March 5, 2015 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

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Bill incentivizes companies to offer trans benefits by Matthew S. Bajko

ompanies that seek state contracts in California would be unable to do so if they do not offer their transgender employees the same benefits other employees receive under legislation pending in Jane Philomen Cleland the Statehouse. State Senator The bill would priMark Leno marily impact those businesses in other states that do not require companies to offer transgender health care benefits. Companies based in California have been required to provide such coverage since 2006, with eight other states and the District of Columbia following suit. Gay state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) introduced the bill, SB 703, last Friday a day ahead of the deadline for lawmakers to submit legislation for this session. The legislation, which Leno’s office will officially announce Thursday, is co-sponsored by Equality California, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the Transgender Law Center. “Given that health coverage for transgender people is already state law in California, why would we want taxpayer dollars from our state going to contractors that don’t provide the same benefits?” asked Leno in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. The legislation, added Leno, levels the playing field in state contracting between in-state and out-of-state companies. “If I am an in-state contractor and bidding on government jobs, I could be potentially under bid by out-of-state contractors in a state that doesn’t require, as ours does, health coverage for transgender people,” said Leno. SB 703 is modeled after legislation passed in 2003 that prohibited state agencies from doing business with companies that did not offer the same benefits to employees with domestic partners as those received by employees with spouses. Since then state leaders have enacted several bills that require health care insurers in California not to discriminate against transgender policyholders. More than 25 percent of Fortune 500 companies now offer equal health care benefits to transgender employees, and last year, the federal Medicare system removed its discriminatory transgender exclusion. “The cost is immaterial for transgenderrelated healthcare benefits,” noted Sasha Buchert, a TLC staff attorney. Leno’s bill would apply to state contracts of $100,000 or more. It would also require the Department of General Services to create an online database listing all contracts subject to the provision, and to establish a method for See page 6 >>

Vol. 45 • No. 10 • March 5-11, 2015

Castro rally for black LGBTs met with anger at bar by Khaled Sayed

rally in the Castro to affirm and celebrate black LGBTQs briefly turned ugly when some of the demonstrators went to a bar and said they were met with hostility. Organizers with Queer #BlackLivesMatter held the February 28 rally to mark the end of Black History Month and call attention to violence against trans women of color. One of those women, Taja DeJesus, was stabbed to death in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood last month. See page 6 >>

San Francisco Police Officer C. Stokes, right, takes a report from Danielle Castro, seated center, who said she was battered by an employee of Toad Hall as he was trying to close the door to the bar.

Rick Gerharter

HIV treatment, cure discussed at CROI New tenofovir in the pipeline

by Liz Highleyman

trio of experimental antiretroviral drugs and research toward a cure for HIV were among the more than 1,000 presentations at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle. With current HIV treatment being highly effective and easy to use, the pipeline for new antiretrovirals has slowed to a trickle. Liz Highleyman But there is still room for new drugs that are Researchers David Wohl, left, and Max Lataillade better tolerated and attack the virus by novel presented the tenofovir and HIV maturation mechanisms.

ART old and new

inhibitor studies at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.

David Cooper from the University of New South Wales in Australia kicked off the confab with a rundown of the history of antiretroviral therapy (ART), following a tribute to AIDS researcher Joep Lange. Lange and several colleagues were killed last July enroute to the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne when Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by a missile near the Russia-Ukraine border. Cooper discussed the ongoing controversy about whether to start treatment immediately after HIV diagnosis – an approach adopted by the San Francisco Department of Public Health and UCSF in early 2010, and now part of national treatment guidelines – or to wait until immune function declines. Starting treatment early reduces immune activation and inflammation, leads to lower viral

reservoirs in resting T-cells, and viral suppression nearly eliminates the risk of HIV transmission. But antiretroviral drugs can cause longterm toxicities and so far there is little evidence from randomized trials showing that starting treatment with a CD4 T-cell count over 500 offers a survival advantage. Currently 13.6 million people are receiving antiretroviral therapy worldwide – a “remarkable achievement in scaling up” – but there are still 28.6 million more who need treatment. “It’s hard to see how current flat levels of funding can allow for a doubling of people on ART,” Cooper said. “We simply need to tell civil society that these funds cannot be flat-lined ... that is unacceptable and we need to finish the job.”

Researchers presented results from a pair of studies looking at Gilead’s tenofovir alafenamide or TAF, a new version of the widely used tenofovir disoproxil fumarate or TDF. A component of several combination pills including Truvada – used for both HIV treatment and pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP – TDF is generally safe and effective, but it can cause kidney and bone problems in some people. TAF reaches higher levels in HIV-infected cells but lower levels in the blood, meaning less drug exposure for the kidneys, bones, and other organs. David Wohl from the University of North Carolina reported that a TAF coformulation works as well as the current TDF coformulation sold as Stribild. In two studies that together enrolled more than 1,700 people starting HIV treatment for the first time, 92 percent of participants in the TAF group and 90 percent in the TDF group achieved undetectable viral load by 48 weeks. While the overall safety profiles of the two drugs were similar, Paul Sax from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston reported that TAF has less detrimental effects on the kidneys and bones than TDF. People taking TAF had fewer kidney-related side effects and DEXA scans showed less bone loss in the spine and hips. “Efficacy was very comparable and clearly TAF held its own against TDF,” Wohl said at a CROI See page 8 >>

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<< Community News

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

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Doctor recalls dispute in Doubtfire arson case T

he doctor who owns the house known for its role in the 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire testified this week that he and the transgender woman accused of setting fire to the home had had a dispute over surgery he had performed. Dr. Douglas Ousterhout, 79, said in a San Francisco Superior Court preliminary hearing Tuesday, March 3 that he’d performed facial feminization surgery on Tyqwon Eugene Welch, 26, last June. Welch, who paid about $45,000 for the operation, eventually wanted a refund, he said. Welch, of Los Angeles, entered not guilty pleas in January to charges of attempted murder, two counts of burning an inhabited dwelling, possession of an incendiary device, criminal threats, and residential burglary, along with misdemeanor counts of trespassing and making annoying phone calls. Ousterhout testified Tuesday that he’d been at his home, at 2640 Steiner Street, at about 12:25 p.m. January 5 when he heard something at the mailbox. He went to his door and saw 9/14/14 5:12 PM Welch “with most of my mail in her hands.” Ousterhout said he got the mail back from her, and started to re-

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ebecca Ford, right, talked about the significance of the soon-to-close Lexington Club in the Mission district as part of the GLBT Historical Society’s “Ghosts of Gentrification Bar Crawl” Saturday, February 28. Participants stopped at Toad Hall in the Castro, the former Esta Noche in the Mission, the former Marlena’s in Hayes Valley, the site of the I-Beam in the Haight, and existing sites the Eagle and SF Oasis in the South of Market neighborhood. The final program, an open forum on the G Spot series, is Thursday (March 5) at 7 p.m. at the GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th Street in the Castro.

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The front door of Dr. Douglas Ousterhout’s San Francisco home, made famous by the film, Mrs. Doubtfire, appears burned after an alleged arson.

enter the house when Welch “pushed me in and closed the door behind her.” She asked for his checkbook but eventually left. (Ousterhout didn’t say he gave her the checkbook.) At about 8:15 p.m., said Ousterhout, he was making dinner when he smelled “the strong smell of gasoline” and saw that “the front door was glowing.” In August, after Mrs. Doubtfire star Robin Williams, 63, committed suicide, many people had left flowers and other memorials at the house, and Ousterhout said people had also left candles, but this glow “was more than that,” he said. He opened his front door to find

the doormat on fire. He soon realized the door also was ablaze, but he eventually was able to extinguish the flames. His garage door was also burned during the incident. Ousterhout, who was home alone at the time of the fire, wasn’t injured. Ousterhout said he didn’t see anyone around the front door or how the fire had started. A fire investigator testified earlier Tuesday she didn’t know of any surveillance cameras in the area. The doctor said he sold his practice in August to Dr. Jordan Deschamps-Braly. The last time he had seen Welch before January 5 was in October, when she’d come to DeschampsBraly’s office to discuss revisions, said Ousterhout. At that meeting, a December surgery date was scheduled, after some dispute over costs. But in November, after problems with Welch including her not signing a treatment agreement, Deschamps-Braly testified, he sent Welch a letter canceling the surgery. Joni Miyagi, the office manager at Deschamps-Braly’s office, said that at the October meeting, there had been “some volatility” with Welch, who See page 9 >>

Castro LGBT museum renews lease

9/14/14 5:12 PM

by Matthew S. Bajko and Seth Hemmelgarn

n LGBT museum space in San Francisco’s Castro district will announce Thursday that it has renewed its lease for five years. The GLBT Historical Society, which operates the 18th Street institution, has reached a deal with its landlord, Walgreens, to remain in the space until 2020. It will pay $4,500 a month in rent starting in November. The amount is a reduction of the $6,800 it is currently paying but close to the average rent it has paid over the last five years. The lease also has an exit clause allowing it to vacate the space at anytime if needed. “It is an extremely generous offer,” said Paul Boneberg, the society’s executive director. “We will 5:12 PM have a museum in the Castro for the foreseeable future.” In 2010 Walgreens agreed to lease a portion of a vacant storefront to the GLBT Historical Society as part of its negotiations with neighborhood groups and city leaders over its expansion of its specialty pharmacy into the space. The national chain also paid an undisclosed amount for the build out of the interior for the museum. In a statement provided to the Bay Area Reporter this week, Walgreens Regional Vice President Paul Blankenship stated the company “is pleased to be continuing our partnership with the GLBT Museum. We both share a deep commitment

to the communities we ments, media recordings, serve in San Francisco and and other items ahead of beyond and are looking the planned move next forward to working beside year although a new locathe GLBT Historical Socition has yet to be secured. ety another five years.” While the society would Last summer society oflike to remain in the city, it ficials began lining up supis open to relocating elseport from Castro-based where should it need to. Rick Gerharter groups and officials at City “We are open to wherHall ahead of entering into GLBT Historical ever we can have a secure its lease negotiations with Society Executive financial footing in the Walgreens. Gay District 8 Director Bay Area,” said Boneberg. Supervisor Scott Wiener, Paul Boneberg “But San Francisco has who represents the LGBT been our strongest supdistrict, called the GLBT porter and we want to stay History Museum a “cultural anchor” in San Francisco if at all possible.” for the neighborhood. How Boneberg has handled the “Keeping the museum in the heart lease issues for both the museum of our neighborhood is crucial, and and archival space had led to some I’m thrilled that the museum has a grumbling last year among people new lease on the space,” stated Wieassociated with the museum. ner. “I want to thank Walgreens for Complaints about his leadership working with the GLBT Historical were shared anonymously with the Society to make this happen.” B.A.R., while longtime boosters of With the museum lease renewed, the nonprofit said to be questioning society officials are turning their if Boneberg should be replaced as attention to finding a new space executive director refused to discuss for the institution’s archives. The their concerns on the record. lease for the space it uses in an ofBoneberg and the nonprofit’s fice building on Mission Street near board, which recently conducted an Third expires March 30, 2016. evaluation of his performance, have As the B.A.R. noted last July, the been working with Susan Mooney, society has been paying a discounted a local organizational development monthly rent of less than $8,000 for consultant, “to address organizational the archival space but was faced with goals for 2015,” according to the minpaying substantially more as the price utes of the board’s January meeting. for downtown offices has skyrocketed. According to an item on the Society officials have already begun agenda of the nonprofit’s February the process of packing up the archive’s 18 board meeting, which the B.A.R. collection of LGBT ephemera, docuSee page 9 >>

Community News>>

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

Open Hand hires co-CEOs by Seth Hemmelgarn

or the second time in just over a week, a San Francisco-based nonprofit has decided to hire two people to replace a departing top executive. Following on the heels of GayStraight Alliance Network, which announced February 25 that it has hired Ginna Brelsford and Geoffrey Winder as co-executive directors, Project Open Hand’s board has appointed Simon Pitchford and Mark Ryle as co-chief executive officers to replace Executive Director Kevin Winge, who previously said he’s stepping down April 3 to help care for sick family members. POH said in a Friday, February 27 news release that Pitchford and Ryle, both current staff members at the agency, would start their new jobs April 4. Project Open Hand provides meals and groceries to critically ill people, including those living with HIV/AIDS. Pitchford, 53, who joined the nonprofit in July 2012, is currently the associate executive director of operations and strategic initiatives. Ryle, 51, has been with POH since August 2013 and is the group’s associate executive director for finance, wellness pro-

Courtesy Project Open Hand

Incoming Project Open Hand Co-CEOs Simon Pitchford, left, and Mark Ryle

grams, and strategic initiatives. Both men are gay and live in San Francisco. In a joint emailed statement, the men said they’re “excited” to lead the organization, which is marking its 30th year, “to help ensure it continues to thrive and grow over the coming years. We continue to implement Project Open Hand’s three-year strategic plan, which places renewed emphasis on wellness and nutrition for all communities we serve.” Pitchford and Ryle also pointed to the Food=Medicine pilot study POH is conducting with UCSF’s See page 10 >>

Presidio meetings planned on new parklands compiled by Cynthia Laird

embers of the public are welcome to attend upcoming meetings that are being held to gather input to help design 13 new acres of Presidio Parklands. The Presidio Trust, a federal agency, is holding the meetings and organizers said that San Francisco residents will play a key role in shaping this major landmark initiative, which seeks to expand familyoriented activities and opportunities for the public. Community meetings take place as follows: Thursday (March 5) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at City College of San Francisco’s Ocean Campus, 50 Phelan Avenue; Saturday, March 7 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at both the Bayview Hunters Point YMCA Conference Center, 1601 Lane Street and the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin Street. More meetings are scheduled over the coming months. Additional information is available at http:// newpresidioparklands.org, which also invites the public to share design ideas at any phase of the project’s evolution.

Napa Pride planning meeting

Planning for this year’s Napa Valley LGBTQ Pride is underway and a meeting will be held Monday, March 9 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at LGBTQ Connection, 780 Lincoln Avenue in Napa. Co-Chairs Ian Stanley and Casey McConnell said that everyone is welcome and encouraged to bring a new idea or skills to help out. This year’s Pride Week is Friday, June 12 through Thursday, June 18.

Jewish center announces auditions for play

The Jewish Community Center of San Francisco has announced

open auditions for actors, actresses, production and backstage staff, and volunteers for its upcoming production of Tom Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound. The team, known as the JCCSF Community Players, will present the play June 12-14 by special arrangement with Samuel French Inc. There are parts available for adults 21 and older. Help is also needed with costumes, sets, props, hair, and makeup. For a list of characters with descriptions, see https:// shamashmedia.jccsf.org/pdf/ adult/The_JCCSF_Community_Players_Present_02242015.pdf. pdf. For audition or backstage volunteer applications, see https:// shamashmedia.jccsf. org/pdf/141124_CommunityPlayers_App_v2kl_editable.pdf. Applications are due by Friday, March 13. Auditions will be held March 22-24 and 29. For more information, contact Jackie Lewis at jlewis@jccsf.org or (415)-292-1241.

VA meetings for women, men

Meetings are coming up for female and male veterans to discuss various issues. For women, a San Francisco Veterans Administration Health Care System town hall takes place Wednesday, March 11 from 5 to 6 p.m. at the VA Medical Center Auditorium (Building 7, first floor) at 4150 Clement Street. This quarterly town hall will include a presentation on services and programs offered by the SFVAHCS for women veterans. A representative will discuss VA benefits questions and eligibility and a member services representative can help eligible veterans enroll for VA health benefits. Veterans, family, and friends are welcome to attend. See page 9 >>

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

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

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<< Open Forum

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

Volume 45, Number 10 March 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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News Editor • news@ebar.com Arts Editor • arts@ebar.com Out & About listings • jim@ebar.com Advertising • scott@ebar.com Letters • letters@ebar.com Published weekly. Bay Area Reporter reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement which the publisher believes is in poor taste or which advertises illegal items which might result in legal action against Bay Area Reporter. Ads will not be rejected solely on the basis of politics, philosophy, religion, race, age, or sexual orientation. Advertising rates available upon request. Our list of subscribers and advertisers is conﬁdential and is not sold. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, and writers published herein is neither inferred nor implied. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

Housing ban is wrong way forward O

ne factor in San Francisco’s housing crunch is the work by politically influential groups to stop development. We’ve said before that to ease the city’s housing crisis, which adversely affects the working poor and middle class, there needs to be a combination of new construction at all price points and effective legislation to minimize evictions. Halting development is not a viable solution. Yet last month gay Supervisor David Campos and the Calle 24 Cultural District sent up a trial balloon for a moratorium of market-rate housing in the Mission district. Campos hasn’t officially proposed legislation and we would urge him to reconsider such a drastic step. Cities are constantly changing. After all, the Castro wasn’t always gay. Eureka Valley, as the Castro is also known, was an enclave of Irish, German, and Scandinavian families. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that the city’s gay community shifted to the Castro. Instituting a moratorium on market-rate housing in one neighborhood won’t stop the future; it will prevent people from living in one of San Francisco’s most vibrant districts. While advocates of no-growth maintain that they’re “not trying to keep people out,” as longtime gay activist Erik Arguello recently told the San Francisco Chronicle, that’s effectively what they’re doing – not helping to

solve the problem of competing for housing stock with young high-tech workers. Rather than try to stifle development, these activists should be focusing on realistic, lasting solutions. So the housing crisis will not be easy to resolve but it will take many creative initiatives. For example, the San Francisco Community Land Trust is working with nonprofits to reopen Marty’s Place, a residence in the Mission for people living with AIDS. Using the same model, the land trust could partner with other nonprofits to establish housing for the working poor and their families. Another possible option is continuing at the state level. Gay state Senator Mark Leno (D-San

Francisco) is trying again to close a loophole in the Ellis Act, a horrible state law that allows landlords to get out of the rental business by evicting tenants. Last year Leno offered a similar piece of legislation, which was defeated by one vote in the Assembly. Senate Bill 364 closes a loophole in the act by preventing speculators from buying rent-controlled buildings in San Francisco and immediately evicting long-term tenants. Also at the state level, lesbian Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) has unveiled an affordable housing package that Assembly Democrats have crafted. The plan includes such items as establishing a permanent funding source for affordable housing by placing a small fee on real estate transaction documents; increasing the state’s low income housing tax credit by $300 million; and using a portion of Proposition 47 funds to reduce recidivism through investment in rapid rehousing and housing supports for formerly incarcerated Californians. Mayor Ed Lee is a sponsor of Leno’s Ellis Act bill and a supporter of Atkins’ affordable housing package. These types of legislation, combined with the building boom underway in the city, will do more to help create housing than a moratorium, which only suspends the present. There’s a reason why businesses on a stretch of 24th Street are closing – it’s because their customers are gone. Preventing market-rate housing from being built won’t bring those customers back.t

Retirement community’s 50 shades of gray by Ralph Harris

an you imagine what a hotbed this must be if older people are still into the “Fifty Shades” thing? A straight married man in his 80s gets linked to a naked gay man after the Pride parade while his wife is standing by! A straight married woman encourages her husband to go off and live with his gay boyfriend. Several older men, after being with wives from a few years to decades, develop new relationships with men (one gay couple has tied the knot). Has the “older generation” changed this much? Is there really such an accepting retirement community in the heart of San Francisco where everyone feels safe and secure regardless of their preferred personal peccadillos? Of course only their hairdressers know for sure about 50 shades of gray, but probably everyone at the Sequoias on Cathedral Hill has at least one gray hair. And not everyone’s gray hair is the same color or texture as every other resident’s. It’s kind of like the variety of the people at the Sequoias. Add up all the demographic categories of residents and we easily have 50 shades of unique differences in terms of LGBTs, accepting straights, Asians, Canadians, Americans, Puerto Ricans, Hawaiians, blacks, whites, Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Buddhists, atheists, Republicans, Democrats, independents, immigrants, and native San Franciscans. As I was looking at my retirement future when I was 67, I wanted to know that I would always be Free to Be You and Me, as in the theme of the record album, book, and TV special. That memorable project by Marlo Thomas, Carol Channing, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Alan Alda, Shirley Jones, and Cicely Tyson, according to Wikipedia, “was to encourage post-1960s gender neutrality saluting values such as individuality, tolerance, and comfort with one’s identity. A major thematic message is that anyone – whether a boy or a girl – can achieve anything.” In my case I had lived in the Castro and Noe Valley neighborhoods, and I never wanted to sacrifice the atmosphere of open expression, even in a retirement environment. I talked to several residents about their experiences at the Sequoias. Sue Parsell is a lesbian who lost her partner after 45 years. Being a nurse, Parsell knew the potential difficulties of living alone as one gets older. “I found the Sequoias to be a wonderful, accepting community to feel secure in regardless of what happens in the future,” she said. In her three years there, Parsell has been engaged with a full schedule of activities ranging from the library to the health committee to being an elected vice president of the resident board. “I enjoy having deep friendships with both

Candiece Milford

Ralph Harris speaking at a Commonwealth Club panel last year.

straight and gay residents, and everyone I know here does not judge or show any kind of attitude except friendliness,” she added. Tom Bier, an 83-year-old straight man, moved from Connecticut to the Sequoias a few years after his wife of 35 years passed away. How does he feel about all the gay presence in his new community? “The marketing effort of the Sequoias to attract gays was and is a great success. This is the best action they ever did. The gay community in our place has brought so much more culture and civility to this place. I cannot think of any negatives,” Bier said. Kathie Cheatham explained, “As a straight resident, I can say that most of us are very proud of our successful inclusion of LGBTs into our community. We are one, unified community that learns from each other and, basically, forgets about any sexual preference differences.” As president of the residents’ board, Cheatham is convinced that inclusion enriches everyone’s life. “I have observed that our residents actively welcome all people to our community, and we value the different perspectives that each person has on life, the arts and interpersonal relationships,” she said. “We all grow and benefit from each other’s uniqueness and couldn’t imagine life here without inclusion. For me, personally, this is one of the great joys of living at the Sequoias where I have made so many stimulating friendships with people who enlighten me from their special life experiences.” The Sequoias has a statement of commitment to inclusion that reads in part, “We joyfully recognize that as human beings we are fundamentally alike in our needs and feelings, and at the same time we all reflect a rich tapestry of differences. Affirming this diversity means that we actively include all persons and value their variations.” The daily practice of these ideals accounts for the large population of LGBT residents

who have found a comfortable home to enjoy their retirement years. This statement goes on to explain: “We are committed to establishing and maintaining an inclusive, supportive, and responsive organization in which differences among all people are understood and appreciated. We believe a variety of backgrounds, styles, perspectives, values, and beliefs is an asset to all.” Janet Boeth Jones, who moved in when she was 71, said that as a straight woman, inclusiveness was a “non-issue.” “LGBT’s had been my colleagues for 30 years in law publishing, and were members and clergy of my Episcopal Church for 33 years,” Jones said. “Much of my social life was with gay friends. I was happy to see gay men as resident leaders at the Sequoias, and to see their outreach to the public welcoming the gay community, and the resulting increase in admissions.” Among the resident leaders Jones referred to, two gay men have been elected president of the resident’s association, and four other men and women were the straight parents of a gay son or daughter. Tyler Kelly has been living at the Sequoias for five years and said, “The prevailing attitude here seems to be, ‘Oh, you are gay? Fine, who cares?’ Or, as Pope Francis has put it, ‘Who am I to judge?’ I don’t think I, as a gay man, would particularly want to move to an exclusively gay retirement community. That may be a good decision for some, but to me it would seem too much like a kind of ghetto. I prefer inclusiveness.” Laura and Gene Jacobson were among the straight couples who participated in our booth after the Pride parade. While hundreds of thousands of festive partygoers were adorned in all manner of dress – and undress – Gene Jacobson kept exclaiming how wonderful it is for people to be so free and openly expressive. Laura Jacobson said, “Personally I feel very comfortable living here. I enjoy the diversity as I appreciated the diversity in San Francisco before moving into the Sequoias. It seems to me that Sequoias residents should reflect the city’s population. If there have been any conflicts or problems here due to sexual orientation or ethnic background, I have not been aware of them. I am hoping that we will attract more Latinos and African Americans.” At that same Pride parade, another straight married man was approached by a naked celebrant, who told him how handsome he was and how he wished he were gay so that they might See page 6 >>

Letters >>

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

Behavior issues obscure income inequality

If we are truly concerned with “anti-social behavior” and its effects on our neighborhood, let’s not turn a blind eye to the countless acts of anti-social behavior committed daily (and especially nightly) by the Castro’s drunken bargoers [“Jane Warner Plaza to close for redesign,” February 12]. It seems to me that the controversy around the redesign of Jane Warner Plaza is being used as a guise to further criminalize homelessness in an attempt to rid the Castro of these unsightly reminders of our society’s failings. Wealth disparity in San Francisco is growing faster than any other city in the nation, according to a 2014 study conducted by Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution. Nowhere is this becoming more evident than in the Castro where new highrise developments continue to spring up. We continue to lose longtime Castro residents to Ellis Act evictions to make room for new tech and other high wage earners. These developers continue to find ways to skirt around our city’s affordable housing mandates, thus avoiding their social responsibility to those they are displacing. I mourn the loss of this city’s diversity and I see the struggle over what to do about Jane Warner Plaza as a microcosm of the larger Bay Area’s rapid decline into inequality, disparity, displacement, and homogeneity. It is well known that the late Jane Warner, for whom the plaza was named, was a staunch supporter of queer youth shelters in the Castro and Noe Valley in the 1990s. Let us honor her memory by envisioning a plaza that is safe, diverse, and truly inclusive instead of using her name as a way to demonize, and further marginalize our city’s most vulnerable. Let us cease from selectively calling out those acts of anti-social or bad behavior while turning a blind eye to the larger societal issues at hand. Ryan Fuimaono San Francisco

Plaza is a popular spot

Jane Warner Plaza is very popular in the city with everybody, including homeless people. I like this plaza very much and I don’t care who is sitting there: gays, straights, or between them. This place is simply beautiful any season.

Letter-writer John Schambre [“Castro plaza should close,” February 19] is too sensitive to even sit there because of “homeless” people? OK. Where are they supposed to sit? They are residents and can sit whatever they want, including the plaza. So, I totally disagree with him on this issue and would like to propose this: let’s be more kind to people who are around us, and bad things will disappear. Georgy Prodorov San Francisco

Booted off Facebook: Not Strange enough

On February 20 Facebook froze my account and demanded government-issued ID and other proofs I’m really Strange de Jim. I immediately sent a jpeg of an official Certificate of Recognition issued by the California state Senate on my 70th birthday. “Strange de Jim” in great big letters. I’ll admit Senator Mark Leno, who wrote and signed the certificate, stretched credibility by saying, “Your zest for living is matched only by the ecstasy you share with each person whose life you touch. The world becomes a better place thanks to the role you continue to play in it.” Still, it proved I was Strange! Facebook said no. Between 1972 and 1997, San Francisco Chronicle star columnist Herb Caen ran 300 Strange de Jim quips for his million readers. At Caen’s memorial service, televised live from a packed Grace Cathedral, the eulogies were delivered by his son Christopher, then-Mayor Willie Brown, actor Robin Williams, and myself. I was the only one wearing a pillowcase over his head. And Facebook insists I’m not Strange. I also showed Facebook a major bank debit card issued to Strange de Jim and, most ironically, a Facebook Strange de Jim debit card they’d mailed me after a Facebook friend used the site to give me a present. I’d bought treats at Jamba Juice with no problem. Facebook didn’t buy it. Mark Zuckerberg’s new house is within easy walking distance. Maybe he can drop by the Castro and pinch me to convince himself I’m real. Go to www.facebook.com/ strangedejim to see if I’m back among the FB billion.

gay man who grew up in San Jose and has worked for a number of California politicians is now seeking elected office in his hometown. Tim Orozco is one of eight candidates running for the open District 4 seat on the San Jose City Council. Former councilman Kansen Chu vacated the seat, which represents the city’s Berryessa, North San Jose, and Alviso districts, after being elected to the state Assembly in November. The special election will take place Tuesday, April 7, and should no one capture 50 percent plus one of the vote, then the top two vote getters will advance to a runoff election Tuesday, June 23. If elected, Orozco would be only the second LGBT person to serve on the city council. Ken Yeager, the first, resigned after winning a county supervisor seat in 2006. “I was always the behindthe-scenes type of guy. I was the political operative, the campaign operative. I never thought I would step up to the plate until the opportunity arose here at home,” Orozco, who is single, told the Bay Area Reporter during a phone interview Tuesday. In the early 1990s Orozco moved to San Diego, where he earned a master’s degree in public administration, taught political science at several community colleges, and worked on a number of political campaigns, including those for Toni Atkins, a lesbian and the current state Assembly speaker who is among the hosts of a March 14 fundraiser for Orozco in San Diego. He returned to San Jose in late 2012 and moved back into the home

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where he was raised in able support among Berryessa. His parents, the city’s progressive who are both in their Democratic circles. In 70s, are divorced, and addition to his bosses’ Orozco helps care for backing he has enhis mother, who is no dorsements from San longer able to drive Jose councilmen Ash due to health reasons. Kalra, Don Rocha, “It was just kind of and Raul Peralez. time to come home,” The South Bay said Orozco, whose Labor Council, San Courtesy Orozco for two siblings live near Jose Police Officers’ City Council campaign Modesto. Association, the Orozco, 55, is a se- San Jose City Council Silicon Valley Asian nior assistant to fresh- candidate Tim Orozco Pacific American man state Senator Bob Democratic Club, and Wieckowski (D-Fremont), whom several environmental groups have he has worked for since 2013 when all endorsed his candidacy. his boss served in the Assembly. BAYMEC, which stands for Bay Having spent the last two years reArea Municipal Elections Comestablishing ties to the community, mittee and is the South Bay’s main Orozco decided the time was right LGBT political club, also endorsed for him to seek elected office. Orozco, who has taken a leave of “I can be a strong, effective repabsence from his board seat with the resentative for this community begroup. Gay state Assemblyman Rich cause I know it,” he said. Gordon (D-Menlo Park), is also Orozco is seen as having a good supporting Orozco, as is Yeager, who chance to advance to the held a fundraiser for him last month. runoff. Two of his opOrozco’s chances in the race “are ponents in the race also very good,” said Yeager, considerviewed as formidable ing his ties to the district and the candidates are attorsupport of the county Democratic neys with ties to the city’s Party. Vietnamese community: “He is really from the district and Lan Diep and Manh knows it well. That is going to allow Nguyen, who produces him to win,” said Yeager. a TV show. The LGBT community is excited One person who had at the prospect of returning out filed to run, Allen Ming leadership to the council, said BAYChiu, recently endorsed Orozco, MEC President James Gonzales. and Thelma Boac’s name will ap“We have had a city council that’s pear on the ballot though she is not been supportive of our community, seeking the seat. but there is absolutely nothing like The others in the race are Khoa being at the table yourself to repreNguyen, a local school board memsent the needs of your community,” ber; Rudy Nasol, a local community said Gonzales. college board member; economic To learn more about Orozco, visit development consultant Alex Torhis campaign site at http://www. res; businessman Johnny Lee; and timorozco.com/. former planning commissioner Bob Dhillon. See page 6 >> Orozco has attracted consider-

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

Castro rally

From page 1

The rally, which started at Jane Warner Plaza at Castro and Market streets at 2 p.m., was mostly peaceful, and the crowd enjoyed music by Bayard Rustin Coalition members and a performance by drag queen Bebe Sweetbriar. Afterward, some of the participants decided to pay a visit to Toad Hall bar, 4146 18th Street. They said they were met with hostility and were asked to leave. A similar experience occurred there in December during a Queer #BlackLivesMatter rally. “We demonstrated in front of Toad Hall for 10 minutes, until one of the establishment employees allegedly assaulted one of our trans participants,” said Bayard Rustin Coalition member Shaun Haines. The victim of the alleged assault was later identified by organizers as Danielle Castro. “The demonstration remained peaceful,” Haines said. “Our organizers dispersed the majority of the crowd, leaving behind legal counsel and other concerned citizens and organizers to assist the woman.”

The Trans Activists for Justice and Accountability Coalition put out a statement on its Facebook page about the alleged assault. “Danielle Castro, one of the leaders of TAJA’s coalition and a disabled trans woman of color, was assaulted and battered by the manager at Toad Hall at an action,” the statement read. “This is highly ironic as we were there to protest racism in the Castro and violence against trans women of color.” Before it was renamed Toad Hall several years ago, the bar had long been known as the Pendulum and catered to the African American community. San Francisco Police Department spokeswoman Officer Grace Gatpandan said this week that officers were dispatched to the bar in response to an assault call and both parties were there. “However, the victim didn’t want to press charges,” Gatpandan said. According to the police report, there were six or seven witnesses, but police couldn’t arrest the alleged perpetrator because the victim declined to press charges, Gatpandan explained. Castro posted her own statement

on Facebook following the incident. “Being violently pushed by my own community in the Castro while protesting peacefully because transphobia is killing us is unacceptable,” Castro said. “I was assaulted by the manager of the Toad Hall and then harassed by SFPD. The protesters paid very little attention to the violence I was experiencing even though that was the reason for the protest.” In a follow-up message, Castro said that she hasn’t decided whether to press charges. “I did not decline pressing charges. I am going to be pressing charges,” Castro said. “At the time I didn’t know what I would be doing. It’s very challenging to make decisions when faced with the power dynamics of police and being assaulted. I told the officer that I didn’t know what I would be doing and wanted to file a police report.” Castro said that she was shoved by the Toad Hall manager who was yelling profanities at her and telling her, “bartender lives matter too.” “Toad Hall’s manager came from behind me and shoved me to force me to move,” Castro continued. “The police showed up because they

were called to the scene. I wanted to file a police report but they told me that I don’t live in this neighborhood and I should file a police report in another police station near where I live. The police sided with the bar manager without listening to the witnesses who saw the manager assaulting me.” Toad Hall employees did not respond to a request for comment. During the rally, which attracted about 100 people, speakers talked about the absence of black queer and trans people of color in the Castro. Sweetbriar, who performs at some of the bars in the Castro, said that sometimes she is the only black person in the room, and that is happening more often. Darin Conley, who helped organize the event, said he feels that queer and trans people of color have been overlooked and absent. “We wanted to call the Castro out,” Conley said. “I contacted a few organizations, and the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club really stepped up, among many other organizations, such as the Bayard Rustin Coalition, to help us in taking an idea and making it a reality. Today we wanted to have our community here and celebrate black lives and black queers and trans lives that do matter, and we need to talk about how to make them matter more in the Castro.” The Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club also had members at the rally. Conley said the Castro has become “a white, gay, male middle class area.” “I think that our community isn’t

Trans benefits

From page 1

receiving, investigating, and resolving complaints of non-compliance. It is not known how many companies already awarded contracts by state agencies do not provide health care to their transgender employees, said Buchert. “That information is really chal-

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have a future. For weeks after, the resident boasted about his unexpected admirer, which made him vey proud. His wife, who was standing nearby at the parade, thought she went home with the prize catch of the day. A few people in the LGBT community have asked me how freely they could express themselves if they moved to the Sequoias when they retire. My answer was simple: “There is no such thing as being too gay when you live here.” We even reserve part of the dining room for LGBT monthly dinner parties, and no one else bats an eyelash. In fact the next day they want to know if they missed anything. So what is the difference between non-discrimination, diversity, and inclusion? Non-discrimination means that the door is open to everyone without restriction. Diversity is the achievement of a broad range of differences. Inclusion goes beyond merely having diversity and is about sustaining an inviting environment

Political Notebook

From page 5

Chiu honors lesbian justice

For his inaugural “Woman of the Year” honoree, freshman Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco) has selected Therese Stewart, the state’s first out lesbian appellate judge. Chiu, a straight ally, will fete Stewart during a ceremony on the Assembly floor Monday, March 9. Prior to her judicial appointment last year, Stewart had served as a chief deputy city attorney in San Fran-

white, gay and middle class only,” he added. “Our community has many homeless and transgender people, and people of color, and bisexuals, lesbians, and others that we need to include, and that is why we are here today.” San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi addressed the crowd at Jane Warner Plaza. “I’m here in solidarity. Whether I’m the sheriff or not, I would be here with you because this is my politics,” Mirkarimi said. “In the 31 years I’ve lived here in San Francisco, I have never seen the city change as it has in the past three years. I have affiliated myself out of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and rally, especially in response to what happened in Ferguson, Staten Island, Cleveland, and what has happened here in our very own backyard.” He was referring to the killings last year of two unarmed black men in Ferguson, Missouri and Staten Island, New York and the failure by grand juries in those cities to indict the white police officers who killed them. Additionally, 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was African American, was killed by a white police officer in Cleveland last November. He had been playing with a pellet gun. “We live in the most chic city in the United States, San Francisco,” Mirkarimi said. “And yet the greatest contradiction for our reputation and what we are known for, that cutting edge, forward thinking progressive city, is that we are experiencing the fastest exodus of our African American population right now. More than any other city in the United States.”t lenging to obtain. We weren’t able to attain it,” said Buchert. It is also unknown how much it will cost the state to implement Leno’s legislation, though the expense should be minimal. It will first head to the Senate’s governance and finance committee for a hearing later this month or in early April. “I am confident we will be able to get it passed,” said Leno.t for people from all backgrounds, including LGBT, as well as the equal opportunity for each person to integrate and have full participation and respect. (In addition to residents, we have several gay managers.) I think the whole thing is best summed up by Isabel Caglieri, who said, “I have not experienced any difference here at the Sequoias in any of my interactions with gays or straights. They are all just people, some nice and some sort of cranky, just like the general population. I think the Sequoias seems very inclusive, at least to me a straight old lady.” And Jean Wilcox replied, when asked about the inclusion of different orientations, “This is my comment: I don’t understand the question. It’s a non-issue.” Keep in mind this is not the liberalminded millennial generation. These views are from the “Greatest Generation,” people who grew up during the Depression and World War II.t Ralph Harris is a resident at the Sequoias in San Francisco. For more information, visit www. sequoias-sf.org.

cisco. She was the lead lawyer on the city’s same-sex marriage lawsuits in both state and federal courts. “Justice Stewart’s appointment marked a historic milestone for the California judiciary,” said Chiu, who noted Stewart also served as his de facto attorney during his time as a San Francisco supervisor. “And as a representative of the Assembly District that encompasses some of our state’s historic LGBT neighborhoods, I am humbled to have the opportunity to honor a trailblazer within our LGBT community to our state’s legacy.”t

Community News>>

t Eviction fight continues; Leno takes up Ellis Act reforms

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

Ellis Act. It would also prohibit owners from invoking Ellis Act within 10 years of using the law in another building. Leno believes that these and other restrictions would greatly curtail the number of evictions in the city. “The Ellis Act is being abused by speculators,” Leno said in a news release. “Left behind are the shattered lives of residents with deep roots in our communities. This was never how the Ellis Act was intended to be used, and we must act now to protect our unique city from further devastation.” Rick Gerharter

Xi’an Chandra Redack, who is threatened with eviction from her apartment building on Market Street, speaks in support of the tenants at Station 40, also threatened with a no-fault eviction.

by David-Elijah Nahmod

group of tenants continues to fight its eviction from a Mission neighborhood housing collective, while a state lawmaker hopes this time’s a charm for reforming a much-maligned state law that lets landlords get out of the rental business in the latest spat over housing in San Francisco. On the legislative front, gay state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) introduced Senate Bill 364, which would help mitigate the rising tide of Ellis Act evictions in the city. SB 364 would stop real estate speculators from buying buildings, then immediately invoking the Ellis Act in order to empty the property of longterm, rent controlled tenants. The primarily gay Castro district, and the Latino-centric Mission neighborhood have seen sharp upturns in this practice, which is changing the de-

mographics of both neighborhoods and rendering them unaffordable to low- and middle-income residents. Passed in 1985, the Ellis Act is a state law that was designed so that long-term landlords could “get out of the rental business” if they wished to retire or move family members into their properties. The Bay Area’s tech boom has seen numerous out-of-town speculators buying up multiple rent-controlled buildings, immediately evoking the Ellis Act in order to evict all tenants and then re-selling the buildings at a profit. According to Leno, 300 rentcontrolled units were lost to this practice in 2013. SB 364 is similar to last year’s SB 1439, also introduced by Leno, which was approved by the Senate but failed to pass the Assembly by one vote. If passed, SB 364 would require property owners to operate a building for at least five years before invoking the

Station 40

But Leno’s bill would not help the tenants at Station 40, a housing collective at 16th and Mission streets, who are not being evicted under the Ellis Act. Rather, they say their landlords are using false justifications. The landlords, Ahuva and EmSee page 8 >>

art of fashion is my life. Now I can The

devote myself to it.

Gay CA GOP group wins recognition by Matthew S. Bajko

and with close to 40 out delegates attending the state convention, they or the first time in its were confident going into history, the California the meeting that they had Republican Party has ofthe support they needed ficially recognized a gay to seek chartership. political group. Nonetheless, the final During the final day vote tally was surprising of its state convention in enough to generate headSacramento last weeklines in most of the state’s end, delegates to the major daily papers the folmeeting overwhelmingly lowing day. One online site Courtesy John Musella’s LinkedIn page voted 861-293 to approve that covers state politics chartership for the state Log Cabin headlined its post about chapter of Log Cabin California Chair the outcome “Pigs Fly.” Republicans. The group John Musella State Assemblyman is now considered an ofRocky Chávez (R-Oceansficial recognized volunteer organiide), widely expected to run for zation within the state GOP. Barbara Boxer’s Senate seat in 2016, “It was one of the greatest praised the outcome of the vote. achievements in Log Cabin history “It is imperative that a political orand the LGBT movement!!” John ganization has diverse membership, Musella, the newly elected chairand the Log Cabin Republicans add man of Log Cabin California, wrote depth to our party,” stated Chávez in on Facebook, using the hashtags a release issued by the group. #WeDidIt and #BigTent. The next battle for Log Cabin As noted last month in the Bay leaders will be amending the state Area Reporter’s Political Notebook Republican Party’s platform, which column, Log Cabin California has currently reads, “We believe public sought to be a chartered organizapolicy and education should not be tion for nearly two decades. But the exploited to present or teach homogay GOPers routinely ran into roadsexuality as an acceptable ‘alternative’ blocks erected by anti-gay factions lifestyle. We oppose same-sex partner within the state party. benefits, child custody, and adoption.” In 2012 Log Cabin California The platform language will be up leaders began laying the groundfor renewal during the state party’s work to meet the current charterfall convention, and Log Cabin ofship requirements. Over the last ficials are planning to seek changes three years they established 10 to the document. chapters in 10 different counties “The platform is a tool for the Rethroughout the state with 10 unique publican Party, so we might as well members in each who are registered update it and use that tool to our adRepublicans, the bare minimum vantage,” said Kevin Krick, president needed to seek official recognition. of the Marin Log Cabin chapter who With Log Cabin members holdwas re-elected the state party’s Bay ing a number of key positions Area regional vice chair during the within the state Republican Party, convention. “Things have changed.”t

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8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 5-11, 2015

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profits have about their own ability to survive as rents increase. “Yes, there’s fear with rising real estate prices that you might be challenged,” said Lee, but there are also opportunities to be part of the developments in the city and form partnerships. HealthRight 360 was created in 2011 by the merger of Haight Ashbury Free Clinics and Walden House. The nonprofit has also merged with other agencies, such as Lyon-Martin Health Services, which works with women and transgender people. Lee said officials “will take a look at city-owned buildings on Mission Street” that can be dedicated to house nonprofits, and he spoke of building “an ecosystem that complements what you’re doing here today.” He also quipped, “I’m glad this is not another motorcycle repair shop. We’re going to do a lot of human repairing right here in this building.”

District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim, who represents the area and who used to live near the building, called it an “eyesore” and said she’s glad it would be “activated.” The center is also expected to help alleviate poverty and violence by helping to make sure people’s needs are met. “It’s often said you have to go to prison” to receive housing, health care, meals, and other resources, said Kim. Health Director Barbara Garcia noted progress in treating people with substance use and mental health problems, and said, “Our work is not done” in those areas. HealthRight 360 CEO Vitka Eisen said the city “will not forsake its neediest and will remain committed to creating opportunity for those who have had so little.” The nonprofit, which has a budget of $85 million, is working to raise $15 million for the project. Jeff Schindler, HealthRight 360’s director of advancement, said last Thursday that $5 million has been raised so far. Robert Joyce, a HealthRight 360 spokesman, said in September that with the building, “We’re taking the services we offer currently in a patchwork of rental locations and relocating them in one space” and growing the number of clients. The nonprofit will continue helping people in other neighborhoods, including the Haight and the Tenderloin.t

behind his decision not to sell to the collective, but declined to say what it was. Friends of Station 40 supporters, who organized the March 2 rally, say that it is no coincidence that the collective is being evicted on the same intersection as a hotly contested proposed development by Maximus Real Estate Partners. Maximus hopes to build a 350-unit luxury high rise. Station 40 residents and supporters handed out a fact sheet that pointed to the collective’s long history of providing affordable housing to its residents, as well as hosting dozens of community events, including art shows, poetry readings, and community organizing. Autumn Leaves, 33, a queer transgender woman, spoke of her many years of homelessness. “Thank you for giving me a home,” she said of the collective. Others said the neighborhood was losing its diversity. “The Mission loses 79 affordable

units a year,” said Gabriel Medina of the Mission Economic Development Agency. “We are losing our diversity, losing vital businesses, losing the neighborhood’s cultural mosaic.” Other activists also weighed in. “There’s an epidemic of evictions,” said Tommi Avicolli Mecca of the Housing Rights Committee. “Latinos, artists, LGBT people, service workers are all being pushed out by greedy speculators. They are raping and pillaging our communities.” In other housing news, lesbian state Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) has announced a package of bills by her colleagues to help alleviate the housing crisis. The Assembly’s Affordable Housing Package would establish a permanent source of funding for affordable housing by placing a small fee on real estate transaction documents, excluding home sales. Atkins also hopes to increase the state’s low-income housing tax credit by $300 million.t

proval in the U.S. and Europe and it is currently undergoing FDA review, with a decision expected by November. It is not yet known whether TAF will be effective for PrEP, but Marshall Fordyce from Gilead told the Bay Area Reporter that the company is collaborating with the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention on a study of TAF plus emtricitabine for HIV prevention in monkeys.

pair, RJ and Billy then retired in Santa Rosa. We owe a debt of gratitude to Memorial Hospice staff for their loving and attentive care. He was our rock. In gratitude for his life, we miss him every day. May he rest in peace. A private memorial will be held in Santa Rosa on April 5. For information: email luzcvalverde@gmail.com.

was discharged after being caught in a gay witch-hunt. While under arrest, Charles had an affair with the guard escorting him back to the U.S. Eventually his discharge was changed to honorable. Charles lived in San Francisco since 1955, being part of San Francisco’s early gay history. During the 1970s, Charles had a dog grooming business on Sanchez Street in the Castro called the Barking Lot. He retired from business during the 1990s. Charles was an avid 8mm filmmaker and videographer. He captured gay life, culture, and events around the Castro and many of the early Gay Freedom Day and Gay Pride parades dating back to the 1970s. Charles’ films are currently on YouTube under his (MrChuckroseberry) channel. Charles was very honored when the producers of the Milk film used clips from his 8mm footage of the early Castro Street days in the opening sequence of the film. His friends will miss him holding court on afternoons at Starbucks on 18th Street. R.I.P.

San Francisco health care nonprofit broke ground on its new center, which will include health, housing, and other services under one roof. HealthRight 360’s project will turn the five-story, 50,000-square-foot site at 1563 Mission Street into a facility where clients can access primary medical care, pharmacy services, dental care, mental health services, and substance use treatment. Other services will include education, employment, and housing resources. Rehabilitation of the empty building, which is over 100 years old, is set to begin this month and be completed in December 2016. The South of Market area site is located near South Van Ness Avenue and close to where construction is 4:44:57 PM bringing in tech companies and expensive condominiums. The district is also known for large populations of homeless people and low-income residents who live in single-room occupancy hotels. At the Thursday, February 26 groundbreaking, Mayor Ed Lee and other city officials spoke of their desire to care for the city’s most vulnerable residents. Lee said, “I’m working really hard on a shared prosperity agenda” to ensure the city’s gains are spread to “as many people as possible.” He also referred to concerns many non-

Eviction

From page 7

manuel Jolish and their son, Barak Jolish, served all of the Station 40 residents with eviction papers. The landlords have refused an offer to sell the building to the San Francisco Community Land Trust, which would allow the tenants to stay in the building, the tenants said. “In their current attempt to evict us, Ahuva and Emanuel Jolish use the false justification that we are in violation of a commercial lease by living in our home,” said a statement from the collective. “Furthermore, they claim that they have had no knowledge we’ve been residents here. This is yet another lie. We have lived here for over 11 years.” In a phone interview, Emmanuel Jolish defended himself. “I’m not a bad guy,” Jolish said. “My family and I have been in this city since 1969. We respect the community.” Jolish said that there was “a story”

CROI

From page 1

press conference. Sax added that his team’s findings “strongly suggest [TAF] will be safer in the long run for the kidneys and bones than TDF.” Gilead has submitted TAF for ap-

Courtesy HealthRight360

Artist’s rendering of the planned HealthRight 360 building on Mission Street.

Novel viral targets

Researchers also presented data See page 9 >>

Obituaries >> Ralph James (RJ) Ballard April 5, 1941 – January 30, 2015

Founded in 1974, the Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA) is the nation’s first LGBT Chamber of Commerce. With over 325 members who live and do business across San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Marin counties, and beyond, GGBA proudly serves as the voice for the San Francisco/Bay Area’s LGBT business community. The GGBA’s mission is to champion opportunity, development and advocacy for our LGBT & Allied business community.

Ralph James (RJ) Ballard died peacefully at home after a brief bout with lung cancer and is survived by his loving husband of 38 years, Billy Nunes. Ralph and Billy were legally married at home a month before Ralph’s passing. He is also survived by his youngest sister, Jean; oldest brother, Will; and their children and grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, Bess and Buster Ballard; and younger brother, Pat. A native of Oklahoma, RJ entered the Franciscan Monastery in Eureka, Missouri, where he spent nine years. RJ then moved to San Francisco, met Billy, and later moved to Guerneville. Licensed contractors in business for many years as Ballard & Nunes Home Re-

Charles (Chuck) Roseberry April 17, 1929 – February 19, 2015 Charles (Chuck) Roseberry passed away February 19, 2015 at the Veteran’s Hospital in San Francisco after a long battle with cancer. He was 85. Originally from Ohio, Charles served in the U.S. Army in Germany in the mid-1950s. He

t <<

Community News>>

CROI

From page 8

on two new drugs being developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb that attack HIV in new ways, interfering with different steps of the viral lifecycle than current antiretrovirals. Drugs that work in novel ways could be particularly beneficial for treatment-experienced people with HIV who have extensive drug resistance. As HIV replicates, it first attaches to receptors on the cell surface. Once it enters a cell, it uses the cell’s machinery to produce large polyproteins that are cut up by protease enzymes and assembled into new virus particles. The final steps include forming a capsid around newly produced viral genetic material and budding out through the cell’s outer membrane. BMS-663068 or fostemsavir is the first HIV attachment inhibitor. It binds to “spikes” on HIV’s outer envelope and prevents the virus from latching onto T-cells. A Phase 2b study with 254 treatment-experienced patients showed that BMS-663068 worked as well as

LGBT museum

From page 2

was not permitted to attend, Boneberg has been working on his own professional development plan. Outside the museum just before last month’s board meeting started, Boneberg said the matter was “simply something I’ve been in discussion with the board on,” and that there are “areas where I may need assistance.” He wouldn’t say what those areas are, since “it’s personnel stuff.” In a follow-up phone interview, Boneberg said, “There’s always areas where I realize I could improve or the board wants me to improve, and that’s happened before during the eight years I’ve been with the organization.” He said, “No one on the board has asked me to resign.” Mooney will work with the organization on issues related to the executive director, strategic planning, and other areas, said Boneberg, who acknowledged there has been some turmoil at the nonprofit. “The organization is straining to grow and has been for a number of years, and since we opened the museum,” the strain “creates tensions between volunteers and contractors and staff, all of whom are doing, in effect, too much,” said Boneberg. “It causes strains, and there certainly have been disagreements within the organization around exhibits” and other matters. Boneberg said one example could be seen last year, when the main gallery was changed to cover “fewer subjects” and include “more electronic equipment.” The updates were needed, in part, to “show the museum is dynamic,” he said.t

News Briefs

From page 3

For men and women, the San Francisco Veterans Town Hall Collaborative will hold a meeting Wednesday, March 25 from 9 to 11 a.m. and again from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Phillip Burton Federal Building, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, second floor in the AZ Room. Other meetings are scheduled for April 22, May 27, June 24, and July 22 at the same times. The sessions are a one-stop for federal, state, and local government and community partners to talk about services or programs available to active duty, reserve guard, veterans, or family members. Because the meeting is in a federal building, attendees must bring a photo ID for admission. For more information, call Eddie Ramirez at (415) 244-7100.t

a widely used HIV protease inhibitor, with up to 82 percent achieving viral suppression by 48 weeks. This drug was also generally safe and well tolerated at all doses tested. BristolMyers Squibb announced in a press release that a Phase 3 clinical trial of BMS-663068 started February 23. A bit further back in the pipeline, BMS-955176 is a maturation inhibitor that interferes with protease, cutting newly produced HIV polyproteins into usable pieces. This leads to the assembly of immature virus particles that cannot complete their lifecycle and are not infectious. Max Lataillade from BristolMyers Squibb reported results from a Phase 2a proof-of-concept study that enrolled 60 previously untreated participants in Germany. BMS-955176 at various doses taken alone for 10 days produced large declines in HIV viral load. This drug was again safe and well tolerated, with no major side effects. A Phase 2b study is expected to start by the middle of this year.

Doubtfire arson

From page 2

became “very angry.” Ousterhout had left the office before the meeting became hostile, Miyagi testified. After that meeting, Welch had made numerous calls to the office saying she wanted her money back, among other things, said Miyagi.

March 5-11, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

Several sessions at the conference provided updates on the state of HIV cure research, after a year of disappointments including the return of HIV in a Mississippi child and two Boston bone marrow transplant patients who researchers hoped might have been cured. Researchers have gone back to the drawing board, realizing there is still much to learn about how HIV establishes reservoirs

in the body where it can hide during antiretroviral therapy, only to come roaring back if treatment is stopped. Matt Sharp, who works with Shanti and Let’s Kick ASS (AIDS Survivor Syndrome), was among a panel of speakers presenting at this year’s Martin Delaney lecture, honoring the late Project Inform founder who catalyzed immunebased therapy and cure research. Sharp introduced the new “CUREiculum,” developed by the group known as AVAC, which is a set of tools for community educators, media, and others that offers simple, accessible information on HIV cure research developed by scientists, community educators, and several advocacy groups. “A cure [for HIV] is going to be possible, but it will take a combination of approaches, sustained and increased funding, and growing collaborations, all of which will inevitably take more time,” Sharp predicted. A community cure workshop and a session on HIV persistence and latency showcased the latest research

in these areas. Several researchers summarized their findings at a CROI press conference. James Whitney from Harvard Medical School described work on a TLR7 agonist, GS-9620, being developed by Gilead. The drug is designed to reverse viral latency, or pull latent HIV out of hiding. It looks safe and promising in monkey studies and will be entering human clinical trials this month. Jonathan Li, also from Harvard, discussed how HIV reservoir size predicts the timing of viral rebound after stopping antiretroviral treatment, while John Frater from the University of Oxford described his team’s search for biomarkers to predict viral rebound after stopping antiretroviral therapy. “The cure field started with enthusiasm, and enthusiasm is still there, but progress will be slow,” said John Mellors. “It will wind out over years or decades before we have functional cure applicable to many people with HIV.”t

Then, in a January 5 phone call about Ousterhout, she said, Welch told her, “I’m going to kill him and his kids.” Welch, who’s been in custody since her arrest, appeared calm during Tuesday’s hearing. Outside the courtroom, Ousterhout declined to comment on the case. After Tuesday’s hearing, Deputy

Public Defender Elizabeth Hilton said that there’s only “circumstantial” evidence in the case, and she questioned the credibility of Ousterhout and others who testified. Hilton also said it had taken Welch “four whole years to save up the money” for the surgery, which resulted in “a crooked hairline, scars, and a dent in her chin,” and her not

getting a refund was “crooked.” The preliminary hearing is tentatively set to continue March 12. At the hearing’s completion, Judge Brendan Conroy is expected to rule whether there’s enough evidence to hold Welch for trial. Assistant District Attorney Andrew Clark is the prosecutor in the case.t

“Today, due to tremendous advancements in therapy, many patients living with HIV are able to remain healthier and live longer; however, this means that they are usually exposed to multiple therapies over time, and may often develop drug resistance,” said Jay Lalezari of Quest Clinical Research, an investigator for BMS-663068 study. “Treatment-experienced patients represent an important patient subset, for whom ongoing research and development of new drug classes is being actively pursued.”

Search for a cure

CHEF / Working Chef / Kitchen Manager Chef / Working Chef / Kitchen Manager wanted to open and manage kitchen serving fresh, delicious, home-style comfort food made with healthy and sustainable ingredients. Patio Cafe location, 531 Castro Street, San Francisco. Anticipated opening May 2015. Previous experience in overseeing a restaurant opening and minimum experience 3 years as Chef / Kitchen Manager • Manage all aspects of the kitchen • Assist in menu development and creating specials * Genuine enjoyment of working with people • Strong communication skills • Ability to lead and manage a team • Successfully control food costs and labor costs • Keep cool in high-stress situations • Creative energetic, detail-oriented Send an email with your experience / qualifications to JimFriendly@comcast.net Or you can drop off a letter and/or resume at Patio Cafe, 531 Castro Street. If no one is there please place your letter/resume through mail slot in the front door of the restaurant. Be sure to give your email address and phone contact information. Applicants will be contacted with dates for interviews. Thank you for your interest!

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 5-11, 2015

Open Hand

From page 3

School of Medicine, which is “nearing completion.” “The pilot study will demonstrate that providing nutrition to people with critical illness benefits their health,” they said. “We anticipate the study results will help Project Open Hand to capture new funding opportunities under the Affordable Care Act” national health care reform law. “As a result, we can better serve our existing clients and expand to serve others, which in turn, attracts new partners and funding opportunities.” The organization has 8,421 unique clients. Fifty-five percent of those people, or 4,645, are in the senior lunch program, which is for people who are over 60. POH’s budget is $10 million. Pitchford and Ryle’s salaries will be $165,000 each, Maria Stokes, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit, said in an email exchange. That totals $330,000. Winge’s salary was $200,000. “They will have the same bonus structure as [Winge]; their bonuses will be equal and pro-rata for this fiscal year,” said Stokes. Even with the two men’s combined salary being more than Winge’s salary, Stokes said, “There will not be any material impact on the Project Open Hand budget.” The organization won’t be hiring replacements to fill Pitchford

and Ryle’s previous positions. The two men will share responsibility for the budget, community relations, and strategic planning. Pitchford will oversee human resources, infrastructure, and other areas, while Ryle will take on development, finance, and other departments. Board Chair Scott Willoughby stated, “As Project Open Hand continues to evolve with a renewed emphasis on wellness and nutrition, Mark and Simon have the expertise to take the organization to that new level.” Simon joined POH after spending 25 years in the research and biotech industry. Ryle spent 20 years in corporate finance, and he’s worked in social work. Stokes said the nonprofit needs two CEO’s because Pitchford and Ryle’s “joint leadership will benefit POH far more than one of them alone. Mark and Simon have worked together for almost 18 months on our leadership team, drawing on their individual and collaborative strengths to serve our organization and community. As co-CEOs, they will continue to complement each other’s work, each taking on responsibility for their areas of expertise, while leveraging their collective energies and skills to raise Project Open Hand’s work to a new level.” The co-CEO model has “worked well” at other nonprofits, she said.t

Legal Notices>> SUMMONS (FAMILY LAW) SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO NOTICE TO RESPONDENT: ALAN DAVID JOHNSON, YOU ARE BEING SUED. PETITIONER’S NAME IS ENNY TERESA SILVA GOMEZ CASE NO. FDI-14-782765 ORDER FOR FIRST AMENDED APPLICATION

You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this Summons and Petition are served on you to file a Response (form FL-120 or FL-123) at the court and have a copy served on the petitioner. A letter or phone call will not protect you. If you do not file your Response on time, the court may make orders affecting your marriage or domestic partnerships, your property, and custody of your children. You may be ordered to pay support and attorney fees and costs. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the clerk for a fee waiver form. If you want legal advice, contact a lawyer immediately. You can get information about finding lawyers at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/ selfhelp), at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), or by contacting your local county bar association. NOTICE: The restraining orders following are effective against both spouses or domestic partners until the petition is dismissed, a judgment entered, or the court makes further orders. These orders are enforceable anywhere in California by any law enforcement officer who has received or seen a copy of them. NOTE: If a judgment or support order is entered, the court may order you to pay all or part of the fees and costs that the court waived for yourself or the other party. If this happens, the party ordered to pay fees shall be given notice and an opportunity to request a hearing to set aside the order to pay waived court fees. SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, 400 MCALLISTER ST, CA 94102; PREPARED BY SUSANNA TUAN, SBN 293754, 3871 PIEDMONT AVE, #4, OAKLAND, CA 94611 FEB 25, 2015 Clerk of the Superior Court by ANNE- CHRISTINE MASSULLO, Judicial Officer. NOTICE TO THE PERSON SERVED: You are served as an individual. WARNING: California law provides that, for the purposes of division of property upon dissolution of a marriage or domestic partnership or upon legal separation, property acquired by the parties during marriage or domestic partnership in joint form is presumed to be community property. If either party to this action should die before the jointly held community property is divided, the language in the deed that characterizes how title is held (i.e., joint tenancy, tenants in common, or community property) will be controlling, and not the community property presumption. You should consult your attorney if you want the community property presumption to be written into the recorded title to the property. STANDARD FAMILY LAW RESTRAINING ORDERS: Starting immediately, you and your spouse or domestic partner are restrained from: 1. Removing the minor child or children of the parties, if any, from the state without the prior written consent of the other party or an order of the court; 2. Cashing borrowing against, canceling, transferring, disposing of, or changing the beneficiaries of any insurance or other coverage, including life, health, automobile, and disability, held for the benefit of the parties and their minor child or children; 3. Transferring, encumbering, hypothecating, concealing, or in any way disposing of any property, real or personal, whether community, quasi-community, or separate, without the written consent of the other party or an order of the court, except in the usual course of business or for the necessities of life; and 4. Creating a nonprobate transfer or modifying a nonprobate transfer in the manner that affects the disposition of property subject to the transfer, without the written consent of the other party or an order of the court. Before revocation of a nonprobate transfer can take effect or a right of survivorship to property can be eliminated, notice of the change must be filed and served on the other party. You must notify each other of any proposed extraordinary expenditures at least five business days prior to incurring these extraordinary expenditures and account to the court for all extraordinary expenditures made after these restraining orders are effective. However, you may use community property, quasi-community property, or your own separate property to pay an attorney to help you or to pay court costs.

MAR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036291000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CBPOTTER PRODUCTIONS, 1049 MARKET ST, #101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHAD BENJAMIN POTTER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/05/15.

FEB 12, 19, 26, MAR 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036299300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STUDIO MAVEN, 730 CASTRO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AUDREY BAUER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/10/15.

FEB 12, 19, 26, MAR 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036266400

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036291800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PLACHUTIN CONSULTING; YERBA BUENA DARTS, 879 42ND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOANNE PLACHUTIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/05/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/06/15.

FEB 12, 19, 26 MAR 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036290900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COZY CASTRO, 129 CASTRO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CORINNE SUE WICK. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/05/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/0515.

FEB 12, 19, 26, MAR 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036275902

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FAR & AWAY CO; FAR AND AWAY CO, 59 W. VIEW AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ADRIAN M. SYMCOX. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/04/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/29/15.

FEB 12, 19, 26, MAR 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036249900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALL MY PRETTY ONES MUSIC, 2913 22ND ST, #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DEREK SCHMIDT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/14/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/14/15.

FEB 12, 19, 26, MAR 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036288100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SCRATCH N SNIFF, 372 WEST PORTAL AVE, #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRIAN A. JAMES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/25/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/04/15.

FEB 12, 19, 26, MAR 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036291100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MICHAEL’S CHOCOLATES; AL3 ENTERPRISES, 595 14TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed MICHAEL ERIC BENNER AND RAYMOND CURTIS WALLIS. 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 02/05/15.

FEB 12, 19, 26, MAR 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036287100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TAGCK-3, 799 BATTERY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PROJECT GRILLED CHEESE 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 02/04/15.

FEB 12, 19, 26, MAR 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036290000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LA TERRA LLC, 511 HARRISON ST., SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LA TERRA LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/25/03. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/05/15.

FEB 12, 19, 26, MAR 05, 2015 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-035041400 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: EL SERVICES, 1284 GREEN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by EDMOND LEE. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/15/13.

FEB 12, 19, 26, MAR 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036303500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE RED FOX SALON/BARBER SHOP, 669 O’FARRELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LYNSEY MARIE VISCIGLIA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/2013. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/12/15.

FEB 19, 26, MAR 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036310000

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF BERNARD CLELAND IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES15-298545

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of BERNARD CLELAND. A Petition for Probate has been filed by BERNARD RYAN in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that BERNARD RYAN be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: March 25, 2015, 9:00am, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: Julia P. Wald, #078476, Law Offices of Julia P. Wald, 1108 Fifth Ave #202, San Rafael, CA 94901; Ph. (415) 482-7555.

MAR 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036298000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CAHOOT, 123 10TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ARIAN V.R. SALMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/09/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/15.

FEB 19, 26, MAR 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036312000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CLAUDIO MARTONFFY DESIGN, 120 PIERCE ST #9, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CLAUDIO MARTONFFY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/13/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/17/15.

FEB 19, 26, MAR 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036306300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MAMAS SELF CARE, 1340 DE HARO, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KATHLEEN CARIFFE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/13/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/13/15.

FEB 19, 26, MAR 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036304000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAJAYDEN MANAGEMENT GROUP, 660 4TH ST #533, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed WAYNE BURGESS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/12/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/12/15.

FEB 19, 26, MAR 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036307700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALEX’S TIRE AND ALIGNMENT, INC, 38 OTIS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ALEX’S TIRE AND ALIGNMENT, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/10/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/12/15.

FEB 19, 26, MAR 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036297900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 1812 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is V1 WIRELESS conducted by a corporation, and is signed V1 WIRELESS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/15.

FEB 19, 26, MAR 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036297600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VIEWPOINT LAW GROUP, 100 PINE ST, #1250, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PAUL J. NEIBERGS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/15/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/26/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PACIFIC COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY CENTER; PACIFIC CBT, 1801 BUSH ST #206, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOHN R. MONTOPOLI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/13/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: V1 WIRELESS, 863 CLAY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed V1 WIRELESS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/15.

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

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036297400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: V1 WIRELESS, 440 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed V1 WIRELESS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/15.

FEB 19, 26, MAR 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036306400

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FEB 19, 26, MAR 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036298400

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FEB 19, 26, MAR 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036321100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PRETTY OCCASIONS, 2256 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SOLMAZ NAJI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/23/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/23/15.

FEB 26, MAR 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036316700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SILVER SHELL STORE, 2380 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EBRAHIM PAKZAD. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/19/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/15.

FEB 26, MAR 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036319700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: INNER CITY HAULING & JANITORIAL, 260 MCALLISTER #403, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KAREN CERVERA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/20/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/20/15.

FEB 26, MAR 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036296900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROBINSON@GROVE, 1574 GROVE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAVID E. ROBINSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/15.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036315600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MESCOLANZA RESTAURANT, 3750-3754 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MESCOLANZA INC (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 02/18/15.

FEB 26, MAR 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036279800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OZMA, 874 S. VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a general partnership and is signed MARIAH GARDNER & HEIDI BAKER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/30/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/30/15.

FEB 26, MAR 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036317800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JESSIE BLACK, 3252 SACRAMENTO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed THE HOUSE OF MONTE CARLO (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/15.

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FEB 26, MAR 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036325600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THOMAS GALLAGHER CONSTRUCTION, 133 SHIELD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed THOMAS GALLAGHER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/24/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/24/15.

FEB 26, MAR 05,12,19, 2015 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-035778500

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: VLOVEPLASTIC, 2639 BALBOA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by JITRUTHAI RATTANASONGCHAI. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/10/14.

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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.

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The Department of Elections, established on March 18,1878, reminds all eligible San Franciscans to keep your voter registration up to date. U.S. citizens over 18 years old can register to vote. Re-register every time you move, change your name, or want to change your political party preference. Go to sfelections.org, visit City Hall, Room 48, or call (415) 554-4375. Follow us on Facebook.com/sfelections and Twitter@sfelections. The next San Francisco election is November 3, 2015. Thank you for being a San Francisco voter!

Board of Supervisors Regularly Scheduled Board Meetings March and April 2015

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – Come see your San Francisco government in action. Tuesdays, 2:00pm, City Hall Chamber, Room 250. · March 3 · March 24 · April 14 · March 10 · March 31 · April 21 · March 17 · April 7 · April 28 The City and County of San Francisco encourage public outreach. Articles are translated into several languages to provide better public access. The newspaper makes every effort to translate the articles of general interest correctly. No liability is assumed by the City and County of San Francisco or the newspapers for errors and omissions

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FEB 26, MAR 05, 12, 19, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036286400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CITY CYCLE, 3001 STEINER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed C. FISCHER AND SONS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/18/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/24/15.

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ENGEL & VOELKERS SAN FRANCISCO, 582 CASTRO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS, INC (UT). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/12/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/03/15.

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MAR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036323900

MAR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036325000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NUCMEDCOR, 3533 SCOTT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ISOFLEX USA (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/15/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/24/15.

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MAR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036320300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: IMPAVID CONSULTING INC., 50 CRESTLINE DR #9, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed IMPAVID CONSULTING INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/20/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/20/15.

MAR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036329200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RAFA’S CLEANING SERVICE, 172 CAINE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed CARLOS E. GUTIERREZ CAMPOS & ERIKA MARIA VEGA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/26/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/26/15.

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MAR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036337800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: YOCA REPAIR, 1697 19TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed YURIY ABRAMOV & OLGA ABRAMOVA. 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 03/02/15.

MAR 05, 12, 19, 26, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036339000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FUNCRUNCH PHOTO, 1110 JACKSON ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed PAX AHIMSA GETHEN & ZACH TOMCICH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/02/15.

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Vol. 44 • No. 10 • March 5-11, 2015

www.ebar.com/arts

feast of pure dancing

San Francisco Ballet Programs 3 & 4

by Paul Parish

he big news in San Francisco’s dance scene last week was the first-class revival of Jerome Robbins’ 1969 masterpiece, Dances at a Gathering, on San Francisco Ballet’s Program 4. It runs on a double bill with Hummingbird (new last year, and a big hit with the audience, by Liam Scarlett of the Royal Ballet) through this Sunday, alternating with Program 3, also a mixed bill, the highlight of which is the “Kingdom of the Shades” scene from the 19th-century classic La Bayadère.

San Francisco Ballet dancers Vanessa Zahorian and Carlo DiLanno in Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering.

See page 14 >>

Erik Tomasson

Charged life-story of Alan Turing by Richard Dodds

hen Theatre Rhino announced its 2014-15 season in the early fall with Breaking the Code as its March production, a movie titled The Imitation Game was but a speck on Hollywood’s list of upcoming releases. By good fortune or uncanny foresight by Rhino’s Executive Director John Fisher, The Imitation Game put a new spotlight on Alan Turing, who happens to be the subject of Breaking the Code, opening March 7 at the Eureka Theatre.

John Fisher, right, plays fabled cryptographer Alan Turing, and Justin Lucas is his troublesome companion in Breaking the Code at Theatre Rhino.

See page 22 >>

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

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<< Out There

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 5-11, 2015

Creation stories by Roberto Friedman

e’ve got advance word on composer-pianist-conductor Thomas Adès’ San Francisco Symphony conducting debut this weekend (March 5-7). SFS has performed many of Adès’ works, but his conducting the SFS, in a program

that features one of his own works, is entirely new. One of the pieces he is leading is his concerto for piano and moving image In Seven Days, with Kirill Gerstein on the keys, and video art by Tal Rosner. (Rosner designed a video installation for Britten’s Four Sea Interludes that was a highlight of the SFS’ Britten Festival last June.) This is the first time that the

Dawn Harms, Music Director & Conductor

SFS is performing In Seven Days. The entire program that Adès has put together is quite interesting. In addition to his own work, which is made up of seven movements that follow the Genesis story of creation, all of the pieces he has chosen focus on themes of creation and draw on various mythologies. The program includes Milhaud’s La Création du monde, which draws its story from African folk mythology; Sibelius’ tone-poem Luonnotar, derived from Finnish mythology (featuring Dawn Upshaw); and Charles Ives’ The Unanswered Question, a work centered around what the composer calls “the perennial question of existence.” Sounds like Out There’s cup of creation-myth tea, so we’ll be there in Davies Hall. Tickets/info: sfsymphony.org.

Courtesy SFS

Video art by Tal Rosner, seen in a performance of In Seven Days at Royal Festival Hall, London.

Hob-nobbin’

Tickets & Info: http://BARS-SF.ORG

We love Nob Hill, it’s a place you can go where you really know you’re in SF. Consummate consort Pepi & Out There took the 1 California up the hill last week for a scrumptious dinner at Osso Steakhouse, where we partook of the so-called “O” Menu. This turned out to be quite a feast: skillet-roasted chorizo cheese bread; Caesar salad with garlic croutons & shaved reggiano cheese; petite bone-in (osso) filet mignon, cooked medium rare; crispy potatoes & vegetables; and chocolate macchiato mousse. All of this washed down by a very nice Rutherford Ranch Cabernet (Napa, 2012). Since the reopening of the Masonic Center right next door this past fall, Osso has become a place to spot featured bands and performers pre- and post-show. Here’s the beef: Osso’s New York steaks are dry-aged off-premise for four to six weeks in a

March 14, 2015 8pm

Everett Middle School 450 Church (between 16 & 17 St)

Marko Bajzer - Codex for Orchestra (Premiere) Weber - Clarinet Concerto No. 1 Carey Bell, clarinet Brahms Symphony No. 3 The Bay Area Rainbow Symphony (BARS) is an orchestra that provides a safe and supportive environment for musicians of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. A 501(c)3 org, BARS makes cultural, social, and educational contributions to the San Francisco Bay Area by performing ambitious repertoire to a high standard.

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Osso Steakhouse interior, high on the top of Nob Hill.

controlled environment. This gives them primo flavor. Besides steaks, menu items include Yellowtail Carpaccio, seafood skillets, the “O Burger Bar” and several classic sides, including lightly creamed spinach and Ciopollini Fritti. The restaurant’s Art Deco-inspired environment put OT right in the mood. And among the clubs and businesses located in Osso’s harboring Gramercy Towers, we found the suite for Friends of Dorothy travel services. We felt right at home. Info: ossosteakhouse.com.

Hated for loving

Members of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) will offer a preview of composer Jake Heggie’s For a Look or a Touch during a concert in the lobby of the Contemporary Jewish Museum/SF (CJM) on Sun., March

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SF Ballet 3&4

From page 13

Music was secondary to the movement studies that made up Program 3. Even the selections from Bach’s Musical Offering and Goldberg Variations (arranged by Matthew Naughton) that made up the score for Myles Thatcher’s Manifesto felt like they’d been put through the wringer. It seemed Thatcher, who is unquestionably very talented, in making his manifesto was competing with Bach in contrapuntal ingenuity. Movement motifs would surge up in the group of dancers that were at odds with what was unfolding in Bach’s music. Perhaps it was just a contrary mood of my own that made this seem so misguided. I’d like to see it again, but on one viewing, Manifesto struck me as a squandered opportunity, quite perverse, a young talent trying

29, 3-4:30 p.m. They will present numbers from this upcoming choral opera based on the true love story of two Jewish men who were persecuted by the Nazis for being homosexual. Kip Neven, who plays Gad Beck, a survivor who became a Jewish resistance fighter and later rescued over 1,000 Jews from death; and SF Opera Adler Fellow Hadleigh Adams, who plays Beck’s doomed lover Manfred Lewin, will be joined by members of the SFGMC to sing excerpts from the opera, and lead a brief discussion of the history behind the opera. Free with museum admission; info: info@thecjm.org or (415) 655-7881. The SFGMC will present the entire work For a Look or a Touch at Davies Symphony Hall on April 1 & 2. The CJM is a co-sponsoring organization for these concerts.t to avoid the obvious and achieving confusion instead. Though it must be said the dancers performed with stirring conviction, hitting their marks thrillingly. Thatcher is himself a member of SFB’s corps de ballet, a versatile dancer who can gleam in many styles and can handle featured roles of many sorts. We’ve seen the advanced students of the SFB School look marvelous in several of his earlier works. Outstanding in Manifesto, his first fullscale work for the company, were Jennifer Stahl, Sean Orza, Norika Matsuyama, Steven Morse, Dores Andre, and Hansuke Yamamoto. Perhaps best-danced was a cryptic Variations for Two Couples by Hans van Manen, which was set to pieces by four different composers. Our great ballerina Sofiane Sylve, who starred with the Dutch NaSee page 22 >>

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Film>>

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

Featuring Eva Green’s tongue by Erin Blackwell

hy do people need guns? Why were guns invented? An explosion in a small chamber and a hunk of lead with only one way out is a recipe for murder. Self-defense, self-destruction, military, terrorist, duel or sniper, the point of the exercise is a kill. Very scary. The United States is awash with guns, due to the moronic equations gun = freedom, or self-protection, or peace of mind. None of these questions are considered in the Danish shoot-emup The Salvation (2014), opening at Opera Plaza Cinemas on Friday, March 6. The film is very easy on the eyes, showcasing Nordic heartthrob Mads Mikkelsen and, in a supporting role construed as a lead worth second billing, the ever-appetizing Eva Green. Jens Schlosser’s camera bathes the Ikea-inflected Wild West in warm hues, caresses twilit weeds and burnishes dry grass in a sumptuous paean to location-shooting in South Africa. Diana Cilliers’ costumes are dreamy confections: rugged and soiled in saturated colors, tailored to a T. The film is even easier on the brain. Having grown up on Westerns, we’re as familiar with the tropes of stagecoach, train, general store, and jailhouse as Agatha Christie fans are of library, drawing room, village fête, and the Vicar’s. Each burnished Ikea trope is filmed at an iconic pace that will leave no viewer behind. The jolts come at the cuts between scenes. Some edits establish symmetry, as when Mads burying his wife and child is juxtaposed with Eva staring cryptically into her husband’s freshly dug grave. Gosh, will these two glamorous pioneers overcome a Hatfield-McCoy revenge set-up to ride off into the sunset together? Other edits trick the viewer into thinking one thing has happened when in fact the other thing has, a

Jens Schlosser

Eva Green (background) and Mads Mikkelsen in director Kristian Levring’s The Salvation.

ploy Christie used in her books to move narrative along while befuddling a reader’s sense of narrative stability. Galloping cuts complicate a straightforward tale not of salvation, but of slaughter. When the good guy kills a bad guy who turns out to have an even worse brother, the good guy must prove he’s the baddest of em all. This is where guns come in. Plenty of pretty period handguns and rifles, plenty of ammo, and don’t forget the kerosene. Bang, bang, bang. Guess who survives. There are only four women in the movie, three of whom appear only as long as it takes to establish a plot point: the blonde wife fresh off the boat from Denmark; a selfsacrificing grandma of the town Black Creek; a housewife turned widow. And then there’s Eva Green, who has no lines. This is actually an interesting solution to the French actress’ wonky English accent, if

Joe Albias

Eric Cantona and Mads Mikkelsen in director Kristian Levring’s The Salvation.

indeed anyone was ever bothered by her exotic linguistics. Early on, her ruffian husband sits across a stagecoach from Mads, explaining

that his princess has been mute ever since Indians cut out her tongue to silence her screams after they killed her parents.

There are no Native Americans in sight, only this graphic image from the lips of a white rapist, whose story goes unquestioned. This throwaway slander stuck in my craw. The racism and misogyny enshrined in three lines of script is a capsule version of the American Empire’s useful lie: Savages must be eradicated to protect white women’s virtue. Absent Indians are to blame for everything bad that happens. Good men are said to have turned evil after killing too many savages. There’s a clear Iraq parallel in Black Creek, named for the crude-oil deposits whose ominous bubbles foreground several shots. Favoring action over reality, screenwriter Anders Thomas Jensen deploys rape not to enlighten but to denigrate, as a stock melodramatic event that turns heroes into demons without converting anyone to feminism. First, the off-screen rape of the blonde Danish wife sets the revenge plot in motion. Later, Princess is condemned to a gang rape by henchmen. Serious unreality sets in when Eva appears several scenes on, fully clothed and fresh as a daisy but understandably irked that her wrists are tied to bedposts. All in a day’s shooting for an actress whose unparalleled smoldering made me a fan, but what does rape matter in the immoral universe of this neo-Viking saga? Eva Green’s missing tongue allows director Kristian Levring to film her as a damaged, disdainful, yet docile enigma with nothing to say beyond smoldering eyes, heaving bosom, raven tresses, and ultimately, the under-lever on her Winchester repeating rifle. Even the sensitive Mads Mikkelsen is reduced to an ever-ready cog in the great karmic wheel of nihilistic plot that looks like a videogame version of a graphic novel staged by re-enactors obsessed with authenticity in ballistics, but indifferent to human history. If M.M. isn’t careful, he’ll wind up as James Bond.t

March madness at the Castro Theatre by David Lamble

he Castro Theatre outdoes itself with a March that sizzles with my favorite guilty pleasure: the astutely concocted thematic doubleor even triple-bill. Godard Double Feature (3/5): Goodbye to Language or Adieu au language (2014, France) In 71 minutes, this last of the French New Wave rebels gives us a violent, fateful romantic encounter between a single man and a married woman, spanning several seasons and featuring a persistent pooch. With Héloïse Godet, Kamel Abdeli, Richard Chevallier. (70mm, 3D, 7:30 p.m.) King Lear (1987) Shakespeare’s penultimate classic gets a heavy-duty makeover, possibly an absurdist parody, with a truly eccentric ensemble: Peter Sellars, Burgess Meredith, Molly Ringwald, Jean-Luc Godard, Woody Allen, Norman and Kate Mailer. The phrase “It has to be seen to be believed” was probably never more appropriate. (In French, Russian, Japanese and English, with English subtitles, 35mm, 90 min., 9 p.m.) Midnights for Maniacs (3/6): Little Shop of Horrors (1986) Frank Oz reworks a 1960 Roger Corman classic and provides a truly wild black comedy with huge doses of camp sensibility. With Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, James Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest, Bill Murray and a truly outrageous turn from Steve Martin in his early prime. It’s a musical, with songs that made this one

Turner Entertainment

Omar Sharif and Julie Christie in a scene from Doctor Zhivago.

of my favorite 80s big-screen treats. This is a special “Director’s Cut,” complete with a 23-minute restoration of the film’s original over-a-cliff ending. (7:20 p.m.) eXistenZ (1999) David Cronenberg outdoes himself with a 1999 production that revels in its cybersexual weirdness. With Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh. (9:45 p.m.) Scary Cow: Locally Made Short Film Festival This annual event is

sponsored by the Scary Cow Short Film Co-op. Doors open at 2 p.m. Further info and tickets at scarycow. com. (3/7) Triple Feature (3/8): Doctor Zhivago (1965) Soviet dissident Boris Pasternak’s bold romance novel pissed off a post-Stalin Kremlin and became the basis for David Lean’s best post-Lawrence of Arabia epic. Five Oscars came to the creative team that runs us through a bitter Russian winter in that greatest

of the country’s treasures, the transSiberian railway. Complementing the tragic lovers, never-better Omar Sharif and Julie Christie, is a scenery-chewing villain (Rod Steiger). (200 min., intermission, 1 p.m.) Reds (1981) Warren Beatty seduced an early-80s nation of filmgoers with a cinema romancemanifesto that implicitly challenged Reagan-era pieties. Beatty is American Communist John Reed, who romances fellow lefty Louise Bryant,

in a mid-career peak from a postWoody Allen Diane Keaton. This 195-minute opus is subverted by an awesome Jack Nicholson cameo as the rambunctious American playwright Eugene O’Neill. (35 mm, intermission, 5 p.m.) Trailer Apocalypse! (2015) Reportedly the greatest collection of movie ads – those miniature pitches that begin with the phrase, “In a world –” (9 p.m.) Double Feature (3/9): Wild (2014) by Jean-Marc Vallee (Dallas Buyers Club). Reese Witherspoon is tough gal who recovers from a serious life meltdown by taking an 1,100-mile hike up the Pacific Coast Trail. With a bravura turn by Laura Dern as Witherspoon’s tough babe of a mom, it’s like a companion piece to Sean Penn’s Into the Wild, about a young lad (Emile Hirsch) who loses his way in a similar outdoors adventure (2:30, 7 p.m.) A Most Violent Year (2014) J.C. Chandor (Margin Call) puts us in a chaotic New York City, 1981. Abel and Anna Morales, a married couple of tough cookies out to earn their piece of the rock with a small but ambitious fuel-oil company. Oscar Isaac reveals a tough core as a struggling “businessman” combining immigrant grit with a page or two snatched from the Mafia playbook. (4:40, 9:10 p.m.) Double Feature (3/10): Foxcatcher (2014) Bennett Miller directs Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo in a dark story of See page 23 >>

<< Theatre

16 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 5-11, 2015

Springfield follies by Richard Dodds

heater critics at several substantial London publications found Mr. Burns, a post-electric play to be elitist. Why? Because some basic knowledge of The Simpsons is certainly helpful. How dare playwright Anne Washburn build a play around some dopey Yank cartoon series, even if it has been on the air worldwide for 26 seasons, although not necessarily on the telly in the testy writers’ homes? They can more easily hail Tom Stoppard for building a play around Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and apparently you’ve been watching too much elitist television if you don’t know who they are. Washburn isn’t really interested in The Simpsons per se, but rather in using the series as a touchstone for an exploration of mythology, storytelling, and history, and how they evolve to suit societal needs of the moment. Live theater began with evocations of mythology, and what was ceremonial evolved into what we now call “entertainment.” There is a telling exchange in Mr. Burns, a weirdly wonderful play now at ACT, as a member of a vagabond troupe suggests that their work should take the opportunity to be meaningful as well as entertaining. He is quickly shot down by a colleague. “We get meaning from everything, and it’s free. Meaningless entertainment is hard.” And sells tickets. Of course, if we get meaning from everything, we also get it from meaningless entertainment, and these are the kinds of philosophical thoughts unleashed in this play set at three distinct points after multi-

Kevin Berne

Members of a post-apocalyptic theatrical troupe recreate television moments from the past in Mr. Burns, a post-electric play at ACT.

ple nuclear-plant disasters have rendered large parts of the world uninhabitable. In the first act, a group of survivors sits around a campfire and tries to amuse themselves by reconstructing the “Cape Feare” episode of The Simpsons. Memories amiably collide, and we see how even recent history becomes a matter of amalgam and compromise. While the “Cape Feare” episode,

first aired in 1993, is referenced throughout the play, you don’t have to be that much of a Simpsons fan if its details elude you. Washburn does a good job of having her storytellers lay out its basics and its background in two movies that had Robert Mitchum and then Robert DeNiro as the bad guy. And while you don’t absolutely have to know that recurring series character Sideshow Bob

is now the villain, that’s one of the moments when some knowledge of the show will help. After the casual storytelling palaver of the first act, set in the very near future, we jump ahead seven years as competing companies vie for audiences with recreation of Simpsons episodes. The group is also rehearsing mashups of commercials and popular music, playing

to audience memories of happier times. But it’s a cutthroat business, and those that fail with the Simpsons repertoire might be forced to downscale to, gasp, Shakespeare. The third act is set 75 years further into the future, and a theater company’s interpretation of the “Cape Feare” episode has devolved toward the kind of ceremonial, sacred even, presentations of ancient times. It’s a stylized musical performance as the transmogrified events are now presented as a ritualized morality musical (Michael Friedman is the composer). This 35-minute show-within-the-show is odd, original, and uniquely captivating with its unsettling collision of the alien and familiar, and even Gilbert and Sullivan. It’s hard to single out individual cast members, for they shift from the regular folks of the first act into totally unrecognizable Kabukiesque performers by the third act. But they make up a strong and flexible ensemble, and director Mark Rucker finds the right, and widely divergent, tones for each of the three acts. The whole enterprise is “excellent,” as the title character is prone to ominously utter as he taps his fingertips together. If that image fails to fire off any neurons, you may wish to recuse yourself from this production. And that’s okay. Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa are not the sort to hold cultural deprivation against you.t Mr. Burns, a post-electric play will run through March 15 at ACT. Tickets are $20-$120. Call (415) 7492228 or go to www.act-sf.org.

Sexual outliers onstage by Richard Dodds

he creators of Home Street Home want to go to places where musicals haven’t been, but even they know that the road they are traveling is still a branch off a familiar highway. “Well, this looks nothing like Rent,” says one of the musical’s omniscient overseers who regularly insert themselves into an unfolding story that does in fact look a little like Rent. And American Idiot. And Hair. And even West Side Story. You almost expect to hear a variation on “Officer Krupke” as a beat patrolman hassles the neighborhood delinquents by name. Except in this case, it’s Officer Walker, and his beat includes a makeshift family of outcasts, runaways, druggies, prostitutes, and sexual outliers. Unbeknownst to him, one of those runaways is his teenage daughter, whom he regularly molested before she found refuge with a new family. Sue’s story is the centerpiece, but the musical gives voice to all of the residents of the rundown squat they call home. Their stories may not be the typical stuff of musical theater, but

Home Street Home follows traditional structures even as the characters sing about S&M sex, the wonders of recreational drugs, abusive parents and siblings, and even ritualized bloodletting. The songs themselves are disarmingly accessible, surprising for their punk-rock pedigree. Michael Burkett, better known as Fat Mike of the band NOFX, composed the music that occasionally breaks out into mosh-pit mayhem but mostly conforms to melodies that are easy on most any ears. The book is by Fat Mike and professional dominatrix Goddess Soma (also the astute costumer), who are also partners in life, and the lyrics add Tony Award-winner Jeff Marx (Avenue Q) into the mix. This trio has been working on Home Street Home for four years, and after numerous readings and workshops, its San Francisco run at Z Space is its first official production that its creators view as a tryout for a possible New York presentation. The production at Z Space is already a polished affair, cast with talented professionals from both coasts and accompanied by a slick

five-piece band led by David O. Caite Hevner Kemp’s set is built around multi-purpose scaffolding that director Richard Israel makes limber use of with his skillful staging. The staging is also relatively circumspect, as sex is mostly suggested, with even a flogging scene between a dom and her sub avoiding any wince-inducing intensity. Where the musical is most graphic is in its lyrics, as a song such as “Let’s Get Hurt” enumerates on various masochistic desires, but with the cast then coming back with the spryly comic “They’re At It Again” as another round of flogging begins. The lyrics, throughout, are a highlight of the show, with the clever “High Achievers” detailing how famous great minds were often chemically enhanced, the whimsically blunt “It’s Not Easy Being Gay” elaborating on a particular character’s physical shortcomings, or the poetically restrained “Monsters” expressing Sue’s abuse at the hands of her father. What the songs could use are more prominent buttons, the kind of musical signal that’s the difference between a song that finishes rather than one that merely stops. Every cast member is able to create a memorable character, and most get one or more showcase songs to further establish their quirky individuality. Among the players are Kristin Piacentile as the dom Mom, Lauren Patten as her collared sub Trashley, Justine Magnusson as the runaway Sue, Kevin Hegmann as punk hustler PD, Ryan O’Connor as his woebegone client Big John, Alex Robert Holmes as the happily dopey Special Ed, and Matt Magnusson as the frustrated musician Nosmo. Billed as the Fatales (a takeoff on the Fates of Greek mythology), Shaleah Adkisson, Brandon Curry, and Sam Given merrily shift between regal spirits and their earthly disguises as ragged street-people.

David Allen

Kristin Piacentile and Lauren Patten, as characters with a dom-sub relationship, are part of an extended family of outliers in the new musical Home Street Home at Z Space.

In its current incarnation, Home Street Home is a show that’s in good shape. But it has the curious inclination to be an edgy show with smoothed edges, a show about rulebreakers that follows many musical theater rules. There are some boxes to be blown up before Home

Street Home can find its very own footing.t Home Street Home will run at Z Space through March 7. Tickets are $50-$75. Call (866) 811-4111 or go to homestreethomeonstage. com.

Film>>

March 5-11, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 17

Revenge served cold by David Lamble

ild Tales, from Argentine filmmaker-TV producer Damian Szifron, is an anthology. Six separate stories and casts are linked by a dark, nihilistic throughline. Each episode concerns a character who feels wronged, in some cases so strongly that he becomes unhinged, capable of monstrous acts to avenge what might seem a minor slight. Argentina is a center for laughing at deep-seated societal faults that elsewhere might be cause for wristslitting. (Opens Friday.) The anthology vehicle is so rarely employed in the U.S. that it’s probably useful to recall the best of the breed, New York Stories (1989), or the brilliant Pulp Fiction (1994) from Quentin Tarantino, who hit notes he’s never quite approached again. As a testimonial to how good these Wild Tales are, the acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar is one of the executive producers. Pasternak The curtain-raiser sets the tone for what’s to come. A young woman on a plane strikes up a casual conversation with a seatmate only to discover they have a past acquaintance in common: the girl dumped him, while the man, a music critic, savaged his work. Pretty soon others in the plane’s cabin start chiming in with their own sad Pasternak adventures, in which invariably the poor chump came out on the short end. The tale ends in an act of revenge worthy of the devil himself. If you stay through this one, you’re hooked for a very bumpy ride. Las Ratas (The Rats) In this gleefully diabolical story, a professional loan shark stops by a rural roadside restaurant. The female waitron is shocked to see this very rude man again, a guy who orchestrated her family’s downfall. Sharing her anguish with the cook, the young woman rejects the idea of adding rat poison to the guy’s meal, but the cook does it anyway. The ensuing chaos is punctuated by the fact that the bad guy is joined for dinner by his teenage son, who chows down on the poison. This one may make you feel like never dining out again unless the food is prepared right at your table. El más fuerte (The Strongest) Perhaps the anthology’s masterpiece unfolds on a deserted highway where two lone drivers – Mario, behind the wheel of a broken-down oil-burner; and Diego, commanding a high-end sedan – engage in a furious game of one-upsmanship for which “road rage” is far too timid a description. When Diego fi-

MARIN CENTER PRESENTS Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

María Marull as Isabel in Pasternak, part of Wild Tales.

nally passes the old junker, he gives Mario the finger. A few miles down the freeway, Diego gets a flat, pulls off the road, and sets himself up for a life-and-death struggle. The two men engage in displays of primal fury that include disgusting exchanges of bodily waste products. When the dust settles, the highway patrol finds two burning hulks by the road and conclude that they’ve come upon a “crime of passion.” Bombita (Little Bomb) raises the stakes in the road rage genre as Simon, a demolition specialist used to imploding large buildings, finds his car has been towed while he stopped off to pick up his daughter’s birthday cake. This one approaches the cartoonish level of tit-for-tat violence that marked the heyday of Warner Bros. cartoons and is still celebrated in the roadrunner’s bouts with the hapless coyote. La Propuesta (The Deal) illustrates the laws of unintended consequences as a spoiled rich kid dares the fates when he hits a pregnant woman and fails to render aid. When the brat tells his wealthy papa, the man phones his attorney. The two cook up a deal whereby the family handyman will take the fall in return for a large cash payout. One foul deed leads to another, and as the tabloid TV fans public outrage, corrupt officials and lawyers converge on the home, demanding bribes for themselves and an endless parade of greedy civil servants. This one takes an unexpected violent turn that no one saw coming but that’s wonderfully appropriate. Hasta que la muerte nos separe (Until Death Do Us Part) unfolds at a high-end wedding bash where the new bride discovers that her new hubby has betrayed her with a wedding guest. The wife begins to exact her revenge, first making out

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

German De Silva as Casero in The Deal, part of Wild Tales.

on a rooftop with a hotel worker. She then returns to the banquet, grabbing her rival and spinning her around the dance floor. Eventually she starts screaming at her groom and his mom, mom goes nuts, and the whole affair threatens to go up in flames until the fates intervene and provide the closest thing to a happy ending that these passionate people are capable of. Pasternak cast: Dario Grandinetti (Salgado), María Marull (Isabel) and Mónica Villa (Professor Leguizamón). The Rats cast: Rita Cortese (Cook), Julieta Zylberberg (Moza) and César Bordón (Cuenca). The Strongest cast: Leonardo Sbaraglia (Diego) and Walter Donado (Mario). Bombita cast: Ricardo Darin (Simón) and Nancy Dupláa (Victoria). The Deal cast: Oscar Martínez (Mauricio) and María Onetto (Helena). Til Death Do Us Part cast: Érica Rivas (Romina) and Diego Gentile (Ariel).t

PILOBOLUS

Experience mind-blowing creativity and physically daring moves as Pilobolus continually challenges how we think about dance.

Friday, March 20, 8 pm Marin Center, San Rafael

marincenter.org

<< Out&About

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

Out &About

O&A

Fri 6

Antigone @ Exit on Taylor Cutting Ball Theater’s production of Daniel Sullivan’s new translation of Sophocles’ classic Greek tragedy, with music and movement. $10-$50. Thu 7:30pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sat 2pm, Sun 5pm. Thru Mar. 29. 277 Taylor St. 5251205. www.cuttingball.com

(Bitter) Sweet Sex @ Center for Sex & Culture Miguel Gutierrez

Being Human by Jim Provenzano

ritish gay actor Russell Tovey (Looking) stepped in it this week when he was quoted in an interview stating that he feels lucky he didn’t go to acting school and become “one of those effeminate gays.” Really, girlfriend? Really? We here in the arts event-wrangling corral actually look for effeminate actors, and butch ones, and gender-bent ones and, well, we’re going to give Russell some time to figure out that what he said may make sense to him, but not others. It’s rather offensive, but not surprising, since the only intelligent things most actors say are words that are written for them. Here are some more intelligent arts events that might surprise, exite, and possibly offend you.

Thu 5 Breaking the Code @ Eureka Theatre Hugh Whitmore’s stage play about gay British WWII code-breaker Alan Turing, his genius and tortured life, gets a local production by Theatre Rhinoceros. Limited run: thru March 21. $10-$30. Wed-Sat 8pm Sat 3pm. 215 Jackson St. (800) 838-3006. www.TheRhino.org

Cracked Actor: David Bowie on Screen @ YBCA Comprehensive film series of the pop superstar’s cinematic career. Thru March. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts screening room, 701 Mission St. www.ybca.org/david-bowie

Newsies @ Orpheum Theatre The Broadway musical hit, with lots of great dancing, based on the film about young paperboys who went on a historic strike; with music by Alan Menken and book by Harvey Fierstein. $70-$250. Wed-Sat 8pm. Wed, Sat, Sun 2pm. Thru Mar. 15. 1192 Market St. (888) 746-1799. www.shnsf.com

The Office, Dolly @ Z Below Word for Word’s stage adaptation of two short stories by Nobel Prizewinning author Alice Munro. $20, $35-55. Wed & Thu 7pm. Fri-Sat 8pm. Sun 3pm. Thru April 12. 470 Florida St. (866) 811-4111. www.zspace.org

Jewish Music Festival @ Various Venues 30th anniversary of the music festival, featuring choral works, jazz, traditional, even dancing and orchestral works, performed in SF, Berkeley and Oakland. Thru March 22. www.jewishmusicfestival.org

The Klezmatics @ The New Parish, Oakland The popular klezmer music ensemble performs as part of the Jewish Music Festival. $26-$30. 8pm. 579 18th St., Oakland. (800) 838-3006. www.jewishmusicfestival.org

Lawrence Power, Simon Crawford-Phillips @ St. Mark’s Lutheran Church This concert with viola and piano includes works by Schumann, Shostokovich, Prokoviev, and a new work by Mark-Anthony Turnage. $40. 7:30pm. 1111 O’Farrell St. www.sfperformances.org

Hilarity @ Exit Studio Allison Page’s new play about a comic on the edge of destruction. $10-$25. 156 Eddy St. Thru Mar. 28. www.brownpapertickets.com

New and Classic Films @ Castro Theatre Mar. 5: Godard double feature; Goodbye to Language in 3D (7:30) and King Lear (9pm). Mar. 6: Little Shop of Horrors: Director’s Cut (7:20) and eXistenZ (9:45). Mar. 7: Scary Cow Film Festival (2pm-10pm). Mar. 8: Doctor Zhivago (1pm) and Reds (5pm). Mar. 8: Trailer Apocalypse! (9pm). Mar. 9: Wild (2:30, 7pm) and A Most Violent Year (4:40, 9:10). Mar. 10: Foxcatcher (2:30, 7pm) and Whiplash (4:55, 9:15). Mar. 11: La Dolce Vita (1pm, 6:30) and Artists and Models (4:15, 9:40). Mar. 12: Seoul Searching (6:30pm). Most tickets $11. 429 Castro St. castrotheatre.com

New Frequencies @ YBCA Jazz music mini-festival, with dozens of singers and musicians. Multiple nights thru Feb. $15-$35. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St. www.ybca.org

Opening reception and performances celebrating Mark I. Chester’s new exhibit and book of photos City of Wounded Boys & Sexual Warriors, with Keith Hennessy, Brontez Purnell, Cleo Dubois, horehound stillpoint, Jorge Vieto, Jr., Miss Maggie Mayhem and others. $20. 7:30pm. 1349 Mission St. brownpapertickets.com

The Book Club Play @ Center Repertory, Walnut Creek

Mini Supreme

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

Ralph Eugene Meatyard @ Robert Tat Gallery Exhibit of black and while prints by the creator of creepy yet beautiful imagery. Tue-Sat 11am-5:30pm (1st Thu til 7:30pm). Thru May 30. 49 Geary St. 781-1122. www.roberttat.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) 838-3006. www.sheltontheater.org

Previews begin for this local production of Jon Robin Baitz’ Pulitzer Prize finalist drama about a family distrupted by divisive political differences. (Opening night Mar. 14.) $20-$35. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru April 5. 25 Van Ness Ave., lower level. 861-8972. www.nctcsf.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

Oakland Super 8 @ Great Wall of Oakland Outdoor screening of diverse, locally-made short films. 6pm10pm. BYO blankets. Broadway at West Grand ave., Oakland. www. greatwallofoakland.org

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown @ Julia Morgan Theater, Berkeley Berkeley Playhouse’s production of the Tony Award-winning musical based on the Charles M. Schulz comic characters. $5-$60. Fri 7pm. Sat 1pm & 6pm. Sun 12pm & 5pm. Thru Mar. 15. 2640 College Ave., Berkeley. (510) 845-8542. www.berkeleyplayhouse.org

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. CenterRep.org

Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them @ Thick House Crowded Fire Theater’s always interesting company performs A. Rey Pamatmat’s drama about three abandoned kids on a remote farm. $15-$35. Wed-Sat 8pm. (Opening night March 2, 8pm). Thru March 21. 1695 18th St. www.crowdedfire.org

Josh Kornbluth @ The Marsh Berkeley Haiku Tunnel, the solo performer’s popular comic show about the foibles of office temping, re-opens at the East Bay venue. $20-$100. Fri 8pm. Sat 5pm. Thru Mar. 28. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. 282-3055. themarsh.org

Kitka @ Various Venues The amazing women’s vocal ensemble performs three East Bay concerts with music from their new CD I Will Remember Everything, inspired by the biography of “Russia’s Sappho,” poet Sophia Parnok, and compolsed by Eric Banks; also, music by Meredith Monk. Mar. 6, 8pm, $28-$35, at San Geronimo Valley Community Center, 6350 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Mar. 7, 8pm. $15-$20 at Mission Blue, 475 Mission Blue Drive, Brisbane. Mar. 8: 8pm $12-$28 at Freight & Slavage, 2020 Addison St. (part of the Jewish Music Festival). www.kitka.org

Miguel Gutierrez @ CounterPulse

Sat 7

Other Desert Cities @ New Conservatory Theatre Center

West Coast premiere of Age & Beauty Part 1: Mid-Career Artist/Suicide Note or &:-/, the performer’s queer lens on aging, artistic burnout as a performer while trying to remain relevant. (Also, Queer Choreographies panel Mar. 7, 1pm-4pm.) $25-$35. 8pm. Also Sat 8pm and Sun 2pm. Thru Mar. 8. 1310 Mission St. www.counterpulse.org

Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play @ Geary Theatre American Conservatory Theatre and the Guthrie Theater present Anne Washburn’s imaginative hit comedy about a post-apocalyptic Northern California family whose vague memories of an episode from The Simpsons has become one of their fireside folk tales. Special nights thru the run (including Out at A.C.T. Mar. 4). $20-$120. Tue 7pm. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru Mar. 15. 415 Geary St. 749-2228. www.act-sf.org

Rirkrit Tiravanija: The Way Things Go @ YBCA A Special Curatorial Project … uncovers narratives, reveals personal stories, and shares vignettes that lead to a larger understanding of the migration of people in the production of material culture. Free/$12-$15. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St. Thru June 21. 978-2787. www.ybca.org

Stereotypo @ The Marsh Don Reed’s new solo show, subtitled Rants and Rumblings at the DMV showcases the banal automotive office as a showcase of diverse characters. $20-$100. Fri 8pm, Sat 8:30pm. Thru Mar. 28. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Kiss Us, We’re Irish!

EDGE is Your Daily Parade of News, Entertainment, and Photos.

edgemedianetw Framed Targets @ CIIS Gallery Opening reception for a new exhibit of abstract sculptural wall art by Truong Tran, a local gay visual artist. 7:30pm. Thru April 11. 1453 Mission St. 5756100. www.ciis.edu

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

Sat 7 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

Botticelli to Braque @ de Young Museum Masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland, an expansive ehixbit of classic paitnings. Free/$25. Thru May 31. 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. www.famsf.org

David Russell @ St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Guitar virtuoso performs works by Vivaldi, Stephen Goss, Bach and Jorge Morel. $30-$50. 7:30pm. 1111 O’Farrell St. 392-2545. www.sfperformances.org

Out&About>> The Lyons @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley

Thu 5 Cracked Actor: David Bowie on Screen

Enemies: Foreign and Domestic @ Berkeley City Club Central Works’ theatre company’s 25th season opens with Patricia Milton’s political comedy set around a family gathering. $15-$28. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 5pm. Thru March 29. 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. (510) 5581381. www.centralworks.org

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. 8. 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org

Mini Supreme @ Castro Theatre Local choreographer/performer Michael Phillis’ strangely hilarious short film about a man who crashes a kid’s beauty contest; part of the Scary Cow Film Festival. $10-$25 (full fest pass) 2pm. 429 Castro St. www.scarycow.com www.castrotheatre.com

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

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

Houghton Hall: Portrait of an English House @ Legion of Honor Exhibition drawn from the collections of a quintessential English country house. Built in Norfolk in the 1720s for England’s first prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole, Houghton Hall features suites of grand rooms conceived by architect William Kent as settings for Walpole’s old master paintings, furniture, tapestries and Roman antiquities. $10-$18. TueSat 9:30am-5:115pm. 34th Ave. at Clement. www.legionofhonor.org

The Klipptones @ Neck of the Woods The local jazz band performs at the club with ample room for swing dancing. No cover, 2pm-5pm. 406 Clement St. www.klipptones.com www.neckofthewoodssf.com

Seduction: Japan’s Floating World @ Asian Art Museum New exhibit of ancient art from the John C. Weber Collection. Thru May 10. Also, The Printer’s Eye: Ukiyo-e, from the Grabhorn Collection. Other fascinating exhibits as well. Free (members, kids 12 and under)-$15. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. 200 Larkin St. www.asianart.org

Mon 9 Performerama @ Oasis Marga Gomez’ new monthly variety show of comedy, storytelling and more, this time includes a new excerpt from her solo show Pound, plus Persia (“Google, Google, Apps, Apps”), magician Christian Cagigal, journalist Barry Walters, and comics Roman Rimer and presenter/comic Laurie Bushman. $8-$10. 8pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Bay Area Theatre Critics Gala @ Victoria Theatre

work.com

39th annual theatre awards in multiple categories. $20-$30. 7pm. 2961 16th St. www.sfbatcc.org

Various Artists @ NIAD Art Center, Richmond

Feisty Old Jew @ The Marsh Berkeley Charlie Varon’s hit solo show, about a fictional elder man who’s not adapting well to the 21st century, returns. $25-$100. Sat 8:30pm, Sun 5pm. Thru Mar. 22. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Fool La La! @ The Marsh Unique Derique’s holiday clowning show’s fun for kids and adults alike. $15-$35. Sundays 2pm. Extended thru April 12. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.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

Richard III @ La Val’s Subterranean, Berkeley Shakespeare’s classic drama about an evil king gets a new treatment from the innovative East Bay theatre company. $10-$25. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 7pm. Thru April 5. 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. (510) 224-5744. www.impacttheatre.com

The Waiting Period @ The Marsh 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, Sundays 5:30pm. Extended thru April 19. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Exhibits of art made by developmentally disabled people. Also, exhibits of works by Amelia Oie, Shantee Robinson and others. Mon-Fri 10am-4pm. 551 23rd St. Richmond. (510) 620-0290. www.niadart.org

Fri 6

Kitka Myles Boisen

Lava Thomas @ Museum of the African Diaspora

Tue 10 Books Clubs @ Boks Inc. Classic Literature book club Mar. 10, 6:30pm. LGBT Book Club meets Mar. 11, 7pm. 2275 Market St. 864-6777. www.booksinc.net

Gay Skate Night @ Church on 8 Wheels LGBT night at the former Sacred Heart Church-turned disco roller skate party space, hosted by John D. Miles, the “Godfather of Skate.” Actually every night is gay-friendly, including Saturday’s Black Rock night (Burning Man garb encouraged). Also Wed, Thu, 7pm-10pm. Sat afternoon sessions 1pm-2:30pm and 3pm5:30pm. $10. Kids 12 and under $5. Skate rentals $5. 554 Fillmore St at Fell. www.churchof8wheels.com

Letters to Afar, Poland and Palestine: Two Lands and Two Skies @ Contemporary Jewish Museum Dual exhibit of new Jewish cultural documentation (thru May 24); opening reception 5:30pm with Klezmer music, pop-up food and a wine bar. Also, Havruta in Contemporary Art (thru April 14). 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

Sarah Schulman @ SF State The prolific lesbian author dicusses her new work, and aspects of queer cinema. 7pm. Coppola Theatre, Fine Arts Bldg. 338-1629. www.sfsu.edu

Unitard, House of Tards @ Oasis The sketch comedy trio (Mike Albo, Nora Burns and David Ilku)’s hilarious array of pop culture parodies covers everything from sick celebs to Skruff. $15. 8pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Wed 11

Exhibit of contemporary works. Also, The Art of Elizabeth Catlett, and historic exhibits of African cultures. Free/$10. 685 Mission St. moadsf.org

Refuge in Refuse @ SOMArts Cultural Center Homesteading Art & Culture Project, a multimedia exhibit of art works created from dumped materials at Albany Bulb recycling landfill. Special events thru run. Reg. hours Tue-Fri 12pm-7pm. Sat 12pm-5pm. Thru Mar. 14. www.somarts.org

Thu 12 Jewels of Paris @ Hypnodrome Thrillpeddlers’ new production is a “revolutionary” Parisian-themed musical revue, with original music and lyrics by original Cockette Scrumbly Koldewyn, including characters base don Picasso, Cocteau, Josephine Baker and even Marie Antoinette. $30-$35. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru May 2. 575 10th St. www.hypnodrome.org

Lisa Freeman @ Modern Times Bookstore The author of Honey Girl reads from and discusses her queer-themed young adult book about a Hawaiian girl forced to adjust to Santa Monica life. 7pm. 2919 24th St. mtbs.com

ODC Dance @ YBCA The modern dance company’s annual downtown concert series includes Brenda Way and KT Nelson’s The Invention of Wings (which includes video from Wei Wei’s installation at Alcatroz Island), Dead Reckoning with music from Kronos Quartet cellist Joan Jeanrenaud, plus the multimedia boulders and bones. $25-$120 (gala and/or full series). Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 4pm. Thru Mar. 22. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard St. 978-2787. www.odcdance.org www.ybca.org

Pierre-Laurent Aimard @ Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley

At Large: Ai Weiwei @ Alcatraz Island The internationally acclaimed Chinese sculptor’s exhibit of seven site-specific multimedia installations; the largest art exhibit ever hosted by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. $18-$30. Daily thru April 26. Ferries to and from Pier 33 at Embarcadero. www.AiWeiWeiAlcatraz.org www.alcatrazcruises.com/website/ ai-weiwei.aspx

Fri 6 Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them

With fellow pianist Tamara Stefanovich, a program of composer Pierre Boulez’s works are performed. $32-$76. 8pm. Bancroft Way at Dana St., Berkeley. CalPerformances.org

Queer Past Becomes Present @ GLBT History Museum New and mini-exhibits about Bay Area LGBTQ people and communities. Mar. 12: Nan Alamilla Boyd, Raquel Gutiérrez and Don Romesburg share a panel: Open Forum on the GLBT Historical Society’s Role in Gentrification Issues. 7pm-9pm. Free (members)-$5. Reg hours: Mon, WedSat 11am-7pm. Sun 12pm-5pm. 4127 18th St. 621-1107. glbthistory.org

San Francisco Magic Parlor @ Chancellor Hotel Theatre David Facer’s solo magic show, The World of Paradox, entertains and beguiles. $40. Thu-Sat 8pm. Openended run. 433 Powell St. at Post. www.MagicParlor.blogspot.com

Wilde Chats @ Sweet Inspirations

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

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

<< DVD

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

Confronting hate in Mother Russia by David-Elijah Nahmod

he recent documentary Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda comes to DVD courtesy of Lucas Documentaries, a subsidiary of gay porn studio Lucas Entertainment. Gay porn superstar Michael Lucas serves as the producer on Campaign of Hate. He’s also the journalist who courageously traveled to his native Russia to film this no-holds-barred look at the dangers facing the Russian LGBT community. Those who might hesitate to take Lucas seriously due to his adult-film notoriety might want to think again. Lucas is a superb interviewer who asks his subjects tough and intelligent questions. He puts a face on the besieged LGBT community in Russia, and exposes the magnitude of the problem. His work in Campaign of Hate is as good, if not better, than anything that might air on CNN. “The scapegoats used to be Jews,” Lucas said in a press release.

Courtesy Lucas Documentaries

Campaign of Hate producer and journalist Michael Lucas in Russia.

“But most of them left after the collapse of the Soviet Union. And so the Russians have moved on to the LGBT community, which coincides well with Putin’s cynical campaign of Russian nationalism.” Interviewees include lesbian

journalist Masha Gessen, who lives in Russia with her partner and their two children. The kids talk on camera, expressing their deep sadness and bewilderment that anyone would be against the loving family they’re part of. Gessen, who has re-

SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN'S CHORUS DR. TIMOTHY SEELIG, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

ported from the front lines of war zones without fear, is suddenly fearful – Putin wants to take children away from LGBT-identified parents. The family may move to New York so they can stay together. “It’s unusual not to have been gay-bashed,” says one young man. Several bashing victims tell of police apathy as a collage of everyday Russian citizens, interviewed on a Moscow street, express their intense

dislike of all LGBT people. Lucas shows great courage, strength, and restraint during a sit-down interview with Vitaly Milonov, a Russian lawmaker. Milonov uses words like “sick” and “filthy” to describe LGBT people as he states point-blank that most LGBTs are pedophiles. It all began with the passing of Russia’s “gay propaganda” law in June 2013. It is now a criminal offense in that country to present homosexuality in a positive light to anyone under 18. While some community members want to flee the country, others are determined to stay and fight. A small but hearty band of gay men and lesbians stages a kiss-in on a city street, and are promptly beaten while the police look the other way. An LGBT film festival receives bomb threats. Campaign of Hate is a terrifying film that shines a light on the truth. It’s happening not only in Russia, but also in Iraq, Iran, and other countries. With several American red states now passing “right to discriminate” bills, it could happen here as well.t

Flower power

Featuring the San Francisco premiere of

Jake Heggie’s opera For a Look or a Touch in collaboration with San Francisco Opera, American Conservatory Theater, and Contemporary Jewish Museum

The white trumpet datura is highly toxic, so be careful out there.

by Ernie Alderete

D APRIL 1 + 2 » 8 P.M. DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL

with guest artists Morgan Smith + Kip Niven and the world premiere of

TICKETS » SFGMC.ORG

#twitterlieder: 15 Tweets in 3 Acts

SEASON 37 IS SPONSORED BY

THE OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF SFGMC

WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM

o flowers have sex? They certainly have genitalia. The male flower has a stamen that produces pollen, just like a human penis produces sperm. Flowers strive to reproduce, to pollinate their mate, the universal struggle for life. But can people have intercourse with flowers? I never even considered such a bizarre concept until I saw a mildly erotic video clip proving just that, and from a so-called red state, Georgia, no less. I was floored when I saw a professional video production from a mainstream nursery in the Peach State, the heart of Dixie. A very handsome, slim young man, perhaps a nursery worker in his early 20s, without his shirt on, shows us the beauty of the Frosty Pink variety of the highly toxic Brugmansia/Datura, sensually caressing the long bell-shaped flower, then taking his middle finger and “fingering” the flower, for want of another term!

Next he holds the fragile bloom next to his crotch, which gives him a growing erection. That’s as far as it goes. His pants stayed zipped, the clip ends, and you are prompted to purchase the plant. In another clip from the nursery, another, slightly beefier but just as handsome young nursery worker appears with the white variety of fragrant Brugmansia. At first he’s fully clothed. Then suddenly his shirt disappears, and he starts to press the blooms to his nipples! Who are these videos for? They turn me on, the guys are just my type, but I’m sure the producers didn’t have me in mind. Sex sells, of course. These clips must be aimed at the typical suburban southern housewife. Even if you aren’t a backyard gardener, you gotta see this! You may never see your flower “bed” the same way again.t Go to tytyga.com, go to Shrubs and Hedges, go to Angel Trumpet (Datura) Plants, enjoy!

Music>>

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

Melissa Manchester, loving the life by Gregg Shapiro

t’s been almost 40 years since Melissa Manchester’s massive charttopper “Midnight Blue” made her a household name and launched a string of hit singles, including “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” “Through the Eyes of Love” and “You Should Hear How She Talks About You.” Not only has Manchester released more than a dozen studio albums, she has also written hit songs for others, such as “Come in from the Rain.” One of the original members of Bette Midler’s Harlettes, Manchester has also acted on stage and screen. Her latest independently released album You Gotta Love the Life (Long Run Entertainment) finds the singer/songwriter touching on various musical styles and collaborating with a stellar roster of guest artists. Gregg Shapiro: What was involved in the process of selecting songs, both originals and covers, for You Gotta Love the Life? Melissa Manchester: The covers we’ve been working on onstage for a while. That’s where I work on the shape and arrangements of songs. The original songs came from a variety of emotional sources. I had been

How did that come about? I was at a New Year’s Eve party, and Hal was sitting right next to me. One thing led to another, and I asked him if he still wrote, and he said yes. I went to visit him at his beautiful apartment. I asked him about his songwriting process, and he asked about mine. I told him how songs often come out of conversations, or somebody shows up with an idea. I asked, “Do you have an idea?” When I read “Other End of the Phone,” I started to hear the music. I channeled Dionne’s [Warwick] voice singing it. The topping on that particular ice cream sundae is that Joe Sample played piano. I’d been trying to work with Joe for more than 30 years, but he’s a busy guy.

going through dramatic changes in the last couple of years. “The Other One” and “No There There” are about that. My friends Steve and Bill were finally allowed to marry, and I wrote “You Are My Heart” in tribute to their marriage after so many years of being together. There are some interesting influences on the album, including the blues and Latin music. There’s a wide variety of styles of music that appeal to me. Historically, record companies really don’t want you to have a wide variety. It helps them to categorize you and sell you down one path. I always found that nutty and restrictive. Now that I’m an independent artist and I have the platform to share my musical interests. it showed up that way. Were you aware that you and your old compatriot Bette Midler would both be covering “Be My Baby” on your new albums? I had no idea! The thing is, that the song is brilliant. It was the 50th anniversary of “Be My Baby,” and it seemed appropriate. You have a wonderful array of guest artists on the album,

including Al Jarreau on “Big Light,” Dionne Warwick and Joe Sample on “Other End of the Phone,” Keb’ Mo’ on “Feelin’ for You,” Stevie Wonder on “Your Love Is Where I Live” and Dave Koz on “Claudia.”

“Other End of the Phone” was cowritten with the late Hal David.

What would it mean to you have “You Are My Heart” become a same-sex wedding staple? One of these days, God willing, it’ll just be a wedding staple! Historically, this is such a vibrant moment of evolution. I hope it’s performed at many weddings for same-sex couples. I hope people see it as a dream come true and that the song helps to honor people’s walk towards a promise fulfilled.t

is gestural – you can almost see it – less a matter of rhythmic elasticity than organization by the atomic weight of the notes. Ohlsson retains the rhythmic freedom within a more dappled, aromatic soundscape, luxuriating in the drawnout cantabile of Scriabin’s perfectly shaped melody. The first taste of the big-boned stuff is in the “Poeme satanique” of 1903, of which Richter was a fierce proponent. Ohlsson’s Satan is a more insinuating fellow who builds craftily to a big, Lisztian triumph. But the

big number here is “Vers la flamme” (“Toward the flame”), as close to a motto piece as there is in Scriabin, trills ablazing, as in the 10th Sonata, and the test of any pianist’s Scriabin credentials. There’s an ineluctability to Ohlsson’s open-eyed, horrified path into the flame that has eluded pianists more interested in going for the burn, and his following it with the two late Op. 73 Danses brings the listener all the way into the refining fires of the “Flammes sombre.” The recorded sound is as natural as the music is otherworldly.t

I have history with all of these artists. It was beautiful to acknowledge their contributions to the musical lexicon. I was very honored by them wanting to join me on this journey.

Exquisite miniatures

Mark McBeth

Pianist Garrick Ohlsson has proved himself across repertoire.

by Tim Pfaff

f more pianists played Scriabin like Garrick Ohlsson, more pianists would play Scriabin. It will be interesting to see what happens over this Scriabin Year, the 100th anniversary of Alexander Scriabin’s death, but there’s still a lot of sniffing in music circles (if less so in the piano world) about the quality, even seriousness, of the music of this unabashed proto-mystic as closely associated with his ideas of musical synesthesia (the colors and other attributes of sound) as he is with genre-busting composition. Not surprisingly, his advocates have largely been pianists of extremes: Vladimir Horowitz, Sviatoslav Richter, Grigory Sokolov to name only the “moderns,” performers with cult followings whose concerts were events the moment they were announced. Like those, Ohlsson, incidentally an out San Franciscan, has proved himself across an enormous repertoire; such as he’s a specialist, it’s in the music of Chopin, not incidentally Scriabin’s musical forebear. Unlike them, his long-term advocacy of Scriabin has reliably stopped just short of the identifiably crazy. Nothing in his new recording of Scriabin’s Complete Poeme (Hyperion) is going to turn blue, or turn you blue, or literally burst into flame, but it will be something if

the anniversary year produces a better or more important Scriabin CD. On March 14, Ohlsson will play five of the composer’s singular sonatas, including the visionary final three, at SFJazz Center, and a word to the wise is sufficient. The peak Scriabin experience in my life was Horowitz’s performance of the 10th Sonata at Carnegie Hall on April

17, 1966 (now on Sony), which, hundreds of listenings later, has lost none of its power of transport. But I’d still show up at Ohlsson’s go at the piece with the expectation of having my molecules rearranged. The poemes, of which Ohlsson gives a more complete set than others have, span Scriabin’s peak years, form 1903-14, and taken together they are a reliable guide to his devel-

opment as a composer, from fevered post-Romantic to crusading modernist. One of the great things about the CD is its giving the pieces in order of composition, oddly unusual for a Scriabin disc but characteristic of its overall thoughtfulness. Most of the pieces summon the words used to describe Russian single-hair lacquer paintings of the period: exquisite Russian miniatures. Typically about two minutes long – the most expansive of them, “Poeme-nocturne,” extraordinary in its exploration of states on the edges of consciousness, in and out of reams, is 6:46 here – they carve precise if plastic shapes out of tactile time, and leave in their wake impressions both evanescent and somehow indelible. The consistent wonder of Ohlsson’s playing is its clarity – its bringing into the mix all the plays of light – and, when called for, its enveloping delicacy (a characteristic Scriabin expression mark). You feel as well as hear the subtle shifts in the composer’s style in the two Op. 44 Poemes of 1905, the first spare, pointillist, slightly off-balance, the second impulsive, changeable, a barely contained explosion. The chromatic waltzes are, individually, intoxicating, dizzying. This music could not have happened without Chopin, but not without Schumann, either. Loaded, sprung rhythms, spun around a rock-solid core, are the norm. Melodies, fragmented, are hypnotic. Ohlsson gives you all that, plus every one of the notes. We have Scriabin’s own recording, from 1910, of “Desir,” the first of the two Op. 57 Morceaux (literally, “Bits”). Even its cavernous, over-resonant acoustic cannot obscure the saturation of feeling as well as sonority. (“I am all desire, all impulse,” Scriabin wrote, “it is my element.”) The piece is now closely associated with Ohlsson, whose version of it in this recording is searching and refined, followed by a rapt expression of its companion piece, “Caresse dansee.” The composer’s recording of Op. 32, No. 1, is testament to a level of artistic freedom that was expected in its day but would hardly be countenanced in ours. The phrasing

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<< Dance

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

Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet dancer Mathilde Froustey in “The Kingdom of the Shades” from Makarova’s La Bayadère, Act III.

SF Ballet 3&4

From page 14

tional Ballet, understands the austere style – it’s like being Narcissa Malfoy, as if one had to work under extremely onerous conditions without revealing any personal feelings. William Forsythe’s Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude was not welldanced; it needs to be cast with five principal dancers, or else it just looks like an ordeal. The men fared best, especially Francisco Mungambo. And that evening’s finale, the exacting “Shades” scene from La Bayadère, failed to cast much of a spell. It’s the sort of thing where tiny flaws

Alan Turing

From page 13

Benedict Cumberbatch played Turing in the movie, earning him an Oscar nomination as the pivotal code-breaker for Britain during World War II, before laying the groundwork for the coming computer revolution. Fisher himself is taking the role in the Rhino production. Turing also happened to be rather too casual about his homosexuality amidst Cold War paranoia, leading to his conviction under the same “gross indecency” laws that undid Oscar Wilde decades before. Agreeing to undergo “chemical castration” in lieu of prison, Turing may or may not have become a depressed husk of a man, depending on who is telling the story. And he may or may not have committed suicide, though the official coroner’s report concluded that he intentionally ingested cyanide shortly before his 42nd birthday. This is obviously the stuff of drama, and it became politically recharged with the advent of gay-rights movements that cast Turing as a hero and/or martyr. The British government formally apologized in 2009 for its “appalling”

in the background eat away at the grand spectacle. Nobody actually fell down, but again and again someone would be seen struggling to hold a position where everything needs to be as uniform as one of the minimalist Carl Andre’s arrangements of bricks on the floor for the spell to hold. The principals, Frances Chung and Vitor Luiz, danced superbly. No such problems assailed Dances at a Gathering, which is being cast at record-height. I’ve only seen one performance, but I could go back every night from now till the end of the run and have a satisfying evening in the theater. Robbins made this hour-long feast of pure danctreatment of Turing, and the Queen herself granted him a posthumous pardon in 2013. These later acts of contrition came about after mass online agitation – ironic and appropriate for someone who helped make online anything possible. These so-sorry actions helped rekindle an interest in Turing that led to The Imitation Game, but playwright Hugh Whitemore had already visited the same territory in 1986 with Breaking the Code. The play, like the movie, jumps around in time, taking stock of the most certainly eccentric Turing at various points in his school years, his career as a wartime cryptographer, and his post-war years in computer research and inopportune dalliances. Turing, playwright Whitemore has said, was a victim of times that affected both homosexuals and heterosexuals. “I think Turing stopped growing emotionally at the age of 14,” Whitemore told author Nicholas de Jongh for the book Not in Front of the Audience: Homosexuality on Stage. “His tragedy was his inability to make adult sexual relationships. It happens all the time with heterosexual men as well, but heterosexuals can slip into

ing – no story, no characters, no sets, no hooks – after a tremendous long run of creating commercially sure-fire-hit shows on Broadway, the high points of which are still famous: Peter Pan, West Side Story, Gypsy, Fiddler on the Roof. He was almost notorious for being able to “doctor” a play that was dying with the audience and “make it work.” It’s hard to believe, in today’s climate, that there was ever a period in which this was regarded as “selling out.” He was burnt out and went to Balanchine, asked to work with New York City Ballet, was accepted, given free rein, and was able to work completely unencumbered by the lawyers, the backers, the critics, the bridge-and-tunnel mentality of crowd-pleasing, and just work on themes that resonate with Fiddler – the old country, tradition, young love, the love of dancing – with artists like Patricia McBride and Edward Villella, whose imaginations and abilities set him loose. The dances to Chopin poured out of him; it was just going to be a duet, but suddenly there were more and more pieces, and whoever was free to work that day got worked into the process, and something emerged that seemed imaginatively all of a piece. It was a hit immediately, and before the end of the year the Royal Ballet was performing it in London – which is where I first saw it, with a cast that included Rudolph Nureyev, Anthony Dowell, Antoinette Sibley, Monica Mason, and Lynn Seymour.

Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet dancer Carlo DiLanno in William Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill Of Exactitude.

The performance I saw last Saturday night, with Roy Bogas at the piano, was up to the same level as that. Perhaps the women were not as distinctive, but the five men were the finest I have ever seen. Joseph Walsh excelled as the Boy in Brown: this is a role with which Helgi Tomasson, who is now Artistic Director of SFB (and has been for 30 years) won the Silver Medal in the Moscow Competition 50 years ago (Baryshnikov, the local favorite, won the Gold Medal).

All the men were beyond praise: Davit Karapetyan, Carlo DiLanno, Joseph Walsh, Vitor Luiz, and Steven Morse. The women, who were merely wonderful, were Maria Kochetkova, Lorena Feijoo, Vanessa Zahorian. Dores Andre, and Mathilde Froustey. Also on this bill is a revival of last year’s hit Hummingbird, set to the brilliant Piano Concerto of Philip Glass, which was thrillingly played by the SFB orchestra, with Brenda Tom as piano soloist.t

a social slot and not be put under a microscope.” Whitemore goes on to say, “Half of his tragedy was that he was driven by his sexual energies but could not relate them to his intellectual life … a Jungian gap between thinking and feeling.” In addition to playing Turing, Fisher is also directing the Rhino production. It’s the first San Francisco production of the play since the Magic Theatre offered its area debut in 1989. Ticket information is available at therhino.org or (866) 811-4111.

Gearing up at ACT

Five of the seven shows that will make up ACT’s 2015-16 season have been announced. And two of the five will take place at ACT’s new Strand Theater venue amidst the rebooting Mid-Market corridor. The much larger Geary Theater remains the company’s primary home. It’s a diverse collection of productions, including a recent Broadway attraction and a homegrown world premiere. Will Eno’s The Realistic Joneses provided this quirky playwright with his Broadway debut last year. It’s the tale of two neighboring families who both intentionally and inadvertently spill secrets. “Wonderful and weird,” wrote critic Charles Isherwood in The New York Times. Monstress is the result of ACT’s commissioning program, in this case aligning local playwrights with the short stories that make up San Francisco-based author Lysley Tenorio’s Monstress, about the Filipino-American experience. Philip

Alan Turing was a World War II hero who was later prosecuted for his homosexuality.

Kan Gotanda’s Nado and Vincente, adapted from “Save the I-Hotel,” focuses on the relationship between two men living next door to each other in San Francisco’s landmark residential hotel. One is in love with the other, while this friend loves a woman he can’t be with. Sean San Jose’s Presenting the … Monstress is adapted from the title story in Tenorio’s collection, about a Filipina actress and her B-movie director husband who wind up chasing the Hollywood dream.

T. Charles Erickson

John Douglas Thompson plays both Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis in Satchmo at the Waldorf, part of ACT’s upcoming season.

The lurid musical fantasies of a doomed man are at the heart of The Unfortunates, a big success for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2012. As World War I prisoners are summoned from their cell for execution, the last man standing goes into a reverie in which he is the owner of a dive bar overflowing with a phantasmagorical collection of entertainers. Created by Jon Beavers, Ramiz Monsef, Ian Merrigan, and Casey Hurt, the musical has been further developed through ACT’s New Works program. In Satchmo at the Waldorf, John Douglas Thompson recreates his acclaimed New York performance as a late-in-life Louis Armstrong whose memories are interrupted by the challenging presence of Miles Davis, also played by Thompson. Author Terry Teachout is the theater critic for The Wall Street Journal. The season also includes a chestnut, Eugene O’Neill’s 1933 comedy Ah, Wilderness!, which takes a sunnier autobiographical look at the tortured family that populated Long Day’s Journey into Night. Renewals for current ACT subscribers are now on sale. To receive priority notice when new subscriptions go on sale, email season@actsf.org or call (415) 749-2228.t

DVD>>

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

Arkansas idyll by Brian Bromberger

ith all the resistance against same-sex marriage painfully displayed in Alabama despite a federal judge’s ruling, and the rest of the country wondering why queer people would want to live in such a state, director-writer-editor Mark Thiedeman provides an answer of sorts in his romantic, heartbreaking film Last Summer, released on DVD by Breaking Glass Pictures. We know we are entering a different world, rural Arkansas, from the very opening, with classical music (Beethoven’s stark Emperor Piano Concerto) playing against a montage of formless pastoral images blending into each other, which we will later identify as gathering storm clouds, meadows, clasped hands, and an old car. This cascade of rustic tableaux goes on for a wearisome four minutes. Thiedeman’s influence is director Terence Malick, whom he follows not only in (David Goodman’s) awe-inspiring cinematography, but also in lethargic pacing. This is a place-centered movie, not narrative-driven. In fact, there is little plot and sparse dialogue, to the point that it could almost be a silent picture. The sporadic narration reminds one of diary entries. The film is a visual Shakespearean love sonnet that is almost hypnotic and stunningly crafted, but some viewers might see its 70 minutes as derivative, pretentious, and a potential cure for insomnia. Luke (Samuel Pettit) and Jonah (Sean Rose) have known each other since age 4, growing up together. Now they’re inseparable boyfriends. They have finished high school and this is their last summer before Jonah, who is smart, artistic, and goaldriven, departs to attend college up North. Luke, an athlete, is trying to pass math in summer school, and has no idea what he wants to do with his life. They are totally at ease with each other, the rare couple who are comfortable with each other’s silence. Jonah can say, “The truth is I idolize him. I think he is perfect. I would give up everything for Luke,” and would be willing to stay if Luke would only say the word, though Luke recognizes that the talented Jonah needs to see the larger world. The evident casualness of the two actors with each other reflects that they have been friends since childhood and auditioned together. Whether Luke will ask Jonah to re-

Castro Theatre

From page 15

the tragic relationship between an eccentric millionaire and two champion wrestlers. (2:30, 7 p.m.) Whiplash (2014) Damien Chazelle directs this drama set in the shark-infested waters of an elite New York music academy. Andrew (Miles Teller), an aspiring jazz drummer, finds a mentor, Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), who offers keys to the kingdom at a steep price. “Here, kid, join my little coven of talented but mostly spineless wimps, and I’ll not only turn you into a seasoned pro on the horn – a future Buddy Rich or Charlie Parker, perhaps – but make a man of you in the bargain.” The bargain ranges from enduring profanitylaced lectures to physical pummelings in the classroom. It’s those first slaps across the boy’s face that clue us in that Chazelle isn’t remaking Mr. Holland’s Opus. Double Feature (3/18): Moonrise Kingdom (2012) Wes Anderson turns his unique comic sensibility to the misadventures of two teens lost during a New England summer-camp romp. The thrill lies in the deadpan comic turns from its all-star ensem-

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main in their small town and what direction their relationship might take is the crux of the film. Last Summer recreates a place by setting a dreamy mood via long, lingering close-ups and ambient sounds (chirping birds, rain showers, train whistles), all of which heightens the emotions, as does the lyrical soundtrack, especially the Schumann piano pieces. It reproduces a languid summer day. Luke buys an antique camera so he can record his and Jonah’s summer experiences and hold onto these memories. So the film barrages us with impressionistic, even experimental images that convey timelessness, but also question how much control we have over our fate. It considers how some people feel comfortable remaining in one place their whole lives, while other people feel trapped and can’t wait to leave. We tend to see LGBTs in the latter, but Last Summer argues there are many in the former category. In the director’s interview (an extra, worth watching), Thiedeman mentions that he moved back to

his home state of Arkansas in 2009 after living in New York City for 11 years so he could tell stories about the South. For Thiedeman, the film depicts a splendid relationship under idyllic circumstances. Luke and Jonah are totally accepted by their parents and community, experiencing no bullying, even holding hands in church, as well as sleeping together in their parents’ homes. Obviously this is not reality in the Deep South, but Thiedeman wanted to reimagine what his high school life had been. Thus there is a fable quality to the movie reminiscent of 2000’s Big Eden. The eroticism in Last Summer is understated with no sex scenes, not even a kiss, just fingers caressing backs and crisscrossing feet. Yet we never doubt there is both sensual and spiritual love here. By focusing on a specific region with its own culture, Thiedeman is able to raise universal themes of the search for love and purpose that will resonate for all gay and lesbian folks. After watching this movie, you will no longer doubt why some LGBT people decide to remain in Arkansas or Alabama.t

ble, especially a non-tough-guy turn from Bruce Willis and a delightful, jazz-like performance from a laidback Bill Murray. (7 p.m.) Badlands (1973) Loosely based on a real-life crime spree, Terrence Malick’s auspicious 1973 debut gives us a cocky Martin Sheen as a James Dean-styling serial killer who seduces his dim girlfriend (Sissy Spacek) on a murderous jaunt across the Great Plains after shooting her Pop and burning down the family homestead. (8/25. 8:50 p.m., with Days of Heaven) Double Feature (3/19): The Imitation Game (2014) The personal life of closeted WWII-era British mathematical whiz Alan Turing (his brilliance exposed Nazi Germany’s wartime secrets) would have been unexceptional if it weren’t for the Victorian-era laws that turned “poofs” into dangerous outlaws. Benedict Cumberbatch, as Turing, projects an extraordinary anti-charisma. (2, 7 p.m.) Mr. Turner Under British auteur Mike Leigh, gifted character actor Timothy Spall gives an uncompromising portrayal of 19th-century landscape painter Joseph Mallard William Turner. In Spall’s hands, Turner emerges as a complex and

memorably tragic figure, building on contemporary notions of artists as wastrels and failed adults. (4:10, 9:10 p.m.) Double Feature (3/22): Some Like It Hot (1959) Billy Wilder’s take on the Jazz Age finds two unemployed musicians (Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis) resorting to outrageous desperate measures to avoid being rubbed out by gangsters. Still one of the best mainstream crossdressing masterpieces, enhanced by one of Marilyn Monroe’s dizziest turns, as the saucy singer Sugar Cane. The Seven Year Itch (1955) Billy Wilder used to boast that he was the only director to survive two turns of duty with Monroe. In this mid50s farce, Marilyn sparks the fantasy reveries of a middle-aged office worker (basset hound-faced comic actor Tom Ewell) during a long hot New York summer. This is the film that features Monroe’s moment where her skirt is propelled heavenward from the warm air blast from a subway street-grating. The scene reportedly sent Monroe’s then-hubby, baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, into a fit of jealous rage.t Info: castrotheatre.com

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Viva

Variety Performerama’s eclectic mix by Jim Provenzano

arga Gomez has a new show to work on, so, she thought aloud, and to me, why not workshop once a month at SoMa’s fabulous new nightclub Oasis, on a slow night? And why not invite other friends to perform new or polished works, be they storytellers, comics, magicians, drag performers or singers? See page 26 >>

Marga Gomez performs an excerpt from her show-in-progress, Pound, at the first Performerama

Bf eON TH–E2,T2A 015 March 5 1

★

by Jim Provenzano

here in the Bay Area can you go that hasn't been taken over by hipsters, Instagramed to the world, listicled and thereafter ruined? I went to a tiny local burrito shop for lunch. It's my occasional Friday treat. Usually I'm one of a few customers. But last week, it was packed with more than a dozen loudly yakking, self-absorbed, table-hogging, manspreading, 20something techies, like some sort of flash mob Movember trending hashtag horror show. See page 27

Pedro Parades-Haz

Sat 7 Marco Benevento @ The Independent

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

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

▼

Performerama

From page 25

That’s pretty much the basis of Performerama, Gomez’ new monthly variety show. At its first incarnation, Baruch Porraz-Hernandez told a whimsical yet touching story of his own childhood Rainbow Brite birthday party, while Dhaya Lakshminarayanan performed an excerpt from a solo show-in-progress about dating tech nerds. Gomez shared a raw yet still hilarious excerpt of her new show-inprogress, Pound, a parody of lesbian cinema roles. For the next Performerama on Monday, March 9, Gomez will share another excerpt of Pound, and welcome the diverse talents of magician Christian Cagigal, journalist Barry Walters, drag performer Persia, and comics Roman Rimer and Laurie Bushman. I talked with Gomez and three of the upcoming performers about the new event. Marga, charming “Pound is inspired by the film Bound, which I think is the most satisfying depiction of lesbians in cinema,” said Gomez with a combination of sincerity and sarcasm. “And that is really in thanks to the actresses, but also Suzie Bright’s intervention; she was a lesbian sex

Christian Cagigal, magician and storyteller.

coach in the movie.” Yes, 1990s cinema needed lesbian advisors. Up to then, queer women had been portrayed as one stereotype or another. Some recall the 1992 Oscar protests over Basic Instinct. Gomez said that her show-inprogress “moves from Bound to many lesbian characters I saw in movies, and how in spite of these

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characterizations, I became a lesbian,” said Gomez. “The story is that we still became lesbians in spite of the depressing depictions in movies like The Children’s Hour. There is so little for lesbians in mainstream or even independent movies. Because there’s such a scarcity of out lesbians in the business, we end up with ‘bi-curious’ lesbians, like the Twin Peaks scene. It’s two women who, out of the blue, make out, then weep, because apparently that’s how lesbians in Hollywood come.” Gomez hopes to skewer these odd depictions with her comic flair, while sharing inside jokes with queers fans and a bit of Lesbian 101 for unschooled audience members. “I went to Catholic school, so I had problems from the beginning. Mädchen in Uniform was all we had then; naughty schoolgirls in a German boarding school. That was our go-to lesbian sex flick.” Gomez may also take some potshots at contemporary ‘inclusive’ lesbian movie characters, as in The Kids are Alright, which starred Julianne Moore and Annete Bening as a lesbian couple. “The only sex that happens is with Mark Ruffalo. We’ve gone from sex-crazed stereotypes to, ‘Oh, well; at least they have children.’” As with many of her comic shows, Gomez’ outward targets are also autobiographical. “I’m frustrated in my own life because I’m not getting laid anymore,” she said. “It’s been years! Basically, I take whatever I can get.” Hopefully, Gomez will get lucky in New York this summer, where she’s been commissioned to premiere the finished version of Pound

Drag performer Persia.

Journalist Barry Walters.

at Dixon Place. “What I pitched to them is markedly more sex-fueled than the kind of solo performance I’ve been doing at The Marsh; it’s different,” said Gomez. “I had to find someplace else to do it. When Oasis opened, I thought, ‘What if I create a monthly showcase to bring out stuff, where performers are able to fail?’ Although I felt confident that other performers can deliver, I want the audience to be part of the adventure of creating a piece.” And while some are experimenting, others will bring their years of professional stage experience, along with a few new tricks (literally). Gomez said she hopes to bring “a mix of emerging solo performers, and tried and true professionals who just need a cool place to perform,” she said. “We’re not taking this too seriously. This process of creating performance is fun, because that’s what it’s supposed to be. I want it to be a variety show in the sense of different talents being shared.” Comics may do a bit more storytelling, while singers may branch out with a new style. “I just want innovation in this,” said Gomez, “with you, the audience, as part of the experiment.” In keeping with her desire to reach new frontiers, Gomez mentioned that she is now an ordained minister. And while weddings may not be part of any new shows, she has one new thrill. “They give you a parking placard!” When Barry met Whitney Interviews can be strange or wonderful, as longtime journalist Barry Walters will prove in his part of Performerama. As a feature writer for The San Francisco Examiner, Rolling Stone, Spin and many other publications, Walters has interviewed hundreds of celebrities, most often with a music focus. But nothing compared to

his strange interview for Out magazine with the late Whitney Houston. “This was in 2000, and Whitney had done very few interviews,” said Walters. “I think because she was not really the person that she had projected at the start of her career. So I had no idea what the person would be like who I’d actually be speaking to.” Walters’ entire experience was different than most other interviews. “They told me to fly to Los Angeles, sit in my hotel room, and wait for a call from a limo driver who would pick me up and take me to an undisclosed time at an undisclosed place,” he said. He compared this mysterious introduction to other, famous subjects. “I’ve interviewed Madonna, and she drove herself to the cafe and just walked in. So this was a very different station.” In his Out feature, Walters described some of what took place, “but given the fact that she has died, there’s a poignancy to it that wasn’t there when she was still living. She’d never spoken to the gay press; it was her first time.” At the time, numerous rumors of Houston being a closeted lesbian made the rounds in print media. “She had addressed them to the tabloids, but it’s a different thing to explain it to a gay person,” said Walters. “I dealt with that very straightforwardly.” In his upcoming talk, Walters will contextualize the moment and its significance in a succinct ten-minute piece. “Whitney did not have a very easy time with the press, and told it in a way that was endearing and gave me insight into how someone with a lot of talent finds herself in the middle of a media machine. They have little control over how they end up portraying themselves. As someSee page 27 >>

▼

On the Tab>>

March 5-11, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 27

Thu 5 After Dark @ Exploratorium Extended Cinemas, a movie-themed cocktail night for adults, with storytelling, projections and cinematic toys on display. $10-$15. 6pm-10pm. Pier 15 at Embarcadero. 528-4444. www.exploratorium.edu

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

Sat 7

Fuego @ The Watergarden, San Jose

Hard French @ El Rio

On the Tab

From page 27

Yes, I know they were techies, men and women, because they all talked loudly with no volume control and an abundance of self-absorption, each with a persistently nasal pseudo-intonation of irony and a profound lack of diction that reduced their crowd-babble to a mild cacaphony. Apparently one of the Twitterites nearby has “discovered” my favorite tiny burrito place of more than a decade, so now it’s ruined, because it took much longer to get my lunch, and they were out of chicken, and well, the Bro-hole invasion. You’ve experienced this. Your favorite place is razed, replaced, Brovaded, ruined or completely gone. So, what’s left? Plenty of new, recently new and utterly ancient restaurants, bars (more listicles that you can find on your own), clubs and artisanal yogurt shoppes may entertain you. Or not. But don’t give up the battle for fun. March on down to wherever you feel most comfortable to let down your guard, or as Robin Byrd used to say “Lie back; get cumf-tubble…” New York elder exiles will get that. Younger SF techies won’t. They don’t get much, except too much money and a lot of time on their hands to wait an hour in line crowding up tiny burrito shops with their palpable, nauseating arrogance. Yet we remain determined to recommend, for yet another week, a good time yet to be had by you. You’ll have to dodge the Bro-hordes on your own. Maybe there’s an app for that.▼

Performerama

From page 26

one who’s been writing for the gay press for decades, and who is gay, dealing with performers who are in the closet, or are at different levels of outness; it’s always a touchy subject. But it’s gotten easier.” Walters said he’s looking forward to sharing his tale onstage. “It’s great to have one place where we can do different stuff. It’s not just about anything, it’s all of those.” Persia’s Mission While not consciously working to become a sort of zeitgeist icon for the disruption and cultural upheaval in San Francisco, particularly in queer and displaced communities, Persia recently captured the collective angst in the satirical music video “Google Google, Apps Apps.” The once-regular drag performer at the now-closed Mission bar Esta Noche had hit a breaking point that led to creativity. “When we did that video, we were not thinking about the politics of that moment,” said Persia of the song that pokes fun at the tech industsry, economic disparity in San Francisco, and the ever-rising rate of evictions. “We were just going through a really hard time,” said Persia. “My friend was couch-surfing because he got evicted. Another friend got his work hours cut. Our landlord was trying to kick us out, and at Esta Noche, things were going crazy. It’s about our experience, a whirlwind at that time. It was a struggle; it was our lives. It just happened to be political. Now we see it, but at the moment, I was just ‘I’m fuckin’ pissed off! And this is what we’re gonna do!’ Along the way, the performer has grown into the performance scene, stepping beyond lip-synching drag. “In the past few years, Marga

Kittens @ Oasis The new weekly night for queer guys and their frisky pals, with DJ Sergio Fedasz. $5. 10pm-2am. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.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

Weekly event, with Latin music, halfoff locker fees and Latin men, at the South Bay private men's bath house. $8-$39. Reg hours 24/7. 18+. 1010 The Alameda. (408) 275-1215. www.thewatergarden.com

Mazel Top @ Oasis

Funny Fun @ Club 21, Oakland

The Monster Show @ The Edge

LGBT comedy night hosted by Dan Mires. $10. 8pm. 2111 Franklin St. Oakland. (510) 268-9425. www.club21oakland.com

The dearly missed Cookie Dough's weekly drag show, with gogo guys and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Game Night @ Brewcade

My So-Called Night @ Beaux

The arcade beer bar presents Ruhstaller Brewing and special beers. 6pm. 2200 Market St. www.brewcadesf.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

Karaoke Night @ Club BnB, Oakland Sing your heart out at the free lively night. 8pm-2am. 2120 Broadway. (510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

The new monthly night for Jewish queer guys and their admirers returns for a special Purim party. $5-$7. 9pm-2am. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

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

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

pushed me out of my shell,” said fulness of a professional in both themay have aided his introspection Persia. “At the Esta Noche comedy atre and magic. His is an act where and interest in magic. “An old joke night, Marga kind of forced me to there may not be room for improviis that we’re holding all the fog for do stand-up, or to find a way of dosation. But his performances retain the Bay Area,” said Cagigal of his ing storytelling. Every time I went a personable quality. home town. out, I just did it. The fact that she “I had a magic book in first grade, While he performs with charm, thinks I can do something if I want and came back to it in fourth grade,” his technique also requires hours to is a big compliment,” said the said Cagical of his early inspiration. spent alone learning card tricks. His Mission resident, who moved here “Around age 12, something clicked full shows include narratives that with his boyfriend ten years ago. with me. For whatever reason, I show his sleight of hand on a proBy day Socrates Parra (Persia’s seemed to have a knack, so I bought jected screen (Obscura, his Aurora Theatre work), the haunting nature self-described “male name”) is more beginner magic books.” of childhood toys (The Panan after-school arts program dora Experiment) and about teaching assistant at a grade his own relationship with his school. Even there, he said, “the father (Now and at the Hour). kids have all these nicknames For that project, Cagigal for me; Soccer Toes, Soccer worked with fellow Colma surviTease.” vor and film director H.P. Men“It’s been really interesting doza, whose droll musical films to work with children, being as Colma the Musical and Fruit Fly super gay as I am,” said Parra. have charmed audiences (Cagi“Working in a school in San gal’s also in Fruit Fly). Francisco, looking the way that “I was ready to retire that I look, I wouldn’t be able to get very personal show,” said Caaway with that anywhere else. gigal, who stopped performing And that’s pretty awesome. In Now and at the Hour, about my act, I’m gonna talk about his dad’s post-Vietnam troubeing super-gay in a school bles, after it was filmed. “I don’t setting, where they don’t really want to be going into my forcare, as long as I’m a positive ties with daddy issues.” role model.” Asked about the coordiFans can enjoy Persia’s nation of personal story and hosting talents at the weekly sleight of hand, Gagigal said, Wednesday Bottoms Up Bingo “I still don’t have a formula for night at Hi Tops (2247 Market it. I love magic and storytelling, Street). Gareth Gooch and I do the best I can to blend “Sometimes I do Bingo at them together. Some start with our school, too,” said Parra. Marga Gomez performs an excerpt from the magic trick first, because “At school, I once channeled her show-in-progress, Pound at the first that’s what they know, and then [nightlife hostess] Laurie Bush- Performerama. they try and find reasons to man, when she says, “Where justify the effect; maybe change she stops, nobody knows!” the props to be more relevant to a The impersonation left us both At his youthful performances, modern audience. The story can chuckling, until Parra summarized, “All the grown-ups would gasp or grow out of the props. But it can be with a few more giggles, “During the cheer,” said Cagigal. “I don’t know if limiting. The opposite is to write the day I work with little kids, and at night they were being nice or if I was any story first and then as you develop I work with big kids. My worlds are good! Most magicians think they’re it, go find an effect or create one that colliding.” competent at a young age. Whether can help illustrate that.” or not they are competent is a difMagic Christian Gagigal compared it to songwritferent story.” In his enchanting stage shows, ing or composing a musical; some Growing up in Daly City and Christian Cagical blends storytellcompose and do –or don’t– write Colma, Cagigal mused that the ing and sleight of hand with the artthe book/story. He finds magic nearby cities’ foggy micro-climates

Nightlife @ California Academy of Sciences Themed event nights at the fascinating nature museum, with DJed dancing, cocktails, fish, frogs, food and fun. Mar. 5: Micro Nightlife, synthetic biology demps, music by Notown on Mondays, green art workshops, and more. $10-$12. 6pm10pm, 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

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

Sex & the City Live @ Oasis The drag parody of the Manhattan gal pal TV show returns. $25-$30 and up. 7pm. Thu-Sat. Thru Mar. 28. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Thirsty Thursdays @ The Cafe Drink specials, Top 40, gogo studs and no cover. 9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.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

See page 28 >>

tricks that fit a story, like a singer looking for songs to interpret. Asked about the fraternity of magicians, the self-taught Cagigal dismissed the element of mystery and secret handshakes, explaining that it’s much more low-key. “Magic isn’t that secretive, if you’re another magician,” he said. “Everybody’s happy to hang out and talk shop. There really isn’t a mysterious tradition of one magician getting old, and handing down his legacy; there’s nothing like that. If I meet a kid who likes my work, we talk and share some stuff. There are magic clubs that will have younger people and we share stuff. But there comes a point where you take off on your own.” So, is it possible to improvise a card trick? Wasn’t card slight of hand derived from cheating at cards? Cagigal chuckled while admitting that, yes, card sleight of hand has roots in gambling and con artistry, but a modern show isn’t the same. “My stuff is very thought-out; even when conversational, those moments are worked out,” he said. “There’s an A, B and C point in the effect I have to hit, otherwise it’s not clear what happened. It’s hard for me to take risks onstage, but I do leave room. With really great skills, when you’re watching someone who’s trained for hours, it looks like they’re improvising.” So whether you’re a fan of comedy, magic, drag or storytelling, Performerama’s the newest and most eclectic variety show in town.▼ Performerama’s second show includes a new excerpt from Marga Gomez’ ‘Pound,’ plus Persia, magician Christian Cagigal, journalist Barry Walters, and comics Roman Rimer and presenter/comic Laurie Bushman. $8-$10. Monday March 9. 8pm. Oasis, 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

<< On the Tab

28 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 5-11, 2015

On the Tab

From page 27

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 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. $25-$160. 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd (Green St.). 421-4222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

Boy Bar @ The Cafe Gus Presents' weekly dance night, with DJ Kid Sysko, hotty gogos and $2 beer (before 10pm). 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

FMLYBND @ Rickshaw Stop Electropop band (haunting synths, ethereal vocals) performs. OPicture Atlantic opens. $12-$14. 9pm. 155 Fell St. at Van Ness. www.rickshawstop.com

Friday Night @ de Young Museum Nightlife events at the museum take on different themes, cash bar and live entertainment. $5-$16. 5:30pm-9pm. 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. www.deyoung.famsf.org

Happy Friday @ Midnight Sun 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 club, with host Lulu, features Latin pop dance hits with DJs Speedy Douglas Romero and Fabricio; no cover before 10pm. $6-$12. 9pm-4am. 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

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

Planet Booty @ Slim's The fun Oakland funk band, led by the hunky Germick brothers, performs a special benefit concert, with circus ninja Kara Nova, Phone sex Operators, for the SF Homeless Youth Alliance. $13. All ages. 9pm. 333 11th St. www.planetbooty.org www.slimspresents.com

Polyglamorous @ Oasis The monthly groovy dance night returns, with guest DJ Mark Louque, residents Mark O'Brien and M*J*R. $7. 9pm-2am. 298 11th St. at Folsom. www.sfoasis.com

Red Hots Burlesque @ El Rio

Hard French @ 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

The groovy afternoon soul and 60s girl group vinyl party's 5th birthday is celebrated, with hosts Carnitas, Brown Amy, guest DJs Bus Station John, Wam Bam Ashleyanne, Larsupreme and Paul Paul. BBQ until it's gone. $8. 2pm-8pm. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Rock Fag @ Hole in the Wall Enjoy hard rock and punk music from DJ Don Baird at the wonderfully divey SoMa bar. 12pm-2am. 1369 Folsom St. 431-4695. www.hitws.com

Some Thing @ The Stud Mica Sigourney and pals' weekly offbeat drag performance night. 10pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Marco Benevento @ The Independent The talented pianist/vocalist performs his unique rock-popelectro intrumentals and lyric songs. Superhuman Happiness opens. $20. 9pm. 628 Divisadero St. 771-1421. www.theindependentsf.com

A weekend of wine-tasting from women-owned wineries, dinners, and health panels. Thru March 8. $20$150. 1314 McKistry St., Napa. www.eventbrite.com

Sat 7 Beer Bust @ Hole in the Wall Saloon Beer only $8 until you bust. 4pm-8pm. 1369 Folsom St. 431-4695. www.hitws.com

Beer Bust @ SF Eagle The classic leather bar's most popular Sunday daytime event now also takes place on Saturdays. March 7: Emma Peel's 50th, a fundraiser for AIDS Housing Alliance. 3pm-6pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Heklina's new weekly drag show night at the fabulous renovated SoMa nightclub; plus DJGuy Ruben. March 7 is another Bjork tribute night! $10. 10pm-2am. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.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

Sister Crayon @ Rickshaw Stop Enjoy Terra Lopez' spooky haunting lyrical vocals and electro vibes; Astronauts, Etc and Nicholas Nicholas open. $12. 9pm. 155 Fell St. at Van Ness. www.rickshawstop.com

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

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

Hey Rosetta @ Brick and Mortar The moody alt folk Canadian band performs; Owl Paws, The Painted Horses open. $7-$10. 8pm. 1710 Mission St. www.heyrosetta.com www.brickandmortarmusic.com

Jock @ The Lookout

Liquid Brunch @ Beaux No cover, no food, just drinks (Mimosas, Bloody Marys, etc.) and music. 2pm-9pm. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

G. Scott Lacy at the piano with guest vocalists. Cocktails and small plates available. 8pm. 562 Sutter St. www.societycabaret.com

Sun 8 Compound @ Oasis

Decker @ Bottom of the Hill The folk-rock-gospel Americana band performs. $10. 9pm. 1233 17th St. www.deckermusic.org www.bottomofthehill.com

Go Bang @ The Stud Disco fun dance party with DJs Steve Fabus, Sergio Fedasz, guests Jim Hopkins and Prince Wolf. $10. 9pm3am. 399 9th st. www.gobangsf.com www.studsf.com

The Shondes @ Brick and Mortar

Drag Mondays @ The Cafe

The official closing party of Leather Weekend pays tribute to the venue's sexy leather past, with DJ DAMnation and leather/kink demos. $10. 7pm2am. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 7953180. www.sfoasis.com

The local jazz band performs at the club with ample room for swing dancing. No cover, 2pm-5pm. 406 Clement St. www.klipptones.com www.neckofthewoodssf.com

Cabaret Showcase @ Hotel Rex

Tue 10

Compound @ Oasis

The Klipptones @ Neck of the Woods

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

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

The Klipptones @ Neck of the Woods

The weekly jock-ular fun continues, with special sports team fundraisers. 3pm-7pm. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

La Bota Loca @ Club 21, Oakland

Club Rimshot @ Club BNB, Oakland

Sun 8

Mother @ Oasis

Wine, Women and Wellness @ Westin Verasa, Napa

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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

Big Top @ Beaux Joshua J.'s homo disco circus night, with guest DJs and performers, hotty gogo guys and drink specials. 9pm2am. 2344 Market St. www.BeauxSF.com

Brunch @ Hi Tops Enjoy crunchy sandwiches and mimosas, among other menu items, at the popular sports bar. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.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

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

Salsa Sundays @ El Rio Salsa dancing for LGBT folks and friends, with live merengue and cumbia bands; tapas and donations that support local causes. 2nd & 4th Sundays. 3pm-8pm. 3158 Mission St. 282-3325. www.elriosf.com

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550 Dance it up at the popular twiceweekly country-western dance night that includes line-dancing, two-stepping and lessons. $5. 5pm10:30pm. Also Thursdays 6:30pm10:30pm. 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

Mon 9 Cock and Bull Mondays @ Hole in the Wall Saloon Specials on drinks made with Cock and Bull ginger ale (Jack and Cock, Russian Mule, and more). 8pmclosing. 1369 Folsom St. 431-4695. www.hitws.com

Epic Karaoke @ White Horse, Oakland Mondays and Tuesdays popular weekly sing-along night. No cover. 8:30pm1am. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 6523820. www.whitehorsebar.com

Irish Dance Night @ Starry Plough, Berkeley Weekly dance lessons and live music at the pub-restaurant, hosted by John Slaymaker. $5. 7pm. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. www.thestarryplough.com

Karaoke @ The Lookout Paul K hosts the amateur singing night. 8pm-2am. 3600 16th St. at Market. www.lookoutsf.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

Mash Up Mondays @ Club BnB, Oakland Weekly Karaoke and open mic night; RuPaul's Drag Race screenings, too. 9pm-2am. 2120 Broadway. (510) 7597340. www.club-bnb.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; also Wednesdays. 7pm-2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing. 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

Opulence @ Beaux New weekly dance night, with Jocques, DJs Tori, Twistmix and Andre. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Performerama @ Oasis Marga Gomez' new monthly variety show of comedy, storytelling and more, this time includes a new excerpt from her solo show Pound, plus Persia ("Google, Google, Apps, Apps"), magician Christian Cagigal, journalist Barry Walters, and comics Roman Rimer and presenter/comic Laurie Bushman. $8-$10. 8pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

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

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

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On the Tab>>

Tue 10 Block Party @ Midnight Sun Weekly screenings of music videos, concert footage, interviews and more, of popular pop stars. 9pm-2am. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

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

Cock Shot @ Beaux Shot specials and adult Bingo games, with DJs Chad Bays and Riley Patrick, at the new weekly night. No cover. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

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

Gay Skate Night @ Church on 8 Wheels

March 5-11, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 29

Underwear Night @ Club OMG

Open Mic/Comedy @ SF Eagle

Weekly underwear night includes free clothes check, and drink specials; different hosts each week. $3. 10pm2am. Preceded by Open Mic Comedy, 7pm, no cover. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Kollin Holts hosts the weekly comedy and open mic talent night. 6pm-8pm. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Unitard, House of Tards @ Oasis The sketch comedy trio (Mike Albo, Nora Burns and David Ilku)'s hilarious array of pop culture parodies covers everything from sick celebs to Skruff. $15. 8pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Wed 11 Bingo @ Club OMG Michael Brandon hosts the board game night (3rd Wed). 7pm. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Booty Call @ QBar Juanita More! and her weekly intimate dance party. $10-$15. 9pm2am. 456 Castro St. www.qbarsf.com

Bondage a GoGo @ Cat Club

LGBT night at the former Sacred Heart Church-turned disco roller skate party space, hosted by John D. Miles, the "Godfather of Skate." Actually, every night is gay-friendly, including Saturday's Black Rock night (Burning Man garb encouraged). Also Wed, Thu, 7pm-10pm. Sat afternoon sessions 1pm-2:30pm and 3pm5:30pm. $10. Kids 12 and under $5. Skate rentals $5. 554 Fillmore St at Fell. www.churchof8wheels.com

The (mostly straight) kinky weekly dance night, where fetish gear is welcome; DJs Damon and Tomas Diablo play electro, goth, industrial, etc. 9:30pm-2:30am. 1190 Folsom St. www.bondage-a-go-go.com

Ink & Metal @ Powerhouse

B.P.M. @ Club BnB, Oakland

Show off your tattoos and piercings at the weekly cruisy SoMa bar night. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

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

Bottoms Up Bingo @ Hi Tops Play board games and win offbeat prizes at the popular sports bar. 9pm. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com 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

Fri 6 Planet Booty @ Slim’s

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

Vicky Jimenez' drag show and contest; Latin music all night. 9pm-2am. 2120 Broadway. (510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Trivia Night @ Hi Tops Play the trivia game at the popular new sports bar. 9pm. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.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. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

So You Think You Can Gogo? @ Toad Hall

San Francisco's most fabulicious drag show celebrates its eighth anniversary this month, featuring Collette LeGrande, Ruby Slippers, Sophilya Leggz, Bobby Ashton, Sheena Rose, Kipper, and Joie de Vivre. No cover. 9:30-11:30pm. 133 Turk St. 441-2922. www.dreamqueensrevue.com

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

The Monster Show @ The Edge The dearly missed Cookie Dough's weekly drag show with gogo guys. $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Nightlife @ California Academy of Sciences Themed event nights at the fascinating nature museum, with DJed dancing, cocktails, fish, frogs, food and fun. Mar. 12: Mind & Body Nightlife, with DJ Britt Govea, pop-up yoga, raw food cokking demos and healthy snacks. $10-$12. 6pm-10pm, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. 379-8000. www.calacademy.org

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

Drink specials, Top 40, gogo studs and no cover. 9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.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

Tubesteak Connection @ Aunt Charlie's Lounge Enjoy retro disco tunes and a fun diverse crowd, each Thursday, with DJ Bus Station John. $4. 10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com Want your nightlife event listed? Get the word out. Email events@ebar.com, at least two weeks before your event. Event photos welcome.

Trivia Night @ Harvey's BeBe Sweetbriar hosts a weekly night of trivia quizzes and fun and prizes; no cover. 8pm-1pm. 500 Castro St. 4314278. www.harveyssf.com

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

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

Funny Fun @ Club 21, Oakland Dream Queens Revue @ Aunt Charlie's Lounge

Sparkly pop band performs. Borns and Handsome Ghost open. $15. 8pm. 628 Divisadero St. 771-1421. www.theindependentsf.com

Thirsty Thursdays @ The Café

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

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

The Shondes @ Brick and Mortar

Weekly women's night at the stylish intimate bar. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Red Hots Burlesque @ Oasis

Bulge @ Powerhouse

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

Switch @ Q Bar

Weekly LGBT and friends skate night, with groovy disco music and themed events. $9. 8pm-10:30pm. 1303 Main Street, Redwood City. www.rainbowskate.net www.facebook.com/rainbowskating/

Thu 12

Retro Night @ 440 Castro

Weekly game night for board and electronic gamers at the warehouse multi-purpose nightclub. 21+. 6pm12am. 1425 Folsom St. www.showdownesports.com

Rainbow Skate @ Redwood Roller Rink

The Russian River bar's country music night attracts cowboys and those who like to ride 'em. 8pm-1am. 16220 Main St., Guerneville. (707) 869-0206. www.queersteer.com

Una Noche @ Club BnB, Oakland

Showdown @ Folsom Foundry

Weekly women's happy hour, with allwomen music and live performances, 2 for 1 drinks, and no cover. 5pm9am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Wrangler Wednesday @ Rainbow Cattle Company, Guerneville

Naked Night @ Nob Hill Theatre

The fun Brooklyn rock band, with lead vocalist Louisa Rachel Solomon, performs; The Galloping Sea, Half Blast open. $5-$10. 8pm. 1710 Mission St. brickandmortarmusic.com

Pussy Party @ Beaux

Mister Wives @ The Independent

Weekly LGBT and straight comedy night hosted by Dan Mires. $10. 8pm. 2111 Franklin St. Oakland. (510) 268-9425. www.club21oakland.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

Karaoke Night @ Club BnB, Oakland Sing your heart out at the free lively night. 8pm-2am. 2120 Broadway. (510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Steven Underhill

PHOTOGRAPHY

415 370 7152

WEDDINGS, HEADSHOTS, PORTRAITS

stevenunderhill.com · stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com

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Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

32 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 5-11, 2015

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Celebrating our kinkiness by Race Bannon

his week’s column is about celebrating our kinkiness. Obviously that means I’m assuming you who are reading this consider yourself kinky. If you don’t, keep reading anyway. You’ll hopefully find this interesting. When we choose to celebrate being kinky, one of the first things that comes to many people’s mind is why are some of us into leather, BDSM or otherwise kinky in the first place? The truth is, much as we don’t know why someone might be gay, lesbian or some other orientation, we don’t really know why people are kinky. If you look at the entire body of research to date, there’s no definitive reason why someone’s sexuality edges towards the more radical and non-mainstream. Casual theories abound, but no one really knows the answer. There are ongoing attempts to delve into questions like this. Richard Sprott, a psychology professor and researcher, and the Executive Director of Community-Academic Consortium for Research on Alternatives Sexualities (CARAS) (www. carasresearch.org), has been conducting a study on kink identity development. “The results, so far, of my study on kink identity development is finding a lot of people who have im-

ages or stories that influenced them early in life, like 5-8 years old, that are often their first kink memories,” said Sprott. “Others seem to have an experience of a ‘Door Opens to Oz’ moment later in life when they are exposed to kink and it hits them like ‘seeing color for the first time,’ but no early ‘kinky’ memories. There aren’t many studies of sexuality and how it begins, though.” My own opinion is that ultimately it’s not really important why we’re kinky. If we are and it works for us and we’re happy, why does it really m a t - ter? We like what we like. I recall a lunch I had many years ago with Guy Baldwin and Dr. Robert Stoller, a psychoanalyst and world-renowned sexuality researcher. During the lunch I asked Dr. Stoller what percentage of the population he believes is kinky. Without missing a beat he said, essentially, “everyone is kinky.” He then went on to explain that during his research he found that everyone he studied had something kinky about them. So, who knows? Maybe every person reading this really is kinky in some way. It’s something to at least ponder. With all that said, those who are not just occasionally kinky but identify intimately as a part of the leather or kink community may not know why they’re kinky, but they sure do enjoy it. I recently asked some

Richard Sprott, renowned psychology professor and researcher and Executive Director of CARAS.

friends what they enjoyed about being a kinkster (my preferred word these days) and why they choose that as an identification. Here are just a few of their reasons why they celebrate their joy in being kinky. “I believe in moving sex out of the shame and shadows.” “For as long as I can remember I’ve been turned on by various fetishes and fantasies that others would call perverse.” “It is integral to my sexuality.” “I was born that way.” “It connects me with more of the people I feel connected to.” “No other type of relationship works for me. I get bored far too easily and quickly without the spice of kink. It’s who I am at the core of my being.” “Because most of the kinksters I have met demonstrate remarkable self-awareness and courage in the pursuit of their sexuality and fetishes.” “It’s a lifestyle I’ve embraced and has accepted me and loved me. It’s something I cherish, love and respect, and I couldn’t be happier for it. I am a leatherman to my core.” Those are just a few of the many answers I received. So my advice to anyone who has kink as part of their identity, or simply enjoys some kink now and then, don’t worry about why you like what you like. Just be responsible and ethical when you do it, and celebrate in the joy and fun it brings to your life.

Oh, Donna

Rich Stadtmiller

Donna Sachet gets a kiss on the hand at last weekend’s roast, held at Beatbox.

Speaking of celebrating, there was a recent celebration of one of our local San Francisco community treasures, famous drag queen and community icon extraordinaire, Donna See page 34 >>

Mr. San Francisco Leather contestants: 1. Chris Humphreys 2. Daniel DeLage 3. Gerald Borjas 4. Stephen Shute 5. Steve Jirgl 6. Trevor Black

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