December 31, 2015 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

Hard times for Araujo's mom

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Film 2015

Eric Himan

The

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

Vol. 45 • No. 53 • December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

HIV+ man leads SF AIDS Foundation by Seth Hemmelgarn

Courtesy Dustin Lance Black’s Instagram

Milk producer Bruce Cohen, left, recently joined former Health Commissioner Roma Guy, gay rights activists Ken Jones and Cleve Jones, and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black in San Francisco.

SF man’s memoir inspires LGBT miniseries by Matthew S. Bajko

he eight-hour miniseries ABC has ordered from gay screenwriter Dustin Lance Black will be partly based on the memoir of longtime LGBT activist Cleve Jones. Jones, 61, moved to San Francisco in the early 1970s and soon befriended the late Harvey Milk, who would make history in 1977 as the first gay person elected to public office in San Francisco and California. Jones, who worked on Milk’s campaign for city supervisor, would go on to work for him at City Hall. But a year later Milk was assassinated along with then-Mayor George Moscone by disgruntled former supervisor Dan White. The events leading up to their deaths were the basis for the 2008 biopic Milk, for which Black won an Academy Award for best screenplay. Jones served as an adviser on the film and became close friends with Black. In fact, in recent years, Jones would stay with Black in Los Angeles in order to work on his memoir. The book details the life of Jones, who in response to the AIDS epidemic created the AIDS quilt and co-founded several agencies to care for people living with HIV or AIDS. Jones himself is HIV-positive, and in the early 1990s, moved to the Russian River gay resort area north of San Francisco where he expected to die soon after due to his failing health. But then came the introduction of antiretroviral therapy and Jones’ health improved. For a while he was living in Palm Springs, but in 2010 he moved back to San Francisco. In addition to speaking to students and youth groups across the country, Jones works as a union organizer. He recently sold his autobiography, When We Rise, to Hachette and the hardcover is scheduled to be released in late May. It includes the stories of a number of his friends, such as lesbian health care advocate Roma See page 13 >>

or the first time in recent memory, a man who’s living with HIV is leading the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, one of the largest AIDS-based nonprofits in the country. Tim L. Jones, 50, who was named SFAF’s interim CEO in December, said his HIV status is “significant in the sense that we’re hoping to move into an era of supporting people living with HIV more so than what we are today.” As SFAF works to end HIV transmissions and establishes Strut, the gay and bi men’s health center that’s set to open January 4 at 470 Castro Street, there’s been a shift in focus. “We are looking to help people living with the disease, so that’s me, and it really does hit home that I’m involved at this level of the organization,” said Jones, who’s gay and tested positive in 1991, about three years after he moved to the city. “I’m somebody who has benefited from the AIDS foundation. ... It’s important for us to stay focused on helping those living with HIV going forward.” Jones is taking over from Neil Giuliano, who’s led the organization for five years and announced in August that he was leaving to become CEO of Greater Phoenix Leadership, a business organization focused on civic improvement initiatives. Giuliano’s last day at

Courtesy SFAF

Tim Jones

SFAF is Thursday (December 31). Since its founding in 1982, just as AIDS was beginning to decimate San Francisco’s gay community, eight or so people have led the nonprofit, which now has a $32 million budget and offers free services including HIV testing, syringe access, and counseling. It’s not clear which of the former directors, if any, were HIV-positive at the time they led the organization. Giuliano is HIV-negative, as were his predecessors, Mark Cloutier and Pat

Christen, along with the people who ran the agency in the interim between them. The Bay Area Reporter contacted several ex-directors via Facebook, but none of them responded. SFAF spokesman Andrew Hattori noted in an email that SFAF co-founder Cleve Jones is HIV-positive. “Additionally,” Hattori said, “we have a long history of HIV-positive members of our board of directors, including past board chairs.” Cleve Jones recently told the B.A.R. he couldn’t recall any SFAF executive directors or CEOs being HIV-positive. Tim Jones, who’d been a member of SFAF’s board since 2011, is the former national director of operations for the consulting firm Deloitte. He started the interim job December 7. He said that among his priorities in the post are ensuring that “we’re focused on serving our clients to the best of our abilities,” especially through Strut. The center’s opening comes at “an unprecedented time for the foundation,” he said. Jones also wants to continue the momentum he said Giuliano started. One of the accomplishments Jones pointed to was the expansion of the board, which now has 20 members, according to SFAF’s website. “We have really developed a stronger commitment to the community by ensuring our See page 14 >>

Lesbian Air Force major killed in Afghanistan by Heather Cassell

said Dunning, based on her knowledge and the fact that women have been “serving in harm’s way for many, many years now.” “There may have been other lesbians who were killed in combat that we don’t know about,” Dunning added. Vorderbruggen was the third female member of the Air Force to die in Afghanistan. Two other female Air Force members were killed in a helicopter accident in October, reported NBC News.

ay military veterans are recalling Air Force Major Adrianna Vorderbruggen, who was killed earlier this month by a suicide bomber outside Bagram Airfield, north of Kabul, Afghanistan. Vorderbruggen and five other members of her special security forces died in the December 21 attack, the deadliest day for the U.S. military in Afghanistan in 18 months. According to reports, a suicide bomber rammed A family in mourning a motorcycle packed with explosives Vorderbruggen was “the light of our into a joint NATO-Afghan patrol. lives,” Lamb told NBC News, recalling The Taliban claimed credit for the that Vorderbruggen had a way of makattack. Courtesy Military and Partners Families Coalition Facebook page ing everyone around her laugh, “even The military hasn’t released details Air Force Major Adrianna Vorderbruggen, right, with wife, when we thought we didn’t feel like it.” of the incident due to the attack still Heather Lamb, and son Jacob in an undated photo. Lamb said that Vorderbruggen being under investigation. loved her work. Vorderbruggen, 36, is the first “Our consolation is, we know she weeks after Defense Secretary Ashton Carter anknown out lesbian active-duty miliwanted to be there, she believed in and nounced that all “remaining occupations and loved her work, and she was doing important tary member and the first openly gay Air Force positions,” including combat positions, would be officer to die in combat. work on behalf of the Afghans and our nation,” open to women. The new policy is scheduled to be She was assigned to the Air Force Office of Lamb said in a text message. “She has always implemented in January, but retired Navy ComSpecial Investigations, 9th Field Investigations been my hero, never more so than now.” mander Zoe Dunning, a lesbian, told the Bay Area Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Family and friends mourned VorderbrugHer wife, Heather Lamb, and the couple’s Reporter that didn’t mean that women haven’t gen’s death and expressed their condolences to been serving in combat zones, just that Carter 4-year old son, Jacob, were staying with her famLamb and the couple’s son on Facebook, acand the military officially recognized it and now cording to media reports. ily in San Rafael during Vorderbruggen’s tour women will obtain the proper training to serve. of duty. Lamb was reported to have traveled to Lamb’s mother wouldn’t speak to ABC 7 While Dunning didn’t know Vorderbruggen Dover Air Force Base in Delaware last week to News. However, an unidentified member of personally, she had learned of her through friends. receive Vorderbruggen’s flag draped casket. See page 13 >> “She is the first out lesbian combat death,” Vorderbruggen’s death comes nearly three

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New Genvoya is now available

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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.

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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 Gay, lesbian seniors recall 2015 milestones

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

by Brian Bromberger

/lgbtsf

t’s been a memorable year for LGBT rights, as several seniors pointed out recently in interviews with the Bay Area Reporter. “It’s about time!” lesbian icon Phyllis Lyon, 91, almost shouted when asked what her first reaction was to the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision in June that legalized same-sex marriages in all 50 states. The response among LGBT elders to the seismic changes in favor of gay rights in the U.S. during the last decade has been one of joy tempered by caution, as the B.A.R. interviewed four activist veterans. Lyon, with her late wife, Del Martin, was a central player in the samesex marriage debate. The couple had the first such wedding in San Francisco in February 2004 after Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered the city clerk to start issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. Their marriage was later voided by the California Supreme Court, to which Lyon had decried to the press that “it was a terrible blow, as at our age we don’t have the luxury of time.” Fortunately, they were again the first same-sex couple to wed in

Brian Bromberger

Lesbian pioneer Phyllis Lyon talks about the big changes in 2015.

San Francisco in June 2008 after the state Supreme Court legalized samesex marriage in the state, just a few months before Martin’s death. (The passage of Proposition 8, the state’s same-sex marriage ban, in November 2008 put such weddings on hold until the U.S. Supreme Court threw it out on a technicality in June 2013.) Jewelle Gomez, 67, is a poet, novelist, and playwright. She’s the author of seven books, including the Lambda Literary Award-winning novel, The Gilda Stories (1991) which re-imagined vampires from a feminist lesbian perspective. Gomez and her partner, Diane Sabin, in 2004, were one of 12 plaintiff couples in the National Center for Lesbian Rights’ lawsuit that sought equal marriage rights. While thrilled at the this year’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling, “I was also furious that we had to go through all that ... Even though I, as a lifelong lesbian feminist, don’t believe in the institution of marriage and all the cultural baggage it carries, I believe in our right to choose, so Diane and I agreed to be litigants in the first lawsuit against the state of California,” Gomez said. “We spent four years practicing our media and community presentations to try to change hearts and minds. And I’ve come to believe that we can change the oppressive nature of traditional marriage, just like the rabid conservatives fear.” Larry Saxxon, 63, was the first African-American social worker for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation in the 1980s. In recent years, he served on the city’s LGBT Aging Policy Task Force, which advised the Board of Supervisors on LGBT senior issues. He said he “was completely, and pleasantly stunned!” “I had hoped and prayed but remained somewhat detached because the court is so unpredictable,” he said of the decision. “I was afraid to get my hopes up and run the risk of having them dashed, as the court has done on a number of other occasions. When the word finally came down, I cried with happiness. I married my partner (of 35 years) the month immediately afterwards.” Gary Carr, 67, was the first fulltime HIV/AIDS nurse practitioner at Ward 86 in San Francisco General Hospital in 1983 and currently volunteers at the UCSF Alliance Health Project and San Francisco Suicide Prevention. He thought that marriage equality was a great political accomplishment, but mostly for gays who live the most like straights. “I can only hope it is part of a greater push for equality for all LGBT people and not a further division into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ gays,” he said. “I lived with my partner for 22 years, but I see marriage as an institution invented to turn women into property, so I have no need to participate in it or advance it.” Carr reflected, “In my early years as a political gay person in the 1960s and 1970s, I thought in terms of a rearrangement of society along more egalitarian, communal terms, rather than inclusion in existing repressive institutions, so marriage and the

military were not part of my goals. Saying this, I do admire the accomplishments of younger gay activists in these areas; but I think a wider critique of these institutions should still be part of our thinking as gay people.” Still, all were amazed society is even talking about marriage at all. The luxury of time mentioned by Lyon is exactly what many older LGBT Americans have been given to witness the full sweep of equality from illegality to celebration in many quarters. Fifty years ago most LGBT Americans were closeted to avoid being harassed and in many places potentially put in jail if one was even suspected of being gay. If an employer discovered someone was gay, they could be fired (which is still the case today in some states). So most people had to hide a very important part of themselves and few could lead open authentic lives, especially in an era where acceptance was much harder and rare. People like Lyon, who were out – she and Martin founded the

Rick Gerharter

Larry Saxxon makes a point during a 2012 meeting of the LGBT Aging Policy Task Force.

Irene Young

Lesbian author Jewelle Gomez

Daughters of Bilitis, an early lesbian group – were admired within the community for taking such a risk. “Being gay was a secret thing,” Lyon said. “You couldn’t even tell your parents. It was hard to meet other lesbians, especially if you weren’t a bar type person. You didn’t go up to someone maybe in a school corridor and say, ‘Hi, I’ve been admiring you for a few days. Are you by chance a lesbian?’” Perhaps the most revolutionary change is that homosexuality is talked about publicly and many of the myths and misinformation has been disproved and eliminated. “Most people did not know much about homosexuality or even that gays and lesbians existed and it was never talked about in everyday conversation,” Lyon said. “Many folks claimed they did not know any homosexuals. But gays and lesbians wanted to say who they were without someone shooting them: this was the beginning of the movement. Still, you had to be careful what you said and to whom you said it. One of the scary things

for women was that they could lose their jobs, families, or their kids taken away if exposed.” The Daughters of Bilitis, started in the 1950s, was primarily social and educational, not political, Lyon said. “No one doubted changes were needed, but the correct ones at the right time so as not to screw people’s lives,” she said. They wrote books (i.e. Lesbian/Woman) about the real lives of lesbians instead of “how horrible gay people were, common in that era,” Lyon said.

Living out and proud

This desire to enlighten people about the truth of LGBT people was a common theme among the interviewees. “What I have done is live my life, both personally and professionally, out and proud,” Saxxon said in an email. “I have tried to educate those who harbor misunderstandings about the LBGTQ community when I could, and confronted their harmful bigotry when I had to. But I also resisted the community’s misogyny, racism, classism, and all the other --isms that we, too, suffer from as a group. I have done this through bearing witness to truth in my community and out of a deeply felt love for my community.” Gomez is most surprised to see the changes in how the culture has responded to queer youth. “Back in the 1970s queer organizations and activists had to be very careful in how we related to young people for fear we’d be charged molesting the kids,” she said. “It’s so encouraging to see young queer people today have places to go to help them find their way.” None of the interviewees ever thought they would live to see the changes experienced in the U.S. during the last decade. “Frankly, I feel that I have lived several lifetimes in America,” Saxxon said. “This is the most dramatic and accelerated civil rights development that I have seen since the 1960s. For that, I thank the millions of younger members of the community who have understood and mastered sending the truth out worldwide through using the new social media tools.” He also acknowledged Vice President Joe Biden, who when it was risky came out in support of marriage equality, essentially forcing President Barack Obama’s hand (he came out in support of it a few months later, in May 2012). “I thank President Obama for showing that one can change one’s mind and feelings after allowing oneself to be still and take a critical look at the human condition. In that stillness ... there is no longer an ‘us versus them.’ It’s about all of us as human beings.”

Unfinished business

But all four elders were adamant that the LGBT community has a long way to go in terms of full civil rights for everyone and that people must remain vigilant about protecting what has already been gained. “My response to anyone who thinks winning marriage equality means all our rights are won is a rude snort of disgust at such ahistorical ignorance,” Gomez said. “It’s clear they haven’t been paying attention to the current dismantling of women’s right to choose or the erosion of voting rights. As we speak some counties are still refusing to give marriage licenses to queer couples. She added that the fight for same-sex marriage did turn attention to other issues. “I don’t ever see our movement as a series of singular issues,” Gomez said. See page 13 >>

Community News>>

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

Araujo’s mother seeks help by Seth Hemmelgarn

he mother of slain transgender teen Gwen Araujo, whose murder over a decade ago played a huge part in advancing transgender rights, is struggling financially and has launched an online crowdfunding campaign. “I have been borrowing money to keep afloat, but I’m drowning,” Sylvia Guerrero, 51, who’s suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other medical issues, wrote on a Gofundme site she recently launched (https://www.gofundme. com/mjcbpda6). “I made a promise to Gwen that I wouldn’t give up, and that I’d keep moving forward,” Guerrero said in an interview. “She keeps reassuring me that things are going to be OK.” Araujo, 17, was killed in October 2002 at a house party in Newark, California. Two men at the party had reportedly had sex with the young woman they’d known as Lida, and they murdered her after their suspicions that she was biologically male were confirmed. The men then drove Araujo’s body to a grave in the Sierra foothills. Michael Magidson, 35, and Jose Merel, 36, are still in prison after being convicted in Araujo’s murder. Jason Cazares, 35, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was discharged from prison in 2012. Jaron Nabors, 32, also pleaded guilty to manslaughter and prison records indicate he’s been discharged, too. With Guerrero’s help, Araujo’s murder brought unprecedented attention to transgender issues and prompted state law barring the use of the “panic defense,” where people charged with murder defend themselves by claiming the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity triggered them.

Jane Philomen Cleland

Sylvia Guerrero speaks to reporters at the 2006 sentencing for the men convicted in the death of her daughter, trans teen Gwen Araujo.

But 13 years after her daughter’s brutal murder, Guerrero is faced with physical and financial problems, on top of the emotional destruction that came with her daughter’s death. “I’ve lost everything,” Guerrero said. “I lost my kid. She’s never going to go home. That’s the one thing I wish never happened ... When they killed Gwen, they killed her mom. This is just what’s left of me. It’s changed my life forever.” Guerrero said she’s suffered disabling PTSD since Araujo’s murder, and she also has celiac disease and rheumatoid arthritis, but she said her Social Security disability benefits were recently cut off after she neglected to turn in some required documentation. Among other problems, she hasn’t had access to her medications or seen her doctors in months. She’s working on regaining her benefits. For months, Guerrero has been splitting her time between two of her children’s homes and is currentSee page 14 >>

Group suggests policy for people aging with HIV by Seth Hemmelgarn

epresentatives of AIDS-related nonprofits, service providers, and others recently agreed on several areas of importance in helping adults who are aging with HIV/AIDS Recommendations from the HIV and aging working group of San Francisco’s Long Term Care Coordinating Council include supporting research, increasing linkages to care, making available more affordable housing and preventing evictions, supporting the inclusion of transgender people, training health care providers, and ensuring food security. The LTCCC, first appointed in 2004 by then-Mayor Gavin Newsom, provides policy guidance to the mayor’s office. According to the working group, 58 percent of the 16,014 people living with HIV/AIDS in San Francisco, or about 9,288, are over 50. The group also says that 84 percent, or approximately 13,452, are over 40. Among other recommendations presented Thursday, December 10, the working group also wants to see more access to employment services. “It’s no secret that the majority of

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A Paid Study for People Who Are HIV+ Smallpox Vaccine Study

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

Rick Gerharter

Tez Anderson

people who are disabled by HIV live on disability [benefits], which is not that much,” working group member Chip Supanich said. Supanich also talked about the need for help with financial and estate planning. “A lot of people did not expect to live to a point where they would have these concerns,” he said. The working group also suggested making $125,000 available to implement the second Research with Older Adults with HIV/AIDS project and initiatives at See page 14 >>

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

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<< Open Forum

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

Volume 45, Number 53 December 31, 2015January 6, 2016 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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Here’s to coming out

his year probably broke the record for the most news stories about coming out of the closet. From the personal stories of college athletes, religious leaders, or an Olympic gold medalist, the general public realized what so many of us already knew: the closet is a trap that saps energy and makes life miserable. About 50 celebrities, athletes, and other newsmakers came out in 2015; and every time someone famous takes that step, it promotes discussion and expands awareness. The complexity of experiences is revealed when one learns that they know someone who is LGBT or pansexual (Miley Cyrus) or no particular gender (Eliot Sumner, child of Sting and Trudie Styler). This inspires and encourages ordinary LGBTs to take that public step to come out. Sometimes, a person’s coming out is not planned, but precipitated by unforeseen circumstances. That was the case with National Basketball Association veteran referee Bill Kennedy, who was called a “faggot” by Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo this month. Rondo was suspended for one game by the NBA, while Kennedy earned plaudits for affirming that he’s a gay man. Various national personalities in Ireland came out before voters headed to the polls to decide a referendum on same-sex marriage. It passed easily, and we suspect that those who came out, including Irish journalist Ursula Halligan, Irish Health Minister Leo Varadkar, and Father Martin Dolan, a Catholic priest, each helped to move

public opinion in their own way. And of course, Caitlyn Jenner was the most prominent person to come out in 2015. Jenner was given the full treatment: a sit-down TV interview with Diane Sawyer, an attentiongetting Vanity Fair cover announcing her new name, and a TV reality show featuring her among several transgender friends. But for all the backlash – there was a change.org petition calling for the International Olympic Committee to revoke Jenner’s gold medal – and awkward first steps, Jenner gave the majority of Americans their first glimpse of a transgender woman. It’s true that most trans people lack Jenner’s wealth and celebrity status as a member of the Kardashian clan, but count us surprised that one of her most vocal early supporters was none other than rapper Kanye West, Jenner’s son-inlaw and the husband of Kim Kardashian.

It hasn’t been all about Jenner either. Her story led an increased interest in the subject by focusing on the personal struggles of other trans people. The New York Times delved into the plight of transgender prisoners and the process for a trans woman to get surgery. The Bay Area Reporter this month did a piece about an Oakland trans man’s long quest for surgery. We also reported extensively on San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi’s plan to house jailed trans inmates based on how they identify rather than the sex they’re assigned at birth. In all of these stories, readers were given a crash course in what it means to be trans, whether wealthy, middle class, or incarcerated. The uptick in mainstream coverage of trans issues can be credited with dashing the chances for an anti-trans ballot initiative in California. For the second time in as many years, advocates failed to collect enough valid signatures for the measure. This version would have required trans people to use facilities in government buildings and public schools based on the gender they were assigned at birth, in addition to allowing anyone to sue those who didn’t adhere to the law. We think Californians are tired of voting on these wedge issues and turned off by being asked to legalize discrimination. But we also think that the increase in coverage of trans people has humanized the issue; and the more that happens, the more the LGBT community will prevail in out fight for equality. So, if you’ve come out this year, congratulations for embracing your whole self and sharing your story with others. If you haven’t yet taken that step, 2016 might just be the year to do so. Happy New Year.t

Discrimination against LGBTIQs is costly by Jason Cianciotto

oo frequently, the daily news includes stories about discrimination and violence perpetrated against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer people around the world. The images may range from bruised and bloodied faces in Jamaica to men being thrown off buildings in Iraq to a map showing the reported 689 murders of transgender people in Brazil from 2008 to 2014. Civil society organizations like OutRight Action International, formerly the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, have advocated for the human rights of LGBTIQ populations around the world for over 25 years. Yet, it was not until 2008 that the United Nations General Assembly first discussed LGBT rights. In the proceeding years, with persistent advocacy, there has been steady progress. Most recently, a U.N. forum honoring Human Rights Day focused on the cost of LGBT exclusion. The forum was co-organized by OutRight and Human Rights Watch (nongovernmental organization members of the coalition of 18 countries known as the U.N. Core Group), along with the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. For the first time ever, the president of the General Assembly addressed a U.N. forum on LGBTIQ issues. In opening remarks, H.E. Mogens Lykketoft made it clear that member states are obliged to protect the human rights of LGBTIQ people. As many readers know, not all members of the General Assembly see eye to eye when it comes to questions of sexual orientation and gender identity. At the same time, no member state can deny that it is legally bound to ensure that all people enjoy their human rights without discrimination – and this includes discrimination against those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. Regrettably, we still have a long way to go before LGBT people are able to live their lives free from fear or harassment; free to contribute to their society like any other person. We know what states need to do to change this reality and address these abuses: • Repeal laws that criminalize people for being gay and transgender; • Put in place anti-discrimination laws that penalize anyone who discriminates against people because of their sexual orientation and gender identity; • Educate people to respect one another, no matter the differences that distinguish us one

Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera, director of Freedom and Roam Uganda, spoke during a recent panel discussion on economics and LGBT discrimination.

from another. Taking steps such as these will enable member states to enrich people’s lives. It will see them fulfill their international human rights obligations and help them to reap significant economic dividends. The Economic Cost of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Exclusion Forum focused on a World Bank report by economist M.V. Lee Badgett, Ph.D. The report quantifies the cost of workforce discrimination, increased health costs, and antiLGBT laws, which can cost a nation up to 1 percent of its gross domestic product. Applied globally, a conservative estimate of this impact (0.05 percent) amounts to over $400 billion – enough to eliminate extreme poverty globally, a preeminent goal of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. James Heintz, Ph.D., an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, explained some of the factors included in Badgett’s analysis, which can lead to reduced GDP for homophobic and transphobic nations: • Anti-LGBT discrimination in the workplace lowers the productivity of LGBT people, which lowers the contributions their labor makes to the economy. • LGBT people who live in homophobic and transphobic nations experience more negative physical and mental health outcomes, which increase health care costs to society.

• LGBT youth who experience harassment and violence in school and/or at home are more likely to drop out and become homeless, often during a critical transition to adulthood. This reduces their potential productivity for the rest of their lives. • Anti-LGBT laws carry an economic cost of enforcement, diverting resources that could be used to increase the productivity of the economy. • International investors and businesses are less willing to invest in a country that does not support fundamental human rights for all people. These factors were further explained in a new video released at the forum by the UN Free and Equal campaign, titled The Price of Exclusion. OutRight also released the final video in its “Cost of Exclusion LGBTIQ Africa” series. Heintz emphasized that while Badgett’s findings will provide additional support for U.N member states to change their anti-LGBT laws and policies, there is intrinsic value to protecting the human rights of all people, regardless of economic consequences. Panelist Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera, director of Freedom and Roam Uganda, put a face to the economic data. Through sharing her own personal story as a lesbian living in Uganda, Nabagesera highlighted personal economic effects, such as the cost of repeated evictions from home and long-term unemployment, and the affects on families, many of whom need to flee their country in order to be safe. Nabagesera challenged decisions by nations and humanitarian organizations to reduce international aid or boycott Uganda or other nations based on homophobic laws and policies. “That causes a backlash to our community,” she said. “If you single out such a group of society as a condition to suspend aid.” Rather, Nabagesera encouraged other tactics to hold governments accountable while supporting LGBTIQ populations, such as through direct connections to civil society. “For example, most of us human rights defenders are here today because of OutRight Action International,” she said. “Try to work with some of our partners in the West to support us on the ground.”t Jason Cianciotto is a former research director at the National LGBTQ Task Force and Gay Men’s Health Crisis.

Politics>>

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

New year rings in leadership changes at LGBT political clubs by Matthew S. Bajko

he new year will bring with it new leaders at several Bay Area LGBT political clubs. Both of the female leaders at San Francisco’s main LGBT Democratic clubs will depart in January, while the woman who has overseen the East Bay’s queer Democratic group may also step down in early 2016. Meanwhile, a new president is already at the helm of San Francisco’s club for LGBT Republicans. The leadership changes come as local LGBT politicos will be riveted by next year’s races for U.S. president and one of the state’s U.S. Senate seats, as well as contested battles for state legislative seats and, in San Francisco, the odd-numbered seats on the Board of Supervisors. The city’s more moderate Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club is expected to elect Louise Fischer, who goes by Lou, as its new female co-chair when it meets Monday, January 11. Alice’s current female co-chair, Zoe Dunning, is stepping down as her two-year term is coming to an end. Fischer will serve alongside Alice’s male Co-Chair Brian Leubitz, whose own two-year term will end at the start of 2017. An 11-year member of Alice, Fischer has served six times as a co-chair of one of the club’s committees. Next year “is a huge election year for San Francisco, it is an excellent opportunity to make a difference in the city and help elect people who will set the tone for San Francisco for the next four to eight years,” noted Fischer, 53, a 25-year resident of San Francisco who works in the telecommunications and energy infrastructure field. She added that she is “lucky” to have Leubitz “as a mentor and such an experienced group of returning members with so much experience in activism, politics, campaigns and community work.” Fischer also noted that Alice is set to elect a new board next month that will have more women and people of color with diverse backgrounds and experiences. “Our goal was to bring more gender and demographic diversity to the board and I’m proud that out of five new board members, three are women (one is a woman of color) and one of the new male members is a leader in the African American community,” noted Fischer, who has been with her partner, local musician and actress Amy Meyers, for five years. Currently a member of the city’s Sunshine Ordinance Task Force – her term expires April 27 – Fischer over the years has worked as a campaign consultant, most recently on David Chiu’s successful 2014 bid for one of the city’s Assembly District seats. She has also volunteered on the campaigns of other elected officials, including gay state Senator Mark Leno, gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, and Sheriff-elect Vicki Hennessy. But due to her becoming Alice’s co-chair, Fischer told the Bay Area Reporter she plans to suspend her paid work as a campaign consultant for local candidates over the next two years. “As chair I am on the independent expenditure committee for the club. That has the potential to create all kinds of conflict and I don’t want to go there,” explained Fischer. Four years ago Fischer first thought about becoming Alice’s cochair, but she stepped aside when

Courtesy Lou Fischer

Incoming Alice Club Co-Chair Louise “Lou” Fischer

another member, Martha Knutzen, ran for the post. She stepped aside again two years later when Dunning announced she wanted to serve as co-chair. Her time waiting in the wings finally paid off this fall. In November, Alice’s board nominated Fischer to co-lead the club. Next month the club’s membership is expected to elect the entire slate of new board members. “Honestly, it all worked out for the best. I am so happy to be doing it in 2016,” Fischer said. “I feel like I know a lot more and it is a really big year.”

Milk club to elect new female leader

After two years as copresident of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, Laura Thomas has decided not to seek a third term. The California deputy state director for the Drug Policy Alliance, Thomas was recently appointed by San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors to serve on the city’s Cannabis State Legalization Task Force. The panel is tasked with preparing policy should state voters legalize marijuana use next year. Thomas’ agency is expected to be heavily involved in the fight to pass next November a ballot measure allowing for the recreational use of marijuana in California. Thomas, who identifies as queer, did not respond to a request for comment. She will transition into an ex-officio role on the Milk club’s executive board in 2016. The progressive political club’s current male co-chair, Peter Gallotta, is seeking to be elected to a second one-year term at the club’s Tuesday, January 19 meeting. “I will be running for president again in 2016, and am in the process of (hopefully) confirming a running mate,” Gallotta, 27, a gay man who is project manager with Oaklandbased Gigantic Idea Studio, told the B.A.R. earlier this month. The East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club could see its president position change hands next year. For the last two years Brendalynn Goodall has overseen the club, centered in Alameda County. But Goodall told the B.A.R. in early December that she is unsure if she will run for another two-year term. The club will hold its board elections at its February annual membership meeting. “We are having that discussion now ... I should be making a decision by next month,” wrote Goodall in an emailed reply.

Male club leaders depart

The Gay Asian Pacific Alliance, a social club for gay and bisexual

API men in the Bay Area that also wades into local political races with endorsements, will see one of its two co-chairs step down in 2016, as it staggers the two-year terms for the positions. Jonathan Cheung’s co-chair term is up next year, though he will still be on GAPA’s board. “We stagger co-chair terms for sustained continuity. By February, we should have determined who else will be stepping up as co-chair with me,” wrote Co-Chair Danny Pham in an email earlier this month. With his term expiring at the end of 2015, Mill Valley resident Fred Schein stepped down in November as president of the Log Cabin Republicans San Francisco chapter. He will remain on the club’s board through 2017. “After three years, I didn’t run again. I may run for one of the other chapters when their terms end,” said Schein, who is gay and, this year, helped to launch Log Cabin chapters in Marin, Humboldt, and Fresno counties. His successor, Jason Clark, is a gay man who is first vice chair of the San Francisco Republican Party and, in 2012, ran unsuccessfully for one of the city’s Assembly District seats. “I have enjoyed watching this club grow and working within the Republican Party to bring attention to LGBT issues. As president of the founding chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, I have the unique opportunity to help lead the next generation of LGBT Republicans in the post-Obergefell v. Hodges world,” wrote Clark, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding marriage equality, in a message sent via Facebook. He added that the club “will continue to reach out to like-minded members of the LGBT community as well as to make new alliances with Republicans to build a better San Francisco, California, and United States.” Jason Galisatus, who took over earlier this year as chair of the Peninsula Stonewall Democrats, based in San Mateo County, will continue to lead the club in 2016 as a co-chair alongside Alan Yan, a political science major at UC Berkeley who grew up in Belmont. The two were elected in the summer to share duties leading the club. “He works closely with me to help us produce our events and develop our long term strategic plan, which is currently in progress,” said Galisatus. Ending this year is the two-year term of James Gonzales, president of the South Bay’s LGBT political club known as BAYMEC, which stands for the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee. It is unclear who will be leading the club in 2016, as Gonzales did not respond to a request for comment by press time.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.

On the web Online content this week includes the Out in the World column. www.ebar.com.

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<< Travel

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

Maui’s warmth draws LGBT visitors, permanent residents with abundant streams, waterfalls, and rainbows. Although Maui is much smaller than the Big Island of Hawaii, it has more accessible beaches than any of the Hawaiian Islands. It is situated northwest of the Big Island and on a clear day you can see that island’s famed Mauna Kea Volcano from Maui’s beaches. Maui boasts a wide variety of resorts and restaurants directed toward the more than 2 million tourists who visit each year while maintaining its charming smaller towns that can be found off the tourist-beaten path.

Beachgoers can get comfortable on Little Beach, Maui’s unofficial gay clothingoptional beach that is part of Makena Beach State Park.

Attractions

Ed Walsh

by Ed Walsh

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ormer San Francisco resident Dan Hutchins was the focus of attention for a standing-room-only crowd of more than a hundred who packed Maui’s Seascape Maalaea Restaurant earlier this month. The Maui AIDS Foundation organized the event for World AIDS Day, and Hutchins was the featured speaker. For the first time publicly, he told the compelling story of his struggle living with HIV since the early days of the epidemic in the 1980s, when at one point, doctors told him he had only months to live. Hutchins successfully fought through stigma and later, HIV drug resistance. His health is good now and he works for the Maui Sunseeker LGBT Resort. The warm reception Hutchins received that night and the supportive work of the Maui AIDS Foundation are very much reflective of the tightknit LGBT community on Maui. Undoubtedly the warmth of the island’s people, mirrored by Hawaii’s pleasant climate, are a big part of the reason Hutchins and others call Maui home and thousands more from the Bay Area visit Hawaii’s second-biggest island every year. 12:30 With a population of 163,000, Maui has no full time gay bar but it has Hawaii’s largest gay resort, Maui Sunseeker, and a popular unofficially gay clothing-optional beach, Little Beach. Maui’s LGBT Pride is held in October but the organization (http://www.mauipride.org) runs regular get-togethers, parties, and special events year round. A gay-popular section of Maui is the town of Kihei in the dry and sunny South Shore, about 20 minutes from the airport. It is also where you will find the Sunseeker and many of the island’s LGBT events. The weather is sunnier and drier in the South Shore area and in West Maui, where the big resorts and hotels are. The North Shore, East Maui, and Hana get much more rain and are densely forested

For many gay visitors, the favorite attraction is the aforementioned Little Beach, part of Makena Beach State Park. The main beach in the park more than lives up to its nickname, Big Beach. It is 3,000 feet long and 100 feet wide. Even during the busiest times in Maui, the beach never feels full. Little Beach is just north of Big Beach but separated by a huge wall of lava rock. To get to Little Beach, you have to walk over the rock. The climb looks intimidating from a distance but it is easy, just take it slow and crawl up the steepest part so you don’t fall. Little Beach is gay-straight mixed but gay men tend to gather at the north end of the beach. The waves there are generally high enough to be fun without being overpowering. If you didn’t bring an umbrella, you can enjoy natural shade in the wooded area in the back of the beach. People there are very friendly, so it is a good place to meet locals and visitors alike. Parking is free at the Big Beach parking lot and it is about a 15-minute drive from Kihei. Haleakala National Park is one of Maui’s most popular mainstream attractions. The summit of the dormant Haleakala Volcano is Maui’s highest point. It rises to 10,023 feet. The drive from sea level to the peak is 38 miles and takes about two hours. Nowhere on earth can you drive so high in just 38 miles. The summit offers a spectacular view of the volcano’s 3,000 feet deep crater, although technically it is classified as an erosional valley because water erosion eventually caused a couple of gaps in the crater wall. Haleakala Bike Co (http://www. bikemaui.com) offers a good sunrise bike tour that takes visitors to the summit in a van to watch the sunrise, then lends bikes to riders to glide 23 miles down the volcano just outside the national park boundaries. If you want to drive up on your own, it costs $15 per car to get in. And be ready for long winding roads. Be sure and pack a jacket, it is cold at the summit, sometimes dipping below freezing overnight. For a change of scenery from the resorts in the South Shore and West Maui, take a tour to Hana. It is about

two hours from Kihei and the journey is as beautiful as the destination. And it is best to do it with a tour or a very good guidebook so you don’t miss the hidden waterfalls, lava caves, and beaches along the way. Wade Holmes runs the No Ka Oi Adventures tour company (http:// www.nokaoiadventures.com). As a longtime Maui resident and a gay man, he can perfectly tailor a tour to take in all the highlights on the road to Hana and fill you in on the LGBT scene on the island. The Maui Upcountry is along the slope of the Haleakala Volcano. Because of the higher elevation, the weather is cooler there and is better suited for some crops. A number of agricultural tours cover the upcountry well. Be sure to stop by the Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm. You can take yourself on a free walking tour of the picturesque property’s lavender and other flowering plants and stop by the cafe for the specialty of tea and scones. It costs $3 to park there and you can pay extra for a guided walking or tour in an open golf cart. Hawaii is still famous for its pineapple but competition from Costa Rica and other countries where land and labor costs are cheaper has meant that Hawaiian pineapple has become an increasingly rare treat. The state now produces less than .2 percent of the world’s pineapple crop. Maui Gold offers tours (http:// www.mauipineappletour.com) of Maui’s largest pineapple farm where you can taste the different varieties in the field and go home with one as a souvenir. The sweet pineapple produced in Maui has a deserved reputation for being among the best in the world.

Accommodations

Maui offers a wide range of accommodation choices from charming bed and breakfasts to luxury beachfront mega-resorts. You will generally find lower rates during the less busy times that include the late spring and early fall. The gay homesharing site http://www.misterbnb. com offers some inexpensive home share options if you don’t mind giving up hotel amenities. The aforementioned gayowned and -operated Maui Sunseeker LGBT Resort (http://www. mauisunseeker.com) is a great place to stay. It is perfectly situated in Kihei, across the street from a six-mile long beach and about a 15-minute drive to Little Beach. It has 26 rooms and suites spread out in five buildings. The resort’s pool, hot tub, and sundeck are clothing optional. The Sunseeker’s wonderful, friendly staff can clue you in on any special LGBT events on the island and they even have a handy sheet they can give you with great directions on how to get to Little Beach. Through their concierge service, they can also set guests and nonguests up with a number of tours. The See page 14 >>

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People gather to watch the sunrise at the summit of the dormant Haleakala Volcano.

Community News>>

t Eviction fight over, gay Kennedy collector leaves SF by Matthew S. Bajko

ay San Francisco resident Chris Lenwell is saying goodbye to his version of Camelot. Known for his collection of Jackie Kennedy memorabilia, which he amassed over five decades, Lenwell had spent the last two years fighting his landlord’s efforts to evict him. Having settled the case this summer for an undisclosed amount, Lenwell agreed to vacate his Nob Hill apartment by December 31. “It turned out OK, but it is not fantastic,” he said. He is moving to Palm Springs, where he found an apartment to rent in a recently renovated building with eight units. Though he has friends in the desert city, long a magnet for gay retirees as well as vacationers, his relocation to southern California is bittersweet. “I think the biggest thing that concerns me – the place will be fine, I like it down there – I just know so many people up here,” said Lenwell, 65, who moved to San Francisco in

January 1976 shortly after graduating from Indiana University. “I made some new friends the last year or so and those relationships are just getting started, so that is kind of tough. As Bette Davis said, ‘Old age isn’t for sissies.’” As the Bay Area Reporter first reported in September last year, Lenwell’s landlord, Vince Young, in late 2013 attempted to evict him and another tenant in order to move himself and his ailing father into the building. But Lenwell fought the eviction, and Young informed all of the tenants in the six-unit building he had decided to leave the rental market and therefore was terminating their leases. Claiming senior protected status under the city’s rent control rules, Lenwell won a reprieve to remain in his apartment while he fought the eviction. But with the likelihood he would have to move out at some point, Lenwell decided to cull his collection of Kennedy memorabilia. His adoration of Jackie Kennedy began in his childhood while growing up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and was

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

Rick Gerharter

Chris Lenwell shows a figurine of the young John-John Kennedy saluting at his father’s funeral from his collection of items about Jacqueline Kennedy in this September 2014 photo.

shared by his mother. In college one Halloween Lenwell dressed as the former first lady in a costume that mirrored the pink Chanel dress splattered with blood that she was wearing the day of her husband’s assassination.

He would become known in San Francisco for his impersonation of the grieving first lady. And that led to people giving him Kennedy items to add to his collection. In March Bonham’s Auction House included a number of Lenwell’s Kennedy items among those for bid in an entertainment memorabilia auction it held. Included was an invitation to John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier’s September 12, 1953 wedding, priced between $800 and $1,200, and a letter sent to the designer Halston, signed “J. Onassis” due to her later marriage to Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis, on her signature pale blue stationery priced between $1,200 and $1,800. “We made some money on the sale of the memorabilia,” said Lenwell. “Part of it was about making some money and another part of it was getting it in the right hands. Hopefully, someone bought it who appreciates it and will take care of it.” As for the less valuable Kennedy tchotchkes he had amassed, they were divvied up into gift bags hand-

ed out to guests at a going-awayparty he threw in November. He joked his friends likely gave them “to Goodwill,” but not all. “Several sent me pictures of where they put them,” he said. In early 2016 Lenwell plans to donate his archival material, particularly of gay life in the city in the early 1970s, to the GLBT Historical Society’s archives. The material includes, photos, slides, publications, self-published zines, and publicity material and ephemara for shows sand events. “Based on that alone, I determined it was an important collection for the archives due to the fact it is covering a period, especially in the early to mid 1970s, around the Polk Street area, which we don’t see a lot,” said Joanna Black, the society’s project archivist. “It was an important neighborhood for LGBT communities that got overshadowed by the Castro.” Lenwell has been documenting his housing fight on his personal blog, http://www.ls2lsblog.com, and plans to continue to chronicle his experience after his move.t

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they could face years in prison. couple accused of atThe preliminary tacking a transgender hearing in the case had woman were recently realready gotten underleased from jail after pleadway Wednesday when ing guilty to charges in the the plea deals were ancase. nounced. Kemp and Dewayne Kemp, 36, Westover were set to be Rick Gerharter and his fiancee, Rebecca freed later that day on Westover, 42, had faced Victim Samantha their own recognizance, charges including assault Hulsey pending their sentencand hate crime allegations ing. Sheriff ’s departstemming from the November 15 ment records indicate they are no incident in San Francisco’s South of longer in custody. Market neighborhood. Samantha Hulsey, 25, the vicIn court Wednesday, December tim in the case, appeared in court 23, Kemp pleaded guilty to assault, Wednesday morning, but she left and Westover pleaded guilty to batwithout testifying in the preliminary tery. Both admitted to hate crime hearing and before the plea deal was allegations, enhancing both of the announced. She didn’t immediately crimes to felonies and adding time respond to a phone message after to any sentences they serve for futhe hearing. ture crimes. Other charges in the Assistant District Attorney Blair case were dismissed. McGregor said in court that he’d Kemp and Westover are expected spoken with Hulsey to ensure she to be sentenced to three years of approved of the resolution. probation at their next court date, Deputy Public Defender Kwixuan January 29. Superior Court Judge Maloof, who’s representing Kemp, Brendan Conroy approved their redidn’t like the deal. lease, but warned them that if they Maloof told Conroy, “I’ve advised didn’t show up for court appearSee page 13 >> ances or committed any new crimes,

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<< Sports

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

New Year’s resolution: Stop watching football by Roger Brigham

ew Year’s is a time we make resolution to get rid of bad habits, destructive behaviors, and unnecessary drains on our resources. So for all of you who care about that most beloved of American corporate pastimes, i.e. football, let us make a collective resolution to help our sport out. Stop watching. Stop tuning in to football on Sundays and Mondays and Thursdays and Saturdays and any other day of the week the lords of the pigskin decide to pipe the sport through the

airwaves and whatever the hell it is that runs the Internet. Turn off your TVs and radios and mobile devices when analysts start opining about the fates of the Alabama Crimson Tide and the New England Patriots and those Washington R———s. Read a blog, help a neighbor, play a sport, make love to your significant other, do anything but watch or listen to football. Consider it an intervention for a friend who needs to hit rock bottom to un-

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derstand how truly messed up it is. ESPN commentator Danny Kanell made headlines this month when he responded to a New York Times editorial that called for parents to be cautious about letting their kids play football by declaring there was a “war on football” in the news media. Hell, Daniel J. Flynn wrote a book called The War on Football in 2013. Sadly, both are wrong. If this were a war, real resources would be committed to it and the sides would be clear and we’d be collectively working toward a resolution. Instead, we are being buried with questions and concerns and scandals and suicides and movies and fantasy leagues and injury statistics and medical studies. The National Football League is just hoping we will become numb to it all and keep watching. Week after week. Anyone with half an ounce of intelligence and a smidgeon of compassion who has been watching football through the years hasn’t needed the emerging studies on chronic traumatic encephalopathy – CTE – or sub-concussive impacts to know that football is a violent sport growing ever more dependent on violence. We see our favorite players bit by bit destroying their brains and bodies every week and not only do we tolerate it, we cheer them on and pay for the privilege. The sport’s scandals at the college and pro levels in recent years have given us the likes of Jerry Sandusky, Aaron Hernandez, Greg Hardy, and Bountygate, but we do not blink. We ask our cities, barely able to meet the needs of our neediest, to build them elaborate stadia in which teams may play and entertain the corporate ex-

ecutives of the country. We excuse, rationalize, and defend every infraction and abuse of privilege. Football is the victim of its own excess, and we are the ultimate enablers. Two years ago the documentary League of Denial delved into the issues behind head injuries in football and the NFL’s attempts to bury and obscure research in the field. Last week we got the Hollywood treatment with the release of Concussion, in which Will Smith does a wonderful job portraying Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist who has pioneered the discoveries into CTE caused by thousands and thousands of blows to relatively unprotected brains. The kinds of blows that fall repeatedly on the noggins of players who start out playing in their youth, continue in high school, carry on in college, and finish in the pros. And so football may be expected to respond with Trump-like eloquence. We will be told football doesn’t cause CTE; people cause CTE. We will be told the NFL takes safety seriously and has addressed

all concerns by more evenly distributing the furniture on the decks of the Titanic. We will be told players know the game is dangerous (in the same breath we are told it is not as dangerous as dozens of other activities we take for granted) and they have the right to run the increased risk of mental illness, depression, suicide, etc. We will be told that American football is the only way to counterbalance the wussification of American boys in today’s nanny state. Football, and football alone, is the only way to produce the men America needs. Kinda makes you wonder how George Washington, Abe Lincoln, et al. ever survived. Kinda makes you wonder why uber patriot Teddy Roosevelt, the most gung-ho sports president the country has ever known, felt compelled to rein the sport in. Football professionals tell us the sport is not as deadly and dangerous as medical experts are suggesting. Fine. Then let’s find out just how delay and dangerous it is. Let’s not repeat past mistakes (the experts who for years testified that football helmets did not cause catastrophic injuries were researchers paid for by the helmet industry) and let’s not keep paying to watch players destroy themselves on the chance that maybe more than we would suppose will emerge relatively unscathed – or just damaged within acceptable parameters. Let’s stop watching and wait for answers. Who knows, maybe with all of that free time we can rediscover our love of basketball or baseball or volleyball or some other sport not dependent on bashing the living daylights out of each other. Oh, who are we kidding? Go Panthers!t

Boston party group tries its hand in SF by Sari Staver

We suggest, as friends often do, with or without your asking, Meet Your Neighbors that you add the following to You’re invited to mix and mingle with the people who will one day share your permanent Francisco your New Year’sSanlist of address. things Wine & Cheese Open House to accomplish. Friday, July 19, 2013 2—5pm RSVP Required: (415) 752-8791 1 Loraine Court—San Francisco, CA 94118

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Serving the LGBT Community with Pride!

rmed with financing from angel investors and energy from a new crop of volunteers, a Boston-based party organizer is trying to crack the gay San Francisco market in 2016. The Welcoming Committee, which organizes events for the LGBT community, announced that a get-together January 5 the restaurant Twenty Five Lusk will be its first event of the new year. The upcoming event is one of the company’s bread-and-butter “weeknight get-togethers,” said Josh Durando, manger of community organizing. “Get-togethers are great for folks new to the city, new to coming out, or just looking for something a little different than what the SF LGBTQ scene currently offers,” he said. The company, founded in 2012 by then-recent Harvard Business School graduate Daniel Heller, has expanded to 10 cities throughout the U.S. The company has had limited success at its events in San Francisco, perhaps because it had to compete with Bay Area activists organizing their own gigs. In 2001, underground “guerilla queer bars” were organized by activist Brian McConnell and were held “on and off ” over the years, McConnell said. The Welcoming Committee typically organizes LGBT events that are held in venues traditionally considered “straight,” Heller said in an interview. The company makes money by essentially acting as a broker and getting a cut of the revenues where it holds parties.

Courtesy Welcoming Committee

The Welcoming Committee’s four San Francisco volunteer community managers are, from left, Amy Lessler, Joseph Adams, Russel Climaco-Estardo, and Andrea Garcia-Vargas.

With a paid staff of 10 in Boston and four volunteer community managers in San Francisco, Heller said the company is looking for the “right formula” of events to improve business in the city. “We think there may be a different culture” in San Francisco, he said. While Boston events have attracted over 1,000 participants, those in the Bay Area had “much lower” numbers. San Franciscans may be much less interested in typical nightlife events that revolve around drinking and partying, Durando said. Instead, they think that events such as daytrips to “outdoor” destinations as well as sporting events and concerts. At least two-dozen local events are anticipated this year, Durando said. Last month, four San Franciscans were trained to be volunteer community managers to help Welcoming Committee staff plan and man-

age events for a one-year period. Amy Lessler, 31, who works in marketing and communications for the nonprofit HealthRight360, attended Welcoming Committee events when she lived in Boston. When she heard the company was recruiting for a San Francisco community manager, “I really wanted to help them get started here,” she said. Lessler’s focus will be on establishing partnerships with nonprofits, she said. Russel Climaco-Estardo, 28, who works in marketing in the technology field, was also selected to be a community manager. Climaco-Estardo, who said he is volunteering with the Welcoming Committee “just for the love of it,” plans to focus on social media, where he has had years of experience in the corporate world. Social events are just the beginning of the Welcoming Committee’s See page 14 >>

Community News>>

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

Memorial announced for gay poet Justin Chin by Sari Staver

memorial reading for San Francisco gay poet Justin Chin will be held January 31. Mr. Chin, 46, died December 24 at California Pacific Medical Center. He suffered a stroke at home six days earlier and his family removed him from life support. A poet and solo performance artist, Mr. Chin’s work spanned three decades, according to his friend Kirk Read. In an email to the Bay Area Reporter, Read said that Mr. Chin was

SF man’s memoir

From page 1

Guy and Ken Jones, a longtime gay city resident who was the first African-American chair of what was then known as the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade and Celebration Committee. Later chapters delve into the story of Cecilia Chung, a transgender woman who currently serves on the San Francisco Health Commission. Guy also served on the Health Commission and was the founder of the Women’s Building in the city’s

Air Force major

From page 1

her large family in Santa Rosa told KRON 4 they are mourning the loss of their “beloved war hero.” “We are trying to do the best we can right now,” he said. Vorderbruggen’s father, Joseph Vorderbruggen, told the Associated Press that his daughter “loved life” and “loved the military.” “Whatever goal she had, she found a way,” he said of his daughter, who was raised in Plymouth, Minnesota.

A force to be dealt with

Vorderbruggen was a pioneer in the military, actively working to take down its anti-gay policy “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” alongside Tracey Hepner. Hepner married the first openly gay female general, Tammy S. Smith in March 2012. Vorderbruggen was one of the uniformed officers in the saber arch, which is usually reserved for men. Three months later Lamb and Vorderbruggen married. Both couples wed less than two

Gay seniors

From page 6

“Marriage equality helped us think more about how to achieve success but other issues remain: defeating sexism, and in that I include transgender issues; housing and job rights; immigration rights; poverty. Queer people have all the challenges of the general population that are exacerbated by other peoples ignorance.” Saxxon also disputed that the struggle was over: “We are no more in a post-homophobic society than we are in an alleged post-racial society. Our work is not done,” he said. “Anyone who doubts that need simply take a short drive out of San Francisco ...

Trans attack

From page 11

Mr. Kemp that I do not agree with this plea.” He noted Hulsey had been in court but “chose not to testify.” Outside the courtroom, Maloof, who was criticized in recent weeks for misgendering Hulsey, said, “This is bullshit. This was a political case.” He said Mayor Ed Lee and the district attorney had commented on the case “before any evidence was presented. Justice was not done

“the kind of writer people form deep, personal attachments to.” Mr. Chin’s work would make you want “to make mix tapes of your favorite poems,” he added. “You buy his books for people. He was that kind of writer,” Read added. “We were all lucky to know him. Rather than mourn, let’s celebrate poetry, which used to be an integral part of gay life. Let’s read poems to each other and write our own poems. How many revolutions started with poems? Justin has been tossing grenades for decades.” Fellow writer Beth Lisick told the

B.A.R. that she and Mr. Chin toured throughout the southern U.S. when their poetry books came out in the 1990s. “To watch this tattooed queer Asian HIV-positive man from San Francisco transform audiences in bars and cafes in the South with his poetry, which was political and heartrending and profane, was one of the most powerful experiences of art I have ever seen in my life,” Lisick said. Mr. Chin was a native of Malaysia, and later lived in Singapore. He attended the University of Hawaii,

and then moved to San Francisco in the early 1990s. Mr. Chin’s poetry collection Gutted (2006) was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award and won the Publishing Triangle’s Thom Gunn Award for Poetry. Mr. Chin’s most recent book was the story collection 98 Words (2011). He is survived by his mother, Evelyn, and a brother, Julian. The January 31 memorial poetry reading will take place at 1:30 p.m. in the Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin Street.t

Mission district. Black decided to use Jones’ memoir as source material for his miniseries, which will also be titled When We Rise and include the stories of Guy, Chung, and Ken Jones. In a post on his personal blog in April, Black noted that ABC had added When We Rise “to its slate of dramas for the 2015/2016 season. The show will focus on the personal and political struggles, setbacks and triumphs of a diverse group of men and women from the LGBT community.” Like he did when he worked on the script for the Milk film, Black

has conducted extensive interviews with the LGBT leaders featured in Jones’ book and others who will be portrayed in the miniseries. “I have read the first episode’s script. I think people will be very proud of it,” Jones told the Bay Area Reporter. He believes the television series will avoid the controversy that engulfed the widely panned Stonewall movie this fall. It was harshly criticized for downplaying the role of people of color and transgender individuals at the 1968 riots tied to a police raid of a New York City gay bar. “We are not fucking up on the

diversity issue,” said Jones. The miniseries will be divided into six episodes, with the first and final both two hours long. Gus Van Sant, who directed Milk, which was nominated for a best picture Oscar, is directing the pilot episode. “It is kind of a huge deal,” said Jones about the project. “It basically follows a few people, all of whom decided to come to San Francisco.” The Hollywood Reporter first reported in July 2013 that ABC had hired Black to pen a miniseries about the modern LGBT rights movement. It is being referred to

as the LGBT version of the groundbreaking 1977 miniseries Roots about slavery. “ABC created the genre of the miniseries when they did Roots,” noted Jones. He and Black, who is engaged to British Olympic diver Tom Daley, were recently in San Francisco scouting out locations with an ABC executive. Like with Milk, they are aiming to shoot as much of the miniseries as they can on location in the city. Casting of the roles is currently underway, with filming slated to begin sometime in early 2016.t

years following the repeal of DADT. They also went to the White House following the repeal to discuss the military’s adaption to the policy change in 2011. Lamb and Vorderbruggen celebrated their marriage by signing Lamb and Jacob up as dependents with the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System and taking a shopping trip to the commissary using their dependent ID card and scheduling Jacob’s first doctor’s appointment, according to a statement from the Military Partners and Families Coalition, an LGBT military families group, posted on the group’s Facebook page. Hepner said she and Smith were “just devastated,” by the news of Vorderbruggen’s death. “Both Adrianna and Heather are extraordinarily strong and very proud of their family. They wanted to make a difference,” Hepner told the Daily Beast. The LGBT military family group described Vorderbruggen as the “most friendly” and “laid-back” person who “lived for her family and for her country.”

She was “an accomplished airman, a great athlete, and most of all, a wonderful mom,” the statement read. The LGBT military family group noted that Vorderbruggen’s family will “no longer serve in the shadows,” and that they would be “extended the same rights and protections due any American military family as they move through this incredibly difficult period in their lives.” Dunning, who also worked to repeal DADT, said she was glad the family would receive benefits due to them. “I’m so happy to know that Heather and Jacob will be taken care of by our government and our military,” said Dunning. “The military always brags about taking care of the families of service members, up to recently they weren’t taking care of all service members’ families,” Dunning continued. “We are finally recognized and receiving the protections and those benefits that we should be receiving.” Sue Fulton, an Army veteran and president of Servicemembers, Partners, and Allies for Respect and Tolerance for All, agreed.

“Many LGBT troops have given their lives in service to our country. Thanks to the repeal of DADT, their families will be honored instead of hiding in the shadows,” she told the Daily Beast. “This is a tragedy for any family, and that’s why it is so important that we as a nation embrace their loved ones and that we remember them for who they really were.” Local veteran Mario “Tony” Benfield, a gay man who’s commander of the predominately gay Alexander Hamilton Post 448 of the American Legion, called Vorderbruggen a hero. “We are desperately, the gay community, looking for heroes,” Benfield said. “Unfortunately, she lost her life in the combat zone.” Benfield, who worked to repeal DADT, said he was glad Vorderbruggen’s family would receive benefits like any other military family. Dunning said that Vorderbruggen’s death showed how service members are at risk. “Unfortunately, Adrianna’s death is an example of how we are truly at risk just as much as our heterosexual counterparts and we mourn her

loss,” Dunning said, pointing out that Vorderbruggen wouldn’t have wanted to be put above her fellow soldiers who also died in the attack. The other five military members who lost their lives in the attack were Joseph Lemm, 45, a New York police detective who was serving in the Air National Guard; and Staff Sergeants Michael A. Cinco, 28, from Texas; Louis M. Bonacasa, 31, from New York; Chester J. McBride, 30, from Georgia; and Peter W. Taub, 30, from Pennsylvania. Last week officials at the Pentagon warned of deteriorating security in Afghanistan. They described the performance of the Afghan security forces as “uneven and mixed,” according to media reports. There are roughly 9,800 U.S. troops still serving in Afghanistan. “All branches are now open to the homosexual community,” said Benfield, talking about terrorist attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and the Taliban. “We need to support them because we don’t know how long or what they will be up against. We are facing an enemy that is very illusive.”t

or for that matter, into certain communities within San Francisco. ... I volunteer with the AIDS Emergency Fund and sadly, I see members of our community being challenged by the same issues that we were attempting to address back in the 1980s. In many respects, the folks that I serve have it harder now because there are so few affordable housing units available to them. Many are being literally priced out of the city that they love so much. No, it ain’t over ... not by a long shot.” Carr suggests that the agenda needs to be broadened beyond sexual discrimination. “I think that the situation in the country is making economic issues the priority now; I think LGBT people need to be involved in struggles

for decent pay, adequate housing, basic living issues along with other concerned people,” he said. “I think ‘identity politics’ will also continue to be important as various presently disenfranchised groups seek their voices and their rights.” When asked why the U.S. has embraced LGBT rights this year, Gomez pointed to the youth, “who don’t understand what all the fuss is about so kind of shrug and say, ‘OK, someone’s gay, and?’” Carr also credits the influence of the younger generation. “As more gay people have come out, the general population no longer sees us as much as separate or isolated in certain ‘ghettos.’ (This is related to why racially segregated

housing is such a tragedy.) Secondly, the young people I know, now in their 20s and 30s, do not seem to be bothered by gayness. Unfortunately, many of these young people do not vote, so that is partially why I think these rights are not as much ‘won’ as they may appear and are in danger of being subverted or repealed.” Saxxon sees the uniqueness of being gay recognized by the larger society as being decisive. “Like any social change movement; we developed and honed a critical mass worldwide,” he said. “It became clear that we were not going away, nor were we going to continue living in the shadows, given how incredibly talented and gifted we are as a community. People began to see

that we were their sons, daughters, brothers, soldiers, bosses, ministers, etc. We are literally in every corner of this country.” Lyon, reflecting on this paradigm shift, noted that “gay rights has been continually moving as a gentle flow of progress, like a river, especially as more gay men and lesbians come out and do so earlier.” “Nor is it as traumatic to come out as it was years ago,” she said. “Kids today are brought up by parents who talk to them about these issues. The ability to marry someone of the same sex and all that information out there on the [Internet] has led to huge changes. I’m so glad to be alive and be part of this new exciting world.”t

today. It’s a shame that someone like this woman would use her status in the LGBT community for her own selfish political motives.” Kemp and Westover attacked Hulsey near the Holiday Inn at 50 Eighth Street November 15. In separate jailhouse interviews, both said the incident started when Hulsey intentionally bumped into them and called Kemp the N-word. Hulsey has denied barging past the couple and using the racial slur. McGregor has said the incident

started when “transphobic comments” were shouted, including “faggots,” and “you are not women, you are men.” He said Kemp punched Hulsey four times in the nose and yelled, “faggots, you are sick-ass motherfuckers.” Westover has said after Hulsey used the N-word, she threw coffee at Hulsey, and Hulsey punched her. Kemp then punched Hulsey repeatedly, and she swung back, he said. Westover said she also hit Hulsey.

Maloof said Wednesday that Kemp “did what we would expect someone to do when they are being attacked by someone.” Attorney Murray Zisholz, who’s representing Westover, said it had been up to her whether to plead to the battery charge, but he agreed with her decision. “Going to trial is a crapshoot,” Zisholz said. “You never know what’s going to happen.” Like Maloof, he was curious about why Hulsey had left court Wednesday.

“I’d like to know what that was about,” he said. Hulsey was also the victim in another alleged hate crime. In that case, which stems from an incident earlier this year that started on a Muni bus, Brodes Wayne Joynes, 55, allegedly tried to fatally stab her and called her and her then-partner “faggots.” The preliminary hearing, in which a judge will determine whether there’s enough evidence to proceed to trial, is set for that case in January.t

R.E. Morrison

Justin Chin

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

Maui

From page 10

Sunseeker is very much part of the island’s LGBT community, hosting and promoting charity events year round. Everybody is made to feel comfortable at Sunseeker. The hotel estimates that about half of its guests are gay men, about 30 percent lesbian, and the remainder mostly heterosexual couples who prefer the clothing-optional and adult-only policies of the hotel. Rates start at $149 for the smallest room during a less busy time of year up to $600 for a spacious oceanfront penthouse. Wi-Fi is included, as is free parking and free rental of beach chairs and umbrellas. The Tutu (Two) Mermaids on Maui Bed and Breakfast (http:// www.twomermaids.com) is another great option in Kihei. It is owned by a lesbian couple, Juddee and Miranda Kawaiola, who are well known for their work in the community. Juddee is also an ordained minister, in case you wanted to get hitched in Maui. The property has two colorfully decorated units, each complete with a private entrance

Aging with HIV

From page 7

UCSF, along with $50,000 for mental health and psychosocial services. For ROAH, Supanich said, “We’d like to see some focus groups and research of each decade,” so that people in their 50s, 60s, and other age categories aren’t lumped together. Members of the LTCCC approved the recommendations Thursday but decided to hold off on the financial portion in order to figure out where money may come from. Vince Crisostomo, a working group member and program manager of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s Elizabeth Taylor 50Plus Network, noted that “some of this work” addressed in the recommendations “is already being done.”

Party group

From page 12

plans, said Heller. “It’s all about becoming a community and taking it places,” he said. One future idea, he said, would be to focus on the LGBT elderly community, possibly developing a mechanism to help find “queer-friendly” workers to match with clients. A few years ago, Welcoming Committee officials got into a ker-

SFAF

From page 1

board members are very engaged” with fundraising and other activities, Jones said. Jones is interested in holding on to the CEO position. “Stranger things have happened,” he said. He hasn’t “personally applied,” but “I have given my information for the search committee, and we’re taking it as we go.”

Araujo’s mom

From page 7

ly living in the Central Valley city of Manteca. She hasn’t been able to get a home of her own. “When this was the top story, everybody was there,” Guerrero, who cried through much of the recent interview, said. “People were coming out of the woodwork.” But now, she said, “nobody wants to help. It’s not today’s news. It’s old.” As of Monday, December 28, a month after the site was first published, people have contributed $1,397 toward Guerrero’s goal of $4,000. She hopes to buy a used car with the money. People familiar with Guerrero’s work said her contributions to the

and an option to use an additional adjoining room if you are traveling with children or a relative. It has a pool surrounded by fragrant flowering landscaping. Breakfast foods are provided for each room so you can eat when you want. Rates start about $135. If you want to live it up in Maui, you would be hard-pressed to do better than to stay at a brand very well known to the Bay Area. The Fairmont Kea Lani (http://www. fairmont.com/kea-lani-maui) is in the tony resort community of Wailea. The Fairmont includes 413 spacious suites and villas with three pools, including an adult-only pool, and a 40-foot water slide. The resort is on a beach and has a spa, fitness center, and high-end restaurants. You never have to leave but if you want a change of scenery, the Little Beach is just a five-minute drive away. Rates start at $459, plus a $35 daily resort fee. If the Fairmont is out of your budget, you could stop by and splurge for lunch, dinner, or its fabulous breakfast buffet. The 22-acre property first opened in 1991 but looks new, probably be-

cause of the $70 million renovation that it underwent last year.

After the presentation, Crisostomo said information from the first ROAH has been “used to influence policy ever since,” and more research will help determine the work that needs to be addressed. “The city does things based on need,” he said, and it’s important to do the research and have an assessment of those needs because “otherwise it’s all anecdotal.” Crisostomo said it’s not clear where the research money would come from, but the city’s Department of Public Health would probably support it, and there would “probably be multiple partners.” He said he’s hoping that advocates can “leverage” the LTCCC’s support. The working group, which will continue its efforts in 2016, also wants adults who are aging with

HIV to be designated as “a population with ‘greatest need,’” according to the group’s presentation. Tez Anderson, executive director of Let’s Kick ASS (AIDS Survivor Syndrome), attended the presentaion. In an email afterward, Anderson said, “I am thrilled that the LTCC agreed to designate older adults living with HIV as a population of ‘greatest social need,’ as defined in the Older Americans Act. In addition to its symbolic importance, the designation accomplishes two key things. It raises awareness about the urgent and unique challenges faced by this large but invisible population. It also paves the way for increased services and prioritizes the other recommendations – especially the needs assessment and increased linkage to care.”t

fuffle with McConnell over the use of the term “Guerrilla Queer Bar.” McConnell, one of the founders of the spontaneous pop up events, took issue with the Welcoming Committee using the same name for its events. The group in Boston “used a Chuck E Cheese franchise model” to promote local events, McConnell said, “which just defeats the whole idea of a ‘guerilla’ event.” Once the Welcoming Committee stopped using the term, McConnell

said he has “no problem” with what it’s doing. “My understanding is that they’re focused on helping new people in town. That’s great and it’s something that’s needed,” he said.t

He estimated the CEO search would take six months, including having “some overlap” between him and whoever next takes the job. He isn’t aiming to make many changes at the nonprofit. “As an interim, my goal is to really provide stability to the organization,” Jones said. In a farewell email Monday, Giuliano said, “Tim’s dedication to our community is apparent in everything he does, and his profes-

sional experience is a great asset to the organization,” Giuliano said. Giuliano’s total compensation for the fiscal year ending in June 2014 was $327,447, according to SFAF’s most recently available tax filings. Jones is in the interim position on a contract basis and currently has a 30hour workweek making $150 an hour. “It’s not a specific monthly salary, as I might need to ramp up on some weeks and ramp down on other weeks,” he said.t

LGBT community are significant. Chris Daley, who co-founded the Transgender Law Center around the time of Araujo’s murder, said last week, “I think that at a time when a lot of people felt like they couldn’t connect with the transgender community, Sylvia and her family and her courage provided a way for folks to understand the harm that transphobia causes.” Daley, who now is deputy director at Just Detention International, added, “Embracing your transgender child, particularly your murdered transgender child, wasn’t an inevitability. This was a choice that Sylvia and her family made” to honor Araujo and her identity. He said he hadn’t yet seen the link to the Gofundme page. Soon after a reporter emailed him the link,

Getting there and around

Earlier this month, Burlingamebased Virgin America began nonstop service to Maui from San Francisco International Airport. You can fly nonstop to Maui on various airlines from all three Bay Area airports but Hawaiian Airlines is the only airline that still offers free food and an alcoholic drink in economy. It is a good idea to rent a car on Maui. You will need one if you plan to hang out at Little Beach and drive yourself to the island’s attractions. If you can travel during the slower times of the year, you will find bargain car rental rates. In some parts of the country car rental companies shift their cars around to nearby cities to meet the demand but that’s not a practical option in Hawaii, so the companies are left with an oversupply of cars and consequently lower prices during the slower times of the year.t

For more information, visit the island’s official visitor website, http://www.visitmaui.com.

The Welcoming Committee’s January 5 event takes place at 8 p.m. at Twenty Five Lusk. For details and to RSVP, visit http:// www.thewelcomingcommittee. com/events/sf-get-together-jan/.

though, he shared it on Facebook. Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, said Guerrero “was very visible at a time when there hadn’t been a lot of visibility” of transgender people’s parents, especially those of trans people who’d been “slain.” “Sylvia basically challenged us to really think about her child and what her child had been through, and what it said about society that that could happen to somebody. She insisted that we not forget Gwen, that we really think through it.” But Keisling bristled when asked whether she’d made a contribution to Guerrero’s fund. “I don’t think that’s an appropriate question to ask,” she said. “I don’t want to talk about that topic.”t

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036810600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MG HOUSECLEANING, 31116 16TH ST #20, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MIGUEL A. GARCIA CABALLERO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/01/15.

DECEMBER 10, 17, 24, 31, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036821300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOLD STAR SERVICES, 1141 COLE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GENA STARKWEATHER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/07/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/07/15.

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

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MORMARK, 1141 COLE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ARTHUR FRANKS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/07/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/07/15.

DECEMBER 10, 17, 24, 31, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036814000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ORGANIC MECHANICS, 735 GEARY ST #103, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed SEAN STOUT & JAMES PETTIGREW. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/01. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/03/15.

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

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036796700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MH ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION GROUP; ROBERT H. CHAN CONSULTING, 2000 OAKDALE AVE UNIT 1A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROBERT H. CHAN. 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 11/20/15.

DEC 17, 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036827200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AL-AMANA SERVICES, 1740 BANCROFT AVENUE #356, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LOUBNA, SALEH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/19/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/10/15.

DEC 17, 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036826400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MR. T CAFE, 4689 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ZHONG MING ZHOU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/09/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/09/15.

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

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TESSA ORLEANS COMPANY; SHADOW BOUND LEATHER, 2309 NORIEGA ST #42, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FIONNESSA CRONIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/03/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/04/15.

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

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CLAY OVEN INDIAN CUISINE, 1689 CHURCH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed APPAM 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.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JONATHAN JOYA SERVICES, 6298 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JONATHAN JOYA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/18/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/18/15.

DECEMBER 10, 17, 24, 31, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036812300

DEC 17, 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036788800

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.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: L.Z. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, 2565 3RD ST #302, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GUADALUPE ZARATENCO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/18/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/18/15.

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

DEC 17, 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036821500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CLAY OVEN, 231 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed J MALHI 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-036814300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: URBAN PET HOSPITAL, 2308 LOMBARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed URBAN PET HOSPITAL INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/03/15.

DECEMBER 10, 17, 24, 31, 2015 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-035181500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OPEN MASTERS; WAYFINDER, 452 PAGE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed WEBB, ALAN & BRADLEY, SARAH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/07/15.

DEC 17, 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036826600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SECURITY SPECIALIST GROUP, 2912 DIAMOND ST #396, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SECURITY SPECIALIST GROUP, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/09/15.

DEC 17, 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036807500

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: GREEN VIKING CONSULTING (LLC), 51 DOUGLASS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by GREEN VIKING CONSULTING LLC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/29/13.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 1944 OCEAN COOPERATIVE, 1944 OCEAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SF 710, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/30/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/30/15.

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

DEC 17, 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036832800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GROTE BOARDS, 1079 QUESADA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MATT GROTE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/15/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/15/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE WALSTON LAW GROUP, 4 CHARLTON CT., SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed WALSTON AND ASSOCIATES (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 12/14/15.

DEC 17, 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 2016

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036831600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EZ RIDER BIKE RENTALS & TOURS; EASY RIDER BIKE RENTALS & TOURS, 2715 HYDE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AMERICAN SCOOTER & CYCLE RENTALS (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/14/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/14/15.

DEC 17, 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 2016 PUBLIC SALE OF PROPERTY

Personal property described as: Furniture, shelves, tables, sofa, chairs, rugs, house plants, boxes, lamps, beds, mattresses, TV’s, Clothes, exercise equipment, dresser, fan, towels, linen, miscellaneous clothing, vacuum, Kitchen utensils, cups, plates, glasses, miscellaneous household items left at 600 Chestnut Street #203, San Francisco. Public auction will meet in front of property at 4pm on 01/07/15. Auctioneer will only accept cash.

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

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036838200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VIVE LA TARTE, 1160 HOWARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DIMENSION HILL FOODS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/16/15.

DEC 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 14, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036805000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TGI JUSTICE PROJECT, 1372 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JUSTICE NOW (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/25/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/25/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SCHOOL BUS MOVIE; PICTURE A CHANGE, 24 BONVIEW ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MAXEBOY MEDIA CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/21/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/21/15.

DEC 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 14, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036835700

DEC 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 14, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036846100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FEED THE PRISONERS, 505 CASTRO ST, SAN FRANCISO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BAO QUEC NGUYEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/15/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/15/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOLD LION, 111 TOLAND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed STURDIVANT VENTURES, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/16/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/21/15.

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

DEC 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 14, 2016 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-15-551759

DEC 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 14, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036843800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PHILOSOPHY DESIGN STUDIOS, 4570 EIGHTEENTH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRITTNEY ANDREWS. 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 12/18/15.

Classifieds The

Household Services>>

Movers>>

In the matter of the application of: SUSAN ANNA FROHLICH, 350 ARBALLO DR #12L, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner SUSAN ANNA FROHLICH, is requesting that the name SUSAN ANNA FROHLICH, be changed to SUSAN ANNA CHRISTIANO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 23rd of February 2016 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 31, 2015, JAN 07, 14, 21, 2016

Legal Services>> Law Offices

SHELLEY S. FEINBERG, ESQ Serving the LGBT community since 1999.

• Probate • Wills & Trusts • Trust Administration • Estate Planning FLAT FEE

DEC 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 14, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036845800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COLLECTIVE LINES, 1886 18TH AVENUE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MELANIE HALIM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/17/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/17/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JZA ARCHITECTURE, 152 LUNDYS LANE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSEPH Z. ARMIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/18/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/18/15.

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 15

Flood Bldg. 870 Market St, Suite 420

Call (415) 421-1893 ssfeinberg@msn.com

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Free Initial Consultation

CLEANING PROFESSIONAL –

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QUALITY HOUSECLEANER – Kitchen & Bath, Polish, Wash & Iron. Call Jose 415-571-5747

Pet Services>>

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DEC 24, 31, 2015, JAN 07, 14, 2016

Vacation>>

PC REPAIR & SYSTEMS ANALYST – City and County of San Francisco Outreach Advertising January 2016

Avail in SF. Call Tee: 415-487-8919

Celebrating 31 Years of Fabulous Travel Arrangements!

Stay Connected To the City through SF311

The SF311 Customer Service Center is the single stop for residents to get information on government services and report problems to the City and County of San Francisco. And now, we have even more ways for you to stay connected to the City with our SF311 App and SF311 Explorer website. The SF311 App lets you get information on City services and submit service requests on-the-go right from your smartphone. You can track your service requests through the app or through our new website, SF311 Explorer. SF311 Explorer not only lets you check the status of your own requests, it enables you to see what issues are being reported throughout all of San Francisco and what the City is doing to resolve them. Download the SF311 App from your smartphone’s app store and visit the SF311 Explorer at explore311.sfgov.org today!

Assessment Appeals Board (AAB)

Notice is hereby given of 7 vacancies on the AAB. Applicants must have at least 5 years of experience as one of the following: Certified Public Accountant or Public Accountant; licensed Real Estate Broker; Property Appraiser accredited by a nationally recognized organization, or Property Appraiser certified by the California Office of Real Estate Appraisers. For additional information or to obtain an application, please call (415) 554-6778.

Healthy Foods and WIC Nutrition Services at No Cost To You

Eating well during pregnancy is important. The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program can help. WIC serves pregnant women, new mothers, infants and young children under five years old who meet 185% or below of the federal poverty income level. WIC benefits include nutrition and breastfeeding education and support, checks to buy healthy foods (such as fresh fruits and vegetables) and referrals to low cost or free health care and other community services. Enrolling in WIC early in your pregnancy will give your baby a healthy start. Also, WIC staff can show you how you and your family can eat healthier meals and snacks. Migrants are welcome to apply as well. San Francisco WIC has six offices throughout the City. For more information, call (415) 575-5788. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Board of Supervisors Regularly Scheduled Board Meetings January 2016 Meetings

4115 19th Street San Francisco, CA 94114

ebar.com

11am-5pm (PST) M-F, Closed on Weekends

415.626.1169 www.nowvoyager.com

Rommates>> LOOKING FOR A QUIET ROOM

GWM, 50, From Vienna Looking for a Quiet Room with Reduced Rent in Exchange for Dogwalking. I am a Nonsmoker. No Drugs & No Parties. I’ve lived in SF since ‘95 and can provide excellent references. Pls call 415-336-6096

ROOMMATE SHARE –

Quiet, Employed GWM Seeks Home. Not a Drug User. Can Pay About $900. Please Call Paul 415-439-9346

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC –Tuesdays, 2:00pm, City Hall Chamber, Room 250. • January 12 • January 26 There will be no scheduled meetings on January 5 and January 19.

The City and County of San Francisco encourage public outreach. Articles are translated into several languages to provide better public access. The newspaper makes every effort to translate the articles of general interest correctly. No liability is assumed by the City and County of San Francisco or the newspapers for errors and omissions.

Hauling >> HAULING 24/7 –

(415) 441-1054 Large Truck

45 America’s LGBT newspaper celebrates our historic 45th Anniversary this April and announces our 5th annual readers choice awards.

Besties THE LGBT BEST OF THE BAY

20 16

The Bay Area Reporter has been the undisputed newspaper of record for the Bay Area’s vibrant LGBT community since 1971. We’re now the longest continuously-published and highest audited-circulation LGBT newspaper in the United States of America.

Combining a retrospective on some of the impactful stories we’ve covered over the past four and a half decades with our 5th annual readers’ poll, our April 7 issue will prove to be one of the largest and most widely read editions in our long history. Be part of it! READERS: Begin voting in our BESTIES 2016 poll starting January 28 ADVERTISERS: Call (415) 829-8927 or email advertising@ebar.com to learn more about advertising and sponsorship opportunities associated with our historic 45th anniversary and/or our 2016 BESTIES awards and celebration.

Theatre 2016

Music 2015

2015

TV 2015

Books 2015

Vol. 45 • No. 53 • December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

www.ebar.com/arts

the year in movies

by David Lamble

015 was a bumper year for LGBT-themed material, with a particular emphasis on trans and women’s dramas finding audiences of mainstream moviegoers. The approaching award season can be measured in the rich array of star turns from familiar actors: Eddie Redmayne, Jesse Eisenberg, Tobey Maguire, and the neglected Paul Dano. On the distaff side, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara and Lily Tomlin have notched career peaks that should be rewarded at the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild, and ultimately the Oscars. Consider the top four films to be in a four-way tie for Best Film of the Year. See page 20 >>

Eddie Redmayne as the title character in director Tom Hooper’s The Danish Girl.

Bay Area art world,

Focus Features

2015 by Sura Wood

he time has come to look back on the year that was with a mixture of bemusement, pleasure and regret. In 2015, SFMOMA offered a sneak peak at its expanded building, sans the beloved Mario Botta slate-toned atrium and gracious marble stairwells. Ah, the wages of progress. While it’s true nothing remains the same, some things should; OK, we’ll reserve judgment until the grand opening in May. See page 21 >>

“Untitled (Two women wearing patterned skirts standing against striped background)” (1965), aquatint and drypoint by Richard Diebenkorn, part of Richard Diebenkorn Prints at the de Young Museum.

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

DRIVE WITH UBER. Sign up now and receive an additional $50 after your first trip T.UBER.COM/BAYAREAREPORTER

<< Out There

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

Glitz & glamour for 2016

by Roberto Friedman

Recreated from an original Cliff House postcard c. early 1900s.

Holiday Parties at The Cliff House The Terrace Room Offering sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and historic ambiance, the Terrace Room is a truly unique private event venue for groups up to 120. Private Events Direct 415-666-4027 virginia@cliffhouse.com

The Lands End Room Located in Sutro’s, the Lands End Room is a semi-private space for smaller parties of 15 – 49 with California coastal cuisine and awesome views. Large Parties Direct 415-666-4005 lauraine@cliffhouse.com

Call to Book Your Event! 1090 Point Lobos • San Francisco • 415-386-3330 www.CliffHouse.com

ebar.com I am the future of the LGBT community. I’m gay. I’m 55. I’ve been out to my family for twenty years. I married a wonderful woman six years ago, and we adopted a baby girl from Vietnam. My family is everything to me. That’s why I’m an avid follower of LGBT rights. Not just marriage, either. I want to make sure that I can travel safely, enjoy my retirement and have my child benefit from my life’s work.

e turn the calendar page and welcome 2016, also known as the year of the release of Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie! We can think of no better gift to our readers than to share the advance publicity on Ab Fab: The Movie, coming to theaters this July 1, directed by Mandie Fletcher; screenplay by Jennifer Saunders; produced by Jon Plowman and Damian Jones; and starring Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Julia Sawalha, Jane Horrocks, and June Whitfield. Five ultra-talented ladies named J! Here’s all the buzz, sweetie darlings. “Appropriate for their bigscreen debut, Edina and Patsy are still oozing glitz and glamour, living the high life they are accustomed to; shopping, drinking and clubbing their way around London’s trendiest hotspots. Blamed for a major incident at an uberfashionable launch party, they become entangled in a media storm and are relentlessly pursued by the paparazzi. Fleeing penniless to the glamorous playground of the super-rich, the French Riviera, they hatch a plan to make their escape permanent and live the high life forever more!” Comic Margaret Cho has recently fussed on Twitter about the AbFab movie casting a non-Asian actor in an Asian role. We understand her pique. But there’s a thing known as color-blind casting in operatic roles, i.e., you don’t have to be an Ethiopian princess to play Aida. And AbFab is nothing if not operatic. So Out There withholds judgment until the film’s release.

Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders in their big-screen debut as Patsy and Edina in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie!, coming later this year, sweetie darlings.

Book him, Danno

Every week The New York Times Book Review interviews a writer about her reading and writing habits in its regular feature “By the Book.” Recent installments have included such immortal literary figures as Margaret Atwood and such unlikely subjects as terminally confused right-wing pundit Peggy Noonan. This week TNYTBR would like to interview Out There. In our wildest dreams! What books are currently on your nightstand? After Alice, a novel by Gregory Maguire (HarperCollins), in which he reimagines Wonderland when Alice tumbles down that rabbit hole; Francis Bacon in Your Blood, a memoir by Michael Peppiatt (Bloomsbury) about his friendship with the artistic enfant terrible; The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone by Olivia Laing (Picador), in galleys; Martin Boyce: When Now Is Night by Dominic Molon (Princeton Architectural Press), an aesthetic we relate to; The Completely Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green by Eric Orner (Northwest Press), a world we know; The Manly Pursuit of Desire and Love by Perry Brass (Bellhue Press), which never ends. What’s the best book you’ve read so far this year? The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters (Riverhead), which made us go back to her The Little Stranger. Such timeless Gothic fiction from a contemporary lesbian author is alltoo-rare. Favorite lines of poetry? “Turning and turning in the widening gyre/The falcon cannot hear

the falconer;/Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;/Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,/The blooddimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere/the ceremony of innocence is drowned;/The best lack all conviction, while the worst/Are full of passionate intensity.” – William Butler Yeats. That’s 2015 in a nutshell. “Resolv’d to sing no songs to-day but those of manly attachment,/ Projecting them along that substantial life,/Bequeathing hence types of athletic love,/Afternoon this delicious Ninth-month in my forty-first year,/I proceed for all who are or have been young men,/To tell the secret of my nights and days,/To celebrate the need of comrades.” – Walt Whitman. What a stud. “If you’re so very entertaining, why do you sleep alone tonight?” – Morrissey. QED. Can you name any one book that made you who you are today? Provincetown, summer of 1982: We carried around a paperback copy of Notre-Dame des Fleurs by Jean Genet everywhere we went. It got us the most beautiful FrenchCanadian boy in P’town that season: golden curls, baby blues. Well, that most splendid volume, plus we had a full head of hair and a flat stomach. Favorite writers? At various times in our life: Genet, Oscar Wilde, James Baldwin, Henry James, P.G. Wodehouse, Thomas Mann, Alan Hollinghurst, Edmund White, Agatha Chrtistie, Tom Stoppard, John Barth, James Joyce, Colm Toibin, Gary Indiana, Gary Shteyngart, and a whole host of contemporary authors we can’t possibly begin to list because we’d never cover them all. As you can see, we’ve led a stimulated and multifarious inner life. “There’s more to life than books, you know, but not much more.” – the Moz.t

I’m the future of the LGBT community. And I read about that future every morning on my work laptop. Because that’s where I want it to be.

The person depicted here is a model. Their image is being used for illustrative purposes only.

Rick Gerharter

Out There, center, in his day job as a construction dude.

Theatre>>

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

Looking ahead to 2016 stages by Richard Dodds

ast week, it was about highlighting the best of 2015 in Bay Area theater, and now, like being pushed by a mighty wind through a revolving door, we are peering into the first months of 2016, with some proposals of its intriguing offerings.

Realms of darkness

Three plays coming in early 2016 deal in very different ways with the escape hatch of the human mind. Two are set in the past, but The Nether takes place in a just-aroundthe-corner future. Running Jan. 19-March 5 at San Francisco Playhouse, playwright Jennifer Haley imagines a darkly evolved Internet where virtual fantasies can be played out – up to and including violent pedophilia. It’s a helpful outlet that keeps violent urges in a fantasy zone, argues the proprietor of such a service when a detective begins an investigation into what she sees as an infectious evil. sfplayhouse.org. In some hazy unspecified past, a roomful of prisoners are led away one by one – an offstage gunshot always follows – until there is a last man standing. Time and place rip open as he awaits his fate in The Unfortunates, running Feb. 3-April 10 at ACT’s Strand Theatre. He walks out of his cell into a surreal cabaret of grit and glitter where most of the cardinal sins are on display. Created by five writers for its premiere in 2013 at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the musical riffs off the classic folksong “St. James Infirmary Blues,” with a score that highlights the shared ancestry of blues, jazz, rock, R&B, and hip-hop. act-sf.org. Celebrity, decadence, oppression, and fantasy feed the many lives in Dogeaters, running Feb. 3-28 at the Magic Theatre. Jessica Hagedorn’s adaptation of her novel of the same name is set in Manila during the height of Ferdinand and Imelda

Camilla Morandi

Oscar-winning actress Frances McDormand will play Lady Macbeth in Berkeley Rep’s production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

Jenny Graham

ACT presents The Unfortunates, seen here in the original Oregon Shakespeare Festival version, in which a doomed prisoner spends his last moments in an elaborate fantasy world.

Marcos’ reign, at the time when opposition leader Benigno Aquino was assassinated but the out-of-balance party continued with movie stars arriving for a film festival, the gay owner of a low-rent Studio 54 singing karaoke, rebels in the mountains planning attacks, the daughter of the slain politician seeking justice, and numerous other characters working their way through day-today life in a country of tarnished gilt. magictheatre.org.

Marquee names

Even the most jaded usually feel

some frisson when a face you know from movies and television is in our midst. But the Oscar and Tony Award-winning Frances McDormand likely wasn’t looking for star treatment when she signed on to play Lady Macbeth. The title role in Berkeley Rep’s production of Macbeth, running Feb. 19-April 10, belongs to Northern Irish actor Conleth Hill, who may be best-known as the feared and fawning eunuch Varys on HBO’s Game of Thrones. In this outing, he’ll be on the throne himself. berkeleyrep.org. Sean Hayes, who won a support-

ing actor Emmy for his work on Will & Grace, has also moved on up to the throne. In the role created by Jim Parsons on Broadway, he’ll play none other than the Lord Almighty in An Act of God, David Javerbaum’s comedy, running March 29-April 17 at the Golden Gate Theatre. From a kind of celestial talk-show couch, God delivers quips about his mysterious ways. “Gay, straight, bisexual, transgender; thou art all equally smitable in my eyes,” he sweetly counsels his flock. shnsf.com. Taylor Mac may not be a traditional household name, but the gender-defying Mac has built up a considerable reputation for his playwriting and performing. The Lily’s Revenge was a five-hour phantasmagoria seen at the Magic Theatre in 2011, and Mac will be besting that mark during the run of A 24-Decade History of Popular Music as part of the Curran Theatre’s Under Construction series. What we’ll be seeing here are two three-hour

installments of the entire show, with songs from 1776 to 1806 performed on Jan. 21-23, and songs from 1806 to 1836 on Jan. 26-27, with a sixhour marathon of both parts on Jan. 30. Outfitted in indescribably ornate costumes, Mac uses the songs for provocative looks at themes that played out during those times. sfcurran.com.

and Company Music Director Nicola Luisotti were first in the fall line-up, with Francesca Zambello’s coolly handsome production of Verdi’s Luisa Miller. There were corpses at the final curtain, but the story, taken from Schiller, is filled with intrigue and violence. It was sort of a downer for an opening gala, but no one could say it wasn’t a grand night for singing. Mulligan was next up, and he got his first wallow in bloodshed in the season’s biggest popular hit, Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. He replaced Gerald Finley (with his wife awaiting the birth of a child) to play the famously tortured soul bent on revenge. Relying on her own vocal strength to make an indelible mark, but with expert comic timing thrown in, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe tore the place apart as Sweeney’s partner-in-crime Mrs. Lovett. The big-voiced duo made a convincing opera out of an operatic musical. Director Lee Blakely’s atmospheric staging from Théâtre du Châtelet filled the War Memorial with marvelous spectacle. Playing the title character’s nasty brother in director Michael Cavanagh’s overwrought vision of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Mulligan didn’t get much of a breather before returning to sing by the side of a blood-soaked Nadine Sierra. Star tenor Piotr Beczala also partnered well with the lovely soprano as she substituted for Diana Damrau. All three offered some spectacular singing amidst the heavy-handed symbolism. A revival (after a short break) of visual artist Jun Kaneko’s amazing designs for Mozart’s The Magic Flute

lightened the mood, and sopranos Kathryn Bowden (Merola alumna) and Julie Adams (first-year Adler Fellow) triumphed as the Queen of the Night and First Lady as they filled in for ailing singers. Baritone Efrain Solis (second-year Adler Fellow) made his role debut as Papageno, and went on to steal the show. The SFO premiere of David McVicar’s production of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, conducted by Mark Elder and starring English baritone James Rutherford (in the enormous role of Sachs, after Greer Grimsley cancelled), Brandon Jovanovich and Rachel Willis-Sørensen took pride of place as a nearly flawless addition to the season. Smaller parts were sung by tenor Alek Shrader and mezzosoprano Sasha Cooke in a musical marathon that still managed to engross us until the jubilant finale. Ian Robertson’s choristers danced and sang with the best of them; their contributions throughout the season were a testament to professionalism. Before the concluding dud ended things on a sour note, another popular (and quickly revived) staging filled the seats with happy fans who can’t get enough of director Emilio Sagi’s take on Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Baritone Lucas Meachem, mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack, tenor René Barbera and veteran baritone Alessandro Corbelli filled Llorenç Corbella’s charming scenery with zesty life. Now we look forward to a summer season that looks even more tempting. David Gockley is ending his tenure in real style.t

Queerly speaking

The city’s two main LGBTQI theaters are examining parts of that letter parade from very different vantages. First up, Theatre Rhino looks back to when closet doors were being pried open. Noel Coward’s A Song at Twilight, running Jan. 2031 at Z Below Theatre, can be seen as his coming-out play, through he would have firmly denied it. First produced in 1966, it focuses on a famed elderly author whose heterosexual affairs and marriages have See page 21 >>

2015: SFS & SFO highlights by Philip Campbell

n aria from Handel’s Messiah proclaims, “The trumpet shall sound,” and San Francisco Symphony trumpeter Mark Inouye expressed it brilliantly during recent performances of the oratorio in Davies Symphony Hall. It was a great way to finish off the year and the first third of the SFS season. Musiclovers, regardless of religion or lack thereof, would be hard-pressed to find a better way to get into the spirit of the holidays, and SFS Chorus Director Ragnar Bohlin conducted an edition that fulfilled an annual tradition with tasteful liveliness. Mark Inouye is a front-runner for MVP when he solos, but German violinist Christian Tetzlaff, in an electrifying performance of the Shostakovich Concerto No. 1 last October, also showed what sparks can fly when a gifted visitor collaborates with the orchestra. The program, dedicated to Russian masterpieces, also allowed Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki to make some magic of her own. Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas hasn’t been taking a back seat, either. His roll-out of a complete Schumann symphony cycle (all being recorded for the SFS Media label) is off to a fine start, with the First Spring and the Third Rhenish already in the can. We look forward to performances this spring of the Symphonies Nos. 2 and No. 4. MTT has a wonderful understanding of the composer’s pulse. His lithe readings offer fresh insights. Praise also goes to the all-French concert conducted by Yan Pascal

Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera Courtesy SFS

San Francisco Symphony trumpeter Mark Inouye.

Baritone Brian Mulligan in the title role of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd.

Tortelier in November with another returning star, pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, playing the fiendish Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand. Tortelier’s selection of excerpts from Bizet’s Carmen Suites 1 and 2 opened a dazzling bill that ended with Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3, Organ, blowing the dust off the magnificent DSH Rufatti. Theme programs are always crowd-pleasers, as MTT has often demonstrated. 2016 gets cracking with conductor and violinist Itzhak Perlman appearing Jan. 9 & 10 in Beethoven (violin) and Mozart and Brahms (baton). Look out for the annual return of Conductor Laureate Herbert Blomstedt and some other remarkable guest conductors, including the exciting Pablo Heras-Casado, in April. MTT is giving us big help-

ings of Mahler in April, June and July, and Leonard Bernstein’s On the Town is on the calendar for May. Across the street, the San Francisco Opera’s 93rd fall season ended with a thud as The Fall of the House of Usher: A Double Bill literally rained blood on the protagonist at the end of musicologist Robert Orledge’s reconstruction of Debussy’s La Chute de la Maison Usher. The first half, Gordon Getty’s Usher House, was even more tedious, but Brian Mulligan as the central character (in both operas) braved the ordeal and proved why he has become David Gockley’s current go-to baritone. He also appeared in two other gruesome productions, one actually filled (again literally) with buckets of gore. Soprano Leah Crocetto (wow), tenor Michael Fabiano (double wow)

<< Film

20 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

8. Hitchcock/Truffaut Conventional wisdom once regarded Alfred Joseph Hitchcock as little more than a creature of Anglo-American media hype. French critic/ New Wave director Francois Truffaut was discouraged by colleagues from undertaking a serious study of this master of suspense. Truffaut and a friend almost thought better of their project when a series of accidents landed them and their precious audio recorder in a pond of frozen water. Fortunately, Truffaut Courtesy Weinstein Pictures was not easily discouraged, and began a week’s worth of Cate Blanchett as the title character in director Todd Haynes’ Carol. in-depth conversations with Hitch about the foundations as an out-of-time lesbian couple in Film 2015 of filmmaking. Kent Jones distills queer writer-director Todd Haynes’ From page 17 60 hours of Truffaut-Hitchcock strongest drama to date. Haynes chats into a complex 80-minute doc deftly displays the forces of hetero1. The Danish Girl Copenhagen, fleshed out with observations from oppression, with a strategic child1925. Danish artist Gerda Wegener Hitch disciples. A special treat for a custody battle showing how far paints her husband, Einar (Eddie new generation of Hitchcock fans. we have come since the 50s, when Redmayne), in female garb. When 9. Janis: Little Girl Blue Amy LGBT folks had no rights “real peothe painting gains popularity, Einar Berg’s shockingly intimate bio-doc ple” needed to respect. Haynes crastarts to change into a female idenlets Port Arthur, Texas-born white dles his story in a Douglas Sirk-style tity, Lili Elbe. With his feminist blues mama Janis Joplin play herworld of hard-drinking, boorish passion and Gerda’s support, Einar self, showing how a “plain Jane” men and desperate if witty women. opts for the first male-to-female sex singer raised on the Texas Gulf 5. Grandma In this delicious reassignment surgery, a decision Coast could seduce the hell out of road comedy, a 75-year-old lesbian, that changes their marriage. Gerda blues fans, black and white, from Elle (Lily Tomlin), gets behind the realizes her husband is no longer the Austin to San Francisco to Woodwheel of a 50s clunker and, with her person she married. A childhood stock and beyond. Once you’re exvery pregnant granddaughter riding friend of Einar’s, art-dealer Hans posed to Janis belting out, “Cry, cry, shotgun, sets off to collect on some Axgil (Matthias Schoenaerts), initibaby,” you’re hooked for life. old debts, from a bevy of aging girlates a complex love triangle with the 10. Tangerine “Los Angeles is a friends, a pissed-off adult daughter, couple. A modern fairy-tale, with beautifully wrapped lie.” This tart and a sarcastic ex-boyfriend. Kudos Redmayne again a top contender for observation comes from the lips of to writer-director Paul Weitz for a Best Actor Oscar. Credit also must a mother-in-law chasing her daughcreating a star vehicle for Tomlin. go to the film’s source material, the ter’s hubby down a cultural rabbit nuanced historical novel from queer author David Ebershoff. 2. The End of the Tour Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg offer two of the year’s strongest male characters, genius novelist David Foster Wallace and admiring Rolling Stone feature writer David Lipsky. Screenwriter Donald Margulies and director James Ponsoldt draw on Lipsky’s bestselling memoir Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself to produce a subtle undressing of both men. Eisenberg’s Lipsky kicks off their brief bromance by persuading his editor to let him write RS’s first serious writer profile. Director Xavier Dolan as the title character in his film Tom at the Farm. Rarely does an American film capture the complex mix of isolation and self-promotion required to stay 6. Pawn Sacrifice Tobey Maguire on top of a serious calling, and the hole and into Donut Time, a Korean gives a career turn as tortured chess petty humiliations and self-abasesnack shop full of pimps and their master Bobby Fischer. The filmments American society demands transgender African American prosmakers incorporate the best traits of its best and brightest. Eisenberg titutes, in director Sean Baker’s sassy of a classic sports film while digging gives us a nakedly ambitious young tour of everything the LA Chamber deeply into a genius intellectual athman who pushes his game to the of Commerce would rather you not lete whose dilemmas made him a max, even when the older man calls see. man without a country. Maguire is him out. 11. The New Girlfriend French deft at polishing some of the rough 3. Love and Mercy Paul Dano bad boy director Francois Ozon, edges off the brutish Fischer, withchannels America’s most enigmatic who upsets apple carts even in out being false to the chess king’s pop genius, Beach Boys frontmantrendsetting French precincts, confate. composer Brian Wilson. Toss in fronts the gender wars. Claire (Anais 7. The Surface In Michael J. John Cusack anchoring half the film Demoustier) thinks she’s being kind Saul’s offbeat coming-of-age tale, as the same pop prince reduced to a when she attempts to comfort the a longhaired, 20something gay orHollywood recluse by a jealous dad newly widowed hubby of her best phan impulsively buys an 8mm and an abusive shrink, and you have girlfriend. But to her surprise, hubmovie camera at an elderly neigha riveting music-biz classic. Writerby David (Romain Duris) reveals director Bill Pohlad shows Wilson bor’s yard sale. Evan’s (Harry Hains) himself to be a secret crossdresser. reclaiming his throne and his life impromptu chat with a man old Ozon tests the limits of those who after years of pills and isolation. enough to be his great-grandfather think themselves incapable of being 4. Carol Cate Blanchett and jumpstarts his obsession with pershocked. Rooney Mara hold us in their grip sonal filmmaking. 12. The Wolf Pack A disturbing peek at the life-into-art project of six homeschooled brothers. A tribute to the plucky spirit of six longhaired Manhattanite boys, an audition tape for everything they ever hope to be. As one of the brothers notes, “If I didn’t have movies, I would be a pretty broken person.” 13. Freeheld Peter Sollett commands a peerless ensemble (Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Steve Carell) in the true story of one gay couple’s fight for equal rights. Laurel Hester (Moore), a lesbian diagnosed with terminal cancer, is unable to give her partner, Stacie (Page), her pension benefits because Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics their home state doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage. Lily Tomlin as the title character in director Paul Weitz’s Grandma. 14. Tom at the Farm In this gripping black comedy, a young man,

grieving his late lover, turns up at the dead boy’s rural Quebec funeral with a phony blonde dye-job, promising to deliver a eulogy that will make the conservative townsfolk take notice: respect the queer citizens in their midst. Tom loses his nerve and sits through a dull service by the parish priest, disappointing his late beau’s mom and, ominously, the deceased’s moody, possibly dangerous brother. Quebec queer prodigy Xavier Dolan takes us along a devious path to salvation for Tom (Dolan plays his slippery gayboy heroes), opening up a portal for a more imaginative and risky kind of LGBT movie. 15. Liz in September Eva drives from Caracas to join her husband and son for a summer vacation retreat. Car troubles intervene, and the kindly repair guy directs Eva to stay with a feisty group of lesbians while he puts her car up on the rack. Venezuelan director Fina Torres provides a witty Spanish adaptation

Italian film. Gelsomina, a 12-yearold beekeeper’s daughter (Maria Alexandra Lungu), gets under the skin of her macho father, Wolfgang (Sam Louwyck). The struggling tenant farmer’s landlord is threatening his bees with toxic pesticides. Wolfgang wants to be a prize-winning beekeeper, but life, the untamable nature of his insects, and the ideals, curiosity and TV habits of Gelsomina keep getting in the way. 18. 45 Years British gay director Andrew Haigh gets us uncomfortably close to an aging British couple (Tom Courtney, Charlotte Rampling) when they start in on each other as their 45th wedding anniversary looms. Rampling and Courtney defy the odds and give us a troubled couple whose marriage nearly crashes upon the discovery of the long-buried body of Courtney’s first love. 19. Stand Jonathan Taieb’s Moscow crime drama features an attractive young Russian male couple,

Make this holiday seas

Special guest stars

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

ANNA - #1 on list of "Top 10 Hottest Dancing With The Stars Female Pros - past and present" or "Top 10 Hottest DWTS Female Pros - past and present" DMITRY - Emmy nominated for Argentine Tango choreography on "So You Think You Can Dance" “A show that you will never want to end” —Marin Independent Journal "Gloriously varied, stunningly performed and beguilingly sexy: Forever Tango must be seen" —The London Times "The most magniﬁcent, romantic, exciting evening you can ever spend" —KGO Radio “An evening of Sheer Pleasure! Sensual, Elegant and Dazzling! —NY Daily News Take a SELFIE WITH THE STARS: VIP tickets include preferred seating, post show meet & greet and Forever Tango CD.

Dec 20–Jan 1

Special New Year’

415-392-4400 • cityboxoffic of a pioneering American lesbian play, Jane Chambers’ (1937-83) Last Summer at Bluefish Cove. A classic lesbian gem takes on the concerns of women in the Southern Hemisphere, with their history of oppression by Latin machos, and other modern concerns: assisted suicide, and the right of non-lesbian-identified women to experiment with other women without being tagged with homophobic labels. 16. Spotlight Michael Keaton, Liev Schreiber and Mark Ruffalo star in this passionate docudrama on how a dogged band of Boston Globe reporters uncovered the 2001 child molestation scandal that rocked the Catholic Church in Boston, setting off a tidal wave of disclosures that would embarrass the Vatican in major cities worldwide. 17. The Wonders Alice Rohrwacher’s beekeeping family comedy recalls gems from the Golden Age of

Anton and Vlad. One evening, while driving home to their apartment, the boys hear a loud sound in a park next to the highway. Vlad demands they stop the car and investigate; Anton is nervous about straying off the path in a city where anti-gay hooligans prowl the streets. Later, Anton and Vlad learn that a young man was brutally beaten to death that night, and the police haven’t a clue. With references both to new techno toys (Google glasses, anyone?) and old-fashioned thuggery, the ending is stunning and depressing. One of a kind! 20. Sicario An idealistic FBI agent (Emily Blunt) is recruited by an American government task force to battle the Colombia-based drug cartel. Quebec-born director Denis Villeneuve mixes extreme violence with a chess-player’s strategic sense to create a thinking person’s gangbanger-style adventure.t

Fine Art>>

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 21

Rick Gerharter

Designer Charles James’ iconic “clover leaf” gown, part of High Style: The Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at the Palace of the Legion of Honor.

son sizzle!

10 • HERBST THEATRE

’s Eve Performance Added!

ce.com • forevertango.org

Fine Art 2015

Collection, a connoisseur’s exhibition at the Legion of Honor that featured a dozen pairs of shoes by haute Parisian shoemaker Pietro Yantorny. The sign in his atelier window allegedly read: “The most expensive shoes in the world,” and he wasn’t kidding. A lace-lined trunk at the show held some of his surviving pointy-toed, stack-heeled, jewel-buckled amazements, an orgiastic display some have yet to recover from. The show also resurrected the legacy and body-conscious, architectural creations of Charles James, a notoriously mercurial, nearly neglected British virtuoso with scissors and fabric.

– Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth making Signals in Shallow Water, and going by the Lead. The Author was in this Storm on the Night the Commercial galleries continued Ariel left Harwich” (1842), a maritheir exodus from downtown; some time masterpiece in which a ship is lost their spaces to tech companies tossed about like a toy, sucked into and nearly all were driven out by a vortex of waves whipped up by an the city’s skyrocketing rents. Rena angry god. Apocryphal legend has Bransten left her base of over 30 it that Turner demanded the sailors years at 77 Geary, as did George lash him to the mast during a storm. Krevsky, who set up operations at Installations that rocked: 28 his home in Oakland; Stephen Wirtz Chinese, where youngish art-stars Gallery, now Wirtz Art, functions flaunted their aptitude for provocaonline and by appointment. Other tive imagined environments. The players may resurface at Minnesota show was at the Asian Art Museum, Street Project and elsewhere in the which also takes the prize, as it does spring. Also, in the transitions deevery year, for the best exhibition partment, the Cartoon Art Museum presentations of any local closed its Mission Street museum. location and is searching Missed opportunities: for a new home Amy Winehouse: A FamThe de Young Museum ily Portrait at CJM gave marked its 10th annivera sense of what it was like sary in its new building, a to be in the soulful singer’s milestone somewhat overroom, but gave us none of shadowed by the instability her heart-wrenching songs and ongoing melodrama and little insight into what at the Fine Arts Museums. drove her to addiction and Accusations of financial an early death. Without the impropriety leveled at music it was hard to unFAMSF chairwoman Dede derstand what the fuss was Wilsey, and the resignation about. Raising more quesof director Colin Bailey in tions than it answered, She April, less than two years Who Tells the Story, at after he assumed the post, Cantor Arts Center, showthreaten to undermine cased the work of female the institution’s reputaMiddle Eastern photogtion both here and in the raphers while (too) dislarger art world. And is it creetly sidestepping their too much to ask for more second-class status in their shows in the coming year countries of origin. generated by talented inTalent to watch: San house curators like Julian Francisco genie-in-a-botCox and Tim Burgard? tle Jennie Ottinger. Among the bright spots Most vital center (and were two fine shows of last bastion) of darkroom Richard Diebenkorn’s Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection, Miami/Zhu Jinshi/ARS, New York photography: Rayko Phoworks on paper, a medium to Center & Gallery. where the artist excelled: “Boat” (2012) by Zhu Jinshi, Xuan paper, bamboo, Best gallery shows: LetRichard Diebenkorn and cotton thread, part of 28 Chinese at the Asian ters to the Predator at Prints, at the de Young, Art Museum. Johansson Projects, where consisted of 49 of the 160 Ottinger, who’s justly laudprints FAMSF acquired The two unlikeliest and most ened above, devised an amoral animal last year, making it the largest retertaining caballeros of the year: the kingdom a long way from Winnie pository of Diebenkorn’s printmakavuncular family entertainment titan the Pooh and Tigger Too, as well as ing; and Richard Diebenkorn: The Walt Disney and the wild-eyed musa series of disconcertingly unwholeSketchbooks Revealed at the Cantachioed surrealist Salvador Dali, some, slyly humorous oil paintings. tor Arts Center afforded a unique whose trajectories and intersections Kal Spelletich: Intention Maopportunity to get inside the mind’s were attentively charted in Disney chines, a freaky yet fascinating ineye of the California artist. and Dali: Architects of the Imagiteractive exhibition at Catharine Onward with more highlights nation, the most impressive exhiClark Gallery, noteworthy for a conand lowlights of 2015. bition mounted at the Walt Disney fluence of hubris, technology run Most sublime immersive experiFamily Museum since its opening. amok and bizarre contraptions like ence with a killer view: Janet CarMost memorable encounters: the headless robotic mannequins diff’s Forty Part Motet, a sound inJames Tissot’s “A Political Woman” hooked up to a mysterious apparastallation at the Fort Mason Center, (1883-85), a portrait of the grand tus one might find in a mad scienwhich left many critics uncharacterentrance of a glamorous Parisian tist’s laboratory. istically speechless. Forty towering society woman as she sweeps into Come with Me, at Gallery Wendi black speakers, arranged in a circle, a glittering ballroom, on view at Norris, Tomokazu Matsuyama’s broadcast a 1573 choral work in Latthe de Young’s Jewel City: Art from solo show of exuberant paintings in by English Renaissance composer San Francisco’s Panama-Pacific that recalled the paradisiacal color Thomas Tallis, performed by the International Exposition, which and lands of enchantment dreamt Salisbury Cathedral Choir. With San also includes a photograph of the up by master Japanese animator Francisco Bay as dramatic backdrop, interior of the Palace of Fine Arts, Hayao Miyazaki. The artist integratsound and visual elements coalesce whose curved walls were stacked ed an urban new world order and into an ecstatic experience. You had with paintings during the PPIE. the ancient past, blending Eastern to be there, and you still can be. It’s Wow, what a venue! and Western aesthetics with verve up until Jan. 18. All the watercolors at J.M.W. and hallucinatory energy. The 2015 Shoeaholics Fever Turner: Painting Set Free, and Watch this space next week for Dream Award goes to High Style: a thrilling oil painting, “Snow Storm what’s around the corner in 2016.t The Brooklyn Museum Costume From page 17

Theatre 2016

From page 19

disguised his true homosexual nature that is now threatened with exposure. It was Somerset Maugham’s life that seemed to most clearly parallel the character Coward himself played in the original production. therhino.org. New Conservatory Theatre Center is presenting the world premiere of its first mainstage production by a genderqueer playwright featuring a genderqueer lead character. In MJ Kaufman’s Sagittarius Ponderosa, running Jan. 22-Feb. 28, the character now known as Archer (but still Angela to his family) returns to Eastern Oregon to care for his dying father. An encounter with a handsome stranger in the forest illuminates a world in which past and present collide and there are no static identities. nctcsf.org.

Theatre Rhino will present A Song at Twilight, Noel Coward’s most frank play about homosexuality.

Encore, encore

In some quarters, 2016 will spend part of its time looking a lot like 2015. Back by popular demand is the refrain for several theaters,

Nathan Johnson

Anthony Wayne returns to Brava in an encore run of Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical.

where productions that bend gender in all sorts of ways make return appearances. Star Trek Live! will take flight again at Oasis, running Jan. 6-23. Mudd’s Women, an episode from

the original TV series, is a good candidate for the cross-dressing treatment since the male characters who dominated the series are augmented by a bevy of beauties who are basically space-age versions of mail-or-

der brides. sfoasis.com. Club Inferno, cited last week as one of the best productions of 2015, is returning to the Hypnodrome on Feb. 4-March 5. That 2015 production itself was a revival, albeit one from 15 years before, but this new outing of Peter Fogel and Kelley Kittell’s glam-rock visit to Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell finally connected in the Thrillpeddlers’ production. thrillpeddlers.com. Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical returns to the city where the former Cockette and disco star broke into the big time and died much too soon in 1988 of AIDS. Brava Theatre is again the venue for the biographical musical built around Sylvester’s life and songs, with co-director Anthony Wayne back to play the early breaker of gender boundaries on records, radio, concerts, and TV. brava.org.

22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

Best and worst of the year on TV by Victoria A. Brownworth

t was the best of TV, it was the worst of TV. For the most part, 2015 was a very good year for the tube. There were at least 20 scripted series that were really fine and reminded us of how much TV has changed, going from something to sneer at to something to laud, anticipate and celebrate. We’ve listed our top 20 in alphabetical order because no show is perfect, and some of these shows have no LGBT content, but are still fabulous. Some (Hannibal, Mad Men) also had their final seasons this year, regrettably, as we think Mad Men still had places to go (and oh, Elisabeth Moss’ Peggy Olson, what a send-off!), and Hannibal could have run another five seasons (and may come back for one more). We have written about all 20 of these shows this year, though some (Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, Orange Is the New Black, Transparent, Hannibal, Empire, American Horror Story: Hotel) more than others because of their consistent LGBT storylines and characters and the often groundbreaking work being done with regard to LGBT characterization. Here are, in our opinion, the 20 best shows for 2015: The Americans, American Crime (not to be confused with the upcoming American Crime Story), American Horror Story: Hotel, black-ish, Broad City, Empire, Fargo, Fresh Off the Boat, The Good Wife, Hannibal, How to Get Away with Murder, The Leftovers, Mad Men, Master of None, Mr. Robot, Orange Is the New Black, Scandal, Transparent, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Walking Dead. Some shows are simply captivating, luring us with a confluence of great writing and great acting. If that were the sole litmus, American Crime and The Americans would be tied for first place. There’s not a wasted minute in either of these superb dramas, and each speaks to aspects of the current American landscape in different ways, even though The Americans is a period drama set in the 1980s during the Cold War. The first one, as it appears we are in a new one, thanks to Donald Trump’s buddy Vladimir Putin. But the complexities of identity and fealty to nation? Could not be timelier. If there was one show that resonated with us throughout the year well after we had watched, it was American Crime. Created by Oscarwinning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years a Slave), this show addressed race in ways not previously seen on TV, except perhaps in David Simon’s The Wire. The performances were breathtakingly good, as evidenced by the fact nearly every member of this anthology-series cast was nominated for an Emmy. Regina King won. American Crime will take on homosexuality and male rape in January in season two, while also folding in class and race issues. We can’t wait for this. Mr. Robot, which has significant gay content, and The Leftovers, which doesn’t, are both series we find tremendously compelling. Both these series ask questions about the world we live in now. The impact of alienation and loss, and the suspicions engendered by both are vivid in these two series, presented quite differently. The second season of The Leftovers has a depth to it that makes us feel connected to the characters. We can envision our own sense of loss at their predicament, and what kind of fear it

<< TV

least one cringeworthy gaffe might provoke. These two from self-styled activist shows aren’t like anything Caitlyn Jenner each episode. else on the tube. Are they Also problematic is I Am sci-fi? Thrillers? Both? We Jazz on TLC (the network is aren’t quite sure, but what a clue). The show isn’t probwe are sure of is how great lematic for its star, trans girl writing about the intricaJazz Jennings, but for the cies of the world today can concept, which is a fish-eye be mesmerizing, and underlens on the 14-year-old’s stated performances read life, sans editing by grownbest when such scripts are ups. Unlike Becoming Us, write large. This last is why which presents two trans Blindspot just missed being adults and their teenage kids on our best-of list. coming to terms with their If there were a best list fathers’ transition, I Am Jazz for showrunners, we’d have feels exploitative. We try not to put Shonda Rhimes in to judge parents, but you the top spot. More so even have one main job: protect than gay showrunners Ryan your kids. We’re not seeing Murphy and Greg Berlanti, that on this show. Rhimes has made space for Courtesy HBO Several TV series had LGBT storylines. Her lessolid episodes with trans bian characters on Grey’s Justin Theroux on The Leftovers: one of the year’s best. storylines this year, notaAnatomy are the longestbly ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, running in prime time, NBC’s Law & Order: Special casting skews it off the white-maleand as one of the longestthis year was as unexpected as it was Victims Unit and CBS’ The Bold & dominated political grid. Just sayrunning series, Grey’s Anatomy intriguing, and provided one of the the Beautiful. The latter soap was ing. has brought depth to those charmost beautiful lesbian sex scenes exceptional for its portrayal of Maya We weren’t sure about putting acterizations These women have we’ve seen on screen. Sitcoms changed it up this year. Avant (Karla Mosley) as a trans AHS: Hotel on our best list. It’s a been to hell and back, and we have We could have a Top 10 sitcoms of woman. This was a groundbreaking problematic season, with the viogone there with them. None of the 2015 list, but we do prefer dramas. storyline, and Mosley (who is not lence distinctly over-the-top. But characters has backed away from Nevertheless, one of the things transgender) is superb in the role. this show is the gayest thing you her lesbianism. While Callie (Sara that happened in 2015 is women In August, B&B made history will see on the tube outside of Ru Ramirez) asserts her bisexuality, and people of color really smashed with the first trans wedding on TV, Paul’s Drag Race, and some of the we’ve only seen her with women through the white male comedy as Maya wed her longtime love, sciperformances are spectacular. Critfor the past seven seasons, which we ceiling. Tina Fey, Amy Schumer, on of Forrester Creations, Rick Forics are mixed on Lady Gaga’s perforprefer. This year we have watched Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Ilana rester (Jacob Young). This was also mance. We like it, finding it in the Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) and CalGlazer, Abby Jacobson, Tracee Ellis the first interracial wedding on the style of early John Waters as a sulie break up, meet other women, try Ross, Nahnatchka Kahn, Constance show (yes, TV has carried the longpremely gay casting. We would have to forge a friendship in Wu, Aziz Ansari, Alan Yang: these time unstated tradition of making to put it on our list for the beauty spite of their breakup for comedians are in our top 20 because lesbian and gay characters people of Matt Bomer and the range of the sake of their daughthey have really changed things up of color into representation of trans Denis O’Hare, and their both being ter. It’s been real. Which this year on the tube. While Donald persons). We loved Maya when she out gay actors. Also, Angela Bassett, is what Rhimes does. She Trump was busy trying to marginalfirst hit the soap, although we were Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates? These gives us powerful womize women and every ethnic group, surprised when the storyline shifted are Oscar-nominated/winning acen who have vulnerthese comedians and comic writto her being trans (the show never tresses, and they make every scene abilities, yet never cease ers were doing subversive comedy did address the issue of that baby they are in riveting to watch. Basto be strong. Scandal’s about gender, race, ethnicity, homoshe had who died when she first sett’s willingness to take on such a Olivia Pope (Kerry sexuality, class. appeared on the B&B landscape). complex role (has she played lesbian Washington) is such a While Nahnatchka Kahn presentMosley deserves every accolade, and before? Has anyone played this kind character, a fierce black ed fabulous Asian comedy in Fresh B&B has stepped it up by putting of lesbian before?) impressed us. woman who is smarter than everyOff the Boat, a show that is hilarious this storyline on the front-burner. Anyone arguing with our placeone else in the room (any room) (and has lesbian characters, because Pretty much everyone is agreed ment of HTGAWM on this list and not afraid to go to the dark side when we are behind the camera we on the worst shows of 2015. Two hasn’t watched the show. While we on occasion in defense of justice. are in front of the camera), Dr. Ken that stand out for us are Wicked weren’t crazy about the flashback Compare these women with Dick stereotyped Asians and made us City, which was a misogynistic and styling, this season gave us one of Wolf ’s Law & Order: Special Viccringe. sadistic torture fest, and Truth Be the best actresses of our time, Viola tims Unit, which could have (and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Told, which we thought would be Davis, in a lesbian sex scene that should have) made Olivia Benson was the best comedy this year, and another black-ish with some gay blew our minds, between Davis, 49, (Emmy winner Mariska Hartigay) the most complex. Should we really thrown in. Both shows were terrible and Famke Jansen, 51. Yes, Davis a lesbian from its inception, who be laughing? Oh okay, we should. disappointments, misusing good and Jansen rolling around together. we believe in Rhimes’ hands would Tituss Burgess as Titus Andromactors with bad-to-worst story. AnWow. That scene topped our best have come out in season two, like edon, Kimmy’s black gay male foil, other worst? Neil Patrick Harris’ scene of the year list. Talk about Callie did on GA. Nothing about was nominated for an Emmy for a Best Time Ever. It was not. memorable! Olivia’s character reads as heteroreason: he’s amazing. If you haven’t But the Worst Thing on the Tube HTGAWM also has an almost sexual, yet every other season she’s seen this Netflix original series crein 2015? Hands down, Donald 50/50 ratio of people of color to forced into some unbelievable and ated by Tina Fey, put it on your Trump. Hate-mongering, misogywhite people, which is fabulous. borderline abusive straight relabinge list. nist, racist, Islamophobic, mudGay showrunner Peter Nowalk is a tionship that leaves us shaking our Black-ish deserves to be seen by slinging, homophobic, vile, fill in protégé of Rhimes, having worked heads. She’s been involved with a everyone. As consistently hilarious the adjective, Trump began his on GA (Rhimes exec-produces HTseries of corrupt men. How can we as Seinfeld or Modern Family, the presidential campaign calling MexiGAWM). What he took away from be expected to believe her judgment addition of gay characters this year can immigrants rapists and murderher is priceless. Then he added on is sound on the job when it’s incredwas just icing on this comedy cake. ers, slagged off Rosie O’Donnell to his own gay take, which gave us one ibly screwed up in her personal life? Out lesbian comedian Wanda Sykes cheers at the first GOP debate, and of the best gay storylines of 2015: The contrast between this character joining the cast? Oh yes. ended the year saying Hillary ClinOliver discovering he was HIV+, (the longest-running in prime time) Master of None is not a gay show, ton had been “schlonged” (that is, and Connor committing to the reand Rhimes’ women, who have been but it is a show about race and raped) by Barack Obama in 2008. At lationship regardless. Yes, PrEP feaaround for almost as long, is astonethnicity that will resonate for all press time, Trump was leading in the tured. Nowalk’s show is consistently ishing. It makes us frustrated about LGBT people regardless of color, polls among Republican candidates balanced racially, has stunning gay Olivia, but it’s the reason we are still because regrettably, marginalizaby nearly 30 points. Trump didn’t storylines (and real gay sex), and the watching GA 12 seasons later. And tion is a thing we share. This Netflix get there alone. The networks, CNN mega-star at the center, Davis’ charwhy Rhimes tops our best of showseries was released last month, and and Fox all deserve equal responsiacter Dr. Annalise Keating, might be runner list. it’s close to perfect. Aziz Ansari is bility for giving him more airtime a monster, but we cannot help lovIt’s not just women Rhimes has charming, rueful, funny, and isn’t than all the Democratic and other ing her. done right by, although her shows it time for an Asian leading man in Republican candidates combined. Gay showrunner Bryan Fuller’s certainly showcase strong women. hipster world? The role of the Fourth Estate is dark, darker, darkest cannibalism But where else on the TV landscape Although 2015 was not so great not to fawn, but to illumine. There drama Hannibal ended this year, are there gay male characters like the for representation of lesbians and has never been a point in this presifor which we are sorry. Mads Mikones on Scandal? Cyrus Beene (Jeff gay men, bisexuals and especially dential campaign where any TV kelsen gave a performance like none Perry) has been brilliant in the role trans people had their best year ever pundit or commentator has held we can remember seeing as the canof the president’s Chief of Staff, and on the tube. For trans persons, AmTrump to account, except, perhaps, nibalistic, serial-killing, homoerotic, Rhimes has moved him around the azon’s Emmy-winning Transparent for Fox’s Megyn Kelly at that first music-loving aesthete Dr. Hannibal chess board expertly this year. Now and ABC Family’s Becoming Us predebate. So: Worst TV of 2015? The Lecter. Now that all three seasons are in its fifth season, Scandal does not sented thoughtful and thought-propundit class bowing and scraping available on DVD (Fuller remains get enough play with critics. It’s as voking TV focusing on trans lives. to a reality-TV billionaire no matter in negotiation with Amazon and good a political drama as House of Those shows and Janet Mock’s So how vile his actions, how profound Netflix to stream a fourth season), Cards, Kevin Spacey notwithstandPOPular on MSNBC helped offset his lies. binge if you missed this. Mikkelsen ing. It’s in our top 20 for a reason. the problematic I Am Cait, which is So for the best of the best and the is amazing, and the rest of the cast, It’s this decade’s The West Wing. We best described as a Keeping Up with worst of the worst, and to a New including Hugh Dancy, Caroline can’t help wondering if the reason it the Kardashians spin-off with more Year filled with promise (and hopeDhavernas, Gillian Anderson, Laudoesn’t get situated where it belongs make-up, way more cosmetic surfully a trouncing of Trump in Iowa), rence Fishburne, and Eddie Izzard, is because unlike that show, the pregery, even more shallowness and at you really must stay tuned.t is compelling. The lesbian storyline dominance of people of color in the

Books>>

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 23

Best LGBT nonfiction, 2015

by Brian Bromberger

015 was an excellent year for LGBT books, especially memoirs. Most of the volumes on this list try to explain why we have achieved so much equality in the last decade, and what the implications may be for our community and the larger society. 10. Hoover’s War on Gays: Exposing the FBI’s “Sex Deviates” Program by Douglas M. Charles. In a feat of investigative research, Penn State historian Charles has pieced together the unethical procedures, purposes, and contents of the remaining fragments of J. Edgar Hoover’s notorious “Sexual Deviates” 330,000+ pages file, destroyed by the Bureau in 1977-78. Highlights include the downfall of activist Frank Kameny, the Lavender Scare (gays labeled suspected Communist sympathizers), and the persecution of SF’s own Daughters of Bilitis founders, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon. This thorough, engaging analysis shows the damage that results when authority runs amok in the name of decency. Honorable Mention History book: Marie Equi: Radical Politics and Outlaw Passion by Michael Helquist.

9. Wagstaff: Before and After Mapplethorpe: A Biography by Philip Gefter. Sam Wagstaff was a wealthy curator, collector, and patron whose principal discovery was photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, his on-and-off-again lover. Wagstaff not only amassed a huge photograph stockpile stretching from classical 19thcentury themes to sadomasochistic images, he also became a pivotal figure in promoting photography as an art-form, before his death from AIDS in 1987 at 65. He used art as a way to attack society’s prejudice and celebrate nonconformity, but he never fully came out of the closet, and paid a heavy emotional price for his success. Honorable Mention Biography: James Merrill: Life and Art by Langdon Hammer. 8. It’s Not Over: Getting Beyond Tolerance, Defeating Homophobia, & Winning True Equality by Michelangelo Signorile. With the backlash antics of Kim Davis protesting the legalization of same-sex marriage and Houston repealing its anti-gay ordinance, journalist Signorile’s polemic on the premature trumpeting of the success of LGBT equality, and on queers jumping on the assimilation bandwagon by downplaying differences to make themselves inoffensive to straight establishment forces (“covering”), seems more relevant than when it appeared in April. Signorile has produced a trenchant political critique of gay establishment triumphalism, exposing the still-entrenched homophobia and discrimination hiding in plain sight. 7. Reforming Sodom: Protestants and the Rise of Gay Rights by Heather White. This bold, persuasive book by a professor of religion, queer, and gender studies charts the journey of how liberal Protestants shifted their view of homosexuals from a medical diagnosis in need of compassionate cure to victims of political injustice and an unfairly stigmatized group during the 1950s-60s,

advocating for gay rights years before Stonewall. White challenges the notion that LGBT progress was only a secularization narrative, with religion playing an important but less visible role underplayed by LGBT scholars. Honorable Mention Religion book: The Way of Tenderness: Awakening Through Race, Sexuality, and Gender by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel. 6. Gay Directors, Gay Film? by Emanuel Levy. Avoiding both academic jargon and banal movie criticism, professor of film and sociology Levy has developed a framework for interpreting what it means to make a gay film by examining the oeuvre of five openly gay movie directors: Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant, John Waters, Pedro Almodovar, and Terence Davies. He shows how gay directors can showcase radical positions on gender, desire, and sexuality by adopting subversive ways of viewing society and breaking down taboos. Honorable Mention Social Science book: Not Gay: Sex Between Straight White Men by Jane Ward. 5. Voices in the Band: A Doctor, Her Patients, and How the Outlook on AIDS Care Changed from Doomed to Hopeful by Susan Ball. Written by a lesbian doctor who has been an internist for 23 years in the multidisciplinary AIDS care center at NY Presbyterian Hospital (modeled on Ward 86 at SF General Hospital), the book chronicles the exhilarating and exasperating evolution of HIV from a death sentence to a chronic manageable disease. Ball served patients who were the poorest of the poor and sickest of the sick, and their struggles are the heart of Voices. She learned to listen to their problems in order to administer the most effective treatment, despite the disease’s continuing disenfranchisement of the indigent and people of color. The most inspirational LGBT book of 2015. Honorable Mention AIDS book: Visions and Revisions: Coming of Age in the Age of AIDS by Dale Peck. 4. The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle by Lillian Faderman. In this magnum opus, iconic LGBT historian Faderman charts a comprehensive fight for gay rights in America from the 1950s, when queers were branded criminals, mentally ill, and sinners, to the June SCOTUS ruling legalizing samesex marriage in all 50 states. With a cast of thousands and a staggering amount of research, Faderman wants to be authoritative. But her approach is almost solely political, largely ignoring cultural advancements. Best read as a user-friendly reference tool, the book is a captivating intellectual accomplishment. 3. Then Comes Marriage: United States v. Windsor and the Defeat of DOMA by Roberta Kaplan. The story by the principal lawyer of the Windsor Supreme Court case, which struck down a key provision of DOMA and was instrumental in arguing this year’s landmark Obergefell decision. The first book on Windsor, and the only one on the legal same-sex marriage cases from a gay litigator perspective, it centers on the 45-year love affair of Edie and Thea Spyer, shown to be the equal of any straight marriage. It’s also Kaplan’s journey of personal acceptance as a lesbian. 2. On the Move: A Life by Oliver Sacks. The autobiography of the famous neurologist/ author, in which the sexy, leath-

er-clad motorcyclist on the book’s cover comes out unsensationally at age 81. The book covers his medical career, drug use, extreme bodybuilding, love of music, the importance of writing as self-discovery, and 35-year period of celibacy until he met his current lover, SF writer Billy Hayes, six years ago. Sacks’ patients are seen not as impersonal case histories but as teachers struggling with their unusual neural afflictions. His book Gratitude includes his final writings, with the February New York Times op-ed in which he publicly revealed the incurable cancer that killed him in August. Compassionate, touching, and remarkable, Sacks becomes an LGBT role model. Honorable Mention Memoir: Smash Cut: A Memoir of Howard and Art & the 70s & 80s by Brad Gooch. 1. Bettyville by George Hodgman.

A tender and exquisitely crafted memoir written by Hodgman, a freelance magazine and book editor in recovery, about what happens when he returns to his rural hometown of Paris, Missouri, to celebrate his mother Betty’s 91st birthday and discovers she is in the initial stages of dementia. With Betty refusing to enter an assisted living facility and George having lost his Manhattan job, he relocates, reversing roles by becoming his mother’s “care inflictor.” Hodgman’s repertoire of one-liners matches Betty’s quickwitted banter, with humor supplying cover for her dire situation. The book’s focus is really the eventual acceptance of LGBT people by straight society, redefining what home means through the lens of Hodgman’s complicated relationship with his mother, who previously never accepted his gayness. Told with grace, insight, and kindness, Bettyville is the best gay memoir so far this decade.t

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<< Music

24 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

Bernstein’s lament

by Tim Pfaff

here are few pieces of music I know more thoroughly than I do Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 3, Kaddish. That’s not necessarily because I esteem it above most others; it also has to do with the fact that as a teenager I was a member of the Columbia Record Club, didn’t need the fingers of both hands to count my LPs, and the Kaddish was one of them. As well do I know and love Bach’s B-minor Mass, since it was my great fortune to attend rehearsals as well as performances of a college performance that took place in the acoustically fine church my family attended. So both pieces, the first as infamously personal as the second is putatively impersonal, are personal to me. But my continued love of the Kaddish, named for the Hebrew prayer for the dead, has gone far beyond its prominence in my meager hedge against the cultural desert of rural South Dakota at the beginning of the stereo era. Before the symphonies of Mozart and Beethoven joined them, the two symphonies I “owned” were Bernstein’s Third and his recording of Mahler’s Third – both formally unconventional, though I didn’t know that yet – and I immediately sensed sympathetic spirits all around. In a Gramophone interview about her new recording of the original 1963 version of the Kaddish (Naxos), out lesbian conductor Marin Alsop commented that the symphony was “about his [Bernstein’s] relationship to Judaism, to his father, to his wife and to his sexuality.” For his recording of that version, Bernstein employed his actress wife, Felicia Montealgre, as the Speaker, and it was her incantatory, raging, grieving declamation of Bernstein’s searing text that scorched my soul to the same degree that her husband’s music did. Mrs. Bernstein would have known about the fluidity of her husband’s sexuality, and the tone of defiant impotence in the Speaker’s peroration had a resonance familiar to many in her audience. For this

young Calvinist, its questioning of the existence of God, say nothing of the benignity of the Divine, was as exciting as the pull of sex. The symphony’s detractors have found it embarrassing, juvenile. Like most of the rest of Bernstein’s “serious” music (his two previous symphonies, also formally unorthodox, also have names, the Jeremiah and The Age of Anxiety), they have marked it down, if not written it off, as formally ragtag, promiscuously ragtime and derivative of musics both “classical” and “popular,” terms musicians in both camps, like Bernstein, disavow and deplore. That’s a lot of animus for a work the rest of us find hard to resist and then endure. I take the rancor as evidence of the work’s power, not its weakness. To the extent that it is juvenile – and many of its spiritual sentiments are at least hurt-childish – it’s the fortunate among us who get to revisit those fecund states. Alsop, with her Baltimore Symphony and three choirs, gives a strong, unapologetic performance of great clarity and commendable ensemble. Her grasp of the whole of Bernstein’s opus allows the

“Broadway” music more conspicuous prominence than it had in Bernstein’s own first recording, when his desire to be seen and respected as a “serious” composer was at its narcissistic (and, we now see, misguidedly so) zenith. Already in the complex “Amen” chorus, we hear the snappy, menacing vitality that drives West Side Story, composed only six years earlier. Insuperably, veteran British actor Claire Bloom’s Speaker defangs the piece. In his skittish, 1977 revision of the symphony, Bernstein pruned some of the dialogue’s excesses and, pointlessly, made it declaimable by a woman or a man. Montealegre’s febrile, unflagging, often harrowing fury as the rejected one has never been surpassed. Bloom must have seemed an inspired choice for Narrator of this recording, but her restraint, propriety and “rounded vowels” grievously undercut the text. She sounds not a little like she’s embarrassed by it, and handles it with pincers. The resulting feeling is that she’s questioning not the Almighty but the lyricist, Bernstein himself. No amount of advocacy on Alsop’s part offsets Bloom’s

implausible, unwarranted detachment, ironic at its most severe. Bernstein’s address of the Divine sounds audacious even today. In the Invocation’s fourth line (and the previous three are not mild), the Speaker calls out to the “lonely, disappointed Father” as “Handsome, jealous Lord and Lover,” and you feel Bloom’s arched eyebrows at “handsome” and “lover.” In the Scherzo, the Speaker deplores the “Kingdom of Heaven,/Every immortal cliché in place.” By the time Bloom declares, “Something is wrong,” it’s lamentably true. She’s a more appropriate presence, summoning real dudgeon, of the unmistakably British variety, in the appended recording of Bernstein’s large-scale choral work The Lark, from 1955. But Alsop’s trenchant performance of the Missa Brevis of 1988 hints at what this Kaddish might have been. Maurice Ravel, another composer of fluid sexuality we’d probably call gay today, is the focus of the latest CD by Yuja Wang (DG). It’s not fair to Wang that her playing is so good that it’s hard to write sensibly about it, but it is, and San Francisco audi-

ences know that she can match in the hall what she does on recording without breaking a sweat. What startles all over again in these brilliant recordings with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich under Lionel Bringuier (in no sense lesser partners) is her ability to find the depth, height and scope of any music she addresses and do it with unerring authority and delicacy. Ravel’s Left-Hand Concerto may never have sounded more imposing or important, and the G Major Concerto leaps over all previous recordings of it. True or not, the (very recently) late Robert Craft’s assertion that Stravinsky had romantic sex with men at the time of The Rite of Spring, and that Ravel may have been a partner, is as happy a musical fantasie-impromptu as 2015 coughed up. You don’t have to strain at all to hear Rite, and jazzy Stravinsky, in this astounding new G Major. And the Gabriel Faure F-sharp minor solo-piano Ballade that separates, or rather connects them is, at last, as monumental as the composer’s music is reputed to be but rarely sounds.t

Monkey Song)” from The Jungle Book and Tori Kelly’s breezy “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas. Less memorable performers include Gwen Stefani (“The Rainbow Connection”), Rascal Flatts & Lucy Hale (“Let It Go”) and Jason Derulo (“Can You Feel the Love Tonight/ Nants’ Ingonyama”). Donovan is one of the great music legends of the 1960s. His psychedelicfolk hit singles still sound as groovy today as they did some 50 years ago. The 15-track Gazing with Tranquility: A Tribute to Donovan (Rock the Cause) features a stellar array of hip acts leaving their mark on an assortment of Donovan ditties both familiar and lesser-known. Flaming Lips are one of two bands (the other is Mixed Up Kidz) taking the voyage to “Atlantis.” “Sunshine Superman” soars in Colony House’s version, and Ivan & Alyosha does a respectful

rendition of “Catch the Wind.” Brett Dennen adds his own tint to “Colours,” Lissie gallops on “Happiness Runs,” Savannah Smith embraces “Lalena,” and “Mellow Yellow” glows in Verskotzi’s interpretation. In addition to being the ex-husband and collaborator of queer folk singer Peggy Singer (half-sister of Pete), singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl was the father of the late singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl. “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” a huge hit for Roberta Flack, may be Ewan MacColl’s best-known song Stateside, but he wrote and recorded many others in his lifetime. To commemorate MacColl’s centennial, the double-disc set Joy of Living: A Tribute to Ewan MacColl (Compass) features a fantastic cross-section of performers, including Rufus & Martha Wainwright, David Gray, Billy Bragg, Jarvis Cocker, Steve Earle, Eliza Carthy, The Unthanks and Paul Buchanan (of The Blue Nile), interpreting his songs. On One Night in Indy (Resonance), a “newly discovered” live recording from 1959, the late guitar virtuoso Wes Montgomery, backed up by the Eddie Higgins Trio, performs songs by Cole Porter (“You’d Be So Nice to Come Home to”), Duke Ellington (“Stompin’ at the Savoy”), Thelonious Monk (“Ruby, My Dear”), Neal Hefti (“Li’l Darling”) and others, for an appreciative audience in Indianapolis.t

Other people’s songs by Gregg Shapiro

ollaborations don’t come any more wondrous than the luminous Songs in the Dark (PIAS) by The Wainwright Sisters. Those sisters, Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche, team up to soothe our aching souls with a set of acoustic lullabies, traditional numbers and folk pop standards, with the result being that sleep is the farthest thing from our minds. In fact, you might be laughing so hard from Rosalie Sorrels’ “Baby Rocking Melody,” “Runs in the Family” by Lucy’s aunt Terre, and “Lullaby” by Martha and Lucy’s father Loudon Wainwright, that you could potentially wear yourself out. The duo’s reading of the Simon & Garfunkel classic “El Condor Pasa” is breathtaking, as are their interpretations of Townes Van Zandt’s “Our Mother the Mountain,” Richard Thompson’s “End of the Rainbow” and Cindy Walker’s “Dusty Skies.” Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be a “new” Elvis Presley album, along comes If I Can Dream (RCA/Legacy). “Joined” by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Elvis “performs” 14 of his classics in a symphonic setting. Judging from his diet, Presley, who would have turned 80 in 2015 (and has been dead for almost 40 years), was a fan of schmaltz, but this is something else entirely. In addition to a laughable Michael Bublé “duet” on

“Fever,” there isn’t much to recommend, but if pressed, “Burning Love” is flaming fun, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” isn’t too waterlogged, and favorites “Can’t Help Falling In Love” and “In the Ghetto” aren’t nightmares. Perennial PBS pledge-drive regulars Straight No Chaser apply their a cappella chops to 13 tunes ranging from timeless classics to seriously questionable modern pop on The New Old Fashioned (Atlantic). Some selections work better than others. Hozier’s “Take Me to Church,” even The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face” and Radiohead’s “Creep” make the transition with ease. But parodies “The Movie Medley” and Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass (No Tenors),” and sincere covers of “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay/Proud Mary” and Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance” are pure Las Vegas,

and not in a good way. Nowhere near as inspired and timeless as the Hal Wilner-produced Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films from 1989, but still an improvement on other Disney reinterpretation compilations, We Love Disney (Verve) is a pleasant listen for Disney-lovers of all ages. Ne-Yo continues his professional reinvention (did you see him in NBC’s The Wiz Live?) with a lively version of “Friend Like Me” from Aladdin. Jessie J belts like nobody’s business on “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid, and Jessie Ware finds her inner chanteuse on “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from Cinderella. Also lovable are Kacey Musgraves’ sweet rendition of “A Spoonful of Sugar” from Mary Poppins, Fall Out Boys’ swinging version of “I Wanna Be Like You (The

Out & About

NIGHTLIFE

DINING

On the Town

SPIRITS

SOCIETY

ROMANCE

www.ebar.com V www.bartabsf.com

Shooting Stars

LEATHER

PERSONALS

Vol. 45 • No. 53 • December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

Eric Himan Indie Music Man returns to SF by Jim Provenzano

t’s been a while, but Eric Himan, the awardwinning independent singer-songwriter, will return to perform on January 10 at The Chapel in San Francisco, this time on a bill with The Gregory Douglas Band and Jeff Campbell. In a phone interview from his home in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, the frequently-touring musician talked about his home-based 2015, the challenges of being an independent musician and a husband. See page 27 >>

On the Tab Dec. 31, 2015Jan. 7, 2016

a got in store ello, 2016. Whatch ncing, delida for us? Delirious y drinks? nd da s, ow sh cious drag

Listings begin on page 26

Thu 31 Shannon & The Clams @ Great American Music Hall

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

DRIVE WITH UBER. Sign up now and receive an additional $50 after your first trip T.UBER.COM/BAYAREAREPORTER

<< On the Tab

26 • Bay Area Reporter • December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

New Bohemia NYE @ SF Armory 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 Gear’s Eve @ SF Eagle

Thu 31 Sundance Saloon @ Hotel Whitcomb

Thu 31 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

Bulge @ Powerhouse ‘Cheers, Queers,’ a New Year’s Eve party, hosted by Grace Towers, with black ties and bulges, classy and lowdown. 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

Brenner Bolton @ Nob Hill Theatre 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

Chet Faker @ Mezzanine The popular singer performs a New Year’s Eve concert, with Dam-Funk and Marcus Marr. $140-$185. 9pm.444 Jessie St. 625-8880. www.mezzaninesf.com

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

Greg Proops @ Punch Line The popular comic with a satirical edge performs $40-$55. 7:30pm & 10pm. Also Jan. 2. 444 Battery St. www.punchlinecomedyclub.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. $ 9pm-2am. 399 9th St. at Harrison www.studsf.com

Mayer Hawthorne @ SF Independent The multi-instrumental songwriter and DJ headlines a New Year’s Eve concert, with Peanut Butter Wolf and DJ Kurse. $135 includes open bar. 9pm. 628 Divisadero St. www.theindependentsf.com

Michael Feinstein @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The man behind the name, 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

Fri 1

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

Celebrate the new year in your best leather and kink gear at the famed leather bar. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

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

New Year’s Eve @ Club 21, Club BnB, Oakland

Ladies of San Francisco @ Club OMG

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

Galilea hosts the new weekly “old school drag show” with guest performers and DJ Jack Rojo, and a special Christmas night show. $4. 9pm-2am. 43 6th St. www.clubOMGsf.com

New Year’s Eve @ Oasis

Manimal @ Beaux

Celebrate the fun SoMa club’s oneyear 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

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

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

Shannon & The Clams @ Great American Music Hall 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 Celebrate New Year’s Eve in the Castro. 10pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.jceventsSF.com www.cafesf.com

Sundance Saloon @ Hotel Whitcomb 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

[For more NYE events, see O&A on page 28]

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. 9pm-3am. 555 Golden Gate. www.theempireroomsf.com

Polyglamorous @ Oasis Channel your inner (or otter) Burner Faerie at the coolest dance night in SoMa, with Mark O’Brian, M*J*R and guest DJs Lisa Frank and SindriSalad. $7-$10. 9pm-2am. 795-3180. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Some Thing @ The Stud Mica Sigourney and pals’ weekly offbeat drag performance night. 10pm2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Sat 2

Club Rimshot @ Club BNB, Oakland 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

San Jose:

(510) 343-1122 (408) 514-1111 www.megamates.com 18+

Heklina’s weekly drag show night with different themes, always outrageously hilarious. Jan. 2: Lady Gaga night! $10-$25. 10pm-2am. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Saturgay @ Qbar Stanley Frank spins house dance remixes at the intimate Castro dance bar. $3. 9pm-2am (weekly beer bust 2pm-9pm). 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.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

Soul Party @ Elbo Room DJs Lucky, Paul, and Phengren Osward spin 60s soul 45s. $5-$10 ($5 off in semi-formal attire). 10pm-2am. 647 Valencia St. 552-7788. www.elbo.com

Sun 3

Beer Bust @ SF Eagle The classic leather bar’s most popular Sunday daytime event in town draws the menfolk. Beer bust donations benefit local nonprofits (Check the website for a list of recipients). 3pm6pm. Now also on Saturdays. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

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

Domingo De Escandal @ Club OMG Weekly Latin night with drag shows hosted by Vicky Jimenez and DJ Luis. 7pm-2am. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.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

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

Sunday’s a Drag @ Starlight Room 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

Free Code: Reporter

Oakland:

Mother @ Oasis

Go Bang! @ The Stud

AND REPLY TO ADS

(415) 430-1199

Prince Eddie P and Eddie House join resident DJs Steve Fabus, Prince Wolf and Sergio Fedasz at the classic disco groove mix night. $10 (free before 10pm). 9pm-3am. 399 9th St. at Harrison. www.studsf.com

Sat 2

FREE TO LISTEN

San Francisco:

Go Bang! @ The Stud

Primus @ Fox Theatre, Oakland

Sugar NYE @ The Cafe

FIND REAL GAY MEN NEAR YOU

Thu 31 Greg Proops @ The Punch Line

Mon 4

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

See page 27 >>

Read more online at www.ebar.com

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

Josh New

Eric Himan performing.

Eric Himan

From page 25

Shot in the City

“I stopped touring because I needed to take a break,” said Himan. He and his partner Ryan have been together since 2007. “And now we have a kid in the house.” Wait, a kid? No, they didn’t adopt, but the

couple are hosting Ignacio, a 16-year-old foreign exchange student from Spain. A problem with his original nearby host led Himan and husband (whose aunt works for the exchange program) to host the teen, whose nickname is Nacho. “He is such a good kid,” said Himan. “He has his own bedroom, bathroom and his side of the house.

But sometimes, it’s not easy. Parenting is hard, especially when it’s not your kid.” Himan said Nacho has adjusted to U.S. life, “He plays video games, excels at soccer, the usual stuff,” and keeps in touch with his family. “You want to be his friend, but you have to be a sort of parent, too.” This is different for the oftenroving musician who’s performed across the country. From his solo shows at nightclubs and bars (Himan has played several San Francisco venues over the years), to touring with music icons Ani DiFranco, Patty Griffin and Leon Russell, to recording his latest EP in Nashville with renowned producers, Eric Himan has not been a homebody. “Normally, I tour like crazy,” said Himan of his schedule after releasing his latest album, Playing Cards, which as produced by Zac Maloy (The Nixons, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry). “I got married legally in Oklahoma, which was huge,” he said. “And I spent a lot of time performing in theatres. I came back from this super career high to not knowing what the next step is. I wanted to stick around with my husband. And then Nacho showed up. So it’s kind of a different life.” We discussed the various ups and downs of being an independent artist. Himan successfully crowdfunded his recent album, but wonders how to continue the momentum while having to work so hard to create and promote his music. “Music is usually something I’m always doing,” said Himan, who is known for his unique covers as well as his original songs. His reputation as a professional led to recent requests to play in Louisville, Chicago and San Francisco. At The Chapel, he’ll share a bill with Gregory Douglas, who, with a nine-piece band, will perform all

the songs on his latest album My Hero, The Enemy. Jeff Campbell is the third artist brought in by EBH Presents, a local company created by event producer Eric Hanson. “It’s hard to turn down awesome people who have a gig for me,” said Himan. “It’s been nice that I haven’t fully stopped.” With a larger catalog of songs in his repertoire, Himan said he’s hoping to assemble a new band format, like his recent group, Eric and The Adams. But for his next SF show, he’ll be solo. Along with his new music, he may play a few older favorites. “I’d rather play fan favorites than promote my new single,” said Himan. For now, it’s about getting the word out. Only a few years ago, indie artists could promote them-

Meow Mix @ The Stud

Miss Kitty’s Trivia Night @ Wild Side West

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

Tue 5 Switch @ Qbar

On the Tab

From page 26

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

Monday Musicals @ The Edge 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

No No Bingo @ Virgil’s Sea Room Mica Sigourney and Tom Temprano cohost the wacky weekly game night at the cool Mission bar. 8pm. 3152 Mission St. www.virgilssf.com

Piano Bar 101 @ Martuni’s Sing-along night with talented locals, and charming accompanist Joe Wicht (aka Trauma Flintstone). 9pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market. www.dragatmartunis.com

Queer Jitterbugs @ Club Deluxe The weekly LGBT-friendly swing dance event return, with lessons, social dancing and fun. $25-$40 for 4-week lessons at 6:30-7:30pm (also ASLfriendly). Free drop-ins 7:30pm-8pm. Dancing til 11pm. 1511 Haight St. at Ashbury. www.QueerJitterbugs.com

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

Tue 5

Cock Shot @ Beaux Shot specials and adult Bingo games, with DJs Chad Bays and Riley Patrick, at the new weekly night. No cover. 9pm2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.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

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

Switch @ Q Bar Weekly women’s night at the stylish intimate bar. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Trivia Night @ Hi Tops Play the trivia game at the popular new sports bar. 9pm. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.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

Wed 6 Bedlam @ Beaux

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

Bone @ Powerhouse New weekly punk-alternative music night hosted by Uel Renteria and Johnny Rockitt. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Man Francisco @ Oasis The sexy, funny male burlesque show returns; choreographed by Christopher James Dunn, with Colin, Darius, Thomas and Jon. Mr Pam MCs. $20. 2-drink min. 9:30pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

selves online and build a fanbase. Now, the playing field is crowded, to say the least. “When it comes to promoting my art, I don’t want to come off as disingenuous,” he said. “But it’s hard to compete, when everybody and their grandma has an Instagram account.” But with his talented colleagues sharing the bill, and The Chapel being a default popular venue, Himan is enthused about the concert. “I think it’s going to be a great night.”t Eric Himan performs at The Chapel with the Gregory Douglas Band, and Jeff Campbell. Sunday, January 10. $15-$20 (VIP$75-$150). 7:30pm. 777 Valencia St. www.erichiman.com www.thechapelsf.com

Eric Himan’s new album, Playing Cards.

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

Rookies Night @ Nob Hill Theatre Newbie strippers compete for a $200 prize; audience chooses the winner; refreshments included. $20. 9pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Star Trek Live @ Oasis The hilarious popular drag parody performance (with kings and queens) of the original Star Trek series’ episode, “Mudd’s Women,” returns, with Leigh Crow, Honey Mahogany, Jef Valentine, Persia and many other talents. Enjoy special space-age cocktails. $25-$35 and up. Wed-Sat 7pm. Thru Jan. 23. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.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 7

After Dark @ Exploratorium The monthly adult party at the hands-on science museum this time is themed Let’s Have a Ball. $10-$15. 6pm-10pm. Pier 1 at Embarcadero. www.exploratorium.edu

Mazel Top @ Oasis The monthly social event for Jewish gay men and their pals/admirers returns. $5. 9pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Mary Go Round @ Lookout Mercedez Munro and Holotta Tymes’ weekly drag show. $5. 10:30pm show. DJ Philip Grasso. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.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

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

Queer Karaoke @ Club OMG Dana hosts the weekly singing night; unleash your inner American Idol. 8pm. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle Music night with local and touring bands. $8. 9:30pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com Want your nightlife event listed? Email events@ebar.com, at least two weeks before your event. Event photos welcome.

<< Out&About Out &About

O&A

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

Lydia Popovitch at Comedy Fiesta @ Brava Theater Center

Thu 31

New Beginnings by Jim Provenzano

e’re underway to the new year, and what a year it will be! Here are the freshest new year-iest arts events in town, plus a day and night’s worth of New Year’s eve shows, in case you still want to make plans. See you next, er, this year!

Thu 31

Are We Almost There? The Travel Musical @ Eureka Theatre 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

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 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

Comedy Countdown @ 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

Comedy Fiesta @ Brava Center 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.brava.org www.margagomez.com

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

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

NEAT @ Contemporary Jewish Museum 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

Other Cinema @ ATA Gallery Weekly screenings of unusual, rare and strange short films and videos. $8. 8:30pm. 992 Valencia St. 6480654. www.othercinema.com

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

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

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

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

Sat 2

Wayne Harris in Mother’s Milk @ The Marsh, Berkeley

SF Hiking Club @ Point Bonita Join GLBT hikers for a 10-mile hike from the Golden Gate Bridge to Point Bonita Lighthouse and back. On the way, see lush greenery and possibly wildflowers in bloom. Bring lunch, water, good-gripping shoes, hat, layered clothing. Meet at 8:45 at parking lot at NW side of the Golden Gate Bridge. www.sfhiking.com

Avenue Q @ New Conservatory Theatre 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

Daily and Transcendent @ SF Public Library 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

Lisa Rothman’s comic solo show about domestic hell, pet panic and trying to find a date night amid it all. $20$100. Saturdays, 5pm. Extended thru Jan. 23. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. www.themarsh.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

Thu 31

Mayer Hawthorne @ SF Independent

Stage Kiss @ SF Playhouse Gabriel Marin and Carrie Paff star in Sarah Ruhl’s new romantic farce that blends on- and 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

Mother’s Milk @ The Marsh Berkeley Wayne Harris’ solo show, Mother’s Milk: A Blues and Gospel Riff in Three Acts, returns to the intimate stage. $20-$100. Sat & Sun 5pm. Thru Jan. 31. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. 2823055. www.themarsh.org

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

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

Garden Railway @ Conservatory of Flowers New exhibit of floral displays inspired by the centennial anniversary of the 1915 Pan-Pacific World’s Expo, with SF scenes in miniature train and architectural installations with hundreds of dwarf plants. Thru April 10. Also, permanent floral displays, plants for sale, and docent tours. Tue-Sun 10am-4pm. $2-$8. Free for SF residents. 100 JFK Drive, Golden Gate Park, 831-2090. www.conservatoryofflowers.org

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

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

Pacific Worlds @ Oakland Museum New exhibit focuses on the contemporary lives of and historic cultures of Pacific Islanders and California; thru Jan. 3. Also, Rituals + Remembrance, a Day of the Dead series of installations and performances, thru Jan. 3; and Yo-Yos & Half Squares: Contemporary California Quilts (five women artists), thru Feb 21. And, Unearthed: Found + Made, featuring Jedediah Caesar’s geological sculptures; thru April 24, 2016. Free/$15. Reg. hours Wed-Sat 11am-5pm (Fri til 9pm). 1000 Oak St., Oakland. (510) 318-8400. www.museumca.org

Sat 2

Date Night at Pet Emergency @ The Marsh Berkeley

Abrazo, Queer Tango @ Finnish Brotherhood Hall, Berkeley

Jewel City @ de Young Museum

[For more NYE events, see On the Tab, page 26.]

Fri 1

Sun 3

Thu 31

The Stone Foxes @ Slim’s

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

See page 30 >>

Read more online at www.ebar.com

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 • Bay Area Reporter • 29

Galaxies & gay lyrics by Donna Sachet

miliar ones, but far more unknown faces, but all united enthusiastically through music. This year’s three Castro Theatre performances raised money to support the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy in the Castro, continuing the chorus’ steadfast commitment to the local community and a broad range of causes.

hen the entire world is caught up in a frenzy, we feel compelled to investigate the matter. And so, purely for research purposes, your loyal social columnist joined the throngs at one of the first viewings of Star Wars: The Force Awakens! Actually, our motivation was more personal, thrilled to share another adventure with good friends CoCo Butter, Barry Miles, Brent Gannetta, and the Reigning Emperor Kevin Lisle and Reigning Empress Khmera Rouge. This was not the group to stand in a staggering line, so we had reserved seats at the AMC Van Ness IMAX Theatre for the 1:50AM showing. (Yes, that’s after midnight and no, we did not do drag!) The sense of excitement and anticipation was electric as preview after preview finally gave way to the opening credits for this long-awaited continuation of George Lucas’ science fiction saga. More qualified critics will provide more complete reviews, but let us say that the film fully engaged Pam Ann will soon land at SFO! us from the start with a balance of iconic references, refreshing humor, and incredible special effects. As the final notes were sung and The return to the silver screen by we sensed the frenetic holiday seaHarrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie son coming to a close, we felt such Fisher as Princess Leia, and characpride for this historic and groundters C-3P0 and R2-D2 brought warm breaking group and could not have applause and nostalgic sighs from the been more pleased to have spent audience. Die-hard fans may bemoan Christmas Eve with the SF Gay the absence of Lucas’ direct involveMen’s Chorus. ment, but J. J. Abrams Up next for the delivered a movie that chorus is their spring flew by, ending before concert Tales of Our we realized two hours City, Our Lives, Our and sixteen minutes had Heroes at Davies Sympassed. See it for yourself. phony Hall, April 14 We spent Christmas and 15, celebrating the Eve in the company of 40th anniversary of Drew Cutler at the San Armistead Maupin’s Francisco Gay Men’s phenomenal Tales of the Chorus’ Home for the City. Maupin will be there, as well Holidays at the Castro Theatre, the as the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony perfect way to wrap up a holiday and Mari Esabel Valverde, preseason full of events, obligations, miering an original composition. and celebrations. Nearly 200 men Mark your calendar now. took to the stage, as the packed house erupted in applause and audible admiration. The music was an ideal assortment of beautifully harmonized, wonderfully performed Christmas songs and hilarious comedic twists, complete with colorful costuming, outstanding soloists, and eye-popping “choral-ography.” Artistic Director Tim Seelig skillfully led the audience through an emotional roller-coaster ride of touching remembrances of the chorus’ history, nostalgic references to holiday traditions, and sidesplitting satire. (Suffice it to say that neither the Nativity nor fruitcake emerged unscathed.) As a former singer with the SF Gay Men’s Chorus and fervent supporter of all their endeavors, we loved scanning the faces of the singers, finding a few very fa-

Top: Courtesy Paul Margolis, Middle/Bottom: Steven Underhill

Top: Donna Sachet with Emperor Kevin Lisle at the Marlena Madness Christmas Show. Middle: Reindeers in drag at at the SF Gay Men’s Chorus annual Christmas Eve concert series at the Castro Theatre. Bottom: San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and Director Tim Seelig at their annual Christmas Eve concert series at the Castro Theatre.

Next weekend, don’t miss the caustic hilarity of Pam Ann, Friday and Saturday, January 8 & 9, at 8PM at Beatbox. She takes you on a flight you won’t soon forget. Remembering Mr. Marcus is on Saturday, January 9 at 7PM at the Armory. Complete details about this tribute organized by Queen Cougar appeared in our colleague’s Leather column last week. And Sunday, January 10, is Project Nunway, that incredible fashion show event with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at DNA Lounge at 7PM, co-hosted by Sister Roma and BeBe Sweetbriar. It has become traditional for columnists to close out the year with a special column and we have tried several versions over the many years we have had the privilege of writing for the Bay Area Reporter. We’ve saluted organizations and individuals, recognized iconic leaders and new emerging luminaries, and even printed a list of that year’s bold faced names and how often they appeared here. This year, we find ourselves struggling to find a balance between seemingly opposing forces. Yes, the Castro is rapidly changing, no longer the carefree playground fondly remembered, but it still has an undeniable appeal and the intersection of 18th and Castro Streets at times has a palpable feeling of epic significance. No, it isn’t easy for the average person to make ends meet in San Francisco, displacing longtime residents and discouraging newcomers, but there is still a wealth of cultural, artistic, and social experiences readily available without a steep price tag. Yes, the high tech industry presents unprecedented opportunities, dizzying apps, and miraculous tools, but if they don’t offer something of value to you, then don’t buy into it. No, it isn’t necessary to know every detail of the LGBT movement, but if our past intrigues you, informs you, and empowers you, seek out and support the many resources available in this historic hot-bed of ours. Yes, we now have federally guaranteed same-gender marriage rights, but don’t look down on those of us for whom marriage has no personal appeal. No, the bar scene is not what it once was, but there are still many active and appealing LGBT businesses that need our support and patronage. Beyond the many things that brought us together as an LGBT community, there remains a tremendous diversity within our membership that is too often overlooked or purposefully ignored. We’ve overcome so much in our struggle for equality under the law, acceptance within the larger community, and rightful recognition of our unique contributions to the world, but let us never lose sight of the rich diversity that we represent. Find your passion and pursue it, but not to the exclusion of everything else. Make room in your circle of friends for those dissimilar to you, meet opposite opinions with curiosity and tolerance, and greet new experiences, different priorities, and unfamiliar personalities with wonder. And most of all, find joy along the way. Balance may be difficult to attain, but constantly refresh your life with laughter. Here comes 2016!t

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

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30 • Bay Area Reporter • December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

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Tue 5

Out & About

From page 28

Mon 4

Into the Woods @ Jules Maeght Gallery

Color of Life @ California Academy of Sciences Exhibits and planetarium shows with various live, interactive and installed exhibits about animals, plants and the earth. $20-$35. Mon-Sat 9:30am5pm. Sun 11am-5pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. 379-8000. www.calacademy.org

Julissa Rodriguez @ Qulture Collective, Oakland

Pippin @ San Jose Center for the Performing Arts The Broadway touring company of the hit revival, with music by Stephen Schwartz, comes to the Bay Area. $30-$110. Thru Jan. 10. 255 South Almaden Blvd., San Jose. www.sanjosetheaters.org

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

Wed 6

Star Trek Live returns @ Oasis

Reigning Queens @ GLBT History Museum New exhibit of 1970s San Francisco drag ball photos by Roz Joseph; with curator Joey Plaster, DJ Irwin Swirnoff. Thru Feb. Reg, hours Mon, Wed-Sat 11am6pm. Sun 12pm-5pm. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Queer Jitterbugs @ Club Deluxe

Tony Tabangeura @ Castro Country Club

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Group exhibit of works in various media depicting nature. Thru Jan. 30. 149 Gough St. 549-7046. www.julesmaeghtgallery.com

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 qulturecollective.com

The weekly LGBTfriendly swing dance event return, with lessons, social dancing and fun. $25-$40 for 4-week lessons at 6:30-7:30pm (also ASL-friendly). Free drop-ins 7:30pm-8pm. Dancing til 11pm. 1511 Haight St. at Ashbury. QueerJitterbugs.com

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The Sprawl @ YBCA

Thu 7 Jacinto Castillo’s San Francisco in Ruins @ Tenderloin Museum

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. $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. Thru Feb 6. 49 Geary St., Suite 410. www.roberttat.com

Wed 6

San Francisco in Ruins @ Tenderloin Museum

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

Opening reception of a new exhibit of paintings by local artist Jacinto Castillo depicting old San Francisco. 7pm-10pm. Regular hours Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, $6-$10 ($15 includes walking tour). 398 Eddy St. 351-1912. www.tenderloinmuseum.org

Kari Orvik, Kathya Landeros @ RayKo Photo

Skate Night @ Church on 8 Wheels

Alison Saar @ MOAD

Two photo exhibits by local artists. Thru Jan. 15. 428 3rd St. www.raykophoto.com

Thu 7

10 Percent @ Comcast David Perry’s online & cable interviews with notable local and visiting LGBT people, broadcast through the week. www.ComcastHometown.com

Wheeled fun at the former Sacred Heart Church-turned disco roller skate party space. 7pm-10pm. Sat afternoon sessions 1pm-2:30pm and 3pm5:30pm. $10. Kids 12 and under $5. Skate rentals $5. 554 Fillmore St at Fell. www.churchof8wheels.com

Unusual Movies @ Oddball Films Weekly screenings of strange and obscure short films. $10. 8pm. Also Fridays. 275 Capp St. 558-8117. www.oddballfilm.com To submit event listings, email events@ebar.com. Deadline is each Thursday, a week before publication. For more bar and nightlife events, go to On the Tab in our BARtab section, online at www.ebar.com/bartab

Read more online at www.ebar.com

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 • Bay Area Reporter • 31

Shooting Stars

photos by Steven underhill SF Gay Men’s Chorus @ Castro Theatre

he holidays wouldn’t be complete without the annual heartwarming New Year’s Eve concerts performed at the Castro Theatre by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, under the direction of Tim Seelig. With singing, dancing fruitcakes, playful reindeer and more than a few elves and sugar plum fairies, the comical side of the holidays shined, along with somber hymns and musical classics. www.sfgmc.org 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