February 5, 2015 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter

Addressing the racial divide

ARTS

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Mighty Real

The Imperial Court

The

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

Vol. 45 • No. 6 • February 5-11, 2015

10 noms for Pride grand marshal Rick Gerharter

Eddie Bell performed as Cookie Dough at the Restore Equality drag show fundraiser in January 2010.

Eddie Bell, known as Cookie Dough, dies

by Cynthia Laird

E

ddie Bell, who was known to many as drag queen Cookie Dough, died January 29 at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in San Francisco. He was 51.

See page 12 >>

Tita Aida

Brian Basinger

Patrick Carney

Belo Cipriani

Masen Davis

Judy Dlugacz

Alicia Garza

Mary Midgett

Caitlin Ryan, Ph.D.

Miko Thomas

by Chris Huqueriza

T

en Bay Area LGBTQ community leaders have been nominated for grand marshal of this year’s San Francisco Pride parade.

Public voting started this week online, and continues until March 2. The San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee board is also expected to announce polling stations where people can fill out ballots in person.

In addition to the community grand mar-

shal nominees, the board announced nominees for organization grand marshal and the pink brick, a faux award that is given to a person or group that has caused significant harm to the LGBT community.

Held during the weekend of June 27-28, Pride will celebrate its 45th annual parade. This year’s theme is “Equality Without Exception.”

Individual nominees are: Tita Aida, Brian Basinger, Patrick Carney, Belo Cipriani, Masen Davis, Judy Dlugacz, Alicia Garza, Mary Midg-

ett, Caitlyn Ryan, Ph.D., and Miko Thomas.

“It’s a great honor to be nominated with my fellow nominees,” said Carney, a gay man.

“The recognition will help spread the word out about the pink triangle.”

Carney, 59, is best known for organizing the annual installation of the pink triangle on Twin Peaks for Pride. The installation and accompanying commemoration ceremony is See page 13 >>

Winge leaving Empress, emperor candidates ready for vote Project Open by Khaled Sayed Hand T

by Seth Hemmelgarn

T

he executive director of Project Open Hand, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that provides meals to people living with AIDS and other diseases, has announced Jane Philomen Cleland that he’s leaving in April.

Kevin Winge Kevin Winge said last week he’s leaving “for personal reasons,” including to help “care for critically ill family members.” He’s moving to his home state of Minnesota.

Winge’s last day will be April 3. POH’s board is developing a transition plan.

“The whole thing has been a great experience,” said Winge, who’s led Project Open Hand since January 2012. “It’s coming to an end sooner than I would have ever thought.”

Winge said he and his agency have “stabilized the organization.”

Around the time Winge, 56, joined POH, the nonprofit, which is marking its 30th year See page 13 >>

he Imperial Council of San Francisco is ready to crown a new emperor and empress for 2015, the court’s 50th anniversary. It is time when candidates campaign for the prestigious title and the responsibility that comes with it.

Public voting is this weekend, to be followed by the coronation February 14.

The court system was founded by Jose Julio Sarria in San Francisco working in tandem with a group of gay bar owners who had formed the Tavern Guild in early 1965 as a means to stand in solidarity with one another under the pressure of police harassment.

The court system today consists of almost 70 chapters, or courts, in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The courts raise funds for local charitable organizations.

This year there are two candidates for empress; the candidate for emperor is running unopposed.

Deena Cartier

One of the candidates for empress is Deena Cartier, 49, also known as Mark Dean. Cartier has lived in San Francisco for seven years. He graduated from college in 1996 with a degree in culinary arts from the California Culinary Academy.

He was introduced to the art of drag and quickly immersed himself in this newfound creative outlet. Although he didn’t have a drag mother, that didn’t stop him from learning everything he

“I see myself as a very organized businessperson and feel I need to apply those same beliefs to my campaign for empress,” Cartier said. “I needed to save some money for travel, gowns, hair and more, as this journey is not cheap. I have put in place a succession plan in my career, so I have key members of my management team who can handle (my business) while I am on the road and doing fundraising.”

His day job is serving as general manager at the iconic Hotel Mark Twain, where he occasionally surprises guests by appearing as Cartier.

Gareth Gooch

Imperial Court candidates Deena Cartier, left, Kevin Lisle, and Khmera Rouge hope that community members take part in voting Saturday, February 7.

could. He even tailors his own outfits.

Cartier became first involved as a court member of the Royal Grand Ducal Council in Alameda County in 1998.

“I then went on to become an Imperial Crown Princess for the Imperial Star Empire of Alameda and Contra Costa counties and then was elected Grand Duchess 11 of Alameda in 2001/2002,” he said. “I have a permanent family title with the Imperial Council of SF, which was given to me by Empress China Silk and Emperor Fernando in 2005.”

It took Cartier two years to make up his mind about running.

Khmera Rouge

The other candidate for empress is Khmera Rouge, 28, also known as Coma Te. Rouge is originally from Tacoma, Washington, and prior to moving to San Francisco July 2010, lived in Seattle, where he went to the University of Washington.

Rouge has been involved with the Imperial and Ducal court systems since he started performing in drag in 2012.

“I became Queen of Hearts of the Grand Ducal Council and also became Miss GAPA in 2013,” Rouge said, referring to the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance’s annual drag event. “I’ve always been focused on and involved in giving back to the LGBT and API community of San Francisco. To date, I have helped raised over $20,000 for various nonprofit organizations and charitable causes.”

See page 14 >>

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2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 5-11, 2015

Woman sues FedEx over late wife’s pension

by Lois Pearlman

A

Sonoma County woman is suing FedEx in federal court for the right to claim her late wife’s pension, following two years of denial by the Memphis-based courier delivery company.

Stacey Schuett, an artist who lives with her two teenaged children in Sebastopol, thought she and her partner of 27 years, Lesly Tabadoa-Hall, had covered all their bases when they became registered domestic partners in 2001. Under California law registered domestic partners are entitled to the same rights as married spouses.

What they didn’t learn, until it was too late, was that FedEx had been employing a “traditional” pension plan that included federal Defense of Marriage Act language defining spouses as a man and a woman.

For 26 years Tabadoa-Hall drove the Sonoma coast route for FedEx, from Jenner to the Mendocino county line. She often spent 16 hours on the road and developed relationships with her regular customers, sometimes stopping by to ask them how they were doing, even when she didn’t have a delivery for them.

“She spent more time with FedEx than she did with us,” Schuett joked during an interview at her Sebastopol home.

Schuett, 54, and Tabadoa-Hall met 30 years ago while they were both taking art classes at Sonoma State University. Since they had the same birthday, they shared joint birthday parties, and, eventually fell in love. They became a couple and had a son and daughter together.

Schuett was a stay-at-home mom and part-time children’s book illustrator while Tabadoa-Hall built a 26-year career with FedEx. In 2010 Tabadoa-Hall was diagnosed with metastasized uterine cancer, but continued to work between chemotherapy treatments. By 2012 the cancer had spread to her brain and she was forced to stop driving.

On June 3, 2013 Tabadoa-Hall’s doctor told the couple that her cancer was terminal and they made

Courtesy Stacey Schuett

Lesly Tabadoa-Hall plays the guitar in this family photo.

several calls to FedEx to assure that Schuett would receive full benefits after her partner’s death. But, according to Schuett and her attorneys, they were given incomplete and inaccurate information. Ten days later they learned that Schuett would be the beneficiary of her partner’s 401K account, but not of her pension plan, which would provide $1,000 a month for Schuett and their children, if she were eligible.

“Stacey and Lesly thought they did everything right to support their family. It was really hard when she (Tabadoa-Hall) was dying to find out it wasn’t true,” said their local attorney Tate Birnie.

Realizing that Schuett could only obtain survivor’s benefits if they were legally married, the couple worked with the Sonoma County clerk to prepare for a wedding. They were confident the U.S. Supreme Court would soon hand down its decision to overturn Proposition 8 and legalize same-sex marriage in California.

When they realized that TabadoaHall was near death they decided to get married at home immediately, even though it wasn’t legal at the time. With all of their family members in attendance, and Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo officiating, they were married June 19. Tabadoa-Hall, 56, died the following day.

After the Supreme Court threw out Prop 8 six days later, Schuett

t

successfully petitioned the Sonoma County Superior Court to grant her and her late partner a legal marriage license. At the same time, the U.S. Supreme Court had also decided, in the Windsor case, that the federal language limiting spouses to opposite-sex couples was unconstitutional.

But FedEx still refused to grant Schuett survivor’s benefits, even though they agreed that her marriage was now legal. Schuett and Birnie continued to work their way through all of the required procedures to obtain the pension benefits, but were denied in the end.

“We were hopeful all along the way,” said Birnie, who explained that other companies had granted survivor’s benefits to same-sex legal spouses, even several years after their late partner’s deaths.

“The tide has turned,” said Birnie.

Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia now offer same-sex marriage and the federal government is rapidly passing laws to assure same-sex couples the same rights as opposite-sex couples.

Amy Whelan, an attorney with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which is also representing Schuett in her lawsuit, said FedEx knows what it is doing is wrong and its continued denial “shows how much they value, or don’t value, their employees.”

“Their entire defense rests on a federal law that was ruled unconstitutional,” Whelan said.

FedEx public affairs communication adviser Jack Pfeiffer declined to comment on the lawsuit, only issuing an official statement, “Ms. Schuett’s claim has been carefully reviewed, and while we are sympathetic to her situation, we are required by federal law to apply the pension plan rules equally to all participants.”

FedEx has 120 days from January 14 to respond to the lawsuit.

“If FedEx is not convinced by the law, we will fully litigate until we get relief for Stacey and her family,” Whelan said.t

Court surprise: Alleged fake cop testifies

by Seth Hemmelgarn

I

n a highly unusual move this week, the San Francisco man accused of pretending to be a police officer and forcing other men to engage in sexual acts with him gave his version of events days after attorneys had given their closing arguments and jurors started deliberating.

Jeffrey Bugai, 36, faces more than two-dozen counts, including accusations of impersonating a public officer, forcible oral copulation, and unlawful administration of a drug.

In his superior court testimony Tuesday, February 3, Bugai said he’d had “consensual” encounters with some of the men but hadn’t told any of them he was a cop and hadn’t drugged any of them.

Jurors had been deliberating the case since last Thursday afternoon, January 29, shortly after the prosecution and defense attorneys had delivered their closing comments.

Outside the courtroom Tuesday, Deputy Public Defender Phoenix Streets said it was “extremely unusual” for a defendant to decide to testify after the case had closed.

Streets said he’d checked with other attorneys, and “no one had heard of this ever happening before.”

Courtesy SFPD

Jeffrey Bugai

Streets said “of course” he’d discouraged his client from taking the stand, but “this is his life.” He said it was “really important” for Bugai to give jurors the “full story.” He said last week that Bugai is “looking at spending the rest of his life in prison if things go wrong.”

Bugai, who’s been in custody since his July arrest, contradicted the other men’s stories, including a man who’s been identified in court only as Luis R.

Through a Spanish interpreter, Luis had testified during a preliminary hearing that in November 2008 Bugai had made unwanted sexual advances toward him and physically attacked him.

Bugai, who’d worked as a private patrol officer on weekends at El Trebol, 3149 22nd Street, said Tuesday that he’d invited Luis and another man named Andy to his home, where they drank alcohol.

At one point, said Bugai, who described himself as having “bisexual tendencies,” Luis “grabbed my hand and pulled it toward his crotch,” and made “a nasty comment.” Bugai said he pushed Luis back, both men stood up, and Luis “punched me in the face.”

Bugai said he tackled Luis and put him in a wrestling hold on the ground, then released him after Luis “started screaming” and a roommate appeared. He said he physically moved Luis out of the house, and Luis then struck him with a wrench and stole his cellphone and wallet. Bugai reported the incident to police soon after. Luis, the first alleged victim to go to police about Bugai, didn’t report the incident until years later.

See page 4 >>

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Community News>>

February 5-11, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 3

Two-spirit powwow comes to Cow Palace

Jane Philomen Cleland

Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit members and supporters gathered for last year’s powwow.

compiled by Cynthia Laird

B

ay Area American Indian Two-Spirit will hold its fourth annual powwow at the Cow Palace in Daly City Saturday, February 7 from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The powwow will feature dancers making their grand entry at noon.

The event is free and is the only powwow in the world that is open to the public, organizers said. Free parking on site is also available.

“Two-spirit” is a Native American term for people with both female and male energies. According to BAAITS officials, twospirits may, or may not, also identify as LGBTQ. Two-spirits often hold – and many still hold – honored positions in their traditional Native American and First Nations communities.

Typical of a modern powwow, Native American dancers in traditional regalia will perform, led by skilled head dancers and accompanied by singing and drumming. Some dances will be open to any who wish to join in. In the two-spirit nature of the event, the powwow will feature a rare all-women drum group, Turtle Nation Singers, and instead of just the traditional two head dancers, male and female, there will be three, representing men, women, and third-gender people.

This year’s head dancers are Jay Armajo (Northern Arapaho and Navajo), Jenny David (Chickasaw), and Sheldon Raymore (Cheyenne River Lakota), who were invited because of their leadership in their local twospirit communities. The powwow will also feature the drum group Southern Pride from Jay, Oklahoma.

Organizers said that they looked forward to welcoming LGBTs. “This year, besides ensuring women’s representation among our drummers and bringing in a third head dancer, in traditional Native American social dances where men and women dance as couples, we will extend a particular welcome to same-sex couples,” Ruth Villasenor, BAAITS chairperson, said in a news release. “We want to do our best to build this new tradition.”

BAAITS is a community-based volunteer organization offering culturally relevant activities for Native Americans identifying as two-spirit and their allies.

The event is family-friendly and clean and sober. Street attire is encouraged. People are asked to leave costumes at home.

For more information, visit www. baaits.org.

Discussion set for Black HIV Awareness Day

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is Friday, February 6

and the San Francisco Department of Public Health will hold an event at 6 p.m. at Glide Memorial Church, 330 Ellis Street. The San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s Black Brothers Esteem program and other community-based groups will have a discussion around the state of HIV/ AIDS in the African American community, including a panel presentation by women, trans people, youth, spiritual leaders, and policymakers.

There will be free HIV testing, entertainment, and refreshments.

Hotel seeks LGBT families for travel site

Hilton Worldwide has announced that it is looking for real families to become panelists for Hilton Mom Voyage, a family travel site that features travel stories and inspiration. As part of the initiative, the company would like to include LGBT families to share their travel experiences. The nationwide search began in late January and ends Friday, February 6.

As part of the package, successful applicants will be given 15 “Be My Guest” certificates for complimentary night stays at any Hilton Hotels and Resort property in exchange for writing 20 travel articles throughout the year. Other perks are also included.

Applicants must meet the following criteria: have a passion for family travel; possess strong writing skills and storytelling ability; have at least one child between the ages of 4 and 12; be available to attend an expenses-paid training session March 16 at Hilton’s headquarters in McLean, Virginia; and be a legal U.S. resident.

For more information and to submit an application to be a panelist, visit www.hiltonmomvoyage.com.

Swiss gay rights pioneers to visit SF

A two-night series of programs next week will highlight the stories of a couple who are among the pioneers of the movement for gay rights in Switzerland. Ernst Ostertag and Robi Rapp met and became life partners in the 1950s as members of the Circle, a Swiss organization that published an early gay magazine and provided support for gay men. In 2002, they were the first men recognized as registered domestic partners in the Canton of Zurich. Their lives inspired the recent film, The Circle, named best gay documentary at the 2014 Berlin Film Festival and selected by Switzerland as its entry for the Academy Awards for best foreign-language film.

Both events are free and open to the public.

On Tuesday, February 10, San Francisco historian and rare-book dealer Gerard Koskovich will interview Ostertag and Rapp about their work and activism. The conversation will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

See page 14 >>

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4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 5-11, 2015

t

City counts homeless people

by Seth Hemmelgarn

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olunteers, nonprofit clients, and others fanned out around San Francisco last week to count the number of homeless people in the city, checking out people lying on sidewalks, in tents, and other locations in an effort to help secure federal funding for local homeless programs.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires jurisdictions receiving what’s known as Continuum of Care Funds to count homeless people who are outside shelters every two years. San Francisco received over $25 million in the funds this year, “which will support many of its homeless services,” according to a news release from the Human Services Agency.

Thursday night, January 29, several LGBT and other youth who’ve recently been homeless themselves went to the streets to check for people under 24 who are living outside.

“The homeless count offers our city the opportunity to better serve people who are most in need on our streets,” Mayor Ed Lee said in the HSA’s news release. “The count provides critical information that will help us bolster our already nationally recognized programs and services. Since 2004, the City has helped more than 19,000 people leave the streets and we have moved 11,000 of our most vulnerable into supportive housing.”

At a training session before the count, Ali Schlageter, youth programs coordinator with the HSA’S Housing and Homeless Division, told the 50 or so young people gathered that if they were sleeping outside that night to count themselves among the homeless, to which one quipped, “What if you’re not sleep4:44:57 PM ing?” prompting laughter.

Rick Gerharter

Teams of volunteers fanned out around San Francisco January 29, counting all people who appeared homeless. This team, comprised of mothers Erin-Kate Whitcomb, left, and Michele Rutherford, right, with their two sons, Hayden and Parker Whitcomb, walked through Shannon Alley in the Tenderloin.

Schlageter also explained to the youth, who were being paid $11 an hour for their efforts, that they weren’t supposed to interview people who appeared to be homeless, just count them, estimate their ages, and keep track of other basic information. A handout advised, “Move as quickly as possible so that you don’t count the same person at multiple locations.”

She also explained why their “expertise” was important.

“You can tell homeless youth better than our adult volunteers,” Schlageter said.

After the training, several people headed to Larkin Street Youth Services’ site at 1020 Haight Street, not far from Golden Gate Park, before going out to count homeless youth in the area.

Travis Chapman, 20, a Larkin Street client, was one of the people who’d come to gather data. Chapman, who’s pansexual, said he’d once slept on buses and in BART station entrances and trains.

“It was really stressful,” he said.

“You never get rest,” since there was a need to always keep “one eye open.”

Like Chapman, many of the youth who went out to count Thursday were clients of nonprofits, and Chapman said he wanted to help ensure funding.

After walking around the hilly path outside of Buena Vista Park and counting several homeless youth along the way, one team split

<<

Fake cop testifies

From page 2

The defendant said he’d had “consensual” oral sex with two of the alleged victims.

Text messages had been shown in court that had been sent between Bugai and a phone belonging to another alleged victim, referred to in court as Franklin.

In the texts, Bugai repeatedly remarked about Franklin’s “big dick,” while messages from the victim’s number asked for money. Bugai said he and Franklin had never had a “physical sexual relationship.”

Franklin had testified that the responses to Bugai had come from his girlfriend, not him, according to Assistant District Attorney Sharon Reardon. Bugai disputed that.

Bugai said Tuesday he was testifying because he’d sat “quietly” throughout the trial, and a “vast amount of evidence” had been “hidden or concealed.”

“It’s my life that’s on the line,” he said, and it wasn’t “fair for the jury to make a decision like this without having all the evidence.”

Reardon asked Bugai whether he’d decided to testify after all the evidence had been entered so he could “tailor” his testimony to what he wanted it to be. Bugai said she had “twisted and manipulated the facts” during the trial.

Retired Judge Jerome Benson, who is presiding over the trial, at

into two smaller groups equipped with maps, flashlights, and tally sheets. One planned to stick to the south side of Haight Street, while the other crossed to the other side of Haight and the surrounding side streets.

The neighborhood was busy with people out at bars, restaurants, and shops, along with people who appeared to be homeless gathered in doorways or sitting on sidewalks.

At times, it took a little discussion among the counters to determine whether people should be counted as 24 or younger. Often, though, it was simple.

Toward the end of the walk, Chapman went with Zenah Reinhardt, 22, to check out someone lying on the sidewalk a few feet away.

Chapman quickly came back, reporting, “That guy is hella old,” and shouldn’t be counted.

Eventually, the group walked up to a handful of people in front of a closed shop. One man played a guitar and said, “I’m not homeless, don’t count me.” At least two of the people appeared to be in the 18 to 24 range, though.

Within two hours of starting their count, the youth had counted about 85 homeless youth.

In June 2013, the biennial homeless point-in-time data were released and, for the first time, included statistics on LGBT people. The report found that out of a total of 7,350 homeless See page 14 >> one point told Bugai to watch his behavior during his testimony.

“You asked me, you begged me” to be permitted to take the stand, Benson said.

In her additional closing arguments after Bugai testified, Reardon told jurors the alleged victims “came forward voluntarily,” and had “nothing to gain by lying.” Bugai was “the only person with a motive to lie,” she said, adding the alleged victims had not known each other.

In his final comments to the jury, Streets suggested the six men had spoken to each other. He asked jurors to “imagine how terrified Mr. Bugai is.” Unlike him, the other men are “not facing serious felony charges.”

One of the six alleged victims accused Bugai of extortion, not sexual acts.

When the Bay Area Reporter visited El Trebol at about midnight Saturday morning, January 31, several men recognized Bugai from his police mug shot.

Jose Lopez, 36, said Bugai had frequently tried to get him to go home with him, saying he had alcohol and that he was a police officer. Lopez, who’s “100 percent straight,” said he hadn’t believed Bugai, and he hadn’t gone home with him.

Opening statements in the trial were given January 6.

According to court records, Bugai changed his name to Jeffrey Thomas in 2011.t

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Community News>>

February 5-11, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

Oakland looks to address racial divide

by Yael Chanoff

A

s Black Lives Matter demonstrations continue throughout the country, the city of Oakland is working on policies to address issues raised by the movement.

Recently, City Council President Lynette Gibson McElhaney hosted a special meeting of the council. She called for the meeting as a way to discuss racial inequality within the economic and criminal justice systems, disparities in Oakland Police Department stops and arrests, the school to prison pipeline, and other issues raised by the Black Lives Matter movement.

“We must begin the critical examination of Oakland’s own practices so we can be an example to the rest of the country about how to get it right,” McElhaney said at the January 24 meeting.

Oakland residents filled the City Council chambers for the Saturday meeting, and many gave personal testimony.

“If we are to take them seriously, Saturday needs to be followed up with movement of some kind, with action,” Cat Brooks, co-chair of the Onyx organizing committee, said after the forum.

On February 2, McElhaney held a follow up meeting. There, community organizers who had helped plan the agenda for the first session came together to review what was said at the meeting and discuss next steps.

All of this could lead to local legislation.

“We are currently exploring a number of policies, procedures, and funding mechanisms to identify a package that can encourage the best results for our community,” said new Councilman Abel Guillen, who identifies as two-spirit. “I’ve already started soliciting recommendations from the public on what those items might look like.”

One proposal from Councilwoman Desley Brooks: a city Department of Race and Equity. The department, Brooks said, would “look at each and every department within the city, and make sure that they look at everything from a race lens and an equity lens to ensure that all of our citizens have a meaningful opportunity to engage.”

The Department of Race and Equity item was heard before the council’s Rules and Legislation Committee January 29. It was rescheduled to the Finance and Management Committee, which will consider funding aspects of the proposal February 24.

Many of those who spoke at the January 24 meeting said changing city funding priorities is essential for real change.

Robbie Clark, an organizer with Causa Justa: Just Cause, was a panelist at the meeting.

Clark said the City Council should “make a commitment that when they have their budget discussions this summer, that they will consider limiting the amount of general fund money that goes to the police.”

Oakland currently spends 60 percent of its general fund on police and fire costs. Many speakers suggested reinvesting some of that money into tenant protections, jobs, and education.

As an immediate step, some speakers recommended dropping the charges against the Black Friday 14, a group who locked themselves to a BART train on the busy shopping day as part of a day of action to “disrupt business as usual” and bring attention to state violence against African Americans.

After an outpouring of support for the Black Friday 14 at last month’s BART board meeting, lesbian BART board director Rebecca Saltzman said that she would soon introduce a resolution urging that

Alana Perino

Cat Brooks, at the microphone, hugged her daughter and looked at Joyous during the January 24 Oakland City Council meeting, as Black Friday 14 members, from left, Robbie Clark, Karissa Lewis, Mollie Costello, and Nell Myhand looked on.

the charges be dropped. During the January 24 city council meeting, Brooks asked elected officials present to take a position in support of dropping the charges. BART board director Robert Raburn came to the microphone to respond, saying the decision was out of his hands.

“It’s up to the district attorney,” he said. “I can’t speak for the full board, but I support removing the penalties, and the charges do need to go through the court of law, not through elected officials.”

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley did not attend the January 24 meeting. O’Malley did not respond to requests for comment.

Other ideas

Other ideas suggested by the public at the forum included hiring more police officers who live in Oakland and transparent and thorough investigations by third parties following officer-involved shootings.

One panelist at the forum, Stanford psychology professor Benoit Monin, provided numbers that illustrated the need for more local hire of police. T:9.75” Monin is part of a study of Oak-

land police practices, contracted by OPD as part of its negotiated settlement agreement. The research team, led by professor Jennifer Eberhardt, is doing a close study of police stops between April 2013 and April 2014.

The study found that of 511 Oakland police officers who made selfinitiated stops over that time period, only 37 live in Oakland.

Lesbian Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan has since proposed a resolution to create a policy goal of 50 percent local hire in OPD. That item will next be heard by the public safety committee April 28.

Eberhardt’s study also found that African Americans make up 74 percent of pedestrian stops – those who were stopped by police while walking down the street – in that time period, and 60 percent of stops overall, despite the fact that only 28 percent of the population of Oakland is African American.

Many speakers at the meeting also called for an end to paid leave for police officers who kill.

Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent, a panelist at the meeting, said that putting police officers who use lethal force on unpaid leave isn’t feasible.

The Police Officers Bill of Rights, a federal set of protections for police, prohibits unpaid leave for police who use lethal force because it would be considered a punitive action, he explained.

This would violate the right to due process that the Police Officers Bill of Rights guarantees.

Clark’s ideas for next steps include taking the discussion out of City Hall and into communities.

“There were a number of pastors there” at the January 24 meeting, Clark said. “It might make sense for us to be having some of these conversations in the churches.”

Clark would also like to see the end of the nuisance eviction ordinance, a city policy that allows landlords to bypass due process when evicting tenants who fall into certain “nuisance” categories. Recently, the city added tenants accused of sex work-related charges.

“We know trans people of color are disproportionately targeted and arrested in relation to sex work, when that’s not what they do,” Clark said.

In general, Clark said, “it’s good that city officials want to talk to community organizers.”

But they’re wary that, without a specific plan of action, the City Council process could be detrimental to the movement.

“I don’t want those of us who are out in the community doing work to be caught up in meetings with elected officials without anything really happening,” Clark said.

The Oakland City Council could create policy that leads the country in responding to the Black Lives Matter movement. But as it continues to address the issues in meetings and committees, Black Lives Matter demonstrations will also continue on the streets.

“We’re not going to stop,” Clark said.t

I can’t schedule an accident.

So I got a health plan.

Maurice’s business can be physically demanding, and accidents can happen. With a health plan through Covered California, he can focus on his work and not worry about unexpected medical costs. To find free in-person enrollment help, or to see if you’re eligible for financial help paying for your coverage, visit CoveredCA.com.

T:7.625”

Are You?

Find health insurance at CoveredCA.com Don’t wait! Open enrollment ends February 15.

TM

<< Open Forum

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 5-11, 2015

Volume 45, Number 6 February 5-11, 2015 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Seth Hemmelgarn CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani Chuck Colbert • 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 Elliot Owen • 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 Rich Stadtmiller • Steven Underhil Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.861.5019 ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Lance Roberts NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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Anti-vaxxers are dangerous

P

arents who don’t vaccinate their children against measles are putting their communities, their loved ones, and even their own kids at risk. Measles was eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The United States was able to eliminate measles, the CDC states on its website, “because it has a highly effective measles vaccine, a strong vaccination program that achieves high vaccine coverage in children, and a strong public health system for detecting and responding to measles cases and outbreaks.”

Not anymore.

Thanks to a small but growing number of people who wrongly believe that the vaccine’s side effects can lead to autism or other diseases, and celebrities like former Playboy Playmate Jenny McCarthy grabbing wide media attention for her anti-vaccine beliefs, the number of unvaccinated children is increasing. In December, an outbreak of measles occurred at Disneyland and now cases have spread, resulting in more than 130 measles cases in 14 states. California has the majority of cases; locally public health departments in the Bay Area have reported cases in Alameda, Marin, San Mateo, and Solano counties.

And yet anti-vaxxer parents continue to dig in their heels, ignoring scientific evidence while continuing to believe discredited research from 1998, when a British doctor said he had found a relationship between the MMR vaccine – measles, mumps, and rubella – and the onset of autism.

“Typically, the MMR shot is given to infants at about 12 months and again at age 5 or 6,” the New York Times reported in a story this week that looks at why the anti-vaccination move-

ment has not ended. “This doctor, Andrew Wakefield, wrote that his study of 12 children showed that the three vaccines taken together could alter immune systems, causing intestinal woes that then reach, and damage, the brain. In fairly short order, his findings were widely rejected as – not to put too fine a point on it – bunk. Dozens of epidemiological studies found no merit to his work, which was based on a tiny sample. The British Medical Journal went so far as to call his research ‘fraudulent.’ The British journal Lancet, which originally published Wakefield’s paper, retracted it. The British medical authorities stripped him of his license.”

Despite the total refutation of the research conclusion, the false vaccine-autism link continues to be accepted by some, and the problem is that their unfounded beliefs are potentially endangering everyone else.

t

A child who is not vaccinated and becomes infected with measles can infect others who have not been vaccinated, such as babies who are too young or those with compromised immune systems.

To be effective, vaccines rely on a concept called herd immunity; basically, if nearly everyone (95 percent, according to the CDC) is vaccinated in a community, then the risk of contracting the disease is low. These days that number has fallen, mainly due to parents still believing the junk science, so the disease is making a comeback.

Measles is not Ebola, it’s much more contagious and can be deadly. But now suddenly vaccination has become a heated political issue, with several presumed Republican presidential candidates stoking the anti-vaxxer movement for political profit. Just this week New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who last year ordered a nurse quarantined because she might have Ebola (she did not), said that parents should have “choice” when it comes to vaccinations (he later tried to backpedal). Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who is a doctor and should know better, said he had been told that vaccines can lead to “mental disorders” (he got vaccinated Tuesday). There is no credible evidence of this happening.

This week, KQED reported that California state Senator Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) said he will introduce a bill that would require schools to notify parents of their immunization rates. Pan, who is a physician, also said he wants to look at tightening the personal belief exemption. Both are good steps. It’s just too bad that it’s come down to more legislation, when common sense and sound science should be enough.

In the meantime, parents should vaccinate their kids. There’s no reason not to.t

Taking pride in our city libraries

by Reese Aaron Isbell

S

an Francisco is experiencing a renaissance in its library system that is unmatched. For a city with a limit of 49 square miles, the San Francisco Public Library system has enhanced our city’s valuable public space – not only through developing its bricks and mortar, but also through an enrichment of our community experience.

San Francisco voters were quite forwardthinking in creating this revival. In the mid1990s, the city community came together to pass Proposition E in 1994, which earmarked a percentage of city revenue for our library system. Since then, the library has been able to keep its doors open 53 percent more all around the city and seen a 400 percent increase in its budget for books and materials. Further, a bond passed by voters in 2000 renewed our city’s multitude of branch libraries in the neighborhoods. Each of the branches has been designed and rebuilt with thorough localized community processes and neighborly collaboration. This allows each respective branch to be instilled with the most relevant resources for its unique neighborhood setting.

Every one of our city’s 28 libraries (the main plus 27 branches) has since been able to foster localized community hubs of vibrant communal interaction. Many locations provide community rooms for civic meetings and large children’s sections, which encourage kids to read and learn together. Neighborhood activities, civic events, group story times, book clubs, and more are publicly available and shared among patrons. Citywide our library system provides additional opportunities to bring us together with such offerings as an official city book club (One City One Book), summer reading programs, exhibits, classes, and more. Collective activities such as these help develop our sense of community and camaraderie.

Assuredly, for those who want to simply browse books and have solitude, a large collection is at your service and individual quiet rooms are available to cloister oneself. At the same time, private coffee shops have nothing on the latest technological options in our city’s libraries. Every building features free Wi-Fi, a plethora of electrical plug-ins, roomy desks, comfy chairs, modern computers, and easy Internet access. Residents of each neighborhood can look to the library “down the street”

to help them connect, diain coming out, our LGBT logue, log on, share, make community has a legitifriends, and enrich their mately heightened sense of concern about privacy lives. rights.

As society has modernOur LGBT community ized and moved many of can take pride in knowing our daily activities online, that our own San Franour San Francisco Public cisco Public Library sysLibrary has upgraded its tem, Library Commission, own technological opand city attorney have all tions. It has begun using delved deep into issues a software program called of privacy, worked with BiblioCommons, which members of the LGBT is already in other librarcommunity, and spent ies throughout North years reviewing scenarios America. While BiblioCourtesy Reese Aaron Isbell and quandaries. In fact, Commons has advanceReese Aaron Isbell our city’s work on privacy ments in searching the rules have been so thorproverbial card catalogue, ough it has even spurred BiblioCommons to it’s unique in that it creates an online social further upgrade its own privacy procedures for network for those patrons who are interested its other libraries. This means that the privacy in joining it. rights of patrons around the world will be enSimilar to the private app Goodreads on hanced because of safeguards put in place by smartphones, BiblioCommons would allow our San Francisco Public Library. This is yet library patrons to provide written reviews of another example in which our city creates probooks, individualized approval ratings, and to LGBT policies the world follows. discuss topics through social interaction. They We have the best of all library systems here can also easily keep track of books they’ve in San Francisco. We as a city public have read or might want to get to someday. It’s a upgraded the brick and mortar buildings marvelous new adventure for connecting of each library through smart finanpatrons in the library community. cial investments. We have created Just like any app on a smartphone these community hubs and nestled or social network, patrons do them throughout our individual not have to use it and patrons neighborhoods. We now also have post only what you want made expanded opportunities to grow public. BiblioCommons allows our city’s communal interacfor communal discussions and tions online. And we have maninteractions, but individual padated the strongest privacy safetrons do not have to be openly guards of anywhere in the world. public about their library activiI encourage you to step into one ties. Further, the strongest online of our upgraded facilities, or join the conversaand offline privacy controls are in place for all tion online, and experience the unique worldusers at the library. class system of public libraries we have here in Privacy is paramount for our LGBT comSan Francisco.t munity. For me, growing up in the 1980s as a questioning teenager, I spent many hours in libraries searching for more information about being gay. I would often sit in the library’s basement, secluded from everyone, and I would read about LGBT life. For extra privacy and public cover, I would envelope my reading with much larger non-LGBT books so no one could know what I was reading. My privacy at that time was truly a life or death period of my life. Because of similar scenarios for each of us

Reese Aaron Isbell currently serves on the board of the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library (http://www.friendssfpl.org) and the California Public Library Advocates (http://www.cpladvocates.org). A former co-chair of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club (http://www.alicebtoklas. org), he also served as campaign staff in 2000 for the successful citywide branch library bond measure.

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Letters >>

February 5-11, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

Besties missing a category

Why is there no drag king category in your Besties Awards?

Hopefully there is still time to add the category in your online survey for this year.

Drag kings are a big part of the community and deserve to be recognized.

We perform at all the same events as our dear drag queens do – so why the shade?

I produce the annual SF Drag King contest, which will be proudly celebrating our 20th year this August at the new Club Oasis venue.

The city is full of talented kings including: Leigh Crow, a.k.a. Elvis Herselvis; The Momma’s Boyz founded by Alex U. Inn; Rusty Hips; L. Ron Hubby; Madd Dogg; Kit Tapata; Fella-Fem; Arty Fishal and many, many more.

Show us some respect.

Thank You.

Same performance, different views

Regarding Paul Parish’s review of the opening night of the San Francisco Ballet [“Kicking off the ballet season,” January 29.]: I must say that I attended the same event but saw things quite differently. Although the evening was not perfect, the program of varied selections was perfect for the occasion and the audience. What is especially objectionable in his review is his assertion that John Osterweis, head of the ballet foundation, “talked for 30 minutes,” thanking “corporation after corporation after corporation, and hostess after hostess after hostess.” The truth is that the man spoke 5-10 minutes and thanked companies and individuals quite selectively and succinctly.

If Mr. Parish cannot get his basic facts right, he should not write reviews. He then complained about “feeling much like one of the 99 percent.”

True, he is part of the 99 percent; in fact, more precisely, in terms of accuracy, honesty, and fairness, he is in the bottom 10 percent.

Fudgie Frottage San Francisco

Darwin Patnode San Carlos, California

Groups launch national LGBT senior housing initiative

by Matthew S. Bajko

family law specialist* • Divorce w/emphasis on Real Estate & Business Divisions • Domestic Partnerships, Support & Custody • Probate and Wills www.SchneiderLawSF.com

A

coalition of nonprofit agencies, housing developers, and government officials is banding together to push for more LGBT-friendly senior housing options across the country.

One of the aims of the new initiative, launched this week ahead of a White House conference on LGBT senior housing taking place February 10, is to see additional LGBT senior housing developments be built across the country. Spearheading the effort is SAGE, which stands for Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders.

During a press conference held in New York City Tuesday, February 3, SAGE Executive Director Michael Adams announced that his agency plans to build its first LGBT senior housing development in the Bronx.

He declined to reveal specifics about the project, such as its location, since full financing has yet to be secured for the project.

Adams also disclosed that SAGE is looking to construct similar housing developments for LGBT seniors in cities across the country. But Adams would not specify which cities the agency is eyeing as talks with partner agencies based in those communities are just beginning.

“This initiative is desperately needed,” said Adams. “LGBT older adults are among the most vulnerable, marginalized, and challenged among our older adults in this country.”

Lending her support to the effort is Edie Windsor, the plaintiff in the federal lawsuit Windsor v.

U.S, which led to the groundbreaking U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2013 that gutted the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act. The ruling has since led to myriad court decisions upholding the right of samesex couples to marry and will play a key role during oral arguments before the nation’s highest court this spring that many expect will result in a ruling that LGBT people are guaranteed the right of marriage by the U.S. Constitution.

“I am very excited about the housing initiative,” said the 85-yearold Windsor. “It is hard to believe the LGBT aging population has been largely ignored.”

Jennifer Ho, a lesbian who is a senior adviser for housing and services at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, pledged the agency’s support for the new initiative.

“I believe now is the time when America is going to have to confront the fact we need to do something

Barry Schneider Attorney at Law

415-781-6500 *Certified by the California State Bar 400 Montgomery Street, Ste. 505, San Francisco, CA

Starting February 21, 2015 Courtesy SAGE

Edie Windsor, left, and Kathleen Sullivan of the LA LGBT Center took part in a news conference on LGBT senior housing Tuesday in New York City.

to accommodate a range of housing options with social support as people age,” said Ho. “The LGBT community can be front and center in deciding what that looks like.”

As the Bay Area Reporter noted in a story last year on the housing needs LGBT seniors face, there are at least 3 million LGBT seniors aged 65 or older currently living in the U.S., with the population projected to double by 2030. Yet there are only a handful of LGBT senior housing sites in the country.

Developments have already opened in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Washington, D.C. The first of two buildings in a planned development in San Francisco being overseen by the nonprofit LGBT senior agency Openhouse is expected to break ground as soon as this spring.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is working to build a project that will feature housing for both LGBT seniors and youth. There is already the Triangle Square development for LGBT seniors, which is now under the auspices of the LGBT center.

SAGE has pulled together officials overseeing the existing or planned LGBT senior housing in the aforementioned cities to serve on an advisory committee whose purpose will be to share best practices and knowledge with leaders of other agencies that want to build their own housing developments for LGBT seniors.

“The nitty-gritty of how to build this housing is different in every city and state,” said Kathleen Sullivan, the L.A. center’s director of senior services. “There isn’t going to be one model of funding because there are different avenues for funding based on where you are trying to do the development.”

It is expected that most of the new LGBT senior housing will be built in urban areas. David Cleghorn, senior vice president of real estate development at HELP USA, said cities have the resources in place to help finance such developments.

“It is extremely difficult to do projects in suburban areas,” said Cleghorn, citing not only scarce financial support but also a lack infrastructure needs like transportation.

But he did note that housing for LGBT seniors “is an emerging trend in the affordable housing industry.”

Faced with the current dearth of LGBT-specific senior housing options, many older LGBT adults no longer able to age in place in their homes will end up moving into retirement communities or long-term assisted care facilities where the majority of residents are heterosexual.

Therefore, a second goal of the national LGBT senior housing initiative is to ensure that existing senior living facilities are welcoming of LGBT seniors.

“We can’t build enough LGBTfriendly housing to adequately support the millions of LGBT older adults,” said Sherrill Wayland, executive director of SAGE Metro St. Louis. “We do have the opportunity to go into senior housing communities large and small to provide LGBT sensitivity training that is research based and tested and consistent.”t Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings at noon for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion.

This week’s column looked at LGBT legislative proposals expected in CA in 2015.

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.

The 415/628 Area Code Overlay BEGINS! Follow These 3 Easy Steps: For 415 Area Code Numbers

For 628 Area Code Numbers

• Your cost per call will not change.

• Your local calling area will not change.

• Continue to dial 9-1-1 for Emergencies.

Dial 1 + Area Code + Phone Number

When in Doubt, Dial it Out! For more information, contact your service provider, or visit

www.cpuc.ca.gov/415areacode Endorsed by The California Public Utilities Commission

COMPLERA is a prescription medicine for adults who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before and who have no more than 100,000 copies/mL of virus in their blood.

COMPLERA can also replace current HIV-1 medicines for some adults who have an undetectable viral load (less than 50 copies/mL) and whose healthcare provider determines that they meet certain other requirements.

COMPLERA combines 3 medicines into 1 pill to be taken once a day with food. COMPLERA should not be used with other HIV-1 medicines.

Just the

one

for me

COMPLERA is a complete HIV-1 treatment in only 1 pill a day.

Ask your healthcare provider if COMPLERA may be the one for you.

Pill shown is not actual size.

COMPLERA does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. To control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses you must keep taking COMPLERA. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to reduce the risk of passing HIV-1 to others. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them.

It is not known if COMPLERA is safe and effective in children under 18 years old.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about COMPLERA?

COMPLERA can cause serious side effects: Build-up of an acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include feeling very weak or tired, unusual (not normal) muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold especially in your arms and legs, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat.

Serious liver problems. The liver may become large (hepatomegaly) and fatty (steatosis). Symptoms of liver problems include 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, and/or stomach pain.

You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking COMPLERA for a long time. In some cases, these serious conditions have led to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of these conditions.

Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you also have HBV and stop taking COMPLERA, your hepatitis may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking COMPLERA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

COMPLERA is not approved for the treatment of HBV. •

•

•

•

• •

The most common side effects of COMPLERA include trouble sleeping (insomnia), abnormal dreams, headache, dizziness, diarrhea, nausea, rash, tiredness, and depression. Other common side effects include vomiting, stomach pain or discomfort, skin discoloration (small spots or freckles), and pain. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking COMPLERA? •

•

•

•

•

•

Who should not take COMPLERA?

Do not take COMPLERA if you: Take a medicine that contains: adefovir (Hepsera), lamivudine (Epivir-HBV), carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Equetro, Tegretol, Tegretol-XR, Teril, Epitol), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), phenobarbital (Luminal), phenytoin (Dilantin, Dilantin-125, Phenytek), rifampin (Rifater, Rifamate, Rimactane, Rifadin), rifapentine (Priftin), dexlansoprazole (Dexilant), esomeprazole (Nexium, Vimovo), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegerid), pantoprazole sodium (Protonix), rabeprazole (Aciphex), more than 1 dose of the steroid medicine dexamethasone or dexamethasone sodium phosphate, or the herbal supplement St. John’s wort.

Take any other medicines to treat HIV-1 infection, unless recommended by your healthcare provider.

•

•

•

What are the other possible side effects of COMPLERA?

Serious side effects of COMPLERA may also include: New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood tests to check your kidneys before starting treatment with COMPLERA. If you have had kidney problems, or take other medicines that may cause kidney problems, your healthcare provider may also check your kidneys during treatment with COMPLERA. Depression or mood changes. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms: feeling sad or hopeless, feeling anxious or restless, have thoughts of hurting yourself (suicide) or have tried to hurt yourself.

•

•

Changes in liver enzymes: People who have had hepatitis B or C, or who have had changes in their liver function tests in the past may have an increased risk for liver problems while taking COMPLERA. Some people without prior liver disease may also be at risk. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your liver enzymes before and during treatment with COMPLERA. Bone problems, including bone pain or bones getting soft or thin, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones.

Changes in body fat can happen in people taking HIV-1 medicines.

Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking COMPLERA.

•

•

All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or had any kidney, mental health, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection.

All the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

COMPLERA may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how COMPLERA works. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. Do not start any new medicines while taking COMPLERA without first talking with your healthcare provider.

If you take rifabutin (Mycobutin). Talk to your healthcare provider about the right amount of rilpivirine (Edurant) you should take.

If you take antacids. Take antacids at least 2 hours before or at least 4 hours after you take COMPLERA. If you take stomach acid blockers. Take acid blockers at least 12 hours before or at least 4 hours after you take COMPLERA. Ask your healthcare provider if your acid blocker is okay to take, as some acid blockers should never be taken with COMPLERA. If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if COMPLERA can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking COMPLERA. If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

Also, some medicines in COMPLERA can pass into breast milk, and it is not known if this can harm the baby.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

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

Brief Summary of full Prescribing Information COMPLERA® (kom-PLEH-rah) (emtricitabine 200 mg, rilpivirine 25 mg, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg) tablets Brief summary of full Prescribing Information. For more information, please see the full Prescribing Information, including Patient Information.

What is COMPLERA? • COMPLERA is a prescription medicine used as a complete HIV-1 treatment in one pill a day. COMPLERA is for adults who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before and who have no more than 100,000 copies/mL of virus in their blood (this is called ‘viral load’). Complera can also replace current HIV-1 medicines for some adults who have an undetectable viral load (less than 50 copies/mL) and whose healthcare provider determines that they meet certain other requirements.

• COMPLERA is a complete regimen and should not be used with other HIV-1 medicines. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. When used properly, COMPLERA may reduce the amount of HIV-1 virus in your blood and increase the amount of CD4 T-cells, which 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.

• COMPLERA does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. You must stay on continuous HIV-1 therapy to control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses.

• Ask your healthcare provider about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to others. Do not share or reuse needles, injection equipment, or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them. Do not have 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.

What is the most important information I should know about COMPLERA? COMPLERA can cause serious side effects, including: • Build-up of an acid in your blood (lactic acidosis). Lactic acidosis can happen in some people who take COMPLERA or similar (nucleoside analogs) medicines. 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 –having 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 can happen in people who take COMPLERA. In some cases, these liver problems can lead to death. Your liver may become large (hepatomegaly) and you may develop fat in your liver (steatosis). 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

BS Page 1

• You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking COMPLERA for a long time.

• Worsening of Hepatitis B infection. If you have hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and take COMPLERA, your HBV may get worse (flare-up) if you stop taking COMPLERA. A “flare-up” is when your HBV infection suddenly returns in a worse way than before. COMPLERA is not approved for the treatment of HBV, so you must discuss your HBV with your healthcare provider.

–Do not run out of COMPLERA. Refill your prescription or talk to your healthcare provider before your COMPLERA is all gone.

–Do not stop taking COMPLERA without first talking to your healthcare provider.

–If you stop taking COMPLERA, your healthcare provider will need to check your health often and do blood tests regularly to check your HBV infection. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or unusual symptoms you may have after you stop taking COMPLERA. Who should not take COMPLERA? Do not take COMPLERA if you also take any of the following medicines: • Medicines used for seizures: carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Equetro, Tegretol, Tegretol-XR, Teril, Epitol); oxcarbazepine (Trileptal); phenobarbital (Luminal); phenytoin (Dilantin, Dilantin-125, Phenytek) • Medicines used for tuberculosis: rifampin (Rifater, Rifamate, Rimactane, Rifadin); rifapentine (Priftin) • Certain medicines used to block stomach acid called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs): dexlansoprazole (Dexilant); esomeprazole (Nexium, Vimovo); lansoprazole (Prevacid); omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegerid); pantoprazole sodium (Protonix); rabeprazole (Aciphex) • Certain steroid medicines: More than 1 dose of dexamethasone or dexamethasone sodium phosphate • Certain herbal supplements: St. John’s wort • Certain hepatitis medicines: adefovir (Hepsera), lamivudine (Epivir-HBV) Do not take COMPLERA if you also take any other HIV-1 medicines, including: • Other medicines that contain tenofovir (ATRIPLA, STRIBILD, TRUVADA, VIREAD) • Other medicines that contain emtricitabine or lamivudine (ATRIPLA, Combivir, EMTRIVA, Epivir, Epzicom, STRIBILD, Trizivir, TRUVADA) • rilpivirine (Edurant), unless you are taking rifabutin (Mycobutin) COMPLERA is not for use in people who are less than 18 years old.

What are the possible side effects of COMPLERA? COMPLERA may cause the following serious side effects: • See “What is the most important information I should know about COMPLERA?” • 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 COMPLERA. If you have had kidney problems in the past or need to take another medicine that can cause kidney problems, your healthcare provider may need to do blood tests to check your kidneys during your treatment with COMPLERA. • Depression or mood changes. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms: –feeling sad or hopeless –feeling anxious or restless –have thoughts of hurting yourself (suicide) or have tried to hurt yourself • Change in liver enzymes. People with a history of hepatitis B or C

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Bay Area Reporter

virus infection or who have certain liver enzyme changes may have an increased risk of developing new or worsening liver problems during treatment with COMPLERA. Liver problems can also happen during treatment with COMPLERA in people without a history of liver disease. Your healthcare provider may need to do tests to check your liver enzymes before and during treatment with COMPLERA. • Bone problems can happen in some people who take COMPLERA. Bone problems include bone pain, softening or thinning (which may lead to fractures). Your healthcare provider may need to do tests to check your bones.

• Changes in body fat can happen in people taking HIV-1 medicine. These changes may include increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck (“buffalo hump”), breast, and around the main part of your body (trunk). Loss of fat from the legs, arms and face may also happen. The cause and long term health effect 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 if you start having any new symptoms after starting your HIV-1 medicine.

The most common side effects of COMPLERA include: • Trouble sleeping (insomnia), abnormal dreams, headache, dizziness, diarrhea, nausea, rash, tiredness, depression Additional common side effects include: • Vomiting, stomach pain or discomfort, skin discoloration (small spots or freckles), pain 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 COMPLERA. For more information, ask your healthcare provider.

• Call your healthcare provider for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

may become resistant to COMPLERA or other HIV-1 medicines that are like it.

• Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you take any of the following medicines: –Rifabutin (Mycobutin), a medicine to treat some bacterial infections. Talk to your healthcare provider about the right amount of rilpivirine (Edurant) you should take.

–Antacid medicines that contain aluminum, magnesium hydroxide, or calcium carbonate. Take antacids at least 2 hours before or at least 4 hours after you take COMPLERA. –Certain medicines to block the acid in your stomach, including cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid), nizatidine (Axid), or ranitidine hydrochloride (Zantac). Take the acid blocker at least 12 hours before or at least 4 hours after you take COMPLERA. Some acid blocking medicines should never be taken with COMPLERA (see “Who should not take COMPLERA?” for a list of these medicines).

–Medicines that can affect how your kidneys work, including acyclovir (Zovirax), cidofovir (Vistide), ganciclovir (Cytovene IV, Vitrasert), valacyclovir (Valtrex), and valganciclovir (Valcyte).

–clarithromycin (Biaxin) –erythromycin (E-Mycin, Eryc, Ery-Tab, PCE, Pediazole, Ilosone) –fluconazole (Diflucan) –itraconazole (Sporanox) –ketoconazole (Nizoral) –methadone (Dolophine) –posaconazole (Noxafil) –telithromycin (Ketek) –voriconazole (Vfend) Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. Do not start any new medicines while you are taking COMPLERA without first talking with your healthcare provider.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking COMPLERA?

• Stay under the care of your healthcare provider during treatment with COMPLERA. • Take COMPLERA exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it.

• Always take COMPLERA with food. Taking COMPLERA with food is important to help get the right amount of medicine in your body. A protein drink is not a substitute for food. If your healthcare provider decides to stop COMPLERA and you are switched to new medicines to treat HIV-1 that includes rilpivirine tablets, the rilpivirine tablets should be taken only with a meal.

Keep COMPLERA and all medicines out of reach of children.

This Brief Summary summarizes the most important information about COMPLERA. If you would like more information, talk with your healthcare provider. You can also ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information about COMPLERA that is written for health professionals, or call 1-800-445-3235 or go to www.COMPLERA.com.

Tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including: • If you have or had any kidney, mental health, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis B or C infection.

• If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if COMPLERA can harm your unborn child.

–There is a pregnancy registry for women who take antiviral medicines during pregnancy. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby.

Talk to your healthcare provider about how you can take part in this registry.

• If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you take COMPLERA. –You should not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby.

–Two of the medicines in COMPLERA can pass to your baby in your breast milk. It is not known if this could harm your baby.

–Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements: • COMPLERA may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how COMPLERA works.

• If you take certain medicines with COMPLERA, the amount of COMPLERA in your body may be too low and it may not work to help control your HIV-1 infection. The HIV-1 virus in your body

BS Page 2

How should I take COMPLERA?

Issued: September 2014

COMPLERA, the COMPLERA Logo, EMTRIVA, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, GSI, HEPSERA, STRIBILD, TRUVADA, VIREAD, and VISTIDE are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies.

ATRIPLA is a trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb & Gilead Sciences, LLC. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. ©2014 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. CPAC0137 10/14

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Bay Area Reporter

<< Obituaries

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 5-11, 2015

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Cookie Dough

see how many co-nominees in several categories are asking their friends to vote for Cookie, who was truly one Mr. Bell had become ill of the sweetest people in while in Puerto Vallarta, our local nightlife scene,” Mexico to perform in the said BARtab editor Jim drag version of The Golden Provenzano.

Girls. He was taken to a Chu said that both he and hospital there, but did not Mr. Bell had been clean and receive proper medical atsober for 15 years; the couple tention, his partner, Michael met in early recovery.

Chu, told the Bay Area ReMr. Bell had been a porter. Several days later, technical worker at the old Mr. Bell was flown back to Josie’s Cabaret and Juice San Francisco and admitJoint – where he also dabted to Kaiser, where he was bled in stand-up comedy – diagnosed with meningitis. in the early 1990s, Chu said.

“The whole thing was “He had always had the like a nightmare,” said Chu, dream of being on stage,” choking back tears.

Courtesy Michael Chu Chu said. “The courage of The couple had recently Eddie Bell, left, with his partner, Michael Chu sobriety gave him the conficelebrated their 14th andence to pursue his dreams. niversary as domestic partHis philosophy was, if you ners, Chu said. praised Mr. Bell and Chu for their can dream it, do it. Nothing was too Gay San Francisco Supervisor professionalism. grandiose of an idea to try.”

David Campos, who adjourned “She did the Monster Show at Mr. Chu said that one of Mr. Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors Bootie as one of our monthly resiBell’s strengths was the time he took meeting in memory of Mr. Bell and dent shows,” Roberts said via a Facewith people he met, especially when his drag persona, told the B.A.R. book message. “Her and MC2 were performing as Cookie Dough. that he assisted with contacting really the only ones I felt I could “He was the kindest person,” Chu Kaiser officials to hasten Mr. Bell’s trust with not flaking out on a big said. “He took time to talk to you – return to the city. monthly drag show, and she was a he always stopped by to say hi. He “I was helping Michael, who was consummate professional. She has remembered what was going on in having a very difficult time with the left a gaping void in our community, your life. He made everybody feel hospital,” Campos said. and I still can’t believe she’s gone.” like he was their best friend.”

Mr. Bell and Chu were “a perAdded Roberts, “Cookie was not Chu said that Mr. Bell was not formance couple,” said Chu, who is only one of the most hard-working only his partner, but his best friend. also known as DJ MC2. queens I’ve ever met, she was also “I could have the worst day and Mr. Bell was a local fixture in the insanely nice. She was the drag knew it would be OK because I LGBT community. He started doing mother for what seems like half came home to this man,” he said. drag in 2002, launching Cookie ... the queens in this town. And while Edward Robert Bell was born NoAfter Dark at Martuni’s lounge. In many drag queens have a reputation vember 8, 1963 in San Francisco. He August 2004, the Monster Show for being bitchy, flaky, and full of was raised in the city and graduated with Cookie Dough and DJ MC2 attitude, Cookie was none of those from Balboa High School in 1981. was launched in the heart of the things. Well, she had an attitude, In addition to Chu, Mr. Bell is Castro at Harvey’s bar and restaubut it was rarely unleashed at the survived by his stepfather, Ron Sutrant, winning best drag act from expense of others. She saved the atton, and two nephews, Michael and the now-defunct San Francisco Bay titude for the stage.”

Matthew Bell.

Guardian’s Best of the Bay 2006.

In the B.A.R.’s annual readers’ A celebration of Mr. Bell’s life will Today, the Monster Show can be poll that is currently underway, the be held Sunday, March 1 at 6 p.m. found on Thursdays at the Edge.

Besties, Cookie Dough is among at the Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th The weekly drag show at the Edge, the nominees in the best drag queen Street in San Francisco. known as the longest-running drag category, and the Monster Show at Friends have established an onshow in the Castro, will continue the Edge is nominated for best drag line fund to raise money for Mr. with many talented queens willing show.

Bell’s medical and funeral expenses. to step in to help MC2, said Heklina, “Although our nominees were To donate, visit http://www.gofunda longtime friend and neighbor of chosen before Eddie Bell’s hospitalme.com/kppdgo.t the couple who is also known by his ization, it’s been heartwarming to given name, Stefan Grygelko.

Obituaries >> Heklina noted that Mr. Bell was co-producer of The Golden Girls great-nephew, Nick; Nick’s wife, Heather; John Frank and their son, Eli. They made sure his productions, entertaining sold-out March 15, 1951 – December 24, 2014 last years were filled with love and affecaudiences for the past nine years. tion. Donations in John’s memory can be Mr. Bell played the amusingly made to the Coastal Humane Society, 30 John Frank passed sharp-tongued character Sophia Range Road, Brunswick, Maine 04011. away peacefully at his Petrillo. home in Lisbon Falls, “Cookie Dough was the best Darnell Ruffin Maine on Christmas friend, the best downstairs neighEve. He was 63.

December 20, 1978 – January 17, 2015 bor, the best work partner (we A Maine native, John grew up in the produced the Golden Girls together Darnell Ruffin colBowdoinham area and graduated from every year), just the best, period,” lapsed suddenly at Brunswick High School. He received Heklina told the B.A.R. “I have home from an apparent a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from the never met anyone so purely good heart attack. He was in University of Maine at Orono in 1977. as Cookie, and I will miss her forgood health, so this is a After college, John settled in the Bay shock to everyone. He ever. I’m heartbroken. Someone the Area, where he held a variety of jobs, just had his 36th birthincluding a stint at the San Francisco other night likened it to having a day in December.

Sentinel and then over 20 years as an acbroken limb, but they were wrong He loved playing tennis and planned countant at UCSF. In 2012, he returned and I corrected them. It’s like losing to compete professionally this year. to Maine to be near family. place toofplay… a limb. A part me is gone.”

Darnell worked at several nonprofits John will be remembered for his love In 2010, Cookie Dough was electas a case manager, helping disadvanof literature (Dorothy Parker), music a fab place to stay! taged people with daily life and finding ed Grand Duchess of San Francisco.

(Dusty Springfield), animals and friends, work. In 2013 he started his own nonalthough not necessarily in that order. He “The 40-year-old fundraising orprofit called Upwardly Mobile Academwas a hilarious raconteur with a fondness ganization fit in well with Cookie’s ics, an after-school computer program. for life’s absurdities. His charm, candor, kind and giving spirit,” Heklina said.

He also was pursuing his master’s dewit and warmth will be missed.

AMr. fun place to play…

Bell also did the monthly gree in social work.

John is survived by his canine comMonster Show ataBootie Adrian to panion, Darnell was born in San Mateo and fabSF. place stay!Mona, and friends and family on proud to be a Bay Area native. He loved Roberts, founder of Bootie SF, both coasts. He was especially close to his From page 1

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traveling, and enjoyed hanging out at his cabin at the Russian River, plus visiting friends in Palm Springs and Fort Lauderdale. He loved his big dogs (malamute and German shepherd) and took them everywhere.

He loved Chinese takeout, candy, and cooking crab gumbo and greens at home.

Darnell lived with his partner and best friend, Bill Hurlburt, for five years, who will miss him greatly. No services are planned.

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From the Cover>>

Project Open Hand

From page 1

and has a budget of $10 million, was facing a deficit as longtime former Executive Director Tom Nolan prepared to leave.

Not long after Winge, a gay man, took over the top job, he announced four staff positions were being cut, and adjustments would be made to services for some clients. The nonprofit eventually had to pull $750,000 from its reserve in order to fill a budget gap in the 2011-12 fiscal year.

The last two fiscal years have ended with surpluses, including about $223,000 for 2014. Winge said the organization’s “absolutely committed” to ending the 2015 fiscal year in the black, as well.

“I’m convinced that because of the decisions we’ve made, POH will be around for another 30 years, and that makes me really happy.”

In an email, POH board Chair Scott Willoughby said, “Kevin has made tremendous contributions to Project Open Hand and our community … . Under his leadership, Project Open Hand has become a stronger organization, updating our mission and vision and taking great strides to ensure that POH is not only sustainable, but also able to grow and thrive in the future.”

The organization has just over 8,000 unique clients. About 55 percent of those people, or 4,400, are in the senior lunch program, which is for people who are over 60.

Changes have included expanding the nonprofit’s wellness programs to serve over 10 additional disease diagnoses. The agency announced in July that it had started allowing people with acute symptoms of diseases that include diabetes and heart disease to pick up groceries and meals in addition to receiving meals at home.

Previously, picking up food was

<<

Pride grand marshal

From page 1

meant to educate people about the history of the pink triangle, which was originally used by the Nazis in concentration camps to identify and shame gays. It now represents a symbol of pride.

Like Carney, Cipriani, a freelance journalist who writes the Seeing in the Dark column for the Bay Area Reporter, is humbled to be nominated.

“It’s very humbling. I have a physical disability and it’s rare for us to get a spotlight,” Cipriani, 34, said.

“It means a lot to me and shows that times are changing. I’m the first blind man to be nominated.”

Cipriani, a gay man, is an awardwinning author for his books, Blind: A Memoir and Midday Dreams. As a disabilities advocate, he was the keynote speaker for the 2011 Americans with Disabilities Act celebration in San Francisco as well as for the 2012 queer conference at Skyline College.

Among the nominees, Davis and Aida are noted advocates for the transgender community.

Davis, a trans man, propelled the Transgender Law Center to become the nation’s largest transgender advocacy organization during his tenure as executive director from 2007 until stepping down February 1. Davis also had a vital role in ensuring that transgender students have access to facilities and activities that match their gender identity as he was an integral part of the coalition that helped pass California’s School Success and Opportunity Act (AB 1266). He was previously nominated in 2012.

“It is a great feeling to be nominated with so many amazing activists and it’s incredible to be one of them,” said Davis, 43. “I have to admit that a lot of work still needs to be done. But it’s exciting to create a buzz around Pride regardless who wins.”

February 5-11, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

only available for people who had HIV or breast cancer.

As it updated eligibility criteria, POH contacted clients to determine the best way to handle their needs. A news release announcing the changes said, “In some cases this may mean that a small number of existing clients who are in good health,” including some who’re living with HIV, “will no longer want or need nutrition services.”

At the time, Winge stated his agency would “work closely with affected clients” to get them to other resources, including the senior lunch program. In addition to meals, the agency also provides services like nutritional counseling.

Re-certifications are conducted every six months. Since implementing the new process, 4 percent of the 1,080 the clients who have HIV and have reapplied – 43 people – no longer qualify for services from the nonprofit. The agency is seeing approximately 80 to 100 new applications a month.

The changes raised some concern, but Winge indicated such updates are crucial to the agency’s survival.

“I own this,” Winge said. “I talk a lot about ‘We,’ but let me be really clear. I own the changes we’ve implemented.” He said he hasn’t taken any of the shifts “lightly,” and some clients have been affected “really dramatically.”

However, he said, “Project Open Hand needs to be around for the community ... We can’t serve anyone with HIV if we’re not open.”

Winge’s $200,000 salary hasn’t changed since he joined the agency.

Despite the financial stability, “We have not been able to give raises to any of our staff,” Winge said, and “as long as our staff can’t get raises, I don’t take raises either.”

Affordable Care Act

The agency’s biggest challenge in

Aida, a trans woman, who is a former Pride board member, has contributed to the LGBTQI community with her efforts in grassroots activism and community advocacy by spearheading several initiatives and programs in the prevention of HIV/AIDS. She currently manages the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center’s Trans Thrive Program, which is a drop-in center dedicated to helping San Francisco’s transgender community.

“I strongly believe that a vital part of this whole grand marshal voting experience is to get the community involved. Educate. Recognize the work that has been done to better LGBTQI lives,” said Aida, who joked that she’s “over 30.” “Encourage a sense of empowerment and foster leadership. The folks who are nominated can set as examples to the young generation who will hopefully continue the amazing work that has been planted to achieve equality for the LGBTQI community.”

Happy to be nominated among well-respected activists, Basinger, who was previously nominated last year, is a gay man who’s director of the AIDS Housing Alliance/SF, is a leading voice for the LGBTI and HIV communities facing poverty and homelessness.

“Tita Aida has been a friend and a huge supporter and I’m a fan of those nominated,” Basinger, 48, said. “If the nomination helps my work with the homeless, then I’m 100 percent

the future is going to be “figuring out where we fall within the Affordable Care Act and how we can get paid for our services,” Winge said, referring to the national reform law that’s designed to ensure more people have access to health care.

The act has caused concern because of its impact on some programs.

Winge said “part of what I’ve been trying to do” is plan for the end of funding from the Ryan White HIV/ AIDS Treatment Modernization Act. “If and when Ryan White funding goes away, that would leave $1.2 million hit to Project Open Hand” annually, he said. The change wouldn’t be immediate “but a big challenge” is “how do we continue to position ourselves in the funding community so we are sustainable?”

The nonprofit will continue to focus on philanthropy from individuals, the source of most of its funding.

However, he said, POH is “also really looking at opportunities within the Affordable Care Act and reimbursement” from sources such as insurance companies and Medi-Cal, the California version of the federal Medicaid program for poor people.

Willoughby said the board is developing a transition plan, which will be announced before Winge’s departure.

“The board, Kevin, and his staff are working collaboratively to ensure maximum continuity and stability during this time of transition,” he said.

Clients, donors, staff, and volunteers have been invited to upcoming “Coffee with Kevin” sessions, which are open to the community.

The first will be at 4:30 p.m.

Monday, February 9 in the grocery center, 730 Polk Street, second floor, in San Francisco.

The second session is set for 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 10 at 1921 San Pablo Avenue in Oakland.

For more information, visit www. openhand.org.t happy that I’m being recognized.”

Midgett, Dlugacz, and Ryan are also nominees.

Midgett, 78, founded the Bay Area Black Lesbians and Gays and is an active speaker for Openhouse, an organization advocating for LGBT seniors. She also co-founded the NIA Collective in 1986, with which she is most closely associated.

Dlugacz, who’s in her 60s, cofounded Olivia Records and Olivia Travel, which offers vacations catering to lesbians. Dlugacz is also one of the founding partners of the USAID LGBT Global Development Partnership.

Ryan, a lesbian who said she is a senior, is a clinical social worker who has researched and worked on LGBT health and mental health issues for 40 years. She is director of the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University.

“I’m very honored to have been nominated for community grand marshal,” Ryan told the Bay Area Reporter Wednesday. “My work with LGBTQ children, youth and families keeps me running.”

Rounding out the community grand marshal nominees are Thomas and Garza.

Thomas, whose age wasn’t available, is a two-spirit writer and performance artist who is known more by his drag name, Landa Lakes, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the See page 14 >>

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Empress, emperor

From page 1

Over the years Rouge has received a lot of love and support from San Francisco LGBTs and wanted to continue serving them.

“I want to run for empress to continue the amazing charitable work of the Imperial Council and to utilize this platform to take my fundraising efforts to a whole new level,” Rouge said. “I find that people are more willing to open their hearts and pockets when you have a warm smile and something shiny on top of your head.”

Kevin Lisle

This year’s sole emperor candidate is Kevin Lisle, 43. Lisle works as senior project manager for a financial services company in Silicon Valley, and has been living in San Francisco since 1992. He is originally from Opelika, Alabama.

“I moved from Opelika as a fresh out-of-the-closet 21-year-old experiencing living in a cosmopolitan city for the first time,” Lisle said Lisle first became involved with the Imperial Court of San Francisco

<<

News Briefs

From page 3

in the James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center at the San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin Street.

On Wednesday, February 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. there will be a showing of The Circle in the Rainbow Room at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street. The screening is co-sponsored by the center, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Frameline, and the Goethe-Institut San Francisco.

Following the film, people can join Ostertag and Rapp and welcome them to San Francisco at a champagne and cake reception at Cafe Flore, 2298 Market Street from 8 to 10 p.m. That event is sponsored by the cafe, Mionetto Proseco, and Sweet Inspiration.

Victorian masquerade ball to celebrate Valentine’s Day

Galavant Events is holding a Victorian Valentine’s Masquerade Ball and Benefit Saturday, February 14 with all proceeds going to the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBT rights organization.

In a news release, organizers said that guests will be “transported back in time ... to experience the decadence of Victorian high society and enjoy four hours of live

<<

Homeless people

From page 4

people, more than one in four (29 percent) identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or “other,” for a total of 2,132.

Last Thursday night, the city also conducted a census of homeless people living in shelters and other programs. In early February, volunteers will survey a representative sample of 1,000 homeless city residents. That survey has a question about LGBT status.

Pamela Tebo, an HSA spokeswoman, said in an email the agency doesn’t expect the final report to be

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Pride grand marshal

From page 13

use of Native images as mascots. He has served on the board of the nowshuttered Native American AIDS Project as well as a board member of the Grand Ducal Council.

Garza, who identifies as queer, cofounded #BlackLivesMatter and serves as the special projects director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance. “[My nomination] is a huge surprise and a great honor,” said Garza, 34. “SF Pride can represent the diversity of the community and support

as a backup dancer in a production for Lady Tia at the Mr. & Miss Gay Pageant in 2001.

“I have performed in several coronations since then,” he said. “In 2013 I was nominated by Emperor Drew Cutler and Empress Patty McGroin, and voted by the board of directors, to be Imperial Crown Prince, along with Imperial Crown Princess Emma Peel.”

Lisle said, “I am running for the office of emperor to continue what first began with my being ICP, in that I want to raise money for those organizations that are in need and give back to a community that welcomed me so many years ago.”

Voting information

Election day is Saturday, February 7 and voting takes place at the following locations: Project Open Hand, 730 Polk Street, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the Powerhouse bar, 1347 Folsom Street, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and at the Castro Muni station, at Market and Castro streets, from noon to 6 p.m.

To vote, be prepared to show a valid photo ID from San Francisco, San Mateo, or Marin counties.t music, opera, and mind-bending entertainment culminating in an interactive séance and contortionist performance.”

The party takes place from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Haas-Lilienthal House, 2007 Franklin Street. Tickets start at $95.

Organizers said that period specific attire is highly encouraged and masks are required.

For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit www.galavantevents.com/masquerade.html.

Shanti receives Pfizer grant

Shanti has announced that it received a $25,000 grant from Pfizer and the Avon Foundation for Women to support patients living with metastatic breast cancer.

The grant focuses on enhancing patient support services and to increase public understanding of the disease. Shanti was one of 23 grant recipients; the Avon-Pfizer program granted a total of $1 million to the organizations, with the grants ranging from $15,000 to $100,000.

Shanti’s Margot Murphy Breast Cancer Program will use the grant to provide patient advocacy, home visits, transition services, emergency grocery funds, taxi vouchers, appointment accompaniment, and assistance with applying for emergency resources to San Franciscans diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.

For more information about Shanti, visit www.shanti.org.t published until “around July.”

“Perhaps there will be some preliminary numbers in the spring, but that’s unofficial,” Tebo said.

In another email, Bevan Dufty, the gay director of Lee’s Office of Housing Opportunity, Partnerships and Engagement, said, “I’m not predicting in advance what the numbers will show. The mayor has asked we move quickly” to open a planned “navigation center, which helps those who have not been able to exit the streets or encampments, some for many years. We will be tracking data carefully from navigation and hope it shows progress.”t broad-based movements of black communities all over the world.”

Other nominees

The slate of nominees for organization grand marshal were also announced. They are the AIDS Legal Referral Panel, Magnet SF, Openhouse, Southern Poverty Law Center, and the Transgender Law Center.

For this year’s pink brick, the nominees are the American Family Association, Pacific Justice Institute, and the World Congress of Families.

To vote online, visit http://www. sfpride.org/vote.t

t

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-15550851

In the matter of the application of: RUTH WOO ENG, 418 40TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner RUTH WOO ENG, is requesting that the name RUTH WOO ENG be changed to RUTH YING WOO, and the name CAITLIN NICOLE ENG be changed to CAITLIN NICOLE WOO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 514 on the 19th of March 2015 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 05, 2015 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-15550859

In the matter of the application of: DAVID FREDERICK HAYES, 33 ELGIN PARK #10, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner DAVID FREDERICK HAYES, is requesting that the name DAVID FREDERICK HAYES be changed to DAVE HAYES. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 514 on the 24th of March 2015 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036247000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BABALOONS BUILDERS, 4407 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOHN JOSEPH TURANO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/09/09. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/13/15.

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036241100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RUG AND CHAIR, 2536 FOLSOM ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANNE NEUMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/15.

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036237500

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036242000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SWAG CABIN, 269 2ND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118.

This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed RYAN ALLEN SCHENK, JAMES CHO & DAVID ALEGRE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/26/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PRIMA CAFE, 215 FREMONT ST # 5B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HUNG AND HUNG INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/2015. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/16/15.

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036241800

JAN 22, 29, FEB 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036241500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BERNAL HEIGHTS PIZZERIA, 59 30TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BERNAL HEIGHTS PIZZERIA, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/2015. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/15.

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036229500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BRICK AND MORTAR REAL ESTATE SERVICES, 44 GOUGH ST #202, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed KATZ GROUP (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 01/05/15.

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036239600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EAZEMEDS LLC, 2035 OAKDALE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed EAZEMEDS LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/08/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/15.

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036239500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EMBARKADERO SOCIAL CLUB, 1766 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed WALAC PET SERVICES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/08/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/15.

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 05, 2015 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-035421800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STAR LIGHTS S.F., 914 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YUE HUA CHEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/08/2015. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/2015.

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: BERNAL HEIGHTS PIZZERIA, 59 30TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.

This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by MEGHAN C. MURPHY & MARIO A. JUNQUEIRA. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/08/13.

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 05, 2015

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 5, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036239400

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036256600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VANCE JACOBS PHOTOGRAPHY, 237 CLARA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed VANCE PATRICK JACOBS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/05. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OLD SOD TRANSPORT, 1422 16TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MONICA FEELY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/17/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/20/15.

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036237800

JAN 22, 29, FEB 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036254200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HE XIE, 914 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GUO QIANG LAI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BETTER WIRED ELECTRIC, 215 SANTA YNEZ AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSHUA FROST. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/2015. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/16/15.

JAN 15, 22, 29 FEB 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036237200

JAN 22, 29, FEB 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036255800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ED HSU ACUPUNCTURE AND PHYSICAL THERAPY, 1424 VALENCIA ST #12, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EDWARD C. HSU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/15/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/15.

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036234900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BRAYDEN FASHION, 564 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YIWEI KUANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/07/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/07/15.

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036212900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CALPE PAELLAS, 428 11TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NICOLAS ULLOA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/23/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/14.

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036242500

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036252500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WASSAM LABORATORIES, 660 4TH ST #297, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PASCAL WASSAM. 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 01/20/15.

JAN 22, 29, FEB 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036252600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MAXEBOY MEDIA, 24 BONVIEW ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MAX STEIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/05/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/16/15.

JAN 22, 29, FEB 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036247600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BASS LEGAL SERVICES, 1847 SCOTT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JUSTIN BASS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/10/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/13/15.

JAN 22, 29, FEB 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036241400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SOLID BUILD CONSTRUCTION; WEST COAST SOUND SOLUTIONS, 98 12TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 941031242. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed WCSS (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 01/09/15.

JAN 22, 29, FEB 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036249200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PIVOT COFFEE, 650 TOWNSEND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ZYNGA INC (DE). 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 01/14/15.

JAN 22, 29, FEB 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036255900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHIBERUS MOTOR & EXPORT, 71 BERTHA LANE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed LIBERUS JIKA & CHINYERE JIKA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/20/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/20/15.

JAN 22, 29, FEB 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036251000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OCTAVIA, 1701 OCTAVIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed KORE RESTAURANT GROUP LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/15/15.

JAN 22, 29, FEB 05, 12, 2015 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-035021700

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: THE HAPPY COLLECTIVE, 158A YUKON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by MICHAEL E. REILLY & AARON KLLC. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/05/13.

JAN 22, 29, FEB 05, 12, 2015 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-035754100

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: BETTER WIRED ELECTRIC, 258 EUREKA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed

by JOSHUA FROST & JAMES FROST. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/01/14.

JAN 22, 29, FEB 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036269500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO KOOKIES, 421 KIRKHAM ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RAYMOND CHIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/27/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/27/15.

JAN 29, FEB 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036265500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: YONG FA, 5151 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112.

This business is conducted by an individual and is signed CAN QUAN ZHOU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/23/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/23/15.

JAN 29, FEB 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036265600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SIAM ORCHID THAI MASSAGE, 39 POLK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MONTAKARN PHUKAB. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/23/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/23/15.

JAN 29, FEB 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036265000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TIGER N PEPPER, 424 STAPLES AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHARLESIE YONN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/23/15.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/23/15.

JAN 29, FEB 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036268000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RYDAIRE GAMES; RYDAIRE; 227 NINTH ST #44, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed CLAIRE TANG & RYDER BRIGHT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/09/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: N AND N PROPERTIES, 2227 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed GEORGE NEWHALL & ELIZABETH WINTER NICHOLS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/09/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CAMER1, 21 COLUMBIA SQ, #214, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CAMERON MOBERG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/15.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/26/15.

JAN 15, 22, 29, FEB 05, 2015

JAN 22, 29, FEB 05, 12, 2015

JAN 29, FEB 05, 12, 19, 2015

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

February 5-11, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 15

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036258000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SILVER COMPUTERS, 6835 GEARY BLVD, #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EUGENE ABEZGAUZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/20/15.

JAN 29, FEB 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036233900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GUERRA CONSIGLIERI, 60 RAUSCH ST, #208, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JASMIN BARRAZA-GUERRA. 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 01/07/15.

JAN 29, FEB 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036238700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COOKIE LOVE, 1488 PINE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ERIKA ANN OLSON. 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 01/08/15.

JAN 29, FEB 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036257800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FLOWERS INDEED! 510 LANSDALE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GREGORY CANNON LUM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/20/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/20/15.

JAN 29, FEB 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036263800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ZILK STUDIO, 3833 LAWTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual and is signed ZARISHEILI ORTEGA MELENDEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/22/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/22/15.

JAN 29, FEB 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036261500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TYCOON CAFE & RESTAURANT, 620 O’FARRELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ANCHALEE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/21/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/21/15.

JAN 29, FEB 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036263000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JWDESIGNCO, 475 CONNECTICUT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed JULIE WERTZ DESIGN CO., LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/22/15.

JAN 29, FEB 05, 12, 19, 2015

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036282100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SOULWORKS, 2920 WEBSTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARISAN FUNK. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/29/15.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/30/15.

FEB 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036229800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MREMBO KINGDOM MK, 5532 FULTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOHN TREMEROLI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/05/2015. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/05/15.

FEB 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036281200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VRIHEAS PROPERTY MANAGEMENT; MVELECTRIC, 467 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NICHOLAS M. VRIHEAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/91. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/30/15.

FEB 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036270700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JSERVICES99, 1336 SHAFTER AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JONATHAN MENDOZA ESTRADA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/27/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/27/15.

FEB 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036267600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CALI STAR IMPORTS, 565 GEARY ST #512, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JALIL MAHDI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/26/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/26/15.

FEB 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036276800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PALOMETA, 1139 DIVISADERO ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GAGAN KANWAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/20/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/29/15.

FEB 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036246500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BASS & REINER, 3265 17TH ST #402, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed MARIEL BAYONA; CHRIS GRUNDER; CLEA MASSIANI; EMILY REYNOLDS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/02/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/13/15.

FEB 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015

City and County of San Francisco February 2015 Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF)

The SF Department of Children, Youth, and their Families, the SF Rec & Parks Department, and the San Francisco Unified School District would like to invite the families of San Francisco to the annual San Francisco Summer Resource Fair on Saturday, February 7 from 10am to 2pm at Balboa High School!

The Fair will feature 150 exhibitors with information about summer camps, programs, and other opportunities for children and youth in San Francisco. The Fair is free and open to the public. In addition to the excellent resources provided by the exhibitors, the Rec & Park Department’s Mobile Rec Team will conduct lots fun activities in Balboa High’s courtyard, the Bookmobile will be on hand, and three Off the Grid trucks will be selling delicious food.

We hope to see you and your family at the Fair!

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, please call (415) 575-5788.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

San Francisco Housing Authority

REQUEST FOR QUOTES AS NEEDED LEAD BASED PAINT, MOLD, AND ASBESTOS CONTRACTOR SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS Solicitation No.: 14-620-QTE-0023-B The San Francisco Housing Authority will receive sealed quotes for as needed hazardous material, abatement contractor services at San Francisco Housing Developments. Scope of work requires an asbestos, mold, and lead based paint abatement worker and supervisor.

Responses are due Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 1815 Egbert Ave., San Francisco, at 2:00 P.M. Download solicitation at: planroom@ebidboard.com or http://mission.sfgov.org/OCABid publication/ For download questions, please contact Ms. Brenda Moore at (415) 715-3170, email moorebr@sfha.org. For technical questions, please contact Project Manager, Andrew Passell at (415) 715-3213, email passella@sfha.org

Board of Supervisors Regularly Scheduled Board Meetings February and March

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – Come see your San Francisco government in action.

Tuesdays, 2:00 p.m., City Hall Chamber, Room 250. · February 3 · February 10 · February 24

· March 3 · March 10 · March 17

· March 24 · March 31

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHEESEPUD, 2154 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed NXT GROUP LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/27/15.

FEB 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-032656300

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: PACIFIC VIEW CLEANERS, 6907 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by SUPPAKIT MANEEROJ. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/23/10.

FEB 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015

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Vol. 45 • No. 6 • February 5-11, 2015

www.ebar.com/arts

Exploring the heart & soul of

Anthony Wayne wrote and stars in Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical at Brava Theater Center.

S

ylvester

by Richard Dodds

I

t seemed pretty fabulous at the time. Anthony Wayne, fresh in New York from his native Virginia with a music-theater degree in his pocket, quickly landed his first role. Many more jobs followed, in tours, regional theater, and Broadway, but it began to seem that “ensemble” too often followed his name in theater programs.

See page 26 >>

Joan Marcus

S& unearthly upernatural beings beauty

San Francisco Ballet dancers Maria Kochetkova and Vitor Luiz in George Balanchine’s Serenade.

by Paul Parish

S

an Francisco Ballet opened their season last week with two programs that are both fantastic evenings of dance. Both shows continue, alternating, into early next week. Go if you can. The cheaper seats upstairs will be well worth the price, since both Giselle (Program 2) and Serenade (the opener of Program 1) look magical from above, where the shifting patterns of the dancers open up into full bloom and actually gain in power from the bird’s-eye view.

See page 26 >>

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

Erik Tomasson

<< Out There

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 5-11, 2015

Life with Bertie Wooster

by Roberto Friedman

I

t was with some trepidation that we picked up Jeeves and the Wedding Bells (St. Martin’s Griffin), called both “A New Jeeves and Wooster Novel” and “An Homage to P.G. Wodehouse by Sebastian Faulks” on the cover of its new paperback edition. Whatho, old boy? (This is Wodehousian for “Sup, dawg?”) I say! Author P.G. “Plum” Wodehouse has been dead lo these many years. Isn’t it playing with dynamite to attempt to recreate the old Wooster magic on the page?

But the imposter Faulks has the Wodehouse lingo and sly sense of humor down pat. “Little did I know,” he writes in the voice of Bertie Wooster, “as I set fire to an after-breakfast gasper in the cottage garden, what the lead-filled sock of fate had in store for me.” As usual, love complicates. “At this moment, Georgina took my hand in hers.

My heart, already skipping the odd one from the prolonged eye contact, now began to beat the sort of rhythm you hear in the Congo before the missionary gets lobbed into the bouillon.”

Plum’s classic comic novels – Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves; The Code of the Woosters; Aunts Aren’t Gentlemen, etc. – are nothing but pleasure to peruse. Still, upon reflection, their politics weren’t very good. True, the cast of lords and ladies could be daffy dimwits and boorish battleaxes, but in the end the class system is firmly upheld as the natural order of things. Jeeves, quite the superior intellect, defers to his young master Bertie, a total buffoon. Now that the US is becoming more and more a feudal society – it’s the upper class

t

vs. everybody else – should we really be celebrating the 1%?

In the circs, chappies, it’s important to have a good laugh. And Faulks, doing his best Wodehouse, more than supplies the chucks. “Farmer Niblett turned out to be a fine specimen of west country manhood, his face, neck and arms tanned to the colour of a ripe cobnut.” You won’t get a description like that outside of Wodehouse, or faux Wodehouse.

Teen trauma

Alice + Freda Forever – A Murder in Memphis by Alexis Coe (Pulp) is a thorough account of a true story from Memphis in 1892, when 19-year-old Alice Mitchell, thwarted in her plans to pass as a man and marry her 17-year-old true love Freda Ward, stole her father’s razor and set off to slash her lover’s throat in broad daylight. She succeeded.

It’s all pretty shocking stuff, and it’s illustrated with recreations of love letters (discovered, the impetus for keeping the two teenagers apart), maps, courtroom scenes and historical documents. Coe, a research curator at the New York Public Library, did her homework and includes an appendix of letters, a bibliography, footnotes and a helpful index. Newspaper accounts give a window into turn-of-the-century America: early headlines emphasized “how confounding the very idea of same-sex love was in the first place. Reporters relied heavily on words like ‘unnatural,’ ‘strange’ and ‘perverted.’” The murderess was diagnosed with “erotomania,” declared insane, and locked away in an asylum, where she died a few years later. It’s a tragic tale, but told in a captivating way.

Antiquarian riches

Sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), the 48th California International Antiquarian Book Fair takes place this weekend (Feb. 6-8) at the Oakland Marriott City Center. The three-day event is the world’s largest antiquarian book fair, with nearly 200 booksellers from the US and around the globe.

On offer is a rich selection of books, manuscripts, maps and other printed materials, including incunabula (the earliest printed materials), literature from all centuries and nationalities, fine bindings, children’s and illustrated books, ephemera,

and antiquarian books on dozens of topics. Two items caught Out There’s discriminating eye.

The First English Sex Manual, from 1684: “Entitled Aristotle’s Masterpiece, although not written

by Aristotle or a masterpiece, this 17th-century primer provides practical advice on copulation, conception, pregnancy and birth. Needless to say, this was an extremely popular book in its time, going through more than 100 editions over two centuries.

While not intended as pornography, the graphic nature of the book caused it to be printed and sold under the table. One wonders how many teenaged English boys kept a copy hidden under their bed!” (from Jeremy Norman, HistoryofScience.

com, Booth 809, $65,000) An Overdue Bar Tab Invoice for Jimi Hendrix, from 1969: “Even the world’s greatest rock guitarist can forget to pay his tab once in a while.

Hendrix spent a Halloween evening at The Scene nightclub in New York in 1969, and apparently skipped out on his tab. The invoice for $44.25 is from owner Steve Paul, stating that ‘The Scene needs the money badly. Your beverage tab is Past Due.’ Hopefully, he left a tip!” (from Schubertiade Music & Arts LLC, Booth 106, $1,200) Remember: “There’s more to life than books, you know, but not much more.” – Morrissey. More info on the fair can be found at cabookfair.com and abaa.org.t

Dark shadows

by Ernie Alderete

I

absolutely love this British import, out on DVD & Blu-ray. The Fall is not like any other television series I’ve ever seen; it’s more like one continuous movie. Each episode blends into the next, and all of the characters in seasons one

and two are seemingly in every episode, rather than the more typical format of different guest stars in each episode.

Gillian Anderson is superb as lead investigator Stella Gibson. Her English accent threw me at first. I know she’s an American, but she puts on a very good impression as a Brit. She’s the only American in the choice cast.

Season 2 just became available on Netflix on Jan. 16, and I finished the whole season in one night.

One scene in the second season knocked me out of my chair. Gibson went to the powder room, leaving her East Indian forensics partner alone in a booth at a bar. When she returned, a handsome straight guy was making his moves on her partner. As Gibson, Anderson swooped in and tongue-kissed her partner as if they were lesbian lovers! The guy was holding two margaritas, one for her partner and one for him. Anderson smoothly snatched the drinks from his hands and thanked him: “Keep them coming!” The stunned lothario responded, “But I’m not the waiter!” To which Anderson coolly responded, “Then why are you standing there?”

Was it just a clever move to deflate the unwelcome advance, or are they really a lesbian couple? There is a strong bond between the two women. How strong and deep a bond has yet to be revealed.

Stunning Ulster native Jamie Dornan is wonderful as the glamorous

and sexy serial killer Paul Spector.

There are plenty of scenes of him almost completely nude. Dornan and Anderson share the DVD cover.

The series is set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the UK, and explores some very dark sexual themes that might unsettle some people. The series is exquisitely filmed, with many gorgeous scenes of Ireland as a backdrop. It is shot on location, but I would not have recognized Northern Ireland if I hadn’t been told that was what I was looking at. The program has nothing to do with the sectarian conflicts we associate with the region.

I am tempted to compare The Fall to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, but The Fall is so much more sophisticated and complex that the older series pales in comparison. It delves much more deeply into the criminal psyche, and into the lives of all the players, including the police.t

t

Theatre>>

February 5-11, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

Vagabond women visit A-list gays

by Richard Dodds

T

he jokes in Harbor practically have air-quotes around them.

And when jokes are signaled to this extent, inclinations toward laughter become quashed. “You make Charles Nelson Reilly look like the Marlboro man,” says a pothead sister to her gay brother who has married well. The sister’s teenage daughter says of her mother’s succession of boyfriends, “I’ve seen so many assholes I could be a proctologist.” And when the sister announces she is pregnant with a who’s-the-daddy baby, her swanky brother-in-law rants against the tyranny of breeders’ double-wide prams on sidewalks – a moldy-oldie jape – arguing that one of the benefits of being gay is freedom from children, which he places on a par with a “really great taste in window treatments.”

In Chad Beguelin’s comedy, the worlds of straight white trash and gay upper class can collide with sitcom predictability as gay stereotypes are reinforced in the we-can-now-laughat-ourselves ways of Will & Grace, Modern Family and, more specifically for those who didn’t blink, The New Normal. But the play, now at New Conservatory Theatre Center, is willing to veer from its laugh track to

and they do so with skill and head into some darker family passion, but with a bit of a drama. While the authenticflouncy veneer that is no lonity of these confrontations can ger a necessary accent to mine also feel forced, they do prohumor of gay characters. As vide a contrast to the steady ne’er-do-well sister Donna, beat of wisecracks that can too Terri Whipple offers an edgy often miss the bull’s-eye. performance that is conDirector Ed Decker’s prostantly throwing off sparks, in duction for NCTC seems a addition to a stream of inapreasonable rendering of the propriate comments. material, and the perforDevin Kasper’s living-room mances range from good to set is reasonably handsome, if excellent. It is the youngest not quite up to the visions the cast member who falls into characters evoke of Ted and that latter category, as high Kevin’s home, and it is unforschool sophomore Jenna Herz tunately dominated by what brings a canny maturity to the could be a schoolroom blackrole of Lottie, who lives with board where a center-stage her vagabond mother in a van, picture window would be. It’s and has the keenest take on actually a scrim that becomes the grownup absurdities sursemi-transparent for several rounding her. Donna and Lotscenes that are gauzily played tie’s latest road trip takes them Lois Tema behind it, but is otherwise a to Sag Harbor – or Fag Harbig black blank that domibor, as Donna puts it – where A married gay couple (Scott Cox and Andrew Nance) throw a bumpy birthday party nates the space. If we’re going the pair pays a surprise visit on during an unexpected visit from relatives (Terri Whipple and Jenna Herz) in Harbor at New Conservatory Theatre Center. to spend an uneven evening Donna’s horrified brother. on Sag Harbor, we should at Kevin has heretofore kept of vague duration at first upsets the agree to adopt Donna’s forthcomleast have a view.t his troubled family history at household’s carefully groomed rouing baby. The outcome is one of the a remove from husband Ted, a hightines, but this is nothing compred to play’s more unpredictable – if emostyle architect who has humored the Harbor will run at New Conserthe resulting turmoil when Donna tionally unsatisfying – scenarios. unemployed Kevin’s self-declared vatory Theatre Center through March 1. Tickets are $25-$45, Call suggests that Kevin’s shallow life will Scott Cox and Andrew Nance status as an aspiring novelist. The ar861-8972 or go to nctcsf.org. find meaning if he and his husband respectively play Kevin and Ted, rival of Donna and Lottie for a visit

Family ties & binds

by Richard Dodds

T

here is a popular BBC series, and a less-popular American copy, titled Who Do You Think You Are? that solicits celebrities for exhaustive genealogy explorations that end with big “reveals” and the celebrity in tears. It’s a concept that combines exhibitionism, voyeurism, and exploitation, and it seems madness to me to put oneself through this kind of public spectacle. But take away the showbiz trappings, celebrity baggage, and predictable outcomes, and you might end up with a surprising family portrait like Julie Hebert’s Tree now at San Francisco Playhouse.

The play at first seems to smack of predictability, but that is deceptive, with tables turning right up to the end. Tree opens with a Louisiana woman arriving in Chicago (apparently by pirogue, more on that later) carrying a suitcase full of epistolary family skeletons. Following the death of her father, a bitter Southern bigot, she’s knocking at the door of a black family to share her discovery of shared lineage. The man who answers the door passionlessly accepts that she’s his half-sister, but has no interest in developing any sort of familial bond. And he is adamantly

opposed to letting this woman speak with his ailing, addled mother, who had a forbidden relationship with the woman’s father before he married a white woman and had the daughter who is now forcing her way into their lives.

Leo is a divorced steakhouse chef, and his widowed mother was once a schoolteacher. He is suspicious of Didi’s intentions, and Didi doesn’t seem at all sure of what they are, either. “Your father was a sad footnote in my mother’s otherwise dignified life,” says Leo, who is sure Didi is a lesbian – not that there is anything wrong with that. But intentions come into focus and family trees need to be transplanted as Hebert peels away the mysteries in scenes that seldom go where you expect, but feel unnervingly true when they arrive at their actual destinations.

Jon Tracy directs the play with a steady, knowing hand as emotions head back to the top of a rollercoaster just when you think they are in a straightaway. Nina Ball’s set made up of a vast array of brown-paper packages tied up with string and strewn with love letters is an impressive sight, though the aforementioned pirogue at the center of the stage apron is an odd contrivance meant to evoke the Louisiana bay-

ous, as Didi is in it when she arrives in Chicago, and repairs there when she’s not in a scene, as if it were an amphibious Motel 6. It’s also an obstacle for other cast members who must step over it as if it didn’t exist.

The cast, however, is quite wonderful. Carl Lumbly plays Leo with an intense resignation disguising a disappointing life. Susi Damilano is both a sweet-talking Southern gal

and a possessed hellion determined to tear her way to the truth. As Leo’s largely bedridden mother, Cathleen Riddley has the most demanding and daring role, as she careens from sweet lucidity to a foul-mouthed, pistol-packin’ mama. Tristan Cunningham brightly completes the cast as Leo’s easy-going daughter.

Tree at first wants you to think it is a play about race relations, when

it is really about relationships that go beyond race. Louisiana native Hebert was a San Francisco playwright years ago, before finding steady work as a television writer.

It’s good to have her back.t Tree will run at San Francisco Playhouse through March 3. Tickets are $20-$120. Call 677-9596 or go to sfplayhouse.org.

WAYNE BRADY

LESLIE JORDAN

LEA SALONGA

February 6 - 8

March 26 - March 28

April 2 - April 4

For tickets:www.feinsteinssf.com Jessica Palopoli

Susi Damilano plays a Southern woman who unnerves a half-brother, played by Carl Lumbly, with their father’s recently discovered letters, in Tree at San Francisco Playhouse.

Feinstein’s | Hotel Nikko San Francisco 222 Mason Street 855-MF-NIKKO | 855-636-4556

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<< Film

20 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 5-11, 2015

Independent visions on the big screen

t

by David Lamble

I

’ve called it “our Sundance,” but perhaps the best reason to attend the 17th SF Independent Film Festival, or SF IndieFest, is the fair assumption that the films screened here will be difficult or impossible to view ever again in a big-screen movie venue (Feb. 5-19). Those venues are SF’s Roxie Theater (3117 16th St., SF), Brava Theater (2781 24th St.), Women’s Building (3543 18th St.), Grand Theater (2665 Mission St.), 518 Gallery (518 Valencia) and Oakland’s Humanist Hall (390 27th St.). Same-day tickets are available only at each individual venue.

The Cult of JT LeRoy Marjorie Sturm’s fascinating, debunking doc begins with a text crawl: “JT LeRoy was born in West Virginia in 1980.

When he was 13, his mother took him on a road trip across America. She abandoned him when they reached San Francisco, and JT descended into a life of prostitution and drugs.”

Later and not too much later at that, JT LeRoy would be traveling with a pretty hip crowd as the wildly acclaimed author of three volumes, including a critically praised shortstory collection, the all-too-aptly titled The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things, later adapted by Asia Argento into a star-studded indie film that would play the Castro Theatre in 2006. Turns out all the hype was a big lie. The real story behind JT LeRoy is in some ways even more fabulous, if your definition of fabulous carries with it a degree of comic cynicism worthy of a latterday W.C. Fields (You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man).

Sturm devotes 90 minutes to what might labeled “survivors’ testimony,” the accounts of book-world gatekeepers who claim to have been fooled by the soothing lies spun by a cagey author hungry for fame, Laura Alpert. In a film that could be subtitled It’s Not Nice To Fool [NPR star book-chat host] Terry Gross, all bets are off as we learn to what lengths some people will go to grab their 15 minutes of fame. (Roxie, 2/7, 8, 15)

SFIndieFest

Scene from director Marjorie Sturm’s The Cult of JT LeRoy.

All Contained in Void During a second adolescence more or less blissfully spent in Houston, I was briefly hooked on a Pacifica Radio program, Techie Time, whose nerdy producers specialized in recording ambient sounds like the special thump-thump produced by cars crossing “Space City” freeway overpasses. Whit Missildine’s Void is an oddly constructed but entertaining tour through today’s visual equivalent: the little patches of mostly vacant land cropping up in and around our nation’s web of highspeed roadways. Missildine talks to some of this bizarre world’s dogged denizens who, among other attributes, are seemingly immune to the toxic side-effects of auto exhaust.

Like many such efforts, Void’s trips through California freeway “dead zones” have an overall hypnotic effect on the viewer. The film includes chats with KALW Radio’s Roman Mars, host of the podcast 99% Invisible, and Burning Man co-founder John Law. (Roxie, 2/14, 17) Why I’m Not on Facebook Doc-maker Brant Pinvidic drags his more digitally astute kids into his meandering 78-minute philosophical probe about the plusses and minuses of online networking.

Pinvidic does make a good point that if you’re not addicted to sexting or keeping up with “friends” you’ve

SFIndieFest

Scene from director Whit Missildine’s All Contained in Void.

SFIndieFest

Scene from director Brant Pinvidic’s Why I’m Not on Facebook.

never actually met, the whole Internet craze can seem as useless as a bygone dance fad. Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg makes an amusing guest appearance. (Roxie 2/7, 8) Beyond Clueless As a critic of films devoted to the proposition that our “boyhoods” need never end, I got a lovely rush from UK filmmaker Charlie Lyne’s 89-minute clip trip through 200 or so teenthemed dramas that are mostly critic-proof. As a survivor of an earlier era when one’s teen identity wasn’t so ruthlessly tied to categories like jock, nerd, freak, geek, girly-boy, etc., I possess a faux nostalgia for those who survived modern teendom. Here, cult film star Fairuza Balk is our narrator as we whiplash

by the horrors of life before we became legal.

Lyne should get credit for investing his clip reel with a sinister intensity that many of these works, viewed in full, usually lack. To a onetime fan of the hit teen TV soap Dawson’s Creek, it was a gas to see its actors morphing into creatures as scary as Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi were for my mom’s generation.

Lyne has a particularly good time slicing and dicing the teen suddendeath horror flick Final Destination, featuring teen-horror heartthrobs Devon Sawa and Kerr Smith. These guys were already a little long in the tooth before reaching their own peculiar brand of teen icon status, which makes the whole post-WB

Network necrophiliac exercise allthe-more juicy. (Roxie, 2/14, 19; Humanist Hall, 2/7) Free Unscreened but promising due to its subject mater: Bay Area filmmakers David Collier and Suzanne LaFetra spotlight Oakland teens overcoming HIV, abuse, urban gangs and poverty. (Roxie, 2/8, 14; Humanist Hall, 2/7) Sex and Broadcasting There’s no college experience that keeps on giving quite so wonderfully as time spent running one’s school radio station. Having devoted two life cycles to stations as diverse and geographically discrete as Long Island’s Hofstra FM outlet WVHC and Cal Berkeley’s KALX, I look forward to Tim K. Smith’s account of the travails of Ken Freedman as he navigated WFMU through the dangerous waters of listener sponsorship and terminally hip programming, with all their potential for financial ruin and culturally ruinous censorship. You haven’t lived until you’ve endured years of on-air “panhandling” and the quietly heroic task of keeping your star DJs just this side of FCC legal. And there’s the philosophical debate about who really owns the airwaves, non-commercial frequencies that were often the birthplaces of ideas like queer radio. (Roxie, 2/14, 15; Humanist Hall, 2/8)t Info: sfindie.com.

Sisterhood is powerful

by Erin Blackwell

I

f anyone needs reminding that the 1960s and 70s were a different country, there’s a new documentary called She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry that evokes some of the fervor of the early Women’s Liberation Movement in this country, 1966-71.

The middle class was alive and well.

White men were taken seriously.

White women hadn’t yet bonded in consciousness-raising groups. Lesbians, insofar as they could be said to exist, did not yet have a movement of their own. The movement’s war cry, “The personal is the political,” hadn’t been reduced to a catchphrase to be mocked. This was the last great revolutionary period before the present day. For a rambling refresher course, the film opens at Opera Plaza on Friday, February 6.

Things feel so different now. People in this country seem terrified to speak or think about anything other than commercial products they’ve been conditioned to want to own. No one has the free time to design pickets or posters, nor the wherewithal to read philosophy. As a people, we are less educated, more overworked, earn less, enslaved to technical gadgets we never used to need, spying on one another on Facebook, in thrall to fears of something called “terrorism,” running out of water and oil, unable to pay for health care, in debt up to our eyeballs due to mammoth

military spending that is never questioned, fighting unwinnable wars for reasons we can’t explain to ourselves.

And of course we now have the NSA scrutinizing every txt.

The women in the archival footage and talking heads compiled by director Mary Dore come from a more prosperous, confident, trusting, open-hearted, free, and joyous era. Middle-class American women in cities in the late 60s had the energy and enthusiasm to try to smash a system of male privilege that had held since, arguably, the Dawn of Time. Feminists were angry, and their anger was righteous, because sexual discrimination was real, and many or most of their issues are still timely. Like the fundamental right to a free, safe, uncontroversial abortion. And yet it’s hard to imagine so widespread a movement of civil disobedience getting off the ground today. Americans have lost many of the habits, aspirations, and drives that made such radical political community-building possible.

She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry works as nostalgia for a generation of women who came of age as activists, and their beneficiaries. The film is also a loose-weave herstory lesson and Introduction to Feminism 101, although it makes no attempt to be definitive, and is often hard to follow as it shifts from city to city, anecdote to anecdote, without a clear path forward. Five minutes

of its 90-minute running time are devoted to “the lavender menace,” as lesbians were labeled, an insult they famously turned into a badge of honor. Five minutes might be an accurate reflection of the attention paid to lesbians by the early heterosexist feminist movement, but it can’t be a true record of our contributions. Many straight women have never forgiven lesbians for existing at all, let alone insisting on making their existence, expertise, and prowess an issue of public debate.

“A lesbian is the rage of all women condensed to the point of explosion,” is the opening line of “The Woman-Identified Woman,” a 1970 lesbian-feminist position paper.

This beautiful verity is quoted but not elaborated on. She’s Beautiful fails repeatedly to elucidate feminist theory, or to identify the intellectuals who fired the movement. The film is more interested in the social phenomenon of women’s response to the news their woes weren’t personal, but political. Most egregious is the failure to mention French existentialist Simone de Beauvoir.

Her widely translated, read, shared, discussed, misquoted, paraphrased, and stolen-from Bible of women’s liberation, The Second Sex (1949), analyzed patriarchy to its everlasting detriment from every possible angle. It’s still a riveting read.

Feminism is today considered a thing of the past by the people still

Courtesy International Film Circuit

Scene from She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry.

Diana Davies, Courtesy International Film Circuit

Scene from She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry.

most threatened by it. Unfortunately, this view is often shared by women with the most to gain from collective action. She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry, however feeble, might act as a wake-up call for a younger generation. I’d love to see a six-part series on the history of feminism that doesn’t stop at 1971, doesn’t shy from the nitty-gritty of

radical feminist theory, and tells the story of the het-dyke divide in a way that promotes healing. This would be a project for a major producing entity like HBO, Showtime, or Netflix. Surely there are dashing young women out there willing to take on a daunting journalistic task that would earn the lasting gratitude of the Sisterhood.t

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Music>>

February 5-11, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 21

Easily assimilated: ‘Candide’ returns

by Philip Campbell

L

amplighters Music Theatre, the beloved Bay Area troupe bestknown for traditional productions of Gilbert & Sullivan, is currently staging the Royal National Theatre version of Leonard Bernstein’s fabulous operetta Candide. Altogether darker, more bitter and convoluted than even the looniest of W.S. Gilbert’s librettos, the book for the Broadway and Opera House version of Voltaire’s trenchant little satire has been tortuously morphing in pursuit of a definitive edition for close to 60 years now.

Lillian Hellman’s words (yes, that Lillian Hellman) were originally thought too serious and heavy-handed for Bernstein’s sparkling cascade of melody and poet Richard Wilbur’s cunningly clever lyrics. A revival in the mid-1970s went for lower humor and naughtier sight-gags, with a new book by Hugh Wheeler and some re-tooling and reduced orchestration of the score, adding some new lyrics

by Stephen Sondheim (that’s right, that Stephen Sondheim). Director Hal Prince’s wildly cut and dumbeddown staging was admittedly entertaining and popular, proving far more successful than the original Broadway run, and the case seemed closed until eight years later.

Prince changed his vision of the show and opted for an expanded two-act script of Wheeler’s originally intermission-less book, and restored most of the glorious music discarded for his pocket “Chelsea version.” The attempt provided a more satisfying musical experience and theatrical spectacle for the now-defunct New York City Opera in 1982. It became the go-to edition until the Scots got it in their heads to make some sense of the whole beautiful mess in 1988, with a big, plumped-up, opera-house take on w/Lizz Wright, Nona Hendryx, the library of material.

Ingrid Tia Fuller A littleJensen, over a decade later, the & Helen Brits at theSung Royal National Theatre got their own say, with a book adapted from Voltaire by Hugh Wheeler in a new version by John Caird with most of the lyrics by Richard Wilbur, adding Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Dorothy Parker and Lillian Hellman back into the mix.

Get it? Got it? Good! Because that’s what the Lamplighters are working with in the latest display of what is arguably the best of all possible versions, now playing through Feb. 22 at Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, and ending up at Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. The show is still way too long, and some of the extended dialogue and exposition remains ponderous and excessive, but the unfussy narration of Baker Peeples, doubling as Voltaire and orchestra conductor, helps speed the pace, and the cast is pleasingly up to the task of navigating Bernstein’s wonderful score.

Unexpectedly, the orchestra on the first Saturday night of the opening at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, was raggedy and uncertain from the very start of that famous Overture, but the instrumental performance improved markedly afterwards. Even if a lot of Stage Director Phil Lowery’s overly detailed traffic control got annoyingly in the way, Bernstein’s marvelous pastiche got the typically deluxe Lamplighters treatment.

The leading female roles are understandably double-cast for the production, and I was lucky to see San Francisco Conservatory of Music alum Amy Foote in her third major Lamplighters role as the vain and clueless Cunegonde. Foote’s acting and pitch-perfect singing set the seal on an utterly adorable and comically amusing performance.

Another personal favorite from

David Allen, Joanne Kay

Amy Foote as Cunegonde (double cast with Jennifer Ashworth) and Sam Faustine as Candide in Lamplighters’ Candide.

Lamplighters repertory, Deborah Rosengaus nailed it in another part (Old Woman) that is actually too old for her. Her rich singing voice and funny accent turned “I Am Easily Assimilated” into the night’s biggest show-stopper, and I couldn’t wait to see what she would come up with each time she appeared. The hilarious monologue describing the saga culminating in her loss of one

buttock earned a spontaneous and deserved round of applause.

Samuel Faustine plays Candide, and we know his capabilities from the recent Pirates of Penzance. He has an innocence that is ideally suited for the role, and his singing voice is pure and ingratiating. He suffered at times from an excessively “golly, shucks” sort of body movement, but when he grew (as the character

does) to a mature understanding and acceptance of the world’s craziness, we felt convinced by his transformation.

Rick Williams as the optimist Doctor Pangloss took his assignment with the air of a seasoned veteran, and his subtlety was appreciated when so much hamming was being allowed elsewhere.

Supporting roles were well-cast

and executed from the ranks of the company, with Ben Brady making a strong impression as the anti-Pangloss Martin, and Michele Schroeder triumphing over a ridiculously unnecessary speech about sex-workers’ rights in the second act, and managing to keep the fun in her politically incorrect role as the pert and willing serving-wench Paquette. Phil Wong made his Lamplighters debut in an earnest, endearing and well-sung portrayal of Candide’s affably malleable friend Cacambo.

The Ensemble/Comprimarii (that’s what they are called in the program) may be too numerous to mention, but they constitute what makes the company so strong. Individually accomplished and thoroughly engaged, their contributions kept our attention, even during some stretches of what seemed to be endless explanation. The semistaged “jewel box” approach helps to streamline the proceedings, and as always, the costumes by Melissa Wortman are sumptuously realized.

We may never really see the perfect production of Candide, but it is encouraging to know that the Lamplighters agree it is the Holy Grail of Broadway legends, still worthy of endless interpretation and audience interest.t

“One of the most perfect performance spaces ever.”

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Out &About

O&A

22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 5-11, 2015

Sat 7 Megan Hilty

Weekly wonders

by Jim Provenzano

S

o many captivating aritsts, on stage, in music halls, galleries; frankly, we’re a bit overwhelmed. But take your time, pick a few, and treat yourself!

Thu 5 Early Shaker Spirituals @ Z Space The Wooster Group (NY famed theatre ensemble, including actress Frances McDormand) performs their bare-bones stage Record Album Interpretation of the historic anthropological album of Shakers music, singing and dancing. $50. 7pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sat 2pm, Sun 5pm. Thru Feb. 8. 450 Florida St. (866) 811-4111. www.Zspace.org

Haiku Tunnel @ The Marsh Josh Kornbluth returns with his acclaimed solo show about being a temp worker in a local law office. $20$100. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru Feb. 7. 10162 Valencia St. 282-3055. themarsh.org

Jean Conner @ Gallery Paule Anglim The prolific artist’s exhibit of whimsical collage art from the 1960s to the present. Reg hours Tue-Fri 10am-5:30pm. Sat 10:30am-5pm.

Thru Feb. 7. 14 Geary St. 433-2710. www.gallerypauleanglim.com

Queers Against Gentrification @ GLBT History Museum Panel discussion about the economic and housing changes in SF, with Tommi Avicolli Mecca, San Francisco Housing Rights Committee, and Christina Hanhardt, associate professor, University of Maryland.

7pm. Also, Feb. 8, Red Envelope Giving Circle, awards and party for local philanthropists; 5pm-7pm.

New and mini-exhibits ( Queer Past Becomes Present) as well. Free (members)-$5. Reg hours: Mon, WedSat 11am-7pm. Sun 12pm-5pm. 4127 18th St. 621-1107. www.glbthistory.org

Rabbit Hole @ Exit Studio The new local theatre company performs David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about a family torn apart by a life-shattering accident. $20. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru Feb. 7. 156 Eddy St. at Taylor. www.ArtistsRepSF.org

The veteran indie rock singersongwriter (The Commotions) performs with his band. $25, 50 with dinner. 8pm. 859 O’Farrell St. at Larkin.

885-0750. www.slimspresents.com

Lucinda Williams @ The Fillmore The veteran rocker performs with The Kenneth Brian Band. $40. 8pm. 1805 Geary Blvd. at Fillmore. 346-6000. www.thefillmore.com

Tue 10 Röbi Rapp & Ernst Ostertag copyright © Siggi Bucher (Switzerland)

New and Classic Films @ Castro Theatre

Robert Altman Films @ YBCA

Feb 5-8: Sketchfest comedy events.

Feb. 8: Psycho II (7:30) and Body Snatchers (9:35). Feb. 10 & 11: Interstellar in 70mm. (5pm, 8pm).

Feb. 12: Pacific Heights (7pm) and Beetlejuice (9pm). Most tickets $11.

429 Castro St. castrotheatre.com

New documentaries and rarities by/ about the innovative film director.

Free/$10. Altman by Ron Mann, Feb 5 7:30pm and Feb 8, 2pm. Other films thru Feb. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts screening room, 701 Mission St. www.ybca.org

New Frequencies @ YBCA

Seinabo Sey @ The Chapel

Jazz music mini-festival; Feb. 5, 8pm: Henry Threadgill’s tribute to Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris. Feb 6, 9pm, Satoko Fujii Duo and Rudy Royston 303.

Other performances thru Feb. 7. $15$35. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St. www.ybca.org

The Swedish/West African R&B/pop vocalist performs live. $18. 9pm. 777 Valencia St. www.seinabosey.com www.thechapelsf.com

Lucinda Williams @ The Fillmore The veteran rocker performs with The Kenneth Brian Band. $40. 8pm. Also Feb. 5. 1805 Geary Blvd. at Fillmore.

346-6000. www.thefillmore.com

The Pianist of Willesden Lane @ Berkeley Rep Mona Gobalek returns in Hershey Felder’s acclaimed solo music drama (based on Golabek and Lee Cohen’s book) about a young Jewish musician in 1938 Vienna and wartime London. $41-$89. Tue, Thu-Sat 7pm. Wed & Sun 7pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru Feb 22. Roda Theatre, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 647-2949. www.BerkeleyRep.org

Student & Faculty Concerts @ SF Conservatory of Music

Into the Cole @ The Marsh, Berkeley

Fool La La! @ The Marsh, Berkeley

Feb. 5, 8pm: Ian Swensen, violin and Elisabeth Reed, cello with Kenneth Slowik, fortepiano. Free. 50 Oak St. 503-6322. www.sfcm.edu

Aaron Akins’ one-man show, inspired

by Nat King Cole, includes songs and personal stories telling how the singer influenced the actor-musician’s life. $20-$100. Fri & Sat 8pm. Thru Feb 7.

2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Unique Derique’s holiday clowning show’s fun for kids and adults alike. $15-$35. Daily 2pm, extended thru Feb 28. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley.

282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Two Gallants @ Three Venues The SF-based blues/rock duo play music from their new/fifth CD, We Are Undone. Golden Drugs opens ($20-$24, 9pm) Feb. 5 at Leo’s Music Club, 5447 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.clubleos.com Also Feb. 6 at The Chapel SF, 777 Valencia St. ($20-$22, 9pm) with Andrew St. James. www. thechapelsf.com Also Feb. 7 at Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell St. ($20-$45, 9pm) with B. Hamilton. www.slimspresents.com www.twogallants.com

Fri 6 Abundance @ Shelton Theatre Pultizer Prize winner Beth Henley’s tenderhearted drama about two 1860s mail order brides in the Old West gets a local production. $38. Thu-Sat 8pm.

Thru Mar. 14. 533 Sutter St. (800) 8383006. sheltontheater.org

The Book Club Play @ Center Repertory, Walnut Creek Karen Zacarias’ comedy about a small book club that gets invaded by a foreign film crew. $33-$58. Tue & Wed 7:30pm. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 2:30pm. Thru Feb. 28. 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. (925) 943-7469. www.CenterRep.org

The Cable Car Nymphomaniac @ Z Below Tony Asaro’s ribald musical comedy about San Francisco legends, including a woman who claimed a bump onboard a cable car led to her sex-obsessive mental disorder. $25$30. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru Feb. 8. 470 Florida. St. www.foggtheatre.org

Cypress Quartet @ Three Venues

Lloyd Cole @ Great American Music Hall

Seven Fingers of the Hand Circus @ Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley The Montreal troupe Les 7 Doigts de la Main perform their unusual eclectic and satirical theatre/dance/ circus show set to contemporary and classical music. $22-$58. Wed-Sat 8pm, Sat 2pm. Thru Feb. 6. Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 642-9988. www.calperformances.org

Shit & Champagne @ Oasis D’Arcy Drollinger’s hilarious nightclub hit, a whitesploitation satire-comedy with action-packed models fighting a drug cartel, returns at the new SoMa nightclub; featuring Matthew Martin. $20-$25. Thu-Sat 7pm. Thru Feb. 14.

298 11th St. at Folsom. www.sfoasis.com

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Scott Wells & Dancers @ ODC Theater The entertaining and very physical local dance company performs premieres and repertory works. $15$25. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 7pm. Thru Feb 8. 3153 17th St. www.odcdance.org

Tree @ SF Playhouse Local production of Julie Hébert’s award-winning drama about race, family and heritage; a Southern white woman arrives at the home of a Black Chicago man, claiming to be his half-sister. $20-$120. Tue-Thu 7pm.

Fri & Sat 8pm. Sat 3pm, Sun 2pm.

Thru March 7. 450 Post St. 677-9596. www.sfplayhouse.org

Tribal & Textile Arts Show @ Festival Pavilion The annual large-scale showcase of works by hundreds of artists working in traditional forms includes clothing, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry and more.

Fri & Sat 11am-7pm. Sun 11am-5pm.

Fort Mason Center, Buchanan St. at Marina Blvd. 750-7656. www.fortmason.org

Wayne Brady @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The multi-talented singer comic actor performs at the upscale intimate cabaret. $75-$90. 8pm. Also Feb 7 & 8 at 7pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com

X’s and O’s (A Football Love Story) @ Berkeley Repertory World premiere of KJ Sanchez’ captivating docudrama about players and rabid fans of football; directed by Tony Taccone. $29-$79. Tue, Thu-Sat 8pm. Wed & Sun 7pm, Sat & Sun 2pm.

Thru March 1. Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 647-2918. www.berkeleyrep.org

The acclaimed local music ensemble performs three works by Beethoven.

Feb 6, 8pm at Maybeck Studio, 1537 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. Feb. 7, 8pm at Kanbar Performing Arts Center, 44 Page St, SF. Feb. 8, 3pm at Palo Alto Women’s Club, 475 Homer Ave. $50.

500-2150. www.cypressquartet.com

Fight the Power @ AAACC Opening reception for photojournalist Jeffrey Blankfort’s exhibit of powerful imagery chronicling African American and Palestinian protests, including iconic images of the Black Panther Party. 6pm; music concert at 7pm. Thru Feb. 28. African American Art & Culture Complex, 762 Fulton St. www.aaacc.org

Harbor @ New Conservatory Theatre Center West Coast premiere of Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin’s gay-themed comedy about an East Coast family’s tumultuous conflicts. $25-$45. Thru March 1. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. 25 Van Ness Ave, lower level. 861-8972. www.nctcsf.org

I Am My Own Wife @ Cinnabar Theatre, Petaluma Steven Abbott portrays 32 characters in Dough Wright’s Pulitzer and Tony award-winning play about a “deviant” German who survived the Nazi and Communist regimes. Fri & Sat 8pm.

Sun 2pm. Thru Feb 22. 3333 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma. (707) 7638920. www.cinnabartheater.org

Indian Ink @ Geary Theatre American Conservatory Theatre presents a new production of Tom Stoppard’s drama about a 1930s poet, her relationship an Indian artist, and their descendants’ search for truths about her life. $20-$120. Tue 7pm.

Wed-Sat 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Also Sun 7pm. Thru Feb. 8. 415 Geary St. 749-2228. www.act-sf.org

Hostel Comedy @ Piano Fight Andrew Roberts’ weekly comedy show with visiting comics and backpacking tourists telling funny stories. Free. 7pm. Thru April 25. 144 Taylor St. www.pianofight.com

Imogen Cunningham @ Harvey Milk Photo Center Exhibit of the renowned photographers Paris in the Sixties series. Tue.-Thu. 4pm-8:30pm. Sat & Sun 12pm-4pm. Thru Feb. 28. 50 Scott St. www.harveymilkphotocenter.org

London Grammar @ Fox Theatre, Oakland Brit music trio performs their ethereal soulful melodies, with amazing vocals

by Hannah Reid. Until the Ribbon Breaks opens. $27.50. 8pm. 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 3022250. www.londongrammar.com www.thefoxoakland.com

The Lyons @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Aurora Theatre Company’s production of Nicky Silver’s Broadway hit dramedy about a family forced to gather when one of their own is hospitalized. $35-$60. Tue 7pm. WedSat 8pm. Sun 2pm & 7pm. Thru Mar. 1. 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org

Megan Hilty @ Nourse Theatre The Broadway and TV singing star ( Smash ) performs a benefit concert for three Bay Area charities (Project Open Hand, SF AIDS Foundation, SF Gay Men’s Chorus), with storytelling piano accompanist and host Seth Rudetsky. $50-$100. 8pm. 275 Hayes St. 392-4400. www.cityboxoffice.com

Two-Spirit Powwow @ Cow Palace, Daly City Fourth annual Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit (BAAITS) Powwow for LGBTQ Native Americans and their allies. Dancers performing at 12pm; also Turtle Nation Singers all-women drumming group, Southern Pride drummers/singers, 25 vendors selling food, art, jewelry and more. Free.

10am-6pm. Lower Bays, E & F, 2600 Geneva Ave, Daly City. www.BAAITS.org

The Waiting Period @ The Marsh

Mon 9 Dhaya Lakshminarayanan at Marga Gomez’ Performerama

Sat 7 Ásgeir @ The New Parish, SF Independent The Icelandic folktronica hunk (and collaborator with fave John Grant) performs unique music from his first English album In the Silence; Bhi Bhiman opens. $18-$20. 7:30pm.

18+. Also at the SF Independent, Feb 9. $18. 8pm. 628 Divisadero St. 7711421. www.theindependentsf.com

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. Reg: $25$160. Beer/wine served; cash only; 21+, except where noted. 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd (Green St.). 4214222. beachblanketbabylon.com

Brian Copeland returns with his popular solo show, about the tensions of considering suicide, and waiting for approval to buy a gun. $30-$100.

Saturdays 5pm. Extended thru Mar. 14. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Wilde Chats @ Sweet Inspirations Community Initiative’s weekly informal discussion group at the dessert shop. 10:30am-12pm. 2239 Market St. 621-8664. www.sweetinspirationbakery.com

Sun 8 Abrazo, Queer Tango @ Finnish Brotherhood Hall, Berkeley Enjoy weekly same-sex tango dancing and a potluck, with lessons early in the day. $7-$15. 3:30-6:30pm. 1970 Chestnut St., Berkeley. (510) 8455352. www.finnishhall.com

Aquascapes @ Conservatory of Flowers Fascinating new exhibit of underwater plant sculptures that resemble miniature outdoor English, Asian and classic gardens (thru April 12).

Permanent floral exhibits as well.

Free-$8. Tue-Sun 10am-4pm. Golden Gate Park, 831-2090. www.conservatoryofflowers.org

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Out&About>>

February 5-11, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 23

Fertile Ground @ Oakland Museum Fertile Ground: Art and Community in California (thru April 12). Free/$15.

Reg. hours Wed-Sat 11am-5pm (Fri til 9pm). 1000 Oak St., Oakland. (510) 318-8400. www.museumca.org

Keith Haring: The Political Line @ de Young Museum New exhibit of 130 large-scale paintings, sculptures and retrieved subway drawings by the late great gay graffiti artist who came to global fame. Free-$26-$41. Thru Feb 13.

Other exhibits as well. Tue-Sun 9:30am-5:15pm. Thru Feb. 16. Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. 750-3600. www.famsf.org

The Klipptones @ Neck of the Woods The classy jazz quartet fronted by Josh Klipp performs an afternoon show.

2pm-5pm. 406 Clement St. at 5th Ave. www.klipptones.com www.neckofthewoodssf.com

Roads of Arabia @ Asian Art Museum Roads of Arabia : Archeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (thru Jan. 18); Dual Natures in Ceramics : Eight Contemporary Artists from Korea (thru Feb. 22). Other fascinating exhibits as well. Free (members, kids 12 and under)-$15.

Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. 200 Larkin St. www.asianart.org

Vanessa Bousay @ Martuni’s The drag songstress performs popular musical theatre and pop duets with Steven Satyricon and accompanist Alan Choy. 7pm. 4 Valencia St. 2410205. www.vanessabousay.com

Mon 9 All Aboard @ Walt Disney Family Museum A Celebration of Walt Disney’s Trains, thru Feb. 9, plus classic art work and ephemera from the park and animated films. Free/$20. Open daily 10am-6pm. 104 Montgomery St., the Presidio. 345-6800. www.waltdisney.org

Marga Gomez’ Performerama @ Oasis The popular lesbian comic presents a new night of performance storytelling (2nd Mondays), with guests Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, and Baruch Porras-Hernandez. $8. 8pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 985-4442. www.sfoasis.com

We Are Proud to Present… @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrkia, Between the Years 1884 -1915, Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Obie Award-winning, hilarious, imaginative and incendiary exploration of race, power and narrative in America, where six naïve students present their interpretation of 19th-century genocide. $20-$25.

7pm. Thu 7pm, Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 5pm. Thru March 7. 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. (510) 214-3780. www.justtheater.org

Fri 6

Fri 6

The Cable Car Nymphomaniac

Tue 10 Daniel Handler, Michael Chabon @ Nourse Theatre The Lemony Snicket author discusses his new book We Are Pirates, with award-winning author Chabon ( Telegraph Avenue ). $ 7:30pm. 275 Hayes St. 392-4400. www.booksinc. net www.cityarts.net

Röbi Rapp & Ernst Ostertag @ Hormel Center, LGBT Center Two-night conversation and film screening with the partnered Swiss gay activists whose work goes back to the 1950s. Gerard Koskovich intervews the couple Feb 10, 6pm, Hormel Center, third floor, SF Public Library, 100 Larkin St. On Feb 11, screening of The Circle, the documentary film about their struggle. 6pm. Rainbow Room, 1800 Market St. Post-screening champagne reception, 8pm at Café Flore, 2298 Market St. www.thecircle-movie.com

Rufus Wainwright @ Yoshi’s Oakland The plaintive singer-pianist performs at the jazz club/restaurant. $59.

8pm & 10pm. Also Feb. 11. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakland. (510) 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

Slinging Satire @ Cartoon Art Museum Slinging Satire: Masters of Political Cartoons, a timely exhibit of recent works by Mark Fiore, David Horsey, Matt Wuerker, Mat Bors, Jen Sorensen and Tom Tomorrow, plus many others, in left- and rightwing politics, print, web and multimedia formats. Thru Mar. 9.

Also, Stranger Than Life: The Cartoons and Comics of M.K. Brown, thru Feb. 15. Other exhibits and events. Free-$8.

Tue-Sun 11am-5pm. 655 Mission St. 227-8666. cartoonart.org

Wed 11 Lava Thomas @ Museum of the African Diaspora Exhibit of contemporary works. Also, The Art of Elizabeth Catlett, and historic exhibits of African cultures.

Free/$10. 685 Mission St. moadsf.org

Nick Hornby @ Nourse Theater The best-selling author ( High Fidelity, About a Boy) discusses his work with Vendela Vida. $27. 7:30pm. 275 Hayes St. 392-4400. www.cityarts.net X’s and O’s (A Football Love Story)

Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical @ Brava Theatre Broadway actor-singer Anthony Wayne stars as Sylvester the gay disco icon in this musical biographical show. $30-$100. Wed-Sun 8pm. Sun 3pm.

(Feb 14 special disco after-show party with the cast.) Thru March 1. 2781 24th St. www.brava.org www.fabuloussylvester.com

Sea of Bees @ Rickshaw Stop Eclectic vocalist and musician performs with her band. Also, Deradoorian and Emily Neveu. $10.

8pm. 155 Fell St. at Van Ness Ave. 861-2011. www.rickshawstop.com

BAR 3.75x5 online appointment ad v3.indd 1

8/15/14 10:17 AM

Twenty Favorite Photographs @ Robert Tat Gallery Popular photographs selected by the gallery’s collectors, including Imogen Cunningham, James Bidgood, Walker Evans, Aaron Siskind and others. Thru Feb. 28. 49 Geary St. 781-1122. www.roberttat.com

Thu 12 Double Duchess @ Rickshaw Stop Enjoy the hi-energy booty-bouncing duo. Also, Blaus (electro techno jazz), Mirrorgloss (dance rock) and Purple Crush (pop vocals). $10. 9pm. 155 Fell St. at Van Ness Ave. 861-2011. www.rickshawstop.com

J. Otto Seibold and Mr. Lunch @ Contemporary Jewish Museum New exhibit of works by the beloved children’s book author. Also, Arnold Newman: Masterclass, an exhibit of prints by the influential photographer.

Other exhibits, lectures and gallery talks as well. Free (members)-$12.

Fri-Tue 11am-5pm, Thu 11am-8pm (closed Wed). 736 Mission St. 6557800. www.thecjm.org

James Gavin @ Books Inc. Author of Is That All There Is? The Strange Life of Peggy Lee discusses his biography about the talented singersongwriter. 7:30pm. 2275 Market St. www.booksinc.net

Paula West @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The talented jazz vocalist performs a six-week engagement at the upscale intimate nightclub/cabaret, performing an eclectic array of songs, from Bob Dylan, Talking Heads and Harry Nilsson to jazz classics. $35$50. Thu & Fri 8pm. Sat 7pm & 10pm.

Sun 7pm. Thru March 22. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com

Radar Reading @ SF Public Library Virgie Tovar hosts the eclectice reading series, this time with Chloe Caldwell, Brent Armendinger, Ryka Aoki and Nia King. 6pm. 100 Larkin St, lower level. www.sfpl.org www.radarproductions.org To submit event listings, email jim@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

Steven Underhill

PHOTOGRAPHY

415 370 7152

WEDDINGS, HEADSHOTS, PORTRAITS

stevenunderhill.com · stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com

<< Film

24 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 5-11, 2015

Soviet Army hockey heroes & us

by David Lamble

A

merican-born director Gabe Polsky’s absorbing if strangely structured doc Red Army, on the 1970s-80s Soviet national hockey team, opens Friday. The title refers to the squad of hockey players recruited by, trained under, and competing for Mother Russia under the auspices of a rigidly authoritarian, sadistic Russian coach. Midway through the 85-minute doc, Polsky quotes the old Russian bear of a coach screaming at his young charges, some of whom may have been entertaining thoughts of defecting to the West for high-paying slots on the North American-based National Hockey League teams, “You try and play for our enemies, I’ll send you to Siberia!

You’ll never get out!”

The Russian squad, mentored by this abusive maniac, would come to dominate their sport so thoroughly that their opponents would feel, after lopsided defeats, like the skinny young men whose faces were buried in the sand in American bodybuilder mags. As queer San Franciscans learned during the first editions of the Gay Games (1986-90), tribal loyalties can be heated up to a fever pitch by the notion that one has a team to root for. By winning, the team is in some mysterious way returning the favor. Red Army explores how Soviet citizens got a huge boost throughout the drab Brezhnev era

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Hockey stars of director Gabe Polsky’s documentary Red Army.

by the notion that the Soviet Army hockey team was wasting all foes on the way to possible 1980 Olympic Gold.

Polsky has a special ability to make global politics personal, as he explains in Red Army’s director’s statement: “I was born and raised in the United States by Soviet immigrants who seldom spoke about their past. Training in the U.S. was focused on winning rather than player development. Practice was often basic and redundant. Coaches only paid attention to the standout players who scored the most goals.

“When I was 13, I moved to a team that hired a new coach from

the Soviet Union. Like most American kids, all I knew about Soviet hockey was the country’s storied loss to the U.S. in the 1980 Olympics. The coach’s philosophy and training methods were rigorous and unusual: we were forced to walk on our hands and do somersaults on the ice; we carried tires and skated with teammates on our backs. Perhaps the biggest difference was that he encouraged creativity and taught us to think as a unit. He transformed my entire concept of the sport. I tracked down old Soviet hockey footage, and what I saw was eye-opening. Soviet hockey was amazingly creative and improvisa-

tional. The Soviets moved fluidly, like one body, and it looked more like an art-form than a game. That’s how I wanted to play.”

Red Army offers folks not tuned into or even repulsed by the propaganda surrounding team sports a chance to find a way in. First, now that the old Soviet Union is safely confined to history books and documentary TV, American filmgoers can afford to reveal their sympathy for the underdog, or just revel in some cheap nostalgia for the recent past. Second, the Russian athletes on view here – particularly the star, Slava Fetisov, seen in contemporary interview footage and arresting snippets of archival film – display all the jock-boy exuberance, fears of aging, and lust for money and fame of capitalist-sponsored Western sports, along with other traits familiar to readers of American sports pages. It struck this one-time fan of San Francisco Giants homerun hero Barry Bonds that the former athletes in Red Army shared the “feet of clay” reputation that tarnished Bonds’ reputation once reports of his steroid use got out. Fans came to view their former hero the way an anonymous New York Times scribe did, as “a louse and a drug cheat.”

Just as Giants fans had to accept the tough-love reality of their former idol’s fall from grace, one-time Soviet sports heroes can now be seen by their countrymen as both fallen

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angels and symbols of a tainted glory that is gone forever and barely worth mourning.

But is it ever that simple? I bitch about being haunted by my old louse of a father’s sports obsessions – his Brooklyn Dodgers, his New York Hockey Rangers – but really, don’t these old passions serve me in many partially elusive and ineffable ways? Unlike kids at the huge sports bar across from my Market Street flat, I remember the young Jackie Robinson, arguably America’s greatest hero, who can be said to have long ago transcended his game; I still giggle at the absurdly macho and comically over-the-top old hockey heroes “Gump Worsely,” “Gordie Howe,” “Maurice ‘The Rocket’ Richard,” and my campy fave, “Boom-Boom Geoffrion,” the old high-sticking veteran who tried icing the puck across the blue line. If you don’t believe me, catch a DVD of the most popular hockey film ever, the Paul Newman-starring, Nancy Dowd-scripted Slap Shot, with its scenes of a male stripper on ice and the slapstick antics of the notorious hockey thugs, the fictional Hanson brothers.

Then there’s my in on the beginning of queer sports pride: the late Tom Waddell’s launching the first Gay Games, smack-dab in the middle of an AIDS-suffering 1986 San Francisco. In a sense, everyone has their own Red Army to cheer for.t

Softer side of S&M Puppy love

by Brian Bromberger

I

by David-Elijah Nahmod

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hot entirely inside the historic and iconic San Francisco Armory at Mission and 14th Streets, the James Franco-produced documentary Kink reveals that the dark world of BDSM and fetish sex might not be as abusive as it sometimes appears to be. The film follows the day-to-day operations of Kink.com, the highly successful production studio that produces fetish porn. The Kink empire is housed at the Armory, which was once the headquarters of the San Francisco National Guard. According to Playboy, the Armory was also the location for some Star Wars interior shots.

Kink is graphic, and may shock people who aren’t into the fetish lifestyle. During one sequence, a model is hung upside down via chains, her legs “forcibly” spread wide apart. But as we soon see (she and other models are extensively interviewed prior to filming), no one is forced to perform any act that they’re uncomfortable with. Anyone on set, models included, can call cut at any time.

Director Christina Voros moves between gay and straight fetish sets. On both sides, the atmosphere is laid-back and respectful. Some of the models speak about their choices: a gay model hopes to become a Yoga instructor. A straight female model speaks lovingly about her three school-aged children.

Throughout the proceedings, all the models make it clear that they perform by choice. They can walk out the door at any time. Tomcat, a female-to-male transgender director, speaks eloquently about the misguided notion that models need to be “protected.”

Voros offers no judgments, but simply shows what is. When Kink CEO Peter Ackworth takes Voros on a tour of the building, or when Voros points her camera at a production meeting, we see that Kink is first and foremost a business, run like any other.

Yet the S&M stigma remains. “If this were high school, we’d be the Goth kids,” observes one director.

Kink is now available on DVD.

t is quite telling that although the Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001 and has always been among the most progressive in the world when it comes to LGBT rights, the new Dutch film, Boys, released this week on DVD by Wolfe Video, deals with the gay issue, well-worn to the point of tatters, of the coming out of a 15-year-old teenage boy. The fact that admitting your sexual orientation can still be controversial despite the acceptance of LGBT people in Holland reminds us that even though you might have federal legal rights, how they translate into daily lives, especially in a small town, is quite another matter, and makes for a gripping narrative. In LGBT films, coming out may seem done to excess. But one of the triumphs of Boys, a favorite at last year’s Frameline fest, is that the plot is not as foreseeable as one might expect. A fresh energy and carefree aura invigorate this film, suggesting there is still diversity in how these universal feelings are processed.

Introvert Sieg lives with his older brother, younger sister, and overprotective widowed father. He, his best friend Stef, and two other boys are chosen as part of the local team for the national championship relay races. The training is intense, and Sieg becomes friendly with the outgoing Marc, also on the team. One day after training, they go swimming in a nearby river.

Marc leans over and kisses Sieg on the mouth. Sieg returns the kiss, yet as soon as he gets out of the water announces to a dismayed Marc that he is not gay, and cycles off alone. They still remain friends. Stef convinces Marc to go out on a double date with two local girls, one of whom, Jessica, he begins to see regularly. Marc witnesses Jessica kissing Sieg, which confuses him. Previous to this incident, Sieg had followed Marc to the beach, and they spent the night to-

gether in each other’s arms. The film charts the twists and turns of their relationship within the context of Sieg’s ambivalence and fear to admit who he is sexually.

Directed by Mischa Kamp, the movie is not groundbreaking, though it is a bonus that the plot revolves around the sexual orientations of athletes, still a very closeted group.

The screen chemistry between Gijs Blom (Sieg) and Ko Zandvliet (Marc) feels vibrant, and conveys an emotional maturity that renders the film uplifting. Filmed in the countryside of the Netherlands, the cinematography almost becomes a character, suggesting the sweet innocence of first love. Boys has a languid

quality reflecting its surroundings that works to great effect, as much of the impact of the film derives from its wordless moments in glances and facial expressions. Blessedly, there are no scenes of anger, hysterical tears, bullying, no self-blame or political axes to grind. Much of Boys’ charm is subtle.

Because Boys was made for NPO Zapp, a television channel for children and young teens in Holland, there are no graphic sex scenes. The character of Marc is not as sharply drawn as Sieg’s. But Boys has the potential to become a gay classic.

This is the type of film any teenager wrestling with sexual identity issues should watch.t

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Music>>

February 5-11, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 25

Gravitational force meets Bach

by Tim Pfaff

T

he upside of not having got to pianist Igor Levit until now is that if you don’t wait long, you can hear him play iconic gay composer Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons “live” (from Jan. 26) from London’s Wigmore Hall (bbc.co.uk/programmes/ b0505zfj). It’s a characteristic performance from Levit in that it’s utterly unflashy yet completely arresting.

And it’s yet another indication of the 28-year-old’s range. He began the year (also the Scriabin Year) playing that composer’s early, surpassingly beautiful Piano Concerto, the very definition of a concert-hall rarity, with the London Philharmonic. And that’s just the Russian wing. The next studio CD up, just announced

by Sony, is the Levit we think we already know, playing three sets of variations, by Bach (the Goldbergs), Beethoven (the Diabelli) and Rzewski (The People United Will Never Be Defeated). That’s Levit.

Now, there’s a bumper crop of brilliant young pianists who seem eminently capable of filling their greatest predecessors’ shoes. I don’t know how they all make a living, but as audiences, we’ve never had it so good. Levit, who is the technical equal of any of them and has all the virtues and advantages of youth, also would appear to be the archetypal wise old man among them.

Time will tell, but it’s already talking. Levit has that rarest of qualities among musicians, unquantifiable but equally unmistakable: largeness of soul.

His latest CD (Sony) is of the complete Bach Partitas. It seems that just about every musician of consequence is recording Bach these days, but the decidedly untrendy Levit worked on the pieces for three years before taking them to the studio and on the road. If you have to have these supremely challenging pieces on harpsichord, you’re in nimble hands (guided by a simi-

Tapestry of song

by Jason Victor Serinus

F

or star power alone, An AIDS Quilt Songbook: Sing for Hope merits a 10. But when you factor in the quality of the songs, and the fact that all profits go to amfAR, the organization now known as the Foundation for AIDS Research, you have a disc that deserves to be heard.

For a sense of how good this recording is, you need only turn to “Autumn,” the late Robert Chesley’s touching setting of a poem by Walter de la Mare. Chesley, the gifted San Francisco-based playwright and composer who died of AIDS in 1990, could have found no finer advocate for his lyricism than the light touch of ridiculously handsome tenor Noah Stewart and pianist Kenneth Merrill.

But there’s so much more here that is memorable. How about gay opera/song composer Ricky Ian Gordon’s catchy song of broken love, “Run Away,” with the composer-lyricist accompanying soprano Nicole Cabell, or Kevin Oldham’s “Across the Sea,” sung by mezzosoprano Joyce DiDonato? (I wasn’t exaggerating when I said “star power.”) True, both women’s operatic English is overly studied, but the quality of voice and song more than make up for it.

The good news is that DiDonato and Cabell, who sang together at San Francisco Opera a few seasons back, are a distinct minority where it comes to overblown English. Just about everyone else on this album – that includes a host of singers who have performed here, such as tenor Matthew Polenzani; mezzos Jamie Barton, Isabel Leonard and Sasha Cooke; sopranos Susanna Phillips and Melody Moore; and baritone Keith Phares – sounds totally at home in their native language.

One of the great gifts of the recording is that many of the composers provide the piano accompaniment to their songs. Fred Hersch’s “Ordinary,” which sets a pill recitation by Herschel Garfein, benefits as much from Hersch’s magical touch as from Michael Slattery’s tender voice. Other composer-accompanists include Cristina Pato, setting a letter by the late Frank Logan; Glen Roven, setting a fabulous poem by Gavin Geoffrey Dillard that is sung by the equally fabulous baritone Daniel Okulitch; John Musto, setting a fine poem by

Langston Hughes; and Gregg Kallor, accompanying the superbly-voiced Melody Moore in his song about a baby born with HIV. Finally, there are two songs that feature more than one accompanist.

Composer-pianist Lori Laitman joins Anthony McGill, principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, to accompany a range-challenged Randall Scarlata in her beautiful setting of a poem by Emily Dickinson. And in the CD’s final track, composer/pianist Scott Gendel joins cellist Yo-Yo Ma to accompany soprano Camille Zamora in “At Last,” a heart-touching setting of Wendell Berry’s beautiful depiction of a soul crossing over to the other side.

Destined for many Top 10 AIDS Songs lists is Herschel Garfein’s “No Giggly Time.” Soprano Monica Yunus is nothing short of fabulous in this educational song for sex workers. Not only does the song address condom practice with plastic penises, but it also repeats the catchy phrase, “Let a condom go onto you before you ever go into me.” Nor would anyone wish to be without Jamie Barton’s flawless rendition of Eric Reda’s recitation of the side effects of the AIDS drug, “Atripla!”

Misses? Tenor Anthony Dean Griffey sounds in trouble, and tenor Sean Panikkar too often wobbles in one of several songs whose music and words do not match. But even the most failed of songs pales before actress Sharon Stone’s ridiculously overdone readings of verse by Edna St. Vincent Millay and Siegfried Sassoon. If soprano Renée Fleming’s over-the top rendition of “Danny Boy” was the party record of 2013, Stone’s disastrous recitations put the icing on the cake in 2014.

Yes, the wicked amongst us have already decided that for Stone alone, this CD must be had. But for those who value moving artistry, and who want to discover how well art-song fares in America in the 21st century, the CD is an equal must. Those who have lived through the epidemic since the early 1980s may have a hard time suppressing their anger as they recall all their friends who died from far too high doses of AZT, then read the booklet’s claim that, in 1986, AZT signaled “a breakthrough in the treatment of HIV,” but the beauty of music and singing will go a long way toward assuaging their grief.t

Courtesy Sony Music

Pianist Igor Levit.

larly keen mind) with Christophe Rousset. And if the catalogue were a competition, Levit would be up against some of the finest pianists around, mostly of the brainy type.

Judged by any standard, he wins.

As with all the sets of Bach suites, for various instruments and instrument combinations and most often in sets of six, the individual Partitas are strikingly different in character yet have a palpable inner consistency. No other pianist I know can touch Levit’s feel for the individual gesture in the larger group movement, and no other pianist I’ve heard can at the same time keep the Partitas in right relationship with each other. There’s an old saw about how the problem with nude dancing is that not everything stops moving at the same time, and something of the same thing happens in these pieces with players who are pianists first and musicians second. With Levit, everything’s in dynamic motion all the time but with a single gravitational force, a sun hosting planets hosting moons. Cosmology, not systematic theology.

Consider this: with most pianists in this repertoire, it can be grating

to hear more than a single suite at a sitting. There’s a Little Engine that Could in Bach that gives his solo music a motoric quality that can be either sustaining or crazy-making.

That seemingly ineluctable rhythm, the heavy brocade of ornamentation, can feel like a dentist’s drill in the hands of the wrong keyboardist, or even in a sympathetic listener’s ear on the wrong day. Nothing jars or slumbers in Levit’s Bach.

Before I heard the CDs, I remember Levit’s commenting, in an interview, about his special affection for the Sarabande of the First Partita, as good a place as any to check in. Without the slightest bit of romanticizing, the music floats on a cushion of thoughtful reflection that gives it an air of elevation.

It’s the first point in the set where we encounter serious trills, and the long, drawn-out ones seem just that, not applied from without or above but drawn out of the centers of notes that, in their earlier, unadorned appearances, already wanted to trill. The Partita’s concluding Gigue is so supple you might miss that it’s wicked handover-hand stuff, and the wonder is not only that Levit keeps it all together in a sustained long line, but that the individual gestures, above and below, also emerge in minute

gradations of soft and loud, fast and slow that lend each hand its individual profile. It’s exuberant, not exhibitionist; cultivated, not calculated joy.

The headlong Second Partita is stretched far tighter but revels in its very elasticity, snapping without inflicting pain. Its Allemande seems to fall out of thin air – what Claudio Abbado called “the sound of snow falling on snow.” The Rondeau has the rhythmic daring and acuity of a Chopin mazurka. The only Partita without a concluding Gigue, it substitutes, as a Capriccio, an elephant ballet that foreshadows Bruckner.

The fugal movements are true as a plumb line. The Fourth’s 12-minute Allemande is such rarefied stuff you can hardly talk about it without reference to the unique gas exchanges at those altitudes. His most extreme playing is of the Fourth’s Sarabande, probably the single best-known movement in the Partitas, “gentle” music released into real time.

Levit didn’t miscalculate by introducing himself with his previous Sony CD set, Beethoven: The Late Piano Sonatas. He’s yet to be found on music’s Periodic Table of the Elements.

Stay tuned: More on Tchaikovsky’s extraordinary final opera, Iolanta, when we get to DG’s new live recording. Someone listening to the Met’s radio broadcast of the premiere of its new production on Jan. 29, with the same Iolanta, Anna Netrebko, might have been confused by the commotion and booing during her solo curtain call. It was her Met claque shouting down a protestor who climbed onstage to protest the Ukraine stance of the diva and her conductor, Valery Gergiev. A listener from the last Cold War period might have thought it a response to the disastrous condition of her current voice.t

Here’s Looking at You! EDGE will keep you informed, as the world’s largest LGBT network, with all the sparkling news, entertainment, and photos you’ll need in 2015!

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<< Theatre

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 5-11, 2015

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Mighty Real

From page 17

“The truth of it is that there aren’t that many roles for African American men of my age, my look, my voice type,” he said from New York.

And he was again in the ensemble of a 2011 summer concert series in New York where Kendrell Bowman, his new partner, happened to be in the audience. “Right before the performance, one of the guys wasn’t able to sing the lead, so they asked me to do it,” he said. “After it was over, Kendrell came to me and said, ‘You know what, people need to hear your voice, to know that you can be more than just part of the ensemble.’ And he was, like, let’s try to make it happen.”

After seeing a TV biography of the singer Sylvester, Wayne had begun shopping around an idea for a musical based on his life and music that he would write and star in. “Nobody believed that I was able to do it, so we decided to do it ourselves and raised enough money through Kickstarter to do the very first concert version.”

That was in 2012, at a Manhattan nightclub, and the culmination came last year when Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical made its official off-Broadway debut. Its next stop is San Francisco, where the androgynous singer first grabbed the spotlight in several Cockettes musicals before launching his own career as a disco star. Brava Theater Center will be home to Mighty Real from Feb. 11-March 1, and a holdover is possible if the demand is there.

Wayne, who co-directs the musi-

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cal with costume designer Bowman, is not reticent in expressing his expectations for the SF run. “Once we do the first performance, the word is going to spread,” Wayne said. “It’s going to be crazy. I know the show’s going to be selling out.”

The musical lets Sylvester tell his own story, from an uneasy childhood among religious fundamentalists in Los Angeles’ Watts neighborhood, to his rift with his family over his homosexuality, and his migration to San Francisco in search of both personal and artistic freedom. Sylvester developed his persona that mixed male and female attire and attitudes, although record labels would periodically ask him to tone down the feminine aspects.

Any acquiescence in that department usually didn’t last very long.

Sylvester’s glory years came in the late 1970s and early 80s with such hits as “Dance (Disco Heat),” “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real),” and “Do You Wanna Funk.” As the hits slowed down and the rise of AIDS became alarming, Sylvester was an early activist and fundraiser. He suspected he was infected, but declined to take a test, and his health declined rapidly before his death in 1988. The show’s framing device has Sylvester given one more night to tell his story, punctuated with a hit parade of songs and disco balls.

Wayne is accompanied on stage by four cast members and a fivepiece band. Anastacia McCleskey and Jacqueline B. Arnold, whom Wayne met during his Broadway run in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, play Sylvester’s backup duo Two

Courtesy the artist

Anthony Wayne wanted to break out of Broadway chorus roles when he was inspired to create a musical biography of disco star Sylvester.

Tons o’ Fun, who went on to become known as the Weather Girls, and their hit “It’s Raining Men” is part of the show’s song list.

“We also show you the heart and the soul of the man behind the glitz and the glamor,” Wayne said.

“We have spoken to his family and friends and managers. He takes you through his journey through life, his love life, and even the hard times.

People really come out of the show feeling liberated, and feeling they can live their best life, because that’s what Sylvester did. It gets really emotional toward the end when he was letting people know about HIV and telling them that they should

take care of themselves.”

One of the show’s early boosters was Broadway actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, who responded to one of the many tweets Wayne and Bowman sent out to celebrities looking for support. Ralph and her Diva Foundation that works with HIV causes became an early producer, and the project quickly built from there. But its roots are definitely grassy.

“What Kendrell and I did in the beginning was, we’d go to these parties in Harlem and Brooklyn and put up posters and hand out flyers,” Wayne said. “There are times when you just have to take matters in your own hands.”

SF Ballet

From page 17

Ballet is one of those things that have to be great in order to be any good. It really is like rocket science: a near-miss is no good at all.

Everything in these two shows was wonderful. Nothing was new, but everything held up to sustained repetition. The best of all was the almost-200-years-old ballet Giselle (new in 1841, not long after the birth of the pointe show), which on Saturday night made grown men gasp out loud. They could not believe their eyes. The great thing about the great ballets is they can conquer disbelief. If the ballerina can stop in mid-air and stay there absolutely still, well then, you saw it with your own eyes. If she can do that, maybe she is a ghost. You willingly suspend disbelief and give the story a chance.

Serenade and Giselle both ask us to believe in supernatural women of unearthly beauty. Of course, many of us would love to believe in such creatures, and it doesn’t take much to get us to surrender our skepticism and go along for the ride, so long as, when the curtain comes down, we don’t have to pay a price.

The Wilis of Giselle, and the unnamed dancing princesses of Serenade, have their roots in ancient Slavic folklore, the same creatures that the Harry Potter novels called Veela. I was picturing Serenade, with its interwoven trajectories of dancing maidens, at the Veela dance in the half-time show of the Quidditch World Cup when I read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. If the movie version did not satisfy you, as it did not me, just imagine what George Balanchine could have done with it.

When Balanchine came to America in the early 1930s, he was summoned to Hollywood by Samuel Goldwyn, who thought him a genius. But not before he had choreographed the first version of Serenade as a demo for students at the brand-new School of American

Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet dancer Maria Kochetkova in Helgi Tomasson’s Giselle.

Ballet. He disguised his students’ lack of advanced technique by having them show clarity of position and attack, and had them move like dominos falling down, in clear patterns that perfectly fit the music of Tchaikovsky’s glorious serenade for strings. It’s safe to say that the opening section of Disney’s Fantasia owes everything to Serenade (1933).

And Serenade owes everything to Giselle and all the ballets blancs that came before, which showed Sylphides, Fairies, Peris, and other fantastic creatures in whom our ancestors may have believed, dancing their mystic circles in the forest, in the misty moonlight. During the early 19th century, young artists revolted against rationalism and insisted “there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” They mined folklore for material that would give shape to their intuitions. Ghost stories came into their own and enjoyed a heyday with poets like

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Goethe, Wordsworth, Keats, and Scott, Victor Hugo and Gauthier, composers like Beethoven and Schubert, and choreographers like Taglioni, Perrot, and Peralli finding ways of making us feel the truth of “worlds not realized.” For all his neo-classical technique, Balanchine was essentially a fantasist, and the ingredient that makes all his ballets intriguing is his rapport with music that evokes a world we can only imagine.

Serenade is one of those ballets that are more beautiful than can be danced. It shows a world of turbulence as it might be experienced by an immigrant forced by wars and tyranny to seek new worlds. Dancers rush in patterns like sand being blown into dunes, or waves dashing against rocks. It’s all like a dream with ravishing moments along the way, resolving into a passage into yet another world as the music comes to its sublime end. Lorena Feijoo, Dores Andre, and Vanessa Zahorian

were all wonderful in their ways, as were their cavaliers Davit Karapetyan and Tiit Helimets, but the ballet belongs to the corps de ballet.

The men of Lambarena drove the audience into delirium. Their jumps had such powerful, clear shapes, their attack and amplitude and rhythmic brilliance put the evening over the top. Val Caniparoli used music that layered African rhythms and chants on top of Bach cantata-music to electrifying effect. Lambarena premiered in 1995, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the UN Treaty in SF, and the ballet has since become one of the most performed throughout the country. It was magnificent to see how well our company can perform it now, when none of the originals are left in the company. Lorena Feijoo stood in for Evelyn Cisneros, on whom the ballerina’s role was created, and made it into the same dance of joy Cisneros created. Ellen Rose Hummel gave

So what is in store for Mighty Real after its San Francisco run?

“We’re talking with different theaters around the country, but for right now, San Francisco has really been our goal,” Wayne said. “We want to make San Francisco proud of what we did with something that was created in our apartment here in Harlem, from the grassroots, that has just built into something beyond words.

I really still can’t believe it myself.”t Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical will run Feb. 11-March 1 at Brava Theatre Center. Tickets are $30-$100. Go to brava.org or fabuloussylvester.com.

her excellent support on the female side. But it was the men, all of them, who carried the day. The three principals, Wei Wang, Daniel Deivison, and especially Joseph Walsh, gave a blazing clarity to everything they did. The African element, contributed by the great West African artists Naomi and Dr. Zak Diouf, who collaborated with Caniparoli and curate this aspect of every performance, has pride of place, and the men really made you see the basis of American popular dance in every move they made.

Also on Program 1, and immensely popular with the audience, was Raku, a Bolshoi-style exotic melodrama choreographed by SFB Choreographer in Residence Yuri Possokhov in a Japanese style, to feature principal dancer Yuan Yuan Tan. The audience adores this piece, though I do not. I must admire its stagecraft, since it gives Tan a tremendous vehicle to display her phenomenal gymnastic gifts, and she uses its Butoh-derived plastique to tremendous effect.

But when it comes to effects, nothing can match the sudden absolute stillnesses of Mathilde Froustey, our Paris Opera Ballet-trained ballerina who can seem to stop in midair like a ghost, in Giselle. She plays a peasant girl who dies of a broken heart when she realizes that the boy she loves is in fact an aristocrat in disguise. She’s faced with the duchess who wanders with her hunting party into her village clearing – and they’re both engaged to marry the same man!

The scene at her grave in the forest, where the Wilis try to force her to make her repentant lover dance til he dies, depends on her ability to make us believe that she is a Wili but that she still loves him, and wants to save him from their vengeance. Froustey made me believe in all of this, and more. I’ve seen Giselle many times (first time in London in 1970), and this was one of the most beautifully nuanced and most convincing ever for me. I recommend giving SFB a chance to convince you.t

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Wayne Brady

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Sporno-graphic

NIGHTLIFE

SPIRITS

DINING

On the Tab

SOCIETY

ROMANCE

LEATHER

PERSONALS Vol. 44 • No. 06 • February 5-11, 2015

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Part 5: 2007-2014 Rick Gerharter

by Donna Sachet

A

s we begin the fifth in our series about the history of the Imperial Court of San Francisco, we must acknowledge and correct an error in the last article. Tiger Lily was not the first Grand Duchess of San Francisco to become an Empress of San Francisco; rather it was Absolute Empress XXXV Suzie Wong who holds that record. We welcome such clarifications because that is how we keep our history accurate.

So, back to where we left off in 2007, when after a series of health setbacks, Jose Sarria, Founder of the Imperial Court of San Francisco and by extension the International Court See page 28 >> System, announced her appointed

Empress Saybelline Fernandez and Emperor Frankie Fernandez in 2011.

Competition & community

Rich Stadtmiller

Are Leather Titles Necessary?

by Race Bannon

O

n Wednesday, January 28, the San Francisco Leathermen’s Discussion Group (LDG) hosted a panel discussion named “Are Leather Titles Necessary?” at the SF LGBT Center.

See page 30 >>

Finalists at the International Mr. Leather competition in Chicago last year.

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

28 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 5-11, 2015, 2014

Imperial Court

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From page 27

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Rich Stadtmiller

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Rich Stadtmiller

successor Nicole the Great from the Imperial Court of San Diego. This was no overnight decision; Jose had thought long and hard about the future of this creation of hers and had nurtured the politically astute and well-known Nicole and challenged her to accept this new role.

The change of leadership was carefully documented and Jose’s inner circle of Heirs Apparent were retired in favor of Nicole’s new selections. Initial reaction was not surprise, but especially in San Francisco there were many who thought this responsibility should not leave its birthplace.

Early criticism was sometimes good-natured and frivolous, but at other times became bitter and cruel, truly testing the strength of the larger organization as well as the unity of the Imperial Court of San Francisco.

I remain a first-hand witness, however, that Jose acknowledged the tremendous work that Nicole had done and was to do and specifically said, “Nicole has done things and taken the Court to places I could never have done and I am so proud of her leadership.”

Having lived in Palm Springs since 1996, Jose then moved near Albuquerque, New Mexico, where her doctors hoped the dry air would be therapeutic and Jose hoped to enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle.

Amid those changes in 2007, again candidates for each office were few, but new monarchs emerged nonetheless, namely the Leather Silver Fox Emperor XXXV, A.N., Michael Dumont and the Crystal Rose Absolute Empress XLII Chika. Again, we see the connection with the Leather Community and this time with the gay rodeo circuit as well.

The 2008 election broke new ground as San Francisco elected its first African American Emperor, the Southern Onyx Emperor XXXVI, A.N., John Weber, who won out over two competitors and currently serves as the Chair of the Imperial Council, overseeing the business side of the Court. The City had elected two African American Empresses and had also embraced Asian and Hispanic candidates, but not until 2008 did San Francisco take this step with an Emperor.

Weber’s partner during their reign was the Black Widow Absolute Empress XLIII Cher A Little, who had previously reigned as Empress of Spokane, Washington. Others had reigned in other cities as well, including Marlena in Modesto, Barbie La Choy in Alaska, and others soon to come, but becoming Emperor or Empress of San Francisco is considered the pinnacle of the International Court System and no San Francisco monarch has reigned elsewhere after his or her reign here.

In 2009, for only the second time in history, only one candidate emerged for each office, again requiring a race and campaign and resulting in the election of the Winged Blue Diamond Emperor XXXVII, A.N., Paul Maka Poole and the Sparkling Diamond Eyed Ruby Gatto Absolute Empress XLIV Angelina Josephina Manicotti.

The following year, 2010, the Emperor candidate faced no competition, but the Empress candidate had

5 1. Empress XLIII Cher A Little and Southern Onyx Emperor XXXVI, A.N., John Weber in 2008.

2. Sparkling Diamond Eyed Ruby Gatto Absolute Empress XLIV Angelina Josephina Manicotti and Winged Blue Diamond Emperor XXXVII, A.N., Paul Maka Poole in 2009.

3. Rising Phoenix Cajun Emperor XXXVIII, A.N., Stephen Dorsey and the Bodacious Burrito Bombshell Absolute Empress XLV Renita Valdez in 2010.

4. Sparkling Diamond Absolute Empress XLVII Sissy St. Clair and Four Diamond Emperor XL, A.N., Bradley Roberts in 2012.

Rich Stadtmiller

<<

one, and so we crowned the second African American Emperor the Rising Phoenix Cajun Emperor XXXVIII, A.N., Stephen Dorsey and the Bodacious Burrito Bombshell Absolute Empress XLV Renita Valdez.

It was during their year that, because of poorly attended monthly meetings, fewer active members, and the increased expense and complexity of running the business end of the organization, the separate Council of Emperors and Council of Empresses were dissolved, putting the full authority and leadership into the hands of the Imperial Council of San Francisco.

Any change that significant is bound to cause controversy and this

5. Rainbow Sapphire Sun Absolute Empress XLVIII Patty McGroin and Triple X Golden Star Emperor XLI, A.N., Drew Cutler in 2013.

6. Reigning Emperor J.P. Soto and Reigning Empress Misty Blue in 2014.

one did. But some care was taken to preserve unique traditions among the Emperors and Empresses, e.g. the presentation by the Emperors of the Bob Cramer Humanitarian Award and the Baroness Von die Ckoff Award by the Empresses, but many of those were unwritten and continue to be debated and modified.

As we struggle to identify our position in today’s community, it seems perfectly logical that the Imperial Court should adapt to varying interests, evolving demographics, and flagging support by making changes.

Although San Francisco has specific rules preventing a couple from running for Emperor and Empress as a couple, in 2011, after a legitimate race and healthy competition between two candidates for each office, we elected our first couple in life as well as title, the San Francisco Treat Emperor XXXIX, A.N., Frankie Fernandez and the People’s Absolute Empress XLVI Saybeline Fernandez.

That year, the Emperors celebrated their 40th anniversary, again at The ARC on Howard Street, and many from the past returned to San Francisco for a festive evening.

In 2012, again faced with only

one candidate for each office, we elected the Four Diamond Emperor XL, A.N., Bradley Roberts and the Sparkling Diamond Absolute Empress XLVII Sissy St. Clair,

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returning to a more boisterous and bawdy year with their Court of Diamonds and Debauchery.

2013 saw the election of two relative newcomers to the Imperial Court, the Triple X Golden Star Emperor XLI, A.N., Drew Cutler and the Rainbow Sapphire Sun Absolute Empress XLVIII Patty McGroin.

It was a year of change with the Cowboy and Cowgirl titles being reinstated, a Mr. and Ms. Imperial Leather title being discussed, new members joining, and ongoing fundraising events established which resulted in record-breaking financial success.

Sadly, 2013 also marked the death of Jose Sarria, after an extended illness and an outpouring of support. History will report that her funeral on September 6, 2013, at Grace Cathedral atop Nob Hill was nothing short of epic, attended by hundreds of friends and supporters from miles around and officiated by the Episcopal Bishop of California. Sarria was buried with full military honors and suitable Imperial protocol in a plot in Woodlawn Cemetery in Colma near that of Joshua Norton.

That brings us to 2014, when our Reigning Emperor J.P. Soto and Reigning Empress Misty Blue stepped up and launched their Court of Traditions, Progress, and Shenanigans.

This Saturday, February 7, you’ll have a chance to vote for the next Emperor and Empress of San Francisco, continuing the remarkable history which you have followed over the past five weeks in this publication.

And on Saturday, February 14, the current monarchs will step down and the winners from the previous Saturday’s vote will be announced and crowned. But we’re not done there.

Don’t miss the once in a lifetime 50th Anniversary Gala Celebration at City Hall on Sunday, February 15, with hundreds of regally dressed courtiers from across the continent.

A complete list of activities appears in the sidebar below. And in the next weeks, a full report on all those goings-on!

It has been fascinating, even gratifying, to look back on the extraordinary and unprecedented history of the Imperial Court of San Francisco: fifty years and always a new Emperor and Empress, none of whom has failed to complete their year and each of whom has added to the legacy.

Thank you again to Matthew Brown and Paul Gabriel for sharing their keen historic research. But new pages are being written every day, and we welcome you to become a part of this 50-year old tradition.

Attend our events, participate in our elections, join in our fundraising and our fun-raising, and maybe one day even don the crown… Who knows?t

Imperial Coronation Schedule Sat. Feb. 7 Voting for Emperor and Empress 10am-6pm Castro, SoMa & Polk bars

Wed. Feb. 11 In Town Show & Awards

Out of Town Show 6pm, Balencoire, 2565 Mission St.

Sat. Feb 14 Imperial Coronation 6pm, SF Galleria Design Center, 101 Henry Adams St.

6:30PM, Beaux, 2344 Market St.

Sun. Feb 15

Thu. Feb. 12

Colma Cemetery Pilgrimage

Anniversary Monarchs’ Reception

7am, Marriott Union Square Hotel pick-up

7:30pm, Twin Peaks Bar, 401 Castro St.

Victory Brunch

Fri. Feb. 13

50th Anniversary Gala Celebration

Alcatraz Tour 9:30am, Marriott Union Square Hotel pick-up

11am, Marriott Union Square Hotel

5pm, City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton Goodlett Place

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

Wayne Brady

by Josh Klipp

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February 5-11, 2015, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 29

Multi-talent performs at Feinstein’s

Come,” and his own talk show, The Wayne Brady Show, “I’m not doing this show for the money,” Brady reflects. “Feinstein’s is ground zero....” for the album he’s putting out this year.

Although Brady isn’t sure about what sort of album he’ll be creating, he is very clear about its direction.

he first time I saw Wayne Brady, he was killing the improv in the television series, Whose Line Is It Anyway? The second time was watching him host (while my brother appeared on) CBS’ daytime game show, Let’s Make a Deal. The third time was seeing him guest judge on FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance, (the only TV competition show that I still watch).

So when I had the opportunity to interview him for his upcoming show at Feinstein’s And It Goes a Little Something Like This, I had one burning question for him: Is there anything he can’t do?

“If there’s something I can’t do, I’m not going to tell you!” came Brady’s quick response.

“I want to do everything, and I want to do it better.”

Wayne Brady has nothing to prove. So when he brings his solo show to Feinstein’s at the Nikko on February 6, 7 and 8, it’s because, as Brady says, “That’s when I get a chance to see people face to face ... it’s just as intimate for me as it is for the audience.”

An interactive night of storytelling and music, Brady is clear that it isn’t a night of comedic improv.

“Music infuses everything I do because that’s my first love,” says Brady. (Although he does promise at least one spontaneously audience-created song title during the night.) “My stories and music are always connected, but there are also Wayne Brady stories about myself because this intimate environment is a chance to speak on a human level; “This is the year I feel I’ve grown you’re not watching me on TV. up even more than before; I’m alWhen someone sees me in a club ways maturing, always growing. I’ve like Feinstein’s, I can talk to them had a great year of growth and am and answer questions. The storytellfinally ready to write music which ing comes as answers to questions, reflects that. Whatever this album is, and the audience leaves knowing it’s going to reflect that.” you better.”

Brady’s show at Feinstein’s will With dozens of film and televifeature Music Director Cat Gray on sion roles under his belt, including keys, along with drums, bass and two daytime Emmys, a Grammy two backup singers. nomination for his version of “I’ve been blessed to work with a Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna lot of amazing people, but my part-

ner Gray and I, we are putting together a band that are the JBs to my James Brown. People who cannot only play their asses off but are creative, charismatic, and can freestyle to any type of music. My band needs to be able to do musically whatever I can do comedically.”

That’s a tall order. Keeping up with Wayne Brady is like racing the bionic man. His biography reads like the hardest working guy in show business. From the wonder years when he was raised by his grandmother in Columbus, Georgia, to his early theme park days at Universal Studios, to working musical revues in Vegas, it seems there is nowhere this man hasn’t been, no performance skill he hasn’t mastered – theater, improv, singing, dance.

“If I could give advice to someone up and coming now,” Brady says, “it’s simple: just do you. I have to remind myself of that.” Which begs the question just how many Wayne Bradys live inside that single body, in one lifetime.

Nevertheless, Brady will just do him during his solo show in San Francisco, a town he doesn’t get to often but venerates for its artistic sensibility.

“People in San Francisco love and appreciate the arts. If you half-ass it, then they’re not too forgiving. But if you show up and give 100 percent, then they will love you 200 percent.”

This show is a rare opportunity to see a 21st-century master at work, up close, developing himself in real-time. Brady is possibly the purest example of raw talent honed to exquisite perfection through a simple process of taking risks and trying anything over and over again, never accepting mediocrity, always working toward something more, something better, something brilliant.t Wayne Brady at Feinstein’s, Friday Feb. 6 (8pm), Feb. 7 (7pm) and Sunday Feb. 8 (7pm). www.hotelnikkosf. com/feinsteins.aspx Josh Klipp is a writer and bandleader of the local swing/ mash-up band, The Klipptones.

The Chanteuse is Loose Vanessa Bousay sings at Martuni’s

by David-Elijah Nahmod

W

stories that defy comparison.”

When he stands in the spotlight at Martuni’s, it will be as chanteuse extraordinaire Vanessa Bousay, who’s inspired by Phylis Curtin, his beloved voice teacher. Curtin is an operatic soprano.

hen Erik Chalfant sings for his supper at Martuni’s, he’ll be dressed to the nines: think cabaret legends Edith Piaf or Andrea Marcovicci. A trained singer, he sets himself apart from other drag artists with his powerful pipes.

Performing began at an early age, albeit in a very different venue.

“I grew up in the Midwest, the only child of a Protestant minister,” Chalfant tells the Bay Area Reporter. “My father was a charismatic speaker and prolific author, and my mother an accomplished church organist and contralto soloist. I found myself on stage at an early age.

Performing is definitely in my DNA.” Though being gay was not encouraged in the Chalfant household, education was, and the younger Erik received exemplary music training. He holds a Masters in Voice Performance from Boston University.

He calls his degree, “a living tribute to my two extraordinary Vanessa Bousay with Steven Satyricon parents, each with unique life

Vanessa Bousay has sometimes been called “the chanteuse of the Barbara Coast.” Chalfant said that his alter-ego will be doing what she loves best at Martuni’s: singing! He’ll be joined by popular local actor-singergogo guy Steven Satyricon and accompanist Alan Choy.

“I particularly relish the process of crafting a unique program of songs, based on some thematic inspiration,” Chalfant said. “I actually do sing in my own baritone voice, as Vanessa Bousay. Perhaps this is why my act may appear to be retro themed, as the sound of my classically trained voice does have a very distinctive timbre.”

The songs come from a wide range of musical genres.

“Everything from Cole Porter tunes to ‘Let it Go’ from Frozen,” he said. “Vanessa Bousay earns her audience’s applause through quick wit, a cultivated vocabulary, and of all things, gorgeous singing!”t See Vanessa Bousay on Sunday, February 8 at 7pm at Martuni’s, 4 Valencia Street. 241-0205. www.vanessabousay.com

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30 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 5-11, 2015, 2014

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Leather

From page 27

The discussion was to answer such questions as: Is a leather title necessary to take a leadership role?

What compels contestants to run?

What do we expect of titleholders and how has that changed over time? Are titleholders meeting the BDSM/Leather/Fetish community’s expectations? Are there too many title contests?

Erik Will, Chairman of LDG, acknowledged the tricky nature of the topic. He said, “LDG is known for examining challenging topics with

a respectful and smart take on the pulse of kinky men and their allies.

Using truly state-of-the-art social media, we asked our expert panel to explore a wide range of questions for intelligent examination, and live broadcasted the experience to a global audience.”

LDG did an amazing job pulling off both the in-person event and the live broadcast. About 150 people attended, with dozens watching the broadcast over the group’s YouTube channel, the recording of which you can view at www.sfldg.org.

There was little consensus around much of what was discussed, nor

were there any great epiphanies or new ideas. But as the night unfolded it was clear that opinions about contests and titles are all over the map.

The panelists, myself, Joe Gallagher, Graylin Thornton and Eric Paul Leue, all known community members and titleholders, had a wide range of answers to the questions posed by the moderator, Bob Goldfarb, LDG’s Program Director. I’m not going to identify who said what because panelists often agreed with each other while others disagreed. Since I can’t paraphrase everything that was said here, if you have a strong interest in this topic, watch the recording.

In opening statements, panelists offered their initial thoughts. Maybe we take leather contests too seriously.

For those who do win, they must continually earn the respect, attention and courtesy of others. Newcomers to the leather and kink scene should feel that titleholders are accessible. One of their main functions is to introduce and connect people.

Contests need to be clear about the contest’s focus and purpose. Picking a hot guy? Fundraising? Bringing money into a bar? Or whatever. It’s lack of clarity that leads to such varying opinions and disagreements. Of course, some people enter contests just for fun and perhaps no other reason was really necessary.

As to why some contestants disappear if they don’t win, reasons given varied. Everyone is pulling at titleholders and wants a piece of them.

Everyone has different expectations of titleholders. Some of those expectations become burdensome. Contestants want to do the right thing, but it can become overwhelming.

The panelists agreed that you don’t need a title to do good things for the community. Great people do great things because they are great people, not because they won a title.

It might give you a platform, but it’s really ultimately about the person and their initiative.

Titleholders spend a lot of their own money carrying out their title year, often huge sums of money.

Since many titleholders report not having much sex or play during their title year, many want to take a break and get back to doing just that.

As to what titleholders should be doing and how they can do it better, too many contestants have handlers and coaches that beat them down before they send them into the contest, having instilled fear in them rather than anticipatory joy.

Do contests with people you trust, not people assigned to you, and do it in a way that feels comfortable and genuine.

Once a bar title contestant wins, he or she is getting ready for the next level of city contest. The same applies for going to the national titles. There’s no time to do much

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Rich Stadtmiller

Panelists Joe Gallagher, Race Bannon, Graylin Thornton, Eric Paul Leue and moderator Bob Goldfarb at the SF Leathermen’s Discussion Group meeting, held at the LGBT Center.

else. Make local titles about being local. They are “our” titleholders and should work locally, not be on the road so much.

Alternatively, maybe the titleholder should decide what they want to do and not have that imposed. Yes, winners must comply with the minimum duty requirements, but otherwise should be allowed to do as they please.

Regarding the lack of contestants in some local contests, it was suggested, using the Mr. SF Leather contest as but one example, that contests should generally be open to anyone rather than always competing first in what is often called a “feeder” contest.

Panelists were later corrected that Mr. SF Leather is an open contest requiring only a sponsor, but some stated that this is not the public perception and the contest’s open status should be more widely publicized. Perhaps even the sponsor requirement should be dropped.

One panelist sometimes likes having fewer contestants because it gives him the opportunity to know them better.

There was some disagreement about how much contests mean to the community these days. One panelist believed that in the past, contestants had already done a lot to build a community reputation prior to entering, whereas today that’s often not the case. He felt titles should be the next step after doing some community work and not the jumping off point.

When asked if we could be doing a better job of picking judges, it was suggested that maybe we’re overly inclusive. Rather than filling judging panels with arbitrary diversity standards, judges should be picked simply because they’d be good judges.

Maybe we need a new crop of judges. Perhaps less well-known people might judge in different ways or better than the usual judges.

The judging network also often formulates a type of groupthink that proliferates the same views and per-

spectives, thereby eliminating the chances for contestants who might not fit those preconceived molds.

Titleholder selection criteria came up. Judges, contestants and the public should be given specific, not nebulous, qualifications. Contests often simply lay out vague qualifications and give judges absolutely no guidance. It’s important to remember the entire judging process is a subjective affair and not even remotely objective.

Producers of contests need to be honest regarding why they are having the contest. Is it to pick a person who will look great on a poster? To select a spokesperson? To select a fundraiser? Such contest objectives should be clear and public.

So why does one run for a title and how might that compare to the actual experience? When asked, one panelist considered his running a next step in a natural progression based on his previous work. Another entered because he admired a previous titleholder and wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Fun was front and center as a perfectly viable reason to enter a contest. One panelist said that his title spawned many opportunities to do good things that he might not have been able to do otherwise. Maybe you don’t have to have a long scene history before running for a title.

Must titleholders be into BDSM? No one felt BDSM was a requirement. However, with one exception, everyone agreed that a contestant should be into some form of kinky sex if they are to be truly reflective of the leather and kink worlds.

Regarding newcomers to the scene, it was mentioned that the Bay Area is lucky because there is always something going on here at which people can volunteer and participate. This can form a good foundation for running for a title in the future.

However, another panelist clearly stated he doesn’t believe in rule books, and that nothing should hold anyone from entering a contest, regardless of whether they are See page 31 >>

Rich Stadtmiller

Finalists (and winner Christopher Humphreys, 2nd right) at the Mr. SF Eagle Leather competition in 2014.

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

February 5-11, 2015, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 31

Sporno-graphic

by John F. Karr

a blond who’s nearly as shiny. The scene is very nicely lit, and Owen’s light complexion bounces it right back atcha. Throw that in with Luke, who’s having a really good time (unlike a lot of porn performers, who seem to have punched the time clock and gone to work), and you get a hot coupling.

Adams offers an encore, appearing with rough player Sean Duran. Much as I was looking forward to this pairing, I nearly abandoned it. There’s a distressing problem with the sound,

To me, it was a great impediment to enjoyment, even though the sex (inhe first of two recent Gym Dudes cluding Duran with James Ryder, both brand movies from Hot House heavily inked, and Dylan Knight with Video, Get Him Down, nearly drops Jimmy Roman who’s got a hefty its martial arts theme altogether. Afbut aldente ass) can mostly ter mere seconds of combat action, override it. The moments I boom, everybody’s fucking. The secsampled of Adams/Duran ond movie, Play Hard, has no sports (with drone continuing) action at all. Each scene starts right looked like they were smack in the sex stuff, with the sports living up to my extheme fulfilled through costuming elpectations. It’s a good ements alone. fuck.

I take both courses as beneficial.

Play Hard differs The kickboxers in GHD aren’t too from Get Him Down in two ways. kicky, and the pugilists aren’t too First, and of lesser importance, it punchy. Getting right to the action is skips the pretense of sports-related just fine. Do I hear anyone complain? action in favor of sports-related And though the guys may be costumes—football shoulder gym dudes, there’s no gym in pads, cleated running shoes, sight in GHD. On the stylized knee-high sport socks, and set there’s an occasional punchthe like. Second, Play Hard is ing bag, and lots of chain link a more standard issue feature. I fence running here and there, didn’t like it as much as GHD, all of it theatrically backlit in and that may be simply because bright green or lurid red—the the lighting is dimmer. It’s just sort of backgrounds you’d nevnot as buoyant or emphatic an er see in a real martial arts stuexperience. dio. But what the hell, it’s warm You’ll think it strange of me and enlivening. to say the sex is of the stanEven more so is the main dard variety, when two of the attraction—Luke Adams, comovie’s scenes include kink starring in two scenes with guys that’s hardly standard at all. In who equal his robust, personthat regard, it combines a Gym able performances. Since Luke’s Dudes movie with touches of a near clone of fondly remema Club Inferno movie—which HotHouse bered Benjamin Bradley (and added enough special interest how fondly I fondled myself Luke Adams (right) might be warbling, to keep me watching. when Ben frolicked), I get off on “I get no kick from Champagne” to Owen When Brock Avery cums afLuke big time. I can’t extol his Michaels, in Get Him Down. ter fucking Mike De Marko, the boyish manliness sufficiently— bottom asks, “You gonna finish his meaty body, magnetic rump, intermittent yet ongoing through me off? With that bat?” The bat’s a finely sculpted and steely cock. But most of the film. It’s a drone, as if 29” Louisville Slugger, and when more to the point—there is an aura a box fan in the room upstairs was its fat top end is finished creeping of joy about him; he’s radiant. causing vibrations through the floor, into De Marko’s ass, there’s only He’s joined in the boffo opening pressing down. It made my shoulders about 20” left visible. Its entrance of GHD by hardy Owen Michaels, tense up. engenders lots of strenuous groaning from De Marko, and then lots of cum. De Marko’s haircut causes me anguish, although his body hair, rough face and eagerly rough play make up for it. And will ya bounce my balls, there’s enough cock on the dude to kit out several guys.

In the next scene, solid Dustin Tyler, in a strong mainstream film debut, spends six minutes rather aggressively introducing a dildo into Alexander Gustavo, who offers little resistance and no complaint—as well as a nonstop obbligato of moaning accompaniment. Tyler’s excitement shows in his spurting orgasm.

HotHouse In the movie’s two other scenes, Dustin Tyler and Alexander Gustavo warm up moments before a both Dylan Knight and hot stuff dildo arrives, in Play Hard.

Owen Michaels have sessions with

T

<<

Leather

From page 30

a complete newcomer or seasoned veteran. He didn’t believe you need to be kinky to run for a title.

If contests were open to newcomers and didn’t simultaneously treat those newcomers like experienced leatherfolk, then there’s no reason a newcomer can’t enter the scene via the contest path. But contests don’t typically do that and instead try to coach and handle and otherwise prepare newcomer contestants to appear as if they are seasoned kinksters; that’s a serious disconnect.

An audience member suggested that titleholders used to serve a different function and asked what we’ve done to adapt our titleholders to today, out from behind their computers.

Most agreed that being social media-savvy was a requirement for the modern titleholder. Rather than pine for the old days, perhaps we should accept that social media is simply the way younger folks communicate and organize.

Since we no longer have an abundance of bars, sex clubs, baths and other erotic infrastructures, social media now serves as that infrastructure. The core values of the

past are still there, they just manifest differently.

As for the proliferation of new contests, some felt that we have far too many while others said that sometimes contests are created for the wrong reasons. Too many contests might dilute the scene and aren’t helping.

Another perspective was voiced that, while once upon a time the contest scene and the mainstream leather and kink scene were embraced by essentially the same folks, now the contest circuit and the mainstream scene have diverged and overlap less. Not necessarily a bad thing, but the contest circuit has become its own self-sustaining ecosystem separate from much of the rest of the leather and kink world.

Our scene is now comprised of distributed kink networks and it’s no longer a monolithic leather scene. Older leatherfolk sometimes still think we’re a standardized, monolithic scene, but we’re not.

An audience member was disappointed that the panel didn’t discuss what he referred to as working titles, usually specific local titles, and it’s true that most of the discussion was about titles that don’t have specific working requirements.

Titleholders might sometimes

not be approachable for newcomers. It was agreed that titleholders should be approachable, but that’s not always possible with the many directions that titleholders are pulled in. Every effort should be made to be a resource for newcomers, but that’s not always possible.

Maybe local titleholders shouldn’t be traveling the country so much and should instead be staying in their locales interacting and assisting newcomers more readily. Maybe title sashes and medals should be worn sparingly. They can act as a block to interaction, making the titleholder seem less approachable.

Overall, the entire evening proved that leather contests and titles will continue to be a hot topic of debate around which no real consensus seems to be forming. For now, contests appear here to stay and there were no quantum shifts in thinking.

But having the discussion was valuable, since it clearly illustrated that not everyone has the same opinion of leather contests, their value, how they’re run, or if they should be as prevalent as they are today.t Race Bannon is a local author, blogger and activist. You can reach him at www.bannon.com.

For Leather Events, go to ebar.com

game Rylan Knox. To keep within the parameters of the Gym Dudes brand, I’ll use a sports term to describe Play Hard. It’s up to par, if never exceeding it.

Still, if you want to see attractive younger men wearing athletic gear while getting it on, it’s nice that there’s a professionally made movie like this, which caters to your desire.

One thing’s for sure. In both films, sure-handed director Owen has

been strongly supported by videographer Gordon Cole, whose steady camera (no vertiginous swooning around for him), and sensible framing (no eyeball-twisting Dutch angles), are constantly appreciated.t www.HotHouse.com Enjoy archived NSFW versions of John F. Karr’s film reviews at www.karrnalknowledge.com.

<< On the Tab

32 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 5-11, 2015, 2014

Happy Friday @ Midnight Sun

Bf eON THE 5T–1A 2 February

★

The popular video bar ends each work week with gogo guys (starting at 9pm) and drink specials. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Latin Explosion @ Club 21, Oakland The festive gogo-filled dance night, with host Lulu, gogo hotties, and Latin pop dance hits with DJs Speedy Douglas Romero and Fabricio; no cover before 10pm. $6-$12. 9pm4am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. (510) 268-9425. www.club21oakland.com

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

Point Break Live @ DNA Lounge

Sat 7 Ásgeir @ The New Parish

L

et the music play; jumpstart your playlist, shuffle your queue, listen to something new. Yes, fabulous music acts feature this week, and new nightclub events, along with the regular weekly fun.

Thu 5 Bulge @ Powerhouse Grace Towers hosts the weekly gogotastic night of sexy dudes shakin' their bulges and getting wet in their undies for $100 prize (contest at midnight), and dance beats spun by DJ DAMnation. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Funny Fun @ Club 21, Oakland Weekly LGBT and straight comedy night hosted by Dan Mires. $10. 8pm.

2111 Franklin St. Oakland. (510) 2689425. www.club21oakland.com

Gym Class @ Hi Tops Enjoy cheap/free whiskey shots from jock-strapped hotties and sexy sports videos at the popular sports bar.

10pm-2am. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Kittens @ Oasis DJ Sergio Fedasz and host Kevin Hoskins' new night at the new nightclub. $5. 10pm-2am. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 985-4442. www.sfoasis.com

Lloyd Cole @ Great American Music Hall The veteran indie rock singersongwriter (The Commotions) performs with his band. $25, 50 with dinner. 8pm. 859 O'Farrell St. at Larkin. 885-0750. www.slimspresents.com

Lucinda Williams @ The Fillmore The veteran rocker performs with The Kenneth Brian Band. $40. 8pm. 1805 Geary Blvd. at Fillmore. 346-6000. www.thefillmore.com

Mary Go Round @ Lookout Suppositori Spelling, Mercedez Munro and Holotta Tymes host the weekly night with DJ Philip Grasso, gogo guys, drink specials, and drag acts.

10pm-2am. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

The Monster Show @ The Edge The late Cookie Dough's weekly drag show with 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

Nightlife @ California Academy of Sciences Themed event nights at the fascinating nature museum, with DJed dancing, cocktails, fish, frogs, food and fun. Feb. 5: Show Off, with DJ Purple, Professor Bang, voguing dance workshop, Stump a Scientist, gif photo booth and more. Feb. 12: Chemistry Nightlife, with the Go Bang! DJs, SF Beer Week samples, craft-making booths, and beer chemistry demos. $10-$12. 6pm-10pm, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park.

379-8000. www.calacademy.org

Pan Dulce @ The Cafe Amazingly hot Papi gogo guys, cheap drinks and fun DJed dance music. Free before 10pm. $5 til 2am. 2369 Market St. www.clubpapi.com www.cafesf.com

Seinabo Sey @ The Chapel The Swedish/West African R&B/pop vocalist performs live. $18. 9pm. 777 Valencia St. www.seinabosey.com www.thechapelsf.com

Tubesteak Connection @ Aunt Charlie's Lounge Disco guru DJ Bus Station John spins grooves at the intimate retro music night. $4. 10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

Two Gallants @ Three Venues The SF-based blues/rock duo play music from their new/fifth CD, We Are Undone. Golden Drugs opens ($20-$24, 9pm) Feb. 5 at Leo's Music Club, 5447 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.clubleos.com Also Feb. 6 at The Chapel SF, 777 Valencia St. ($20-$22, 9pm) with Andrew St. James. www. thechapelsf.com Also Feb. 7 at Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell St. ($20-$45, 9pm) with B. Hamilton. www.slimspresents.com www.twogallants.com

VIP @ Club 21, Oakland Hip Hop, Top 40, and sexy Latin music; gogo dancers, appetizers, and special guest DJs. No cover before 11pm and just $5 after all night.

Dancing 9pm-3am. Happy hour 4pm8:30pm 2111 Franklin St. (510) 2689425. www.club21oakland.com

Fri 6 Boy Bar @ The Café Gus Presents' weekly dance night, with DJ Kid Sysko, hotty gogos and $2 beer (before 10pm). 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Curtain Call @ Hotel Rex Society Cabaret's Broadway-themed night, with host Bill Cooper and painist Barry Lloyd. 7pm. Cocktails and small plates available. $10-$25.

7pm-10pm. 562 Sutter St. 857-1896. www.societycabaret.com

The dude-tastic live parody performance of the surfer-bank robber-skydiving movie, now monthly, features a chosen audience member in the lead. Enjoy messy, wacky, zany shirtless dude theatre, bro. $20-$50. 7:30pm & 11pm.

375 11th St. www.pointbreaksf.com www.dnalounge.com

Polyglamorous @ Oasis The new dance night with DJs Mark O'Brien and M*J*R of BAAAHS, and guest DJ Nark, promises groovy grooves, and groovy guys & gals. See the show Shit & Champagne at 7:30pm and stay for free. $7. 9pm-3am. 298 11th St. at Folsom. www.sfoasis.com

Red Hots Burlesque @ El Rio The saucy women's burlesque revue's weekly weekend show; different musical guests each week. $10.

7:30pm. 3158 Mission St. 672-4735.

Also Wed nights at Oasis. www.redhotsburlesque.com www.elriosf.com

Shit & Champagne @ Oasis D'Arcy Drollinger's hilarious nightclub hit, a whitesploitation comedy with action-packed models fighting a drug cartel, returns at the new SoMa nightclub; featuring Matthew Martin. $20-$25. Thu-Sat 7pm. Thru Feb. 14.

298 11th St. at Folsom. 985-4442. www.sfoasis.com

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

Wayne Brady @ Feinstein's at the Nikko The multi-talented singer comic actor performs at the upscale intimate cabaret. $75-$90. 8pm. Also Feb 7 & 8 at 7pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com

Sat 7 Ásgeir @ The New Parish, SF Independent The Icelandic folktronica hunk (and collaborator with fave John Grant) performs unique music from his first English album In the Silence ; Bhi Bhiman opens. $18-$20. 7:30pm.

18+. Also at the SF Independent, Feb 9. $18. 8pm. 628 Divisadero St. 7711421. www.theindependentsf.com

Cabaret Showcase @ Hotel Rex Ellen Nicholas, Matthew Francis and J. Scott Stewart perform mini-sets of cabaret favorites. Cocktails and small plates available. $10-$25. 8pm. 562 Sutter St. 857-1896. www.societycabaret.com

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. www.bench-and-bar.com

Go Bang @ The Stud Enjoy the classic disco night, with DJs Steve Fabus, Sergio Fedasz, and guests. $7. 9pm-3am. 399 9th st. www.gobangsf.com www.studsf.com

London Grammar @ Fox Theatre, Oakland Brit music trio performs their ethereal soulful melodies, with amazing vocals

by Hannah Reid. Until the Ribbon Breaks opens. $27.50. 8pm. 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 3022250. www.londongrammar.com www.thefoxoakland.com

Mother @ Oasis Heklina's new weekly drag show night at the fabulous renovated SoMa nightclub; plus DJGuy Ruben. Feb. 7 theme is a Kate Bush tribute. $10.

10pm-2am. 298 11th St. at Folsom.

985-4442. www.sfoasis.com

RuPaul's Drag Race: Battle of the Seasons @ Regency Ballroom The live show of the popular Logo TV drag competition, hosted by Michelle Visage, features Alaska 5000, Bianca Del Rio, Courtney Act, Ivy Winters, Manila Luzon, Raja, Sharon Needles, and Cary NoKey. $30-$35. $80 VIP (meet & greet 8pm). 10pm. 1300 Van Ness Ave. at Sutter www.theregencyballroom.com

Sex & Drags & Rock N Roll @ Midnight Sun Mutha Chucka's wild drag show, with Dulce De Leche, Rahni Nothingmore and other talents; celebrate Mutha's birthday! Shows 10:30pm & 12am.

4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Sun 8 Beer Bust @ Lone Star Saloon The ursine crowd converges for beer and fun. 4pm-8pm. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Beer Bust @ SF Eagle The classic leather bar's most popular Sunday daytime event in town draws the menfolk. 3pm-6pm. Now also on Saturdays! 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Beer Bust @ SF Mix The popular Castro bar hosts its weekly softball team beer bust fundraiser. 3pm-7pm. 4086 18th St. 431-8616. www.sfmixbar.com

Big Top @ Beaux Joshua J.'s homo disco circus night, with guest DJs and performers, hotty gogo guys and drink specials. 9pm-2am.

2344 Market St. www.BeauxSF.com

Brunch Sundays/ Xtravaganza @ Balancoire Weekly live music shows with various acts, along with brunch, mimosas, champagne and more, at the stylish nightclub and restaurant. T-Dance drag shows at 7pm, 10pm and 11pm.

2565 Mission St. at 21st. 920-0577. www.balancoiresf.com

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

t

Jock @ The Lookout The weekly jock-ular fun continues, with special sports team fundraisers.

3pm-7pm. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Looking @ Midnight Sun Viewing parties for the second season of HBO's San Francisco-set gay dramedy series. 10pm. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550 The popular twice-weekly countrywestern dance night includes linedancing, two-stepping and lessons. $5. 5pm-10:30pm. Also Thursdays 6:30pm-10:30pm. 550 Barneveld Ave. at Industrial. www.sundancesaloon.org

Sunday's a Drag @ Starlight Room Donna Sachet hosts the weekly fabulous brunch and drag show. $45.

11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square. 395-8595. www.starlightroomsf.com

The Klipptones @ Neck of the Woods The classy jazz quartet fronted by Josh Klipp performs an afternoon show.

2pm-5pm. 406 Clement St. at 5th Ave. www.klipptones.com www.neckofthewoodssf.com

Vanessa Bousay @ Martuni's The drag songstress performs popular musical theatre and pop duets with Steven Satyricon and accompanist Alan Choy. 7pm. 4 Valencia St. 2410205. www.vanessabousay.com

Mon 9 Drag Mondays @ The Cafe Mahlae Balenciaga and DJ Kidd Sysko's weekly drag and dance night, 2014's last of the year. 9pm-1am.

2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

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

Marga Gomez' Performerama @ Oasis The popular lesbian comic presents a new night of performance storytelling (2nd Mondays), with guests Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, and Baruch Porras-Hernandez. $8. 8pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 985-4442. www.sfoasis.com

Monday Musicals @ The Edge The casts of local and visiting musicals often pop in to perform at the popular Castro bar's musical theatre night.

7pm-2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pmclosing. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Name That Beat @ Toad Hall BeBe Sweetbriar hosts a weekly musical trivia challenge and drag show. 8:30-11:30pm. 4146 18th St. at Castro. www.toadhallbar.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

Country Western Night @ Beatbox Sundance Saloon's monthly twostepping and line-dancing night (first Sat.) at the SoMa club. $8. 6pm10pm (lessons 6pm-7pm). 314 11th st. at Folsom. www.sundancesaloon.org www.beatboxsf.com

La Bota Loca @ Club 21, Oakland DJed tunes, gogo hotties, drag shows, drink specials, all at Oakland's premiere Latin nightclub and weekly cowboy night. $10-$15. Dancing 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St. (510) 268-9425. www.club21oakland.com

Sat 7 RuPaul’s Drag Race: Battle of the Seasons @ Regency Ballroom

t

Read more online at www.ebar.com

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February 5-11, 2015, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 33

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“Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by others doing it.”

— James Baldwin

Piano Bar 101 @ Martuni's

Rufus Wainwright @ Yoshi's Oakland

Dream Queens Revue @ Aunt Charlie's Lounge

Milo Greene @ SF Independent

Sing-along night with talented locals, and charming accompanist Joe Wicht (aka Trauma Flintstone).

9pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market. www. dragatmartunis.com

The plaintive singer-pianist performs at the jazz club/restaurant. $59.

8pm & 10pm. Also Feb. 11. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakland. (510) 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

San Francisco's most fabulicious drag show, featuring Collette LeGrande, Ruby Slippers, Sophilya Leggz, Bobby Ashton, Sheena Rose, Kipper, and Joie de Vivre. 9:30-11:30pm. 133 Turk St. 441-2922. www.dreamqueensrevue.com

Innovative LA-based songwriting quintet performs. Zella Day opens. $17. 8pm. 628 Divisadero St. 7711421. www.theindependentsf.com

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

Tue 10 Bombshell Betty & Her Burlesqueteers @ Elbo Room The weekly burlesque show of women dancers shaking their bonbons includes live music. $10. 9pm. 647 Valencia St. 552-7788. www.elbo.com

Catfish & The Bottlemen @ SF Independent Power-pop Brit band performs; Wild Party opens. $12. 8pm. 628 Divisadero St. 771-1421. www.theindependentsf.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

Mirage @ Oasis

Switch @ Q Bar Weekly women's night at the stylish intimate bar. 9pm-2am.

456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com Play the trivia game at the popular new sports bar. 9pm.

2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Underwear Night @ Club OMG Weekly underwear night includes free clothes check, and drink specials; different hosts each week. $3. 10pm-2am.

Preceded by Open Mic Comedy, 7pm, no cover. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Fri 6 Jem Jehovah @ Polyglamorous

Juanita More! and her weekly intimate dance party. $10-$15.

9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www. qbarsf.com

Naked Night @ Nob Hill Theatre

B.P.M. @ Club BnB, Oakland Olga T and Shugga Shay's weekly queer women and men's R&B hip hop and soul night, at the club's new location. No cover. 8pm-2am. 2120 Broadway, Oakland. www.bench-and-bar.com

The saucy women's burlesque revue has moved to the new SoMa nightclub; different musical guests each week. $10-$20. Wednesdays at 8:30pm-11:30pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 985-4442. www.sfoasis.com

Sea of Bees @ Rickshaw Stop

So You Think You Can Gogo? @ Toad Hall

Booty Call @ QBar

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

Weekly women's happy hour, with all-women music and live performances, 2 for 1 drinks, and no cover. 5pm-9am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Eclectic vocalist and musician performs with her band. Also, Deradoorian and Emily Neveu. $10. 8pm. 155 Fell St. at Van Ness Ave. 861-2011. www.rickshawstop.com

Wed 11 Bottoms Up Bingo @ Hi Tops

Pussy Party @ Beaux

Red Hots Burlesque @ Oasis

Trivia Night @ Hi Tops

New dance party with a taping of LateNite Bubbles, 7pm-9pm, live acts

by BeBe Sweetbriar, Tweaka Turner and Bernadette, with Go Bang DJs Sergio and Steve. $8. 9pm-2am. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 985-4442. www.sfoasis.com

Strip down with the strippers at the cruisy adult theatre and arcade; free beverages. $20. 8pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

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The weekly dancing competition for gogo wannabes. 9pm. cash prizes, $2 well drinks (2 for 1 happy hour til 9pm). Show at 9pm. 4146 18th St. www.toadhallbar.com

Trivia Night @ Harvey's Follies and Dollies @ White Horse Tavern, Oakland Ana Mae Coxxx and Cemora Valentino-Devine cohost a night of drag acts and fun, with Honey Daniels, Chico Suave, Acquoria Victoria, and others. Show at 9:30pm. $5. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 6523820. www.whitehorsebar.com

BeBe Sweetbriar hosts a weekly night of trivia quizzes and fun and prizes; no cover. 8pm-1pm. 500 Castro St. 431-4278. www.harveyssf.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 12 Double Duchess @ Rickshaw Stop Enjoy the hi-energy booty-bouncing duo. Also, Blaus (electro techno jazz), Mirrorgloss (dance rock) and Purple Crush (pop vocals). $10. 9pm. 155 Fell St. at Van Ness Ave. 861-2011. www.rickshawstop.com

Gym Class @ Hi Tops Enjoy cheap whiskey shots from jock-strapped hotties and sexy sports videos at the popular new sports bar.

10pm-2am. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Pan Dulce @ The Cafe Enjoy amazingly hot Papi gogo guys, cheap drinks and fun DJed dance music. Free before 10pm. $5 til 2am.

2369 Market St. www.clubpapi.com www.cafesf.com

Paula West @ Feinstein's at the Nikko The talented jazz vocalist performs a six-week engagement at the upscale intimate nightclub/cabaret, performing an eclectic array of songs, from Bob Dylan, Talking Heads and Harry Nilsson to jazz classics. $35$50. Thu & Fri 8pm. Sat 7pm & 10pm.

Sun 7pm. Thru March 22. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com

Thump @ White Horse, Oakland Weekly electro music night with DJ Matthew Baker and guests. 9pm-2am.

6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.com Want your nightlife event listed?

Of course you do.

Email events@ebar.com, at least two weeks before your event.

Event photos welcome.

34 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 5-11, 2015, 2014

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

t

L

ast Sunday, football fans enjoyed watching the Katy Perry concert, er, the season finale game with the New England Patriots, who beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24. Lookout studs offered shots, and fans enjoyed the game and the airy balcony view at the popular Castro Bar, located at 3600 16th Street at Market. www.lookoutsf.com 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

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confidential and will be used only to contact winners of a random drawing for several valuable prizes.

You must complete at least 75 percent of the survey to qualify for the prize drawings. One survey per person/email allowed and must be submitted by midnight (Pacific Time) February 28, 2015. Mail to Besties, 44 Gough St. #204, San Francisco, CA 94103 or email to besties@ebar.com. Survey results will be published in the April 2, 2015 issue of the B.A.R. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact our office at (415) 861-5019.

hank you for taking time to complete this survey by the Bay Area Reporter. Your opinion and answers are important to us.

For this fifth annual readers’ poll, we’ve changed the format and now include nominees for each category, along with a write-in designation if you think another business or individual should be nominated. This year’s nominees are a mix of previous winners and new entries.

The survey should only take 10-15 minutes of your time. Your identity and answers are completely

20 15 Besties THE LGBT BEST OF THE BAY

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Prize winners and results of The Besties will be published in our 44th Anniversary issue on April 2, 2015.

Best Bookstore

COMMUNITY Best LGBT Event  Castro Street Fair  Folsom Street Fair  Oakland Pride  San Francisco Pride  Silicon Valley Pride

✎

Best LGBT Fundraiser  Casino Night (Horizons

Foundation)

 Help is On the Way (REAF)  Light in the Grove (National AIDS

Memorial Grove)

 Santa Skivvies Run (SFAF)  Soiree (LGBT Community Center)  Unmasked (GLBT Historical

Society)

✎

Best Blog/Website  Accidental Bear  The Bold Italic  Ebar.com  SFist

✎

Best LGBT Nonprofit  AIDS Emergency Fund  Imperial Council of San Francisco  Openhouse  Project Open Hand  Transgender Law Center

✎

Best LGBT Sports League  Golden Gate Wrestling Club  SF Fog Rugby Club  SF Frontrunners  SF Gay Basketball Association  SF Gay Softball League  SF Pool Association  SF Tsunami Swim Club

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Best LGBTQ Activist  Tez Anderson (Let’s Kick ASS)  B. Cole (Brown Boi Project)  Alicia Garza (#Black Lives Matter)  Aja Monet (Tenderloin Pride)

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Best LGBTQ Youth Activist (Under 25)  Angel VanStark (Campaign for

Presidential Youth Commission)  Alex Neumann (San Mateo County LGBT Commission) ✎

SHOPPING/ SERVICES Best Place to Pamper Your Pets  Animal House  Bernal Beast  Best in Show  Groomingdales (Burlingame)  Mr. Muggles’ Dogs  Mudpuppy’s Tub & Scrub  Noe Valley Pet Company  VIP Pet Grooming

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Best Veterinarian  Mission Pet Hospital  San Francisco Veterinary House

Calls  Seven Hills Veterinary Hospital ✎

Best Dog Park  Bernal Heights Dog Park  Corona Heights Dog Park  Duboce Park  Point Isabel (Richmond)

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Best Dentist  Financial District Dental Care  Michael Perona, DDS  Aaron Rose, DDS

 Aardvark  Alley Cat Books  Books Inc.  Booksmith  Green Apple

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Best Bicycle Shop  Box Dog Bikes  Freewheel Bike Shop  Market Street Bikes  Mission Bicycle Company  Valencia Cyclery

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Best Vintage Clothing/ Consignment  Buffalo Exchange  Sui Generis  Wasteland

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Best Thrift Store  Community Thrift  Goodwill  Out of the Closet

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Best Art Supplies  Blick  Discount Fabrics  Flax  Just for Fun and Scribbledoodles

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Best Retirement Community

Best Health Care Provider

 Fountaingrove Lodge  San Francisco Towers  The Sequoias – San Francisco

 Brown & Toland  CPMC/Sutter Health  Kaiser  UCSF

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Best Medical Marijuana Dispensary  Apothecarium  Compassionate Health  Green Cross  Green Door

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Best Tax Preparer  H&R Block  Jackson Hewitt  Johnston Tax Group

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Best Bank

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Best Place to Buy a Car  Fiat of San Francisco  One Toyota (Oakland)  Volkswagen San Francisco

WEDDINGS Best Formalwear for Women  Kipper Clothiers  Macy’s  Saint Harridan  Tomboy Tailors

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Best Small Live Music Venue

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Best Place to Buy Rings  D&H Sustainable Jewelers  Gallery of Jewels  Tiffany

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 Martuni’s  The New Parish (Oakland)  Thee Parkside  Rickshaw Stop  El Rio  SF Eagle

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Best Theatre Company

Best Wedding Photographer  Rick Gerharter  Gareth Gooch  Georg Lester  Steven Underhill

 American Conservatory Theatre  Berkeley Repertory Theatre  New Conservatory Theatre  Ray of Light Theatre  Theatre Rhinoceros

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Best Caterer

Best Museum

 J Jardine  Molto Benne Catering  Taste Catering

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Best Honeymoon Destination  Hawaii  Key West  Monterey/Carmel  Provincetown  Puerto Vallarta

Best Auto Mechanic

Best Domestic Travel Destination

Best Real Estate Firm

 Palm Springs  Las Vegas  New York City  Seattle  Washington, D.C.

 Hill & Company  Swann Group  Vanguard Properties  Zephyr Real Estate

Best Foreign Travel Destination

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 SF Federal Credit Union  Sterling Bank and Trust  Union Bank  Wells Fargo

 Barcelona, Spain  London, England  Paris, France  Rome, Italy  Thailand

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 The Chapel  The Fillmore  Great American Music Hall  Masonic Hall  Regency Center  Warfield

 Macy’s  Men’s Wearhouse  Sui Generis

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Best Large Live Music Venue

Best Formalwear for Men

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 Cowden Automotive  John Gardner Automotive  Luscious Garage

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

BESTIES 2015 SPONSORS: Palm Springs, CA

 Asian Art Museum  Contemporary Jewish Museum  GLBT History Museum  Legion of Honor  Museum of the African Diaspora  Walt Disney Family Museum  de Young Museum

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Best Modern Dance Company  AXIS Dance Company  Jess Curtis/Gravity  Joe Goode Performance Group  Keith Hennessy/Circo Zero  Katie Faulkner/little seismic  ODC Dance  Sean Dorsey Dance

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Best Ballet Company  Alonzo King Lines Ballet  Ballet San Jose  Post/Ballet  San Francisco Ballet  Smuin Ballet

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Best Nature/Science Museum

Best Mixed Drink

Best Place to Meet Men

Best Sports Bar

Best DJ Duo/Group

 California Academy of Sciences  Exploratorium  SF Botanical Gardens  SF Conservatory of Flowers

 Alembic  Blackbird  The Hideout at Dalva  Lolo  Martuni’s  Tacolicious  Twin Peaks  Virgil’s Sea Room

 440 Castro  Powerhouse  Lone Star Saloon  Lookout  SF Eagle  Truck

 440 Castro  The Edge  Hi Tops  Pilsner Inn

 BAAAHS (Big-Ass Amazingly

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Best Theme Night

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Best Place to Meet Transgender People

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Best Classical Venue  Davies Symphony Hall  Old First Church  SF Conservatory of Music  War Memorial Opera House

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Best Beer Selection  Brewcade  Caskhouse  City Beer Store  Monk’s Kettle  Pilsner Inn  SF Eagle  Toronado

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RESTAURANTS Best Breakfast  Crepevine  It’s Tops  Orphan Andy’s  Sparky’s  Stacks

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Best Brunch  Balançoire  Cassava  Foreign Cinema  Hi Tops  Squat & Gobble  Starbelly  Zuni Cafe

Best Wine Bar  20 Spot  Biondivino  Blush  City Club  Noeteca  Swirl  St Vincent

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 Harvey’s  Hi Tops  Lookout  Truck

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Charlie’s Lounge

 Glamazone – The Cafe  Monster Show – The Edge  Mother – SF Oasis  Some Thing – The Stud  Sunday’s A Drag – Sir Francis

Drake Hotel

 1015 Folsom  Beatbox  EndUp  Mezzanine  Mighty  Public Works  Space 550

venues)

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Best Castro Bar

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Best SoMa Bar

Best Monthly Nightlife Event

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Best Outdoor Patio  Café Flore  Catch  Fable  Flippers  Starbelly

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Best Coffee Shop  Dolores Park Cafe  Four Barrel  Illy  Morning Due  Peet’s  Philz  Ritual Roasters  Spike’s

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Best Late Night Restaurant  Grubstake  Orphan Andy’s  Sparky’s  Tempest  Tommy’s Joynt

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Best Happy Hour Bites  Blackbird  Dosa  Hi-Tops  Nopa  Pesce

Beatbox

 Gym Class – Hi Tops

 Beatpig – Powerhouse  Go Bang! – The Stud  Comedy Returns – El Rio  Hardbox – Powerhouse

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Best Game Night  Bottoms Up Bingo – Hi Tops  Miss Kitty’s Trivia Night – Wild

Side West

 No No Bingo – Virgil’s Sea Room  Name That Beat – Toad Hall  Trivia Night – Harvey’s

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Best Stray (Straight/Gay) Bar

Best Nightlife Event (non-weekly/non-monthly)

 Blackbird  Brewcade  EndUp  Wild Side West  Virgil’s Sea Room

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Best Cabaret Venue  Feinstein’s at the Nikko  Hotel Rex  Martuni’s  SF Oasis  Starlight Room

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Best Women’s Event  13 Licks – Qbar  B.P.M. – Club BnB, Oakland  Cock Block – Rickshaw Stop  Darling Nikki – Slate  Mango – El Rio  Pussy Party – Beaux  Riot Grrr – Lone Star Saloon  Ships in the Night – The New

Parish, Oakland

 Uhaul – Beatbox

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 Paul Brown  Josh Colwell  Brian Hawn  Simon Palczynski  Andrew Slade

Best Gogo Gal

 Brewcade  Club BnB (Oakland)  SF Oasis

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 Bearracuda – various venues  Chaos – Beatbox  Comfort & Joy – various venues  Hard French – El Rio  Industry – various venues  Magnitude – various venues

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Best (non-contest) Leather Event at a Bar  Code – The Edge  Daddy – Powerhouse  Lick It – Powerhouse  Sadistic Saturday – SF Eagle

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Best Neighborhood Bar  El Rio  Pilsner Inn  The Stud  Trax  Wild Side West

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 Lucy Dorado  Jella GoGo  Nina Makalena  Chloe Rainwater

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BAR FOLK Best Bartender  Andy Anderson – 440  Steve Dalton – SF Eagle  Jose Guevara – Powerhouse  Chris Jansen – Rickshaw Stop  Bruce Jennison – Lone Star  Erick Lopez – The Edge  Michael Tempesta – Midnight Sun

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Best Female Cabaret Performer  Leanne Borghesi  The Coker Sisters  Sony Holland  Veronica Klaus  Katya Smirnoff-Skky  Paula West  Wesla Whitfield

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 Andy Cross – Daddy (Powerhouse)  Cookie Dough – The Monster

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 Club BnB (Bench and Bar)  Club 21  Club 1220  White Horse Bar  World Famous Turf Club

Best Gogo Guy

Best New Bar or Nightclub

 Big Top – Beaux  The Monster Show – The Edge  Mother – SF Oasis  Sundance Saloon – Space 550/

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Best East Bay Bar

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 Michael Brandon – Sadistic

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 B Patisserie  Craftsman and Wolves  Cream  Frozen Kuhsterd  Illy Cafe  Sweet Inspirations  Tartine Bakery

Center for the Arts

 Cookie Dough  D’Arcy Drollinger  Heklina  Juanita More  Sister Roma  Khmera Rouge  Donna Sachet  BeBe Sweetbriar  Grace Towers

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Best Weekly Nightlife Event

 440 Castro  Badlands  Beaux  The Edge  Lookout

 Hole in the Wall  Lone Star Saloon  Powerhouse  SF Eagle  The Stud

Sciences

 Opening Parties – Yerba Buena

Best Event host/MC

 Canela  Chow  Firewood Cafe  Hecho  Pesce  Poesia  Urchin Bistro

Best Dessert

(Juanita More; various venues)

 Kink.com Parties – Armory  Nightlife – California Academy of

Best Drag Queen

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 Comedy Returns – El Rio  Funny Fun – Club 21, Oakland  Funny Tuesdays – Harvey’s  Hella Gay Comedy (various

NIGHTLIFE BARS

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 Dragula – Oasis (formerly at Eagle)  Fridays – de Young Museum  Halloween Runway Massacre

Best Comedy Night

 Bar Tartine  Café Flore  Green Chile Kitchen  Harvey’s  Mama Ji’s  Super Duper

 Cubcake – Lone Star Saloon  Frolic – The Stud  Mazel Top – SF Oasis  Pound Puppy – SF Eagle  ShangriLa – EndUp

Best Drag Show

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Best Lunch

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Best Unusual Nightlife Events

Best Dance Floor

Best Bar Menu

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 Dream Queens Revue – Aunt

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Best Dinner

 Asia SF  Aunt Charlie’s Lounge  Balançoire  Diva’s  SF Oasis

Awesome Homosexual Sheep)

 Go Bang!  Honey Soundsystem  Hard French

Saturdays (Eagle) Show (Edge)

 Heklina – Mother (Oasis)  Lance Holman – Lick It

(Powerhouse)

 Juanita More – Booty Call (Qbar)  Gehno Aviance Sanchez – Hardbox

(Powerhouse)  Grace Towers – Bulge (Powerhouse) ✎

Best Male Cabaret Performer  Jason Brock  Jesse Cortez  Mark Hockenberry  Mark Johnson  Joe Wicht

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Best LGBT Band  Double Duchess  The Klipptones  Pepperspray  Tom Shaw Trio  Whoa Nellies

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Best Female Comic  Yayne Abeba  Diane Amos  Lisa Geduldig  Marga Gomez  Natasha Muse  Karen Ripley

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Best Male Comic

SEX

 Charlie Ballard  Yuri Kagan  Nick Leonard  Justin Lucas  Sampson McCormick  Ronn Vigh

Best Sex Venue

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 Blow Buddies  Eros  Steamworks (Berkeley)  Watergarden (San Jose)  Nob Hill Theatre

Best Male DJ

Best Place to Buy Sex Toys

 Paul Goodyear  David Harness  DJ Hawthorne  Tristan Jaxx  Bus Station John  Justime  Guy Ruben

 Does Your Mother Know?  Folsom Gulch  Good Vibrations  Mr S  Rock Hard

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Best Local Gay Male Porn Actor

Best Female DJ  Candy  Jibbz  Ms. Jackson  Kimba  Motive  Page Hodel  Jenna Riot  Olga T  ShOOey

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 Jesse Colter  Race Cooper  Blake Daniels  Jimmy Durano  Leo Forte  Sebastian Keys  Adam Ramzi

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BESTIES 2015 SPONSORS: Palm Springs, CA