepatitis C

by Liz Highleyman

A

s approval of direct-acting hepatitis C drugs ushers in a new era of treatment, hepatitis C virus has become a prominent topic at recent HIV meetings. The 19th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) last month in Washington, D.C., was no exception, featuring a well-attended session devoted to HIV and HCV coinfection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 75 percent of the approximately 4 million people with hepatitis C in the U.S. do not know they have HCV. To help raise awareness, the CDC last week updated its hepatitis C testing guidelines to recommend that all baby boomers born between 1945 and 1965 get tested for HCV at least once, regardless of whether they have traditional risk factors such as injection drug use or receiving a blood transfusion before 1992.

Experts estimate that around one-third of people with HIV also have HCV, but again many are not aware they are dually infected. HIV/ HCV-coinfected people – especially those with advanced immune deficiency – experience faster liver disease progression and do not respond as well to hepatitis C treatment with interferon.

In a presentation on changing patterns of illness since the development of effective antiretroviral treatment, Henry Masur from the National Institutes of Health reported that while certain AIDSrelated opportunistic infections are no longer among the most common reasons for hospitalization of people with HIV, hepatitis C has now moved into the top 10, and it is also a leading cause of death.

Hep C among HIV+ gay men Starting about a decade ago researchers began to report outbreaks of apparently sexually transmitted acute hepatitis C among HIVpositive gay and bisexual men, first in the U.K. and Europe and later in Australia and the U.S. Brad Hare, medical director of the Positive Health Program at San Francisco General Hospital, previously told the Bay Area Reporter that some 40 percent of program participants have HCV as well as HIV, and in a majority of cases it was probably sexually transmitted.

Risk factors for sexual transmission of HCV – and strategies to prevent it – are not well understood.

The virus is transmitted through blood rather than semen, and it can live outside the body longer than HIV. Researchers have linked HCV transmission to sexual practices including anal intercourse and fisting, having other sexually transmitted diseases, and non-injection drug use. Specific predictors vary from study to study, however, and determining risk is difficult because most people do not engage in only a single activity.

At AIDS 2012 Anouk Urbanus from the Amsterdam Public Health Service presented a 15-year overview of one of the first and most closely watched sexually transmitted hepatitis C epidemics.

Researchers looked at 777 HIVpositive and 1,513 HIV-negative men who have sex with men attending a large sexual health clinic between 1995 and 2010. The men completed surveys about behavioral risk factors and were tested for HIV and HCV; only 3.5 percent reported ever injecting drugs.

The Amsterdam team saw evidence that the decade-long outbreak may have leveled off in recent years. Hepatitis C prevalence (total

cases) gradually rose from about 3 percent in 1995 to about 4 percent in 2003, followed by a steeper increase to a peak of 17 percent in 2008. But levels then stabilized and even decreased, falling to around 10 percent.

In contrast, hepatitis C prevalence among HIV-negative gay men remained steady at about 0.5 percent, even though they engaged in similar sexual activities and drug use.

Urbanus and her team suggested that this trend among HIV-positive men might be explained by reduced risk behavior, earlier HCV testing, more hepatitis C treatment, and “saturation” within the population at highest risk.

However, Urbanus said, “The latest cluster of cases included an acute infection, indicating that transmission is still going on,” and she recommended routine HCV screening of HIV-positive men at sexual health clinics.

Liver disease progression While experts recognize that coinfected people experience faster liver disease progression on average, reports of extremely rapid progression among a subset of men in the recent sexually transmitted acute hepatitis C outbreaks are more controversial.

Daniel Fierer from Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City gave a talk at AIDS 2012 on rapid fibrosis progression, proposing that the order of infection is an important factor.

In 2007 Fierer’s group first reported on a small number of HIVpositive gay and bisexual men with sexually acquired acute hepatitis C whose liver biopsies showed extensive fibrosis, or build-up of fibrous scar tissue, despite only a short period of HCV infection.

Historically, most coinfected people have acquired HCV before HIV because HCV is more easily transmitted, for example through shared syringes. Progression to advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis still usually takes decades, and only a minority experience liver failure or liver-related death.

But the recent sexually transmitted outbreaks involve men who were already HIV-positive when they acquired HCV. Fierer’s team found that 9 of 11 men already had moderate (stage 2) fibrosis just four months after hepatitis C diagnosis, while HIV-negative people with acute hepatitis C usually have absent or only minimal fibrosis (stage 0 or 1).

Fierer presented some not-yetpublished data on four men with especially rapid progression. Three showed advanced (stage 3) fibrosis on their first biopsy after acute hepatitis C diagnosis. Decompensation or liver failure occurred within 17 months to about seven years; two patients died and one required a liver transplant.

“What really matters is what order [HIV and HCV] infections happened, and it matters even more how immunocompromised a patient is,” Fierer concluded, noting that the men with the lowest CD4 T-cell counts in this series of cases were the first to experience liver decompensation.

Other experts are skeptical about extra-fast fibrosis in this population, however.

Martin Vogel and colleagues studying the European NEAT cohort saw very high estimated fibrosis progression rates in HIV-positive people during the first few months after HCV infection using a non-invasive method known as FibroScan or transient elastometry, which uses sound waves to measure liver stiffness.

antiretroviral therapy and HIV viral load suppression.

While the biological mechanisms underlying accelerated liver disease progression in people with HIV is not fully understood, both Masur and Lo Re suggested that increased inflammation in individuals with two persistent viral infections may play a role.

“The implications of our work suggest that even with [antiretroviral therapy] coinfected patients aren’t completely like monoinfected patients,” Lo Re concluded. “It is incumbent upon us to assess risk factors and develop an index to detect subgroups at high risk of rapid progression, so we can prioritize them for [hepatitis C] treatment and trials of new agents.”

Liz Highleyman

Mt. Sinai School of Medicine researcher Daniel Fierer

But progression then decreased and became comparable to that of people with chronic HIV/HCV coinfection, leading the researchers to attribute the early spike to liver inflammation during acute HCV infection, which FibroScan can mistake for fibrosis.

Antiretroviral treatment for HIV may help slow liver disease progression, but HIV/HCV-coinfected people still seem to be at a disadvantage relative to HIV-negative people with hepatitis C alone.

In another conference presentation, Vincent Lo Re from the University of Pennsylvania reported that patients with chronic HIV/ HCV coinfection in the Veterans Aging Cohort Study remained at higher risk for liver complications including decompensation and all-cause death than people with hepatitis C alone, despite effective

A new era of treatment Norah Terrault from UCSF wrapped up the session with an overview of new hepatitis C drugs in the pipeline for HIV/HCV-coinfected people.

The first direct-acting HCV drugs, boceprevir (Victrelis) and telaprevir (Incivek), were approved in May 2011. When added to the previous standard therapy of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin, they can shorten treatment duration and improve cure rates.

“It’s a dramatic, substantial improvement over what we had previously,” Terrault said, but these new drugs are not yet approved for HIVpositive hepatitis C patients.

Combining boceprevir or telaprevir with interferon and ribavirin adds to the already difficult side effects. Furthermore, she continued, their three-times-daily dosing schedule is “suboptimal,” their cost is high, and many coinfected patients are not considered eligible to use them for various reasons.

Some direct-acting HCV drugs

have the potential to interact with HIV antiretrovirals – which could reduce effectiveness or lead to worse toxicities – so drug-drug interaction studies are needed before starting clinical trials with coinfected participants. Data are also still needed on treatment-experienced coinfected patients and whether responseguided therapy will be effective for this population.

“It’s hard to believe that just over a year ago we were eagerly awaiting the first HCV protease inhibitors, and now that they’re here we’re already looking toward the next thing,” said Terrault.

She explained that in her practice she is mainly treating three types of patients with the new antiviral agents: people with cirrhosis who need treatment now, people with minimal liver disease progression but who want to be free of infection, and people who want to be treated now because they are worried about losing their jobs and health insurance.

Second-generation hepatitis C antiviral drugs now under study are more potent, more tolerable, and some can be taken once daily. Many people are unwilling or unable to take interferon and want to wait for all-oral regimens. Pharmaceutical companies are working to coformulate these drugs into combination pills like those now available for HIV. Terrault ended on an optimistic note, predicting that interferon-free regimens will come within the “next couple years,’ although at first they will only be available for HIV-negative patients. Ideally, she concluded, “I think in the future there will be all-oral regimens that are safe, tolerable, and will be the kind of therapy that will be successful at curing the majority of our HCV-infected patients.”▼

<< Sports

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • Date August 23-29, 2012

▼

Augusta lurches forward into the 21st century

by Roger Brigham

T

he most stunning evidence that global warming is a myth was revealed this week with the announcement that Augusta National Golf Club was offering membership to two women. Hell has indeed frozen over.

In what is being hailed as a progressive step and a signal of more enlightened times, Augusta, which has pointedly resisted having female members throughout its 80-year history, has agreed to allow South Carolina millionaire Darla Moore and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege of wearing green blazers with the good ol’ boys of the club. The glacial swiftness through which this occurred was described as a “joyous occasion” by Augusta chairman Billy Payne. The step for social equality among 1 percenters occurred a mere decade after William “Hootie” Johnson predicted the club’s all-male cast might eventually be open to women, “but not at the point of a bayonet.”

No word yet on when Augusta will announce the admission of openly gay and lesbian members, but probably about that time that iceberg in hell starts melting down into drips of irony.

We wuz Melked So cruel, this habit sports has of

building up our sense of joy and anticipation, only to yank the rug out from under our feet and bringing us crashing back to earth.

Emotions don’t come much more jarring than they did this past week when, one day after the San Francisco Giants unveiled their ideal offensive lineup intact for the first time all season, a key component of the dream lineup was suspended by Major League Baseball for a violation of MLB’s anti-doping policy; and then just days later the Oakland A’s lost their most veteran starting pitcher.

The Giants’ Melky Cabrera, who was enjoying the best season of his career and had inspired a flock of Melk Men and Melk Maidens to don costumes and hail his every plate appearance, tested positive for testosterone and was suspended last week for 50 games. Bartolo Colon, he of the uncanny ability to throw strikes and gobble up innings, was suspended the same length of time for the same offense Wednesday, August 22.

A contrite apology and acceptance of guilt by Cabrera was speedily followed by allegations that his associates had attempted to fabricate a legal excuse for the left fielder, purchasing a website and attempting to make it look like Cabrera had accidentally taken a legal supplement without knowing it was contaminated.

New Augusta members Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore

Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera

This is a story that just keeps giving. Thank goodness Colon tried no such nonsense.

I have become pretty jaded when it comes to sports-doping stories, but these really threw me for a loop because I hadn’t seen them coming and because it has been such a fascinating year to watch both the Giants and the A’s flirt with flashes of greatness and stretches of mediocrity. We kept watching to see if they could catch lightning in a bottle, not knowing that the Melk Man and Colon had already caught it and were injecting themselves with it.

Hysterically bitter fans have said that the players should not be allowed to return to the team when their suspensions are over. Others have said MLB needs to stiffen its penalties for drug cheats, including

But the edge of my enthusiasm has been blunted and my guard remains up. So, I still hope the G-men make the playoffs, but right now there is another passion beating in my heart.

Go, Petaluma National!

year-long or lifelong bans for firsttime offenders.

Nonsense.

Current penalties are not the problem. The problem is a culture that accepts and often encourages cheating, and an anti-doping policy that exists for its public relations benefits rather than for real deterrence. If MLB and its players sincerely want to rid themselves of cheaters, they should have more frequent, random, unannounced and out-of-competition testing. People who study the criminal justice system can tell you that it is assurance of punishment more than severity of punishment that is effective.

Still love the Giants, and still would like to see Cabrera – this year’s All-Star game MVP – return to the team and try to do it right this time.

Nyad ends Cuba to Florida swim attempt Lesbian swimmer Diana Nyad’s latest attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida ended Tuesday, August 21, 50 miles from her goal and a day shy of her 63rd birthday.

Nyad’s blog reported a storm forced Nyad to be pulled from the water at 12:55 a.m. Eastern time after swimming for 41 hours and 45 minutes and being repeatedly stung by jellyfish.▼ A longer version is online at ebar.com.

AIDS 2012: Looking back on D.C. and ahead to Melbourne analysis by Stephen LeBlanc

T

hree issues that promise possibly dramatic shifts in the fight against HIV came to the fore at the 2012 XIX International AIDS Con-

ference last month in Washington, D.C. First was the new focus on finding a cure for HIV. “I think the most exciting development at this conference was the

broad community buy-in to pursuing AIDS cure research,” explained Dr. Steven Deeks of UCSF. Deeks cited a number of cure-related research findings presented at the conference and at the pre-conference AIDS cure research symposia of particular interest.

“Dr. Timothy Henrich of Harvard presented data about two HIVpositive patients who received stemcell bone-marrow transplants to treat cancers and are now possibly HIV-free, though they are still taking AIDS drugs,” he said.

Unlike the Timothy Brown case, the donors were not genetically resistant to HIV infection. This suggests that transplant itself, under the cover of anti-HIV medicines, could in some instances cure HIV. “Charline Bacchus presented updated information about the Visconti cohort in France that shows that these patients have different immunological characteristics than elite controllers, so it appears that something else happened in the patients, possibly as a result of their early treatment, that is allowing their immune system to suppress the virus without drugs,” Deeks explained.

Being able to induce the body to suppress HIV long term without drugs is the working definition of a functional cure, and researchers hope that studying how this happened in that cohort might lead to a therapy that works in patients who are not necessarily treated during acute infection.

However, it was also apparent that funding for cure research lags far behind other AIDS Research areas. Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health displayed a pie chart showing a breakdown of AIDS research spending at the NIH plenary session. Of a total 2012 NIH AIDS research budget of over $3 billion, approximately $862 million was directed to the basic science areas of etiology and pathogenesis; $625 million to vaccines; $169 mil-

Courtesy SFDPH

Bob Roehr

Dr. Steven Deeks

Dr. Albert Liu

lion to microbicides; $494 million to behavioral and social sciences; $81 million to treatment as prevention; $692 million to drug discovery, development, and treatment; $251 million to training and infrastructure; $308 million to natural history and epidemiology; and $64 million to information dissemination. Cure research did not appear as a slice of the chart.

NIH has released figures indicating that even with recently announced increases, AIDS cure research is funded at about $75 million annually, or less than 3 percent of total NIH AIDS research spending. The AIDS Policy Project, a group of cure activists, publicized the slogan “3 percent is not enough,” and released a report calling for increased funding for AIDS cure research.

Some political leaders have stepped up to change the funding outlook for cure research. At the end of the conference, Representatives Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) and Jim Himes (D-Connecticut) introduced House Bill 6187, which would provide $100 million over five years for cure research. The funding would come out of a health section of the

defense budget, rather than NIH funding.

Treatment as prevention Treatment as prevention moved from being a somewhat controversial idea in San Francisco when discussed two years ago to becoming a widely accepted central plank of the global strategy to end AIDS. Treatment as prevention was cited as another strong motivation for the United Nations global AIDS target to get 15 million people on HIV treatment by 2015. Doing so, however, will require substantial increases in global funding for AIDS treatment, and clear sources for these funds have yet to be identified.

The federal Food and Drug Administration approved Truvada as a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) daily pill for at-risk HIV-negative persons just before the AIDS conference took place. That was also cited as a potentially major new development, and one that could have immediate impact for Californians.

Five different California pilot studies will begin soon to determine interest in and effectiveness of taking daily PrEP in real-world clinical See page 12 >>

▼

Community News>>

August 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

Mayor’s office to host backpack giveaway compiled by Cynthia Laird

T

he 2012-13 school year started this week in San Francisco and to help out local families, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services and Mission Economic Development Agency will be giving away more than 2,000 free backpacks to children Saturday, August 25. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Garfield Square, 26th Street and Treat Avenue.

Out Supervisor David Campos will speak at the event, which is being held to help ensure that San Francisco’s children are ready for the school year. There will also be a family barbecue, entertainment, yoga classes, sports activities, and a resource fair featuring local nonprofits.

Target and its partners will be giving away 2,150 backpacks filled with school supplies. Tangle Toys is providing free keychain toys and there will be other giveaways such as free museum tickets, as well as a computer raffle.

The event will also highlight the Mission Promise Neighborhood, an effort by the Mission community and led by MEDA to create a cradleto-college-to-career continuum of services in the neighborhood that will ensure academic, social, and economic success for families.

Chick-Fil-A protest tonight in San Jose Local activists with Marriage Equality USA and Get Equal will protest the grand opening of a ChickFil-A restaurant tonight (Thursday, August 23) at 6 p.m. The new fast food eatery is located at 50 Headquarters Drive in San Jose.

The fast food chain has been the subject of protests by the LGBT community and its allies in recent weeks since company COO Dan Cathy unapologetically took a stand against marriage equality. A socalled appreciation day on August 1 drew thousands of anti-same-sex marriage supporters to restaurants across the country; a gay-organized kiss-in two days later failed to draw as much attention.

Bill Wilson

Mayor Ed Lee joined in dancing with students on the first day of school at the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy in the Castro. The Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services and Mission Economic Development Agency will be handing out backpacks to city students on Saturday.

There are not many Chick-FilA restaurants in the Bay Area, and LGBT activists with MEUSA and Get Equal are hoping for a good turnout tonight.

“We will protest at the opening of the new restaurant in San Jose to show that the millions of dollars that Chick-Fil-A’s WinShape Foundation spends on anti-gay causes hurts real people,” said organizer Billy Bradford.

According to MEUSA, WinShape, Chick-Fil-A’s charitable arm, has given at least $5 million since 2003 to anti-gay organizations, including almost $2 million in 2010 alone. The company has a zero rating on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, meaning it offers no protections of benefits for its LGBT employees and has no diversity training regarding LGBT people.

For more information about the protest, visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook. com/events/255710277878764/.

Sea music festival at historic ship pier The San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park will be the setting for a day of traditional music from around the world on Satur-

day, August 25 in celebration of the America’s Cup World Series races happening that day on the bay.

The festival takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on two stages at the Hyde Street Pier, onboard the historic vessels Balclutha and Eureka, and in the visitor center theater.

The pier and theater venues are free; there is a $5 fee for adults to board the historic vessels; kids 15 and under are free, and those with national park passes are admitted free.

People can experience traditional songs of the sea with The Johnson Girls, Shay Black, Dan Milner, The Barbary Ghosts, Holdstock and Macleod, and others, plus children’s storyteller Cynthia Cudaback. Bay Area performers will represent the music and traditional dances of some of the countries competing in the America’s Cup. The park’s costumed Living History players will also be on hand.

The San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park is located at the west end of Fisherman’s Wharf. For more information, call (415) 4475000 or visit www.nps.gov/safr.

The America’s Cup World Series is a regatta leading up to next year’s America’s Cup finals, which will be held in San Francisco.

Benicia goes to the dogs Bay Area dog guardians can enjoy the Great Dog Day by the Bay Saturday, August 25 at the First Street

Green, located at First and East B streets in Benicia.

In 2010, Benicia was ranked as the fourth dog-friendliest city in the U.S.

by Dog Fancy magazine. In honor of the occasion, Benicia Main Street, a downtown revitalization organization, is hosting its third annual doggie fest for dogs and their guardians to have their day in the sun complete with contests, doggie treats, competitions, and other fun activities.

The event typically attracts 1,000 people and is being held on the city’s active community green, located yards from the scenic Carquinez Strait, a great place for walking dogs.

For a second year, Benicia Main Street is teaming with Disc Dogs of the Golden Gate, offering a disc competition for dog and handler teams of all skill levels. Activities also include a dog contest (ugliest, cutest, owner-dog look alike).

The festival is free and open to the public. To enter a contest, there is a $5 fee per dog, as well as a $1 fee per vote. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Humane Society of the North Bay. For more information, visit Benicia Main Street at www.beniciamainstreet.org or call (707) 7459791.

Health care movie screening in Palo Alto The Santa Clara County chapter of Health Care for All, Marriage Equality Silicon Valley, the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, and several other organizations are sponsoring a screening of The Healthcare Movie on Thursday, August 30 at First Baptist Church of Palo Alto, 305 North California Avenue.

The movie examines the differences between health care systems in the U.S. and Canada.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., the movie starts at 7. Street parking is available.

There will be a panel discussion after the film with Carol Dalrymple and Lynn Huidekoper, R.N, from Health Care for All; and Lars Osterberg, director of the Arbor Free Clinic.

Admission is free, although donations will be accepted. Donations will go to local organizations for expenses related to passing single

payer legislation.

For more information contact Huidekoper at lynn_huidekoper@ hotmail.com.

New name for SF HIV research section The HIV research section of the San Francisco Department of Public Health announced this week that it was changing its name to Bridge HIV. The announcement comes as the section relocates to expanded research and clinical facilities on the first floor of 25 Van Ness Avenue.

The move is part of the San Francisco Office and Renovation project, a $9.5 million grant awarded by the National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health as part of the American Recover and Reinvestment of 2009.

Bridge HIV distinguishes the research unit of the health department’s AIDS Office from a large field of organizations and institutions conducting HIV prevention research. The new name also reflects the department’s history and efforts to reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS through collaborations with diverse communities across the Bay Area and throughout the world, according to a news release announcing the name change.

“We are excited to unveil our new name, which evokes our heritage of conducting groundbreaking HIV research in the San Francisco Bay Area,” Dr. Susan Buchbinder, director of Bridge HIV, said in a statement. “Our name also symbolizes important tenets of our mission, such as connection through collaboration. By connecting to researchers and communities throughout the world, our scientific breakthroughs can be used to help people most affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.”

Delia Molloy, executive assistant to Buchbinder, said that the staff came up with the name, although the process was guided by the Taproot Foundation, a nonprofit that makes business talent available pro bono to organizations working to improve society. DPH received two services grants from Taproot for key messages and brand strategy and naming and visual identity. She did not respond to a message about the amount of the grants by press time.▼

Eagle future in doubt – again

by Seth Hemmelgarn

T

he future of the former Eagle Tavern is in doubt once again as the people who had hoped to take over the long-vacant space at 398 12th Street are backing out of the lease.

In response to emailed questions Tuesday, August 21, Anderson Pugash, founder of Crossroads Enter-

tainment and one of the people who had signed a lease on the site, said, “We would still love to work on this project as we believe in the history and potential of the space, however we are having trouble agreeing over the cost of the delay with the landlord so it’s unlikely we will be the operators.”

The news comes just a week after a community meeting was held to discuss new plans for the bar.

Obituaries >> Bernd Norbert Metz February 17, 1944 – August 14, 2012

Bernd Metz passed away peacefully with family by his side on August 14, 2012, at the Zen Hospice Project Guest House.

Born in Dusseldorf, Germany, Bernd came to America in 1949 with his parents, Norbert and Gisela (Schroeder) Metz, and two younger siblings, Horst Metz and Marita (Metz) Schofield. His third sibling, Ingrid (Metz) Bachmeier was born in Illinois. Bernd lived in Chicago, New York, and Ft. Lauderdale before moving to San Francisco in 2004.

Bernd was an entrepreneur whose

most recent venture was The Gym SF on Market Street. Previously he owned an artist’s agency and publishing business in New York and a bed and breakfast in Ft. Lauderdale.

Bernd, a consummate chef, trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York and worked as a pastry chef at Patroon.

Bernd built close and enduring friendships throughout the world, and will be missed by many, especially by his closest friend, Kevin McClung.

Three generations of family will miss their loving brother, uncle, and granduncle.

Bernd wished to have his ashes scattered in the Atlantic Ocean near Fort Lauderdale. Remembrances in Bernd’s name may be given to the Zen Hospice Project, 273 Page Street, San Francisco, CA, 94102.

Pugash and his partners are only the most recent people to try to work out a deal on re-opening a venue at the Eagle site.

The bar was well known for its Sunday afternoon fundraisers, which raised money for numerous LGBT organizations over the years. The venue closed in April 2011 after a rent dispute between landlord John Nikitopoulos and the bar owners.

Late last month, the Board of Supervisors City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee put off a vote on whether to recommend to the full board the transfer of a liquor license to the space. The matter was continued to September 24 so the project organizers could do outreach to the community.

Last week, Eli Spear, one of the people who had been working with Pugash to try to re-open the space, indicated at a public meeting that the hopeful operators wanted to maintain the bar as a space inviting to LGBTs. Pugash, who first spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Inside Scoop SF about the deal’s collapse, said Nikitopoulos still owns Double Rainbow LLC, which has been trying to transfer a liquor license to the former Eagle site. Nikitopoulos will hold the license, and any new tenant would have to have the limited

Rick Gerharter

A deal to open a bar at the former Eagle Tavern space South of Market has apparently collapsed.

liability company and the liquor license transferred into their name, Pugash said. Nikitopoulos hasn’t responded to numerous interview requests over the past several months, and he couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday morning, August 22. As of Wednesday, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control website listed the license application as “pending.”

Pugash wouldn’t say how much he and the others would be paying for the space.

However, he said, “We did have high rent and key money in addition to high capital costs and we

agreed to take these on because of our passion for the space.”

The venue requires “major” improvements related to the Americans with Disabilities Act, a new roof, and other work, in addition to “usual items” such as sound and bar equipment, Pugash said.

He added, “This is an expensive, highly risky and complex project, so anyone who wants to open a business there will need extensive construction, operational, and political experience. This limits the field of qualified potential buyers in my opinion, but I am hopeful and optimistic that someone will re-open the space.”▼

<< Community News

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • Date August 23-29, 2012

<<

AIDS 2012

From page 10

settings, with community clinical health sites in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, and Oakland/Richmond. The trials have some slight differences, but each will provide PrEP medication free for volunteer enrollees for approximately one year and follow the enrollees carefully to assess the effectiveness of the new prevention strategy. People whose only HIV risk is injection drug use are not currently eligible for any of the pilot programs, as Truvada has not be definitively proven to be effective in that population.

Dr. Albert Liu, director of HIV prevention intervention studies for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, is the principal investigator for the San Francisco pilot project, which will be located at City Clinic, 356 7th Street (between Folsom and Harrison) in SOMA and begin in September.

“We plan to enroll 300 volunteers who are either HIV uninfected MSMs (men who have sex with men) or trans women,” said Liu. “We are studying who will be interested in taking PrEP in a [sexually

<<

ing young MSM and trans women of color, with a target of 50 percent African American enrollees.

Both Liu and Lemp stressed that PrEP is likely to have the biggest impact when used with other strategies as part of a comprehensive prevention package.

“We are interested in offering PrEP for HIV-negative persons in combination with the testing and linkage to care plus treatment (TLC+) for HIVpositive persons so that when we engage an at-risk HIV community we have options available to keep HIV infected people healthy and keep uninfected people uninfected,” said Lemp.

Both also stressed that daily adherence is a key issue for effective PrEP. All of the studies will include adherence evaluations, counseling, and different adherence assistance strategies. According to Lemp, the Los Angeles portion of the study will uniquely provide real time drug level monitoring at each clinic visit to help determine whether volunteers are taking the drugs regularly enough to maintain effective blood levels for HIV prevention and will share those results with volunteers and use them to guide adherence support

Senior housing

From page 1

city’s aging LGBT population at the site. It is estimated that more than 25,000 LGBT seniors live in San Francisco, with many lacking access to services and housing options that are sensitive to their needs.

“The unanimous Planning Commission vote is a green light to finally make this project happen,” Marcy Adelman, Ph.D., Openhouse’s founder and a current board member, told the Bay Area Reporter after the meeting August 16. “It has taken the tireless work and determination of Openhouse staff, board, and the LGBT community and allies to make this happen. There is much to celebrate and much work still to be done.”

Openhouse and its partner on the project, Mercy Housing California, can now start to apply for local and federal funding to finance their portion of the development.

The senior housing will be divided between two buildings. The renovation of Richardson Hall, a historic landmark building located at the corner of Laguna and Hermann streets, will result in 40 units plus a 2,500 square foot corner ground floor retail space. It is estimated to cost $20 million.

Next door the existing administration wing of Richardson Hall will be demolished. In its place Openhouse and Mercy plan to construct a new seven-story building containing 70 units estimated to cost $33 million.

It will also contain a 7,500 square foot senior center, with activity areas and a dining room, where the agency can provide services to residents and LGBT seniors citywide.

The majority of the senior rental

<<

transmitted infection] clinic setting, how PrEP will work in a busy public health clinic, and adherence issues in a more real world setting.”

DPH will publish a telephone number when enrollment begins for those interested in the study, and volunteers can also be recruited directly from City Clinic or referred by any doctor or other public health clinic.

This pilot study is funded by NIH. DPH is coordinating another arm of the study in Miami, with public health officials there expected to enroll 200 participants.

The University of California’s HIV/AIDS Research Program (UARP) is funding four additional California PrEP studies. According to UARP director George Lemp, “We are sponsoring several research teams that will be providing PrEP to up to 700 volunteers in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Long Beach.”

According to Lemp, the studies are being supported by UARP with $5.7 million in funding from grants over the next four years. A further pilot study sponsored by UARP is being planned that will include a number of sites in Oakland and Richmond and is lead by Dr. Jeffrey Burac at Alta Bates. This study will focus on reach-

SF Pride

From page 1

ries about their grassroots work amongst each other over pizza and drinks just before the event’s host, B.A.R. society columnist Donna Sachet, took the stage.

“Who’s here to get some money?” she asked, marking the party’s commencement. The crowd responded with a resounding cheer.

Representatives of each organization present were called to the front culminating in an impressive representation of diverse LGBT community people and causes.

John Caldera was there on behalf of the Bob Basker Post 315 of the American Legion, an LGBT-

Bill Wilson

Openhouse founder Marcy Adelman, Ph.D., and Seth Kilbourn at last week’s Planning Commission meeting.

units will be one bedrooms, with 11 studios and four two-bedrooms.

Their size will range from 325 to 840 square feet.

Openhouse officials expect to secure funding from a variety of sources. They will be applying for funds from the local Mayor’s Office of Housing, the federal U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and from a low-income tax credit financing program overseen by the state.

“We feel we have a terrific project that will be very, very competitive,” said Openhouse Executive Director Seth Kilbourn. “We can now start talking about when 55 Laguna will get built and not if 55 Laguna will be built. I have no doubt we will secure the funding we need to build.”

Community leaders are anxious to see the housing be built.

“It is time to get ground breaking here. It has been four years too long,” said Jazzie Collins, a transgender woman with the Senior Ac-

tion Network, during last week’s hearing.

In the meantime, Openhouse and Mercy will be fine-tuning the design for the new building, which should be finalized next summer. The plan calls for construction to be done in phases, with the remodel of Richardson Hall completed first.

“Our intention is to begin construction on Richardson Hall in two years,” said Kilbourn.

If everything goes as planned, the first residents would move into their units sometime in 2015. Jerome “Jerry” Cuffey, 60, a certified massage therapist and health educator, would like to be among them.

“I am two to three years away from retiring. I hope to do that and live in this wonderful space,” Cuffey said during the Planning Commission hearing.

He said the city’s LGBT seniors “really need” to have services and housing located in one central location.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. It

“To come full circle and partner with Pride is a big deal because at the end of the day it helps us help veterans.”

–John Caldera focused charter post within the American Legion, the largest veteran’s organization in the country.

The Community Partners Program has been in place since 1997 and Post 315 has been volunteering under the program for the last five years.

“It’s one of our largest fundraisers annually,” Caldera, a gay Navy veteran, told the B.A.R. “When I was active duty back in 1987, one of my first memories of San Francisco was Pride. To come full circle and partner with Pride is a big deal because at the end of the day it

▼

interventions.

One potential concern is that people who become HIV infected while taking PrEP might quickly develop virus that is resistant to Truvada, one of the most widely prescribed antiHIV drugs. According to Liu, previous studies have shown that among people who became infected while taking PrEP there was no evidence of resistance in those cases. However, there were individuals who were already acutely infected when they began taking PrEP and tested positive a month later and there was evidence of some resistance to one of the two drugs (FTC) in the PrEP pill resistance.

The City Clinic study is planning to do a rapid HIV test, a fourth generation HIV test that is more sensitive, and a symptoms clinical evaluation for acute infection before starting volunteers on PrEP to ensure no one in the acute infection stage starts on PrEP. The trial will also do a pooled HIV RNA viral load test on subgroups of patients, and then test every patient if a pooled subgroup tests positive. Gilead, the manufacturer of Truvada, is providing drug free of charge for the California pilot studies.

The next International AIDS Con-

ference will be held in 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. Its local co-chair, Professor Sharon Lewin of Monash University, has been involved in curerelated research for several years.

“My impression is that we are at a totally different space with regards to cure research than we were two years ago at the time of the Vienna AIDS conference,” Lewin said. “I gave a plenary talk on cure research in Vienna and the level of knowledge was just really, really low. The level of knowledge and interest has just grown exponentially in the last two years.”

Lewin is looking forward to welcoming the international AIDS community to Melbourne in 2014 and hopes for further advances by that time.

“We should have the results of a large number of pilot and investigational studies relating to different cure strategies by that time and I hope have a clearer picture of the most promising avenues for cure therapies.”▼

is fantastic,” said Cuffey.

The land will still be owned by the University of California, which has signed a 99-year lease with the project sponsors to occupy the site.

Construction on the larger marketrate housing could begin later this year.

Due to pressure from neighborhood groups and housing activists, not only will the senior housing be affordable but the project will also include 50 below-market-rate units. A financing deal announced by the mayor’s office just days prior to last week’s hearing paved the way for Wood Partners to agree to have language specifying that it has to build the 50 units on site as part of the conditional use permit.

Mayor’s Office of Housing Director Olson Lee, in a letter sent to the Planning Commission, wrote that the city, Openhouse, and Mercy Housing had come up with a financing plan to acquire the parcel for the senior housing that did not rely on Wood Partners having to pay an inclusionary housing in lieu fee.

According to Lee’s letter, the senior housing project had secured a commitment for financing from a third party to cover a majority of the $6.3 million ground lease prepayment. Lee informed the commissioners that his office had budgeted to cover the remaining funds.

“We are grateful to the community and neighborhood stakeholders who participated in a process to prioritize the funding of this acquisition from other sources, and are happy that affordability at the site will be maximized,” wrote Lee, who could not be reached for comment.

Tommi Avicolli Mecca, a queer housing rights activist who pushed to make the Openhouse project be

100 percent affordable and fought for the 50 BMR units to be built on site, told the B.A.R. that community leaders had also been sent the MOH letter and that “we are going to hold them to that.”

helps us help veterans.”

This year, Post 315 oversaw Pride’s grandstands, which included making sure the ASL (American Sign Language) and disabled communities were accommodated during the parade. While Post 315 qualified as an accessibility partner, most nonprofits that volunteer are tasked with either beverages or collecting gate donations.

The Pride Committee calculates grant amounts for those two areas differently. Fifty percent of gross donations collected go toward the organizations that volunteered as donation partners. It’s then divided between the partner nonprofits based on total hours logged. The Pride Committee retains the other

50 percent to pay the costs of the program. Beverage partners either get a flat $1,200 or 25 percent of their beverage booth’s net proceeds – whichever is greater.

“Regardless of what ends up happening,” Behan said, “they are guaranteed a minimum for participating in the program. Our beverage partners show up quite early in the morning and have to stay there much later than the donation partners.”

“This year we are on track to surpass $2 million in total grants back to the community since we started this program in 1997,” he added.

Total fiscal earnings for Pride 2012 won’t be available until the end of September. ▼

Stephen LeBlanc is a board member of the AIDS Policy Project.

He attended the AIDS conference on behalf of the Bay Area Reporter and filed this report.

Openhouse moving, city seeks applicants In other news, Openhouse plans to move its executive offices into the LGBT Community Center, located one block north of the 55 Laguna site. The two agencies are in talks to finalize the terms of the lease.

“Our intention is to move our offices this fall to the LGBT center from the Flood Building,” Kilbourn told the B.A.R. this week.

The city is recruiting applicants to serve on the newly created LGBT Seniors Task Force. The 15-member body will be convened later this year and tasked with drafting a report detailing how the city can meet the needs of LGBT seniors and aging adults.

Those persons interested in serving on the panel can download an application at http://www.sfbos. org/Modules/ShowDocument. aspx?documentid=19462.

The completed forms are due by Monday, August 27.

The Board of Supervisor’s Rules Committee is expected to consider applicants at its September 6 meeting. The full board will then vote to approve the Rules Committee’s picks.

It is unclear if the members will be selected in time for a forum looking into LGBT elder concerns that the Alice B. Toklas and Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic clubs are hosting Monday, September 10. The clubs’ joint meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street.▼

▼ <<

From the Cover>>

August 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

STD spikes

From page 1

cific health information.

The simple mantra that sexually active men who have sex with men should get tested every three to six months is also being retooled. In addition to the advice to get checkups on a quarterly basis, gay and bisexual men are being urged to ask their doctor or health care provider to conduct pharyngeal and rectum tests for such STDs as gonorrhea and chlamydia.

The concern is that if sexually active men only undergo urine tests and blood draws for STDs, then infections in their throat or anus may go undetected.

“What we find these days is that gay men tend to be very knowledgeable about how HIV is transmitted. But there is not the same level around other STIs,” or sexually transmitted infections, said Steve Gibson, director of Magnet, the men’s health center in San Francisco’s gay Castro district.

Particularly when it comes to STDs like gonorrhea and chlamydia, said Gibson, the three sites that can get exposed are the “dick, butt, and mouth.” Thus, it is recommended that sexually active men have both a butt and throat swab done every three months, he added.

“If you use it, you should check it,” said Gibson. “It is not hard to do this.

It should be the standard of care.”

The new efforts come as rates of STDs continue to climb, both locally and statewide. Gay men continue to be one of the hardest hit groups.

This month the California Department of Public Health posted to its website data showing that syphilis cases rose 18 percent in 2011. Men who have sex with men account for 80 percent of the infectious, or primary, syphilis cases statewide.

About half of the cases are among men who are HIV co-infected, report state officials.

“We are really seeing increases everywhere. It is not just the Bay Area and it not just southern California,” Dr. Heidi Bauer, chief of the state STD Control Branch, told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview this week. “I think the size of the jump is what is concerning.”

San Francisco has witnessed six straight years of increasing STD rates. And the trend has continued in 2012, based on data for the first half of the year.

According to the most recent monthly STD report issued by the city’s Department of Public Health, there were 492 reported cases of syphilis between January and June

<<

College board

From page 1

the trustees oversee, faces the possibility of closing.

Lee indicated he sees Santos as being crucial to help the school survive.

“Ninety thousand students come through City College and we cannot let that fail. We will not let that fail,” Lee said Tuesday.

Santos said he’d do “everything in my power” to make sure the trustees follow “the great work of Milton Marks.” However, he said, “I join an institution that must be saved.”

The college’s future as an accredited community college, the largest of all accredited community colleges in California with about 90,000 students, has been in question since early June, after the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges issued a blistering report saying CCSF would need to “show cause why its accreditation should not be terminated” by October 15, according to a report sent to interim Chancellor Pamila Fisher in July, or lose its accreditation. That’s

CA Dept. Public Health

Syphilis rates are increasing in California

of this year. During the same period in 2011 there were 392 cases.

A similar rise was seen in gonorrhea, with 1,278 cases reported during the first half of 2012. The total was an increase of 263 cases seen during the same period in 2011.

Chlamydia cases also increased by 124 cases during the half of the year compared to 2011 for a total of 2,412. The spike in cases are expected to continue throughout the rest of 2012, meaning the city will have marked a seven-year stretch of increased STD rates.

“I am not personally frustrated.

I feel we have a lot of work to do,” said Dr. Susan Philip, the city’s STD chief. “There is a difference between we have a long way to go to being frustrated. Our goal is to decrease these numbers.”

But doing so remains “very complex,” said Philip.

At least in San Francisco, health officials point to a variety of reasons for the increased STD rates. A main driver is the fact that many sexually active gay and bisexual men are adhering to a regular testing schedule.

“We continue to have high demand for services,” said Philip.

Another factor is that HIVpositive men in the city continue to practice what is known as serosorting, where they seek out other positive guys for sex partners. In doing so they are choosing to forgo

condoms, which makes them susceptible to contracting STDs. “I think people are pretty savvy and pretty knowledgeable about what constitutes risk. We don’t prescribe that people should do things in any way,” said Philip. “People know condoms are good against chlamydia and gonorrhea. Decreasing the number of partners and using condoms can be effective, but people we know use different strategies.”

The STD unit, limited by a lack of funding in what it can do, is looking at what “overall approaches we think can both be acceptable by people and potentially decrease new infections,” said Philip.

One challenge Philip is working on is how to notify sex partners that people meet through social applications for smartphones, such as Grindr and Scruff. On the board of the National Coalition of STD Directors, Philip said the professional group is looking at how such apps can better assist them in notifying men who may have been exposed to an STD that they should get tested.

“Internally, we are figuring out what will be most useful and then we will approach the app makers,” she said.

a loss that many fear could close CCSF’s doors for good.

The report, highlighting that City College is poorly run, aimed to have the school meet a few of the eligibility requirements for state accredited colleges. Among them, to document a funding base and plan for how to bring in future financial resources, conduct audits, and bring in an administrative staff with “appropriate experience to support necessary services for an institution of its size, mission, and purpose,” the ACCJC report said.

“Tough decisions and reforms are what City College needs at this time,” Lee said. He added, “We need someone who shares my vision of reform,” and the school “will not lose its accreditation with Rodrigo’s help.”

Santos said he’s “absolutely committed to that goal.” Similarly to Lee, Santos also referred to the “difficult reforms that are going to be required,” but didn’t offer any specifics. He did say that he and other trustees would analyze things and make sure that “no money is being wasted.”

Santos, who introduced his wife, Ginny, and children, Alex and

Adriana, Tuesday, is a professional engineer who came to the United States from Ecuador. According to the mayor’s office, he’s developed mixed-use spaces, office complexes, apartment buildings, and hotels.

He’s also served as president of the city’s Building Inspection Commission and is currently on the Workforce Investment Board.

Text service reminds of STD test Cell phones are being deployed in another way to stem the rising tide

Former GOPer According to the Department of Elections, Santos is a former Republican, having registered as such in 2000. In 2008 he switched to the American Independent Party, a farright group that people often mistake when they want to register as an “independent.” In 2011, according to elections department records, Santos registered as a Democrat.

Santos’s appointment puts him in the top tier of candidates; three incumbents are also running, as is gay attorney Rafael Mandelman. There are four seats up in November; the board has seven members. Santos quickly put the mayor’s press release announcing his appointment up on his campaign website.

In a statement issued Tuesday

of STDs. Magnet, a program of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, has been working with the Oakland nonprofit Internet Sexuality Information Services, known as ISIS, on a new text messaging notification system that will be publicly unveiled in September. It received funding from the city’s Department of Public Health to roll out the system.

Once it debuts men will be able to sign up to receive monthly sexual health tips via their mobile device.

Staffers of Stop AIDS, another SFAF program, have been testing out certain messages drafted by Gibson with men in the community.

One example of a typical text that Gibson shared with the B.A.R. this week would read: “Love to suck and fuck a lot? Swab UR butt and throat for STDs every 3 months.”

Clients of Magnet will also be given the option to sign up for reminders about upcoming appointments or the need to come in to be screened for STDs. Because it requires signing a consent form, only those men who go to Magnet will be allowed to enroll for that part of the new messaging system.

ISIS Executive Director Deb Levine told the B.A.R. that the text service would be a first of its kind to be offered by a private clinic.

“Especially combining the educational messaging with the remind-

night, Santos touted his endorsements, including that of gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener.

Mandelman, a leading college board candidate who secured the local Democratic Party’s endorsement last week, said in a phone interview Tuesday that he hadn’t been hoping for an appointment himself. (Mandelman is an elected member of the Democratic County Central Committee and ran unsuccessfully for D8 supervisor two years ago.)

However, he said, it’s “interesting the appointment wasn’t someone with a deeper, longer connection to the college; that the decision seems to have been driven more by political calculation than by necessarily thinking about what’s in the interest of the school at a particularly critical time.”

Mandelman mentioned Santos’s involvement with the San Francisco Coalition for Responsible Growth, which he described as a “moderate to conservative political organization.” Santos is the group’s president.

The coalition’s website says it’s “a broad-based organization” representing architects, artists, business

ers,” Levine wrote in an emailed reply. “We are in the midst of contracting with the state of Oregon to do the same, implementation this fall.”

She added that the ultimate goal for the services is “to normalize sexual health,” while the more immediate goal is “to increase regular STD and HIV testing for people who are sexually active.”

The state STD control branch has been piloting a similar system geared toward gay and bisexual men in San Diego. Several clinics in the city have offered it to their clients since early 2011.

Anyone can enroll in the program via the website Wealltest.org. Those signed up receive a text reminder every three months to be tested for STDs and are directed to visit a local clinic.

“It is popular. We have hundreds of people signed up,” said Bauer.

Bauer is looking to expand the program statewide by the end of 2013 and wants to particularly include clinics in urban settings.

“I think it will be pretty easy to scale up,” she said. “We are in the process of looking at the infrastructure and funding needs.”

Based on surveys conducted with the men in San Diego, the system seems to be working, said Bauer.

“For a good portion of people they reported to us they liked the system and went to get tested because of it,” she said. “The system is not linked to their medical records to make sure people felt comfortable about their confidentiality.”

The state is also encouraging gay and bisexual men not only to get tested but also to ask their medical providers to conduct the right STD screenings, particularly for gonorrhea.

“The big message for gay men is to ask for the test to screen the throat and also to screen the rectum,” said Bauer, who noted that most public health labs as well as Kaiser are using those tests on a routine basis.

But overall there appears to be a lack of such testing, she said.

“Even though it has been available, we are not seeing what we would expect to see in terms of screening for those two sites. Most people are still doing a urine screen,” said Bauer.

“You need to ask from your provider or the STD clinic to do throat and anal screens for gonorrhea.”▼ Stop AIDS and SFAF are hosting a community forum September 12 about the practice of sero-sorting and if men are choosing to use condoms based on their sexual partners’ HIV status. It will begin at 6 p.m. at the LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street.

owners, and others and is “dedicated to creating an effective coalition that fosters well planned growth by addressing the needs and concerns of all stakeholders.”

At Tuesday’s news conference, Santos responded to a question about the organization by saying it’s “extremely diverse.” Lee said Santos’s business background made him an asset to the board.

Mandelman said, “I know he has a larger agenda for San Francisco that I disagree with, and I’m sure he disagrees with mine, but if we end up serving together on the board, I’m sure we’ll work together and do good things for the school.”▼

On the web Online content this week includes the Out in the World column and the Bay Area Reporter’s two online columns, Political Notes and Wedding Bell Blues. www.ebar.com.

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • August 23-29, 2012

Classifieds

t

Legal Notices>>

The

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC12-548839 In the matter of the application of: SEOW LONG CHIN for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner SEOW LONG CHIN is requesting that the name WAN QI CHIN be changed to WANQI KAY CHIN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.

514 on the 20th of September 2012 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUGUST 9, 16, 23, 30 2012 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC12-548822 In the matter of the application of: TANYA B. BERNSTEIN for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner TANYA B. BERNSTEIN is requesting that his/her name be changed to TANYA KAMINSKY BERNSTEIN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.

514 on the 25th of September 2012 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUGUST 2, 9, 16, 23 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034493900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: POMODORO PIZZA 240 KEARNY ST SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Sasan Shams. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/14/08. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/31/12.

AUGUST 9, 16, 23, 30 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034499600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STANDARD BUILDING COMPANY, 72 COUNTRY CLUB DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Daniel Bernard Griffin. 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 08/02/12.

AUGUST 9, 16, 23, 30 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034496400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MY SISTER VIV, 1035 Pine St Apt 402 San Francisco, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Maria Roetgerman. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/01/12.

AUGUST 9, 16, 23, 30 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034495300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MY NAILS, 1204 Green st SF, CA 94109.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Thanh Ngoc Do. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/01/12.

AUGUST 9, 16, 23, 30 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034506100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUGOI SUSHI, 1058 Valencia St., SF, CA 94110.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Zhiliang Shen. 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 08/06/12.

AUGUST 9, 16, 23, 30 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034496700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROBERT & CO, 3863A 26th street, SF, CA 94131.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed Robert & Company 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 08/01/12.

AUGUST 9, 16, 23, 30 2012

ebar.com

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034496000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SHELDON HOTEL, 629 Post st, SF, CA 94109. This business is conducted by co-partners, and is signed Kamran Ardebilchi & Jahangir Ardebilchi. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/17/83. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/01/12.

AUGUST 9, 16, 23, 30 2012 NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE LICENSE Dated 08/16/12 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: FLIPPERS GOURMET BURGERS INC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 1515 Clay Street, Suite 2208, Oakland, CA 94612 to sell alcoholic beverages at 482 HAYES ST, SF, CA 94102. Type of license applied for

41 - ON-SALE BEER AND WINE EATING PLACE AUG 23, 2012 NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO SELL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES Dated 07/16/12 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: GARFIELD BEACH CVS LLC, LONGS DRUG STORES CALIFORNIA LLC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 1515 Clay Street, Suite 2208, Oakland, CA 94612 to sell alcoholic beverages at 1059 HYDE St., SF, CA 94109. Type of license applied for

20 - OFF-SALE BEER AND WINE AUGUST 09, 16, 23 2012 NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO SELL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES Dated 08/17/12 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: ONIGILLY LLC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 1515 Clay Street, Suite 2208, Oakland, CA 94612 to sell alcoholic beverages at 343 KEARNY ST, SF, CA 941083204. Type of license applied for

41 - ON-SALE BEER AND WINEEATING PLACE AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 2012 NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO SELL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES Dated 08/13/12 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: ANDIAMO DINER INC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 1515 Clay Street, Suite 2208, Oakland, CA 94612 to sell alcoholic beverages at 3047 MISSION ST., SF, CA 94110-4501. Type of license applied for

41 - ON-SALE BEER AND WINEEATING PLACE AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 2012 NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO SELL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES Dated 08/16/12 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: COOPERSNETWORK INC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 1515 Clay Street, Suite 2208, Oakland, CA 94612 to sell alcoholic beverages at 1477 VAN NESS AVE, SF, CA 94109-4637. Type of license applied for

41 - ON-SALE BEER AND WINEEATING PLACE AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034524200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WESTERN PLYWOOD, 2600 HARRISON St. SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed The Woodbank Inc. CA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/2012. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/14/12.

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 6, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034522000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: R and A GROCERY, 5172 3RD St., SF, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a husband and wife, and is signed Raja Z. Ahmed and Ayesha Zaheer. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/12.

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 06, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034518800

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034519900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ACUPUNCTURE & INTEGRATIVE HEALTH PROGRAMS INC, 2833 WASHINGTON, SF, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Acupuncture & Integrative Health Programs Inc. CA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/08/2012. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/10/12.

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 6, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034514900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RENTOBO, 1293 Green St., SF, CA 94109.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Sibylus Inc (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/2012. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/12.

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 6, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034507500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE BURR-EATERY, 1335 Guerrero St., SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a husband and wife, and is signed Aaron Levi Bullington and Isla Patricia Ruffua. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/12.

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 6, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034512400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALEGRIA LIMO SERVICE, 318 25th Ave. #4, SF, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Ludmylla Bastos Curado.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/08/2012. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/12.

AUG 16, 23, 30 SEPT 6, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034517200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MADDERLAKE STUDIOS, 2233 Divisadero St. #404, SF, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Mary A. Hayne.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/10/2012. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/10/12.

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 6, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034520100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SCORES ON BROADWAY, 1516 Broadway, SF, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed Red Stick Enterprises, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/10/12.

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 6, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034514400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS, 124 Jersey St., SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed William Korthof. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/2012. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/12.

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 6, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034494500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STANZA COFFEE, 1673 Haight St., SF, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed Michael Musleh and Issam Abu Ali. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/31/2012. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/31/12.

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 6, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034516200

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034511400

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034525800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CELESTIAL NEW AGE STORE, 2205 Pine St. SF, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Virginia Johnson. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/06/2012. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/07/12.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAD ASS ORGANIZING, 275 5th St. #310, SF, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Jane Dolan. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/14/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/14/12.

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 6, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034505600

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 16, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034519200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WILDLINE!, 300 Brannan St. #601, SF, CA 94107 This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Click Group Inc.(Delaware). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/2012. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/12.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FRIENDS OF THE SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY, 710 Van Ness Ave., SF, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Friends + Foundation of the SF Public Library, (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/27/00. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/10/12.

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 6, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034514000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ESSENCE CO., 15 Delta St. SF, CA 94134.

This business is conducted by a husband and wife, and is signed Biu Wing and Mindy Au. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/21/2011. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/12.

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 6, 2012 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC12-548880 In the matter of the application of: LAURENTPAUL PERROUD for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner LAURENT-PAUL PERROUD is requesting that the name LAURENTPAUL PERROUD be changed to LAURENT-PAUL DURELL. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 514 on the 23rd of October 2012 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 13, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034516400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JIAN’S CONSTRUCTION, 806 Schwerin St., DALY CITY, CA 94014. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Jian Wu Yu. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 8/09/2012. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/09/12.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06,13, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034523600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SHUN SUM INTERNATIONAL SERVICES, 855 Stockton St. #202, SF, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Jin Ping Liu. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/14/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/14/12.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 13 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034527000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DUKANAC ARCHITECTURE, 451 Kansas St. Unit 509, SF, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Vuk Dukanac. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/15/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/15/12.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 13 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034535100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BRAMBLE FLOWERS, 164 Lundys Ln., SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Jacqueline Huck. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/20/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/20/12.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 13, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034534000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 1000 YEARS CLINIC; 1000YEARSCLINIC.COM, 1021 Mission St., SF, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Arif A. Khan. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/25/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/20/12.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 13, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034537000

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 16, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034521400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ACCERLATE FORWARD; XLR8 FORWARD; XLR8TFORWARD; XLR8FWD, 14 Woodward St., SF, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed International Technologists, Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/13/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/12.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 16, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034527100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SODA POPINSKI’S, 1548 California St., SF, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Bitter Badger, Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/15/12.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 16, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034528000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DAIGO SUSHI, 2450 Clement St., SF, CA 94121.

This business is conducted by a limited liability corporation, and is signed Minamoto, LLC. (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/16/12.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 16, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034515900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 18 MONKEY, 25867 Cascade St., HAYWARD, CA 94544. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed Henry Chan and Michael Lau. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/09/12.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 16, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034531800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LELAND MARKET, 65 Leland Ave., SF, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is Maninder Singh and Patwinder Singh . The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/17/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/17/12.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 16, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034522300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ATTORNEY SERVICE OF SAN FRANCISCO; PROCESS SERVER INSTITUTE; TRAVELING NOTARY, 667 Folsom St. 2nd Fl., SF, CA 94107.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Tony Klein. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/13/12.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/12.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 16, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034477000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HI TOPS, 2247 MARKET ST, SF, CA 94114.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed Double Tap LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/24/12.

AUGUST 2, 9, 16, 23 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034479700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CREATE CHANGE, 257 OAK St., SF, CA 94102.

This business is con ducted by an individual, and is signed Linda Joy Wells. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/10/12.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TERRY’S TAVERN, 1368 Irving St., SF, CA 94122.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed 4 of a Kind Inc.(CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/2012. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/09/12.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AUTO PANEL, 1620 Davidson Ave., SF, CA 94124.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Chan, Edmund. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/21/12.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MIND OVER MEDIA, 701 MINNESOTA St. #202, SF, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed Gregory A. Harvey LLC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/12.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/25/12.

AUG 16, 23, 30 SEPT 6, 2012

AUG 16, 23, 30, SEPT 6, 2012

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 16, 2012

AUGUST 2, 9, 16, 23 2012

t

Read more online at www.ebar.com

August 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 15

Household Services>>

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034484500

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034482800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CO NAM, 1653 POLK St. SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed E.D.M Hospitality, Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/26/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/12.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PLANET AUTOWERKS, 45 DORE St., SF, CA 94103.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JF SITTON Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/17/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/12.

AUGUST 2, 9, 16, 23 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034487800

AUGUST 2, 9, 16, 23 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034487700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SOUND CONSTRUCTION, 1309 6TH AVE APT A. SF, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Robert Camusus White. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/14/03. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/27/12.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOLDEN POPPY NANNIES, 83 GARDEN GROVE DR, DALY CITY, CA 94015. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Michelle Cudden. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/27/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/27/12.

AUGUST 2, 9, 16, 23 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034487400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROYAL TRANSPORTATION, 951 SANDPOINT DR. RODEO,CA 94572. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed Abdel Sdaigui & Moujtahid Moumir. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/27/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/27/12.

GROUPS FORMING

Basic clean $40 wkly. Home, Apt, Office. One time $55. In BAR 10+ yrs JR 415-205-0397

Legal Services>>

Public Notice>>

Reasonable fees, free consultation with STEVE FOSTER, LMFT

E30-?

Cleaning Professional 25 Years Exp (415) 794-4411 * Roger Miller

E29-36

DIEGO DIEGO DIEGO Excellent Housecleaner/Reas.

Rates Call Diego 415-346-0524

(415) 412-0397 The Wellness Center, Dolores & 16th Sts.

E34-35

www.wizardcleanteam.com

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DOGPATCH APPS, 550 S. VAN NESS AVE #205, SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Dwayne Ratleff. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/12/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/30/12.

Movers>>

E34-34

EAGLE M &

Quality Housecleaner, call Jose 415-225-4963

E34-36

AUGUST 2, 9, 16, 23 2012 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-030749400

OVING

S TOR AGE , I NC .

Housecleaning since 1979.

Many original clients. All supplies.

HEPA Vac. Richard 415-255-0389

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: DELI PLUS GROCERY, 1900 HAYES ST, SF, CA 94117.

This business was conducted by an individual and signed by Kwon Soo Lee. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/26/07.

Gay Owned and Operated

E29-36

Health & Fitness>> To pla c Class e your ified a d, Ca 415-8 ll 61-50 19.

AUGUST 2, 9, 16, 23 2012 SUMMONS SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO NOTICE TO RESPONDENT: STANLEY LEE, DOES 1 TO 10 YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: STEPHEN J. USOZ, TRUSTEE OF THE STEPHEN J. USOZ EXEMPT TRUST CASE NO. CGC-12-519589

LOCAL & LONG DISTANCE MOVES ALL OVER SF & THE BAY AREA

415.404.7400 888.670.0840 WWW.EAGLEMOVINGANDSTORAGE.COM

Upkeep>>

Notice: You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below.

NILS ROSENQUEST, ROSENQUEST & ASSOCIATES, 2720 TAYLOR ST. #420, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, 94133; 415-292-0980.

RELAPSE PREVENTION

AUGUST 2, 9, 16, 23 2012

AUGUST 2, 9, 16, 23 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034488700

You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp). your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court.

There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www. lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/ selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case.

The name and address of the court is : SUPERIOR COURT, STATE OF CALIFORNIAUNLTD, 400 MCALLISTER ST., SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94102 The name, address, and telephone number of the plantiff’s attorney, or plantiff without an attorney, is:

Counseling>>

C & G PAINTING Interior • Exterior

Taking the Time to do it Right!!

Curtis Lee • Gary Rahlf 415.225.1536

ebar.com

165 Corbett Ave San Francisco, CA 94114

Photography>> LGBT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

City Hall Ceremonies. Digital photography. Including the ceremony, candid and group photos on C.D. Jane Philomen Cleland. CALL 415-505-0559 janephilomencleland.com/ www.rickgerharterphotos.com

Help Wanted>> One or two male in home support services for 107.85 hrs/mo. Program of state of CA. Pay is 11.64/ hr before tax & union dues. With health, dental, vision coverage after 2 months. Duties include domestic chores, assistance w/ laundry, grocery shopping and other shopping errands. Assistance w/ getting to med appts.

Some assistance with physical therapy exercises. Please contact Richard Samples at 415-5959320 so I can meet with you to go through IHSS process.

E32-34

EIB

Tech Support>>

Reliable & on time hauling $30/hr 2hr min Mike 415-577-7180

E31-40

Business Opportunities>>

EIB

Hauling>>

Hauling 24/7 441-1054 Lg. Truck

E25-34

FOXY LADY BOUTIQUE

Is Up For Sale Due to Health Reasons. Negotiate Price. Foxy Lady Boutique is San Francisco’s legendary apparel superstore. From formal dresses to lingerie and sexy costumes, it’s the place to shop for the latest fashions and sexiest items with the highest quality and the lowest prices. 2644 Mission St. San Francisco JANINE 650-992-3772

MACINTOSH HELP * home or office * 21 years exp * sfmacman.com

Rick 415 . 8 2 1 . 1 7 92

Date: Mar 29, 2012; Clerk of the Court: Rossaly Lavega Navarro.

To place your Classified ad, Call 415-861-5019.

E15-15

AUG 23, 30, SEP 6, 13, 2012

Then go have a drink and relax...

Real Estate>> WWW.GAYREALESTATE.COM Brookline Electric 415-239-5393. Small Jobs Now.

E31-35

Instant Free Database of San Francisco’s Top Gay Realtors

E52

Remy remembered

25

Dearly beloved

Buddy up

22

Out &About

25

O&A

19

The

Savag&escathing wit pens

Vol. 42 • No. 34 • August 23-29, 2012

www.ebar.com/arts

Honoré Daumier, “The past, the present, the future. (Le passé. Le présent. L’Avenir.)”

La Caricature, Plate 349 (Vol. 7, Iss. 166, Jan. 9, 1834). Lithograph.

‘When Artists Attack the King: Honore Daumier and La Caricature, 1830-1835’ at the Cantor

by Sura Wood

A

s the presidential campaign heats up and you’re thinking that politics have never been nastier or more inane, here comes an exhibition that demonstrates that things haven’t changed much since the 1830s. When Artists Attack the King: Honore Daumier and La Caricature, 1830-1835, a pithy, mud-in-your-eye mini-spectacle now on view at Stanford University’s Cantor Arts Center, provides just the acidic perspective we need to jolt us in our time of trouble. This small show of about 50 prints is divided almost evenly between works by the brilliant 19th-century caricaturist Daumier and the rest of his talented cohorts at La Caricature, a satirical Parisian weekly that proved to be a prickly pain in the substantial ass of King Louis-Philippe I of France and his lackeys, whose country was still reeling from the turmoil of the revolution.

A friend of Baudelaire, Daumier skewered the corrupt, the hypocritical, the tyrannical and the simply overreaching with lacerating humor, stinging visual puns and incomparable draughtsmanship. (He produced hundreds of lithographs for the publication, and several thousand during his lifetime.) Daumier, along with the journal’s fearless artists, who collaborated and played off each other, employed savage wit and scathing pens to lampoon the ministers of the July Monarchy, as the king’s reign was known, who censored the press and otherwise abused their power. The government returned the favor by subjecting the rascals to prison terms, fines and lawsuits – Daumier was imprisoned for six months, which certainly was no picnic. But drawing well turned out to be the best revenge.

The quality of his compatriots’ contributions notwithstanding, Daumier, who was only 22 when he started at the journal, is the star of the show. Whether or not you’re acquainted with his style, your eye immediately gravitates towards his evocative, nearly three-dimensional lithographs, whose figures have weight and intensity, and vibrate with life. And they don’t require the amplification of the captions that accompany them to put across their message; it’s not an exaggeration to say that a Daumier lithograph is worth 1,000 words, as is seeing his technical virtuosity and detailed renderings in person. With its proportions and delicate highlighting, each detail scraped carefully onto stone, “Don’t You Meddle with It!” is a fine example of Daumier’s finesse. In it, a muscular heroic printer, the very picture of a strapping proletariat with clenched fists ready for a rumble with Louis-Philippe, stands on a patch of ground emblazoned “freedom of the press.”

Curator Elizabeth Mitchell complements the images with historical context, illuminating the tenor of See page 26 >> Photo: Cantor Arts Center

Found on the fringe

by Richard Dodds

P

icking and choosing from the annual SF Fringe Festival offerings is a crapshoot. After all, it’s a lottery system that awards the available slots from entries received, without regard to any adjudged quality or proscribed content. How could the 42 productions in the upcoming festival be anything but a theatrical stew indiscriminately seasoned by dozens of chefs? The 21st edition of SF Fringe takes place Sept. 5-16, mainly at the Exit Theatre’s venues on Eddy and Taylor Streets, and what appears below is a sampling of these productions. It’s a sampling filtered through one writer’s arbitrary and deservedly suspect sensibilities. A complete listing of the shows and schedules is available at www.sffringe.org.

The deed was done upon me decades ago, and I have no dog in this fight, but the voices rising against circumcision do bring up the tricky matter of non-consensual elective surgery on infants. Glen Callender, who stakes claim to possessing the most famous foreskin in Canada, will present The Revolution Will

Not be Circumcised as part of his fight to keep penises in their natural hoodies. This sex-ed comedy is a project of the Canadian Foreskin Awareness Project, which Callender founded in 2010.

Titles of entries play an important role in what shows audiences will sample when confronted with a long list of unfamiliar names.

Cheesecake and Demerol, both of which have often given pleasure in different circumstances, turns out to be a memoir monologue performed by an 80-year-old nurse. SF resident Gene Gore recounts her journey from dutiful Southern homemaker to a caregiver on the front lines as the AIDS crisis explodes.

Subjects addressed include the meaning of life and how to save a marriage with oral sex and dance lessons.

While looking to titles to intrigue, Confessions of the World’s Worst Missionary evokes the Broadway hit Book of Mormon. Southern Californian Lina Alfinito based her onewoman show on actual missionary experiSee page 24 >>

{ SECOND OF TWO SECTIONS }

Lucas Brooks, a selfdescribed vertically challenged gay man, looks at his romantic challenges in VGL 5’4” Top, as part of the SF Fringe Fest.

Photo: Cameron Cole

<< Out There

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • August 23-29, 2012

▼

Something’s coming, something good

by Roberto Friedman

G

uess what’s knocking at late August’s door? That’s right, the fall arts season, and in the coming weeks our arts writers will give the low-down on some highlights in upcoming films, theatre, art shows, and more. To get the party started, here are a few of the arts events that Out There is looking forward to with most undisguised glee.

Of course, the big event coming this fall from Cal Performances is the West Coast premiere of Einstein on the Beach, An Opera in Four Acts, by director and set designer Robert Wilson, composer and writer Philip Glass, choreographer Lucinda Childs, with the score performed by the Philip Glass Ensemble, Fri.-Sun., Oct. 26-28, at Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley.

This is the non-linear masterwork that changed the face of contemporary opera forever. But of the fall

Cal Performances offerings, we are most looking forward to the West Coast premiere of artist Laurie Anderson’s new work Dirtday!, in which she looks at politics, theories of evolution, families, history and animals – it’s also the only title she has ever given an exclamation point – on Tues., Sept. 18, at Zellerbach Hall. More info at www.calperformances.org.

The San Francisco Symphony season will have an unconventional beginning this year, with two weeks of concerts before the gala. Guest conductor Semyon Bychkov will lead the SFS in its first two weeks, for performances of Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 featuring Pinchas Zukerman, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, and Wagner’s Overture to Tannhäuser, Sept. 5-8, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11, Sept. 12-15, at Davies Symphony Hall in SF. Following these concerts, music director Michael Tilson Thomas leads the SFS in gala

Photo: Lucie Jansch

Laurie Anderson will return to Cal Performances in Berkeley next month with Dirtday!

week festivities including the 101st season gala opening with guest soloist Joshua Bell on Wed., Sept. 19; the SFS’ All-San Francisco concert for community groups on Thurs., Sept. 20 at 8 p.m.; and its free outdoor concert in Justin Herman Plaza, meet you after work, 5 p.m. on Fri., Sept. 21.

The 2012-13 season is a big one for Bychkov, since he’ll not only celebrate his 60th birthday, but will also return to St. Petersburg, the city of his birth, to mark the 150th year of his alma mater, the St. Petersburg Conservatory; to Vienna, the city in which he landed as a Jewish refugee in 1974, where he began to build his new life; and to Israel, where he will conduct both the Vienna Philharmonic and the Israel Philharmonic for his first visit in more than 15 years. Bychkov starts 201213 in the U.S., where in addition to performing with the SFS, he’ll conduct Otello at the Met, which will be broadcast live in high-definition TV to 54 countries, and he will bring the Met Opera Orchestra to Carnegie Hall. That’s quite a full musical plate, maestro.

San Francisco Performances is signed on to present a full slate of offerings this fall. A few highlights include a special series curated by pianist Jonathan Biss on the genius and influence of Robert

Schumann (Oct. 4, 6); András Schiff performing Bach recitals in a co-presentation with the SFS (Oct. 7, 21); jazz trio The Bad Plus performing their rendition of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring for the work’s upcoming centennial year (Oct. 12); the Bay Area debut of English troupe the Russell Maliphant Company, featuring a Nijinsky-inspired work, AfterLight (Oct. 13-14); and the Takács Quartet performing in their only Bay Area engagements this season (Oct. 14; Nov. 18, with Marc-André Hamelin). For more info, go to: www.sfperformances.org.

Of course, we haven’t even said word one re: the operas. Stay tuned to the next few issues as we roll out more suggestions for fall season highlights, from Out There and our arts writers.

Thin mints For more immediate gratification, Film Night in the Park will present a large-screen outdoor presentation of After the Thin Man at Union Square in San Francisco on this coming Saturday, Aug. 25, at 8 p.m. (film begins at dusk). Here’s the pitch: “Crime-solving husband and wife detectives Nick and Nora Charles (and their dog Asta) piece together clues in After the Thin Man, the second installment of the popular Thin Man series. Featuring William Powell, Myrna Loy and James Stewart, After the Thin Man is set in San Francisco. This second Thin Man adventure, from 1936, features many exterior scenes filmed at iconic San Francisco locations.

“Donations appreciated. Popcorn, candy and sodas will be sold.

Bring blankets, pillows, backrest and low chairs. Film Night suggests leaving pets at home.” But, woof!

Photo: Courtesy SFS

Guest conductor Semyon Bychkov will lead the San Francisco Symphony in their first two weeks of concerts.

Cross talk Oh boy, this is our favorite San Francisco Chronicle correction in a long, long time. “’Beyond Castro church’s drag-queen fuss,’ Aug. 16, Bay Area, C1: C.W. Nevius’ column about Most Holy Redeemer banning drag queen performers incorrectly stated that entertainer Peaches Christ appeared at an event at the church’s hall with a dildo shaped like a crucifix. He did not appear at the event, nor does he use the prop.” Wouldn’t you think big-city newspaper columnist Nevius would verify an outrageous allegation like that? Check and double-check, all that? Apparently not, but that’s why newspaper corrections boxes often make for some right fine reading.

This one’s for the memory books.▼

Myrna Loy and William Powell star as Mr. and Mrs. Nick Charles in the 1936 detective comedy After the Thin Man, filmed in San Francisco.

▼

Dance >>

August 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

Remy Charlip, RIP

by Paul Parish

A

braham “Remy” Charlip, one of the most important and bestloved dance artists ever to work in the Bay Area, died last week in San Francisco at age 83. Born in Brooklyn, he grew up during World War II, and graduated college in 1949.

He had spent his major career in New York (a founding member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, founder of the Paper-Bag Players, early member of the Living Theater), then had a soloist’s career in Europe before moving here in his seventh decade. He immediately became a mentor and example for the independent dancers here, rather as Marcel Duchamp had been the touchstone for the New York school of painters, poets, and modern dancers of whom he had been one of the most brilliant.

He was Jewish, gay, precocious, and gifted in many arts, especially drawing, narrative, and dance, which he combined, practiced and taught in many ways. A full-scale obituary has appeared in the New York Times. I refer you to it for his many awards (three Isadora Duncan Awards, several Obies, an exhibition at the Library of Congress), the programs he directed (National Theater for the Deaf; the Sarah Lawrence College program in children’s writing; the Paper Bag Players, which he founded, the longest-running children’s theater company, still in existence) and the hundreds of dances he created. This is going to be about the part of the iceberg underneath the surface.

If the Little Prince had had a Court Jester, the job would have belonged to Remy Charlip. He was a major talent, but he worked so systematically in minor forms – children’s books, music-hall turns, cabaret performance, children’s theater, whimsical dance – that his elusiveness seems like a survival strategy for a gay boy who wanted to make his mark on the world and express the condition of being gay in the postwar/Cold War era when the closet dominated everything, and direct expression would be suicidal.

His life and work illuminate the experience of a whole generation of gay artists and critics who took shelter in the palace of art because they could not live deliberately – and if they would not “live a lie,” they could reframe the problem as living a fiction, turning life into art.

Like Erik Satie, he restricted himself to minor forms but instilled them with such astounding sensitivity and other-worldliness that he set an example for how to stay fresh, original, and honest that had a huge impact on other artists. He also started the idea that even the most humble moment in life contains the germ of a dance.

Charlip invited us to attend to

Photo: Courtesy Paul Parish

“Preliminary Sketch for a Moveable Feast,” by Remy Charlip.

the world inside, especially in the moments we aren’t supposed to notice. “Waking up, cooking your breakfast, going to the toilet can be dances,” he said. Crossing the border from sleeping to waking, from hunger to satisfaction, from distress to relief – these are important daily transitions. Charlip came up with rites of passage to honor these changes of psychic state, to make modest liturgy for the times when the body tugs at the mind and asks to be paid attention to. Getting out of bed could be a dance. Indeed, now his “Dance in a Bed” is being danced all over the world, using the brilliant drawings he created, put together any way the performer wants. The 16 figures he drew may be used in any order, with any transitions, using any music, performed anywhere the dancer likes. He called this an airmail dance, and he drew many of them.

As soon as he arrived here (during the AIDS era), Charlip started showing up at everyone’s rehearsals.

He was a bullshit detector. He was interested in dance as a cleansing art. He found the rowdy Contraband performing apocalyptic rituals, dancing in the dirt, and howling their grief in derelict vacant lots.

Among many others, they inspired him, and he inspired them, since he consistently emphasized humanity over technique, generosity over impressiveness, fidelity to heart’s truth over all. Together with Marin County’s Anna Halprin, the mother of postmodern dance, whose work with dance as healing had attracted him in the first place, Charlip organized benefits for dancers with AIDS. Keith Hennessy, who founded the alternative venues 848 Performance Space and Counterpulse, cites him as a major mentor.

Charlip was an early champion of the idea that anyone could dance, if

Dance-maker and artist Remy Charlip.

they moved in the right spirit. Axis dis/Abled Dance Company keeps several of his airmail dances in their repertory.

One of his last dances, for the Gay and Lesbian Dance Festival, was explicitly gay – in every sense, since it was so performed to continuous wonder and howls of laughter. In it, Remy, like Marcel Marceau’s Biff, enters a terrifying world where his loneliness is interrupted by a naked man, who embraces him then abandons him, to be succeeded by another, who also leaves him. He’s Overjoyed, he’s Desolated, alternately, each time more so than the last, til finally a cohort arrive and carry him off in a Bacchanalia of naked men. The drawing shown here is both a self-portrait with four naked dancers, and also a score for a moment in the dance of the same name.

As I write this, he is being buried in Marin County. May the satyrs, fauns, angels and archangels accept him into Paradise.▼

ebar.com

<< Leather+

20 • BAY AREA REPORTER • August 23-29, 2012

▼

Photo: Scott Brogan

Sister Roma looks like she’s got ulterior motives with dancer Andrew at the Edge’s 4th Annual Boy Auction two weeks ago, benefiting the Stop AIDS Project.

Boys on the block

by Scott Brogan

B

oy-about-town Erik Lopez recently sponsored a fun event at The Edge. It was the 4th Annual Boy Auction, benefiting the Stop AIDS Project. I know some people might think, “So what! Another boy auction, blahdee-blah.” But mix in the one and only Sister Roma as emcee, and the always festive crowd and staff at The Edge, and you have all the makings of a solid Saturday-afternoon good time. Before the boys were auctioned, they had to strip to show off their assets and special features.

That was fun. All the boys were amateurs, not Magic Mike professionals. Well, not that I know of. I didn’t check RentBoy.com.

Most of the boys were nervous about going up and stripping. Silly boys! They were huddled towards the back of the bar, pacing nervously and exclaiming that they wanted to get it over with fast.

“Oh, I hope they call me next, I want to get it done and over with.”

I told them: “No! You want to wait.

The longer you wait, the more the crowd drinks so they won’t care what you do!” Sure enough, one of the last boys to go on the block w a s the beefy Andrew (you can see him in some of the Mr. S Leather product ads). He claimed to have never stripped before, but that boy sure did move like a pro, and obviously had a blast while doing so. He fetched the highest auction price, of about $350. No, I didn’t bid. I’m too cheap – and too poor. I did buy plenty of raffle tickets. I didn’t get the names of the other “dancers” aside from Erik. My bad. At the time, I wasn’t concerned about names. I was concentrating on other, um, aspects of their personalities.

Coming up: It’s hard to believe, but the Folsom Street Fair and Leather Week are a scant four weeks away. Three weeks when you consider that the Leather Walk is on Sunday, Sept. 16. Mama’s Leather Walk is the unofficial official kickoff to Leather Week, featuring the

raising of the Leather flag over the Castro as well as the actual walk.

For details about pledging and registering, go to: www.mamasfamily. org or www.facebook.com/MamasLeatherWalk. For details about the Folsom Street Fair weekend, go to www.folsomstreetevents.org. You can bet I’ll be reporting on it in the coming weeks.

2nd LDG Mentoring Program begins Oct. 10. The first round of LDG’s (Leathermen’s Discussion Group) Mentoring Program comes to a close on Wed., Sept. 5. Mentorship chair Richard Sprott has announced the next six-month round of formal mentor-mentee pairings will commence on Wed., Oct. 10, and will run through April 17, 2013.

The LDG is expecting to have approximately 16 openings for mentees. Mentor selection is conducted separately. There is no application form for mentors.

A description of the program and an application to participate can be found at the LDG’s website: www. sfldg.org. If you’d like to apply to be potentially matched to a mentor in the October-April mentoring session, please complete and submit Next page >>

Coming up in leather and kink Thu., Aug. 23: Daddy Thursdays at Kok Bar. Shot & drink specials. 10 p.m.-close.

Go to: www.kokbarsf.com.

Thu., Aug. 23: Underwear Night at The Powerhouse. Strip down for drink specials. 10 p.m.-close.

Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com.

Thu., Aug. 23: Feel the Steele! Class/ritual community event with Cleo Dubois, Fakir, Dragon, Even Minax & friends at the SF Citadel (181 Eddy St.).

Tops, Bottoms, Switches, new adventurers welcome!

All supplies, music, and rattles provided. 8 p.m.

Go to: www.sfcitadel.org.

Fri., Aug. 24: Fridays Underwear at Kok Bar. Boxers, jockstraps, undies and drink specials! 10 p.m.-close.

Go to: www.kokbarsf.com.

Fri., Aug. 24: Monthly Strip Party at Kok Bar. Cheap Ass Contest (win $100!) at 1 a.m. $2 cover, includes free clothes check. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com.

Fri., Aug. 24: Truck Wash at Truck (1900 Folsom).

10 p.m.-close. Live shower boys, drink specials!

Go to: www.trucksf.com.

Fri., Aug. 24: Monthly Steam party at The Powerhouse. Power-Shower, towel dancers, $1/minute massage. $8 donation for SF LGBT Center. 9 p.mclose. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com.

Sat., Aug. 25: 15 Association Men’s Dungeon Party upstairs at the SF Citadel, a male-only event. $15 members, $20 guests. 8 p.m.

Go to: www.15sf.org.

Sat., Aug. 25: Boot Lickin’ at The Powerhouse. 9 p.m.-close. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com.

Sat., Aug. 25: Stallion Saturdays at Rebel Bar (1760 Market). Revolving DJs, afterhours fun! 9 p.m.-4 a.m. Go to: www.stallionsaturdays.com.

Sun., Aug. 26: Truck Bust Sundays at Truck. $1 beer bust. 4-8 p.m. Go to: www.trucksf.com.

Sun., Aug. 26: Jockstrap Beer Bust at Kok Bar. 3-7 p.m. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com.

Sun., Aug. 26: PoHo Sundays at The Powerhouse.

Dollar drafts all day!

Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com.

Mon., Aug. 27: Trivia Night with host Casey Ley at Truck. 8 p.m. Go to: www.trucksf.com.

Tue., Aug. 28: Busted at Truck. $5 beer bust. 9-11 p.m. Go to: www.trucksf.com.

Tue., Aug. 28: Safeword: 12-Step Kink Recovery Group at the SF Citadel. 6:30 p.m.

Go to: www.sfcitadel.org/calendar/.

Tue., Aug. 28: Lock and Load: Extreme Tease at the SF Citadel. Presented by Eve Minaz. 8 p.m.

Go to: www.sfcitadel.org.

Tue., Aug. 28: Ink & Metal at The Powerhouse. 9 p.m.-close. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com.

Tue., Aug. 28: Kok Block at Kok Bar. Happy hour prices all night. Pool tournament.

Go to: www.kokbarsf.com.

Sat., Aug. 25: Leather Beer Bust at Kok Bar. 5-9 p.m.

Go to: www.kokbarsf.com.

Wed., Aug. 29: Naked Buddies at Blow Buddies (933 Harrison), a male-only club. Doors open 8 p.m.-12 a.m. Play til late. Go to: www.blowbuddies.com.

Sat., Aug. 25: All Beef Saturday Nights at The Lone Star (1354 Harrison). 9 p.m.-close.

Go to: www.facebook.com/lonestarsf.

Wed., Aug. 29: Underwear Night at The Powerhouse. Free clothes check. 10 p.m.-close.

Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com.

▼

Karrnal>>

August 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 21

Gag reflex

by John F. Karr

I

’m embarrassed and regretful that I had a brain-dead moment in my recent review of NakedSword’s Boyfriends and Stalker, which I twice called Shafted. So sorry. Check out the first scene of Stalker, in which Brian Bonds shows a sly and sexy charm that made me go back and check out previous performances only to find this may be his best. His partner is the estimable Brady Jensen. Just hearing his basso profundo voice gives me a boner, as he handles dialogue with aplomb, and follows up with excellent, strong sexuality.

It seems obvious both men flourish under the direction of Mr. Pam. On her Facebook page, she brought notice of my review’s mistake to her fans, where, tit for tat, she misspelled my name. Although she was complimentary about having met me, she added, “but he tends to ‘share his mind’ when it comes to reviews.” Sharing of mind is an excellent description of what a review is. I’m not a publicist; Karrnal Knowledge is not a press release. At any rate, I expect Pam will be as prolific and successful at NakedSword as she was at Lucas.

As I don’t think that fucking is the be-all and end-all of gay sexuality, I look forward to the unfortunately rare all-oral movie. And not having seen Chi Chi LaRue’s work for a while, I was eager to check out her recent All World’s Video release Chokin’ on Cock. Chokin’ off at an hour and a quarter, the movie’s short, and has only two scenes.

First up is a sorta okay threeway, enlivened by Joe Parker. He’s a lean looker with a bit of hair on his chest, a goatee, and a porn star’s cock (to my way of thinking, just about the only one in the film, others being large but mushy, questionably hard, or connected to unengaged performers). Parker’s been in scenes for a couple of VOD websites, and one other LaRue movie. I’d like to see him in more features. Marxel Rios, a sexy bald dude with bad-boy tats in barrio style, sucks Parker well, showing off the guy’s muscular piece of meat to great advantage.

Suddenly, a surprise: a juicy rim chain that connects two tongues to twat. Well, we said this was an oral movie, not a cocksucking movie, despite the title. The guys get back to cock-in-mouth with that enter-

<<

Photo: FabScout Entertainment

Joe Parker in a job-getter photo from his model’s portfolio.

taining triangular connection, a 69 for three. Too bad that the camera spends so much time zooming in on a single cock-in-mouth combination; altho close-ups are fine, we hardly see all three going at it at once, which I think is a more arousing sight. The guys JO in this triangulated formation, cumming on each other almost simultaneously.

And then Rios imbibes postorgasm cum off Parker’s cock. That makes Rios shoot, after which he hoovers similar cum remains off Devin’s dick. A more fulfilling conclusion for Rios’ cum hunger could have and should have been granted. Dear Ms. LaRue, if you’re going to allow cum to be ingested in this secondhand fashion (and after it’s been allowed to cool down some), you’re tacitly admitting that cum-eating isn’t risky sex. So why not give the guys (and myself) greater satisfaction – a good, old-fashioned shot of the savory sacrament right down their throats?

The second scene is a five-way that lacks rewarding focus as the

camera roves randomly around some guys who display effort but little chemistry. The performers include dimpled, blondish Alex Andrews, beautifully pec-ed Dylan Roberts, footballer Tito, and cute redhead Connor Maguire. He’s the only person in all of Chokin’ who actually chokes on cock, more than fulfilling the movie’s title with most uncomfortable chokes, gags, coughs and wheezes. He’s cute enough to be a star, but needs a lot more rehearsal. All the guys try to show they’re having a good time by working very hard, to mostly no avail. It’s the sort of effortful exhibition that comes not from enjoyment of actual sexual connection, but from a director shouting, “Faster! Harder!” As part of that effort, the performers make a lot of noise and also talk a lot, the irritating, nonstop talking of the most porn-drivel variety. At one point, a performer shows ostensible creativity in sex talk by pausing during rimming to explain to his partner, “My tongue’s eating your ass.” Neither I nor the rimmee need the sex act narrated, and that tongue sure isn’t in there providing thrills while the guy’s talking.▼

Leather +

From page 20

the application by Oct. 1.

IMsL/IMsBB 2013 call for presenters: The International Ms. Leather/International Ms. Bootblack (IMsL/IMsBB) have put out a call for presenters for next Spring’s weekend of events. If you would like to give a class, or simply help out with one, please read the following: “IMsL’s Educational Program provides opportunities for learning through watching, listening, practicing and playing! We’ve got something for every style of learner at International Ms. Leather Weekend and are looking for presenters to make this year’s program the most varied ever!

“Friday Intensives: Our Friday sessions will provide an in-depth look at your choice of topics with an entire day of learning. These classes will go beyond the basics and are three hour intense experiences.

“Saturday Workshops: A day filled completely with 90-minute classes to attend.

Photo: Scott Brogan

Last Spring’s International Ms. Leather/Bootblack winners celebrate.

“Sunday Make Play Happen!

This hands-on, try-it-yourself opportunity is more than your basic exploratorium. Our experienced instructors create and maintain specialized technique stations in the play spaces, where they will act as both mentors and yentas while you practice your new skills.”

If you want to present at IMsL 2013, send your bio, class

description(s) and photo to: education@IMsL.org. For more details, go to: www.IMsL.org.

SF Men’s Spanking Party needs volunteers. The long-running SF Men’s Spanking Party is looking for volunteers. They need people to help staff the monthly parties and keep them going. If you’re interested, please e-mail: SanFranParty@ yahoo.com.▼

(((((((((

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

<< Out&About

22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • August 23-29, 2012

Elect to Laugh @ The Marsh

David Barnett @ Under One Roof

Will Durst welcomes comic commentator pals to a weekly political humor night. $15-$50. 8pm. Thru Nov 6. 1062 Valencia St. at 21st. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Opening reception for an exhibit of the local artist’s colorful male nude paintings.

7pm. Thru Sept. 9. 518 Castro St. at 18th. www.DavidBarnettArt.com www.UnderOneRoof.org

Funny Tuesdays @ Harvey’s Ronn Vigh hosts the weekly LGBT and gayfriendly comedy night. One drink or menu item minimum. 9pm. 500 Castro St. at 18th. 431-HARV. www.harveyssf.com

Up Your Rabbit Hole @ The Garage Moore Theatre’s political satire about genetically modified monsters, Cheney, Palin and more. $15-$20. Fri & Sat 8pm.

Thru Aug 25. 715 Bryant St. www.facebook.com/MooreTheatre

Life & Death in Black & White @ GLBT History Museum

Veronica Klaus @ The Rrazz Room Celebrated local chanteuse performs “The Peggy Lee Songbook” with the Tammy Hall Trio. $30. 10pm. Also Aug 25. 2-drink min.

Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (800) 3803095. www.TheRrazzRoom.com

Sat 25 Cindy Sherman @ SF MOMA Retrospective touring exhibit of 150 photos by the artist who poses as different fascinating and obscure characters. Free-$18.

Daily 11am-5:30pm, except Wed. late Thu until 8:45pm. Thru Oct. 8. 151 Third St. www.sfmoma.org

Casey Ley hosts Underwear Comedy Night

Short shorts

by Jim Provenzano

L

ife is short, so live it up, quickly! You’ll notice the listings are shorter this week. But there are plenty more online at www.ebar.com.

For those with a ‘shorts’ attention span, Casey Ley hosts Underwear Comedy Night at the Deco Lounge, a night of laughter and longjohns, as he and William Lushbough, OJ Patterson, Kate Willett and Pam Benjamin do stand-up in skivvies. Sunday, August 26. $10. 21+. 8pm. 510 Larkin St. www.decosf.com

Thu 23

Lost Summer @ Oddball Film

Animal Kingdom, Atlas Genius @ Rickshaw Stop

Offbeat short films about skateboarders, banana-skin smokers, trashy tourists and retro fashion. 8pm. Also, Aug 24, 8pm: Guest of Cindy Sherman, the celebrityfilled doumentary about the visual artist, and the dark underbelly of the art world. $10 each. 275 Capp St. 558-8117. www.oddballfilms.blogspot.com

Popscene presents two ethereal indie rock bands; DJed music afterward. $13. 9:30pm.

155 Fell St. www.rickshawstop.com

Comedy Bodega @ Esta Nocha The weekly LGBT and indie comic stand-up night. 8pm-9:30pm. 3079 16th St. at Mission. www.comedybodega.com

Dog Sees God @ Boxcar Theatre Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, Bert V. Royal’s darkly comic parody of Charles Schultz’ Peanuts characters, with adult themes. $16. Wed-Sat 8pm. Thru Aug. 25.

505 Natoma St. 967-2227. www.boxcartheatre.org

War Horse @ Curran Theatre Touring production of the acclaimed Broadway drama about an English soldier’s horse and the harrowing tale of survival during World War I; performed with innovative life-size puppets. $35-$300. Tue-Sat 8pm.

Wed, Sat Sun 2pm. Sun 7:30pm. Thru Sept.

9. 445 Geary St. (888) 746-1799. www.shnsf.com

Fri 24 Kenny Yun @ The Marsh, Berkeley See a hilarious dictator parody in Yun’s Happy Hour With Kim Jong Il, a comedy work-in-progress, performed with live music by Candace Roberts, plus it’s free; $5 cocktails and food! Fridays, 6pm. Thru Aug 24. 2120 Allston Way, near Shattuck.

826-5750. www.themarsh.org

Les Misérables @ Orpheum Theatre

Fri 24 The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety @ Eureka Theatre, Berkeley Aurora Theatre Company’s production of Kristoffer Diaz’ smart, action-packed play about racial stereottypes in the world of professional wrestling, this metaphor for modern-day America received the 2011 Obie Award for Best New American Play, the Lucille Lortel Award for Best New Play, and was a finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. $32-$50. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm & 7pm., Also Tue 7pm. Thru Sept 30. 2081 Addison St. (510) 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org

25th anniversary touring production of Boublil & Schönberg’s legendary awardwinning musical based on the Victor Hugo novel about the French Revolution, in a new re-designed production. $30-$150.

Tue-Sat 8pm. Wed, Sat Sun 2pm. Thru Aug. 26. 1192 Market St. at 8th. www.shnsf.com

Rights of Passage @ New Conservatory Theatre World premiere of Ed Decker and Robert Leone’s play about a gay Hindu in Bali, and the struggle for human rights; told with monologues, puppetry, digital media and dance. $22-$40. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm.

Thru Sept. 16. 25 Van Ness Ave. at Market, lower level. 861-8972. www.nctcsf.org

The Secret of Asteraceae @ Hastings Studio Theater American Conservatory Theatre’s Young Conservatory presents a student production of Anya Richkind’s provocative play about kids who ditch a cross-country practice, and face issues of bullying, tolerance and self-acceptance. $15. Thru Aug 24. 77 Geary St., 6th floor. 749-2228. www.act-sf.org

Folk Punk Music Night @ Coyote Counter Collective

Sat 25 Caleb Haven Draper @ Martuni’s The Tom Shaw Trio accompanies the singer-cabaret artist in She Stole My Career: A Tribute to the Divas of Broadway. $7. 7pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market. www.TomShawTrio.com

Showgirls @ Castro Theatre

Vagabondage, The sweet Trade and 5 Cent Coffee perform at an afternoon showcasing music, art, fashion, food, garment customization artists and more. Fee. 2pm7pm. 423 40th St. at Webster, Oakland. www.coyotecounter.com

Peaches Christ’s 15th annual screening of the trashy campy film about Las Vegas strippers, with a wild drag act preview show, drag lap dances and a matinee screening (3:330pm) of Showgirls Two: Pennies From Heaven. $10-$45. 8pm. 429 Castro St. www.peacheschrist.com www.castrotheatre.com

J-Pop Summit @ New People World

Sun 26

Two-day mini-festival of Japanese film (scary scifi flicks Evangelion and anime), media, fashion, comic Rome Kanda, pop culture and more. Also Aug 26. 11am-6pm. 1746 Post St. 525-8600. www.j-pop.com/2012

Dylan McBride @ Martuni's

The Liar @ Forest Meadows Ampitheatre, San Rafael

New American Chamber Music @ Old First Church

Marin Shakespeare Festival’s production of David Ives’ adaptation of Pierre Cornielle’s 17th-century fast-paced romp about charming pathological liar. In repertory with A Midsummer Night’s Dream. $20$35. Fri-Sun 8pm. Some 1pm & 4pm matinees. Thru Sept. 23. Dominican University of California, 890 Belle Ave. 499-4488. www.marinshakespeare.org

Michael Lownie @ Magnet

Ray of Light company director performs her unique comic musical take on pop and rock songs. $15. 7pm. 4 Valencia St. www.roltheatre.com

M2B –sopranos Ann and Heidi Moss, with pianist Steven Bailey– perform new works

by Jake Heggie, Liam Wade, Sanford Dole, and other composers. $14-$17. 4pm. 1751 Sacramento St. 474-1608. www.oldfirstconcerts.org

Shanti’s first aquatic fundraiser for the HIV nonprofit, where participants raise funds for a one-mile swim. Pledge online, cheer for the swimmers. 10am-1pm. 1900 Geary Blvd. 674-4724. www.shanti.org

My Fair Lady @ SF Playhouse

Unplugged Music Fest @ Boon Hotel, Guerneville

Oakland Easy Bay Gay Men’s Chorus @ Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension, Oakland The gay male chorus performs with musical comics Fifi & Fanny at a fundraiser for Hayward’s Lighthouse Community Center, with a silent auction, bar and complimentary hors d’oeuvres. $40 and up (parking $10).

6:30pm. 4700 Lincoln Ave., Oakland. (800) 706-2389. www.oebgmc.org

Precious Little @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley Shotgun Players’ production of Madeleine George’s comic and heartfelt play about a lesbian mother-to-be struggling with potential childbirth problems while researching a lost Eastern European language, and interacting with an ape. $18-$25. Wed & Thu 7pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 5pm. Thru Sept 9. 1901 Ashby Stage, Berkeley. (510) 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org

Q Jitterbugs @ Magnet Same-sex (and straight-friendly) swing dancing moves to a new time slot.

Monthly, 4th Saturdays (except October).

Also Sept 22, Nov 24, Dec 22. $5-$10.

7pm-11pm. 4122 18th St. at Castro. www.

QueerJitterbugs.com www.magnetsf.org

SF Hiking Club @ Briones Regional Park Join GLBT hikers for an 8-mile afternoon and early evening dog-friendly walk through Briones Regional Park. Carpool meets 2:00 at Safeway sign, Market & Dolores. (510) 910-8734. www.sfhiking.com

AIDS Direct Action in San Francisco, 1985–1990 focuses on the AIDS activist photojournalism of Jane Philomen Cleland, Patrick Clifton, Marc Geller, Rick Gerharter and Daniel Nicoletta. Selection of other LGBT historic items also on display. $5.

New expanded hours: Mon-Sat 11am-7pm.

Sun 12pm-5pm. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Wed 29 Candlelight Flow Yoga @ LGBT Center David Clark leads various yoga poses and practices, plus meditation and breathing exercises. Bring your own mat and water bottle, etc. $10. 7pm-8:30pm. 1800 Market St. www.4dbliss.com

Chinglish @ Berkeley Rep David Henry Hwang’s ( M. Butterfly) new play set in China, about the cultural confusion a businessman faces while attempting to secure a lucrative company contract. $15-$99. Previews thru Aug 28. Tue, & Thu-Sat 8pm. Wed & Sun 7pm. Also Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru Oct. 7. Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St. at Shattuck, Berkeley. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Dream Queens Revue @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge Old-school drag show (2nd and 4th Wednesday) at the classic Tenderloin bar, featuring Collette Ashton, Ruby Slippers, Sophilya Leggz, Bobby Ashton, Sheena Rose, Davida Ashton and Joie de Vivre. No cover. 10pm. 133 Turk St. 441-2922. www. dreamqueensrevue.com

Swim for LIFE @ Hamilton Pool

What In the World?, an exhibit of action figure sculptures and creative paintings.

Thru August. 4122 18th St. www.mlownie.com www.magnetsf.org

Modern stripped-down (11 actors, two pianos) adaptation of the Lerner & Lowe classic musical based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. $20-$50. Tue-Thu 7pm.

Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 3pm. Thru Sept. 29. 533 Sutter St. 677-9596. www.sfplayhouse.org

▼

Benefit for the Human Rights Campaign, with a garden party, 11am-1pm, and an outdoor concert of music, 1pm-3pm. $20.

14711 Armstrong Woods Road, Guerneville. www.hrc.org www.eventbrite.com/ event/3852011470

Fri 24

Mon 27

Work More #5 @ CounterPulse

Royal Families @ SF Public Library/Harvey Milk

Vivianne Forevermore and Mica Sigourney’s drag-theatre performance series continues, with Glamamore and Jerry Lee, Dean Disaster and Philip Huang , Martha T. Lipton and Liz Tenuto, Diamanda Kallas and Jonathan Solo, Kolmel WithLove and Tessa Wills. $15-$20. Fri-Sun 8pm. 1310 Mission St. at 9th. 626-2060. www.CounterPulse.org

Exhibit of photographs by Karen Massing of four years of pageantry and royalty in the LGBT International Court System. Thru Sept. 15. 1 Jose Sarria Court at 16th St. www.karenmassingpix.com www.sfpl.org

Ten Percent @ Comcast 104 David Perry’s talk show about LGBT people and issues. This week, Perry chats with Clinical Psychologist Bart Magee, founder and executive director of the Access Institute; also, Nathan Purkiss, Board Member of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, and Fred Lopez, board president of the historic Castro Street Fair. Mon-Fri 11:30am & 10:30pm. Sat & Sun 10:30pm. www.comcasthometown.com

Nicole Henry @ The Rrazz Room Stellar vocalist performs R&B hits and classics. $35. 8pm. Also Aug. 30. 2-drink min. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (800) 380-3095. www.TheRrazzRoom.com

Tue 28

Thu 30

The Drag Show @ Various Channels

Singing the Golden State @ Society of Cali. Pioneers

Stu Smith’s weekly LGBT variety show features local talents, and not just drag artistes. Channels 29 & 76 on Comcast; 99 on AT&T and 30 on Astound. www.thedragshow.org

Exhibit of beautiful sheet music and artwork from 1849 -1930s, all with California themes; curated James M. Keller, the exhibit includes a few subtly gay and historically transgender subjects. $2.50-$50.

Wed-Fri 10am-4pm. First Saturdays 10am4pm. Thru Dec. 7. 300 Fourth St. 957-1849. www.californiapioneers.org

John Huston Films @ Castro Theatre Retrospective of the prolific film director’s works. Aug 28, Chinatown (2pm, 7pm) and Prizzi’s Honor (4:30, 9:25). Aug 29, The Night of the Iguana (2:30, 7pm) and Under the Volcano (4:50, 9:20). 429 Castro St. $8.50-$11. www.castrotheatre.com

To submit event listings, email jim@ebar.com. Deadline is each Thursday, a week before publication. For more bar and nightlife events, go to www.bartabsf.com

▼

Read more online at www.ebar.com

August 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 23

Books>>

Graphic art

by Jim Piechota Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders by Samuel R. Delany; Magnus Books, $21.95 rolific, multi-award-winning science fiction writer Samuel R. “Chip” Delany’s new novel Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders has so many facets it easily defies a pinpointed description. Clocking in at 804 pages, this paperback doorstopper is part poetic wonder and part erotic novel, consistently channeling the raw desire of a pair of men whose lives intersect with a sexual and emotional intensity not often witnessed in gay fiction. This intensity is catalogued with the author’s unrestrained use of language.

Delany came into power in the 1970s and 80s with works of philosophical and postmodern science fiction, among them the 1984 space-operatic Stars in my Pocket like Grains of Sand and the Return to Neveryon series, which boldly and defiantly addressed the AIDS epidemic. His foray into pornography was not performed delicately, either, but graphically, and with a heaping helping of deviancy. Written in 1969 (and eventually published in 1995), Hogg is as blunt and unbelievably explicit as it gets, yet still managed to garner praise from literary greats like Norman Mailer.

While Through the Valley may remain a head-scratching anomaly for many who partake of it, there will be readers who find its laid-bare gay-experience themes its biggest strength, with the many pages of raunchy sex as proof of the author’s talent for translating an expressive sense of vitality to his audience.

The plot is serpentine and effortlessly paints a sensual, Technicolor canvas of the life of Eric Jeffers, who is an out teenager in Atlanta, Georgia when the novel opens. Jeffers is

P

more than a little horny, and partakes of numerous intricately detailed sexual encounters before and after departing his adoptive father’s house en route toward a coastal enclave for gay black men called “The Dump,” a sordid place that gleefully courts all manner of sexual depravity.

He meets Morgan “Shit” Haskell, the love of his life, and together they become both garbagemen and an unbreakable couple joined at the hip, with the first 40 years of their heady adventures together (mostly comprised of a nonstop parade of sexual conquests) creating the bulk of the novel’s entrancing first half. The book’s second half is somewhat different. While still raw and rough, with every dingy detail exposed, it incorporates emotive ruminations on life, the resonance of memory, and the dynamics of a life shared between two men for whom sex and love become separate entities within a single relationship. Within these pages, Eric and Shit have a headspinning amount of sex, but also collectively navigate remembrances of their departed friend Dynamite.

Ultimately, one must gracefully accept the departure of the other.

One scene at the book’s conclusion is particularly resonant as Eric returns to the porch and the planks where he and Shit shared many memorable encounters. “He looked at the old boards, at the newels, at the rail devoid of color,” Delany

writes. “And that’s what happens to everything, to every part of it.

The young ones pass, and they don’t see it, it’s too washed out, they don’t know people made love on it.” Perhaps this is how old-time New Yorkers (those who survived the 1970s and 80s) nostalgically remember the now-dismantled Chelsea Pier 48 and its heyday. It’s a searing scene, among the many that dot the closing half of Delany’s book.

When it’s all over, the limitless sexual escapades (you have to read it to believe it!) still swirl in one’s head, the characters remain in memory, and the experience as a whole becomes something that’s surprisingly difficult to forget – the mark of a good book.

With over 40 books in his oeuvre, Delany, 70, excels here once again.

Readers up for a true challenge would be wise to pick this one up, as it’s a true literary work of wonder.

It will also be a sexy treat for those who like their raunchy erotica with a little love story woven throughout for good measure.▼

Music>>

Debussy as he wished

by Jason Victor Serinus

T

o commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Claude Debussy (1862-1918), the French label Aeon has issued an invaluable three-CD set, Album Debussy: Le compositeur et ses interpretes (The composer and his interpreters). The album begins with a track of inestimable value, the composer himself at the piano in 1904 accompanying soprano Mary Garden in his gorgeous song “Green” (Ariettes oubliées, No. 5), and includes a host of priceless, hard-to-find vocal recordings by artists who either worked directly with the composer or trained with those who worked with him.

Garden, for example, sang the role of Mélisande at the 1902 premiere of Debussy’s sole opera, Pelléas et Mélisande, and was one of two English women whom Debussy coached in the part. Another member of the first-night cast, bass-baritone Hector Dufranne, sings his signature role of Golaud on the third CD, which includes historic extracts from Pelléas et Mélisande conducted by Piero Coppola and Georges Truc in 1927 and 28.

From the list of great Debussy vocal interpreters heard on the set – sopranos Garden, Ninon Vallin, Jane Bathori, and Irène Joachim; mezzo Claire Croiza; baritones Charles Panzéra and Gérard Souzay; and bass-baritones Vanni-Marcoux and Dufranne – only one is missing, soprano Maggie Teyte, the oth-

er English woman whom Debussy coached as Mélisande. Although this omission is undoubtedly due to the fact that virtually everything Teyte recorded, either commercially or live, can be obtained elsewhere, it robs the set of one of the most distinctive, haunting, and idiosyncratic Debussy interpreters of any era.

It also points to one of the major historic conundrums concerning Debussy’s handpicked interpreters. Garden recorded only one brief extract as Mélisande, again with Debussy at the piano, in 1904.

(It, too, is included.) Teyte first began recording songs by Debussy in 1936, when she was 48 years old but miraculously still in prime voice, and only recorded snippets of multiple roles from Pelléas et Mélisande when she was 59 and 60. And pianist

R Ricardo Viñes, to w whom Debussy eentrusted the p premieres of his m major works for p piano, recorded o only two pieces b by the composer.

W Was Debussy’s fforce of personaality – the liner n notes include m multiple examp ples of him altern nately praising aand disparaging th the very people he cchose to perform h his work – so imp posing that he cowed his chosen flock into silence?

The remaining tracks in the set include historic piano recordings

by Viñes, Benno Moïseivitsch, Serge Rachmaninov, Arthur Rubinstein, and Marcelle Meyer, as well as orchestral performances conducted

by Camille Chevillard, Arturo Toscanini, Walter Straram, Roger Desormiére, and Pierre Monteux.

Sadly absent are three pianists: Paderewski, who made the first recording of Debussy’s music for piano, and the great Debussy pianists Walter Gieseking and Alfred Cortot. But what we do hear sheds so much light on authentic phrasing, nuance, and color as to make this set one of the most important Debussy issues of this anniversary year.▼

Read more on www.ebar.com

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

24 • BAY AREA REPORTER • August 23-29, 2012

▼

Music >>

Canadian cool

by Gregg Shapiro

C

ompelling Canadian singer/ songwriter Kathleen Edwards grabbed our attention almost 10 years ago with her remarkable debut album Failer, and she hasn’t let go since. If you didn’t think she could top 2008’s stellar “Asking for Flowers,” you’d be wrong.

Voyageur (Zoe), co-produced by Edwards and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), is both her most immediately commercial disc as well as her most daring. Opener “Empty Threat,” with its “moving to America” chorus, has hit single written all over it, whereas “Chameleon/Comedian” is decidedly more experimental.

Ready to bring listeners to tears at a moment’s notice, Edwards does so here on “House Full of Empty Rooms,” “Pink Champagne” and “For the Record” (featuring Norah Jones). Edwards wisely includes upbeat numbers such as “Sidecar” and “Change the Sheets” to ease the listening experience.

You may recognize Kathryn Calder’s name from her work with the Canadian acts New Pornogra-

<<

SF Fringe Festival

From page 17

ences in South Africa, where poverty, HIV, and racism collide with idealism. Sounds dark, but Alfinito reports that this is “a quick-witted, snarky and heartfelt comedy performed with a Tina Fey-style dry sarcasm.”

It’s a hard-knock life being 5-foot4 and presenting yourself as a top.

And if your attributes don’t easily include such quickie descriptions as bear or twink, what’s a fellow to do?

In VGL 5’4” Top, New Yorker Lucas

phers and Immaculate Machine. But her solo albums, including 2010’s Are You My Mother?, are equally worthy of your attention. The aptly titled Bright and Vivid (FU:M) exceeds the promise of her debut album. Calder is nothing if not versatile, and she proves it right from the start with the feedback that feeds into beauty on “One Two Three,” followed by irresistible dance number “Who Are You?” (DJ, put down that pipe and pay attention to this!) and the Neko Case-like “Turn a Light On.” And those are just the first three songs. Equally bright and vivid are “Walking in my Sleep” and the extraordinary “Five More Years.”

Like Calder, John K. Samson is known first for his association with bands. In Samson’s case it’s Propagandhi and The Weakerthans. His solo debut Provincial (Epitaph/ Anti) doesn’t veer all that far from what he established with The Weakerthans. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable listen, easy on the ears, while unafraid to challenge the listener to

think about what he’s saying on “Heart of the Continent” and “Taps Reversed.”

“Chances,” the opening track of the domestic version of Canadian chanteuse Jill Barber’s Mischievous Moon (Outside Music), was co-written by Barber and Ron Sexsmith. It’s a musical invitation to take a chance on the artist and disc. From her up-do and eyeliner on the retro-looking album cover, you know exactly what you’re being promised. and it’s a promise kept, on songs “Never Quit Loving You” and “All My Dreams.”

Individually, husband and wife Luke Doucet and Melissa McClel-

Brooks shares the stage with a laptop to look at snobbery in a gay-dating scene where differences often outweigh commonalities.

Paychecks can create strange bedfellows, as R. SKY Palkowitz reveals in America Calling: Don’t Hang Up!!

The pot-smoking Jewish lesbian from Los Angeles goes to work for a conservative think tank, and her solo show includes numerous characterizations from

her double-life adventures. Palkowitz, who also includes clown, punk rocker, and educator among her credits, is professionally known as “The Delusional Diva.”

The shows highlighted above, as many others in the Fringe Fest, are experience-inspired solo turns. But the festival also includes examples of fictional drama. Tyrone “Shortleg” Johnson and Some White Boys

Photo: Jason Jenn

MEDIA NETWORK

ARE U O Y ?

D E R A P E PR

d have h l d established bli h d land already themselves via solo music careers.

As Whitehorse on their self-titled Six Shooter Records debut, they pool their talents. It turns out to be a productive pairing, particularly on standout “Emerald Isle” and their cover of Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire.”

On her full-length major-label debut Visions (4AD), Grimes (a.k.a.

Claire Boucher) sounds like she’s ready to give tUnE-yArDs a run for their money. As indecipherable as Cocteau Twins, with magnetic beats that aim for your head and limbs equally, Grimes dares you to sit still. It’s as if a fleet of DJs from outer-space arrived at your favorite

N! O I S S E S N I K C A SCHOOL IS B INFORMED! LET US KEEP YOU

m o c . t e n e h t n edgeo

RSATION ON JOIN THE CONVE EDIA NETWORK M E G D E : K O O B FACE EDGEontheNet @ : R E T IT W T N O AND

R. SKY Palkowitz explores her adventures as a pot-smoking Jewish lesbian working for a conservative think tank in America Calling: Don’t Hang Up!!

takes place in 1967 as a boozy blues legend finds himself on a second-rate TV dance show. Wayne Harris wrote and plays the singer, who manages to command the television camera as a soapbox for his views on everything from whorehouses to the co-opting of black music by white record executives.

San Diego’s Animal Cracker Conspiracy takes puppetry to dark places in The Collector. Using toy theaters, tabletop puppets, stop-motion animation and film, the play follows a debt collector, working for a tyrannical overseer in an alternate universe, who undergoes a radical change of heart. Animal Cracker Conspiracy is partly funded by the Jim Henson Foundation.

Suggesting echoes of the movie Being John Malkovich, Oakland’s Gabriel Gilli of Oakland’s Brickabrack Theatre offers a dance-comedy titled Stalking Christopher Walken. The piece suggests the inner workings of actor Walken’s mind – and especially the boating accident that led to Natalie Wood’s death.

Religion shows up in several of the Fringe offerings, usually with a good dose of irreverence. David Caggiano brings about a collision of creationism and Hollywood commercialism in Jurassic Ark. It’s the story of a fireand-brimstone preacher hell-bent on making a movie that shows men and dinosaurs living together, and Noah’s Ark as the actual cause of what we call evolution. The studios aren’t as keen as Brother Dallas to take the plunge.

To finish up this look at the 2012 Fringe Festival, we need to hop on

d dance club, as you c hear on tracks can s such as “Infinite L Love Without Fulfillment,” “Voweels = Space and T Time,” and “Skin.”

M Madonna wishes sshe were this inn novative. As the B Borg so eloquently p put it, resistance is fu futile.

Many of the above-mentioned artists owe queer singer/songwriter Jane Siberry a debt of gratitude for the musical path she paved for them, beginning more than 30 (!) years ago. Since the beginning of her recording career, Siberry filled her recordings with both traditional and experimental songs, making it all sound effortlessly cohesive. In later years, she moved in a more unusual direction, as is evident on Meshach Dreams Back (Sheeba), the third part of her Three Queens Trilogy. On this mainly spoken-word effort, Siberry performs a rendition of her marvelous song “Love Is Everything.”▼

Photo: Molly Kate Taylor

Gabriel Gilli and Catherine Tandy head the cast of Stalking Christopher Walken, which imagines the working of the actor’s mind and the night Natalie Wood drowned in a boating accident.

a bus to take us to an off-site venue.

Actually, the bus is the off-site venue.

Sugar High: A Brechtian B!tchslap is an immersive theater experience that finds its roots in SF’s Popcorn AntiTheatre of the 1990s and Europe’s Pollinator movement, and the drama that ensues from the collision of the two. As the bus travels through diverse neighborhoods, Patricia Miller’s script takes aim at primal desires, Brecht, Sartre, crack whores, and Mexican wrestling. A final caveat: “Possibly cold, windy, rainy walking involved.”▼

Photo: Terry Connor

David Caggiano plays a creationist preacher who tries to sell Hollywood on an epic film in which humans and dinosaurs lived side by side in Jurassic Ark.

▼

Film >>

August 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 25

Beloved on the cinema screen

by David Lamble

B

eloved A 1960s shopgirl, Madeleine, becomes infatuated with an expensive pair of heels, decides to pay for her indulgence by discreetly turning tricks, meets and marries a horny and serially unfaithful Czech endocrinologist, flees the country with their young daughter as Russian tanks roll into Prague, returns to France, marries a sexy working stiff, is unfaithful to him with the endocrinologist, can never make up her mind as to which dude to stay with, and passes this wanderlust gene onto her daughter, who dumps a petulant, drop-dead gorgeous teacher in order to pine away for a gay musician who’s perpetually involved with younger boys. All this hormonally fueled rumpus unfolds over 43 years (1964-2007) with no one aging a day until directorturned-actor Milos Foreman pops up in the third act – displaying every one of his 80 years – as the stillhorny endocrinologist.

Fans of Christophe Honore’s reinvention of the musical drama (Love Songs, Dans Paris) will devour Beloved, a long, at times absurdly improbable, but thoroughly delicious confection that gives us the excuse to wile away 135 minutes with three of France’s most divine, charismatic screen talents: Catherine Deneuve, Ludivine Sagnier and Louis Garrel.

Not untypical of the bedroom rumpus is a scene between Madeleine’s daughter Vera (Deneuve’s real-life child with Marcello Mastroianni, Chiara Mastroianni) and Vera’s still passionate ex, Clement (Louis Garrel channels all the prickly, emotionally fickle tropes gleaned from his godfather, Jean-Pierre Leaud).

“Are your intentions pure, Clement?”

“I swear.”

“Sex between us is over. Not even

Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Rodriguez in Searching for Sugar Man. Scene from Christophe Honore’s Beloved, a long, improbable but delicious confection of a movie.

the idea of sex.”

“Deal. I can’t undo my zipper.”

“Better if we sit. You like it when I take you in my arms, and you like little kisses like this.”

The very next moment, a gay musician (given a plausibly neurotic twist by David Gordon Green’s discovery Paul Schneider) shows up at their door, slaps Clement and proceeds to make a play for Vera, which prompts Clement to beat him up and warn Vera not “to be a whore in front of me!”

In-between bursts of volatile erotic melodrama, Honore and his musical collaborator Alex Beaupain have the cast articulate their lovesickness in a series of workable if non-memorable soliloquies. A story that depends on one character being

assassinated by a falling tree limb and another overdosing on AIDS pills is pushing the boundaries more than a bit, but this cast of genuine screen royalty holds our interest throughout. Particularly compelling are Garrel, just short of incestuous with Deneuve, and Deneuve’s priceless reaction to the sight of her character’s younger self, enchantingly spun by Sagnier.

If you’re the type for whom the triumph of the romantic impulse over everyday logic is nettlesome, avoid this one as you would Madonna or Gaga, but if you revel in silliness and emotional debauchery for its own sake, here’s a box of sweets to be opened and devoured in the dark with an equally feckless companion.

iBuddy

by David Lamble

R

obot and Frank is a new movie that tries a bit too hard to erase death’s sting, to turn society’s techno-assisted amnesia into the subject for a PG-13 comedy.

An old man spits up his morning bowl of Sugar Pops, discovering that the milk has turned sour. It turns out that Frank (Frank Langella) has forgotten a lot more than just a timely trip to Safeway. His adult kids, Hunter (James Marsden) and Madison (Liv Tyler), communicate mostly through a huge picture-phone device. The old man’s trips into town are marked by eccentric bouts of shoplifting at a small gift shop, the stubborn fact that his favorite restaurant remains out of business, and his curiously flirtatious relationship with the town’s librarian, Jennifer (Susan Sarandon).

We’re never told the exact cause of Frank’s memory lapses, but one day Hunter drives up with a solution: fresh out of the box, Frank’s

new full-time companion and minder, a VGC-60L household servant (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard doing his take on Hal, 2001’s homicidal spaceship computer). Robot is a product of 21st-century wizardry, a mind chip that’s onto the old man’s tricks, programmed by his son to keep Frank out of trouble with energy-draining tasks like planting an organic garden. Now, Frank may be slow, but he’s still wily, and soon the codger has co-opted Robot into playing a nefarious trick on his minders.

In addition to being a louse of a dad, in his prime, Frank was a professional second-story man, specializing (like Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief) in absconding with big, gaudy and overinsured showpiece jewelry.

Frank’s target this time is Jake (Jeremy Strong), the manipulative computer wiz who’s turning the town library’s books into computer chips, and essentially undoing librarian Jennifer’s life-work.

The filmmakers, director Jake

Schreier and screenwriter Christopher D. Ford, are so absorbed in softening the impact of their real subject – the plight of adult children who can neither bring themselves to fully care for a parent who never cared for them nor walk away – that they undercut our enjoyment of Robot and Frank’s secondary theme: that the Orwellian Big Brother world so joyfully imagined in Woody Allen’s Sleeper is now technically within our grasp.

In their failure to flesh out all but the central character, the filmmakers inadvertently do create a halfwicked portrait of techno-driven goon Jake, who, with a lot of heavy lifting, could have been a nice posthumous kick-in-the pants to the late Steve Jobs.

In a long and busy career, Frank Langella has committed his share of crimes against celluloid, but his is a major talent, and even an underwritten part can, in his capable hands, leave us with lovely mo-

Photo: Samuel Goldwyn Films and Stage 6 Films

Frank Langella and robot in Robot and Frank, opening Friday.

Searching for Sugar Man Back in the 1960s, when Bob Dylan was still struggling to figure out who Bob Dylan would be, there were numerous rival folk princes. Some, like Phil Ochs, perished from the vertigo produced by endless reinvention.

Others, like Tom Paxton, enjoyed worthy if increasingly obscure careers. And then there’s Rodriguez.

In 1968, a Mexican-American musician adopting the Dylan mantle of singer/songwriter recorded an album that wowed critics and roiled a nation on the verge of revolution.

Unfortunately for Rodriguez, he was recording in Detroit, and his fans were in South Africa. Decades later, as if awakening from a long sleep, the musician magically finds his fans.

Filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul makes the most of his time-capsule male Cinderella story to show how a working-class Motor City hero could connect with white antiapartheid protestors while languishing in pop-music oblivion half a world away. After years working in the worst construction jobs available in a dying Detroit, Rodriguez emerges from the shadows and proves to six sold-out concerts of South African fans that the rumors of his death (myths had him shooting himself in the head after the failure of his second album) were more than just exaggerated.

Beginning as a pop-music missing person tale, this feel-good doc shows just how powerful are the bonds provided by a common language and an unquenchable thirst for freedom.▼

ments. Langella gleefully underplays the ferocious narcissism that caused both of his adult children to seek an electronic tether. Without spoiling one of the film’s few genuine reveals, Langella and Sarandon ace their ambiguously plotted relationship like old pros.

If you want a stiffer dose of how

this old lion can roar, check out Andrew Wagner’s melancholy comedy Starting Out in the Evening, where Langella brilliantly illustrates the poignancy of an elderly Jewish writer who’s desperately trying to crank out one last good book, in a world that seems utterly indifferent to the fading of his once-vigorous light.▼

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • August 23-29, 2012

▼

DVD>>

One day at a time

by Tavo Amador

C

lassic Hollywood often tackled alcoholism, usually in flamboyant yet memorable ways. Bette Davis won her first Oscar for playing a drunken actress in Dangerous (1935). A decade later, Ray Milland won the Best Actor Academy Award for his harrowing performance as a boozing writer in The Lost Weekend.

Joan Crawford made heavy drinking (and suicide) look glamorous in Humoresque (1946). Susan Hayward battled the illness in Smash-up: The Story of a Woman (1947), My Foolish Heart (1949), and most famously in I’ll Cry Tomorrow (1955). One of the most perceptive looks at the disease, George Stevens’ long unavailable Something To Live For (1952), has just been released on DVD. It is powerful, subtle, and frightening.

Alan Miller (Ray Milland) is summoned to a slightly shabby Manhattan hotel for women late one night.

Billy (Harry Belaver), the kindly elevator operator, is worried about one of the residents, Jenny Carey (Joan Fontaine), who has locked herself in her room after some heavy drinking.

Alan, sober for 14 months, has been

<<

Honore Daumier

From page 17

a contentious period rife with social inequities not so different from our own. She also supplies tasty descriptions of specific pieces and La Caricature’s favorite targets: the regime’s venal players, their transgressions, and especially the king (a.k.a. “la poire”), a portly figure ripe for ridicule, usually presented as a bulbous, phallicshaped pear. With his jowls and fat cheeks framed by exaggerated mutton chops and a pile of hair that came to a precipitous point at the top of his head, he was, unfortunately for him, an editorial cartoonist’s dream. The July Monarchy’s suppression of the images led directly to their proliferation. During its five-year existence, La Caricature ran over 450 lithographs mocking Louis-Philippe. A wall of infamy in the gallery is dedicated to some of these humiliating and hilarious depictions, which began to take a serious turn. In “The Loose Head,” for instance, the king is a fat white pig in a Roman emperor’s toga carried aloft by a rowdy crowd, and in “Temptation,” a parody of the temptation of

sent by Alcoholics Anonymous.

He offers to help the unresponsive Jenny, using AA’s approach. She’s indifferent. He pours what’s left of the alcohol down the drain and takes her to dinner. Food helps to sober her up.

They are drawn to each other. But when she learns that he and his wife Edna (Teresa Wright) have two children, she tries to keep her distance.

He, however, becomes obsessed with her. Edna senses something is wrong, and fears he has resumed drinking.

Alan, a Madison Avenue advertising executive, is performing poorly at work. His boss and colleagues also worry that he has fallen off the wagon. At times, it seems he will.

Over the next several months, he and Jenny grow close, struggling with their feelings for one another.

Despite being an actress, she’s shy.

A failed love affair with narcissistic director Tony Collins (Richard Derr) resulted in personal and professional humiliation, from which alcohol offered her an escape. Her self-esteem is fragile, but her determination to succeed is intense. Rather than become co-dependents, Jenny and Alan help each other remain sober.

They navigate seemingly easy situa-

St. Anthony, he’s a plump, avaricious pig in monk’s robes, clasping his hands and cradling Machiavelli’s The Prince in his lap instead of a Bible.

He’s courted by a gaggle of minions, some with devil’s horns, proffering bribes and a golden crown. Perhaps the exhibit’s strongest piece, “Lower the Curtain, the Farce Is Over,” finds a masked, rotund king costumed in a ruffled harlequin’s outfit. He stands near the footlights at the front of the stage and aims a pointer at a statue of blind justice as the curtain falls.

As these powerful prints illustrate, thinkers, particularly those with a gift for aesthetic expression, pose a danger to tyrants. When the French government clamped down on them, these artists became increasingly strident, escalating their damning indictment of the king and the July Monarchy, which, in turn, responded with severe reprisals. This game of chicken continued until the passage of the notorious September censorship laws, which finally ended La Caricature for good in 1835. That’s one way to silence your critics.▼

tions that are actually filled with dangers. It’s the dawn of the Mad Men era, and alcohol fuels many social and professional situations that are fraught with perils for people who cannot drink.

At a party, Jenny meets Edna and realizes she cannot continue seeing Alan. He is painfully aware that his once-happy marriage is no longer satisfying.

Things reach a climax when she lands the lead in an important new play, which appears to be a giggly updating of Aida, with Jenny as a Queen in Ancient Egypt in love with a handsome slave. The resolution is unexpected, yet completely plausible.

Jenny, Alan, and Edna will each continue battling their fears and hoping to survive one day at a time.

Although they are optimistic, each knows that little in life is certain.

Under George Stevens’ skillful direction, the leads are intensely sympathetic, without any sanctimony.

First-billed Fontaine gives one of the most touching performances of her distinguished career. Avoiding histrionics, she beautifully renders the anxieties and demons that torture

Jenny. She is completely convincing as a quiet woman who becomes luminous when acting on stage. The Oscar-winning Fontaine had the rare gift, which helped make her a star in Rebecca (1940), of making audiences believe she did not realize how lovely and appealing she was. It’s put to good use as Jenny.

Milland, who prior to The Lost Weekend had been best known as a light comic actor, brings touches of humor, anger, and frustration to

Personals The

Massage>>

ASIAN ECSTACY

Superb Sensual Massage

By Handsome Athletic CMT. Full Body Soothing Satisfying In/$45 Hr. Oakland Near Bart Clean, Pvt., Shower EZ Park Out/ $65 Hr. Entire Bay Area

Call Shin # 510-502-2660 Late Hours OK

(Through Nov. 11.)

I know what you knead Johnny - 415-505-3060 E34-34

Superb Full Body Sensual Massage

By Handsome friendly Asian CMT. In/$45/Hr Oakland Nr. BART EZ PARK. Out to Hotel/$65/Hr. Entire Bay Area Call Shin 510502-2660 Late Hrs. OK E33-34

East Bay Massage Duane CMT: 510-830-8549

Therapeutic Deep Tissue or Swedish Massage 10am-10pm daily. Quiet central Castro location. Call for rates and availability 415-685-1915 E34-34

Wanna Melt? Castro $50 Jim 415-621-4517

Whole-body sensual Swedish, Erotic, Prostate, or HypnoMassage sessions 60-120 mins from $85 by 6’3” 198# blond tatts trim beard skilled masseur with strong hands SF nr Dolores Park. Heron Saline,CMT CHT call 415/706-9740 34-39

Photo: Cantor Arts Center

Massage W/Release 7 Days A Week. In/Out 415-350-0968

Erotic Relaxing Full Body Massage by hairy Irish/Portuguese guy.

All Bay Area.

(510) 912-8812 late nights ok.

E34-34

Asian CMT In Sunnyvale. In -$50, Out-$70 Michael 408-400-9088 or 408-893-1966 E31-35

San Jose Swedish Massage $10/ hr in home. John leave message 408-275-9961 E34-34

www.sfgaymassage.com E33-33

coremassage4men.com malepelvicfloor.com Jeff Gibson 415-626-7095 E30-35

“Dr. BLISS” is IN! I love touching men and it shows! Massage is my art form. 415.706.6549 http://bodymagicsf.blogspot.com E34-34

E29-36

HAIRY MASSEUR

E33-35

Auguste Bouquet, “The Pear and Its Seeds. (La Poire et ses Pépins.)”

La Caricature, Plate 290 (Vol. 6, Iss. 139, July 4, 1833). Lithograph with hand coloring.

Alan. He’s grateful to be sober and determined to stay that way, yet he now sees how predictable and unsatisfying his home and work lives are. He’s torn between duty and happiness. Teresa Wright, also an Academy Award winner, makes the patient and understanding Edna believable, not an easy accomplishment.

Dwight Taylor’s script is superbly nuanced. Alcoholism is riddled with shame and lies, both big and small. His writing captures those grim realities in a way that helped contemporary audiences understand that this disease does not just afflict larger-than-life characters or the denizens of skid row. It crosses all socio-economic lines. George Barnes’ black-andwhite cinematography is suitably bleak. Edith Head designed the costumes. The fine original score is by Victor Young.

Something To Live For is a gem in George Stevens’ directorial crown.

Perhaps because it followed his A Place in the Sun (1951) and preceded Shane (1953), it has been unfairly neglected. That makes this DVD all the more welcome and worthwhile.▼

E06-18

SEXY ASIAN $60 Jim 269-5707 E34-37

Fremont, Jim CMT * Great Hands * Mature $40/hr 510-651-2217 E34-37

Adult Jobs>> Hot guys 4 porn Looking 4 Hot Guys For Adult Films. RU 18-40, In Good Shape? apply @ factoryvideos.com/casting 39W

t

Read more online at www.ebar.com

August 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 27

“If people never did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done.”

-Ludwig Wittgenstein

Model/Escorts>>

People>>

EDUARDO

get on to get off

$130/HR • 415-374-4439 W W W. C H I L A N G O S E X Y.COM

Dominate Masculine Top Man Bu**play BDSM Toys Joe 415735-4548

Hot GWM 45, 8” x-thick, 6’ 190#.

Laid back top $90 out only, Dan 271-1349

Confident 9x7.5 Strictly Top. Clean-Cut Handsome, Sexy Austin 415-902-8911

Attractive friendly Cauc 6’1” 185#s 30s. See pics at skot2trot. com. 415-320-1040.

Edgy Escort For Xtreme Clients

HOT GUYS! HOT CHAT! HOT FUN! CALL FREE! 415-430-1127

E33-35

E31-36

HOT*CKSR*24HRS

gay-bible.org/ruff

E34-34

BE SAFE! • USE CONDOMS • EvEry tiME!

E52

E34-34

E31-36

Out* 860-5468*$150 Hr*

Ruff Trade Sweetheart

ebar.co

415.430.1127 18+ Ahora en Español / www.interactivemale.com

m

E34-40

E34-34

origin_Communications_2x2_3910 People>> FREE WORKSHOPS

GAYMALECOUPLESSF.COM

JeffAllen_2x5

Men MEET Men...

Right Now

Men MEET Men...

VISA/MC/AMEX - as low as $1.00 per day!

San Francisco

415.430.1199

Oakland

510.343.1122

San Jose Right Now 408.514.1111

MrN

Connnect Now on the Bay Area’s hottest chatline!

FREE 415-707-2400 Try it for

408-539-2400 510-281-2400 650-870-2500

air q

707-582-2400 831-789-2400 925-955-2000

MrN

sfmanscaping.com Connnect Now on Look your best this holiday FREE to listen the Bay Area’s hottest chatline! season! Body groom / trim and reply to ads! services. Please book through www.sfmanscaping.com -- Gil Try itFREE for CODE: Reporter

FREE 1-888-MegaMates HOT LOCAL MEN & WOMEN415-707-2400 Listen to Ads & Reply FREE! E52

For other local numbers call:

Tell-AFriend

TM

REWARDS

24/7 Friendly Customer Care 1(888)634-2628 18+ ©2012 PC LLC MegaMatesMen.com

408-539-2400

SF - 415-430-1199 510-281-2400 East Bay - 510-343-1122 650-870-2500 Use FREE Code 5931, 18+ CLB 707-582-2400

ai rq

E52

831-789-2400 925-955-2000

2366

INFINITI SAN FRANCISCO