December 24, 2015 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

Clinic to open in Linea building

ARTS

Theatre 2015

End times

The

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

Vol. 45 • No. 52 • December 24-30, 2015

CA antitrans ballot measure fails by Matthew S. Bajko

or the second year in a row an effort to place a transphobic ballot measure before California voters has failed. Late Monday afternoon the group that had been circulating Rick Gerharter a proposed initiative EQCA’s Rick Zbur that would require people to use facilities in government buildings and public schools based on the gender they were assigned at birth announced it had failed to gather the signatures needed in order to place it on the November 2016 ballot. Calling itself Privacy For All, the group had until December 21 to submit 365,880 valid signatures to qualify its Personal Privacy Protection Act for next year’s general election. But in a message posted on Facebook at approximately 4:30 p.m. Monday, the group announced it had fallen short. “While we are extremely disappointed, we know that we gave this effort our best and ‘left it all on the field,’” stated the message. There had been growing concern that antigay groups would transport the successful messaging they used last month in Houston to repeal that city’s equal rights ordinance to California. That campaign played off fears that the local law would allow male sexual predators into women’s restrooms. LGBT advocates therefore were elated to see the transphobic bathroom measure fail in the Golden State. “It is a good day and we are just ecstatic at the fact we have more time to make the advances we need to for the transgender community,” Equality California Executive Director Rick Zbur told the Bay Area Reporter in a brief phone interview late Monday. Last year a similar coalition of anti-gay groups failed to gather enough signatures to repeal Assembly Bill 1266, a groundbreaking law that grants transgender students access to school activities like sports teams and the use of school facilities like bathrooms based on their gender identity. The back-to-back defeats make it increasingly unlikely going forward that anti-gay groups will be able to utilize California’s initiative process to strip away LGBT rights. Nonetheless, EQCA plans to move forward with a public education campaign it is developing to bring greater awareness to the issues transgender people confront. It should debut sometime in February. “In any case as long as the public doesn’t know and appreciate the gifts and talents transgender people contribute to our community that community is at risk of being used as a wedge issue by right-wing extremists,” said Zbur.t

Courtesy SF Rec and Park

An artist rendering shows a man using a discreetly placed pissoir, center, that’s located at the edge of Dolores Park, near the Muni train tracks.

Dolores Park renovation wraps up by Matthew S. Bajko

SF holiday magic! T R Rick Gerharter

eino Niemela stands by the holiday light display he co-created at a house on Caselli Street, at Clover. The display features Olaf from Frozen, Snoopy, gingerbread characters, and a replica Golden Gate Bridge. It dazzles at night and will be up through the holidays.

he yearslong renovation of Mission Dolores Park is nearing an end. The multi-million dollar project, begun in March 2014 with a complete overhaul of the open space’s northern section, is slated to be complete in 2016 shortly after the new year. See page 13 >>

2015 was a very gay year by Lisa Keen

T Rudy K. Lawidjaja

Lead plaintiff James Obergefell talks to reporters June 26 after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states.

Rick Gerharter

Bob Blough, left, and Simon Dinglasan celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states at a June 26 community celebration on Castro Street.

o be the “best year” ever in LGBT history, 2015 had to do better than 2013. That was the year the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and allowed a decision to stand that enabled same-sex couples in California to marry; the Senate passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act for the first time (but the House didn’t vote) and got its first out member; five state legislatures passed marriage equality laws, and President Barak Obama’s inaugural speech prominently endorsed the LGBT struggle for equality. Did 2015 do better? These 10 top stories make a strong case for yes. 1. U.S. Supreme Court strikes state bans on same-sex marriage: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 26 that state bans on marriage for same-sex couples are unconstitutional and that states must recognize marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples from other states. The 5-4 decision, in Obergefell v. Hodges, ended bans enforced by 13 states and secured lower court decisions that struck down bans in nine other states. Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority, stated that “the right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of the person, and under the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment couples of the same-sex may not be deprived of that right and that liberty. ... The court now

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

Courtesy Getty Images

People celebrated Ireland’s vote for marriage equality.

holds that same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry. No longer may this liberty be denied to them.” 2. Ireland approves same-sex marriage, and more. In the world’s first-ever national referendum on giving legal recognition to marriages of same-sex couples, Irish voters in May weighed in 2 to 1 for legalization. More than 60 percent of the country’s voters turned out to have their say. In July, lawmakers approved a transgender rights bill. And by December 2, the legislature had approved a bill that prohibits Catholic-run schools from discriminating against teachers based on their sexual orientation. The legislaSee page 13 >>

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New Genvoya is now available

GENC0004_BayAreaRprtr_9.75x16_Sprd.indd 1-2

Actual Size

One pill contains elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide (TAF). Ask your healthcare provider if GENVOYA is right for you. To learn more visit GENVOYA.com

Please see Brief Summary of Patient Information with important warnings on the following pages.

12/3/15 3:23 PM

Brief Summary of Patient Information about GENVOYA GENVOYA (jen-VOY-uh) (elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide) tablets Important: Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with GENVOYA. There may be new information about GENVOYA. This information is only a summary and does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your medical condition or treatment.

What is the most important information I should know about GENVOYA? GENVOYA can cause serious side effects, including: • Build-up of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis). Lactic acidosis may happen in some people who take GENVOYA. Lactic acidosis is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Lactic acidosis can be hard to identify early, because the symptoms could seem like symptoms of other health problems. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms, which could be signs of lactic acidosis: • • • • • • •

feel very weak or tired have unusual (not normal) muscle pain have trouble breathing have stomach pain with nausea or vomiting feel cold, especially in your arms and legs feel dizzy or lightheaded have a fast or irregular heartbeat

• Severe liver problems. Severe liver problems may happen in people who take GENVOYA. In some cases, these liver problems can lead to death. Your liver may become large and you may develop fat in your liver. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms of liver problems: • your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice) • dark “tea-colored” urine • light-colored bowel movements (stools) • loss of appetite for several days or longer • nausea • stomach pain • You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking GENVOYA for a long time. • Worsening of Hepatitis B infection. GENVOYA is not for use to treat chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV). If you have HBV infection and take GENVOYA, your HBV may get worse (flare-up) if you stop taking GENVOYA. A “flare-up” is when your HBV infection suddenly returns in a worse way than before. • Do not run out of GENVOYA. Refill your prescription or talk to your healthcare provider before your GENVOYA is all gone. • Do not stop taking GENVOYA without first talking to your healthcare provider. • If you stop taking GENVOYA, your healthcare provider will need to check your health often and do blood tests regularly for several months to check your HBV infection. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or unusual symptoms you may have after you stop taking GENVOYA.

GENC0004_BayAreaRprtr_9.75x16_Sprd.indd 3-4

What is GENVOYA? GENVOYA is a prescription medicine that is used without other HIV-1 medicines to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years of age and older: • who have not received HIV-1 medicines in the past or • to replace their current HIV-1 medicines in people who have been on the same HIV-1 medicines for at least 6 months, have an amount of HIV-1 in their blood (“viral load”) that is less than 50 copies/mL, and have never failed past HIV-1 treatment HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. GENVOYA contains the prescription medicines elvitegravir (VITEKTA®), cobicistat (TYBOST®), emtricitabine (EMTRIVA®) and tenofovir alafenamide. It is not known if GENVOYA is safe and effective in children under 12 years of age. When used to treat HIV-1 infection, GENVOYA may: • Reduce the amount of HIV-1 in your blood. This is called “viral load”. • Increase the number of CD4+ (T) cells in your blood that help fight off other infections. Reducing the amount of HIV-1 and increasing the CD4+ (T) cells in your blood may help improve your immune system. This may reduce your risk of death or getting infections that can happen when your immune system is weak (opportunistic infections). GENVOYA does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. You must stay on continuous HIV-1 therapy to control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses. Avoid doing things that can spread HIV-1 infection to others: • Do not share or re-use needles or other injection equipment. • Do not share personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them, like toothbrushes and razor blades. • Do not have any kind of sex without protection. Always practice safer sex by using a latex or polyurethane condom to lower the chance of sexual contact with semen, vaginal secretions, or blood. Ask your healthcare provider if you have any questions about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to other people.

Who should not take GENVOYA? Do not take GENVOYA if you also take a medicine that contains: • alfuzosin hydrochloride (Uroxatral®) • carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Epitol®, Equetro®, Tegretol®, Tegretol-XR®, Teril®) • cisapride (Propulsid®, Propulsid Quicksolv®) • ergot-containing medicines, including: dihydroergotamine mesylate (D.H.E. 45®, Migranal®), ergotamine tartrate (Cafergot®, Migergot®, Ergostat®, Medihaler Ergotamine®, Wigraine®, Wigrettes®), and methylergonovine maleate (Ergotrate®, Methergine®) • lovastatin (Advicor®, Altoprev®, Mevacor®) • midazolam, when taken by mouth • phenobarbital (Luminal®) • phenytoin (Dilantin®, Phenytek®) • pimozide (Orap®) • rifampin (Rifadin®, Rifamate®, Rifater®, Rimactane®) • sildenafil (Revatio®), when used for treating lung problems • simvastatin (Simcor®, Vytorin®, Zocor®) • triazolam (Halcion®) • the herb St. John’s wort or a product that contains St. John’s wort

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking GENVOYA?

What are the possible side effects of GENVOYA?

Before taking GENVOYA, tell your healthcare provider if you: • have liver problems including hepatitis B infection • have kidney or bone problems • have any other medical conditions • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if GENVOYA can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking GENVOYA. Pregnancy registry: there is a pregnancy registry for women who take HIV-1 medicines during pregnancy. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. Talk with your healthcare provider about how you can take part in this registry. • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you take GENVOYA. – You should not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. – At least one of the medicines in GENVOYA can pass to your baby in your breast milk. It is not known if the other medicines in GENVOYA can pass into your breast milk. – Talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Other medicines may affect how GENVOYA works. Some medicines may interact with GENVOYA. Keep a list of your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. • You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of medicines that interact with GENVOYA. • Do not start a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to take GENVOYA with other medicines.

GENVOYA may cause serious side effects, including: • See “What is the most important information I should know about GENVOYA?” • Changes in body fat can happen in people who take HIV-1 medicine. These changes may include increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck (“buffalo hump”), breast, and around the middle of your body (trunk). Loss of fat from the legs, arms and face may also happen. The exact cause and long-term health effects of these conditions are not known. • Changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Syndrome) can happen when you start taking HIV-1 medicines. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you start having any new symptoms after starting your HIV-1 medicine. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys before you start and while you are taking GENVOYA. Your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking GENVOYA if you develop new or worse kidney problems. • Bone problems can happen in some people who take GENVOYA. Bone problems may include bone pain, softening or thinning (which may lead to fractures). Your healthcare provider may need to do tests to check your bones. The most common side effect of GENVOYA is nausea. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. • These are not all the possible side effects of GENVOYA. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. • Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

How should I take GENVOYA?

Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Patient Information leaflet. Do not use GENVOYA for a condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not give GENVOYA to other people, even if they have the same symptoms you have. It may harm them. This Brief Summary summarizes the most important information about GENVOYA. If you would like more information, talk with your healthcare provider. You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information about GENVOYA that is written for health professionals. For more information, call 1-800-445-3235 or go to www.GENVOYA.com. Keep GENVOYA and all medicines out of reach of children.

• Take GENVOYA exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it. GENVOYA is taken by itself (not with other HIV-1 medicines) to treat HIV-1 infection. • GENVOYA is usually taken 1 time each day. • Take GENVOYA with food. • If you need to take a medicine for indigestion (antacid) that contains aluminum and magnesium hydroxide or calcium carbonate during treatment with GENVOYA, take it at least 2 hours before or after you take GENVOYA. • Do not change your dose or stop taking GENVOYA without first talking with your healthcare provider. Stay under a healthcare provider’s care when taking GENVOYA. • Do not miss a dose of GENVOYA. • If you take too much GENVOYA, call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away. • When your GENVOYA supply starts to run low, get more from your healthcare provider or pharmacy. This is very important because the amount of virus in your blood may increase if the medicine is stopped for even a short time. The virus may develop resistance to GENVOYA and become harder to treat.

General information about the safe and effective use of GENVOYA.

Issued: November 2015

EMTRIVA, GENVOYA, the GENVOYA Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, GSI, TYBOST, and VITEKTA are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. © 2015 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. GENC0004 11/15

12/3/15 3:23 PM

<< Community News

t Facebook reps grilled at meeting over name policy 6 • Bay area reporter • December 24-30, 2015

by David-Elijah Nahmod

empers flared as around 100 community members faced off with Facebook representatives over continuing criticism of its real name policy. Despite the confrontational nature of the meeting, Facebook officials reiterated a change to the policy that allows people in certain circumstances to explain their situation. Facebook has always required people to use their real, or legal, name. But that has created issues as others have flagged accounts, often those of trans people and drag queens, resulting in account suspensions. Facebook had previously announced that it would now also require people who flag other users for using a fake name to provide more information and context. False flagging, as it is known, is an acknowledged form of harassment. The December 15 meeting with Facebook reps at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center was the result of an agreement the social media giant reached with the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee after some in the community called for Facebook to be banned from marching in this year’s Pride parade in June. The Pride board denied that request but arranged for the community meeting. Many drag queens are known professionally by their drag names, while many trans people change their names to match their posttransition identity. A number of transgender people have said that their current names are the names they live by and are in fact their real names. Also at issue were complaints from battered women who were using pseudonyms on Facebook in order to remain in contact with fam-

ily and friends while staying hidden from their abusers. A number of women at the meeting pointed out that forcing them to use their real names online could put them at risk for further abuse. The most significant change allows people who are facing special circumstances, such as gender transition, to explain their situations. People can now choose options which verify whether or not they face stalking or abuse issues, if they identify as LGBT or are an ethnic minority – there have been instances in which individuals with ethnic names were reported as “fake,” even those their names were actual birth names. Facebook is also continuing to expand the kinds of ID it will accept when verifying a person is who they say they are. The panel was made up of community members and Facebook representatives: Clair Farley, the LGBT center’s associate director of economic development; Carmen Morrison, also known as drag king Alex U Inn of the performance group Momma’s Boyz; Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence; and from Facebook, Todd Gage, product manager; Justin Osofsky, vice president of global operations; and Alex Schultz, vice president of growth. Sergio Quintana of KGO-TV moderated the meeting. Gage and Schultz said they were gay men. Schultz, according to Quintana’s introduction, has been involved with most of Facebook’s LGBT initiatives, including Celebrate Pride, which enabled users to bathe their profile photos in the colors of the rainbow flag. “You are incredibly important to us,” said Schultz. “You are our neighbors. For many people in this room, their identity is chosen and fought for. We want people to use

Rick Gerharter

Alex Schultz, vice president of growth at Facebook, spoke at a community forum about changes to the social media company’s name policy.

the names they’re known by on the site.” Gage said that Facebook helped him connect with other LGBT people when he first came out. “I’ve worked hard to make Facebook safer for my community,” he said, acknowledging that he knew that many individuals had been hurt by the real names policy. “I am sorry,” he said. “We are learning. We listened to people and we made changes. This isn’t the end of it – I care about this community.” Roma, who has helped spearhead the My Name Is Coalition and has met with Facebook staff over the past year, noted part of the problem stems from anti-LGBT people who report others. “Facebook doesn’t hate LGBT people,” Sister Roma pointed out, adding that it was often other homophobic users who were reporting allegedly fake profiles. “They always look to work with us. They don’t police the site, the people who report us are bullies.”

Osofsky presented a slide show that explained the changes that Facebook is making to its reporting and verification processes. “How about getting rid of the reporting option?” demanded an audience member who did not state their name. “Why was I thrown out?” Other attendees shouted out similar questions. “A conversation has two sides,” said Quintana, as he asked people to speak one at a time. “Please be patient.” Kin Folkz, an African-American queer person, wasn’t buying it. “When are you going to come to cities with ethnic minorities?” Folkz demanded, also protesting the fact that longtime gay African-American activist Blackberri had been locked out of his Facebook account. “That’s his real name!” Folkz stated. In fact, Blackberri, who has long used one name, posted a note on his Facebook page December 16, “Hey Y’all I’m back.” It appeared his account had been inactive since May. “There’s a lot of pain in this room,” Inn pointed out. “What’s the timeline for people to get their names back?” Schultz replied that he wasn’t sure. He said that the new reporting features were now available to 1 percent of all Facebook users, and would continue to be rolled out until they were available to all. The new features are available to Bay Area users. “The pain Alex speaks of is the pain of a community facing discrimination,” said Farley. “This is broader than Facebook.” Gage said the company is trying to make improvements. “We hear you and we appreciate you speaking so candidly,” said Gage. “We are trying to make this better. There are two components to the verification process. We’re trying to verify that the person we’re interacting with is the person on the account. We’re asking you to dem-

onstrate the name you go by.” Starchild, an escort and sex workers’ rights advocate who goes by one name, feels that Facebook’s customer service is sorely lacking. He said he was locked out of his account six months ago and isn’t sure he wants to return. He demanded that Facebook set up phone banks so that users could interact with a real person. “I’d like your phone number so I can call you if there’s an issue,” Starchild said to Gage, who declined to provide his number amid much booing. Azure Jane Lunatic said that she was taught never to give her name to strangers online. She added that she had just lost her job. “I have a chance to use Facebook to connect with co-workers and potential job leads,” she said. “As long as Facebook requires one authentic identity, as long as I live in a society that makes a pariah of people of my authentic identity, I have to make this choice.” As the meeting drew to a close, attendees were invited to meet faceto-face with Facebook reps who came to the meeting in order to help them resolve their Facebook identity issues. Some hoped that their accounts would be restored to them that same night. “We need to continue this conversation,” said Farley. “I’d like data to be collected on how many LGBT people use Facebook.” Roma said that work would continue. “I hear you,” said Roma. “We hear you. We feel your frustration. This is not over. All these issues will be addressed.”t Facebook’s policy changes can be viewed at http://newsroom. fb.com/news/2015/12/communitysupport-fyi-improving-the-namesprocess-on-facebook/.

The Bay Area Reporter staff wishes you and your loved ones the best during this holiday season and the coming new year. Rick Gerharter

Community News>>

December 24-30, 2015 • Bay area reporter • 7

Despite housing needs, many LGBTQ youth hopeful at holidays by Seth Hemmelgarn

espite the challenges they face, many LGBTQ youth in San Francisco who’ve struggled with housing are hopeful this holiday season. They left home for reasons including problems with family, drugs, or other troubles, but some have found new homes through agencies like Larkin Street Youth Services, a local nonprofit that helps youth with housing and other needs. Matthew Cross, 23, who’s gay, has been a Larkin Street client since March. When he came to the city in January, he said, “I jumped around from place to place. I slept outside for a little bit.” “As far as I can see from my experience of being a gay homeless person in San Francisco, it’s extremely hard,” Cross said. “People don’t realize that you’re getting judged across the board, from everyone, everywhere.” When Cross slept outside, he’d stay anywhere that was “in the view of the public, with people going by, so I was seen and not in some dark alleyway where I could be mugged or robbed and beaten and killed.” Despite the precautions, he said that after he arrived in the city, he was robbed for his shoes and his cellphone. At Larkin Street, Cross gets help with housing and job training in customer service and other fields. “My parents and I have always had a pretty good relationship,” he said, but his drug use had caused a strain with his family, who live in the South Bay. The relationship’s improved since

Jane Philomen Cleland

Matthew Cross has been helped by Larkin Street Youth Services’ programs.

Cross moved out. He’s addressing his drug use, and he visits his family at least once a month. He’s planning to see them around Christmas time. Being away from his family has made it “almost more enjoyable” to spend time with them now, he said. “I became numb to the fact of how important [they were] and how much they actually meant to me,” Cross said. “Being away from them and not directly having to see them, I now appreciate when I do go see them.” Clients can only stay with Larkin until they’re 25. Cross isn’t sure about his plans for the future, but he’s considering getting into social work and working with foster youth. “At this point, I’m just glad I have the ability to think of a future,” he said. “At one time in my life, I was happy if I could make it to the next day, so the possibility of a future is just amazing.”

Tobey Fernandes, 19, who identifies as transgender and asexual, has been in San Francisco since April and is staying with a friend’s family as he works on getting into one of Larkin Street’s housing programs. Fernandes left his hometown of Plymouth, Massachusetts after he couldn’t find work there – he either lacked experience or employers would only hire family or friends, he said. This Christmas, Fernandes plans to check in with his family and go to Larkin Street’s winter party. “I’m happy. ... It took me a little bit to get rolling, but I’m starting to get my life on track,” said Fernandes, who’s looking for part-time work and plans to go to City College of San Francisco to study art and drawing. Robert Cotton, 24, who’s gay, is getting housing and other services from Larkin Street. He said his grandmother, who’s “been there for me 100 percent of my life,” has been “begging me” to come to her home for Christmas. He visits her frequently, but he’s trying to save money, so he plans to stay home and cook. Cotton, who works in event staffing, recalled a time not long ago

when he was couch surfing, staying with different cousins in the East Bay. He said it had been “a real struggle” dealing with the commute to San Francisco for work. Now, he plans to go back to school and study business communications or another field. Cotton said every day is a holiday to him. “I live every day to the fullest,” he said. “I have my messed up days, but I’m always a happy person.” Kate Calimquim, program manager of Castro Youth Housing Initiative, one of Larkin Street’s transitional living programs, said in response to emailed questions that this fiscal year, the nonprofit had 418 youth in emergency housing, and 289 in transitional and supportive housing. Of those clients, 30 percent, or about 212, identified as LGBTQ. Calimquim noted this may be an undercount, since some clients “may not feel comfortable disclosing” the information. Obviously, having a place to stay makes it easier to see some meaning around the holidays. A man named Michael, 29, sat

on the concrete wall at Harvey Milk Plaza in the Castro neighborhood last Friday. Michael, who didn’t want his last name published, said he ran away from home when he was 16. His mother died when he was 8, he said, and “a good part of my dad’s sanity died with her.” His father has since killed himself. Michael hasn’t been homeless the whole time since he left home, but most recently, he’s been living on the street, and the years since he ran away have turned him off to holidays like Christmas. “I’ve spent way too many holidays under the bridge alone,” he said. However, Michael said he would celebrate the Winter Solstice December 22. The plan is to “drink and get high with my friends,” he said, and to be “grateful to be breathing.”t

Homeless official decries ‘disturbing’ status quo in SF by Seth Hemmelgarn

A Paid Study for People Who Are HIV+

very day in San Francisco, especially along Market Street, and in the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods, people lie on the sidewalks or take shelter in clusters of tents. As the recently appointed interim director of Mayor Ed Lee’s Office of Housing Opportunity, Partnerships and Engagement, Sam Dodge has had the same experience many in the city have several times a day: coming upon a homeless person who looks half-dead and wondering what to do. “I experience it, too, and I do really encourage people, if they see someone that needs medical attention, to call 911,” Dodge said. “That’s not a burden on the system. That’s exactly what it’s for.” He added, “I really welcome that people find it disturbing. It’s not something we should get used to.” Dodge, 40, took the lead at HOPE last month, after Bevan Dufty, a gay man who had led the office for several years, announced his resignation. Dodge joined the agency in November 2014 and served as Dufty’s deputy director. Before joining HOPE, Dodge, a straight ally, had worked at the Tenderloin Housing Clinic and at San Francisco Public Works, where his job included addressing homeless issues. In a recent interview, he indicated bureaucracy is one of the main problems in tackling homelessness in San Francisco. “I think system coordination is really a main challenge,” Dodge said. “We have a lot of potential, and amazing providers and individual programs, but to the extent that they’re all pushing in the same direction, I think we can do some improvement.”

Smallpox Vaccine Study Jane Philomen Cleland

Sam Dodge

The city may soon see more coordination. This month, Lee announced the creation of the Department to End Homelessness. Dodge and the directors of the city’s public health and human services departments have been tasked with developing the new agency. Dodge, who estimated his salary is $100,000, said Lee asked him if he was interested in running the department, but he declined the position. Among other things, he said, he’s met “a lot of people” who’re “very good” at the work, and “I would love to bring in more talent to our efforts here. ... There’s an opportunity to bring in a national leader for the department.” The city’s also going to need more resources from federal and state governments, Dodge said. “We’re resource-constrained,” he said. “That’s why we’re falling behind.” Dodge has suggested someone to the mayor to head the homeless department, but he declined to name the person. “Suffice it to say there’s a really good candidate,” he said. “I’m going to try to do what I can to try to capture that person and wow them. We See page 14 >>

What A study to develop a vaccine against smallpox for people who are HIV positive Who HIV positive adults, 18 to 45 years of age, with t-cells below 500 Pay Participants will receive 2-3 vaccinations and up to $1350 Details For more information, please call Erika at Quest Clinical Research – (415) 353-0800 or email erika@questclinical.com

www.questclinical.com

<< Open Forum

8 • Bay Area Reporter • December 24-30, 2015

Volume 45, Number 52 December 24-30, 2015 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Seth Hemmelgarn CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani Richard Dodds • Michael Flanagan Jim Gladstone • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell • John F. Karr Lisa Keen • Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • David-Elijah Nahmod Paul Parish • Sean Piverger • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Donna Sachet • Adam Sandel • Khaled Sayed Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Jim Stewart Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez • Ronn Vigh Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Jay Cribas PRODUCTION/DESIGN Max Leger PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Lydia Gonzales • Jose Guzman-Colon Rudy K. Lawidjaja • Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd Jo-Lynn Otto • Rich Stadtmiller Steven Underhil • Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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

Gay blood ban changes wear thin

his week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced final changes to its blood donation policy, and while it is a move in the right direction, it falls short by not completely ending discrimination against gay and bisexual men. Although the lifetime ban on men who have sex with men was lifted, the new policy also requires one year of abstinence by MSM before their blood donations can be accepted. Count us as skeptical that gay men will be lining up at blood banks to donate this life-saving resource in response to the changes. And we aren’t the only ones. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), the only out member of that chamber, released a statement Monday that said she will continue pushing for blood donation policies based on individual risk factors that don’t single out one group of individuals. “I am encouraged that the FDA swiftly finalized this guidance to move forward and revise the discriminatory lifetime ban on blood donations,” Baldwin stated. “However, this is just the first step toward ending an outdated policy that is medically and scientifically unwarranted. This revision doesn’t go far enough ...” Indeed, it does not. We wrote about this issue almost a year ago, when the FDA released its proposed revisions. Now that the new policy has been finalized, it’s clear that the bureaucrats didn’t take into account concerns raised at the time, namely that by imposing a one-year period of no sex, the FDA was not relying on the “best available scientific evidence,” as Peter Marks, the deputy director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told the Washington Blade. In fact, Marks said that the FDA did review alternative options, such as individual risk assessment, but requiring one year of abstinence was the best policy. We disagree. And we’d like to remind the FDA that such a blanket policy, while not as reaction-

ary as the long-held prohibition on gay blood donors, still stigmatizes a large portion of the gay and bi men’s communities. Married men in monogamous sexual relationships would still be unable to donate under the new policy, even though their profile would make them ideal blood donors. But FDA officials are still so squeamish about gay sex that they can’t resist imposing some sexual restriction on potential gay and bi donors. Lambda Legal’s HIV Project said last year that within 45 days of exposure, currently required blood donation testing can detect “all known serious blood-borne pathogens, including HIV.” The FDA should have imposed a two-month deferral if it was so set on a time period. It’s clear that AIDS paranoia continues to exist; after all, the blood ban was imposed at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Back

then, there were no accurate tests and blood centers couldn’t screen for donations. With advances in the last 20 years, blood donations can be tested more accurately. Nowadays, at least in the Bay Area, people who test positive for HIV are encouraged to begin treatment right away, in most cases resulting in an undetectable viral load and diminishing the chance they will infect others. We understand and appreciate the importance of keeping the blood supply safe. But using an arbitrary one-year abstinence pledge excludes potential donors and stigmatizes all men who have sex with men. By focusing on individual donors and their possible risk factors, the FDA would have come out of the closet in a big way – by treating potential donors equally. When you read the headlines “Gay blood ban lifted,” don’t believe it, because in reality, most gay and bi men are still prohibited from donating blood.t

Time to adhere to the real Christmas story by Jim Mitulski

I recently came across my Christmas sermon at the Metropolitan Community Church in the Castro in 1989. It was a dire time in relation to AIDS, and I quoted the late, great, gay Christian poet W.H. Auden, from his poem “A Christmas Oratorio:”

f all the places I’ve lived, Christmas in the Castro – even if that Castro no longer exists – will be the place that I learned about miracles and hope and the power of the Word of Love Made Flesh, not just in the ancient story but in the ways it still echoes in our lives today. For years all I ever wanted for Christmas was an end to AIDS as we knew it then. It seemed like an elusive miracle. Three years ago I left the comfortable cultural and political bubble of the San Francisco Bay Area where I have lived and worked most of my adult life in order to do the liberation work I love in other grassroots settings. I take the best of what I learned and experienced in my years in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley wherever I go. It’s a permanent part of me. I have loved these three years in both Dallas and Denver, but there is something about Christmas that makes me acutely homesick for the Old Country, as my Polish grandmother used to say. I am reminded of Christmas echoes in current events. As I watch the flood of immigrants risking and sometimes losing their lives in order to flee to Europe from Syria, I am reminded that Mary and Joseph were refugees seeking a place to have their child in safety, and that even after the child’s birth they sought refuge in Egypt from Palestine/Israel to escape certain death at the hands of military death squads. Two years ago I visited El Salvador and saw first hand the violent legacy of U.S. policy over the last 40 years. That same summer I witnessed how many Texans reacted violently and malevolently toward unaccompanied minors whose parents sent them northward for protection. When I hear how Texas Governor Abbott and many of his governor colleagues declare that no refugees will be welcomed in their states, I wonder how so many Christians gather in churches at this time of year and sing about a holy family seeking sanctuary and yet harden their hearts to the same story unfolding here and now. On November 27, a Christian gunman opened fire in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs and killed three people in an effort to intimidate and punish women seeking contraception and abortions, as well as other

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necessary health services provided to both women and men through that agency. A week later when I gathered with several hundred supporters, mostly women, in a solidarity event held in a private secure location, a church, with heavy police presence, and heard the stories of women seeking reproductive justice, I wondered how at this time of year we remember an unwed mother named Mary whose delicate situation earned her the disdain of religious people, and how little has changed since then. That gathering where women’s lives were honored and the need for secure, stigma-free access to health care was more sacred than any Midnight Mass will be this year held in churches where the full equality and dignity of women are not upheld. Many Christmas songs proclaim peace on earth, which compel us to look at the earth itself and pray and work for this planet, which has been our sanctuary, and for its future. When we gather to sing about goodwill toward all how can we not commit ourselves to ending the ready availability of guns and assault rifles? When we sing about that same goodwill how can we afford to indulge in the xenophobia and Islamophobia that seems to be mounting all around us? The power of the Christmas story is not in its sentimental re-telling of something that happened 2,000 years ago. Its true power is revealed when we pay attention to the details and exhibit compassion for people whose lives parallel the same situation today. The Christmas story is not a period piece. It’s a mirror and a challenge, and we retell it not to dull our senses but to sharpen awareness of the present and the future.

We who must die demand a miracle. How can the eternal do a temporal act, how could the infinite become a finite fact? Nothing can save us that is possible. We who must die demand a miracle. And I concluded the sermon with a plea to believe in miracles on this holy night: “We demand a miracle and we deserve a miracle. This is Christmas in the Castro like Christmas in Palestine 2,000 years ago. This is the highest concentration of lesbian and gay people in the world. And in this place, the pink and purple church, the humble place where Christ is born anew ... We who must die demand a miracle. And we are that miracle. This church, this community, each person in this place, this night, for tonight, and every night if we chose to. We are that miracle that can redeem the world.” The particular circumstances have changed in 2,000 years, just as they have changed in the 25 years since I appealed to us to believe in the power of miracles. We have lived to see effective medical treatment, PrEP, and marriage equality. Today we pray for immigration justice, an end to racism, protection of women’s reproductive rights, for gun control and an end to capital punishment, for care for the earth, and for peace among nations. As then, so now: In the words of a Christmas carol by Phillips Brooks written in Boston in 1867: “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”t Jim Mitulski, a longtime Bay Area resident, is currently the interim pastor of MCC of the Rockies in Denver, and prior to that of Cathedral of Hope UCC in Dallas. He was pastor of MCC-San Francisco from 1986 to 2001. To contact him, write revmitulski@gmail.com.

Letters >>

Op-ed was self-serving ‘hogwash’

December 24-30, 2015 • Bay area reporter • 9

How appropriate that the Bay Area Reporter should publish Supervisor Scott “No To Equal Justice Under The Law” Wiener’s astonishingly, beautifully tortured little opinion piece [“Policing diverse communities in the 21st century,” Guest Opinion, December 17]. A year ago, December 16, 2014, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted down, 5-4, a resolution “affirming the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ commitment to equal justice under the law and the First Amendment right to protest, recognizing the United States’ broken and racially biased police and justice systems, and urging the Department of Justice, Congress, and President

Obama to review national policing and judicial practices to truly bring equal justice under the law.” The resolution then detailed several specific problems, including the killing of Alex Nieto in San Francisco by police on March 21, 2014. So when you have somebody who voted no on this resolution offer to write, vaguely, generally, high-mindedly, about all the things “we” need to do in the wake of the “jarring” killing of Mario Woods, you might want to consider advising your readers to take such self-serving hogwash for exactly what it is. Mike Black San Francisco

Gay man announces bid to be CA Dem Party chair by Matthew S. Bajko

“Bauman straddles the party’s elected and activist wings, camps that close observers say he will ultimately have to unite to win the position.”

longtime gay Democratic Party official has thrown his hat into the race to become the next chair of the state party. If elected, he would be the first out LGBT person to serve in the powerful political role. North Hollywood resident Eric Bauman, who chairs the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, officially announced his campaign for the state party’s top leadership post in a December 16 email to supporters. The election will be held at the party’s convention in May 2017, when current state party chairman John Burton, a former state lawmaker, intends to step down when his term expires. “The election is in the spring of 2017, which is why I did such a soft announcement,” Bauman, 57, who is vice chair of the state party, explained to the Bay Area Reporter in a message sent via Facebook. With other candidates already working to line up support, Bauman said he decided he, too, should make his intentions known. But he also said his main priority for the next year will be the presidential election and ensuring the Democratic candidate wins. In his emailed letter to supporters last week, Bauman stressed that Democrats should not allow the nominating contest between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley to divide them. “There is too much at stake for an internal fight among our activists and members to allow us to take our eyes off the end goal,” wrote Bauman. “It is for this very reason that I have been hesitant to get into a conversation about intraparty elections that don’t even take place until the late spring of 2017.” He added that “even though others have already started their own full-fledged campaigns for chair of the (California Democratic Party), I remain focused on defeating Republicans and electing strong progressives in 2016, not on internal party elections.” Even though it was an open secret that Art Torres, who led the California Democratic Party for 13 years, was gay, he did not come out publicly until after he stepped down in 2009. Bauman has been with his husband, Michael Andraychak, for more than three decades. He is a senior adviser to lesbian outgoing Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), who, due to being termed out of office next December, is stepping down from the powerful legislative leadership post in early 2016. The incoming speaker, Assemblyman Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount), is from the Los Angeles area and should be elected to the leadership post by his colleagues

EQCA scores state lawmakers

Courtesy Eric Bauman

Eric Bauman has announced he’s running for chair of the California Democratic Party.

Monday, January 11. His swearingin as speaker will be held Monday, March 7. In addition to advising Atkins, Bauman is also director of the Speaker’s Office of Member Services in Los Angeles. And he remains close friends with gay former Assembly Speaker John A. Perez, who was termed out of his Los Angeles area Assembly seat in 2014. Bauman noted in his emailed letter that he has already lined up support to become party chair from a number of Democratic officials, including fellow state party vice chair Alex Gallardo-Rooker, Legislative Black Caucus Chair Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), Solano County Democratic Party Chair Brigette Hunley, regional state party director Susie Shannon, and state Board of Equalization member Fiona Ma, a former San Francisco supervisor. “And since it is clear that others are advancing the timeline for this race, I ask you today for your early support,” wrote Bauman. Another person who has already announced their party chair bid is Richmond resident Kimberly Ellis, who is African American and raising two children with her husband. For the last five years she has been executive director of Emerge California, which trains Democratic women to run for public office. An online video urging people to support her party chair campaign – which can be viewed at https://www. crowdpac.com/crowdpacs/683/support-kimberly-ellis-for-ca-chairof-the-democratic-party – includes gay El Cerrito City Councilman Gabriel Quinto. “California is changing. We need a Democratic Party that represents all of us,” states Quinto in the video. Not only the lead spokesman for the state party, the chairman oversees its fundraising efforts and plays a key role in campaign strategy and getting Democrats to vote. Bauman highlighted how, as vice chair of the party, he has traveled extensively throughout California, trips during which he has “focused my time training, motivating, and exciting our activists to gear up for next year’s important battles.” As the Sacramento Bee noted about his bid to become chairman,

Two Democratic Assemblymen failed to earn perfect scores on Equality California’s 2015 Legislative Scorecard, one less than last year, while the number of Republican state lawmakers supporting LGBT bills continued to inch higher. The statewide LGBT advocacy group, which released its annual scorecard of state lawmakers December 14, rated the legislators based on their votes for nine pieces of LGBT-related legislation, all of which Governor Jerry Brown signed into law, and one resolution calling on the federal government to allow gay and bisexual men, no matter their sexual activity, to donate blood. Assemblyman Ken Cooley (D- Rancho Cordova) earned a 90 percent score due to his not voting on AB 329, the California Healthy Youth Act authored by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), which requires sex education for students in grades 7 to 12 to provide medically accurate and age-appropriate instruction on LGBT youth and families, and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and pregnancy. Assemblyman Adam Gray (DMerced) received a 90 percent score for opposing SB 703, authored by gay state Senator Mark Leno (DSan Francisco), which requires out-of-state companies bidding on state-funded contracts to offer their transgender employees the same benefits other employees receive. As for GOP lawmakers, none received perfect scores this year, a reversal from 2014 when three Republicans for the first time earned a rating of 100 percent on an EQCA scorecard. It means none of the Republicans running for re-election in 2016 will be eligible to earn an endorsement from EQCA, nor will Cooley and Gray. “Among other things, Equality California uses the information in this report in determining whether to endorse incumbent candidates for re-election (or election to another office). EQCA has a strict policy of automatically disqualifying from our endorsement any incumbent legislator who fails to score 100 percent on the scorecard,” EQCA board President Andreas Meyer explains in the report. The number of GOP lawmakers who scored 30 percent or more this year on EQCA’s scorecard was 19, surpassing the last high mark of 12 reached in 2012. A dozen had scores of 50 percent or higher this year. The three highest scorers were Assemblymen Rocky J. Chavez (ROceanside), who scored 89 percent, and Brian Maienschein (R-San Diego), with 80 percent, and state Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres), who earned 78 percent. CanSee page 14 >>

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10 • Bay Area Reporter • December 24-30, 2015

<< Community News

t Linea lands urgent care center by Matthew S. Bajko

It was able to do so because city officials did not correctly n urgent care center is draft interim zoning controls moving into two vacant the Board of Supervisors had retail spaces in the Linea enacted for upper Market housing development on Street meant to bring public upper Market Street. scrutiny to chain stores wantDirect Urgent Care in ing to open in the area. It was early December signed a not realized that the section seven-year lease for the corof Market Street between ner ground floor space and Church and Octavia Bouan adjacent storefront in levard had been left out of the building, located at the the zoning controls until the intersection of Market and tax preparer leased the Linea Rick Gerharter Buchanan streets and kitty space. An urgent care center is moving into the vacant corner to Whole Foods. Because it is not conThe non-emergency care retail space on the ground floor of the Linea building. sidered a formula retailer, provider will soon start Direct Urgent Care does Care CEO Scott Cheeseman. “There work on renovating its 3,200 not need to seek planning is a lot of foot traffic in that area square feet of space and plans to commission approval to move into with a lot of residents.” open by May. It will be the fourth Dithe Linea building. Spiers told the Added Djavaherian in a recent inrect Urgent Care location in the Bay B.A.R. he is “very happy” to land the terview with the Bay Area Reporter, Area and the first in San Francisco. health care company. “We are so excited to be in that Co-owners Dr. Caeser Djavahe“We actually didn’t really start neighborhood. It really seems like it rian and Dr. Jeff Kaufman opened marketing it in earnest until recently is a central hub.” their first Direct Urgent Care two because as we finished up construcBuilt by local developer Brian years ago in Berkeley. In February tion, our general contractor was Spiers, the mixed-use Linea develthey plan to open their second locausing it as a staging area,” said Spiers opment opened last year. It features tion, at 1150 West El Camino Real of the corner storefront. 115 condos over four ground floor in Mountain View, and their third It had been designed to be used as retail spaces. in March at 401 Grand Avenue in a cafe or some other eatery type use, Until now, the building’s only retail Oakland near Lake Merritt. with an outdoor patio area attached, tenant has been H&R Block, which “What we try and do is get locabut Spiers said finding a viable such moved into a mid-block storefront tions that are easy to get to for as business proved difficult. He is still at the start of 2015 after departing its many people as possible. Linea has looking for a business to lease the office space across the street. The fora great retail corridor there with remaining storefront, which is 400 mula retailer relocated without going Whole Foods and the number one square feet, at the opposite end of before the Planning Commission to grossing Safeway in the country and the building. seek a conditional use permit. lots of housing,” said Direct Urgent See page 14 >>

Friends seek star for gay Palm Springs man who died compiled by Cynthia Laird

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riends of a gay man who died several weeks after being attacked in Palm Springs have started a crowdfunding campaign to get a star for him on the city’s famed walk of stars. George Zander, 71, died December 10. He and his husband, Chris, were attacked in an anti-gay hate crime in early November in the gay-friendly city and Zander suffered a broken hip. It’s not clear that his death was directly related to the injuries he suffered. His husband posted the news on Facebook and said that Zander died “in very little pain,” the Advocate reported. Two suspects in the case, Keith Terranova, 35, and James Carr, 30, are facing elder abuse and felony hate crime charges. Both have

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George Zander

a walk of fame in downtown Palm Springs, where “Golden Palm Stars,” honoring notable people who have lived in the greater Palm Springs area, are embedded in the sidewalk pavement. To contribute to the project for the Zander star, visit www.gofundme.com/astarforgeorge.t

Gay ex-49er pleads to DUI by Seth Hemmelgarn

75701 WEST HERITAGE AVONDALE COUNTRY CLUB, PALM DESERT

pleaded not guilty. Last week, Ray Chance sent an email to the Bay Area Reporter saying that a fund has been set up to raise money for a star honoring Zander on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. Chance said that he has neared the goal of $5,000 raised but that after the application is submitted, another $5,000 is needed. Contributions are tax-deductible as the Palm Springs Walk of Stars is a 501 (c)3 nonprofit, Chance said. Zander was well-known in Palm Springs and other parts of the state. He had served as a field organizer for Equality California. “George had many friends in San Francisco, and many people in San Francisco have a connection to Palm Springs,” Chance wrote. The Palm Springs Walk of Stars is

ay ex-San Francisco 49ers football player Kwame Harris has pleaded no contest to a DUI charge stemming from an April incident in which Harris, 33, allegedly hit two vehicles with his Audi. He also tried to bite a police officer who found him “groggy” in someone’s driveway, according to police. Harris, of San Francisco, is expected to serve 15 days in the sheriff ’s work alternative program and is being conditionally released for three years, among other sentencing terms given Monday, December 21 by Superior Court Judge Ross C. Moody, who announced Harris’ plea. Harris has been out of custody since he posted bail shortly after his April 5 arrest. His appearance in court Monday was waived. Reached by phone after the hearing, he de-

clined to comment. “cannot drive with any In 2013, Harris was measurable amount of convicted of domestic alcohol in his blood,” and violence against another if he’s involved in an acman. cident involving drugs The complaint filed or alcohol “he could be against Harris in the charged with murder.” most recent case says that Harris had pleaded not he had been under the guilty in April to the DUI Courtesy SFPD influence of diazepam charge, as well as two and clonazepam, which Ex-49er counts of hit-and-run, are better known by their Kwame Harris and a charge of battery on respective brand names, a police officer. The other Valium and Klonopin, charges were dismissed and can be used to treat anxiety, Monday as part of a negotiated along with similar drugs. The filing disposition. says he was also under the influence Moody said Harris would receive of temazepam, which is also known “credit for having served one day” in by its brand name Restoril and can the sheriff ’s program. be taken for insomnia. Teresa Caffese, Harris’ attorney, As part of his sentence, Harris is wasn’t immediately available for expected to participate in a threecomment after the hearing. month alcohol and drug education Assistant District Attorney Xochitl program. Carrion was the prosecutor who apAdditionally, Moody said, Harris peared on the case Monday.t

Community News>>

t Local PrEP programs highlighted at HIV confab by Liz Highleyman

December 24-30, 2015 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

re-exposure prophylaxis – better known as PrEP – was a major topic at the 2015 National HIV Prevention Conference this month in Atlanta, organized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Evidence from clinical trials and demonstration projects continues to show that PrEP using Gilead Sciences’ Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) is highly effective if taken regularly, especially in studies of gay and bisexual men. “The argument is over about PrEP,” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci said during the conference opening session. “If you take the drug, it works, not only in a clinical trial but in the field.” But PrEP adoption has been uneven and experts are now focusing on how to implement it on a wider scale. Two reports from San Francisco and Oakland underlined how the PrEP experience can differ even within the same geographical area.

how many people are on PrEP because these data are not centrally collected. The best estimates suggest that at least 25,000 to 35,000 people in the U.S. may be taking PrEP, mostly men who have sex with men. Earlier this month the CDC estimated that about 1.2 million people may benefit from PrEP, including one in four gay men and one in five people who inject drugs. Several speakers discussed the growing adoption of PrEP within the gay community and what it means for sexual health and relationships. “The social implications are just as important for young gay and bi men as the public health and medical implications,” Noel Gordon of the Human Rights Campaign said during a PrEP panel discussion. “PrEP is giving a sense of power to people who have been marginalized and vulnerable previously,” said PrEP researcher Dr. Robert Grant from the UCSF Gladstone Institutes. “Once you give people a little bit of empowerment, they use it to protect themselves in multiple ways.”

PrEP knowledge and attitudes

The San Francisco experience

Some of the best PrEP outcomes have been seen in cities with large gay populations, progressive politics, and generous public health funding. San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, and Seattle are among the cities that have pushed to raise awareness and increase availability of PrEP. The Food and Drug Administration approved Truvada for PrEP in July 2012 but adoption was initially sluggish. This began to change in late 2013, as gay men began to promote PrEP within their communities, and the number of people on PrEP has been rising ever since. Yet uptake has been slower among young gay men of color – the group with the highest rate of new HIV infections. It has been difficult to determine

Liz Highleyman

Steve Gibson presented findings from the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s Magnet sexual health clinic, which primarily serves gay men in the Castro. PrEP care is provided mainly by nurses and a benefits navigator helps people figure out how to pay for Truvada. In early January the PrEP program will move to the foundation’s new Strut health and wellness center. Magnet launched its PrEP pilot program in November 2014, at which time a client survey found that 91 percent had heard of PrEP, 60 percent were interested in it, and 19 percent had already used it. During a one-year period 695 people were screened for the PrEP program and 90 percent enrolled. All but two were non-transgender

Liz Highleyman

Magnet’s Steve Gibson

Pangea’s Ifeoma Udoh

men with an average age of 34 years. More than two-thirds were white, 24 percent were Latino, 12 percent were Asian/Pacific Islander, and 5 percent were black. Participants reported an average of 19 sexual partners a year. About 20 percent were diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections before starting PrEP. More than 90 percent said they wanted PrEP because they have condomless sex and 12 percent had HIV-positive partners. No new HIV infections were diagnosed during a year of follow-up. Adherence remained high over time, with about 95 percent reporting they missed fewer than three doses during the past week – the level shown to provide a high level of protection. After seven months on PrEP about half of participants said that their level of condom use did not change, while about 15 percent said they used condoms less and a third said they did so more often. “The bottom line is that there were no new HIV infections,” Gibson told the Bay Area Reporter. “We’ve found that the combination of clinical services combined with benefits navigation is what helps Ensure that people can start taking the medication the same day, often costing the client nothing.”

“What gets lost in the numbers and statistics is the building of our new community that is no longer defined by an illness or fear,” added Magnet nurse director Pierre-Cedric Crouch. “Every day we see PrEP empowering people to lead healthy sex lives and bridge our HIV-positive and -negative communities.” Gibson acknowledged, however, “PrEP in the Castro is not going to be the same as PrEP throughout San Francisco.” SFAF has also opened a PrEP clinic at its Market Street headquarters, which will serve a more diverse clientele, including transgender women.

Different picture in Oakland

Across the bay but a world away from San Francisco, people at risk for HIV in Oakland are more likely to be African American and to have lower income and fewer years of education on average. As in San Francisco, however, a majority of people newly diagnosed with HIV are men who have sex with men. Ifeoma Udoh of Pangea presented findings from Oakland’s CRUSH Project (Connecting Resources for Urban Sexual Health), a demonstration project integrating routine sexual health services for young gay men of color – including PrEP; post-

End of Year CLEARANCE!

exposure prophylaxis, or PEP; and STI screening and treatment – into an existing HIV primary care clinic. CRUSH is located at the East Bay AIDS Center at Alta Bates, operated by the large Sutter Health system. “The population is very different and the makeup of the epidemic is very different” in Oakland compared to San Francisco, Udoh told the B.A.R. “There is no municipal sexual health clinic like [SF] City Clinic and we don’t have a Magnet.” In fact, there is no municipal or publicly supported STI clinic in Alameda County, she added. Its HIV work is done through communitybased organizations and private facilities, she explained. Between February 2014 and November 2015 CRUSH enrolled 281 participants. The project stopped enrollment five months ahead of schedule, having signed up nearly double the 150 people it expected. Referrals primarily came from clinic staff, outside providers, community-based organizations, and other project participants. Among the enrolled participants, 252 chose to start PrEP and they stayed on it for about 10 months on average. PrEP users were mostly men and the average age was 25 years. About 80 percent were people of color, mostly Latino, black, or mixed race; 60 percent were uninsured but qualified for Medi-Cal or Covered California. About 70 percent of participants had STIs at enrollment and about a quarter of people seeking PrEP were determined to need PEP due to a recent high-risk sexual exposure. “The PEP to PrEP to PEP to PrEP continuum cannot be overemphasized,” Udoh said, as many people went back and forth between them. No CRUSH participants have seroconverted while on PrEP, Udoh told the B.A.R. See page 14 >>

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<< Sports

12 • Bay area reporter • December 24-30, 2015

Deck the halls with Pete, Tom, Cyd, and Jim by Roger Brigham

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orget the boughs of holly: if we are truly to enjoy the spirit of (fill in the name of your winter holiday here) year round, then let the lords of sports drop everything else and put the undercelebrated sports heroes in their halls of fame. Much in the news lately, of course, is Pete Rose, the batter who had more hits than anyone else in history who has been kept out of the Baseball Hall of Fame for decades by puritanical whim and an archaic justice system in Major League Baseball. It would seem that Rose, who is now a tottering 74 years of age incapable of doing much more than signing baseball cards at shows in Vegas and Cooperstown, presents a tremendous threat to the billiondollars industry of Major League Baseball. Rose was suspended from baseball in 1989 after an investigation declared that he had been betting on baseball while he was a manager for the Cincinnati Reds. Rose had been reluctant to admit all of his gambling activities but it is pretty evident by now that some of the games he bet on while managing involved his own team, the Reds. To which I, who loathes gam-

bling, say: Big effing deal. Fay Vincent, a former MLB commissioner, once told me that the reason why baseball did not treat gambling addictions with the same compassion and tolerance they did drug and alcohol abuse was because the industry could not afford the hit its public image would take. Mind you, nobody thinks Rose ever bet against his team – the man’s uber competitive spirit, a large component of his illness and something MLB always banked on, wouldn’t allow it – and nobody has alleged he did anything to manipulate games or give other gamblers an inside edge, but for some reason the mere fact he has a gambling addiction makes him less palatable to MLB executives than the likes of Steve Howe, Mickey Mantle, or Doc Ellis, all of whom abused drugs and/or alcohol to the detriment of their play and at the expense of their owners but who were never disowned by baseball. Look, I was one of the young kids MLB was trying to hook as a fan back in the 1960s and 1970s. I was born in Cincinnati, lived some time there, visited family there through the years, and was a fan of Rose’s Reds. And here’s how Rose corrupted me: he showed me, at an intensely racially tense time on this

Baseball great Pete Rose’s lifetime suspension from the sport will continue after Commissioner Rob Manfred decided he would not reinstate him.

country, when African Americans were desperately fighting for the right to access housing, hotels, restrooms, schools and buses, that racial animus between whites, blacks, and Hispanics was harmful stupidity and should have no place in our hearts. I didn’t learn that from the grandparents I visited in Cincinnati: I learned it from Rose’s public example. Rose supporters had hoped that newly anointed baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred would realize how mired in the past baseball’s draconian approach to gambling is and take a compassionate approach to Rose’s case that was more in line See page 13 >>

Merry and bright by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

t is the eve of the Winter Solstice as I write this, and this is no better way to allude to where things are right now for the transgender community as a whole. For while we have gained an incredible amount of visibility in the last year or two with the likes of Caitlyn Jenner, Laverne Cox, and so many others, we’ve also seen a spike in reported anti-transgender murder, a high number of trans people who died by suicide, and increasingly difficult political battles. I’ve talked before about the importance of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance and how its loss – after its foes successfully labeled it a “bathroom bill” and claimed it would allow sexual predators in women’s rooms – it worth noting. We are now seeing

bathroom battles creeping up across the country, each one taking their cues from the HERO loss. The good news is, that although I was worried California voters would face a similar effort, late Monday an anti-LGBT group announced it had failed to gather the required number of valid signatures to place an initiative on the 2016 ballot. But the picture is troubling in other states. In this post-HERO world trans people’s – and others’ – rights have been successfully lost at the ballot box. All of this, of course, is coming in an election year where the right needs an issue to help drive their people to the Republican presidential candidate, and LGBT rights issues have worked well for social conservatives in the past. It’s the

perfect set up for a long and ugly year of potty politics. It’s enough to make one lose hope. The thing is, as one who has been an out transgender activist for more than two decades, this is a long game. Yes, things look dark now, but dawn is around the corner – if we want it. We can be complacent, we can continue to bicker and fight among ourselves, we can tear each other down and keep alienating our allies, or we can fight back. Now, more than many other times in our recent history, is the time to push back. With our visibility in the public square at current, it is more important than ever to use that leverage to help all of us get ahead. Take what visibility we have now, and advocate for more. Get more stories told, more of our needs out in the open, and strike while the iron is hot. See page 14 >>

Islander Wellness Center in San Francisco, serving on its board, including two terms as president. Irl is predeceased by his parents, the Reverend Sam S. and Mary Nell Sells Barefield, and is survived by a sister, Beth (David) Bogart; a brother, Steven (Kyu Yamamoto); and three nephews Ed (Jenn) Bogart, Ryan (Angie Sommer) Bogart, and Dean Bogart. Memorial gifts may be directed to http:// www.APIWellness.org.

Times business directory from 1985-1990. Once in the Bay Area, she was an excellent events coordinator for the Gay Artists and Writers Kollective. She settled down in Oakland. She loved riding in Dykes on Bikes in the Pride parade. K.C. was an out and proud employee of law firm Morrison and Foerster and marched with them. She bowled with the S.F. Women’s Business League and played on Gay Softball League teams in Kansas City and San Francisco. She won medals (including gold) in the 1990 Gay Games in Vancouver. K.C. was a talented singer/songwriter and performed her music at Pride in 1989 with Jon Sugar. She performed at the Folsom Street Fair in 1993. She performed at the Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Club. Her music is available through CD Baby. Her creative energy gave birth to a jewelry design business. K.C. was a vendor at Pride celebrations all over northern California. K.C. will be missed by many circles of friends, musicians, performers, and her beloved cats. A memorial will be held Saturday, January 30 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the Home of Truth, 1300 Grand Street (at Alameda Avenue), in Alameda, CA.

Obituaries >> Irl Sells Barefield January 26, 1960 – December 7, 2015 Irl Barefield, 55, died of natural causes on Monday, December 7, 2015. After studying at Kenyon College and the University of Chicago, he graduated from the Boalt School of Law at UC Berkeley, worked with Morrison and Foerster and Cooley Godward, and as director of HIV care at St. Francis Memorial Hospital. In 2000, he became executive director of AIDS Research Alliance where, along with Paul Cox, he negotiated a revolutionary agreement with the Samoan government for access to the bark of the Mamala tree, assuring that if the product were commercially successful profits would be split between medical research, the people of Samoa, and the pharmaceuticals. The ingredient, Prostratin, has proven successful in rendering the HIV virus undetectable in primates and is in early stages of human clinical trials at ARA. He returned to San Francisco in 2010. In addition to his professional work, Irl was a volunteer with the Asian Pacific

Carron “K.C.” Frogge

Carron “K.C.” Frogge died November 29, 2015 in Berkeley after suffering a pulmonary embolism. She was 60. She grew up in Raytown, Missouri, and attended Central Missouri State University. She worked as a brakeman for the railroad; as a chef at a large military base; and played women’s pro football for the Oklahoma City Dolls. She created a monthly personal ads newsletter. In an age before the Internet, she saw a need for an alternative to bars for gays and lesbians to meet in and around Kansas City. K.C. published the Triangle

t <<

Community News>>

Dolores Park

From page 1

Many of the upgrades in the southern half of the park that straddles the city’s Castro and Mission districts are expected to wrap up this month. The work has focused on addressing drainage issues and a lack of bathroom facilities at the heavily used green space. San Francisco Recreation and Park officials are planning to have a grand opening ceremony for the southern half of the park sometime in mid-January. The party is expected to be similar to the one held this summer to welcome users to the new northern half. The silent disco will likely make a return for the celebration. “We are about to open the entirety of the park,” Sarah Madland, the department’s director of policy and public affairs, told Castro business leaders at their meeting December 3. The park’s northern section opened June 18, and at the time, a rec and park spokeswoman had told the Bay Area Reporter that the southern half, including the popular “gay beach” section near the intersection of 20th and Church streets, would remain closed until the fall of 2016.

December 24-30, 2015 • Bay Area Reporter • 13

But department officials recently told the B.A.R. that was a miscommunication and that the rest of the work was always expected to be complete by the end of 2015. Gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, whose district includes Mission Dolores Park, said he is excited to see the renovation project wrap up. “I am looking forward to having a fully useable, beautiful park and having the crowds be able to spread throughout the park instead of being concentrated in just one area,” said Wiener. “It will be awesome to have the full park back. To have it in much better condition than it was before and more accessible, it is going to be terrific.” Since the summer work crews have been prepping the park’s hilly terrain along its 20th Street border in order to replace the irrigation system, install new ADA-accessible pathways, build a new overlook at the corner of 20th and Church streets, and construct a new bathroom facility built into the hillside at the opposite corner by 20th and Dolores streets. Close to the existing Helen Diller Playground, which was renovated a few years ago and has remained open during the construction work,

2015

tion repeals an existing law, known as Section 37, which allows discrimination against employees based on their sexual orientation. The bill now goes to President Michael Higgins for his signature.

4. Pope Francis denies he offered support to outlaw clerk: Pope Francis stunned LGBT people when it was revealed that he secretly accepted a visit from Kentucky clerk Kim Davis during his wildly popular visit to the U.S. Davis and her attorney characterized the visit, which took place at the Vatican’s embassy in Washington, D.C., as an expression of the pope’s support for her defiance of the Supreme Court’s ruling that bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional. But in short order, the Vatican issued a statement saying the pope did not know about or support Davis’ efforts to subvert the Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage and noted, instead, that the only audience the pope gave while in the U.S. was to a gay friend and his partner.

Jock Talk

From page 12

with the 21st century. Last week Manfred dashed those hopes. Hope Manfred enjoys the box of live flies I sent him for Christmas. I realized that without Rose to torment further, he will need new victims to pull the wings off of. And while we’re raising a glass of eggnog in support of Rose, let’s not forget to down some suds for Gay Games founder Dr. Tom Waddell, whose nomination so far has gone unanswered by the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. On the BASHOF website, we are informed that the hall has two goals:

More bathrooms, pissoir

Along the park’s western boundary between Church Street and the J-Church Muni line tracks will be a new sidewalk running the length of the park between 20th and 18th streets. Adjacent to the sidewalk, near the 20th Street Muni stop, will be a pissoir, or public urinal, the first such amenity to be installed in one of the city’s parks. It was purposefully situated at that location due to the nearby hillside within the park that is known not only by its gay beach moniker but also as the “fruit shelf ” and “homo hill.” On sunny weekends the area can attract hundreds of gay male sunbathers to the park. “It is the first public pissoir in San Francisco that we are aware of,” said Madland. “Basically, it is a trough that is shielded.” The lack of restrooms at Dolores Park, which can attract tens of thousands of sun-seekers on warm weekends, has been a major problem for years. Prior to the renovations, there

were only four restrooms in the 13.7 acre park. Another issue has been the over abundance of garbage park users leave behind, with far too few trashcans in place to accommodate the refuse. Madland acknowledged that the department was “really asleep at the switch” in the past when it came to addressing the issues. “We did not have the appropriate number of trashcans or bathrooms, so you would have people peeing in bushes or in front of people’s homes nearby the park,” she said. As part of the first phase of the project, a new bathroom was built near the reconstructed tennis courts along the park’s 18th Street boundary that has a total of 16 toilets, including urinals and two unisex/ family bathrooms. The southern bathroom being built near the playground will have a total of 15 toilets, which also includes urinals and two unisex/family bathrooms. Not including the pissoir, there will be a total of 31 toilets in the park. Over the last year parks officials have set up eco-pop ups to encourage recycling and have worked with trash company Recology to increase garbage pickup on busy days. They

emergency request to stop enforcement of a federal district court order that Davis resume issuing marriage licenses. A federal appeals court has rejected her appeals, and the state’s incoming Republican governor is expected to issue an order removing the names of county clerks from marriage licenses.

From page 1

3. Catholic leaders maintain opposition to same-sex marriage. At a three-week-long global summit, Catholic bishops in October rejected efforts to soften the church’s policies against homosexuality and same-sex marriage. Instead, the document approved by 86 percent of more than 258 bishops gathered in Rome said, “every person, independently of their sexual tendency, must be respected in their dignity and welcomed with respect.” But it also stated that there was “no foundation whatsoever to assimilate or establish analogies, even remotely, between homosexual unions and God’s design for marriage and the family.”

additional picnic table areas are being installed that park users will be able to reserve. New sod has been put in place and new walkways are now being paved.

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz

6. EEOC says Title VII prohibits LGBT discrimination. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled in July that existing federal law prohibits employment discrimination against federal workers based on sexual orientation. The five-member commission said that the prohibition of sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “means that employers may not ‘rely upon sex-based considerations’ or take gender into account when making employment decisions. ... This applies equally in claims brought by lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals under Title VII. ... Title VII similarly prohibits employers from treating an employee or applicant differently than other employees or applicants based on the fact that such individuals are in a same-sex marriage or because the employee has a personal association with someone of a particular sex.”

5. The aforementioned Davis captured national headlines for weeks as she attempted to circumvent the U.S. Supreme Court decision that found state bans against marriage for same-sex couples to be unconstitutional. Davis and her supporters couched her continued refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples as an exercise of her religious beliefs, but others – including a few Republican presidential candidates – said she was violating her oath of office to carry out the law. In August, the full U.S. Supreme Court denied an

7. GOP candidates flaunt their hostility toward LGBT people. Many candidates for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination have worn their hostility for equal rights for LGBT people on their sleeves. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said LGBT people wouldn’t need non-discrimination laws if they would just stay in the closet. Retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson said allowing samesex couples to marry is equivalent to tossing the “word of God ... into the garbage.” Texas Senator Ted Cruz said he wanted a new ban on LGBT people in the military. Meanwhile,

“To enshrine the great athletes of the Bay Area and to help kids play sports.” Which means it likes to honor big name stars of years past in the hopes that the honoring of those names will pull in big buck donors to buy tickets to the annual dinner. Their decision every year not to honor Waddell, who competed in the Summer Olympics as a decathlete and then went on to found the quadrennial event that would empower tens of thousands of LGBT athletes, help bring down homophobic and transphobic barriers, and ignite a global LGBT sports movement that would unite hundreds of thousands of athlete, shows what little regard BASHOF has for our transformational history.

Lastly, isn’t it about time the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association got off its high horse and admitted Cyd Zeigler and Jim Buzinski to the NLGJA Hall of Fame? There are 36 journalists in that hall, and none of them are sports writers. I broke ground when I came out as a sports editor in 1982; since then, we’ve seen a battery of talented and dazzling LGBT journalists working in high visibility sports roles: LZ Granderson, Steve Buckley, Kate Fagan, Chuck Culpepper, Laura Vecsey, Bill Konigsberg, Christine Kahrl. Politics, fashion, the arts, activism, and community identity: all of these endeavors are represented

Rudy K. Lawidjaja

Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the Popemobile during his visit to Washington, D.C., where he met with Kentucky clerk Kim Davis and a gay couple.

Courtesy CNN

also launched the “Love Dolores” campaign to encourage people to clean up after themselves and either recycle or pack out whatever items they bring with them to the park. Local businesses have also been recruited to promote the message, with Bi-Rite Market adding stickers that say “recycle me” on the alcoholic and other beverages it sells. Stores near the park are also being asked to sell cans of beer rather than bottles. This spring, when the warm weather returns, parks staffers are planning to expand the Love Dolores campaign. “Garbage is still an issue. There is still a lot of litter in the park,” said Wiener. “The department has done a good job. Part of the problem is too many staff resources are being used to pick up people’s garbage, so it is a continuing challenge.” The project has cost the city $20.5 million. The 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond included $13.2 million to improve Mission Dolores Park and the rest of the money has come from the city’s general fund. For more information about the renovation project, visit http:// sfrecpark.org/project/mission-dolores-park-improvements/.t tors to enter women’s restrooms to assault young girls. The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance passed the City Council in May 2014 as an effort to prohibit discrimination based on numerous factors – including race, ethnicity, and religion. But opponents of prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity convinced voters that HERO amounted to a “bathroom ordinance.”

Courtesy NBCDFW

Houston Mayor Annise Parker suffered a stinging defeat when voters rejected an antidiscrimination ordinance in November.

Courtesy ABC

9. Olympic legend comes out publicly as transgender. Caitlyn Jenner, the United States’ 1976 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, acknowledged in a Rolling Stone interview and nationally broadcast television interview in April, that she has always felt she was a woman and that she would, going forward, live her life as a woman. The resulting publicity prompted a flood of discussions publicly and nationally about transgender people: their prevalence, their needs, their fears, and their medical and legal challenges. While violence and discrimination against transgender people continued, Jenner’s openness undoubtedly advanced the American public’s understanding.

8. Houston repeals city’s antidiscrimination law. In a blow to lesbian Mayor Annise Parker, Houston voters on November 3 voted 3 to 2 to repeal a year-old non-discrimination ordinance – a repeal that appeared to be largely driven by an anti-trans campaign that claimed the law would enable sexual preda-

10. Boy Scouts of America ends more of its discriminatory policy. The executive board of the national Boy Scouts of America organization voted on July 27 to end the group’s national policy of barring openly gay adults as troop leaders and employees. The board left it up to local troops, including religious chartered troops, whether to allow openly gay people as volunteer leaders. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin criticized the change as not going far enough. Two years earlier, the BSA National Council voted to end its policy of barring youth from membership based on their sexual orientation.t

by the publishers and journalists in the hall. But there’s not a damned sportswriter among them. I was nominated without success for a couple of years and then begged my friends to stop nominating me; the sense of rejection is too distasteful. But why not Zeigler and Buzinski? Their founding of Outsports.com is one of the landmark LGBT journalist achievements of the current millennium. They have provided the arena in which closeted coaches and athletes have been able to contemplate their futures and careers rather than their suicides. They have hounded elite athletes and coaches whenever they have been guilty of homophobic slurs. They have de-

manded – and gotten – changes in the way elite programs treat LGBT fans, athletes, and coaches. I’m not holding my breath that MLB or BASHOF will do the right thing anytime soon, but I am less jaded when it comes to NLGJA, maybe because I have done a lot of volunteer work for it in the past. So, when you’re done with the me-meme magic of opening gifts and have knocked off your holiday feasts, please take a few minutes to join me in urging NLGJA to enshrine Outsports founders Zeigler and Buzinski. Interested readers can submit nominations for the NLGJA Hall of Fame at http://www.nlgja.org through February 15.t

Caitlyn Jenner

all three Democratic presidential hopefuls – Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O’Malley – have expressed strong support for equal rights for LGBT people.

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

14 • Bay Area Reporter • December 24-30, 2015

Homeless

From page 7

want the best. I’ll just say that.” In the October news release announcing Lee’s appointment of Dodge to head HOPE, the mayor’s office called Dodge “a critical leader in the city’s new first-of-its-kind Navigation Center pilot program.” The center was recently created to move entire encampments of homeless people off the streets and into supportive housing. “It looks like we’re going to be able to do two more Navigation Centers this next year,” Dodge said. He couldn’t yet say where they’d be.

Political Notebook

From page 9

nella and Maienschein had earned perfect scores last year. The number of Republicans who had scores of zero fell to a historic low of nine. (Last year 14 GOP lawmakers failed to vote for any LGBT bills.) Meanwhile, five GOP Assemblymen

HIV confab

From page 11

“People are requesting PrEP because they want it and realize they are at risk, but they’re not staying on it long-term,” Udoh concluded. “Assessing seasons of risk is very important and should be built into counseling.” Like the Magnet team, the CRUSH team stressed that it is important to integrate a benefits counselor to help people access insurance coverage.

Urgent care center

From page 10

“We had some interest in a wine bar and some other uses. The entities that wanted it, given the fact they were not formula retailers and first-time businesses, were having a hard time getting financial backing,” he said. “And it needed improvements since the space is not built out.” Direct Urgent Care intends to utilize the patio as an outdoor waiting area for patients. It will be installing tables and chairs in it. It provides non-emergency medical

San Francisco officials released a report in July showing that 29 percent of the city’s homeless population identify as LGBT – the same figure that was reported in 2013, the last time such numbers were released locally. There were a total of 7,539 homeless people, a 2 percent increase from the 7,350 counted in 2013. At 29 percent, there were about 2,186 homeless LGBTs in 2015. In an email, Dodge said that on November 20, which he called Transgender Day of Remembrance/ Resistance, there “was a call to have shelters invest in transgender support.” One shelter operator in the city is looking to hire more trans-

gender people, he said. “We are also aware that LGBT youth are overrepresented in our youth experiencing homelessness and are encouraged by the recently agreed to federal budget that earmarks funds for programs targeting youth,” Dodge added. “We plan to go after those funds to expand exits from homelessness.” Brian Basinger, director of AIDS Housing Alliance/San Francisco, had high praise for Dodge. “I’ve known Sam for years. He’s awesome,” Basinger said. “... He’s a natural ally. You don’t have to convince him. I think he’s in the right place.”t

scored 10 percent, four GOP Senators earned 11 percent, and another five Republicans from both chambers had scores between 20 and 25 percent. EQCA noted in the report it is “hopeful that continued engagement of EQCA with the California Log Cabin Republicans will help improve support for equality legislation in the years ahead.”t

The Political Notes online column will return Monday, January 11. Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes. Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

While there has been much community discussion of the impact of PrEP on STIs among gay and bi men, these and other studies show that men seeking PrEP already have high STI rates. “Rectal gonorrhea is pretty much a slam dunk indicator that a person could benefit from PrEP,” NIAID Division of AIDS director Carl Dieffenbach, Ph.D., said during his plenary lecture. “So many people who want PrEP are already going condomless.” Dieffenbach reviewed the pipe-

line of potential future PrEP options, which includes broadly neutralizing antibodies, microbicides in rings or other sustained-release systems, and long acting injectables, predicting, “We may one day have PrEP that can be administered once a year.” PrEP is still underused, Grant said. “We need more options so everyone can find an option that’s appealing to them,” he said. “[But] we have a good thing now and I think it’s underutilized.”t

care, such as X-rays, stiches, physicals, and pediatric care. The Market Street location will have seven employees, including two clinicians and three additional staff that are an X-ray technologist, nurse or medical assistant. Its fees range from $25 to $350 depending on the procedure, and Djavaherian estimated their prices are 20 percent of what a patient would pay if they went to an emergency room for care. It also offers a “Prompt Pay Discount Program” for those who do not have insurance or for patients who may have a high deductible with

Transmissions

From page 12

What’s more, now is the time to reach out to those most disadvantaged in our community, and make their stories and needs known. I’ve always felt that human rights should be afforded to all, and with that in mind we all need to build meaningful coalitions among the whole of the transgender community. We need to create a harmony of voices, where everyone who identifies as transgender has a place in the choir. It’s larger than just us, of course. We need to continue to explore our intersections, and look at how race, class, sex, and any number of other such things affect us. We have much to learn and much to give, and now is the time to do so. I’m not going to lie. This is going to be a monumental fight, and like HERO, there will be battles lost. Yet we need to fight on, and continue to build a place in this society for us and for those who will follow beyond us. Nearly 40 years ago, in the wake of the Stonewall Rebellion and many wins for the gay and lesbian community, a pushback occurred. Spurred on by anti-gay activist and former beauty pageant winner Anita

Bryant, gay rights begin to take a hit. Bryant herself was heavily involved in the 1977 “Save Our Children” campaign that ended up repealing gay rights laws in several cities and counties over the course of the next two years. Think of the loss in Houston as our Save Our Children moment, and replace the outdated notion of “gays recruit” with all the current nonsense about predators in restrooms. Now look at where the LGBT community is as a whole. When I first started out in the transgender community, the very

their plan that they are unlikely to meet. Some patients find the discount program is less expensive than going through their insurance company. The discount reflects the lower administrative costs Direct Urgent Care can charge by not billing through insurance companies. “We don’t push people one way or the other. It is their choice,” said Djavaherian. “Our mission is keeping people healthy, and part of that is keeping them financially healthy.” To learn more about the company, visit http://www.directurgentcare.com.t notion that transgender people could sell hit records like Laura Jane Grace, or could be on hit television shows like Laverne Cox, Jazz Jennings, or Caitlyn Jenner, or could simply have meaningful employment and a roof over their heads while being out and proud of one’s self was practically unheard of. We’ve come an amazingly far way in the last 20 years. There were still, for example, laws on the books prohibiting wearing cross-gender attire, and about the best we could hope for was a strong transgender character that still made a film’s hero vomit at the site of her. So while we may not Christine Smith win tomorrow, we will win. At the same time, we cannot expect others to win it for us. We need to stand tall, and we need to foster our allies while we raise our own voices. So, at the darkest time of our year, let us keep hope. Let’s let that hope keep us warm through the cold nights of today. Share our hope with others, and let it grow. We can win – if we want it.t Gwen Smith thinks Harvey Milk was right. You’ll find her on Twitter at @gwenners.

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036799800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NEW REVOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHY, 111 CENTRAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PIERCE LARICK. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/23/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/23/15.

DEC 03, 10, 17, 24, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036789500

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036812300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: INDIA CLAY OVEN RESTAURANT AND BAR, 2436 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed COURTYARD SF CORPORATION (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 12/02/15.

DECEMBER 10, 17, 24, 31, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036812400

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DEC 03, 10, 17, 24, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036802700

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DECEMBER 10, 17, 24, 31, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036835200

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DEC 03, 10, 17, 24, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036810600

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DEC 17, 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036796700

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DECEMBER 10, 17, 24, 31, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036821200

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DEC 17, 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036816800

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DECEMBER 10, 17, 24, 31, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036812200

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DEC 17, 24, 31, 2015 JAN 07, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036789200

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DEC 24, 2015, DEC 31, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036841100

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DEC 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 14, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036845200

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Amazing Grace

2015 music

2015: the year

Out &About

Opera dream

O&A

Vol. 45 • No. 52 • December 24-30, 2015

www.ebar.com/arts

on stage

by Richard Dodds

ny year that starts off with a visit from Angela Lansbury is ipso facto a memorable year. A tough act to follow, for sure, but many more theatrically memorable moments were to come in the wake of her run in Blithe Spirit at the Golden Gate Theatre. Those memories include productions, performances, and events, and as 2015 gets ready to take its final bow, it’s time to offer up one more round of applause in the following casually coordinated fashion.

P.A. Cooley played a professional burlesque sissy in an ambitiously successful production of The Nance at New Conservatory Theatre Center. Lois Tema

Marga Gomez rings in the New Year Nuts: cracked! by Paul Parish

an Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker opened last week and shows astonishing staying power. After 70 years, in its fifth production, it’s still a muscular blockbuster holiday extravaganza. The show is whip-smart, with “How’d they do that?” effects scaled at many levels, so the colossal moments in the phan-

San Francisco Ballet in Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker. Erik Tomasson

tasmagoric dream sequence have been prepared for in that mysterious way great theater requires. Every moment has its necessary life in bringing the whole thing to you. Twenty years ago this paper’s great dance critic Keith White felt that, writing for a gay audience, he had to ignore the story and setting and get straight to assessing the dancers. See page 18 >>

by David Elijah Nahmod

Chris Storin, Marga Gomez and Baruch-Porras Hernandez are part of the lineup at the 4th Annual Brava’s New Year’s Eve Comedy Fiesta: Latino Power Edition.

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

esbian comic Marga Gomez will be partying onstage at the Brava Theater Center on New Year’s Eve. She’ll be joined by a few of her funny friends, and you are invited to be part of the festivities. See page 22 >> Anastacia Powers Cuellar

<< Out There

18 • Bay area reporter • December 24-30, 2015

Opera of epic proportions

This holiday season we’ve been listening to our kind of Christmas music, the great Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov’s La Nuit de Noel (Christmas Eve). It’s our favorite Yuletide opera because there’s no baby Jesus in it, no Nativity scene, no Magi, no manger, no nuttin’. Also

Courtesy SF Opera

Dream of the Red Chamber production design by Tim Yip and projection design by John Wong.

no Santa, no St. Nick, no elves, no mugging candy canes, nothing saccharine at all. Instead, Rimsky based the opera (in four acts and nine tableau) on a short story by Nikolai Gogol, itself based on Ukrainian folk tales involving devils and gods, witches and wizards. Merry Xmas! In this cosmology, the night before Christmas is the last night in the calendar year when witches, goblins and the Devil himself are able to exercise their evil powers on human

<< Courtesy SF Opera

Dream of the Red Chamber composer and co-librettist Bright Sheng.

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Times have changed. It’s no longer necessary to apologize for Magic Realism, or to tiptoe around the family drama Nutcracker is rooted in. Now that the very idea of gay marriage has become thinkable and gay families are taking their place in the middle class, the bourgeois family circle fails to stand in the way of letting this ballet deploy its strengths. The Stahlbaums clearly have a gay uncle who’s godfather to their daughter, and they’re fine with that. Gay icon Tchaikovsky’s perennially absorbing music can sweep you up into a fantasy that’s truly wizardly, but still physicalized in a way that’s as remote as possible from virtual reality. Everything that’s old-fashioned about ST looks different 15TH now. The bricks| it Catering and-mortar aspect becomes a solid strength, and the old opera-house magic tricks can put the STwhammy 16TH on you. Those are real bodies up on that stage, and when a person materializes in a space that was thin air just a moment ago 17TH (done with trap ST doors and hydraulic lifts), the effect is visceral. That body has weight and force, and can’t be made to ﬂoat or disappear through CGI or quick cutting. The dancers’ confidence as their assignments become more dangerous – any child can tell how hard this must be – blows your mind with adrenaline rushes. Production elements are worldclass. Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous music, played lusciously by the ballet orchestra under Martin West’s capable direction, is drenched in homesickness. Helgi Tomasson has assembled a crack team of experts who have designed sets, costumes, and lighting that fit the music and place the action believably in the San Francisco of 100 years ago, when the city was rebuilding after the earthquake. The Edwardian living room has a huge Christmas tree with electric lights and a sweeping staircase stage left, put to fantastic effect when, after all is said and done, the after-party nightmare with its unexpectedly happy ending, the stairs rematerialize and the girl can run upstairs into her mother’s arms. It was all a dream. The whole show works like clockwork. The queer uncle Drosselmeyer, who brings a nutcracker doll for Clara that plants the seed for her dreams, is at the center of an aesthetic that celebrates animaCASTRO ST

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beings. So as the opera opens, the witch Solokha (in the recording we own, sung by mezzo-soprano Elena Zaremba) and the Devil (tenor Viatcheslav Voinarovski) are planning some last-minute mischief. There’s a lot of convoluted plot and narrative complications, mostly involving Solokha’s son the blacksmith Vakula. A Sunday painter, Vakula has painted a picture showing the Devil being thrashed, and the latter is not amused. He uses

his diabolical powers to remove the moon from the night sky. There are also subplots involving Cossacks, the Tsarina, copious amounts of vodka, and a pair of pumps. Moral of the story: “He who has the devil on his back does not need to go far to find him.” The epilogue is a tribute to Gogol. What the story lacks in subtlety and nuance it makes up for in local color. But it’s the music that captivates, the Slavic folk songs and Rimsky’s elaborate orchestrations. We came to listen to it as one-half of a four-CD Rimsky-Korsakov package, The Two Operas After Gogol (Moscow Forum Theatre, Mikhail Yurovski conducting), paired with the composer’s La Nuit de Mai (May Night) (Bolshoi Theatre, Andrey Christiakov conducting) (Harmonia Mundi). Regarding the latter, check back with us in May.t

From page 17

CAFE

Russian around

an Francisco Opera will offer the world premiere of Dream of the Red Chamber, an adaptation of the epic 18th-century Chinese novel, by composer/co-librett ist Bright Sheng and co-librettist David Henry Hwang (M. Butterﬂy), in September 2016. Last week, SFO General Director David Gockley, Sheng, and other members of the opera’s creative team discussed the exciting project in a press conference at the opera house. Gockley remarked that when SFO staged The Bonesetter’s Daughter (by Stewart Wallace, based on Amy Tan’s novel) in 2008, “We got an outpouring of interest from the Chinese community in the Bay Area,” and ever since, he’d kept his “eyes peeled” for something similar. Now the company is tackling this indispensable epic of Chinese literature. Sheng pointed out that Dream, by Qing Dynasty writer Cao Xueqin, is twice as long as Leo Tolstoy’s masterpiece War and Peace, with 10 times as many characters, so distilling it into a three-hour opera was daunting. Still, its core is a compelling story that’s universal in its appeal, a love triangle set against political intrigues, and an opportunity to showcase 18th-century aristocratic Chinese culture. Director Stan Lai called Red Chamber “the iconic piece of literature in the Chinese consciousness. It is an encyclopedia of everything Chinese.” Production designer Tim

Yip discussed several components of his design decisions. Then the press was treated to a musical excerpt from the opera. Adler Fellow tenor Chong Wang sang central character Bao Yu’s Act I aria “Goodbye, Goodbye” accompanied by Adler Fellow pianist Ronny Michael Greenberg. It was exquisite music that served to whet our appetite for the larger work to come next autumn.

M AR

by Roberto Friedman

Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet dancers Frances Chung and Davit Karapetyan in Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker.

tion technology in its 100-yearsold form. When, in her dream, the living-room walls ﬂy away, the tree and the furniture grow to giant size, everything locks into place with miraculous timing. Giant mice appear. Clara, her Nutcracker, and an army of tin soldiers defeat them. Clara herself takes the strategic lead in killing the Mouse King, whereupon he crawls back down the prompter’s box, and the world is transformed into a blizzard of whirling snow (or is it sugar?) and the ballet unleashes its first blast of full-tilt choreography. What seems to be hundreds of girls on pointe dance under tons of confetti falling from the ﬂies, amidst which Lauren Strongin was astonishingly brilliant as the Queen of the Snow, ably partnered by Vitor Luiz. It’s as a community experience that I enjoy Nutcracker the most. The responses of other members of the audience under other circumstances can be annoying, even ruinous, but at the Nutcracker the gasps of astonishment are almost as much fun as the show. What keeps it fresh is the way individual dancers bring new life to it. Sienna Clark made a brave heroine out of Clara, and Val Caniparoli played his perennial role as Uncle Drosselmeyer with great energy and warmth. Emma Rubinowitz excelled as the party scene’s ballerina doll, and Myles Thatcher made a totally plausible, rather exasperated party guest. These cameos are sometimes the most memorable things of all; I will never forget Chidozie Nzerem’s party guest from 10 years ago: he seemed to be channeling his own grandfather and bringing him back to life.

“Hot Chocolate” was brilliantly danced in the Spanish manner by Isabella de Vivo and Norika Matsuyama, with Diego Cruz, Esteban Hernandez, and James Sofranko partnering them. Sasha de Sola made a luscious Arabian dance from the music for “Coffee.” Steven Morse was the Peking acrobat chased about the stage by a delightful Chinese dragon. Riotous was the troika of Russians who sprang from Faberge eggs: Max Cauthorn, Alexander Reneff Olson, and John Paul Simoens, in choreography of the late, great Anatole Vilzak, who came from Russia with Balanchine, and late in life taught his art at the SFB School. In the Grand Pas, Frances Chung achieved true ballerina stature. It was a magnificent performance with no false moments, no matter how astonishing the feat, as when she suddenly materialized, serene and happy, sitting in the lotus position on the shoulder of her cavalier, the wonderfully musical Davit Karapetyan. The whole production realizes San Francisco’s cosmopolitan, universal human values. If it’s weak anywhere, it is in the choreography, which is due perhaps for some reconsideration. Especially the Sugar Plum Fairy’s steps are lacking in invention, and her place in the “Waltz of the Flowers” could be made more compelling.t

Out & About This week, find Arts & Culture’s calendar listings Out & About in the BARtab section.

Film>>

December 24-30, 2015 • Bay Area Reporter • 19

Best Christmas movies of all time by David Lamble

ou have no idea how many great Christmas movies are out there on tape, disc, via streaming or download. I’ve picked 20 of my favorites, which span a wide range of aesthetic qualities. The Apartment (1960) It’s not every holiday movie that earns its creator (Billy Wilder) three Oscars (Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, shared with I.A.L. Diamond), but this comic drama about the office shnook (Jack Lemmon) who lends out his bed to his superiors at the Consolidated Life Insurance Co. was so brilliantly balanced between light and dark elements it’s one of the best Hollywood holiday pictures. The highlight is a second-act scene where Lemmon’s C.C. Baxter gets punched into the Christmas tree by the sorehead taxi-driver cousin of the girl he carries a torch for, elevator operator Fran Kubelick (scene-stealing Shirley MacLaine). A kind-hearted Jewish doctor (Jack Kruchen) has the great line, “Baxter, be a mensch! A human being!” A Christmas Story (1983) Indiana-born humorist Jean Shepherd’s short story “Duel in the Snow, or Red Ryder Nails the Cleveland Street Kid” gets a stellar nostalgia

treatment from Bob Clark directing a pitch-perfect cast: Peter Billingsley as the kid who’s warned he’ll “shoot his eye out” if Santa brings him that Red Ryder BB gun; Darren McGavin as the hot-headed dad who blows his top every five minutes; Melinda Dillon as the soft-hearted mom; and Scott Schwartz as the grade-school bully. Watch it once and you’ll know why it plays so often on TV. Highlight: the dogs from the hillbilly neighbors steal the family’s Christmas roast. A Christmas Carol (1951) British stalwart Alastair Sim is a humane Scrooge in a classic rendition of Charles Dickens’ most famous tale. Skip the computer-colorized version for the pristine blacks and whites. A film this good can make you forget you’ve seen this old chestnut a dozen times. Remember the Night (1940) Film noir pioneers Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray hatch a most improbable holiday romance. She’s a veteran shoplifter caught redhanded, and he’s the DA who’s supposed to prosecute her but winds up taking her home to Indiana and his empathetic if oddball extended clan. Fans of 1940s screenwriter-director Preston Sturges may be surprised at the screwball maestro’s soft side,

but you’ll realize why Stanwyck and MacMurray were paired three more times. MacMurray displays a side he never did for the tough-hearted Wilder. Christmas in July (1940) Sturges’ taut 70-minute screenplay features office worker Jimmy MacDonald (Dick Powell), who mistakenly thinks he’s struck it rich winning the lottery. The story features the usual Sturges switcheroos and a terrific supporting cast including the incomparable Franklin Pangborn. Christmas in Connecticut (1945) Stanwyck is a highly-paid columnist for a big-time housekeeping magazine who falls for a recovering wounded war vet (Dennis Morgan). It’s a great setup, except that Barbara can barely boil an egg. Her comeuppance is just around the corner. Holiday Affair (1949) Robert Mitchum plays furiously against type as a department store clerk who strenuously woos a confused comparison shopper/war widow (Janet Leigh), who’s also dating an uptight DA (Wendel Corey). Comfort and Joy (1984) Bill Patterson is amazing as lovesick Scottish disc jockey Dickie Bird, involved See page 23 >>

Jack Lemmon stars in director Billy Wilder’s The Apartment.

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<< Books

20 • Bay area reporter • December 24-30, 2015

Gifts that get you reading by Gregg Shapiro

well’s 22nd novel in the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series, features the medical examiner dealing with a horrifying family crisis. Zachary Thomas Dodson’s dystopian debut novel Bats of the Republic (Doubleday), complete with the author’s own graphics, traverses a 300-year time period from 18432143, featuring a gay dad as a major character. Gay voiceover actor and playwright James Sie lets the page do the talking in his debut novel Still Life Las Vegas (St. Martin’s Press). The coming-of-age story, in which Walter discovers the truth about his family history, includes illustrations by Sungyoon Choi. Combining issues of identity on a global scale, Ioannis Pappos’ sexy debut novel Hotel Living (Harper Perennial) succeeds in making the world of the pre-2008 financial crisis an erotically charged place. Lesbian author Nina Revoyr returns with her fifth novel Lost Canyon (Akashic), a wilderness thriller about four people from LA who embark on a backpacking excursion through the Sierra Nevada and encounter more than they’d bargained for. Michael Graves’ novel Parade (Chelsea Station Editions) follows teenaged cousins gay Reggie and straight Elmer on their odyssey from dull suburbia to sunny Florida in a stolen limo. Playwright-journalist Sigal Samuel tales us deep into the heart of the Mile End neighborhood in Montreal, “a mash-up of hipsters and Hasidic Jews,” in The Mystics of

Mile End (William Morrow). Words & music In time to honor the centennial of the groundbreaking gay jazz legend Billy Strayhorn, Strayhorn: An Illustrated Life (Bolden/Agate), edited by A. Alyce Claerbaut and David Schlesinger, tells Strayhorn’s melodious story through words and images. Encyclopedia Madonnica 20 (Boy Culture), the updated 20th anniversary edition of the “Madonna bible” by Madonna-obsessed writer Matthew Rettenmund, loaded with pix and illustrations, includes celeb interviews and “one-word descriptions.” With a foreword by Grace Slick and an afterword by Grace Potter, the coffeetable book Hippie Chick: A Tale of Love Devotion & Surrender (Rock Out Books), with text by Edith Johnson, contains almost 450 images by renowned rock photographer Jay Blakesburg, paying homage to the “earth mamas, fairy princesses, hula hoopers, whirling dervishes, front-row regulars and ﬂower-crown makers,” barefoot or booted, on whom Blakesburg has focused his lens at music festivals and concerts for 35 years. For younger readers The trans narrative in George (Scholastic), a Y/A novel for readers of all ages by gender-queer writer-activist Alex Gino, tells the story of Melissa, born George, who wants the lead in the school production of Charlotte’s Web. She and best friend Kelly devise a plan to get the part while settling the gender-identity issue “once and for all.” Ketzel, the Cat who Composed (Candlewick Press), the latest children’s book by Heather Has Two Mommies author Leslea Newman, with illustrations by Amy June Bates, is the story of composer-pianist Moshe Cotel and his kitten. “A music primer for children,” What Is Punk? (Akashic Books), by Eric Morse with illustrations by Anny Yi, is written in rhyme with photos of colorful clay characters and settings to recreate the history of the “deafening roar that awakened the people like never before.” Figurines represent New York Doll David Johansen in high heels, icons Debbie Harry, Lou Reed, and allfemale band the Slits.t

and the emergence of LGBT culture. She fell in love with art director and photographer Jean Paul Goude, and they began one of the most intense romantic, artistic, and creative affairs ever seen since Josef Von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich. Her next genius move was signing to Island Records, who totally embraced everything about her while she and Jean Paul updated her image. She became an African android, her skin painted blue-black, rocking a Marine’s ﬂat-top and Armani suits. She was nominated for a Grammy for her music-video concert Grace Jones – A One Man Show, which included her hits “Slave to the

Rhythm,” “My Jamaican Guy” and “Warm Leatherette.” At the height of her relationship with Jean Paul, while raising their two-year-old son Paulo, she took up with Hans Dolph Lungren, an international Karate champion and Fulbright Scholar 10 years her junior. They became the very definition of a “power couple,” as movies, commercials, endorsements, television appearances, magazine covers, and of course great music ﬂowed seamlessly from her. She was at the right places at the right times with a unique androgynous look during an amazing period in time when pop culture became a humongous business in the 1980s. Her work with people as diverse as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Dr. Timothy Leary, Eiko Ishioka, and Nile Rodgers made her unique as she blended commercial and fine art and music. She shows a refreshing sense of allure and integrity throughout. Her observations about sex, drugs, provocation, and her pupils, from Madonna to Lady Gaga with Rihanna in-between, take the book light-years past autobiography into a zone that has only been occupied by women such as Diahann Carroll, Gloria Swanson, and Diana Vreeland. This book is beyond mustread.t

he holidays are here, and gift lists are being assembled. Remember, you can’t sign an e-book, so kindly refrain from purchasing any of those as gifts this season. Instead, give someone a nicely bound hardcover or paperback book. According to media outlets, indie booksellers are on the rise and e-book sales are on the decline. Patronize your neighborhood independent bookseller and feel good about supporting a local business. Eating & drinking Gone With the Gin: Cocktails with a Hollywood Twist (Running Press) by Tim Federle, the follow-up to the gay author’s 2013 Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist, offers 50 luscious libations including A Clockwork Orange Julius, Indiana Jones and the Shirley Temple of Doom, the Rocky Horror Pisco Show, Bloody Mary Poppins, and Tequila Sunrise Boulevard, all ready for their close-ups. A tasty and funny companion to the award-winning ABC sitcom, The Modern Family Cookbook (Melcher Media/Oxmoor House) features 100 easy-to-make recipes credited to the show’s loveable characters and supporting players. Full of color photos, scenes from the series and more, The Modern Family Cookbook is delish! Poetic license Caprice (Sibling Rivalry), by Denise Duhamel and Maureen Seaton, does a brilliant job of compiling the award-winning poets’ collaborative work, including 1997’s Exquisite Politics, chapbooks Oyl (2000) and Little Novels (2002), uncollected poems, interviews and new collaborations, including 2015’s Gender’s Tidy Little Stories about Itself. Winner of the 2014 Cave Canem Poetry Prize, Boy with Thorn (U. of Pittsburg Press) by Ricki Laurentiis, the gay African-American poet’s debut collection, features poems about race and sexuality that stay with the reader long after the book is closed. The 60th anniversary edition of City Lights Pocket Poets Anthology (City Lights), edited by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, includes queer poets Allen Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara,

Robert Duncan, Peter Orlovsky, Antler and Harold Norse, as well as beat poetry legends Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso, Anne Waldman, Bob Kaufman and others. Featuring illustrations by Ashley Holt, Laura Hallett, Erin Maala, Ben Baldwin, Rob Appleby and others, acclaimed Southern gay poet and educator Jeff Mann’s Rebels (Lethe Press) is a collection in which the poet “queers” the Civil War. In their own words One of the most well-respected voices in gay journalism and activism, Philadelphia Gay News’ Mark Segal tells the story of his journey in his memoir And Then I Danced (Open Lens), complete with several pages of color photos. A compilation of texts from provocative performance artist Karen Finley (one of the notorious NEA Four), the expanded 25th anniversary edition of Shock Treatment (City Lights) contains her writings on feminism, homophobia and AIDS. Musician and comedic artist Greg Scarnici assembles his humorous writings in the essay collection I Hope My Mother Doesn’t Read This (Thought Catalog), covering Liza Minnelli, acting classes, music, oral sex, Madonna, International Male, and travel. In That’s What Fashion Is: Lessons and Stories from My Nonstop, Mostly Glamorous Life in Style (Thomas Dunne/St. Martin’s), gay former Elle creative director and current Yahoo Style editor-in-chief Joe Zee tells his tres chic story in words and pictures.

Until My Heart Stops: Intimate Writings (Chelsea Station Editions), an anthology of more than 50 essays by prolific gay writer Jameson Currier, spans a 30-year period. Author David Plante (queer lit classic The Catholic) follows up his 2013 Becoming a Londoner: A Diary with Worlds Apart: A Memoir (Bloomsbury), about his life with lover Nikos Stangos in Jerusalem, rural Ireland, and Tulsa, OK. Australian surfer Peter Drouyn made his name through power surfing. The most significant event in his life came in 2012 when he underwent gender reassignment surgery and emerged as Westerly Windina. Written with sensitivity and insight by Jamie Brisick in Becoming Westerly (Outpost19). Good Morning America producer Mary Pﬂum Peterson’s memoir White Dresses (Morrow) tells the story of her mother Anne through the garments that figured into her time as a nun and her failed marriage to a closeted gay man. The Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Dey Street) by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik celebrates Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg “in all her glory” through words and pictures. Fiction festival Gay literary agent Bill Clegg makes his fiction debut with the novel Did You Ever Have a Family (Scout Press), about the aftermath of a devastating tragedy. Depraved Heart (Morrow), lesbian mystery writer Patricia Corn-

Keeping up with the Jones by Cornelius Washington

I’ll Never Write My Memoirs by Grace Jones, as told to Paul Morley; Gallery Books “ here was a double meaning to it, and I liked to write lyrics that had double meanings. But

I wasn’t conscious at the time that you could interpret these lyrics as being about – perhaps if this was how you wanted to take it – anal sex. If you want to take it that way, please do. Take it anyway you want.” – Grace Jones, on the lyrics to “Pull Up to the Bumper.” This

is just one of the many nuggets in the platinum mine of a book written by one of the most recognizable and inﬂuential people in pop culture. Grace Beverly Jones was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, into an abusive, extremely bizarre, and religious family, so strict she wasn’t even allowed to wear open-toed shoes. Attending college in the United States, she rebelled, brieﬂy becoming a hippie, dropping LSD, and stripping. But with her striking face, taut, athletic body, and a serious sense of style – a trait she inherited from her seamstress mother, who lived in Givenchy – Grace moved to New York City and became a model, working mostly for men’s magazines. On the advice of her agent, Grace relocated to Paris, and immediately began working with the icons and innovators at the highest level of haute couture: Yves Saint Laurent, Antonio Lopez, and Issey Miyake, to name a few. Disco was brewing, and Grace became a singer, working with the producer who invented the 12-inch remix, Tom Moulton. Her international hits “I Need a Man,” “Do or Die,” and her definitive remake of Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose” made her the ultimate representation of disco, fashion, the sexual revolution,

Music>>

December 24-30, 2015 • Bay area reporter • 21

2015’s best in classical recordings by Tim Pfaﬀ

perennial problem with “Best of ” pieces is that pesky business of gap CDs, issued too late to make the issuing year’s “Best of ” list. Example: Nicholas Harnoncourt’s Mozart’s Instrumental Oratorium: The Last Symphonies (Sony), which hauled itself out of my side of the Pacific as the kilobytes were still drying on my 2014 piece. Harnoncourt’s point with the disc was that Mozart conceived his last three symphonies as a set, and, performed that way, they sounded different. You could miss his point and still find the splendid performances with his half-century old Concentus Musicus Wien among the finest ever. Once again setting an example, Harnoncourt has just announced his retirement, at 86, because he says his body can no longer keep up with his mind. Few musicians have left such a rich recorded legacy. Easily the best recording of 2015 was Igor Levit’s traversal of variation sets by Bach, Beethoven and Frederic Rzewski (Sony). I’ve written enough about it already, but Levit has since turned New York on its collective ear with “staged” performances of Bach’s Goldberg Varia-

tions, urging yet more members of the music press to call him “the pianist of the future.” The future is now. As he does every year, or so it seems, J.S. Bach – the only composer who can put you out of mind of any other composer, music or reality – outpaced the competition in volume of new recordings in 2015. Most speculative was John Butt’s recording of the Magniﬁcat, (just in time for Christmas), performed in a liturgical context, and at a lower pitch, that together make it sound not just fresh as ever but somehow new.

But continuing a pattern set by Christophe Rousset in another gapyear recording, of Book II of The Well-Tempered Clavier (Aparte), other projects charting the music for solo instruments have proved searching. Pianist Piotr Anderszewski’s of the English Suites 1, 3 & 5 (Warner) is in Levit’s league, and Gil Shaham’s of the solo-violin works (Canary Classics) also stood out. Above all, there were David Watkin’s penetrating performances of the Cello Suites (Resonus), which would have been a recording for the books without the back-story. But in

fact, this long-valued member of the early-music community knew he was making his final recording due to the autoimmune disease scleroderma, which made cello playing no longer a possibility. His readings are urgent, immediate and sage. I hear MTT is kicking up a storm with the Schumann symphonies at Davies. After reading the entrails of complete sets by Nezet-Seguin and Rattle late last year, I was delighted by Robin Ticciati’s, for Linn, last January. Ticciati is the best today at getting period-sensitive sonorities and playing out of a “regular” band,

his Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and he followed up this noble yet buoyant Schumann set, simply the best I’ve heard, with a delectable set of Haydn D Major symphonies (31, 70 & 101) with SCO at year’s end. Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov and Jean-Guihen Queryas, three musicians you can count on to be good as it gets, soloing or in ensemble, do both in Harmonia Mundi’s new series dedicated to historically informed performances of the Schumann concertos for violin,

sounding thrilled to be following Wonder’s lead. “Ebony and Ivory” is McCartney at his most schmaltzy. These songs would set the precedent for McCartney’s later collaborations with Michael Jackson and Elvis Costello. Jackson can also be heard in a duet with McCartney on the clubby “Say Say Say.” Continuing the metaphor of its predecessor, Pipes of Peace falls short. But it has its allure, including the title cut, which finds McCartney experimenting with synthetic instrumentation. Both albums include second discs with bonus audios and visuals. Van Morrison released his own masterpiece, Astral Weeks (WB), in 1968. Reissued in an expandedgatefold CD edition with four bonus tracks, this chamber-pop album sounds eternal. Driven by Morrison’s distinctive vocals and songwriting, it’s considered one of the greatest recordings of all time. Acoustic guitars, strings, woodwinds, brass and vibraphone are some of the elements that make this sprawling song sequence so effective. “The Way Young Lovers Do” and “Madame George,” an epic tune about a drag queen, are essential listening. The expanded reissue of His Band and the Street Choir (1970) is the sound of Morrison getting back to his soulfully rocking roots, beginning with the classic hit “Domino.” Morrison gets retro on “Give Me a Kiss,” sings the blues on “I’ve Been Working,” reaches falsetto heights on “Gypsy Queen,” and goes gospel on “If I Ever Needed Someone.” The 10-CD box set Five Years 1969-1973 (Parlophone) continues the run of modern rock legend David Bowie. This year included the success of the exhibition David Bowie Is at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the release of Nothing Has Changed, a thorough singles compilation (ISO/ Legacy). Five Years represents seminal recordings remastered: David Bowie a.k.a. Space Oddity, The Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Aladdin Sane and Pinups. The CD covers are faithful reproductions of the original artwork, some gatefold, inner sleeves, and lyric sheets. All the members of British blues rockers Bad Company came from previous bands (Mott the Hoople, King Crimson). Kings of the mid-

70s rock stance, Bad Company had a string of hits found on Rock’n’Roll Fantasy: The Very Best of Bad Company (Swan Song/Rhino). Not quite as heavy as Led Zepplin, Bad Company was still able to rock out on chart-topping hits “Shooting Star” and “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” Led by the late Michael Brown, formerly of the Left Banke and Stories, the Beckies were a mid-70s signing to Seymour Stein’s Sire Records

label (Ramones, Talking Heads, the Smiths). Meant to fit into the punk/ new wave scene, the Beckies were really neither. Still, “Fran,” “Other Side of Town” and “Run Jenny Run” justify a CD reissue (Real Gone Music). It’s only been five years since the remastered 25th anniversary edition of Hunting High and Low, the debut album by Norwegian superstars a-ha. For the 30th anniversary, HH&L (WB/Rhino) gets the deluxe

remastered treatment with four CDs, one DVD. Still-hot Morten Harket’s tricep and cheekbones on the cover appeal. There’s also the music, sounding as good today as in 1985. The videos, especially “Take on Me,” remain classics. The first disc contains the original album, the second disc boasts 25 demos from 1982-84. Disc three includes 15 sin-

The gift of reissues

by Gregg Shapiro

riginally released 15 years ago as a compilation of UK & US #1 hit singles, The Beatles’ 1 was as close to being complete as a single disc could be, even with the exclusion of “Please Please Me” and “Strawberry Fields Forever.” The expanded CD/ DVD version 1+ (Apple/Universal) contains all the 2000 release tracks, remixed. From “Love Me Do” in 1962 to 1970’s “The Long and Winding Road,” these timeless songs tell the Beatles’ story. The set also includes two DVDs chock-full of promo videos. The first DVD contains all 27 songs introduced by clever title animations, and there’s animated “Yellow Submarine” and “Eleanor Rigby” footage. The second DVD features alternate takes and the official music videos. The DVDs function as visual histories of the band’s music, its fashion and grooming transformations, including hair length and facial hair. Then there’s the latest round of solo Paul McCartney reissues. Skipping ahead a few years to avoid London Town and Back to the Egg, we have 1982’s masterwork Tug of War and its fast follow-up Pipes of Peace (1983, both MPL/Concord). It took the murder of John Lennon in 1980 for McCartney to produce his strongest album in 10 years, Tug of War, essential for a few reasons. First, it permitted McCartney to finally come to terms with his complex relationship with his former bandmate. The title track and “Here Today” pack emotional wallops. Second is McCartney’s renewed interest in collaboration, this time with high-profile artist Stevie Wonder. “What’s That You’re Doing?” is a first-rate funk effort, McCartney

See page 23 >>

See page 22 >>

We are the future of the LGBT community. We’re gay. This is our first holiday as a married couple and we’re creating new traditions despite being from two different religions. We’ll celebrate our family, our friends, and our new life together. We’re also hoping that 2016 brings new exciting changes. We want our transgender friends to have the same rights we do. We want peace in our time. We want the world to stop fearing for the future. We want an end to AIDS. We are the future of the LGBT community. And we’ll probably read about that future on our smart watches in 2016. Because that’s what we bought each other this year.

The people depicted here are models. Their image is being used for illustrative purposes only.

<< Music

22 • Bay area reporter • December 24-30, 2015

More holiday music for now & beyond

by Jason Victor Serinus

.F. Handel: Messiah: American Bach Soloists/ American Bach Choir, Jeffrey Thomas cond. (American Bach Soloists DVD/Blu-ray) The Blu-ray version of ABS’ 2014 period-instrument performance of the 1753 Foundling Hospital version of Handel’s great classic features clear, CD-quality sound that captures the expansive acoustic of San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. Messiah junkies will soon notice the differences between this and Handel’s many other Messiah versions. If you can ignore close-ups of instrumentalists and chorus members who sometimes seem overly aware that they are on camera, and far too many extended pans of stained-glass windows, crosses, candles, and the like, you’ll discover first-class artistry from top-rank instrumentalists, including superb trumpeter John Thiessen. Solo voices include the

Reissues

From page 21

gles, B-sides and extended versions; disc four has 10 alternate mixes. Musical variety defined the 1990s, beginning with People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (Legacy) by NY trio A Tribe Called Quest, one of hip-hop’s most sophisticated acts. Combining social commentary, smoothly delivered rhymes and jazz samples, this debut paved the way for brilliance. Three bonus tracks fill out the 25th anni-

Marga Gomez

From page 17

Gomez, who’s been named Best Bay Area Comedian by SF Weekly, the Bay Guardian and the B.A.R., has also attained a national audience via her appearances on HBO, Logo, Comedy Central and PBS, as well as for her live performances in far-ﬂung locations such as New York City, Montreal and Edinburgh. Half-Cuban, Gomez spends part of her time apologizing for Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, the Latino presidential candidates known for their conservative, anti-LGBT views. Gomez’s fan base has included the late Robin Williams, who said that she was “amazing, a lesbian Lenny Bruce.” The New Year’s Eve show has been dubbed the Latino Power Edition. It’s the 4th Annual Brava New Year’s Eve Comedy Fiesta, and commemorates what Gomez calls “the brink of the most bizarre Presidential election in US history.” Gomez wants

sweet tenor of Kyle Stegall, the gorgeous countertenor of Eric Jurenas, the fine baritone of Jesse Blumberg, and the agile if sometimes slim soprano of Mary Wilson. The chorus isn’t always wellbalanced, with the men’s harmony sometimes dominating the women’s melody. Missing from the package are a track list and an explanation of the significance of this particular version of Messiah. To access them and more, you must either head online or, for the explanation, play the disc’s excellently executed “extra” lecture by Thomas on all of Handel’s various versions of Messiah. Essential Voices USA: Holiday Harmonies: Songs of Christmas (Sono Luminus) The slender-sounding chorus of Essential Voices USA, whoever they are (there are no liner notes to introduce them) under the direction of Judith Clurman, welcomes guest pianist Tedd Firth, harpist Stacey Shames, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, and soprano Maureen McKay. In addition to novel arrangements of classics “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night,” they offer new pieces by LGBT composers Jennifer Higdon and Nico Muhly. Barton sounds gorgeous (even if Reger’s “Maria Wiegenlied,” sung in English translation, would benefit from soprano treatment), and McKay lovely. But

missing is the resonant acoustic that would help everyone’s artistry achieve lift-off. J.S. Bach: Magnificat in E flat: Dunedin Consort, John Butt cond. (Linn SACD) In excellent hi-resolution sound that offers optional multichannel playback, the English Consort treats us to a reconstruction of Bach’s first Christmas Vespers in Leipzig Nikolaikirche, Dec. 25, 1723. Central to the performance is Bach’s wonderful Magniﬁcat. The recording may have been made in the UK rather than Leipzig, but the award-winning ensemble sounds authentic. The chorus of 10 is so fine that five of its members get to do double-duty as soloists. Soprano Joanne Lunn is a special find. Get this one. Etienne Charles: Creole Christmas (Culture Shock) This is a pretty crazy disc. Arranged by trumpeter Charles, it begins with a racially charged, borderline hilarious “Father Christmas” that includes references to white policemen. “Chocolate (Spanish Dance)” is by one Tchaikovsky, who would never recognize the congas. On another track, a vocalist named Relator sings, “This is just a friendly suggestion/to spend Christmas in a recession,/make a new friend for the Christmas this year,” over instrumentation that includes Andy Narrell on double second pan. Short of stripping naked, playing this disc loudly is a perfect way to chase the Mormon Missionaries from your front door. Highly recommended for those with a sense of humor. Friar Alessandro: Voice of Peace (Decca) On his third disc, extremely cute Franciscan Friar Alessandro Brustenghi from Assisi displays a lovely if not always perfectly produced, quasi-operatic voice that sounds fresher on some selections than others. (It took 11 days of recording in two different venues to produce the album’s 12 tracks.) His pin-up pictures are very sweet indeed. But the most important thing

versary reissue, including a Pharrell Williams remix of “Bonita Applebum” and a “Footprints” remix featuring CeeLo Green. 1995 was a big year for female singer-songwriters including queer acts Jill Sobule and Melissa Ferrick. Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill (Maverick) is available in a fourdisc collector’s edition to mark its 20th anniversary. JLP was Morissette’s collaboration with producer Glen Ballard. Morissette co-wrote the music and wrote the lyrics. This edition includes a remaster of the

album, a disc of demos, the 2012 Jagged Little Pill Acoustic and a live recording from 1995 London. Insurgent country became its own thing in 1990 with the release of Uncle Tupelo’s No Depression album. The band soon parted ways, with Jeff Tweedy heading off to form Wilco, while Jay Farrar formed Son Volt. The remastered 20th anniversary edition of Son Volt’s 1995 debut Trace (WB) adds eight bonus demos and an unreleased live disc recorded at the Bottom Line in 1996.t

is Alessandro’s seemingly unspoiled sincerity, which comes through loud and clear. Yulefest!: The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, Stephen Layton (Hyperion) We’ve come to expect excellent singing from Stephen Layton’s small ensemble Polyphony, and he coaxes equal excellence from this larger choir. Every ensemble should be blessed with such fine singers. The opening arrangement of “Jingle Bells” is a delight, that of “Silent Night” one of the loveliest I’ve heard, and Jeremy Davies’ arrangement of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” complete with English accents, charming to the max. Equally laudable is the way the CD conveys the spacious acoustic.

Nordic Winter & Christmas Songs (Danacord) For a definite change of pace, sample the pristine loveliness of music from Denmark, Sweden, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway, and Finland. We hear music by Grieg, Sibelius, and mostly unfamiliar composers, performed by a quartet of soprano, trumpet, violin, and organ. If you’re curious to hear a German folk melody or “O Holy Night” in Swedish, this disc’s for you. Winter’s Delights: Quadriga Consort (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi) Period instruments and the folksy voice of Elisabeth Kaplan distinguish this sweet, Celtic-tinged collection of early Christmas music and carols from the British Isles.t

Make this holiday seas

Special guest stars

Anna Trebunskaya & Dmitry Chaplin as seen on Dancing With The Stars

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Gomez cheerfully spoke “cheeky brown people to of her career for those who come to the aid of sanity by might not yet be familiar building a wall of punchwith her work. lines for everyone to enjoy “I’m one of the first openexcept Donald Trump. ly queer comedians in the “It looks like the fate of nation, and I got my start mankind and the planet at legendary San Francisco could be in the hands of the cabarets Josie’s and Valencreator of Celebrity Apprencia Rose,” she recalls. “I have tice,” Gomez explained to performed all over the States the B.A.R., “a schlocky show and abroad. Besides standI used to watch until Trump up, I also write and perform fired George Takei. That’s solo theater. For the last four when I knew Trump sucked. years I’ve had the honor of George Takei for President!” curating Brava’s New Year’s The Comedy Fiesta, GoAnastacia Powers Cuellar Eve Comedy Fiesta.” Gomez mez tells us, was in the Chris Storin, Baruch Porras-Hernandez, Marga added that her most recent works before Trump’s canGomez, Lydia Popovich. solo show, Pound, recently didacy. “Because Brava is completed a six-week run at located in the Mission, a crop of GOP presidential candidates Brava, where she is also the gay-friendly, Latino-themed are as wild and crazy as the stands artist-in-residence. comedy show seemed like fun,” she the candidates take on social issues. Gomez is quite excited about said. “When some of the GOP can“Dracula called, he wants his deher line-up of performers, and didates began framing Latinos as meanor back,” Gomez said of Ted particularly enthusiastic about criminals and low-lifes, shit got real. Cruz. Baruch-Porras Hernandez. “He’s Now I worry if I don’t get laughs, “Do you have any Quaaludes a San Francisco treasure,” she said. should I self-deport?’ Porras-Hernandez is currently the The comic’s words for the current left?” she asks of Dr. Ben Carson.

Dec 20–Jan 1

Special New Year’

415-392-4400 • cityboxoffic host of San Francisco Queer Open Mic at Modern Times Bookstore, and regularly hosts KQED Arts. “Being gay and Mexican is like listening to your parents cry in Spanish in your head every time you have sex with a man,” says Mexican native Porras-Hernandez. Others in the line-up include Lydia Popovich from Comedy Central’s Drunk History, San Francisco Punchline and Harvey’s Funny Tuesdays in the Castro. Also included will be comedian-playwright Monica Palacios, Chris Storin, and Betty Pazmino. The show will be followed by Brava’s Countdown Dance Party to ring in the New Year. “We will have party hats, noisemaker dancing in Brava’s grand foyer, and free champagne,” promises Gomez.t 4th Annual Brava’s New Year’s Eve Comedy Fiesta: Latino Power Edition kicks oﬀ at Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th St., SF, on Dec. 31 at 9 p.m. Tickets ($35-$50): brava.org.

DVD>>

December 24-30, 2015 • Bay area reporter • 23

More than just a martyr by David Lamble

att Shepard is a Friend of Mine (Virgil Films) is a compelling film memoir about the murder and martyrdom of a 21-year-old University of Wyoming freshman who, 50 days shy of 22, could already claim to have experienced more than his share of hard knocks. The film’s director spells out her personal stake in Matt Shepard’s story. “My name is Michele Josue, and Matt Shepard was a friend of mine. Matt was the type of friend I thought I’d know my whole life, but on Oct. 12, 1998, we lost him forever, and the Matt I knew became Matthew Shepard to the world. I miss my friend, and I’m not willing to let him go.”

Some of this bio-doc’s intimate disclosures were covered by Matt’s mom Judy in her poignant volume The Meaning of Matthew: My Son’s Murder in Laramie and a World Transformed. What Judy Shepard’s memoir and this new film offer are private glimpses of the joyful soul who was Matt Shepard. Here are home movies of Matt filmed by his kid brother, and family vacation video where his dad Dennis teases his handsome son as he poses in front of a Roman fountain. The movie also contains fragments of Matt’s diary, a playful excerpt read aloud by a female friend. “I’m funny and forgetful and messy and lazy. I’m giving and understanding, I’m formal and polite. I’m sensitive, and I’m honest and

sincere. I’m not a pest, I am my own person. I am warm. I love helping, I love smiling, I love being myself. I love learning, I love eating, I love airports, I love hugs.” As a kid, Matt had a mischievous streak, noted here by his dad. “At the airport one time, I got to tickling him, and he started screaming, ‘Child abuse, child abuse! Who is this stranger?’ Everyone around him started laughing. He was about nine at that time.” As she proved to an admiring nation, Judy has collected anecdotes about Matt that go from recalling a prank-prone kid to a moving moment when she recalls sensing Matt’s biggest life-secret. “He just loved people, and he loved making people feel better. It’s what made Matt Matt. When he was little he started writing poems to the neighbors, and he would leave them in their mailboxes. My dad was a postmaster, and he told Matt that it’s illegal to leave things in people’s mailboxes without putting a stamp on. So he decided to leave rocks instead. He’d find these pretty little rocks, gravel, whatever, and put them in. Everybody in the neighborhood knew it was Matt, and that the intention was good. That was when he was about eight, and I began to wonder if he was gay. I tell this story that his favorite Halloween costume was Dolly Parton, and that might have been a clue. He was Dolly lots of times, and didn’t always wait until Halloween to practice. That made me start thinking. I really think that people who love their family and friends know that they’re gay.” It would have tickled Matt, a young man with political ambitions, to be eulogized by a brilliant political practitioner, President William Jefferson Clinton. “I hope that in the grief of this moment for Matthew Shepard’s family and in the shared outrage across America, Americans will once again search their hearts and do what they can to reduce their own fear, anxiety and anger at people who are different.” Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine recalls the cosmic moment when

the news of a young gay man’s murder struck a chord with the national media. NBC Evening News anchor Tom Brokaw announced, “A young gay man is in a deep coma, near death, from a savage beating. It’s a crime that goes beyond despicable.” But for all the friends and family who share their memories of Matthew Wayne Shepard, the most moving for me came from Matt’s college guidance counselor, Walt Boulden. “It was probably only a couple of weeks before Matt was killed that he told me that he finally felt safe in Laramie.” Boulden, more than many of the Wyoming folks who got to know Matt, has a personal handle on the circumstances surrounding Matt’s last night, the reason he was sitting at Laramie’s Fireside bar. “The night that Matt was taken out of that bar was my birthday, and he and I were supposed to go out. My birthdays were never a big thing for me, and he knew that. So he called up at the last minute and cancelled. You always have to wonder, what if I had said, ‘No, we’ve got plans, let’s go out.’ So I know he was just sitting at the bar and a couple of guys came up wanting to talk, and he was willing to talk, trusting. He had an innocence about him, and a belief in people. I think that sometimes he let his guard down and put himself in situations that he

shouldn’t have had to worry about. But being gay, some things that made him such an incredible person also made him an easy target.” Boulden recalls another connection he forged with the young Matt. “I think I was the first person he came out to. I asked, ‘What would it mean if you found out you were gay?’ It was so obvious that he thought about it for a long, long time, and was so afraid of it. He started crying and said, ‘My family would reject me.’ His fears and experiences were enough like what I had grown up with that I could understand. He was just starting to feel he was connecting to people he could possibly trust when they moved overseas and he had to start over.” Filmmaker Josue recalls meeting Matt at a Swiss boarding school, where Matt shined as an actor and a student of current affairs. Tragically, Matt was raped while on a school vacation trip to Morocco. Josue remembers that the assault seemed to make Matt fearful. He lost some of his zest for life, his desire to expand his boundaries. But all in all, the Matt Shepard she loved was a young man who delighted in reaching out to both boys and girls in his class. “Matt was the person who made everybody feel comfortable. He always looked into your eyes. He had big ideas. He had a future.”t

(1983) David Bowie and Tom Conti star in a test of wills between a Japanese POW camp officer and a British officer prisoner. The Dead (1987) A dying John Huston directed this Christmas-inDublin tale from the pen of James Joyce. The Man Who Came to Dinner

(1941) Monty Woolley steals the show as a bullying radio host who commandeers the home of a Midwestern family after slipping on their snow-covered steps and breaking his hip. Great supporting turns from Bette Davis, Jimmy Durante, Ann Sheridan, Billie Burke and Reginald Gardiner. Bell, Book and Candle (1958) Kim Novak is a fetching witch with a Siamese cat who gets involved with a soon-to-be wed New York publisher (James Stewart). Based on John Van Druten’s play, with a ﬂamboyant supporting cast, bohemians mixing with witches and warlocks: Jack Lemmon, Janice Rule, Ernie Kovacs, Hermione Gingold and Elsa Lanchester. Home Alone 1 & 2 (1990, 92) Macaulay Culkin aces his role as a boy left behind by his distracted family during the holidays. He’s terrifyingly good as a smart-ass kid

who foils a pair of bumbling home intruders in stunts worthy of a Road Runner cartoon. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) Frank Capra’s instant Christmas classic was a glorious return from the war for Jimmy Stewart, who works to save his family’s savings & loan from the clutches of a blackhearted banker (Lionel Barrymore). Highlight: suicidal Stewart is saved by a guardian angel (Henry Travers). It’s pure Capra-corn, and improves with each viewing. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) Judy Garland steals this sentimental slice of Americana with ballads “The Boy Next Door,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “The Trolley Song.” The Shop Around the Corner (1940) Ernst Lubitsch brought his special touch to this tale of shop workers (James Stewart, Margaret Sullivan) who are secret pen pals.

Remade as In the Good Old Summertime, She Loves Me and You’ve Got Mail. Joyeux Noel (2005) Writer-director Christian Carion’s poignant story of a Christmas Eve truce that unfolded between the trenches in WWI. Daniel Bruhl, Diane Kruger and Ian Richardson head up a fabulous international ensemble. We’re No Angels (1955) Humphrey Bogart stars in a rare comedy, the tale of three escapees from the French prison on Devil’s Island. With Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov, Joan Bennett, Basil Rathbone and Leo G. Carroll. Gremlins (1985) Joe Dante helms this raucous comedy about creatures who tear apart a small town at Christmas. About a Boy (2002) Paul Weitz puts Hugh Grant through his paces as a rotten narcissist who unexpectedly acquires a charge: a 12-year-old boy (Nicholas Hoult).t

whippersnappers with new recordings of the Chopin Preludes. Simply bad luck, bad timing, kids. Heading into formidable competition, Ivan Fisher’s Mahler Ninth (Channel Classics) both cleansed the palate and, without stooping, wrung a few tears, too. Andris Nelsons’ live recording of the fathomless Shostakovich Tenth Symphony with his Boston Symphony (DG), coupled with a scorching Passacaglia from the composer’s opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, demonstrated why Nelsons is another “future” guy whose future is now. Elsewhere in opera news, Egypt (North Africa, really) got pulled

back from the brink by the year’s two best opera recordings: Aida (Warner) and Niobe, Regina di Tebe, a 17th-century opera by Agostino Steffani that appeared in two live recordings, far and away the best of them Erato’s. The Aida marks the second time Pappano has proved that the studio opera recording is not a thing of the past. I know no one who was pining for another Aida, but Pappano’s returns the intimacy to this opera whose very grandness has spoiled its reputation, and with an exemplary cast. The Radames is Jonas Kaufmann, who continued to prove that his supremacy among tenors is complete

and earned. Nessun Dorma (Sony), his survey of Puccini arias from across the composer’s career, was as enlightening and satisfying as it was thrilling, and in two live Puccini operas on Sony DVDs, a Covent Garden Manon Lescaut, also with Pappano, and a late-year La Fanciulla del West from Salzburg (with SF favorite Nina Stemme as a Minnie as terrific as it was unlikely), proved that what he can do in the studio he can do with the same incandescence in the house – and made me eat crow about two operas I had previously held nearly in contempt. Maria Callas and Leonie Rysanek (the latter as Donna Elvira in a live

1952 Don Giovanni) were in contention for best live historical release, but that award goes to the late Jon Vickers, who died this year and whose memory cannot be erased even by the likes of Kaufmann, his rightful heir, for Vickers’ overwhelming Gerontius in Elgar’s Dream, with Barbirolli in Rome in 1947. Callas and Rysanek, both of whom sang with Vickers, would have protested, but also understood. Finally, Decca’s box set of Scriabin: The Complete Works (it was Scriabin’s “year”) could have been a Vladimir Ashkenazy roundup, but isn’t. Much of it is newly recorded or issued, and all of it is terrific.t

son sizzle!

10 • HERBST THEATRE

’s Eve Performance Added!

ce.com • forevertango.org

Christmas films

From page 19

in an underground ice-cream war between rival gangs. A droll entry from director Bill Forsyth, known for crowd-pleasing comedies Gregory’s Girl and Local Hero. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence

2015 classical music

From page 21

piano and cello, respectively. The revelatory first two appeared this year, coupled with, of course, Schumann piano trios. Yuja Wang easily won the concerto prize with her recording of both Ravels (DG), the G Major as good as any in the catalogue and the LeftHand nothing short of a revelation. Grigory Sokolov’s 2008 Salzburg recital, the beginning of a promising new contract with DG, came as a reminder of how powerful pianoplaying at its most individual can be, crushing a number of the younger

<< Books

24 • Bay area reporter • December 24-30, 2015

The Spenders & the spent by Tim Pfaﬀ

n A House in St. John’s Wood: In Search of My Parents (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), author Matthew Spender, son of the late poet and critic Stephen Spender and here the family memoirist, writes of his own eventual mother-in-law, Mougouch Gorky, easily the book’s most interesting character, despite the likes of W.H. Auden and Raymond Chandler leading the celebrity roll call in its pages. In an imagined retort to Natasha, Matthew’s talented, controlling mother, Mougouch reportedly said, “Tell your mother I do nothing, but it doesn’t matter. In a hundred years no one will care two hoots about any of us.” In Stephen Spender’s case, this book should help that rush to oblivion. Its business is not reputation-enhancing. In my formative years, Stephen Spender was a name, a person of interest in the world of letters. Despite Natasha’s own career as a pianist, soloing in concerti in venues as prestigious as the BBC Proms, of her you knew nothing, at least west of the Royal Albert Hall. There was reason to think that their son’s family saga would focus on the succession of male lovers Sir Stephen kept on the side, and Lady Spender’s tireless efforts not only to keep that on the down-low, but also to cultivate the Spender family portrait as representative of the British ideal of successful family life. Just given the facts, the reader would not expect a balanced view of anyone on the part of the author,

Theatre 2015

From page 17

Triple plays

Carl Lumbly and Danny Scheie, two Bay Area-based actors of considerably different demeanors, each added three considerably different roles to their bulging resumes. For Lumbly, the trajectory was often about finding the humor in difficult situations, while Sheie could breathe humanity into farcical roles. The best of Lumbly’s 2015 local endeavors just happened to be in one of the year’s top productions: Between Riverside and Crazy. In Stephen Aldry Guirgis’ play, Lumbly played a bitter ex-cop, a role filled with surprises that he expertly revealed in director Irene Lewis’ sharp production at ACT’s Geary Theater. That was also the site of Lumbly’s delightful performance as a curmudgeon who upends traditional stereotypes in Kwame Kwei-Armah’s Let There Be Love. San Francisco Playhouse also made fine use of Lumbly’s talents in Tree, Julie Hebert’s play about a woman searching for family ties and the man who wants to keep them buried. Danny Scheie started his year upon the stage in a small but choice role of a frantic waiter in Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors at Berkeley Rep, then headed to California Shakespeare Festival for Charles Ludlam’s The Mystery of Irma Vep, which gave him the chance to show off his versatility in a series of quick-changes roles. But his juiciest performance was still to come, playing a diabolical architect in Amy Freed’s The Monster-Builder at Aurora Theatre.

Musical unveilings

Three new musicals were successfully introduced to Bay Area audiences in 2015, most recently at the Eureka Theatre, where 42nd Street Moon presented Scrooge in Love! Written by veteran Broadway

hardly a disinterested observer-participant. But neither is the imbalance the one you might expect from Matthew’s shocking pre-publication interview in The Guardian. While Natasha comes into ever greater focus throughout the book, in ways that make her sympathetic even at her most delusional, the picture of Stephen becomes ever blurrier, seldom if ever to his advantage. But if Matthew’s distrust of his father is composer Larry Grossman along with rising talents Kellen Blair and Duane Poole, this sequel to Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was smart and tuneful, while the multi-talented Jason Graae brought glad tidings to the title role. There was also Broadway talent behind the charming Amelie, a New Musical, which had its world premiere at Berkeley Rep. Considerable imagination was brought by director Pam MacKinnon, librettist Craig Lucas (Prelude to a Kiss), and songwriters Daniel Messe and Nathan Tysen to converting the whimsical French movie into a stage entertainment. If it felt at times like a work still in progress, it was still an enticing musical bouquet. The infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 and a gay romance in the present found unexpectedly potent connections in the premiere of Triangle at TheatreWorks. A cast of strong performers and Meredith McDonough’s ﬂuid staging communicated the heart of the bittersweet story through composer Curtis Moore and Thomas Mizer’s popscented score.

patent, it is not until the book’s final chapters that we learn that Matthew remains angry with his mother, too. There’s the balance. Matthew moves about in chronological time like Tinkerbell, and he interweaves his parents’ story with his own (and that of his eventual wife and her family) in ways that leave you wondering almost pageby-page who is the subject and who the object. His father’s “politics” are

extramarital adventure with Raymond Chandler, which may or may not have been sexual but was most certainly an affair, is no more heartwarming. Chandler’s incapacitating alcoholism renders him pitiable if not pitiful, and the fact that he is the closest exemplar of the kind of fame and material success the Spenders sought but never found is, you should pardon the expression, dispiriting. Was this Natasha’s revenge? Who knows? As portrayed here, she seems as fully out of control of her romantic side as her husband was of his. Matthew observes that “when the house was empty, there was always the suspicion that Stephen, even if he said he missed home, was also seeing his friends in that ‘animated queer scene’ [Natasha’s actual words were ‘the immense animation of the queer scene’] that did not include her.” One of the last images of Spender the poet his son leaves with the reader is of Stephen’s stint as Poetry Consultant to the Library of Congress, a post that required him to come to the office during business hours Monday through Friday and write poetry. The problem was not that the coffee was bad. It’s hard to know the extent to which this book is a poison-pen letter home. The author’s recollection, six pages before the end of the book, of a 1975 dinner party with Arthur Schlesinger includes his father’s aside to Arthur: “My children are going to curse me with their total recall. They remember everything!”t so popular that a new run is now set to open in February. You can predict that Ray of Light Theatre will mine unpredictable musical veins, and with Lizzie, the troupe hit the mother lode. Director Eliza Leoni helmed this fearsome staging of Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Tim Maner, and Alan Stevens Hewitt’s hard-rocking musical about Lizzie Borden, with the cast fully aboard the full-steam-ahead production at the Victoria Theatre.

And in conclusion

David Allen

Noah Haydon, left, played Cleopatra, who meets up with Peggy L’eggs’ glam rocker on a tour of Hades in Thrillpeddlers’ Club Inferno.

good on its promise to turn the derelict Strand Theater on Market Street into an alternate venue for its productions. The handsome rehab on a tough block was a prescient investment in the changing Mid-Market landscape, and has made use of a higher quotient of local talent than is usually featured at the Geary. Oasis officially opened on Dec.

Curtain raisers

Several vintage venues were put to new uses in 2015, one in an interim fashion, another as a reclaimed landmark, and the third as a new home for drag stars, gay performers, and allied artists. With the Curran Theatre undergoing renovations and no longer one of the SHN sites for touring shows, owner Carole Shorenstein Hayes has been putting the stage itself to clever use. A wonderfully diverse collection of intimate, short-run productions have both the performers and the audiences together on stage as part of the Under Construction series, while also providing an eerie view of a vast, empty theater and a Phantomworthy chandelier. While maintaining its home base at the Geary Theater, ACT made

as messy on the page as they apparently were in life. Throughout the book there is discussion of Stephen Spender’s work as editor of the magazine Encounter, whether the journal was a front for the CIA, what Stephen knew about these matters and when he knew it, and all along, how close to communism did his own political inclinations lean. That’s a matter that got my interest and infuriated me as I found the explication impossible to follow. I may have sighed out loud in relief when, very late in the book, Matthew issues a quickly broken promise of “a quick run through the facts” of this matter. I’m confident that I’d still fail a test on it. Even the parade of lovers, none of them a particularly compelling character in his own right, proves more bafﬂing than revealing, though names are named. As the son saw it, or now does, the men were to his father less individuals than they were occasions for the kind of heightened feelings that occasion poems. This is more than a little chilling. “My father always knew that, to him, creativity was linked to sex,” Matthew observes near the end of the book. “When he was very old and at last impotent, he felt his perception of the world had been destroyed by a kind of blindness. A month or two before he died, the realization that his sexuality no longer existed sent him into a kind of panic. ‘I don’t believe that writing or any other activity I am capable of can exist without sex.’” The saga of Natasha Spender’s

31, 2014, but we’re going to rule it a 2015 happening since that’s when its theatrical self first took to the stage. The new bar and cabaret space has been many things in the past, but the SoMa locale had been vacant for five years when Heklina and D’Arcy Drollinger opened it up as Oasis. Drollinger took centerstage with a revival of his “whitesploitation” parody Shit and Champagne, and then had another rip-roaring hit with the sequel Champagne White and the Temple of Poon. Later in the year, drag kings and queens riotously shared the spotlight in Star Trek Live! Mudd’s Women.

Strange melodies

Kevin Berne

Actor Carl Lumbly was busy in 2015, capping three excellent performances with his work in ACT’s Between Riverside and Crazy.

Two SF theater companies that have established themselves as skilled surveyors of the musical fringes came up with some of the best-of-the-year entertainment. Club Inferno finally took full ﬂight on its not-so-angelic wings at the Hypnodrome, where Thrillpeddlers gave the musical a second chance after not quite gaining full altitude 15 years ago at a now-defunct SoMa night spot. With Thrillpeddlers’ majordomo Russell Blackwood in the director’s chair, the Kelly KittellPeter Fogel musical tour of Hades through a glam rocker’s eyes proved

We couldn’t let the year come to an end without acknowledging several other memorable events, starting with the happy/sad staging of Mr. Burns, a post-electric play at ACT’s Geary Theatre. Happy, because Anne Washburn’s strangely elegant glimpse into the future where The Simpsons gains mythical status was so brightly conceived in director Mark Rucker’s production. And sad, because that was to be his final work before his unexpected death at age 56. Aurora Theatre provided theatergoers with a top-ﬂight visit to Mud Blue Sky, Marisa Wegrzyn’s melancholy comedy directed by Tom Ross about a trio of ﬂight attendants trying to have a hotel-room party during a layover in Chicago. The baggage they carry is much heavier than their wheeled valises, and a series of strange adventures ensues on this single night, with Jamie Jones leading the excellent cast as the sardonic leader of these professional vagabonds. New Conservatory Theatre Center scored an ambitious success with director Dennis Lickteig’s polished production of The Nance, Douglas Carter Beane’s comedy-drama about the waning days of burlesque in New York, and in particular, a stock sissy character that authorities have deemed immoral. In the role created on Broadway by Nathan Lane, P.A. Cooley breathed his own life into the born-to-be-sad Chauncey Miles, who loses more than his job amid homophobic civic panic as New York prepares for the 1939 World’s Fair.t

Out & About

NIGHTLIFE

DINING

Leather

SPIRITS

Shooting Stars

SOCIETY

ROMANCE

LEATHER

PERSONALS Vol. 45 • No. 52 • December 24-30, 2015

www.ebar.com V www.bartabsf.com

End Times

On R the Tab

ar with holiday fun ounding out the ye eparation, it’s time and New Year’s pr for all its ups and to celebrate 2015 d New fu has a ll moon, an downs. Christmas big en celebrator y ev ts; Year’s eve is full of re. ltu cu b clu d capers an blow-outs, comedy

Dec. 24-31, 2015

Listings begin page 26 >>

Thu 31 The Flaming Lips headline The Big One @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

David Hernandez: a notable New Year by David-Elijah Nahmod

ormer American Idol runner-up David Hernandez is a beautiful man. Beyond his stunning good looks, Hernandez has an amazing pair of pipes. Though he didn’t win Idol, he made it into the top 12 and impressed many with his powerful vocals. It was enough to launch him onto a successful singing career. On the night before New Year’s Eve, Hernandez will be belting out original compositions and familiar standards when he brings his show, Holiday Hangover, to Feinstein’s at the Nikko. See page 27 >>

David Hernandez

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26 • Bay Area Reporter • December 17-23, 2015

Club Rimshot @ Club BNB, Oakland

Monday Musicals @ The Edge

Get groovin’ at the weekly hip hop and R&B night at their new location. 8-$15. 9pm to 4am. 2120 Broadway. (510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Sing along at the popular musical theatre night; also Wednesdays. 7pm2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Dark Room @ The Stud

Gareth Gooch

Punk, Industrial, Goth dancing to DJed music, and drag shows at 12am and 1:30am. $5. 9:30pm-3am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Thu 24

Bulge @ Powerhouse Grace Towers hosts the weekly gogotastic night of sexy dudes shakin’ their bulges and getting wet in their undies for $100 prize (contest at midnight), and dance beats spun by DJ DAMnation. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Kung Pao Kosher Comedy @ New Asia Restaurant The 23rd annual comedy night with Jewish wit and Chinese food and cocktails, with Wendy Liebman, Dana Eagle, Mike Fine and MC Lisa Geduldig. $67 for 7-course banquet 5pm dinner & show; $47 for 8:30pm cocktail show (with veggie dim sum). Also Dec. 25 & 26. 772 Pacific Ave. at Grant. (925) 855-1986. www.Koshercomedy.com

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

My So-Called Night @ Beaux Carnie Asada hosts a new weekly ‘90s-themed video, dancin’, drinkin’ night, with VJs Jorge Terez. Get down with your funky bunch, and enjoy 90cent drinks. ‘90s-themed attire and costume contest. No cover. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Nap’s Karaoke @ Virgil’s Sea Room Sing out loud at the weekly least judgmental karaoke in town, hosted by the former owner of the bar. No cover. 9pm. 3152 Mission St. 8292233. www.virgilssf.com

Queer Karaoke @ Club OMG Dana hosts the amateur singing night, 8pm. 43 6th St. www.clubOMGsf.com

Sony Holland @ The Ritz Hotel Ring in the holidays at three special concerts with the local jazz chanteuse and her band. 6:30pm. Also Dec 25 & 26. 600 Stockton St. www.sonyholland.com

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

Fri 25:

Christmas

Christmas Day Feast @ Aunt Charlie’s Joe and the staff of the intimate Tenderloin gay bar serve up a buffet dinner. 2pm-6pm. 133 Turk St. 4412922. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

Thu 31 Juanita More’s House of More NYE Party @ The Stud

Comedy Noir @ Balancoire Valerie Branch’s weekly comedy night, where she embodies her faux queen character Pia Messing for some offbeat wit, along with guest performers. $5. 8pm-10pm. 2565 Mission St. www.balancoiresf.com

Hard Fridays @ Qbar DH Haute Toddy’s weekly electro-pop night with hotty gogos. $3. 9pm-2am (happy hour 4pm-9pm). 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Holiday Ice Rink @ Union Square Enjoy skating, hot drinks and fun in the downtown center of holiday shopping. $7-$11. Skate rental $6. Thru Jan. 14. Various times, 10am11pm. 333 Post St. www.unionsquareicerink.com

Hot Toddy @ SF Eagle Yes, the classic leather bar will be open on Christmas. Stop in for a hot toddy. 4pm-2am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Ladies of San Francisco @ Club OMG Galilea hosts the new weekly “old school drag show” with guest performers and DJ Jack Rojo, and a special Christmas night show. $4. 9pm2am. 43 6th St. www.clubOMGsf.com

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

Midnight Show @ Divas Weekly drag shows at the last transgender-friendly bar in the Polk; with hosts Victoria Secret, Alexis Miranda and several performers. Also Saturdays. $10. 11pm. 1081 Polk St. www.divassf.com

El Mundo @ Empire Ballroom The new weekly Latin night at the Civic Center renovated nightclub features drag shows, gogo guys and gals, and DJed grooves. 9pm3am. 555 Golden Gate. www. theempireroomsf.com

Bleu Sugar @ Club BnB, Oakland Monthly women’s night hosted by Lady Lana. 9pm-2am. 2120 Broadway. (510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Some Thing @ The Stud It’s a ‘Mary Christmas’ at Mica Sigourney and pals’ weekly offbeat drag performance night. 10pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Sat 26

After Ho! @ Beatbox DJ Andrew Gibbons plays post-holiday funk music. 10pm-2am. 314 11th St. www.redhotsburlesque.com www.beatboxsf.com

Mother @ Oasis Heklina’s weekly drag show night with different themes, always outrageously hilarious. Dec. 26: A Nightmare After Christmas. $10-$25. 10pm-2am. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Pound Puppy @ SF Underground The canine-themed crew hosts a “Howliday” party at the intimate Haight club, with guest DJs Vin Sol and Matrixxman, and residents Taco Tuesday and Kevin O’Connor. $10. 9pm-2am. 424 Haight St. 745-1921. www.undergroundsf.com

Soul Delicious @ Lookout Brunch, booze, sass and grooves, with the Mom DJs, Motown sounds, and soul food. 11am-4pm. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Sugar @ The Cafe Dance, drink, cruise at the Castro club. 9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Sun 27 Big Top @ Beaux

The fun Castro nightclub, with hot local DJs and sexy gogo guys and gals. $5. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.Beauxsf.com

Femme, Xtravaganza @ Balancoire Weekly live music shows with various acts, along with brunch, mimosas, champagne and more, at the stylish nightclub and restaurant; shows at 12:30pm, 1:30pm and 2:45pm. After that, T-Dance drag shows at 7pm, 10pm and 11pm. 2565 Mission St. at 21st. 920-0577. www.balancoiresf.com

GlamaZone @ The Cafe Pollo del Mar’s weekly drag show takes on different themes with a comic edge. 8:30-11:30pm. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Jock @ The Lookout

No No Bingo @ Virgil’s Sea Room

Circle Jerk @ Nob Hill Theatre

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

Porn pup Brenner Bolton leads the interactive downstairs arcade party. $15. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 3976758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Tue 29 13 Licks @ Qbar

The “lezzie queer dance party” brings out the femmes and butches. 9pm2am. 456 Castro St. 864-2877. www.qbarsf.com

Block Party @ Midnight Sun Weekly screenings of music videos, concert footage, interviews and more, of popular pop stars. 9pm-2am. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

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

Gaymer Night @ Eagle Gay gaming fun on the bar’s big screen TVs. Have a nerdgasm and a beer with your pals. 8pm. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Meow Mix @ The Stud The weekly themed variety cabaret showcases new and unusual talents; MC Ferosha Titties. $3-$7. Show at 11pm. 9pm-2am. 399 9th St. at Harrison. www.studsf.com

Naked Night @ Nob Hill Theatre Strip down as the strippers also take it all off. $20. 9pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Retro Night @ 440 Castro Jim Hopkins plays classic pop oldies, with vintage music videos. 9pm-2am. 44 Castro St. www.the440.com

Trivia Night @ Hi Tops

Mahlae Balenciaga and DJ Kidd Sysko’s weekly drag and dance night, 2014’s last of the year. 9pm-1am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

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

Hysteria @ Martuni’s Irene Tu and Jessica Sele cohost the comedy open mic night for women and queers. No cover. 6pm-8:30pm. 4 Valencia St.

Mahogany Mondays @ Midnight Sun Honey Mahogany’s weekly drag and musical talent show starts around 10pm. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Bone @ Powerhouse

Underwear Night @ 440

Sunday’s a Drag @ Starlight Room

Drag Mondays @ The Cafe

New weekly event with DJs Haute Toddy, Guy Ruben, Mercedez Munro and Abominatrix. Wet T-shirt/jock contest at 11pm. $5-$10. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com New weekly punk-alternative music night hosted by Uel Renteria and Johnny Rockitt. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Switch @ Q Bar

Mon 28

Bedlam @ Beaux

Mica Sigourney and Tom Temprano cohost the wacky weekly game night at the cool Mission bar. 8pm. 3152 Mission St. www.virgilssf.com

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

Donna Sachet hosts the weekly fabulous brunch and drag show, now celebrating its tenth anniversary. $45. 11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square. 395-8595. www.starlightroomsf.com

Wed 30

Weekly women’s night at the stylish intimate bar. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com Play the trivia game at the popular new sports bar. 9pm. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Una Noche @ Club BnB, Oakland Vicky Jimenez’ drag show and contest; Latin music all night. 9pm-2am. 2120 Broadway. (510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Underwear Night @ Club OMG Weekly underwear night includes free clothes check, and drink specials. $4. 10pm-2am. Preceded by Open Mic Comedy, 7pm, no cover. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Thu 31

Baloney @ Oasis

Con Brio, Bayonics, Planet Booty @ The Chapel Two-night New Year’s Eve celebrations with the vibrant bands. Dec 30 with Bayonics ($20-$22), Dec. 31 with Planet Booty ($45-$50). 9pm each night. 777 Valencia St. www.thechapelsf.com

David Hernandez @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The talented singer (and American Idol finalist) performs Holiday Hangover, his cabaret concert of original songs and standards. $30$45. 7pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com

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

Open Mic/Comedy @ SF Eagle Kollin Holts hosts the weekly comedy and open mic talent night. 6pm-8pm. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Pussy Party @ Beaux Ladies night at the Castro dance club. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Way Back @ Midnight Sun Weekly screenings of vintage music videos and retro drink prices. Check out the new expanded front window lounge. 9pm-2am. 4067 18th St. 8614186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Wooden Nickel Wednesday @ 440 Buy a drink and get a wooden nickle good for another. 12pm-2am. 440 Castro St. 621-8732. www.the440.com

Thu 31:

New Year’s Eve Baloney @ Oasis Masquerade, a New Year’s new show with the sexy, funny, male burlesque show with a dozen performers, created by Roray David and Michael Phillis. $25-$40. 7:30pm. Also Jan. 1 & 2. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Bearracuda @ Beatbox Celebrate the bear-tastic night’s 10th annual New Year’s Eve party, with DJs Paul Goodyear and Steve Sherwood. $20-$25. 9pm-4am. 314 11th St. www.bearracuda.com www.beatboxsf.com

See page 27 >>

t <<

Read more online at www.ebar.com

David Hernandez

From page 25

“It’ll be a mixture of songs,” the Phoenix, Arizona native said in an interview. “The original stuff is from my first two albums and my upcoming CD. It’s all soul-based, and will be just me and my piano man.” Hernandez cites artists such as Peabo Bryson, Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder as among his greatest musical influences. He also includes John Legend and Adam Levine on that list, and was thrilled to share the stage with them at an inaugural ball for President Barack Obama. Hernadez was invited to perform at the ball by TV legend Norman Lear (All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Maude). “It was really cool to be part of that turn in history and to be able to celebrate and be on the right side of it,” Hernandez said. “It was also incredible to sing next to two of my favorite artists, John Legend and Adam Levine.” Hernandez expressed a great deal of fondness for TV talk show host Ellen Degeneres, whose historic coming out in 1997 is credited with shifting society’s views on LGBT people and equality. “Ellen is super-nice and genuine,” he said. “Meeting her and her wife Portia and their dogs was really

December 24-30, 2015 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

On the Tab

From page 26

The Big One @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium New Year’s Eve concert with The Flaming Lips, Ratatat, Tycho, Gramatik, Gigamesh, Shigeto and several others. $95-$195. 8pm. 99 Grove St. www.thebigonesf.com

David Hernandez

great!” It was on The Ellen Show that Hernandez came clean about his Rrated past. After he passed the Idol auditions, he was outed as a former stripper. “I was 21-23,” Hernandez recalled of his dancing days. “It was a means to an end. I needed work. The manager of the club where I danced was paid $200 by Entertainment Tonight. The way it was presented, it seemed like I was trying to be sketchy. I wasn’t. It was never a shock to Idol; it had all been disclosed.” But Hernandez has no regrets.

Michael Feinstein @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The man behind the name, the celebrated singer-pianist returns for a special New Year’s Eve pair of concerts. $100 ($35 food/drink min.). 7:30pm & 10:30pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com

‘Cheers, Queers,’ a New Year’s Eve party, hosted by Grace Towers, with black ties and bulges, classy and low-down. Comp champagne at midnight, $100 cash prize for best bulge. $5-$10 benefits Groundswell Institute, the queer retreat camp. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

The cute porn pup headlines a male nude strip review and New Year’s Eve party. 9pm. $25. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Thu 31 D’Arcy Drollinger and Heklina host New Year’s Eve @ Oasis

Orchestra La Moderna Tradicion performs at the community celebration. $25-$35. 9pm. 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 8492568. www.lapena.org

Disco Mania @ Codeword Enjoy a retro disco classics New Year’s Eve party at the new (mostly straight) nightclub, with DJs Shindog (New Wave City, CW Saloon), Andy T (Stud, CW), Tomas Diablo (Strangelove). $20-$30. 9pm-2am. 917 Folsom St. at 5th. www.codeword-sf.com

House of More @ The Stud Celebrate New Year’s Eve with Juanita More!, Glamamore, Miss Rahni, Scarlett Letters, and other drag talents, DJs Steve Fabus & Sergio Fedasz (Go Bang!) and John Fucking Cartwright. $ 9pm2am. 399 9th St. at Harrison www.studsf.com

Primus @ Fox Theatre, Oakland

(510) 343-1122 (408) 514-1111

The Oregon-based indie-punk fun band performs a special New Year’s Eve concert. Sonny & the Sunsets opens. $40-$65 (with dinner). 9pm Also Dec. 30. 859 O’Farrell St. 8850750. www.shannonandtheclams. com www.slimspresents.com

The Stone Foxes @ Slim’s The blues-rock band performs a New Year’s Eve show, with Tumbleweed Wanderers and Coo Coo Birds opening. $40-$65 (with dinner). 9pm. 333 11th St. www. slimspresents.com

Sundance Saloon @ Hotel Whitcomb

Massive (mostly straight) dance party, with aerial performances, live acts Stanton Warriors, multiple DJs (Meat Katie, Ben Coda, Kimba a dozen others), drinks, food, VIP salons in the Upper Room Victorian lounges. $50-, $70, $175 and up. 8pm-4am. 1800 Mission ST. www.newbohemianye.com

New Year’s Eve @ Club 21, Club BnB, Oakland Bay Area’s biggest and only gay Latin and hip hop New Year’s Eve party, with combined floors for extra fun, gogo dancers, buffet, balloon drop. $15-$35. 9pm-3am. 2120 Broadway, Oakland. www.club-bnb.com

FIND REAL GAY MEN NEAR YOU

(415) 430-1199

Celebrate NYE in the Castro. 10pm2am. 2369 Market St. jceventsSF.com www.cafesf.com

New Bohemia NYE @ SF Armory

Free Code: Reporter

The witty comic returns for a special New Year’s Eve show. $47.50-$60. 8pm. (888) 929-7849. www.paulapoundstone.com www.palaceoffinearts.org

Sugar NYE @ The Cafe

Cuban Dance Party @ La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley

AND REPLY TO ADS

Celebrate the fun SoMa club’s one-year anniversary –to the day– at their second annual NYE party, with hosts/co-owners Heklina and D’Arcy Drollinger; DJ MC2. $30-$75. VIP party in the Fez Room at 7:30pm. Gen 9:30pm-2am. Show at 11pm, champagne toast at midnight. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Shannon & The Clams @ Great American Music Hall

Comedy Fiesta @ Brava Center

FREE TO LISTEN

New Year’s Eve @ Oasis

The funky fun band performs the entire album Pork Soda in a special New Year’s Eve show. $49-$69. 9:30pm. 1807 Telegraph ave., Oakland. www.apeconcerts.com

Brenner Bolton @ Nob Hill Theatre

ebar.com

David Hernandez: Holiday Hangover at Feinstein’s at the Nikko, 222 Mason St., Wednesday Dec 30 at 7pm. $30-45. www.ticketweb.com

Paula Poundstone @ Palace of Fine Arts

Bulge @ Powerhouse

Marga Gomez hosts a New Year’s Eve night of Latina/o comics, including Lydia Popovich, Chris Storin, Monica Palacios, Baruch Porras-Hernandez and Betty Pazmino; dance party afterwards, with full cash bar, snacks, midnight champagne. Proceeds benefit Brava! For Women in the Arts and Brava Theater Center. $35-$50. 9pm. 2781 24th St. www.margagomez.com www.brava.org

“People always try to tear you down,” he said. “But I’m having the last laugh because things are going really great.” Hernandez has since used his celebrity to advocate for equality and LGBT youth and has performed at a number or Pride events. “I work closely with the Human Rights Campaign,” he said. “I’ve performed at around 15-20 dinners for them. They’re a great organization that fights for equal rights.” His LGBT support comes, in part, from his own experiences during his youth. “I came from a broken family,” he said. “School can be so cruel. I relate to differences on so many levels; at Pride I never felt so much love. People of different races, men, women, just there celebrating love.” The singer planted his tongue firmly in his cheek as he spoke of his Feinstein’s show. “It’ll be a night to strip down, no pun intended,” he said. “There will be songs that the audience heard, and songs that they haven’t. During the holidays, everyone can relate to hangovers, hence the show’s title. Just relax, breath, and enjoy.”t

The country-western two-stepping line-dancing New Year’s Eve celebration returns to the beautiful hotel ballroom, with $30 (lessons 8pm, dancing til 12:30am), $60 (with dinner, 6pm). 1231 Market St. www.sundancesaloon.org

Tubesteak Connection @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge Disco guru DJ Bus Station John spins grooves at the intimate retro music night; December 31: a “cheap New Year’s Eve.”10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com Want your nightlife event listed? Email events@ebar.com, at least two weeks before your event. Event photos welcome.

San Francisco:

Oakland:

www.megamates.com 18+

San Jose:

<< Out&About Out &About

O&A

28 • Bay Area Reporter • November 12-18, 2015

Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi

Happy Endings by Jim Provenzano

ow was your 2015? Our arts calendar this week coincidentally runs right through the end of the year. Contemplate it, or wash it all away with new visions in entertainment…and/or champagne. For more listings, go to www.ebar.com

10 Percent @ Comcast

David Perry’s online & cable interviews with notable local and visiting LGBT people, broadcast through the week. Check for times on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ pages/10-Percent/66629477326 www.ComcastHometown.com

Cavalia @ AT&T Park The sweeping horse and acrobatic show returns with the new Odysseo. $44.50-$289. Tue-Fri 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru Jan 10. (866) 999-8111. Embarcadero at AT&T Park. www.cavalia.net

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus @ Castro Theatre The annual Christmas Eve concert celebrates the holidays. $25-$65. 5pm, 7pm & 9pm. 429 Castro St. 3924400. www.sfgmc.org

The Santaland Diaries @ Eureka Theatre Combined Art Form’s annual production of the Joe Mantello stage adapatation of David Sedaris’ betselling mini-memoir about being a Macy’s elf. $40-$50. Tue-Sat 8pm. Thu & Sat 3pm. Thru Dec. 26. 215 Jackson St. www.combinedartform.com

Tom & Jerry’s Christmas Display @ Church & Sanchez The local gay couple’s annual festive decoration display includes a Santa in attendance. Free. Daily 6pm-10pm. Thru Jan. 1. 3560 21st St. at Church. http://tinyurl.com/mhh98vz

Sat 26

Avenue Q @ New Conservatory Theatre Center

Sat 26

Thu 24

Kung Pao Kosher Comedy @ New Asia Restaurant The 23rd annual comedy night with Jewish wit and Chinese food and cocktails, with Wendy Liebman, Dana Eagle, Mike Fine and MC Lisa Geduldig. $67 for 7-course banquet 5pm dinner & show; $47 for 8:30pm cocktail show (with veggie dim sum). Also Dec. 24 & 26. 772 Pacific Ave. at Grant. (925) 8551986. www.Koshercomedy.com

Mittens and Mistletoe @ Dance Mission Theater Sweet Can Productions’ Winter Circus Cabaret, with lighthearted entertainment, tumblers, jugglers, clowns, acrobats and more. $18-$65. Fri & Sat 8pm. Wed-Sun 2pm. other days 4pm. Dec. 25, Christmas Day at 2pm. Thru Dec. 27. 3316 24th St. www.sweetcanproductions.com

Those naughty puppets and their human pals are back yet again, in the company’s third revival of the Tony Award-winning musical comedy. $30$50. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Extended thru Jan. 31. 25 Van Ness Ave., lower level. 861-8972. www.nctcsf.org

Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi The musical comedy revue celebrates its 40th year with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. Special holiday shows now thru New Year’s Eve. Reg: $25-$160. Beer/wine served; cash only; 21+, except where noted. 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd (Green St.). 421-4222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

A Christmas Carol @ Geary Theatre American Conservatory Theatre’s annual big-cast big-sets production of Carey Perloff and Paul Walsh’s popular stage adaptation of Dickens’ classic holiday story. $25-$150. Thru Dec. 27. 415 Geary St. www.act-sf.org

Disgraced @ Berkeley Rep Ayad Akhtar’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning drama about cultural assimilation, Islamic imagery, and a family’s unraveling. $17-$61. Tue, Thu-Sat 8pm. Wed & Sun 7pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru Dec. 27. Roda Theatre, 2025 Addison. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Fool La La @ The Marsh Unique Derique, a new wacky holiday show with the clowny comedy troupe. $15-$100. 7:30pm & 2pm daily (no shows Dec 25, 31, Jan 1). Thru Jan. 3. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

See page 30 >>

Fri 25:

Christmas

Christmas Day Dinner @ Castro Country Club The LGBT sober space invites all to a potluck dinner. Bring a dish to share. 2pm-5pm. 4058 18th St. www.castrocountryclub.org

Community Free Day @ Contemporary Jewish Museum Open on Christmas Day, free admisssion, family-kid-friendly activities, and exhibit-viewing, 11am-4pm: You Know I’m No Good, NEAT: New Experiments in Art and Technology, Chasing Justice (thru Feb 21), and Hardly Strictly Warren Hellman. Lectures and gallery talks as well. Free (members)-$12. Fri-Tue 11am-5pm, Thu 11am-8pm (closed Wed). 736 Mission St. 655-7800. www.thecjm.org

SF Hiking Club @ Mission Peak, Mt. Tam Join LGBT outdoors fans for an 11-mile hike to the top of Mission Peak in Fremont. Bring lunch, water, sturdy shoes, a hat, and a jacket to protect against possible cold wind at the top. Carpool meets 8:30 at Safeway sign, Market & Dolores. Dec. 27: 7-mile Mt. Tam hike (meet 9am) (510) 599-4056. www.sfhiking.com

Fri 25 Mittens and Mistletoe @ Dance Mission Theatre

Read more online at www.ebar.com

December 24-30, 2015 • Bay Area Reporter • 29

My New Year’s Wishes by Race Bannon

s this column is being put in front of readers’ eyes, the holidays are in full swing and the New Year is but days away. So I thought I’d offer you my unsolicited wishes for 2016 for our leather and kink scene, both locally and elsewhere. I’ve asked a few wise and trusted friends what their wishes might be to hone my own list, but the wishes expressed here are indeed mine and mine alone. So in no particular order of priority, here are just a few of the things I wish for individual leatherfolk and kinksters and for the networks and communities of which they are a part. Some of what I write here may be perceived as overly negative, but I hope it’s seen as constructive observations and reflective of my hopes to make our scene better. In spite of any impressions you might get from reading what’s to follow, I have high hopes for the future of leather and kink. I wish we all begin to accept that we are not a single, monolithic leather community. Each aspect of the wide range of leather and kink networks has different perspectives, needs, aspirations, sexualities and cultural norms. Yes, we share a lot of similarities, but we need to get honest with ourselves that we’re far too diverse and disparate to consider ourselves a single-minded community. Thinking that we are often leads to some bad outcomes. Only when we accept this reality can we do the work necessary to make each separate group’s lives and sexualities better. I wish the Old Guard mythology would finally die off. The idea that our leather and kink scene is founded is some fantasy, idealized history of when all leathermen were perfect and we followed some universal, codified set of practices and rules needs to stop. It leads to the “one true wayism” that infects our scene and taints the modern experience for too many people. Let’s create what we want today and not try to replicate and worship at the altar of some bygone era. I wish that we start to strike a healthy balance between inclusion and giving people their own spaces. There are those who feel that every organization or event must include people of all genders, orientations and erotic persuasions. No, they don’t. There is a time and place for us to come together and there is a time and place for us to organize, socialize and play with our own specific kind. If we continue the march to pervasive inclusion, I fear we will kill off the scene we have come to love.

I wish that the leather contest circuit would start being viewed as its own separate ecosystem that only partly overlaps with the overall leather and kink world. So much time, attention and resources are given to contests that it often appears that’s all our scene is about, especially to newcomers. There’s nothing wrong with contests, but their runaway proliferation and elevation in importance is not something I can get excited about and it’s begun to negatively impact the greater scene in many ways. Let’s keep this in perspective. They’re contests. That’s it. They are not the anointing of leaders or the central events around which we all sing “Kumbaya.” I wish that we begin to sink our money and attentions into projects that benefit us all to the greatest extent possible. This means supporting the public spaces we currently have (bars, meeting venues, play spaces, and so on), perhaps developing new gathering places where we can be ourselves, and contributing to projects that benefit the larger scene and not just a fleeting few or those outside of the scene itself. I wish that the instances of separation of intimate sex from BDSM and kink shall begin to halt and we again merge our intimate sexual acts into the rest of our kinky pursuits. I know in many instances such separation was driven by factors such as HIV, certain public play venue requirements, and the merging of multiple orientations that don’t all see sex and kink as naturally connected. Everyone gets to play as they wish, but I hope that those who want to stop denying the overtly sexual nature of what we do are given the opportunities to do so. I wish that we would stop putting our kink sexualities on display in inappropriate venues under the guise of education or outreach. It’s not education or outreach for someone ignorant of who and what we are to see us engage in our own brand of sexuality. If you want your BDSM or kink to be performance art, great. Just call it what it is. Entertainment. It’s not a demonstration (demo). It’s not education. It’s not outreach. I wish that everyone in our scene accepts change as normal and needed. Far too many times I hear of people who want our way of being leather or kink to be cemented in some particular time or style. Time moves on. Our scene moves on. Kinksters move on. Change is good. Stagnation is bad. Be whatever style of leatherperson or kinkster you care to be, but stop yucking other people’s yum because their way isn’t your way. Live and let live.

I wish that the primary focus of what we do remains a fun sexuality. It’s not fundraising. It’s not contests. It’s not rigid education into standard practices. It’s not status. It’s not running with the cool kids. It’s all supposed to be as fun as possible for everyone. Let’s try to remember that. I wish that what I wrote here is not perceived as anything other than my sincerest hopes that our scene can continue to thrive and grow to meet the actual needs of every single kinkster to the best of our abilities. This is all supposed to first and foremost be fun and hot. Anything that takes away from that as a primary focus needs to be reconsidered.

Remembering Mr. Marcus

OK, with all that off my chest and said, I’d like to move on to promoting a particular event. One wonderful way to ring in the New Year is to attend the Remembering Mr. Marcus event on January 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the San Francisco Armory, 1800 Mission Street, 4th floor. Mr. Marcus is the originator of this column and it would likely not exist today had Marcus not created it. There will be an Imperial Court and leather community retrospective slideshow with more than 800 photos from Marcus’ life, performances from both the leather and Imperial Court communities, refreshments and a cash bar. Lance Holman and Empress Galilea will emcee. Due to the adult atmosphere at the Armory, the event is adults only (21+). The Marcus remembrance event has been organized by Queen Cougar, long-time close friend of Marcus. Here’s what Queen Cougar said about the event. “The event was created to offer an opportunity to remember Marcus. He used to say to me ‘What if I die?’ and I would answer ‘People will miss you.’ He was concerned that all his memorabilia and leather work would be thrown away and forgotten. So I told him ‘Don’t you even worry, I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.’ He was so proud of the things he had done with community, both leather and Imperial Court. Many may not have known he had a strong sense of community. He was a true character, but he really loved people. It pained him when people did foul things like being dishonest or ripping off fellow leathermen. He gave me unconditional love as a father figure and I embraced that and learned much from him about what being a true leatherperson was about. “The Remembering Mr. Marcus event will help augment donated funds to have his ashes interred in the crypt with Jose Sarria, next to The Emperor Norton’s grave in Woodlawn Cemetery in Colma. His Imperial family felt it right and proper to have the very first Emperor of the Imperial Court and the very first Empress interred next to each other. The interment ceremony will occur on February 28, 2016 during the annual Imperial Court trek to pay respects the day after Coronation. Everyone is welcome to attend the free services that morning. If El Niño deems otherwise and it storms, the trek will be postponed.” Event info is here: www.facebook. com/events/959836194094626 Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and may your 2016 by filled with joy and kink.t Race Bannon is a local author, blogger and activist. You can reach him through the contact page on his website, www.bannon.com.

Rich Stadtmiller

Mr. Marcus (left), the originator of this column, and Queen Cougar.

For Leather Events Listings, please visit www.ebar.com/bartab

REMEMBERING

Mr. Marcus January 9, 2016 • 7pm • $10 SF Armory, 4th Fl, 1800 Mission St., SF 94103 21+ Adults Only Imperial Court & Leather Community Retrospective Slideshow of Marcus’ Life Entertainment • Refreshments • Cash Bar For more info email msqcougar@comcast.net Tel (510) 996-2235

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

30 • Bay Area Reporter • December 24-30, 2015

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Out & About

From page 28

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder @ Golden Gate Theatre The touring company of the Tony Award-winning musical comedy about the conniving heir to a family fortune. $45-$212. Tue-Sat 8pm. Wed, Sat, Sun 2pm. Thru Dec. 27. 1 Taylor St. at Market. 551-2050. www.shnsf.com

The Mousetrap @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley Shotgun Players’ production of Agatha Christie’s British mystery drama (the longest-running show in modern history). Previews; opens Dec. 11. $20-$40. Wed-Syb. Thru Jan. 24. 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org

New & Classic Films @ Castro Theatre

Sun 27

Abrazo, Queer Tango @ Finnish Brotherhood Hall, Berkeley Enjoy weekly same-sex tango dancing and a potluck, with lessons early in the day. $7-$15. 3:30-6:30pm. 1970 Chestnut St., Berkeley. (510) 8455352. www.finnishhall.com

Jewel City @ de Young Museum Jewel City: Art from San Francisco’s Panama-Pacific International Exposition ; thru Jan. 10. Also, Portals of the Past: Photographs of Willard Worden (thru Feb. 14); Royal Hawaiian Featherwork (thru Feb. 28); Between Life and Death: Robert Motherwell’s Elegies (thru Mar. 6). Other exhibits of modern art as well. Free/$25. Thru Sept. 20 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. www.famsf.org

Dec. 26: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (2:45, 7pm) and Funny Face (4:55, 9:10). Dec. 27: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (2:30, 7pm) and Roman Holiday (4:40, 9:10). Dec. 28: The Godfather, Part II (1:30 7pm) and Radio Days (5:15). Dec. 29: Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights (3:30, 7pm) and Modern Times (5:!5, 8:45). Dec. 30: Singin’ in the Rain (2:15, 7pm) and The Band Wagon (4:50, 9pm). Dec. 31: Singin’ in the Rain (2pm, 6pm) and On the Town (4pm). $11$16. $10-$15. 429 Castro St. www.castrotheatre.com

(415) 430-1199 Oakland:

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Looking East @ Asian Art Museum Looking East: How Japan Inspired Monet, Van Gogh, and Other Western Artists. Thru Feb. 7. Free (members, kids 12 and under)-$15. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. 200 Larkin St. www.asianart.org

Wildflower Exhibits @ SF Botanical Gardens See autumnal fall foliage displays, trees and plants in various beautiful gardens specific to region, plus Fotanicals: the Secret Language of Flowers, an exhibition of photographs by artist joSon. Daily walking tours and more. Free admission on Thanksgiving! Optional donation $15. Tours, lectures, classes and more. Daily. Golden Gate Park. 661-1316. www.sfbotanicalgarden.org

Mon 28

The celebrated gay collage artist premieres Man Candy, his latest works: portraits of Magic Mike actors and other celebrities (Burt Reynolds’ nude Cosmo spread!), made of jelly beans and other media. Thru Dec. 4122 18th St. www.jasonmecier.com www.magnetsf.org

Julissa Rodriguez @ Qulture Collective, Oakland

Thu 31 Paula Poundstone @ Palace of Fine Arts

San Jose:

(510) 343-1122 (408) 514-1111

Jason Mecier @ Magnet

Stage Kiss @ SF Playhouse Gabriel Marin and Carrie Paff star in Sarah Ruhl’s new romantic farce that blends onand offstage romance between actors. $20-$45. Tue-Thu 7pm, Fri & Sat 8pm, Wed, Sat & Sun at 2pm & 3pm. Thru Jan. 9. 450 Post St. www.sfplayhouse.org

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Tue 29

Thu 31

New exhibit of 1970s San Francisco drag ball photos by Roz Joseph; with curator Joey Plaster, DJ Irwin Swirnoff. Thru Feb. 2016. Reg, hours Mon, WedSat 11am-6pm. Sun 12pm-5pm. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Theatre Rhinoceros’ one-night-only two-actor production of Morris Bobrow’s musical comedy show. $30. 8pm. 215 Jackson St. (800) 838-3006. www.TheRhino.org

Reigning Queens @ GLBT History Museum

The Sprawl @ YBCA Amsterdam-based design team Metahaven’s immersive video installation about the mutation of propaganda. Free/$8. Thru April 3. Also, Kevin Cooley’s Golden Propects, a visual survey of water and waste in California. Thru April 3. Also, Won Ju Lim: Raycraft is Dead, thru Feb. 14. $5-$12. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St. www.ybca.org

Vernacular Vixens @ Robert Tat Gallery Robert E. Jackson’s collection of found photos of women (Note: Due to increased lease costs, this may be the gallery’s last exhibit). Thru Feb 6. 49 Geary St., Suite 410. www.roberttat.com

Wed 30 Alison Saar @ MOAD

Pigment: A Redefinition of Beauty, an exhibit of the artist’s works, at the new multi-use café, gallery, workspace and community center. Reg. hours Mon-Fri 8am-4pm. 1714 Franklin St., Oakland www.qulturecollective.com

New exhibit, Bearing, the acclaimed artist’s sculptures of Black women as a centerpiece. Free-$10. Thru April 3. Museum of the African Diaspora, 635 Mission St. www.moadsf.org

Tony Tabangeura @ Castro Country Club

Dual exhibit of LGBT-themed photos by veteran photographers Jane Philomen Cleland and Rick Gerharter. Jewett Gallery, lower level. 100 Larkin St. Thru Jan. 3. www.sfpl.org

Visions for You: Quilts, an exhibit of the artist’s craftmanship. Thru Jan. 15. 4058 18th St. www.castrocountryclub.org

BLACK MASCULINE & HANDSOME –

Daily and Transcendent @ SF Public Library

Are We Almost There? The Travel Musical @ Eureka Theatre

Comedy Countdwon @ Cobb’s Comedy Club Enjoy stand-up wit into the New Year, with Laurie Kilmartin, Chad Daniels, Scott Capurro, Drennon Davis and more. $50-$70. 7:15 and 10pm. 915 Columbus Ave. www.cobbscomedy.com

Forever Tango @ Herbst Theatre Anna Trebunskaya and Dmitry Chaplin (Dancing With the Stars pro dancer/ choreographers) join the splashy Spanish dance concert with live music (an 11-piece orchestra), choreographed by Luis Bravo. $25-$125 (VIP meet & greet). Jan. 31 New Year’s Eve show 9pm ($49-$99) with VIP dancing and meet & greet in the Green Room. Almost nightly, various times thru Jan. 10. 401 Van Ness Ave. 392-4400. www.cityboxoffice.com

New Year’s Concert @ Davies Symphony Hall Seth McFarlane ( Family Guy) performs and MCs a night of jazz and holiday hits with the San Francisco Symphony. $85-$210. 8pm. 201 Van Ness ave at Grove. www.sfsymphony.org

Paula Poundstone @ Palace of Fine Arts The witty comic returns for a special New Year’s Eve show. $47.50-$60. 8pm. (888) 929-7849. www.paulapoundstone.com www.palaceoffinearts.org To submit event listings, email events@ebar.com Deadline is each Thursday, a week before publication.

Read more online at www.ebar.com

Shooting Stars

December 24-30, 2015 • Bay Area Reporter • 31

photos by Steven underhill Lustre @ Club six

litz, glamour and gourmet food featured at Lustre, the Winter Solstice party hosted by queer groups Comfort & Joy and Calamus on Saturday December 18. Before the dance floor filled with revelers late into the night, patrons enjoyed a buffet dinner, live entertainment and some fierce runway action. More event photo albums are on BARtab’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at www.StevenUnderhill.com.

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For headshots, portraits or to arrange your wedding photos

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