May 7, 2015 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter

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Vol. 45 • No. 19 • May 7-13, 2015

Changes sought for Castro plaza Rudy K. Lawidjaja

Marriage equality supporters held a rainbow flag outside the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday, April 28 as the justices heard oral arguments in a same-sex marriage case.

Lawyers weigh in on marriage case

by Seth Hemmelgarn

analysis by Lisa Keen

Volunteer gardeners from the Deep Clean Green Team, including lead gardener Brian Gougherty, second from right, tend to the freshly planted concrete barriers in Jane Warner Plaza Sunday, May 3.

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he U.S. Supreme Court has almost certainly made its decision about the right to marry for same-sex couples.

The justices met in private conference Friday, May 1, and took a vote. They have until June 30 to issue their decision.

Most legal observers who watched or listened to the oral arguments from April 28 in Obergefell v. Hodges, an appeal seeking to strike down bans on same-sex marriages in four states, predict Justice Anthony Kennedy will vote with the court’s liberal wing and find the bans unconstitutional. A few, like UC Irvine School of Law Professor Erwin Chemerinsky, believe the vote could even be 6-3, with Chief Justice John Roberts on board.

Those who think Roberts could join a majority to strike down the laws were heartened by a question he posed to the attorney defending Michigan’s ban, John Bursch.

“I’m not sure it’s necessary to get into sexual orientation to resolve the case,” said Roberts. “I mean, if Sue loves Joe and Tom loves Joe, Sue can marry him and Tom can’t. And the difference is based upon their different sex. Why isn’t that a straightforward question of sexual discrimination?”

If the court decided state bans on same-sex marriage constitute sex discrimination, “then I can promise you that lawyers in almost any case where a law discriminates against gay people will make the argument that the law constitutes unconstitutional sex discrimination,” said Roberta Kaplan, who argued on behalf of Edith Windsor in the 2013 case that struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act. “On the other hand, there is always a bit of a disconnect with this argument, particularly when it’s clear that the law at issue was passed to treat people differently based on their sexual orientation, not their gender,” she added.

See page 5 >>

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an Francisco officials are again revamping the Castro district’s much-maligned Jane Warner Plaza, hoping that new furniture, entertainment, and other improvements will activate the parklet, making it attractive to neighborhood residents, tourists, and others.

The patch of concrete at Castro and Market streets has long been seen as a magnet for violence and harassment. Those concerns were highlighted recently after a man allegedly stabbed a woman in the plaza.

The public space, which opened in 2009 See page 9 >>

Authors submit SF LGBT history document for review

Rick Gerharter

by Matthew S. Bajko

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an Francisco planning and historic preservation officials are currently reviewing a draft version of a wide-ranging survey of the city’s LGBT past.

It spans the centuries and features various groups of LGBT residents who called the city home, from Native American two-spirit tribe members and gender nonconforming Chinese immigrants to various artists and service members.

Officially titled the “Citywide Historic Context Statement for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Rick Gerharter History in San Francisco,” the Bay Area Reporter obtained A new report details the role North Beach, seen from the Coit Tower observation deck looking toward a copy of the 355-page draft Russian Hill, played in the birth of San Francisco’s LGBT community. document through a public records request. context statement is a preservation planning tool will assist with efforts to landmark, either by the Funded several years ago by a $76,000 grant that federal, state, and local governments can refer city or national programs, properties of historifrom the San Francisco Historic Preservation to when determining what places and structures cal significance to the LGBT community.

Fund Committee, overseen by the Office of Eco- hold importance to telling a historical theme.

See page 8 >> nomic and Workforce Development, the historic Once adopted as an official city document, it

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2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 7-13, 2015

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Tennessee plaintiffs get SF welcome at NCLR gala

by Yael Chanoff

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n April 28, Valeria Tanco and Sophy Jesty were on the floor of the U.S. Supreme Court. Four days later, they were on the dance floor in San Francisco.

It was the annual party for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the two were celebrating their role in a Supreme Court case that could legalize same-sex marriage throughout the United States. Jesty and Tanco are plaintiffs in Tanco v.

Haslam, one of the four marriage equality cases currently before the court.

And when they did go home to Tennessee after the whirlwind week in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco that meant returning to a state that doesn’t recognize their marriage.

Still, Jesty said she wasn’t sure if she would be able to travel all the way to San Francisco for NCLR’s anniversary gala after the oral arguments in D.C. She was convinced, she said, when NCLR Executive

Alana Perino

Tennessee same-sex marriage case plaintiff Sophy Jesty addresses the crowd at the National Center for Lesbian Rights gala May 2 in San Francisco. She was joined by her wife, Valeria Tanco, and the other plaintiff couples, Ijpe DeKoe and Thom Kostura, left, and Matthew Mansell and Johno Espejo.

Director Kate Kendell asked, “How many lesbians need to be in the room for you to show up?”

Fifteen hundred people, mostly lesbians, attended the gala.

Two other Tennessee couples who are plaintiffs in Supreme Court marriage cases were honored along

with Tanco and Jesty at the event.

“We got involved in this because we wanted to stand up for our family and for families like ours,” said Tanco, who has a 2-year-old daughter with Jesty. When the process got See page 8 >>

Actress Maria Bello disdains labels in new book

by Yael Chanoff

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aria Bello has played a tough bar owner in Coyote Ugly, a death-dealing alcohol lobbyist in Thank You for Smoking, and a doctor on ER. But in a story she tells in her new memoir, she was visiting the doctor herself. She told him that she’d been sick. He told her that it all stemmed from dating a woman.

“You’ve walked around your whole life with a big dildo pointed at everyone,” the good doctor said.

“You cannot receive; you need to receive a man.”

This was the same (albeit said in one of the most insulting ways possible) message that Bello had grappled with all her life – find your Prince Charming, and everything will be better. Don’t just find “the one” – become the one to somebody else. As she says in her new book, Whatever ... Love is Love, “I thought when I became the one all of my anxiety would disappear and then I would be someone. These bad princes were not going to do that for me. But I eventually learned that not even the good princes could.”

It’s a book about loving yourself and honoring the real relationships in your life, whether or not they fit the model of what family, friends or lovers are “supposed” to look like.

Rejecting that nasty compulsory white-cis-heterosexism that tries to trap women – just find a man, and you’ll be OK. But in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter, Bello, 48, said the lesson isn’t just for the heteros.

“We are all raised on this Prince and Princess Charming fantasy,” she said. “I think it’s about this whole idea of a soul mate, whether they’re male, female, transgender, whatever.

In the end the only soul mate we have is ourselves, and god really.”

The “whatever” in the list of identities is intentional. Bello wrote Whatever ... Love is Love after her 2012 New York Times essay “Coming Out as a Modern Family” became one of the most shared installations of the paper’s Modern Love column.

In it, she wrote about telling her 12-year-old son that she was in love with a woman. “Mom, love is love, whatever you are,” was his response.

Bello hung on to those wise words as the only label she wants for herself.

(the W, of course, is for “I would like to considWhatever.) She says that er myself a ‘whatever,’” she after her Times piece, the declares in the column. headline-length takeaway “Right after the article was “Maria Bello Comes came out, I got 200,000 Out as Gay,” which she hits on the Facebook page,” said doesn’t tell the whole Bello said. “People were story. just interested in the larger That chapter also talks conversation. I had no idea about the tragic death of how many families and partners were out there Actress and author legendary transgender activist Marsha P. Johnand didn’t have labels to Maria Bello son in 1992. Bello has a describe them. That’s how somewhat disturbing connection to this book was born. Other people are her. They were neighbors, Bello says. interested in these questions as well.”

And the actress happened to be sitBello will discuss her partnership, ting by the Hudson River one night. career, love and more in an appearAnd it was she who found Johnson’s ance in San Francisco Friday, May 8 body, floating there. at the Jewish Community Center of Since then, Bello writes, she is San Francisco. trying “to find ways to honor her.”

The book is structured as a quesBello is involved in a movie about tioning of every label that has made Johnson’s life, and is rumored to parts of Bello’s identity, some ideas have a male actor lined up for the she rejects, and some that she holds starring role. When asked whether on to. The table of contents reads there was a chance a trans actress like a worksheet. “Am I a partner? might be cast in the role, Bello said Am I forgiving? Am I a Catholic?” only, “We’ll tell her story the best In “Am I a Bad Girl?” Bello dethat we can.” tails her past relationships, many of Bello may also lend support to which were affairs with married men.

Queen’s Cottage Shelter, a Bay Area “Sexuality is so complicated. I’ve shelter for trans women in the tradialways found it curious how many tion of Johnson’s STAR House. people have had affairs. It’s just more Bello’s book includes some other complicated than we’re willing to talk insights into her connection with about or admit. More than 50 perpolitical struggles, such as the origin cent of people have had affairs,” Bello of the organization she co-founded, said. “Are we saying affairs are bad, or We Advance, which produces educan we look deeper into that?” cational videos by and for Haitian After finishing her book, most women. In Bello’s chapter on Haiti, readers are likely to be willing to go “Am I a Humanitarian?” she makes deeper. Reading “Am I a Bad Girl?” some questionable rhetorical choicwas reminiscent of Bello’s 2000 hit es, such as calling Haiti her “mistress” Coyote Ugly. The protagonist’s fawho is “dark and angry at times.” But ther, played by John Goodman, sees her philosophy on activism – the his daughter dancing on the bar at label she eventually chooses as more her job, co-workers pouring pitchfitting than “humanitarian” – seems ers of beer on her head. He gets rooted in self-determination: “It’s mad. She gets home that night and not just ‘poor Haiti.’ Haiti is filled calls him, telling him she loves him with creative, expansive minds,” and she wants him to understand Bello told the B.A.R. “The people in her, but that she won’t apologize, their own country, they know what because “I’m not sure I’ve done they’re doing. We just need to come anything wrong.” He just sits in his in and support them.”t easy chair, brow furrowed, listening to his voicemail play, trying hard not to be disappointed.

Friday’s appearance by Bello, in Bello is similarly unapologetic. conversation with Ayelet Waldman, starts at 7 p.m. at JCCSF, And even readers who start out feel3200 California Street. Tickets ing like Goodman in that easy chair start at $25 and can be purchased may be willing to go deeper after at https://www.jccsf.org/artsreading what she has to say. ideas/lectures/history-currentBello addresses her LGBT identity affairs/maria-bello/. in the chapter “Am I LGBT or W?”

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Community News>>

May 7-13, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 3

AEF’s Smith feted at party Jane Philomen Cleland

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IDS Emergency Fund and Breast Cancer Emergency Fund Executive Director Mike Smith, center, was honored at a farewell party May 5 at Chambers at the Phoenix Hotel. The Cinco de Mayothemed event, dubbed “Cinco de Mike-O,” included flaggers and attracted about 150

people, including many heads of AIDS and other social service agencies. Smith announced in January that he would be stepping down this summer from the job, which he has held for 12 and a half years.

The AEF and BCEF boards are in the midst of a search for his successor.

SF sheriff wants body cameras

by Seth Hemmelgarn

The FBI and the San Francisco District Attorney’s office are also an Francisco Sheriff Ross investigating the allegations.

Mirkarimi has announced that Mirkarimi had requested the he plans to start equipping deputies FBI’s involvement after Public Dewith body cameras. fender Jeff Adachi shared The development folthe fighting allegations in lows allegations that a March. handful of deputies had Neu was among those forced inmates to fight named in lawsuits from each other and gambled transgender women who on the bouts. Mirkarimi claimed he’d sexually assaid last week that he’s saulted them while they started the termination were in custody. The city process for one of the eventually settled those Jane Philomen Cleland deputies, who’s previcases. ously been accused of San Francisco Eugene Cerbone, pressexually assaulting female Sheriff Ross ident of the San Francisco transgender inmates.

Mirkarimi Sheriff ’s Deputies AsCity officials have also sociation, didn’t respond announced a proposal to fund body to requests for comment on body cameras for San Francisco police cameras, but in a previous email, he officers. said, “The Neu story is old. Only alAt a news conference last week in legations but no proof.” his City Hall office, Mirkarimi, who Civil libertarians have concerns had already announced his body about privacy rights with law encameras plan to the media, repeatforcement use of body cameras. edly spoke of his commitment to “It is always important for there “transparency and accountability.” to be thorough consideration and The sheriff said he’d been asking public input about how body camMayor Ed Lee’s office for money to eras and other surveillance technolbuy cameras “for nearly two years,” ogies are going to be used so that any to no avail. The mayor’s staff has potential issues can be addressed been “tentative at best on this idea,” and problems avoided,” Nicole Ozer, Mirkarimi said at his meeting with director of technology and civil libreporters Thursday, April 30. erties policy for the American Civil According to Lee’s office, the Liberties Union of California, said mayor’s budget staff is reviewing a in an email. “For example, the use number of requests from the sherof body cameras in the jail does not iff ’s April 20 budget proposal and just impact inmates, it could impact has been in contact with Mirkarivisitors, attorneys, and other peomi’s office. ple. That’s why whenever there is Mirkarimi said his agency has consideration of using any surveilfound $50,000 in its budget to buy aplance technology, including body proximately 30 cameras, which will be cameras, cities and counties should used in a pilot program in County Jail undergo an open and transparent #4, the site of the alleged fights. public process.”

His department is working with Mirkarimi’s news conference on others on creating policy around body cameras came just after Lee, inmates’ privacy rights, data storage, Police Chief Greg Suhr, and other public records requests, and other city officials announced a proposal issues. to equip police officers with body Mirkarimi hopes to start using cameras. the cameras “within three months,” Lee will propose funding in his he said.

2015-16 fiscal year budget to acThere are about 850 deputies quire from 1,600 to 1,800 cameras in the sheriff ’s department, and in order to ensure all street officers Mirkarimi estimates they need 400 are outfitted. The budget includes cameras. software and other costs for a total The sheriff also provided an upof $6.6 million in the next two years. date on the deputies allegedly inPolice officials and others will devolved in inmate fighting. velop “policies and protocol” for Mirkarimi’s office has completed using the cameras, according to enough of its internal investigation Lee’s office. into the alleged fights that Deputy Martin Halloran, president of the Scott Neu has been served with a San Francisco Police Officers AsNotice of Intent to Terminate, he sociation, said in a statement that said. He didn’t use Neu’s name but the police department “must lead essentially confirmed that’s who it on this issue,” and his group “has was. been working closely” with the deThe other three deputies, who partment “for over two years, to be had been on paid administrative proactive in bringing this proposal leave, “have been recalled to duty” forward.” pending further investigation, The mayor last week also anMirkarimi said. They’ve been asnounced a plan to speed up the signed to positions where they don’t hiring of 400 police officers over the have contact with prisoners, he said. next two fiscal years.t

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<< Open Forum

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 7-13, 2015

Volume 45, Number 19 May 7-13, 2015 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Seth Hemmelgarn CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani Richard Dodds • Michael Flanagan Jim Gladstone • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell • John F. Karr Lisa Keen • Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • David-Elijah Nahmod Paul Parish • Sean Piverger • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Donna Sachet • Adam Sandel • Khaled Sayed Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Jim Stewart Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez • Ronn Vigh Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Jay Cribas PRODUCTION/DESIGN Max Leger PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Lydia Gonzales • Jose Guzman-Colon Rudy K. Lawidjaja • Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd 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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BAY AREA REPORTER 44 Gough Street, Suite 204 San Francisco, CA 94103 415.861.5019 • www.ebar.com A division of BAR Media, Inc. © 2015 President: Michael M. Yamashita Chairman: Thomas E. Horn VP and CFO: Patrick G. Brown Secretary: Todd A. Vogt

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Troubling trans prisoner cases

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wo recent court cases involving transgender prisoners have highlighted attempts to prevent inmates from receiving appropriate medical care.

In the first case, it appears that prisoner Michelle Kosilek’s options have run out.

The U.S. Supreme Court Monday declined to hear an appeal on her behalf. That appeal, by attorneys with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders and Goodwin and Procter LLP, was filed after the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed two lower court decisions in Kosilek’s favor.

The denial by the high court is the culmination of over 20 years of litigation on whether Massachusetts Department of Correction officials have violated Kosilek’s Eighth Amendment rights by failing to provide adequate care for her severe gender identity disorder, a condition that all parties agree is a “serious medical need,” according to GLAD. The organization added that as a result of being denied treatment, Kosilek has self-mutilated and has twice attempted suicide.

The district court decision found that the DOC engaged in a pattern of “pretense, pretext, and prevarication” to deny her treatment. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts appealed, and in early 2014 a three-judge appellate panel upheld the district court judge. Then Massachusetts was granted a rehearing before the full bench, which overturned the judge.

There is a similar case going on right now in California courts, after a federal judge in San Francisco found that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation must immediately give a transgender prisoner sex reassignment surgery. After that ruling last month, Attorney General Kamala Harris’ office sought a stay, which Judge Jon Tigar denied. This week, the Los Angeles Times reported that the state has asked the federal appeals court to block Tigar’s order.

The inmate, Michelle-Lael Norsworthy, 51, began identifying as a woman in the 1990s. She was diagnosed with gender dysphoria in 2000.

Harris’ office is claiming in court documents that “evidence showed that there was no medical or psychological need for immediate sex-reassignment surgery,” the paper reported.

Tigar disagreed, writing in his ruling that Norsworthy’s gender dysphoria would worsen if her hormone therapy is modified or discontinued because of liver complications. He found that Norsworthy is “suffering from irreparable injury as a result of the deprivation of her Eighth Amendment rights.”

We are deeply troubled by both cases, but in particular that of Norsworthy and the actions of Harris’ office. Harris has always been a strong ally to the LGBT community, yet her office has twice now sought to get around the judge’s decision. This stubborn effort to appeal the case is a step backward for an otherwise forward-thinking state Department of Justice.

To be clear, these two women committed violent crimes; Kosilek, 66, was convicted of killing her wife in 1990; Norsworthy was convicted of second-degree murder. Both are being housed at men’s prisons, which is also problematic.

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Courtesy CDCR

Michelle-Lael Norsworthy

And, while Kosliek’s legal options have run out, here in California the appeals court should decline to hear the case, leaving Tigar’s ruling intact. The state should proceed with the necessary medical treatment for Norsworthy as soon as possible.

Transgender prisoners deserve proper medical care, just as all prisoners do. In reality that is an unmet goal. It is not uncommon for prison staff to deny medical care to inmates, whether in local jails or state prisons. But it’s especially true for trans people. Hormones are withheld, and trans prisoners are often housed in facilities that do not match their gender identity.

We call upon Harris to drop the appeal in the Norsworthy case. The fact that Norsworthy has lived with gender dysphoria for over 20 years does not mean that surgery is not important. In fact, that makes it even more urgent. We do not understand why Harris, one of the most pro-LGBT state officials, keeps fighting Tigar’s ruling. He made it clear that it’s not precedent setting (meaning that it doesn’t apply to other inmates) and the cost is minimal when compared with the overall budget of the CDCR.t

Old, gay, and gray

by Lou A. Bordisso

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ased on my casual observation over the years, it is my opinion that many, if not most, gay men have difficulty getting older. We resist being old, gay, and gray and our “age-phobia” is manifested in ageist attitudes, poor self-image, and social isolation.

I have news for you, unless your name is Dorothy and you own a pair of ruby slippers that you can click three times to return to your younger days and youthful looks, the aging process is Lou A. Bordisso happening whether we like it or not. Trying to recapture our younger days is simply magical thinking. Old, gay, and gray is here to stay and returning to Kansas is not an option, even if we are in denial and make desperate attempts to alter the reality.

No matter how hard we try to recapture our youth with facial creams, tummy tucks, facelifts, hair replacements and dyes, and lie about our age and try to “pass” as younger than our chronological age, time marches on with or without our consent. At a deep level, we know that time is getting short and this chapter of our lives is the beginning of the end.

The fact is many of us fear, and are anxious about, getting older. Our image of getting older is canes, electric wheelchairs, and hearing, vision, and memory impairments. The older we are the more we have a history of living in the days when gay bars were raided by the police, the stress of living a life of duplicity, experiencing excessive discrimination,

and multiple losses of our friends and loved ones due to HIV/AIDS. Given our time in history, many of us live in exile from our familyof-origin. Hence, when our heterosexual counterparts can count on friends in their senior years, most of our friends have died and we are more likely to be living in social isolation with very little or no support.

Due to ageism in the gay community we are subject to being social outcasts in bars and bathhouses alike. Unless we were once married and have children, our support network of adult children and grandkids does not exist. For those of us who have Alzheimer’s or related dementia or disability of any sort, we can count on the double stigma of being old as a gay male and being cast off for having a disability. For example, as a senior gay man with young onset Alzheimer’s and Lewy Body dementias, my spatial judgment is impaired and I have an unsteady gait; I need to either use a cane or a walker to keep my balance and avoid falling. It has been my experience when walking in the Castro or on Polk Street in San Francisco that other men will not even make eye contact with me when I am using my cane or walker, whereas when I don’t need the aide of either, other gay men will make eye contact. My sense is that a walker or cane is an explicit reminder of the very thing we fear the most – frailty aging! Hence, the lack

of eye contact, denial, and avoidance.

Given the bleak picture I just painted it is no surprise that so many gay men attempt to fend off growing old. However, the byproduct of age-phobia in the gay men’s community comes down to shame. The effect that shame has is expressed in many disparaging ways such as our language when we use terms like, “wrinkle queen” or referring to a Castro watering hole for older gay men as the “glass casket.”

Our language speaks volumes about how we view ourselves as older gay men.

The good news is that the anecdote for agephobia and shame is pride. If we strive to age gracefully, we have to replace shame with pride.

Our rich history as a gay community validates the value of pride. When we embrace pride rather than shame as gay men getting old, we become a part of the solution rather than part of the problem. We can help to extinguish ageist attitudes and beliefs by first accepting ourselves as we are and not as we once were or how we want to be in the future. As gay men we need to celebrate, rather than simply tolerate, our chronological old age and all that comes with it.

So, dear companions, even if our name isn’t Dorothy, we don’t own a pair of ruby slippers, and we are not returning to Kansas, we can still be a “Friend of Dorothy” (a delightful term used in our LGBT history) and follow the example of her companions by aging with courage (Cowardly Lion), wisdom (Scarecrow), and having a compassionate heart toward ourselves and others (Tin Man) as we enter the final chapter and revel in being old, gay, and gray.t Lou A. Bordisso, Ed.D., LMFT, lives on Mare Island.

Community News>>

t Tech camp for LGBTQ youth accepting applications compiled by Cynthia Laird

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aven, a nonprofit organization that fosters innovative solutions that empower LGBTQ and allied youth, is accepting applications for its two-week tech camp that takes place in June at various Bay Area locations.

At the Queer Youth Tech Camp, LGBTQ and allied tech professionals will guide camp participants through coding programs and game design and provide behind-the-scenes access to large tech giants and an opportunity to connect with tech developers.

“Our work contributes to making the tech sector a more inclusive community by engaging tech professionals in co-creating with LGBTQ youth and by providing LGBTQ professionals the opportunity to pay it forward to the next generation of tech leaders,” said Monica Ann Arrambide, the chief executive officer and founder of Maven.

Arrambide said that young people between the ages of 14-19 can apply for the Oakland/San Francisco program, which is free and will take place June 15-26 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Participants need to be able to attend the full program, but they don’t need to be a techie. LGBTQ youth of color are highly encouraged to apply.

For more information, visit http://mymaven.org/tech-camp/.

The application deadline is June 1.

Film screening, discussion looks at stopping hate

The San Francisco Police Department and Not In Our Town will hold a film screening and panel discussion looking at ways communities can stop hate. The event takes place Thursday, May 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center, 2850 19th Avenue in San Francisco.

Police Chief Greg Suhr will make opening remarks. The panel will include former San Francisco hate crimes prosecutor Victor Hwang and Patrice O’Neill, a filmmaker and chief executive officer of Not In Our Town, an Oakland-based nonprofit.

For more information on the organization, visit www.niot.org.

LGBT center’s cyber center reopens

The San Francisco LGBT Community Center invites people to the reopening of the David Bohnett Cyber Center Wednesday, May 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. at 1800 Market Street.

Center officials said that the David Bohnett Foundation has upgraded the center’s computers.

Community members will continue to have the opportunity to access free Internet and workshops.

The event is free and light refreshments will be served. To RSVP, visit www.sflgbtcenter.eventbrite.com.

Tenants rights bootcamps

The San Francisco Tenants Union will hold a series of free workshops to empower renters to stand up to abusive

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Marriage case

From page 1

For instance, Kaplan said she would be surprised if a ruling in Obergefell will stop the passage of the growing number of laws attempting to provide a religious exemption for businesses to discriminate against LGBT people. The impact of those “religious freedom” laws, she said, is going to be “hotly litigated, no matter what.”

Many had expected the Supreme

Maven CEO Monica Ann Arrambide

landlords and prevent displacement.

Dubbed tenant bootcamps, the events will include know-yourrights presentations, followed by opportunities for renters to ask questions and get referrals if they need more help.

The next boot camp will be Wednesday, May 13 at Coffee to the People, 1206 Masonic Avenue in the Upper Haight. There is also one scheduled for Wednesday, May 20 at Martha and Brothers Coffee Company, 401 Irving Street in the Inner Sunset. Both meetings start at 7 p.m.

Organizers said additional boot camps will be held this summer in District 5, and will expand to Districts 8 and 9 in the fall. For the schedule so far, visit h t t p : / / w w w. te n a n t b o o tc a m p. org/?utm_campaign=intro_ blast&utm_medium=email&utm_ source=tenantbootcamp.

Bike to Work Day coming up

Bay Area Bike to Work Day takes place Thursday, May 14 and organizers are encouraging people to participate in the event.

Bike East Bay, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, and several other regional bike groups are supporting the annual event. They point out that biking to work saves money, improves health and fitness, increases productivity, and cuts down on air pollution.

To learn more, visit www.sfbike. org or www.bikeeastbay.org.

Suicide prevention benefit to pay tribute to Williams

San Francisco Suicide Prevention’s annual Laugh for Life benefit later this month will pay tribute to the memory of comedian and actor Robin Williams, who died by suicide last August.

The comedy gala will be held Thursday, May 14 from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the St. Regis Hotel, 25 Third Street in San Francisco.

Organizers pointed out that suicide prevention is a challenging field.

For over seven years, SFSP has taken one day out of the year to change the tone and celebrate all the lives that have been saved, honor the people who work hard, and remember those who are struggling or have struggled with mental health and loss.

Court might use the Obergefell case to designate what level of judicial scrutiny for courts to use in evaluating laws that disadvantage LGBT people. To date, the high court has used only the easiest level: requiring governments to identify a legitimate rational purpose for the law. And many had hoped the high court would at least designate “heightened scrutiny,” the same as used for laws that discriminate on the basis of sex.

But there was almost no discussion in the Supreme Court last

Headlining this year’s gala is comedian Greg Warren, who has appeared on several late night shows and on Comedy Central Presents.

The keynote speaker will be Kevin Briggs, a California Highway Patrol officer who has prevented upwards of 200 people from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Williams tribute will include video tributes from other comedians. The opening comic is lesbian Lisa Geduldig.

Tickets are $300 or $350 to attend the VIP reception, which precedes the gala at 5:30. For more information, visit www.sfsuicide.org.

May 7-13, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

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Meet the judges forum

The Bar Association of San Francisco and the San Francisco Superior Court will hold a Meet the Judges community forum Thursday, May 14 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at UC Hastings College of the Law, 200 McAllister Street, in the Alumni Reception Center.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is an opportunity for people to meet local judges during a community forum and reception.

Judges from many court departments will be on hand to answer questions about court processes and more. Departments include civil harassment and restraining orders, family law, housing, traffic, small claims, self-help center, and jury service.

SF court seeks civil grand jury members

In other news from the local judiciary, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Teri L. Jackson has announced that the court is seeking volunteers for the 2015-16 civil grand jury.

“San Franciscans who want to make a difference in our city should apply to become a member of the civil grand jury,” Jackson, the assistant presiding judge of the court and chair of the civil grand jury committee. “The civil grand jury offers the opportunity to contribute to our community by examining city government to identify efficiencies, to suggest reforms, or to highlight things that are working well. This is a unique way to become involved in city affairs.”

The application deadline is May 22. In order to serve, volunteers must be U.S. citizens; at least 18 years of age; have lived in San Francisco for at least the past 12 months; have no felony convictions; and be able to communicate in English.

The civil grand jury is required under the California Constitution and has broad latitude to examine city departments, agencies, and officials. The grand jury is independent and selects it own topics for investigation. The term runs from July 1 through June 30. After initial screening, a pool of 30 jurors is selected, ultimately resulting in 19 sworn jurors and 11 alternates.

Interested volunteers should be able to commit time consistently throughout the one-year term. Initially, volunteers should have at least five hours a week; at peak times that can increase to 20 hours.

For more information or to apply, visit http://civilgrandjury.sfgov.org.t

week about what level of scrutiny discrimination based on sexual orientation should take.

“In part, that is probably because there really is not a lot of legitimate room for debate about the factors that would apply – for example, is there a history of discrimination against gay people,” said Kaplan. The court also seeks to determine whether the characteristic being singled out for discrimination is relevant, whether See page 9 >>

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ESCAPE TO PALM SPRINGS

an Francisco’s longtime gay city treasurer, Jose Cisneros, officially kicked off his re-election bid Wednesday night to seek a third full four-year term this November.

The Latino politician is the only LGBT person to hold one of the city’s seven elected executive positions. Cisneros has held the post, which is not term limited, since 2004 when then-Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed him to fill a vacancy.

In 2005 he was elected by the voters to a full four-year term and was reelected in 2009. In 2013 he won election to a two-year term due to a voterapproved switch to the city’s election timetable that aligned both the treasurer and city attorney elections with races for mayor, district attorney, and sheriff beginning in 2015.

Cisneros, who did not face an opponent in his last two elections, once again is the only declared candidate to date in the race. He is expected to go unchallenged this fall.

“I really, really enjoy this job,” said Cisneros, 59, who quietly married his longtime partner, Mark Kelleher, last August. “I am honored to have this job and would love to have the voters’ confidence to keep it.”

A host of public officeholders have endorsed his re-election bid, including Newsom, state Attorney General Kamala Harris, state Controller Betty Yee, Democratic Assemblymen Phil Ting and David Chiu, and Mayor Ed Lee. A number of LGBT community leaders co-hosted Cisneros’ May 6 campaign kickoff event at the LGBT Community Center, aimed at warding off anyone contemplating running against him.

“During the last election, successful fundraising helped prevent any significant potential opponents. Let’s work together to make sure we’re in a

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strong position once again, Locally, Cisneros has allowing me to focus pribeen working with busimarily on the work of this ness leaders on the roll office,” Cisneros wrote in out of a gross receipts an emailed invite to suptax as the city gradually porters, noting that a simimoves away from a paylar event at the center two roll-based tax. Businesses years ago netted $25,000 this year are paying a tax for his 2013 re-election bid. bill that is 90 percent Rick Gerharter Small Business Combased on payroll and 10 mission member Steve Treasurer percent based on gross Adams, a gay man and Jose Cisneros receipts. co-host of the campaign In 2016 it will be a 75 fundraiser, told the Bay Area Reporter percent and 25 percent split, movthat there is no reason why Cisneing to a 50-50 percent split, then ros should not remain as the city’s 25-75 percent before going to a 100 treasurer. percent gross receipts tax.

“We have a smart person in this “We just finished the first filing, job and we need to keep which included this new gross rehim,” said Adams, a ceipts tax, and the feedback we have senior vice president at gotten so far is it went smoothly,” Sterling Bank and Trust. said Cisneros.

“He does so many incredRarely in the news, Cisneros made ible things outside of what headlines earlier this year when his ofa normal city treasurer, fice was successful in collecting back chief investment officer, taxes owed by Airbnb, the short-term tax collector does.” rental company. He is barred by law Adams praised Cisnefrom disclosing the amount paid, ros for pushing technolthough media reports pegged it at $25 ogy advancements at his million. He is routinely asked about office so that people can now pay the size of the tax payment. their city taxes online.

“It depends on the day, but often“He modernized that office,” said times many,” he said. “What I will Adams. say is our office has an important He also pointed to his rollout of responsibility of making sure every the Bank on San Francisco program individual and every business pays aimed at helping people open bank the taxes they owe in San Francisco. accounts in order to avoid using check We work very hard to make sure cashing outlets. The initiative has been they do exactly that.” duplicated across the country and been While the issue was hotly debatlauded by the federal government. ed, Cisneros said he didn’t receive In 2014 President Barack any pushback due to it.

Obama named Cisneros as vice “Everybody in the city family, and chair of the President’s Advisory city overall, understands my role and Council on Financial Capability the role of our office is simply to imfor Young Americans. It plans to plement the laws of the city. We don’t submit its final report to the White make the laws; we don’t set the tax House later this year. rate,” said Cisneros. “All we are doing “It looks at how the country and is taking the taxes and fees as passed the administration can do an even by elected officials of the city, or in better job educating folks and youth many cases the voters of the city, and on how to handle their money and implementing them. Most people see keep their money safe and to get a it that way and respect the fact we are financial education,” he said. doing that job well.”t

Dance show looks at AIDS

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ean Dorsey Dance is celebrating its 10th anniversary home season with The Missing Generation, a new program that will premier in San Francisco next week.

Dorsey, who runs the eponymous named dance company, is a transgender man who’s an acclaimed contemporary dance choreographer. He has won accolades from San Francisco to New York with his powerful dance-theater.

The Missing Generation features the voices of many AIDS survivors and was edited from 25 people who told their stories to accompany the dance.

“These are oral interviews that I conducted with longtime survivors of the AIDS epidemic,” Dorsey said.

“For two years I researched and then I did six residencies in cities around the U.S. in which I recorded oral histories of AIDS survivors from the late 1980s to early 1990s.”

“These are people who lost a lover, a partner, a friend, a child, a parent,” Dorsey said. “These were early activists and members of ACT UP, early hospice workers, nurses, and people who were diagnosed 30 or 40 years ago and are still with us today.”

The work explores the loss of part of an entire generation of gay and transgender people to AIDS. It features full-throttle dance, luscious partnering, intimate storytelling, and theater.

Dorsey said that he started to no-

tice a theme emerge from point of exhaustion,” he the interviews. said. “I think that part of “I asked people spethe story has really been cific questions that I had put away.” in mind, but a particular With The Missing Gentheme that people started eration, Dorsey would like talking about emerged, to remind people how the like a common experience, LGBT community foundeven across communities,” ed creative care teams and Khaled Sayed he said. “I really ingested support agencies. these stories. It was a very Dance “Lesbian and gay men intense process to sit across choreographer started working together the table from someone Sean Dorsey for the first time,” Dorsey who is a longtime survivor said. “But I think we talk whose experience, for me and people less about the unresolved grief and like me and younger than me, seems loss that the LGBT community exlike an unthinkable horror.” perienced during that period.”

Based on these interviews, some The Missing Generation is supof which were four hours long, ported by several organizations, inDorsey worked with a team of comcluding the National Endowment for posers to develop the sound score. the Arts, National Dance Project, and “What the audience hears is the San Francisco Arts Commission. original music and the real voices of The 10th anniversary home seathe people I interviewed and their son will be performed by Dorsey, remarkable real-life stories,” he said.

Brian Fisher, ArVejon Jones and Nol “Part of why this project is imSimonse, with original music by portant to me is that people my age Alex Kelly, Ben Kessler, Jesse Olson and younger don’t know what the Bay, and Storm Miguel Florez. early days of the epidemic were like.

After its San Francisco premiere It’s no fault of our own,” Dorsey, the show will tour 20 cities around 42, added. “We just were not taught the U.S. that history in school, and it is often The Missing Generation takes lost or not documented for younger place at Dance Mission Theater, people, who have no idea about that 3316 24th Street (at Mission). Show part of LGBT history.” times are May 14-15, 8 p.m.; May Dorsey believes that American 16, 4 and 8 p.m.; and May 17, 4 and culture has turned its back on the 7 p.m. survivors of the early part of the Tickets are $15-$25 sliding scale, epidemic. and available at http://www.brown“It was so much death, it was papertickets.com. Post-show recepso much grief and such loss to the tions will be held every night. t

t

National News>>

May 7-13, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

Iceman joins other gay comic characters

by Sean Piverger

T

he Iceman has cometh out of the closet.

Longtime X-Men member Bobby Drake (a.k.a. Iceman) is gay, and the storyline made its debut in Marvel’s recently released All New X-Men #40 comic book.

In the book, released April 22, Drake’s teammate, Jean Grey, looked into his mind and told him that he’s gay.

All New X-Men is part of the popular X-Men comics in which people with mutant powers come together not only to combat supervillains but also to bring peace and harmony between humans and mutants. All New X-Men writer Brian Michael Bendis told the Huffington Post that Drake’s outing is part of a bigger story.

“There are thousands, if not millions, of stories of people who, for many different reasons, felt the need to hide their sexuality,” Bendis said. “The X-Men, with the conceit of time travel, give us a fascinating platform in which to examine such personal journeys. This is just the first little chapter of a much larger story that will be told.”

History of LGBTQ comic characters

However, Iceman isn’t the only gay comic book character. Many comic characters, including superheroes who are LGBT, have been entertaining readers for decades. From the sexually ambiguous Krazy Kat (1913 to 1944) to the first comic that featured a lesbian (“Sandy Comes Out” Wimmen’s Comix #1, 1972), comics have had their share of LGBT characters.

In the old days most comic books were all about white guys with superpowers who fought Nazis and other criminals. But as time moved on those comics were filled with people from other backgrounds and ethnicities, including LGBTs. “As the fandom gets louder and demands more representation, companies behind these heroes work to make their stories accommodate a broader range of diversity,” Nick Rowe, social media manager for Dr. Comics and Mr. Games in Oakland told the Bay Area Reporter via email. “Of course, impact on readers is going to operate on a case by case basis, but showing a willingness to include LGBTQ characters has the potential to show readers that superhero comics aren’t just for straight, white people. Rather that they’re for anyone.”

Some of these characters include Catwoman, Batwoman, and Green Lantern (all from DC Comics) and Northstar (Marvel).

In issue #39 of her solo series that came out in February, Selina Kyle, the old Catwoman and Batman’s rival and on and off again lover, came out as bisexual after she kissed Eiko Hasigaway, who is currently filling in as the new Catwoman. Kyle is now the leader of Gotham City’s Calabrese crime family.

In the 1950s, Batwoman was originally created to counter the fact that Batman and Robin were not gay (psychologist Fredric Wertham, author of The Seduction of the Innocent, claimed that Batman and Robin were homosexuals.) Like Catwoman, she pined for the Dark Knight’s affections. Despite the fact that she was killed in the late 1970s, DC rebooted Batwoman as a redhaired, butt-kicking, badass heroine who focused on two things: Fighting crime and wooing the same sex.

Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern, joined the LGBTQ bandwagon when his character was rebooted a few years ago. While riding on a train, Scott was

Courtesy Marvel

Iceman character Bobby Drake is told by Jean Grey that he’s gay in the recently released All-New X-Men #40.

going to propose to his boyfriend, Sam, when it crashed. Scott survived, with help from a green flame, but Sam didn’t. The flame turned Scott’s engagement ring into a power ring, which allows him to fight evil.

Northstar was a part of Canada’s superhero Alpha Flight team but currently serves his role as one of the X-Men. Like his teammate Iceman, Northstar is gay. He outed himself in the early 1990s and married his boyfriend, Kyle, in an issue of Astonishing X-Men #51, which was released in 2012.

“The more queer representation in comics the better. And superheroes are icons for power, virtue, and goodness in society,” said writer, creator, and San Francisco resident Brian Andersen via e-mail. “We need more gay heroes to rise up and be every bit as powerful, virtuous, and good as any other hero.”

Gay Mormon superhero

In 2007, Andersen wrote and drew his first comic called So Super Duper.

The all-ages comic focused on a hero named Psyche, who is gay. Now Andersen is at work with a new comic called Stripling Warrior. The book focuses on Sam Shepard, a Mormon, who gets a visitor in the form of an angel who “calls [him] to become the Hand of God on Earth, tasked with smiting those in need of smiting.”

And thus Shepard becomes the first gay Mormon superhero. The comic has been successfully funded by the crowdfunding site Kickstarter.

Andersen, who is gay and a fan of the X-Men, said that Iceman “always exuded a kind of homosexual energy.”

“Like in most boy bands, there’s usually at least one gay one,” he quipped.

Andersen also said that gay superheroes “will not only break down walls, but will crash and smash through them like pink-skinned, gamma-irradiated gay Hulks.”

“The more we see queer characters living lives, fighting crime, [and] being human, the more walls will come down. And the less the LGBT community will be viewed as an ‘other’ by those who oppose us,” he said.

In an e-mail from Joey Stern, president of Geeks OUT in New York City, gay storylines and characters can bring something new to the table.

“A well written queer character can absolutely break down walls, opening readers and the stories up to new kinds of experiences,” Stern said.

Uel Carter, who is a manager at Fantastic Comics in Berkeley, said when it comes to stories like this it’s all about making money. He also said that if there is “no reader” there is “no comic.” However, Carter likes the notion of having LGBTQ superheroes in comics.

“There’s nothing but good about it,” said Carter. “I like a palette to choose from [regarding different characters].”

Even though these characters are getting attention, some say that much work has to be done before people can fully embrace an LGBTQ comic character.

“I think that it’s possible but I don’t believe we’ve gotten to a place as a culture where we can equally value characters from a variety of backgrounds,” said Grace Martin who works at Half Price Books in Berkeley.

Added Rowe, “We see comics as more of a pop culture distraction rather than a serious art form, so the impact any individual comic has, let alone the identity of an individual character, will likely never be powerful enough to instill a big degree See page 10 >>

<< Community News

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 7-13, 2015

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tough, she said, “Our lawyers and everyone at NCLR made us feel safe, secure, and brave. They were like a fortress around us.”

NCLR, which is headquartered in San Francisco, is a national legal organization. The group was founded in 1977 in response to an epidemic of cases in which lesbian mothers lost custody of their children based solely on sexual orientation.

Today, NCLR’s work includes an immigration project for LGBT migrants, a campaign to end the practice of “conversion therapy” on queer youth, and a rural pride program in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In every effort, a few individuals become the public face representing whole classes of people. Kendell acknowledged the six Tennessee same-sex marriage case plaintiffs for “putting their lives on hold in many ways, making their lives very public.”

They were “fantastic representatives of just people living their lives.

Caring for each other, raising a child in one case, and simply seeking to have their relationship afforded the same dignity and recognition as anyone else,” Kendell said.

10:17 AM That dignity may be a key factor in the Supreme Court decision. Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose vote will likely decide the case, has often invoked the concept of a legal right to dignity in his opinions, notably

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NCLR gala

From page 2

History document

From page 1

Authors Donna Graves, a public historian based in Berkeley who is straight, and Shayne Watson, an architectural historian based in San Francisco who is lesbian, declined to be interviewed about the document while city officials review the preliminary draft.

But in an emailed statement to the

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in the 2003 decision that invalidated sodomy bans and in the 2013 case that struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act. Last Saturday, the plaintiffs told the Bay Area Reporter that they relate to the right to dignity argument in their personal lives.

“There are little things. Like filling out forms at a doctor’s office.

You have to make these little choices.

Do you go with what the state says and call yourself single? Or do you do what you know is true, and fill out married?” said Thom Kostura, a plaintiff along with his husband, Ijpe DeKoe. “Or a perfect stranger asking, ‘Are you married?’ Do you say yes? And then they say, ‘What’s her name?’” agreed Johno Espejo, another plaintiff along with his husband, Matthew Mansell.

“If you don’t have equality under the law, how can you have dignity?” said Jesty.

Along with the plaintiff couples, their Tennessee-based attorneys – Abby Rubenfeld, Maureen Holland, and Regina Lambert – were also recognized by NCLR. Madelynn Lee Taylor, also honored at the gala, has been similarly fighting for dignity. Taylor, a 75-year-old veteran, became a client of NCLR when her home state of Idaho refused to bury her late wife in the military cemetery, a right afforded to all spouses of veterans.

With the help of NCLR lawyers, she won her case last year. Now, she’s part of the “Add the Four Words”

effort to get sexual orientation and gender identity added to the Idaho Human Rights Act – she’s been arrested twice at sit-ins at the state Capitol.

“We won’t give up, we won’t stop, until we’ve got equality. It’s not a matter of gay rights, it’s not a matter of special rights. It’s equal rights,” Taylor said.

After dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, guests celebrated across the street at a party in the City View room of the Metreon. Attendants played arcade games, got entertained by performers from Velocity Circus, inspired instant poetry by Silvi Alicivar of the poetry store, and the plaintiffs (and everyone else) hit the dance floor. Out singer Tracy Chapman even made an appearance.

But even as the group celebrated, Kendall emphasized that the work is far from over.

In the coming year, NCLR will join in on behalf of a Kansas mother who lost parental custody because she is supportive of her child’s transgender identity. The organization will represent a trans man in Louisiana who was fired from his job because of his gender, and a mother in Washington state who lost custody of her child for being a lesbian – the same kind of case that inspired the founding of NCLR 38 years ago.

“There will be plenty to do,” Kendell said. “And we can live with that reality at the same time that we celebrate our victories.”t

B.A.R., Watson wrote that the project “has been a labor of love for both Donna and me since we wrote the first draft grant application in 2012.”

Their report begins in the late 15th century when European settlers first encountered the berdache, meaning “kept boys,” members of local Native American tribes who adopted the roles of the opposite sex and faced eradication under Spanish missionaries who arrived later.

The document then traces the introduction of laws in the mid-19th century that targeted people for “nonnormative sexual or social behavior or acts” and the “homosocial activity among men” that existed during the Gold Rush days to the birth in 1910 of “an active gay network” of servicemen and civilians in the city “that gathered at private residences and bathhouses.”

Cross-dressing by both men and women in the 19th and 20th centuries is covered, as are several of the more noteworthy Barbary Coast

female impersonators, like Bothwell Browne, Julian Eltinge, and Ah Ming, whose 1892 obituary declared that “As a female impersonator ...

Ming led all of his countrymen.”

It delves into the role of bohemians, such as poets and lovers Charles Warren Stoddard and Yone Noguchi, and lesbian poet Elsa Gidlow in helping turn Jackson Square and North Beach into a haven for homosexuals from around the world.

Later arrivals, such as poet Robert Duncan and his partner, visual artist Jess Collins, are included among the Beat generation who played a hand in attracting other LGBTQ artists to the city in the 1950s. The art gallery the couple helped co-found was where gay poet Allen Ginsberg recited his coming-out poem “Howl” in October 1955.

The birth and migration of the city’s gay and lesbian bar scene is documented from its early incarnation in North Beach, at places like See page 10 >>

Obituaries >> Memorial set for Daniel Aiello

A celebration of the life of former Bay Area Reporter freelance writer Daniel James Aiello will be held Saturday, May 16 at 1 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1430 J Street in Sacramento.

Mr. Aiello, 53, was killed April 15 at Midtown Moped, a scooter repair and rental shop he owned. Two suspects were quickly taken into custody by Sacramento police. Kyle Billy Fletcher, 36, faces murder and other charges. Sabrina Eileen AhrensGravelle, 39, faces a burglary charge.

According to information from Mr. Aiello’s family and friends, he was an early political activist in San Mateo County, where he grew up. He graduated from San Carlos High School and UC Davis. He proceeded to work for former Sacramento Mayor Ann Rudin, then worked in Washington, D.C. Returning to California, Mr. Aiello began reporting for local publications, including the B.A.R., where he worked from 2000-2001, then again from 2008-2009 and 2011 to early 2013. He also wrote for the California Progress Report and the Sacramento-based Statehouse Examiner.

An animal lover, Mr. Aiello’s dogs were always at his side at the scooter shop. He also loved art, music, and literature.

Mr. Aiello is survived by his mother, Beverly Aiello; and siblings David, Allison, and LeeAnne (Cliff Larson); sister-in-law, Gina Aiello; nephew, Michael “Mikey” Aiello and niece, Francesca “Cecca” Grady (Beau Grady); and great-nephew, Frank; as well as his father, Frank.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the BOK Ranch Therapeutic Horse Riding Program (http:// www.bokranch.com/), St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, or a charity of one’s choice.

Elizabeth Ann “Betsy” Drees November 16, 1947 – May 3, 2015 On Sunday May 3 at 7:42 a.m., Elizabeth Ann “Betsy” Drees passed away after three years of battling cancer.

Betsy was a highly educated woman with her main degree from Parsons Art School in New York City.

She was a very talented designer of fabrics.

Betsy lived in San Francisco since 1974.

During the 1970s she was co-owner of Max’s Jewelers on Castro Street.

Betsy also served for 33 years as a worker for AT&T. She was, in those years, an officer of the union there and saved many employees’ jobs.

She had high standards and prided herself on her integrity.

Betsy was loved and cherished by many family members and close friends.

In 2009 she married a longtime friend of 40 years, Charles Matthews “Chuck” Drees.

Betsy was a strong, loyal friend. If you had the honor to share her life she would give you the shirt off her back.

There is no doubt she will be missed deeply by her loving husband, family, and friends.

She believed in angels and now she is one.

t <<

Community News>>

Castro plaza

From page 1

after a portion of 17th Street was closed off, had undergone some minor modifications last year as part of a major overhaul of the streetscape on Castro Street.

But it was repaved in such a way that at least two planters that surround the space were closer to the ground. Neighborhood leaders complained that led to people allowing their pets to pee in the planters or using them as storage for bags and other items. City officials held a community meeting in February to address the issue and announced they’d close the plaza for several months.

The parklet never completely shuttered, as the Muni F line runs through it, but the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District, which helps oversee the space, stopped putting out tables and chairs there.

The nonprofit benefit district is proposing the city spend about $313,000 over two years to bring in new chairs, lighting, and art, as well as staff to help with entertainment and other activities.

CBD Executive Director Andrea Aiello noted in an interview last week that the Castro is a neighborhood known by people “all over the world.”

“Right now, Jane Warner Plaza welcomes them in a pretty crappy way,” she added.

Aiello said, “I know the neighborhood is pretty pessimistic,” but she thinks the plaza will eventually serve as “a destination” for everyone.

Concerns mostly include homeless people who are seen as monopolizing the parklet.

Among the possible changes, Aiello said, are new chairs that are designed “so that you can sit there for an hour or so and be comfortable, but you’re not going to be sitting there for six hours.”

She said there are people who “don’t want the tables and chairs back,” but there are two choices: Open up the space to cars again, bringing the same “pedestrian safety hazards we had before,” or the plaza can be made “into a real destination space.”

To keep the plaza open, “You can’t just leave it this empty place where

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Marriage case

From page 5

the characteristic is immutable, and whether the group that shares that characteristic is politically vulnerable.

But Kaplan said the court may not have discussed the level of scrutiny because “the justices have already decided not to address the issue in Obergefell, similar to their failure to address it in Romer and Windsor,” two other gay rights cases.

Interestingly, during oral arguments on California’s Proposition 8 same-sex marriage ban in 2013, it was Kennedy who said he was “wrestling” with the idea of sex discrimination. But that case was dismissed on a procedural issue, and Kennedy’s authorship of the majority opinion in U.S. v. Windsor found DOMA served “no legitimate purpose.”

‘Seeking to change’ the institution

Roberts’ seeming willingness to recognize sex discrimination in the context of bans on same-sex marriage stood in stark contrast to his equally blunt comment to same-sex couples’ attorney Mary Bonauto.

“My question is you’re not seeking to join the institution, you’re seeking to change what the institution is. The fundamental core of the institution is the opposite-sex relationship and you want to introduce into it a same-sex relationship.”

To that remark, Harvard Law Professor Charles Fried said he would have replied, “So what?”

“At one time, people thought women were inferior to men intellectually and physically, and Aristotle thought women made no contri-

May 7-13, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

nothing happens, and the only people interested in being there” are those who want to sit, lie, or sleep on the ground, Aiello said.

Homeless people would be welcome in the plaza, she said, but “we have to make it an inviting space for lots of people and have some cool things happening there that make people want to come.”

Possible changes

One element Aiello’s group is proposing is to expand its “Live in the Castro” performance series from summer, weekend-only events to live shows weekdays and weekends year-round.

To manage activities in the plaza, the CBD wants to hire a half-time employee.

The organization would also like to contract with a local nonprofit that serves at-risk youth to provide two young people to help keep the space trash-free, among other work.

Altogether, the improvements to the space would cost about $190,000 in the first year and approximately $123,000 in the second.

Aiello hopes to have funding for at least the first year by July 1. The money would come from the city’s general fund.

One change that’s already come is putting new plants around the plaza. Aiello said the new, “hearty” plants won’t “encourage people to put their junk” in the planters. The planting started last weekend and is expected to be done by May 23.

In an email, she said, “Some activation can happen without city funding.”

For months, Aiello has been promoting Castro Cares, a coalition of neighborhood groups, businesses, and programs designed to help link people to services, among other assistance.

Supervisor Scott Wiener, whose District 8 includes the Castro and who’s supporting the benefit district’s proposal for funding, credited the coalition with helping to bring improvements to Jane Warner Plaza and other parts of the neighborhood.

“There has been a significant increase in police presence through Castro Cares” and Mission police station, “which has been good,” Wiener said.

Wiener said “bad street behavior,” bution to the genetic component.” said Fried, a U.S. solicitor general under President Ronald Reagan and a former member of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. “They were wrong then, and we think we’ve got it right now. If I had been arguing ... I’d have said, ‘Maybe that was the definition back then, but it’s the wrong definition of the concept we’re talking about now.’”

Jennifer Pizer, law and policy project director for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, said that limiting the definition of marriage to only male-female couplings is “a sex discrimination problem right on its face” because it “involves a core sex stereotype that men should seek intimate relationships with women, and vice versa.”

And, she noted, many lower courts have already recognized as sex discrimination certain harassment of gay men at work and the denial of spousal benefits to employees with same-sex spouses. Among them were federal district court decisions in the California on Prop 8 case (Perry v.

Schwarzenegger) and the federal benefits case (Golinski v. U.S. Office of Personnel Management).

Pizer said the majority could be heading toward a conclusion that says a state ban on marriage for same-sex couples is sex discrimination on its face and is based on gender stereotypes.

A number of legal observers commenting on last week’s oral argument have been saying much the same thing. For instance, Cornell Law Professor Michael Dorf wrote: “... laws that ban SSM do not merely draw forSee page 10 >>

such as harassment and monopolizing public space is the problem, not homeless people. He said he and others are working with the city attorney to craft legislation that would at least “make it illegal to put anyone or anything on the landscaping” at the parklet. He’s not sure when the legislation would be introduced.

Mark McHale, a gay man who’s lived in the Castro for about 20 years, said, “There’s no clear solution” to the plaza’s problems, but he indicated he doesn’t see opening the space back up to traffic as the answer, since it holds importance as the neighborhood’s “front porch.”

On a recent Sunday afternoon, three men lounged in a corner of the mostly empty plaza. One had his headphones on, one was falling asleep, and the third man declined to speak to a reporter.

Phillip Wilson, who stood nearby preparing to smoke a bowl of marijuana, said, “I hang out here, but I don’t know much about it.”

Wilson, who said he’s homeless, declined to state his age.

In what police have described as an “unprovoked” attack, Andrew Eduardo Zaldivar, 50, allegedly stabbed a 22-year-old woman in the thigh as she walked past him in the plaza at about 11 p.m. Monday, April 27.

Zaldivar, who’s in custody on $350,000 bail, pleaded not guilty Monday, May 4 to charges of assault with a deadly weapon and battery causing serious injury.

He has two strikes under California’s three strikes law, which enhances prison sentences. According to court documents, in 1991 he was convicted of robbery in Contra Costa County, and in February 2015 he was convicted of aggravated battery in Kern County.

Outside the courtroom Monday, Deputy Public Defender Rebecca Young said, “It’s not apparent from the police report” what led up to the incident. Police didn’t have an address for Zaldivar, and Young said it’s not clear whether he’s homeless.

His next court date is May 29.t

SAN FRANCISCO

COLUMBARIUM Meet Your Neighbors Harvey Milk

You’re invited to mix and mingle with the people who will one day share your permanent San Francisco address.

Celebration of Great Memories Wine & Cheese Open House Saturday, May 23, 2015 at 1 p.m.

Friday, July 19, 2013 2—5pm

RSVP Required: (415) 752-8791

San Francisco Columbarium, COA 534 1 Loraine Court—San Francisco, CA 94118 San Francisco, CA 94118 Refreshments & Music will be provided.

Please join us for the dedication of the new Harvey Milk Memorial Niche at the San Francisco Columbarium.

For more information or to RSVP, please contact the San Francisco Columbarium at 415-752-7891.

ebar.com

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 7-13, 2015

<<

Marriage case

From page 9

mal distinctions based on sex. They rely on the very sorts of stereotypes about proper sex roles that the modern sex discrimination cases condemn as the central problem with laws that discriminate on the basis of sex.

“Just as it’s sex-stereotyping for the state to say a woman can’t be a lawyer because women are supposed to be wives and mothers,” wrote Dorf, “so it’s sex-stereotyping for the state to say a woman can’t marry a woman or a man can’t marry a man because men should be with women. Put differently, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is sex discrimination in a substantive, not just a formal, sense.”

And a ruling like that, said Dorf, would have “broad implications for other state laws and policies that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.”

But it’s not clear why Roberts asked the question about sex discrimination. And his question regarding

<<

Iceman

From page 7

of change. While wider representation is a huge accomplishment in of itself, I think until we start viewing comics as a serious artistic medium any wall-breaking will be relegated to the critic and existing fan communities.”

Carter said that as time progresses, “acceptance occurs.”

San Francisco resident Audrey Dufresne said that she finds it “awesome” that LGBTQ superheroes are out there.

Her friend, Taylor Lopez, said, “It’s a long time coming for equality between sexual orientations.”

Andrew Farago, curator for the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, said that there are readers out there who are open to the change in comic books.

“Archie Comics introduced Kevin

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History document

From page 8

Finocchio’s, Mona’s 440 Club, and the Black Cat Cafe between the 1930s to the mid-1960s, to its eventual spread south into the Tenderloin, Polk Street, Haight-Ashbury, South of Market, the Mission and Valencia Corridor, and the Castro, where it remains centered to this day.

Bathhouse culture

Bathhouse culture and the various establishments catering to a gay clientele are covered, as is the sole women-focused bathhouse Osento that was housed in a Victorian on Valencia Street. Public cruising spots for sex are also documented, from the northern blocks of Market Street in the 1920s and the Tenderloin in the 1940s to various parks and open spaces in later decades.

Other sections delve into police harassment faced by LGBTQ communities; homophile movements in the 1950s and 1960s; the growth of Pride celebrations and a gay press; queer arts groups; the emergence of an LGBT political presence; and the launch of organizations with specific racial and gender focuses.

It ends with the advent of AIDS in the 1980s and the city’s response to the deadly disease over the ensuing decades.

“The LGBTQ Historic Context Statement is not intended to be inclusive of all aspects of LGBTQ history or associated sites, but instead aims to provide a broad overview of the many and complex patterns, events, influences, individuals, and groups that shaped this history,” Graves and Watson explain in the introduction.

The women credit Damon Scott and Friends of 1800, a San Francisco-based advocacy organization

sex discrimination has to be viewed against the backdrop of his dissent in Windsor. There, Roberts prominently stated, “Interests in uniformity and stability amply justified Congress’ decision to retain the definition of marriage that, at that point, had been adopted by every state in our nation, and every nation in the world.”

The “at that point” phrase may say something important, too, especially given Roberts’ subsequent statement in the Windsor dissent that, “The court does not have before it, and the logic of its [majority] opinion does not decide, the distinct question of whether the states, in the exercise of their ‘historic and essential authority to define the marital relation,’ may continue to utilize the traditional definition of marriage.”

The transcripts and audio recording of the oral argument in Obergefell v Hodges are available at supremecourt.gov. (Click on “Oral Arguments” in the black band under the banner, then, on the pull-down menu, choose either “Argument Transcripts” or “Argument Audio.”t Keller, an openly gay classmate of Archie’s at Riverdale High, in 2010.

Readers embraced him, he’s got his own book now, and he’s been their most popular new character since the 1960s,” said Farago. “If a publisher as steeped in traditional values and nostalgia for classic Americana as Archie can introduce a gay high school student without the world coming to an end, superhero comics can certainly do the same.”

Farago said that there’s a definite future for the LGBTQ comic characters.

“I don’t know if Marvel and DC will out more established characters or reintroduce or relaunch established characters as gay, but I’m sure that we’ll see plenty of new LGBTQ characters in the years ahead,” he said. “As the readership and the creative talents continue to diversify, that’s going to have an impact on the comics, too.”t that fought to protect from demolition the Victorian that is now incorporated into the LGBT Community Center at 1800 Market Street, for laying the groundwork for their historic context statement.

Their jumping off point was the 2004 document “Sexing the City: The Development of Sexual Identity Based Subcultures in San Francisco, 1933-1979,” written by the Friends group and Scott as the country’s first LGBTQ historic context statement.

Graves and Watson began the research for their project in October 2013 and last October delivered the first rendition of their work to an advisory committee comprised of local historians and preservationists. After receiving feedback from the group, the women did additional research, revised the document, and submitted it in March to the city’s planning department and the Historic Preservation Fund Committee for feedback.

Both entities are now reviewing the preliminary draft and will submit any comments or suggested revisions to Graves and Watson. A second draft will then be submitted to planning officials before a final version is sent to the city’s Historic Preservation Commission to be voted on at a public hearing.

So far the women have received “super positive comments” about their initial version of the document, wrote Watson.

“We have dedicated thousands of hours (many pro bono) to making the HCS as comprehensive and inclusive as possible,” she wrote, referring to the historic context statement. “This is by far the most meaningful and personally rewarding project of my career, and I know Donna feels the same. We couldn’t be more excited that we are this close to having it adopted by the city.”t

t

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-15-551033

In the matter of the application of: MEGAN ASHLEY GRIMM, 4540 CALIFORNIA ST #10, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MEGAN ASHLEY GRIMM, is requesting that the name MEGAN ASHLEY GRIMM, be changed to MEGAN ASHLEY KUMAR. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 514 on the 2nd of June 2015 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APRIL 02, 09, 16, 23, 2015 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-15-551034

In the matter of the application of: VISHAL AGARWAL, 4540 CALIFORNIA ST #10, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner VISHAL AGARWAL, is requesting that the name VISHAL AGARWAL, be changed to VISHAL KUMAR. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 514 on the 2nd of June, 2015 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APRIL 02, 09, 16, 23, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036394700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SHARDS OF HISTORY, 1578 INNES AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GREG FREEMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/26/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/26/15.

APRIL 02, 09, 16, 23, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036358300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GRANNY PANTY DESIGNS, 215 SANTA YNEZ AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARISSA CARTER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/10/15.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/10/15.

APRIL 02, 09, 16, 23, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036396000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TRISKELIAN’S KEY, 399 ARGUELLO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HERSCHELL LARRICK. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/27/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/27/15.

APRIL 02, 09, 16, 23, 2015 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINSTER ESTATE OF SAMMY LEE BELL IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO 400 MCALLISTER, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102: FILE PES-15-298702

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of SAMMY LEE BELL. A Petition for Probate has been filed by DONNA MARIE MADISON-BELL in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that DONNA MARIE MADISON-BELL be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. 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: May 18, 2015, Probate Department, 9:00a.m. 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: Hilary Hedemark, 601 Van Ness Ave., #2056, San Francisco, CA 94102; Ph. (415) 692-1503.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 2015

SUMMONS SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: BERNARDO RAMIRO FUENTES YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: IRMA ENCINAS CASE NO. CGC-12-526901

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

You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp) your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case.

The name and address of the court is: San Francisco Superior Court, 400 McAllister St, San Francisco, CA 94102.

The name, address, and telephone number of the plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is:

ROBERT P. GARCIA, 12 GEARY ST RM 708, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108; (415) 648-3060 Date: Dec 11, 2012; Clerk Of The Court, by Steppe, Deputy.

APRIL 02, 09, 16, 23, 2015 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-15-551136 In the matter of the application of: JEFFREY STEPHEN MARCUSJOHN, 451 KANSAS ST #505, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JEFFREY STEPHEN MARCUSJOHN, is requesting that the name JEFFREY STEPHEN MARCUSJOHN, be changed to ANXO MAXXUM FLYNN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514 on the 7th of July 2015 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 07, 14, 21, 28, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036396500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PIZZA JOINT, 3088 BALBOA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JIHAD DABIT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/27/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/27/15.

APRIL 02, 09, 16, 23, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036363500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: UBIQUITY RETIREMENT & SAVINGS, 101 GREEN ST, 2ND FLOOR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DECIMAL INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/12/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/12/15.

APRIL 02, 09, 16, 23, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036377100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 1-2-3-4 GO! RECORDS, 1034 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed STEVEN PHILIP RAY STEVENSON. 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 03/18/15.

APRIL 09, 16, 23, 30, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036404500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PRACTISTRY, 945 IRVING ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed WENDIE SUE LASH & KAREN LEE ERLICHMAN. 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 04/02/15.

APRIL 09, 16, 23, 30, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036405400

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036389800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PLEASANT AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION, 1931 QUESADA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GALAXY UNLIMITED SERVICES, 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 03/24/15.

APRIL 09, 16, 23, 30, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036402600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHRISTOPHER’S AT THE PALACE, 3601 LYON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed POFA CAFE, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/01/15.

APRIL 09, 16, 23, 30, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036384200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RED APRON PIZZERIA, 3214 FOLSOM ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed RED APRON PIZZERIA, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/15/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/20/15.

APRIL 09, 16, 23, 30, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036375500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ANITA BOWEN PHOTOGRAPHY, 1034 STANFORD AVE #1, OAKLAND, CA 94608. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANITA BOWEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/17/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/17/15.

APRIL 16, 23, 39, MAY 07, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036415700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: IDIOSYNCRATIC VISION, 857 CLAY ST #409, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANTHONY WILCOX. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/07/15.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/07/15.

APRIL 16, 23, 39, MAY 07, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036360800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUN STAR, 2545 A NORIEGA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HUA JIANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/11/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/11/15.

APRIL 16, 23, 39, MAY 07, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036389000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TYCOON STATUS ENTERTAINMENT, 78 MARGARET AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JORELLE JONES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/24/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/24/15.

APRIL 16, 23, 39, MAY 07, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036416500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: A RAN, 161 THRIFT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HANG RAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/08/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/08/15.

APRIL 16, 23, 39, MAY 07, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036397600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SIN CHERRY, 1228 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ORLANDO SANCHEZ ALVARADO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/30/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/30/15.

APRIL 16, 23, 39, MAY 07, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036402300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DOGO LOVE, 538 CASTRO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MEERIYAGERD INC. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/01/15.

APRIL 16, 23, 39, MAY 07, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036421300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GIG TELECOMMUNICATIONS, 1225 JUDAH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed JIANG ZHI HUI & SHEN PENGYU & FUNG HUNG LAU GIMEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/02/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/02/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE SPICE JAR, 2500 BRYANT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TABELU LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/10/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/10/15.

APRIL 09, 16, 23, 30, 2015

APRIL 16, 23, 30, MAY 07, 2015

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May 7-13, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036398900

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036439100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LAUNDRÉ, 1278 PAGE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LAUNDRÉ LIMITED LIABILITY CO. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/30/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/30/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO SOCCER, 2653 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SULMA GARCIA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/20/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/20/15.

APRIL 16, 23, 30, MAY 07, 2015 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-035898800

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036436800

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: SUN STAR, 2545A NORIEGA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by CHOI LIN IP. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/18/14.

APRIL 16, 23, 30, MAY 07, 2015 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036157500

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: SPOT ON SF, 325 NEWHALL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by HOGAN PENROSE LLC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/17/14.

APRIL 16, 23, 30, MAY 07, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036438800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BILL’S GOODS, 262 12TH AVE, #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed WILLIAM HOLDENSTERN. 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 04/20/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036397800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TAN’S FINE ART STUDIO, 235 MONTGOMERY ST, #350, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ZIMOU TAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/30/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/30/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036433900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MTENEROWICZ ENTERPRISES, 1299 BUSH ST, #204, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHAEL TENEROWICZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/16/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036434700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RED GARAGE, 39 ERVINE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSEPH PELINA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/17/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/17/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036412500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE NAUGHTY HINDU, 1900 FOLSOM ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SUDHIR POPAT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/06/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/06/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036419800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RIVERA’S HOUSECLEANING & JANITORIAL, 725 MOULTRIE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NORA LISETT BERRIOS RIVERA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/09/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/09/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036424100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MOKSHA DESIGNS, 228 CONGDEN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHAEL DEAN OSGOOD. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/10/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/10/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036436100

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PESBAS FISH AND CHICKEN, 393 EDDY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a general partnership and is signed KHALED OMER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/17/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/17/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036429700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HTH ADVISORS LLC PROPERTY ACCOUNT, 1074 UNION ST, #11, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ARTHUR BRUZZONE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/15/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036429800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GET IT US, 532 40TH AVE, #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HYUN JOO LEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/15/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036433100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SHE CAVE CREATIONS, 808 NAPLES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SOFIA M. MATHEWS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/16/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036427800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ANGELS’ WASH HOUSE, 5205 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LOW ANGEL ENTERPRISES INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/01. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/14/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036431800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CANDY DOLL BEAUTY, 1737 POST ST, #385, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PERFECT LADY COSMETIC & FASHION (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 04/15/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036431000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MARTIN BUILDING COMPANY, 14 MINT PLAZA, 5TH FLOOR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MARTIN MCNERNEY DEVELOPMENT, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/89. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/15/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036433000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOME ON 15TH, 2281A 15TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed CONSTANCE RICCA & SALVADORE T. RICCA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/03/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/16/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036441100

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-035723500

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: AQUA SPA, 14 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business was conducted by a limited partnership and signed by RALF SYMANZICK & GINA SYMANZICK. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/18/14.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036452100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAY ATHLETICS, 1737 GOLDEN GATE AVE #10, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed KAJARI BURNS & MATTHEW ILARINA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/27/15.

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APRIL 30, MAY 07, 14, 21, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036443800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BUENA VISTA MOTOR INN, 1599 LOMBARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GAJANAN, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/22/15.

APRIL 30, MAY 07, 14, 21, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036443900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COUNTRY HEARTH INN, 2707 LOMBARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MANGAL, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/22/15.

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APRIL 30, MAY 07, 14, 21, 2015 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036020200

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: SIN CHERRY 2, 2093 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by ALLAM BITAR & IMAD BITAR. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/28/14.

APRIL 30, MAY 07, 14, 21, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036426000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DIVINO SPUNTINO, 646 CORBETT AVE, #508, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KRISTEN CONNOLLY. 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 04/13/15.

MAY 07, 14, 21, 28, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036418700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PIXMETTLE, 156 2ND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KAPIL DEV DHINGRA. 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 04/08/15.

MAY 07, 14, 21, 28, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036455000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE RELAXATION LAB, 830 28TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ITAI ARGAMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/28/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/28/15.

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MAY 07, 14, 21, 28, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036418800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SIN CHERRY 2, 2093 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EDGAR LITTLETON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/20/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/21/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EL MAJAHUAL REST., 1142 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed HERNANDO LEDESMA & REGINA LEDESMA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/09/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/09/15.

APRIL 30, MAY 07, 14, 21, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036437300

MAY 07, 14, 21, 28, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036453900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROADSTER; ROADSTER.COM; ROADSTER AUTOMOTIVE, 1388 SUTTER ST, #900, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ROADSTER AUTOMOTIVE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/17/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RESCUE HR, 736 THORNTON AVE, SACRAMENTO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LANITA WILLIAMS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/14/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/17/15.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FIRE ROAD, 42 WINFIELD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FIRE ROAD LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/17/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/28/15.

APRIL 23, 30, MAY 07, 14, 2015

APRIL 30, MAY 07, 14, 21, 2015

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MAY 07, 14, 21, 28, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036464500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHRONICLED, 609 MISSION ST, #300, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ARTCOA, INC. (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/04/15.

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Out &About

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O&A

15

Vol. 45 • No. 19 • May 7-13, 2015

www.ebar.com/arts

Romeo & Juliet, cast to the hilt

by Paul Parish

S

an Francisco Ballet closed its season with a blazing performance of Romeo & Juliet, which artistic director Helgi Tomasson choreographed for the company 20 years ago and has never looked better. For opening night, the ballet was cast to the hilt with first-rate performers in every major role, including the important character parts for Juliet’s parents, Lord (Val Caniparoli) and Lady Capulet (the commanding Sofiane Sylve), Friar Lawrence (Ricardo Bustamante), and the allimportant role of her Nurse and confidante, played with telling generosity by Sherri Le Blanc. Sylve is principal dancer, and the others all former stars who have great stage presence.

See page 22 >>

San Francisco Ballet dancer Carlos Quenedit in Helgi Tomasson’s Romeo & Juliet.

Erik Tomasson

Pop music before the killing fields

by David Lamble

W

hat is the mysterious force in the universe that every so often creates a bond between us and some exotic corner of the world that we’ve never laid eyes on, and most likely never will?

Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll, John Pirozzi’s relentlessly sad but engaging and detailed account of the fate of victims of the 1970sera Cambodian auto-genocide, opens Friday at San Francisco’s Balboa Theater. It reminds me that my own adult identity, like that of the 15 million citizens of the Southeast Asian nation of Cambodia, was shaped in the ever-expanding shadow of America’s post-WWII pop culture, particularly rock-n-roll radio. Pirozzi, whose earlier film Sleepwalking Through the Mekong captured the sights and sounds of the LA rock band Dengue Fever’s journey to Cambodia and their engagement with the fledgling Cambodian rock culture, now sets about a kind of cultural restoration project whose legacy may well upstage his new film.

Pop music star from Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll.

See page 22 >>

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

45 eB AR .co

Courtesy Argot Pictures

Our largest edition of the year publishes on June 25, 2015 and will celebrate Pride’s historic 45th anniversary.

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the anniversary historical parade contingents, to mind Pride’s 200 passing likely to call milestone is of the GLBT significance. executive director anniversary Paul Boneberg, said Pride’s 40th in events both Society, of the Pride Historical importance “shows the and around the world.”

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June (Thursday, a.k.a. Richard Walters, pubSweet Lips, B.A.R. founding roommates and the late Ross were his self-delisher Bob Lips started when Sweet column.

Sweet Lips, and scribed gossip and people, bars, Reporter columnist He wrote about Polk and Bay Area with bar owner Marlena paper’s Francisco’s visits left, at the events in San He even worked in right, publisher Bob Ross, 2001 at the areas.

B.A.R. party in April .

Tenderloin led him 30th anniversary a few bars.

Club Rendez-Vous health has now-defunct But declining page 4

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NectArena executive producer Jade Williams, as Edaj. better known

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at this of the women t’s the year Francisco Pride Sunday’s San LGBT festival.

San Francisco NectArena, Committee’s 10 Pride Celebration is celebrating women’s stage, In addition to the years of pride. two competing affiliated stage’s anniversary, events, not women’s Pride Committee – Eden with the Pride PrideFest – are and in the Bay to the celebration. [See adding glam in this month’s “Feast of Eden” stage, the BARtab.)

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Pride has two most prominent one of the the world at stages in stages women’s L. idea of women’s “sparked the events,” said Kendall other Pride

▼

Rick Gerharter

S unfurl material a contingent rainbow Members of to the colors in the ing Parade. correspond the 2008 Pride flag during

Vol. 40

communit transgender

▼

34 wraps up Frameline final weekend’s The big 4-0! days: The politics of Pride parade.

As the only LGBT publication with an audited and verified circulation, the Bay Area Reporter offers the largest reach to LGBT consumers in the 9-county San Francisco Bay Area.

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OUR 2015 PRIDE EDITION PUBLISHES JUNE 25. CALL 415-861-5019 or EMAIL ADVERTISING@EBAR.COM FOR MORE INFO. page 13

NS ECTIO REE S OF TH FIRST

<< Out There

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 7-13, 2015

Celebrating bookstores

t

by Roberto Friedman

L

ast Saturday was Independent Bookstore Day, and Out There was among those who said hooray.

One of the joys of visiting an oldschool, bricks-and-mortar bookstore is the opportunity to browse.

OT uses the highly unscientific open-to-a-random-page, dip-in method to determine whether a book is for us. This week we attempt to replicate that experience for you, by presenting passages from some of the books that have recently crossed our desk. We’ll tag on the bibliographical info, but otherwise get out of the way. Happy sampling!

1. “Say, for postcard – Richard Avedon six months ago took a really great photo of me and Peter [Orlovsky] mellow naked (cropped around halfway down P’s pecker and one fourth of mine) – one of the best classic photos he ever took, says Robert Frank – he was too chicken to put it in book he’s making, he has one of me alone naked holding hand in front of my loins. But that suppressed one would be great card, except can’t probably send it thru mail – or could one?? I dunno.” – From I Greet You at

the Beginning of a Great Career – The Selected Correspondence of Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg, 1955-1997, edited by Bill Morgan (City Lights, pub. date: June 15).

2. “Fame like a drunkard consumes the house of the soul/ Exposing that you have worked for only this/ Ah, that I had never suffered this treacherous kiss/ And had been left in darkness forever to founder and fail.”

– Malcolm Lowry, “After Publication of Under the Volcano,” from City Lights Pocket Poets Anthology, 60th

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Anniversary Edition, edited by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (City Lights).

“For Bela Lugosi: A chance meeting with Morgan le Fay at the observation roof of the Empire State Building.” – Philip Lamantia, “Time Traveler’s Potlatch,” from City Lights Pocket Poets Anthology.

3. “None of the white girls ever disapproved of my dancing, whoever my partner might be, since they were frustrated at how hard it was to get the white boys to dance.

White boys were reluctant to move like that in front of their peers. Indeed, once I became established as a willing dancer, both white and black girls kept me busy, and I hardly ever sat down during any of the dances that followed.” – From How I Shed My Skin – Unlearning the Racist Lessons of a Southern Childhood by Jim Grimsley (Algonquin Books).

4. “We are the Stonewall girls. We wear our hair in curls. We have no underwear. We show our public hairs.” – From Stonewall – Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights by Ann Bausum (Viking Books for Young Readers).

5. “‘Here. Sniff a little of this before we go in.’

“I took the vial from Greg and snorted, my head filling with a thick, hot jelly that slipped down my neck all the way to my tailbone. ‘Oh, fuck.

It feels amazing.’ I could only imagine what high-end, designer drug I’d just taken. ‘Sylvia, what is this?’

“Her eyes rolled down from her skull like venetian blinds. ‘It’s VCR head cleaner.’” – From Bad Kid – A Memoir by David Crabb (Harper Perennial, pub. date: May 19).

6. “At the same time that he was making these films, [Warren] Sonbert wrote extensively about international opera performances, music recordings, and the Hollywood cinema; these articles were most frequently published by The Advocate, the Bay Area Reporter, and the San Francisco Sentinel. He would often write under the pseudonym of Scottie Ferguson, the character Jimmy Stewart plays in Hitchcock’s Vertigo (U.S., 1958).” – From Framework – The Journal of Cinema and Media (Spring 2015): Warren Sonbert – Selected Writings, guest editor Jon Gartenberg (frameworknow.com).

7. “From saloons to tenement houses, to military barracks and fraternal clubs, and to truck stops and bathrooms, ‘normal’ (heterosexual) white men have long found ways to have hetero-masculine sex with one another.” “[Hunter S.] Thompson ultimately seemed to settle on the position that the Hell’s Angels were simply too menacing to be homosexuals, a position suggesting that the link between homosexuality and effeminacy continued to function as a loophole for straight, masculine men well into the 1960s.” – From Not Gay: Sex Between Straight White Men by Jane Ward (NYU Press, pub. date: Aug. 4).t

On the web This week, find Victoria A. Brownworth’s Lavender Tube column, “TV tells a tale of Baltimore,” online at ebar.com.

t

Theatre>>

May 7-13, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 15

Multicultural road trip

Pak Han

L. Peter Callender (left) plays an American musical legend on a spontaneous road trip out of Tehran with a flirtatious young musician (Mohammad Talani) and famous Iranian movie star (Sofia Ahmad) in Isfahan Blues.

by Richard Dodds

W

hen worlds collide, you usually find drama. They might be planets in a sci-fi movie, but those worlds can be earthbound and still create tectonic drama. The worlds that collide in Isfahan Blues are so very specific as to seem unlikely exemplifications for drama that could resonate beyond immediate boundaries.

But the specifics can be unnervingly relevant in this new play that imagines a multicultural clash that takes place 50 years ago in a faraway place.

Playwright Torange Yeghiazarian (founder of the co-presenting Golden Thread Productions) had a handy research source: her mother, Vida Ghahremani, a former Iranian movie star with a love of jazz music.

And the cultural component of the Cold War added another factual element to the scenario that Yeghiazar-

ian has conjured. The same year that her parents opened a popular club in Tehran that embraced modern Western trends from decor to music, Duke Ellington and his orchestra arrived in Iran as part of a U.S. State Department-sponsored tour of the Middle East.

And so a situation that might seem manufactured becomes entirely plausible when a musician from Ellington’s orchestra finds his way into Tehran’s Club Cuccini after eluding his State Department keepers. That musician happens to be Billy Strayhorn, or at least a character modeled upon him, who was a legend who often chose to live in the shadows. The actual Strayhorn, openly gay but given a protective shield by the fatherly Ellington, was famously drawn to glamorous women. Renamed Ray Hamilton, he meets movie star Bella, and they

decide to take a break from their regimented lives – Bella from her controlling husband, and Ray from his guy-Friday service to Ellington.

The dialogue that Yeghiazarian has fashioned is often witty, intelligent, and of growing political ramifications in the Iran of 1963. It starts off at the music club where Bella holds court as various shady figures pass through. But the arrival of Ray, the Strayhorn character, creates a celebratory mood, and Ray seems to have a particular appreciation for a handsome young member of the house band. Bella, Ray, and Farid decide to make their own way to Isfahan, the next stop on the Ellington tour, but without letting anyone know of their private road trip.

Isfahan Blues is presented as a memory play, as scenes of the See page 18 >>

ebar.com

Wild hearts

by Tim Pfaff

O

ne of the true marvels of world literature, the poetry of Sappho has taken another small but important leap forward. The publication of longtime Sappho scholar Diane J. Raynor’s Sappho: A New Translation of the Complete Works (Cambridge U. Press) was delayed last year to accommodate a papyrus find, earlier in 2014, that increased the meager quantity of the 7th-century BC poet’s known works by a few more fragments and, more importantly, “Brothers Song,” five stanzas of a poem that may be missing one to three other stanzas. In the world of Sappho scholarship, this constitutes a bonanza, and the 2014 papyrus finds (printed in an Appendix) alone make Cambridge’s slim but authoritative book essential.

Scholars are clear that Sappho’s poetry – even in its fragmentary state, the most influential poetry by a woman ever – is lyric in the most literal sense, i.e., the texts are words of songs that would have been performed by the poet herself (who has been said to have invented the plectrum, for the lyre) or by solo or choral voices, sometimes perhaps of men, at the time of their writing or in the centuries afterward. There’s evidence that there once were numerous volumes of songs by the poet from the island of Lesbos, and that it was a combination of fire and church-sponsored homophobia (declaring her “a sex-crazed whore”) in the centuries since that reduced them to the surviving fragments, oddly increasing their importance.

The debate about whether Sappho was, in our modern sense, a lesbian is as old as classical antiquity.

In his lucid introduction to the new translation, Greek-literature scholar Andre Lardinois comments, “[For ancient Greeks,] homosexuality and heterosexuality were not opposed to one another, as they are perceived to be in modern times. A distinction was rather made between marital love (Hera) and passionate love (Aphrodite), which included homo- and heterosexual affairs, and

CONNIE CHAMPAGNE

MARILYN MAYE

SPENCER DAY

May 14

May 15 - 16

June 5 - 6

For tickets:www.feinsteinssf.com Feinstein’s | Hotel Nikko San Francisco 222 Mason Street 855-MF-NIKKO | 855-636-4556

See page 16 >> 097574.01_HNSF_2015_Bay_Area_Reporter_5-7 Trim: 5.75in x 7.625in

Bleed: none

ROUND #: MECH

Live: 5.75in x 7.625in

Color Space: CMYK

<< Theatre

16 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 7-13, 2015

Oxford courtship complications

by Richard Dodds

T

Patrick O’Connor

College chum Jack (James Bock) tries to convince Charley (Keith Pinto) to stay in disguise for the sake of romance in Where’s Charley? at 42nd Street Moon.

he Frank Loesser who wrote the songs for Where’s Charley? seems an entirely different species than the Frank Loesser who two years later would write the songs for Guys and Dolls. Of course, the musicals’ situations required different sounds, but it’s still as if Loesser joined a gym and juiced on steroids. It’s a big jump from “At the Red Rose Cotillion” to “The Oldest Established (Permanent Floating Crap Game in New York).”

42nd Street Moon is closing its season with a rare revival of Where’s Charley?, a 1948 musical that was a Broadway hit but has challenged the curious listener to hear its songs. It opened during an ASCAP strike, so an original cast album was never recorded. Most of the songs were preserved for a 1952 movie version, but it has been withdrawn from television broadcast, and no VHS or DVD edition has been commercially released.

The musical itself is a curious bit of hokum, unsure of what degree of irony to bring to a story that harkens back to the 19th-century chestnut Charley’s Aunt. English playwright Brandon Thomas was a contemporary of Oscar Wilde’s, and there are occasionally parallels in the arch wordplay from each playwright.

But Thomas was more about antic situations than dry wit, and librettist George Abbott’s adaptation for the musical only occasionally seems to be sending up the source material, with results staying mostly mild.

Director Dyan McBride’s production is a solid rendering of the material, never ceasing to be at least genial and occasionally pushing into more robust moments of music and comedy. At Oxford University, two school chums, Charley and Jack (Keith Pinto and James Bock), wish to court two proper young ladies (Abby Sammons and Jennifer Mitchell), but can only do so if a chaperone is present.

The plan to employ Charley’s visiting aunt, whom he has never met, as that chaperone is undone when she is delayed. He must disguise himself as his old auntie to provide cover for the courtship and to convince the damsels’ sour guardian (Scott Hayes) to sign off on proposals of marriage.

Of course, Charley cannot be both chaperone and suitor at the same time, with quick changes and confusions marking the comedy.

Loesser’s score has several charming ditties, as well as a couple of clunkers (the title song is utter nonsense).

“Make a Miracle” is an inventive love duet sung by Charley and his beloved Amy that exults in the wonders of

FEB 11–JUN 29 2015

t

coming 20th-century technology, while “My Darling, My Darling” is a song that will soon have you singing along in your head. And then there is “Once in Love with Amy,” a song that turned into an audience sing-along during the original run, which is now scripted into the show.

There is one scene from the movie version easily accessible on YouTube that has Ray Bolger recreating his song-and-dance routine to “Once in Love with Amy,” and his rubbery expressions and comic dance moves make it a delight. You need something of a clown in the title role, whether he is in or out of drag, which is not a quality that the very capable Keith Pinto possesses in the 42nd Street Moon production. He comes across as a tireless but serious actor who is mainly funny when the script will have it no other way.

All the leading players have competent connections to their roles without drawing any particular attention to individual performances. In addition to those mentioned above, principals include Stephanie Rhoads as Charley’s actual aunt, John-Elliott Kirk as school chum Jack’s impoverished gentry father, and Stephen Vaught in the dual role of a solemn butler and a flamboyant drama coach.

Choreographer Nancy Dobbs Owen manages to find some lively dance moves that don’t push the cast beyond its limits. (If having Ray Bolger as the original Charley weren’t enough, George Balanchine was choreographer for the Broadway production.) Music director Lauren Mayer is on stage providing strong accompaniment from the piano. Composer Frank Loesser is said not to have been particularly fond of his work on Where’s Charley?, and it’s unlikely many would fiercely argue the point. But it is easy on the ears, and if you like coming out of a musical humming a tune, there is an earworm named “Once in Love with Amy” waiting for you.t Where’s Charley? will run at the Eureka Theatre through May 17.

Tickets are $25 - $75. Call (415) 2558207 or go to www.42ndstmoon.org.

<<

IN THE PRESIDIO 104 MONTGOMERY S A N F RA NC IS C O WALTDISNEY.ORG

Revel in the golden age of Hollywood through an exhibition of photography from George Hurrell—one of America’s finest photographers, credited with creating the opulent glamour portrait of the 1930s and 40s. See rare and vintage prints of Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn, Carole Lombard, and more, including Hurrell’s uncle-in-law, Walt Disney.

Image: George Hurrell, Carole Lombard in The Princess Comes Across, 1936; courtesy of Pancho Barnes Trust Estate Archive, © Estate of George Hurrell. Lights! Camera! Glamour! The Photography of George Hurrell is produced by The Walt Disney Family Museum. The Walt Disney Family Museum® Disney Enterprises, Inc. | © 2015 The Walt Disney Family Museum | The Walt Disney Family Museum is not affiliated with Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Sappho

From page 15

Sappho was considered to be the spokesperson of passionate love.”

For Raynor – who begins her introduction to the translations by saying, “Sappho changed my life,” and whose published translations have evolved over the 30 years she has worked on them – that debate seems moot. “I like to picture Sappho singing among and to other women, sometime simply among her female friends – as she says, ‘to delight my [female] companions.’”

While other women poets and Sappho scholars have made more fervid translations, Raynor’s does achieve its “double goal of accuracy and poetry. My translations neither embellish nor simplify.” Their power, and Sappho’s, is audible in Raynor’s translation of the newly discovered first stanza of Fragment 26, “Kypris Song.” “How can someone not be hurt and hurt again, Queen Aphrodite, by the person one loves – and wishes above all to ask back?”

To the modern reader, the far more minimal verbal shards of most of the fragments, in this translation “punctuated” with ellipses and brackets, have the look of e.e. cummings poems – which, now that cummings’ work is taken seriously again, makes many of them worthy if mysterious reading, too. How more primal do sentiments get than those of Fragment 129: (a) “But you have forgotten me,” and (b) “Or you love someone else more than me?”

See page 22 >>

Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com and select Walmart locations. To charge by phone (800) 745-3000. Limit 8 tickets per person. All dates, acts and ticket prices are subject to change without notice. All tickets are subject to applicable service charges.

<< Fine Art

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 7-13, 2015

Artfully engaged with printmaking

by Sura Wood

A

lthough best-known for his paintings, California artist Richard Diebenkorn tangoed with printmaking throughout his career until his death in 1993. His abiding connection to the medium began when he was a graduate student at the San Francisco Art Insti-

tute, before he developed his own artistic style, and continued during the 1960s in Point Richmond, and later in Berkeley and San Francisco, where he worked with Crown Point Press founder Kathan Brown, and onward through the 1980s in Southern California. He would return to etching and lithography again and again, drawing on a copper plate as

Courtesy the Richard Diebenkorn Foundation

“Seascape” (1962), lithograph by Richard Diebenkorn, printed by Joe Funk at Tamarind Lithography Workshop, LA.

if it were a sketchpad, a process that enabled him to experiment, free his mind and unleash another dimension of his creativity.

In her 2012 memoir Know That You Are Lucky, Brown reflected on what she learned from Diebenkorn, who strolled into her studio shortly after she founded the press. “It was all about the touch and feel of the activity for him, not visualizing how the product would come out,” she says.

“What he liked was that you had to do it out of your body, your whole being, and invest yourself.” That full-bodied investment is evident in Richard Diebenkorn Prints, a new show at the de Young Museum that’s well worth savoring. It consists of 49 of the 160 prints the Fine Arts Museums purchased last year, an acquisition that makes the institution the largest repository of Diebenkorn’s engagement with printmaking.

Offering an overview of his career without being a true retrospective, the prints testify to the artist’s remarkable aptitude for composition across multiple media as he coasted between figuration and abstraction.

“The printmaking helped him paint,” observes Karin Breuer, curator in charge of FAMSF’s Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts. “He [used it] to think through an idea or a concept, but very often he would drop his painting and practice printmaking in a very intense way for a long period of time. He moved from one to the other with a great ease, sometimes working on both simultaneously.”

The show of mostly black & white untitled works, many of which are rare or unique unpublished prints and proofs, is a potent complement to the museum’s terrific Diebenkorn exhibition two years ago, which focused on his Berkeley years. Judging from that show and this one, Berkeley agreed with him. A group of largely figurative early-1960s etchings includes “Por-

Courtesy the Richard Diebenkorn Foundation

“Untitled (Two women wearing patterned skirts standing against striped background)” (1965), aquatint and drypoint by Richard Diebenkorn, printed by Kathan Broen at Crown Point Press.

trait of Kathan Brown” (1964), who’s captured from the side and seated, a single assured stroke deftly defining both the bare arm closest to our gaze, and the positive and negative space around it. In a trio of unknown proofs, the artist applied his proclivity for compressed landscapes to the inside and outside of his Berkeley Hills house for a split-view perspective, and to the vista from his deck. He brought an emotional weight to works such as “Cup and Saucer” (1965), where everyday objects and a pair of eyeglasses resting on a table are set against a rustic Midnight background; the moody lithograph could have been conjured

by Rembrandt.

Diebenkorn’s intrepid and, one suspects, extremely forbearing late wife, Phyllis, was frequently drafted for muse and modeling duties, usually smoking her way through the experience, and is seen doing her bit for posterity in numerous images. A

<<

Gowns, accessories, and other looks by the most influential designers of the last hundred years—including Chanel, Givenchy, Dior, and Charles James— trace the evolution of fashion in the 20th century. See this exclusive West Coast presentation from the Brooklyn Museum’s distinguished costume collection.

MARCH 14–JULY 19, 2015

Legion of Honor

Lincoln Park • legionofhonor.org This exhibition is organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

President’s Circle: The Estate of Merrill and Hedy Thruston. Conservator’s Circle: The Diana Dollar Knowles Fund. Benefactor’s Circle: The Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, the Estate of Harriet E. Lang, and Robert and Carole McNeil. Patron’s Circle: Mr. and Mrs. William Hamilton, Mrs. James K. McWilliams, and Jim and Arlene Sullivan. Additional support provided through proceeds from The Art of Fashion: Runway Show and Luncheon. Digital Design by Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

Media Sponsors Charles James, “Tree” ball gown, 1955. Silk taffeta and tulle. Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. Douglas Fairbanks Jr., 1981. Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

t

Isfahan Blues

From page 15

contemporary Bella (played by Ghahremani herself) and the spirit of the deceased Ray Hamilton (L. Peter Callender, who also plays the younger Hamilton) interrupt the action to reminisce, argue, and recall the bond they developed during their temporary escape from responsibility. The play opens with the Strayhorn-inspired character alone onstage ranting about racial issues as scenes from the Civil Rights struggles of the early 1960s are projected behind him. And then, puncturing the pontificating, the older Bella, seated to the side of the stage in an easy chair, snaps, “Get on with it.” This is a play that knows how to have fun with itself.

As a road trip that starts as free and easy, cultural fissures begin to develop. Hamilton is seething with racial resentments that he mostly keeps under wraps, but they begin to come to the surface as Bella and traveling companion Farid reveal rather simplified notions of what it is actually like for a black man in the United States. But the flirtatious Farid, who may or may not be having an affair with Hamilton, doesn’t let Ray’s blackness absolve him in America’s historic meddling in Iranian affairs. All three find themselves slapped down when a provincial police officer arrests them for being, in his mind, a prostitute, an African

group of them occupies an entire wall and, by god, the woman deserves the recognition. Perhaps one day we’ll have a show built around the unsung heroics of artists’ wives, but don’t hold your breath. In an aquatint from 1965, she shields her face with her hands like a movie star blinded by flashbulbs as if to say, “Could you please leave me in peace for just one moment?”

In another print, that image appears along with that of a woman seated in an armchair; the images were printed separately, then combined.

It was Phyllis who invited Breuer to cull through the estate archive and rummage through the flat file drawers looking for treasure after Diebenkorn’s death. “It was like being the kid in the candy shop,” Breuer recalls.

Phyllis is also the central figure of an arresting black & white lithograph, an ode to Matisse titled, “Untitled See page 19 >> troublemaker, and a drug dealer.

Director Laura Hope’s staging manages to keep the production moving as the action continually shifts to new locales. Too often, though, action itself ceases as characters end up sitting around tables for drawn-out discussions. The play, especially in the second act, could use some trimming without any dramatically detrimental effects.

As Ray Hamilton, L. Peter Callender (artistic director of co-presenter African-American Shakespeare Company) does vibrant but nuanced work as the musical genius filled with both bitterness and gratitude. Sofia Ahmad brings a vivacious personality to the young Vida, and while Ghahremani lends authentic gravitas to the older Vida, she was a bit tentative on her lines at last week’s opening. As the fun-loving but politically smoldering Farid, Mohammad Talani offers a bouncingly idiosyncratic performance.

Because of copyright issues, only snippets of Ellington-Strayhorn compositions are used, but composer Marcus Shelby did create an inthe-style-of song to finish the show on a note of East-West peace that we are happy to take, even if only for a few minutes.t Isfahan Blues will run at Buriel Clay Theater through May 24.

Tickets are $15-$34. Go to africanamericanshakes.org or goldenthread.org.

t

Books>>

May 7-13, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

Women who influenced Williams

by Tavo Amador

J

ohn Lahr’s outstanding Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh (2014), which is both a standalone biography and a companion volume to Lyle Leverich’s masterful Tom: The Unknown Tennessee Williams (1995), suggested that, for at least a generation, little of value could be added about America’s greatest and openly gay playwright (1911-83). Happily, that isn’t the case. James Grissom’s gripping, informative Follies of God: Tennessee Williams and the Women of the Fog (Knopf, $30) illustrates how Williams tailored his many unforgettable characters – Amanda Wingfield, Blanche DuBois, Alma Winemuller, Serafina Delle Rose, Maggie Pollitt, Alexandra del Lago, and Hannah Jelkes – to fit the talents of actresses he admired. Each character was drawn from his own experience, but he couldn’t give her life without imagining an actress to play her.

Williams’ first major play, Battle of Angels (1940), was produced by the prestigious Theatre Guild, and the part of Myra, Lady Torrence, was played by Miriam Hopkins, an important film and theatre star.

She befriended and helped the unknown author. The play had a disastrous opening in Boston and wasn’t revived until 1957, by which time he had changed the American theatre with landmark dramas like The Glass Menagerie (1945), A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955), Sweet Bird of Youth (1959) and The Night of the Iguana (1961).

Menagerie became the comeback vehicle for Broadway legend Laurette Taylor. For generations, people who saw her Amanda insisted it was the greatest performance they had ever witnessed. Although the part was essentially written when she was cast, Williams made changes to fit Taylor’s gigantic talent.

Creating his next unforgettable woman, Blanche in Streetcar, involved a very different process.

The play had many iterations, and as Grissom shows, was originally conceived for the movie star Lillian Gish, whom Williams admired. But Gish’s puritanical attitudes about sex, her inability to understand ho-

<<

mosexuality, her age (54), revisions to the work, and the insistence by director Elia Kazan made it clear that another actress had to be cast.

Jessica Tandy got the part, and Williams reshaped the character to suit her personality and abilities.

The 1948 production of Summer and Smoke opened to cool reviews and a disappointing run. But in 1952, gay director Jose Quintero worked with Williams to improve the play and introduced him to Geraldine Page, who understood Alma. Williams connected with her.

Her star-making performance at the Circle on the Square Theatre carried the play to success, and is credited with establishing off-Broadway as an important theatrical venue.

Page, who would also triumph in Williams’ Bird, was perhaps the sanest and grounded actress with whom Williams worked. She had confidence in her abilities, but as Alexandra in Bird, worried about how to move like a movie star. Williams showed her how Hopkins carried herself. Page starred in the film versions of both plays. Despite their close working relationship, she wasn’t someone he could call during the night to discuss his anxieties.

Maureen Stapleton, however, was.

She would win a Tony for Serafina

in The Rose Tattoo (1953), a role created by Williams for his close friend, Italian megastar Anna Magnani, who felt her English was inadequate for Broadway.

Williams worked with Stapleton, rewrote as necessary to suit her gifts, and they became lifetime intimates. Like Williams, Stapleton drank. Like him, she felt herself to be “a mess.” They loved and accepted one another. She often helped him get through a bad night. Williams wrote a part for her in the 1959 movie The Fugitive Kind, a reworking of Angels, starring Marlon Brando, Magnani, and Joanne Woodward. Another intimate was Kim Hunter, the original Stella in Streetcar.

Katharine Hepburn spoke frankly to Grissom. She admired Williams’ talent, but didn’t understand his emotional turmoil. He wrote Hannah in Iguana for her, and she wanted to play her, but wouldn’t commit to a minimum run of one year. Consequently, an incandescent Margaret Leighton created the role.

Homophobic critics often dismissed Williams’ women as being “drag queens.” Time has proven them wrong. Grissom underscores

how well he understood them. Williams’ assessment of Marilyn Monroe, for example, is clear-sighted yet sympathetic, as are his comments on her marriage to Arthur Miller.

Additionally, Grissom sheds a welcome light on the complex relationship between Williams and William Inge (1913-73). They met when Inge was a theatre critic and aspiring dramatist in St. Louis.

They had a sexual affair, which lasted on and off for years. Williams arranged for his agent, Audrey Wood, to look at Inge’s work.

In 1950, Inge’s Come Back, Little Sheba made him famous, and he followed with Picnic (1953), Bus Stop (1955), and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1957), all filmed.

He would win an Oscar for his original screenplay Splendor in the Grass (1960).

Williams resented Inge’s success and felt that critics held him to a higher standard than they did his younger rival. They became estranged. Inge’s decline was as rapid as his ascent, and coincided with Williams’ own fall from favor.

Mutual failure restored their bond, as did their dependency on alcohol and drugs. Inge’s suicide was a terrible blow to Williams.

Grissom interviewed Williams over many years for this book. These actresses openly discussed their relationships with him. So did Kazan, Brando, and Gore Vidal. Grissom’s own insights add to understanding Williams’ complex, painful creative process. Follies of God is a worthy addition to the works of Leverich and Lahr. It increases our appreciation of the man whose best work is timeless, touching, luminous.t

LIVE AT GRATON RESORT & CASINO Memorial Day Weekend, May 23 & 24 Two big shows! Two big nights! Performances by awardwinning music, comedy, and theater stars, including Lady Bunny, Jackie Beat, Candis Cayne, Joey Arias,

Diebenkorn

Levi Kreis, Jimmy James, Martha Wash and more.

From page 18

Reclining Woman” (ca. 1967). Darkhaired and chic in a springtime polkadot dress, a pale skirt demurely covering her knees and a black bracelet on her wrist, she’s stretched out languidly on a bench. Sensual, feminine and somehow very French, the serene scene merges softly with a busy background, as they would in a watercolor wash, yet the fluid boundaries remain distinct. If you have time, walk over to the Botticelli to Braque exhibition and check out Matisse’s “The Piano Session,” a painting which has a curious affinity with this Diebenkorn piece, in feeling and scale if not in content.

While living in Southern California during the 1980s, the era of his Ocean Park pictures, Diebenkorn made three large, uniformly-sized lithographs with near identical geometries: “Serge” (1985), whose silvery cast and velvety blacks are reminiscent of a photographic negative; the pink- and aqua-tinted “Greyland” (1986); and “Twelve” (1985), done in living color and closest in spirit and structure to his landscape paintings.

A portfolio of sparse, small-scale works concludes the show. Created the year he died, they suggest a man moving toward the end, cleaning house, and letting go.t Through Oct. 4.

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<< Out&About

20 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 7-13, 2015

A bo ut

O& A

Fri 8

O

ut &

Ondine

Maria Bello @ JCCSF The actress and author of Whatever…

Love is Love: Questioning the Labels We Give Ourselves discusses her book about modern families. $25-$35. 7pm.

3200 California St. 292-1200. www.jccsf.org

Ondine @ Sutro Baths

May flowers

by Jim Provenzano

M

ay I offer some May specialities? A potpourri of production values? Dashing dancers, celebrities singing, and actual artists? I may? Why, thank you.

Thu 7 Author Talk @ Contemporary Jewish Museum Award-winning writers Michelle Tea ( Valencia, Mermaid in Chelsea Creek), Eileen Myles ( Chelsea Girls, Cool for You ), and Emmy-nominated Jill Soloway ( Six-Feet Under, Transparent) discuss literature, pop culture, making it in Hollywood. $15. 6:30pm. 736 Mission St. 655-7800. thecjm.org

Black Virgins are Not for Hipsters @ The Marsh Echo Brown’s comic solo show follows a young women’s impending sexual encounter, and its political implications. $20-$35. Thu 8pm. Sat 8:30pm. Thru May 9. 1062 Valencia St. at 22nd. 282-3055. themarsh.org

Cypress String Quartet @ Various Venues The acclaimed music ensemble performs early and middle Beethoven String Quartets. $50. May 7, 7pm & May 8, 8pm at Maybeck Studio for the Performing Arts (1537 Euclid Ave.), Berkeley. May 9, 8pm, Kanbar Performing Arts Center (44 Page St.) Sf. May 10, 3pm at Woman’s Club of Palo Alto (475 Homer Ave.). www.cypressquartet.com

Gala Under Glass @ Conservatory of Flowers The Conservatory’s annual stylish fundraiser features delicious floralinfused cocktails, sumptuous food, live music with the Deco Belles and the Dick Bright Orchestra, plus tours of the plant exhibits and a snazzy silent auction. Elegant attire, please. $100$250. 100 JFK Drive, Golden Gate Park, 831-2090. conservatoryofflowers.org

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 based on Picasso, Cocteau, Josephine Baker and even Marie Antoinette. $30-$35.

Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru May 2. 575 10th St. www.hypnodrome.org

Lewis DeSimone, Jonathan Harper @ Books Inc. Two gay authors read from and discuss their recent works: Harper’s Daydreamers, and DeSimone’s The Heart’s History. 7pm. 2275 Market St. www.booksinc.net

Readings & Screenings @ Modern Times Bookstore May 7, 7pm, $5: author James Tracy ( Dispatches Against Displacement).

May 8, 7pm screening of Ruth Maheney’s Salt of the Earth, about New Mexico immigrant salt mine workers.

May 11, 7pm, $5: Catherine Hiller (Just Say Yes: A Marijuana Memoir). May 13, 7pm, $10: Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Peter Case, with Jim Page and David Gans. May 14, 6:30pm: The International Flor y Canto Festival, with poets Harold Terezon, Aja Duncan, Kim Shuck, Maceo Montoya and others.

2919 24th St. 282-9246. mtbs.com

Resound @ PianoFight Three-night music and dance jamfest, with five original dances backed by a a live band, followed my improv jams. $12-$25. 8pm. Thru May 9. 144 Taylor St. www.pianofight.com

Fri 8 Endeavor Foundation Awards @ Root Division Fourth annual presentation of grants and scholarships to artists in the GLBTQ community, with music, art and creativity. 7pm. 1059 Market St. www.effta.org

We Players, the innovative environmental theatre ensemble, presents an outdoor production of Jean Giraudoux’s fairy tale drama about an ocean-dwelling mermaid and her affair with an arrogant knight. $40-$60. Fri-Sun 4:30pm. Thru June 7. 680 Point Lobos Ave. www.weplayers.org

One Man, Two Guvnors @ Berkeley Repertory Theatre Richard Bean’s comic update on Carlo Goldini’s The Servant of Two Masters, with biting one-liners, satire, live music and a bit of cross-dressing, is about a doltish butler who’s trapped between two bosses. $29-$89. Wed & Sun 7pm. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru June 21. 2025 Addison St. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Smuin Ballet @ YBCA The local modern ballet company performs world premieres and repertory works in its 21st season, including the balcony pas de deux from Michael Smuin’s Romeo and Juliet, his Hearts Suite, Helen Pickett’s Petal, and a new work by Adam Hougland. $24-$67. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru May 17. Also May 21-24 in Mountain View, May 29-30 in Walnut Creek, and June 5 & 6 in Carmel. www.smuinballet.org

The Facts of Life @ Oasis

Dance theater artist Marie Walburg Plouviez’s solo show about the affair between French president François Hollande and actress Julie Gayet. $20.

8pm. Also May 9. 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org

Berkeley Playhouse presents their production of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman’s musical theatre adaptation of John Waters’ lighthearted film about a chubby Baltimore girl in the 1960s who fights racism on a dance show. $5-$20. Fri 7pm. Sat 1pm & 6pm. Sun 12pm & 5pm. Thru May 17.

2640 College Ave., Berkeley. (510) 845-8542. berkeleyplayhouse.org

Head of Passes @ Berkeley Repertory Theatre Tarell Alvin McCraney’s poignant poetic drama about a Mississippi family’s trials of faith and tribulation. $29-$79. Tue, Thu-Sat 8pm. Wed & Sun 7pm. Sun 2pm. Thru May 24. Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Karen Ripley @ The Marsh Berkeley The veteran comic performs her solo show, Oh No, There’s Men on the Land, her witty account of being a young lesbian in 1970s Berkeley. $15$100. 8pm. Sat 5pm. Thru May 30.

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

Peaches Christ presents another drag-filled stage show film parody, with Jinkx Monsoon, Pandora Boxx, Suppositori Spelling and Bendelacrema, plus a beauty pageant costume contest; then, a screening of the dark satire of beauty pageants. $25-$45. 3pm & 8pm. 429 Castro St. www.peacheschrist.com

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

Melancholy, a Comedy @ The Marsh

San Francisco Bach Choir @ Calvary Presbyterian Church

Sara Felder’s solo show about a lesbian college student’s romantic entanglements while researching Abraham Lincoln’s depression. $15$100. Sat 5pm. Sun 7pm. Thru June 28. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

The chorus performs Brahms’ Neue Liebeslieder waltzes and Bartok’s Slovak Songs, and works by works of Mendelssohn, Fauré, Haydn, and Tchaikovsky. Partial proceeds benefit Nepal earthquake relief efforts. $10$35. 4pm. Fillmore at Jackson sts. www.sfbach.org

Monster Movie Salon @ Miracles Center Doug Ronning’s monthly screening and discussion series on the roots of horror films. This month, Deranged Dads, Maniacal Moms, & Unholy Offspring: Family as Monster. $40 ($150 full series) 1pm-4pm. 2269 Market St. 902-5638. www.monstermoviesalon.com

Other Cinema @ ATA Gallery Weekly screenings of unusual, rare and strange short films and videos.

May 9: Freaky Clowns and Magic Acts. $7.77. 8:30pm. 992 Valencia St. 648-0654. www.othercinema.com

Paula Poundstone @ Osher Marin Jewish Community Center The celebrated comic returns with her stand-up act. $32-$74. 8pm. 200 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael, 444-8000. www.marinjcc.org

The Waiting Period @ The Marsh

Fri 8

Fifth of July @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley

Hairspray @ Julia Morgan Theater, Berkeley

Rirkrit Tiravanija: The Way Things Go @ YBCA

The New York singer and visual artist brings her eclectic shows (readings, live painting, and music) to the Bay Area. $15. 9:30pm. 1 Grove St. www.safehousearts.org. Also May 10, 8pm, at Monkey House, 1638 University Ave., Berkeley. monkeyhousetheater.com. Also May 16 & 17 at Maker Faire, San Mateo.

Femme Fatale @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley

Lanfod Wilson’s “Talley Trilogy” continues with a production by the East Bay theatre ensemble; Ken Talley returns to his Missouri home after losing his legs in the Vietnam war, where he reminisces and makes decisions with his family and friends. $20-$50. Thru May 17. Tue 7pm.

Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm & 7pm. 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org

Drop Dead Gorgeous @ Castro Theatre

Phoebe Leger @ SAFEhouse Arts, Monkey House

Those wacky queens who gave you Sex & the City are now doing drag parody versions of two episodes from the cult classic schoolgirl sitcom. $25$30. 7pm. Thu-Sat thru May 16. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Smuin Ballet Keith Sutter

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. Extended thru May 23. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Talley’s Folly @ Harry’s Upstage, Berkeley Aurora Theatre Company restages Lanford Wilson’s lyrical uplifting two-actor drama. $30-$50. Tue 7pm.

Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru June 7.

2081 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 8434822. www.AuroraTheatre.org

Where’s Charley? @ Eureka Theatre

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 May 31. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Sun 10 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

Fool La La! @ The Marsh Unique Derique’s holiday clowning show’s fun for kids and adults alike. $15-$35. Sundays 2pm. Extended thru May 31. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Frank Loesser and George Abbott’s lively musical adaptation of Brandon Thomas’s uproarious 1892 farce Charley’s Aunt is performed by the SF revival ensemble. $25-$75.

Fri 8pm, Sat 6pm, Sun 3pm. Thru May 17. 215 Jackson St. 255-8207. www.42ndStMoon.org

Mon 11 Inventing Champagne @ Eureka Theatre Tony nominee and Broadway veteran Nancy Dussault performs a concert of music by Alan Jay Lerner with 42nd Street Moon ensemble actor-singers (Kelly Britt, Ryan Drummond, Anil Margsahayam, Darlene Popovic, and Allison F. Rich). $50-$70. 7pm. Also May 12. 215 Jackson St. 255-8207. www.42ndStMoon.org

Performerama @ Oasis Marga Gomez’ monthly variety show this time includes another excerpt from Gomez’ hilarious Pound!, plus Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, The Bad Aunties (featuring Diane Amos), Robin Clou, Kat Evasco and Tina D’Elia. $5-$10. 8pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom. www.margagomez.com www.sfoasis.com

Tue 12 Indulge @ ODC Theater The popular dance space’s annual gala benefit includes delicious libations, food from dozens of local restuarants and caterers, delicious desserts, popup performances (Amara Tabor-Smith, Jess Curtis/Gravity, Nol Simonse and Scott Wells & Dancers) silent auctions in travel, cuisine, travel and the arts. $45/$55, $150 for pre-gala dinner.

7:30pm. 3153 17th St. www.odcdance.org/indulge

Trouble Cometh @ SF Playhouse Previews begin for Richard Dresser’s dark comedy about two exectuve stuck in an existential crisis as a deadline looms. $20-$45. Opening May 16. Tue-Thu 7pm. Fri & Sat 8pm.

Sat 3pm. Sun 2pm. Thru June 27. 450 Post St. 677-9596. sfplayhouse.org

Wed 13 Kenji Yoshino @ Books Inc. The author of Speak Now: Marriage Equality on Trial discusses his book and the struggle for LGBT marriage rights. 7pm. 2275 Market St. 8646777. www.booksinc.net

Thu 14 Connie Champagne @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The popular vocalist-actress returns with the special concert, Beyond the Rainbow: The Best of Connie Champagne as Judy Garland. $25$40. 8pm. ($20 food/drink min.) Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.conniechampagne.com www.ticketweb.com

Sat 9

Sean Dorsey Dance @ Dance Mission Theater

Jane Lynch @ Palace of Fine Arts Theatre The Emmy-winning actress-singer performs See Jane Sing: Broadway With a Twist, her touring show about her love of musical theatre. $59-$109.

7:30pm. (888) 746-1799. www.shnsf.com

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World premiere of The Missing Generation : Voices From the Early AIDS Epidemic, part of the company’s 10th anniversary season. $15-$25.

Thu-Sat 8pm. Sat & Sun 4pm. Sun 7pm. Thru May 17. 3316 24th St. at Mission. www.seandorseydance.com

Sat 9 Jane Lynch Starla Fortunato

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Film>>

May 7-13, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 21

Styling maven

by David Lamble

T

he new bio-doc Iris (opening Friday) is quite an extraordinary film. First, its subject, 93-year-old Iris Apfel, blithely unaware of director Albert Maysles’ camera, pursues her calling as Gotham City’s oldest practicing fashion maven with gusto and an eye for a sharp look at the right price that leaves people half her age standing in the dust. Second, Iris is the final work in the 70-year career of the late Albert Maysles, a non-fiction filmmaker who captured a mindboggling range of subjects, from 1955’s Psychiatry in Russia to the 1966 doc short Meet Marlon Brando (the wily superstar at his slippery best), to Gimme Shelter (the perilous mix of the Rolling Stones and the Hells Angels at Altamont Speedway), to a 2009 short with one of my favorite titles, Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! During our 80 minutes with Iris, the lady casually expounds on her philosophy for keeping things in perspective. Strolling through a Big Apple mall, she fingers a cheap bracelet, a special gift celebrating their 66 years together from her 100-year-old hubby, Carl.

“I get more kick out of this – it probably cost four dollars – than if my husband got me something at

Magnolia Pictures

93-year-old style icon Iris Apfel is the subject of documentarian Albert Maysles’ Iris.

Harry Winston’s. People interview me and they keep asking me about all these rules, and I say I don’t have any rules, because I would only be breaking them, it’s a waste of time.

With me, it’s not intellectual, it’s all

gut. I see something and just try it on, and I say, ‘This will go with this.’

It’s the process I like.”

Iris makes a pit-stop at Carl’s 100th birthday party, I suspect a cinema first, where the guest of honor

Inspirational medicine

by Brian Bromberger

Voices in the Band: A Doctor, Her Patients, and How the Outlook on AIDS Care Changed from Doomed to Hopeful by Susan C. Ball (Cornell Univ.

Press, $27.95) “ ad enough that HIV was so untreatable and devastating; but for some, for many even, HIV existed as an addendum in a life that ached with need,” writes Dr. Susan Ball in Voices in the Band, her remarkable memoir about being an internist for the last 23 years at the Center for Special Studies, a designated AIDS care center at New York Presbyterian Hospital. By using examples from her practice, Ball charts the evolution of HIV from a death sentence to a chronic, manageable disease, highlighting the dramatic changes in AIDS treatment throughout the 1990s.

What makes her account affecting is that her patients were often the poorest of the poor and the sickest of the sick. Many were gay men, but others were drug addicts, transvestites, transgender people, or wives and girlfriends of bisexual men who had infected them, plagued as much by bad choices as by a virus, such as the gay Stewart, with a fixation on any symptom, however minor; or Peaches, a crack addict rejecting any new drug treatments. One of Ball’s insights is that while care and treatment for AIDS patients have changed, the disease and its sufferers have always been marginalized, with the disenfranchisement shifting today towards the indigent and people of color.

Ball says the patients are at the heart of her book, but the disease’s effects on caregivers are a close second. Ball, a lesbian, interweaves bits of her own biography, as the wife of a gynecologist and mother of two boys, into the tales of patients, some of whom survive beyond 1996, the miracle year when the protease inhibitor-HAART cocktail revolutionized AIDS treatment. Many patients were snatched from death’s

B

tant to medications in the regimen. “AIDS was just one piece of a life clouded by misfortunes. Poverty, abuse, absent parents, drugs, violence, mental illness, poor education provided the permanent background for so many patients and their families.

AIDS on top of this became just another surge of water in an unrelenting storm.

Prescriptions can’t heal a broken home, an abusive childhood, or 10 years in jail for drug possession.” Ball is unable to make Patient X or Y into someone she or he is not.

The legacy of that early AIDS care was the multidisciplinary approach practiced at Ball’s Center for Special Studies, based on the pioneering Ward 86 model at SF General Hospital, in which doctors, nurses, social workers and other caregivers worked together as a team to support patients to provide the best relief possible in spite of few treatment options, including pain management, symptom control, short-term problem-solving, and long-range planning for hospice care. This combined effort created a bond as well as a community between caregivers and cases as they fought a common enemy, which unfortunately dissipated once the HAART drugs became available.

Still, the clinical lessons learned included the importance of listening to your patients.

Ball mourns the camaraderie (though not “the bad old days of HIV care”), likening it to a battlefield, with that shared sense of doing something brave as one sought to help patients. Yet she observes how routine HIV care has become, with “AIDS one symptom in a life of limited opportunities, unmet needs, and inequities.” These patients would have fared far worse if not for the dedication and skill of such a great clinician and humanitarian.

It is privilege to read her story and hear her voice, as well as those of her patients and fellow staff, in what is one of the seminal inspirational LGBT books of 2015.t C

door in a Lazarus-like resurrection.

It had been the kind of world in 1992 where you could be away at a medical conference, and when you returned your first question would be, Which patients died?

Ball is effective in conveying the sense of exhilaration throughout the late 1990s as the cocktail drugs gave PWAs a life they didn’t think they would have. “As I looked back at 15 years of death and no effective treatments to offer, the changes at first seemed like illusions, as if conjured by magic. I almost felt that at any moment the ‘real’ disease would rear up and devour my patients. But slowly I began to believe.” She also sees that in the underserved population she assisted, the new drugs alone could not eliminate their circumstances, so the transformative impact was limited. The sense of isolation before and after 1996 did not change for many of those people she attended, because they did not want their family or friends to know they were infected with HIV. The other huge issue was adherence to the effective therapy or taking doses exactly when prescribed, which in the early years could mean a dozen pills taken four times a day.

Patients missed or skipped pills.

The result of fluctuating drug levels was detectable virus loads that allowed the virus to become resis-

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optimistically greets his “second century” from a wheelchair, with his “younger frau” Iris displaying a motherly side she never wasted on 2pub-BBB_BAR_050715.pdf kids. The couple both affirm that they never wanted to be parents, Iris

1

in particular recalling ancient memories of having to compete for her own career-obsessed mom’s attention back in her own Depressionera childhood.

The film will probably work equally well for audience members whose eyes glaze over in terminal tedium at the mere mention of accessorizing – a major hook for Iris’ large queer fan-base – as for style/ fashion queens who will be lining up for the sequel. A special moment midway through finds Iris calling on her director – whose March 15 death, at 88, leaves a big gap in the fraternity of elite non-fiction filmmakers – to take an on-camera bow.

Iris mostly stays in the present tense, with only a few still-photo snapshots of a shy young girl who could probably never in her wildest fantasies have envisioned her end-of-life iconic status. Those docfans like me who linger through the final credit crawl will appreciate the appearance of Bill Cunningham’s name, the veteran and elderly New York Times fashion photographer (subject of his own recent film portrait) being one of a handful of “professional New Yorkers” who can appreciate all that Iris Apfel 4/19/15 3:18 PM has witnessed through her patented fishbowl-sized eyeglasses.t

<< Dance

22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 7-13, 2015

<<

Romeo & Juliet

From page 13

The production is magnificent: great live music by Sergei Prokofiev, for a huge orchestra including saxophone, mandolins, and mighty clouds of brass, skillfully conducted by Martin West; beautiful Renaissance scenery and costumes

by Jens-Jacob Worsaae; fantastic sword-fighting choreographed by Martino Pistone, who joined the troupe to play the Duke of Verona; and Tomasson’s extremely wellcrafted dances, which tell the story in intricate detail and occasionally rise to the level of genius, in the ballroom dances, which work out like chess-games to bring Romeo (the cherubic Carlos Quenedit) and Juliet (the divine Sarah Van Patten) to meet cute in the midst of elaborately geometrical quadrilles. The dances pit the lovers against powerful social forces so that we see what they’re up against, and we see them triumph even in their deaths, and we believe they were right. This is tragic as the ancients understood it. The spectacle gives us a vision of the deepest conflicts in our society, and a clear sense of which side we should be on.

Can there be anyone who does not know this story, how Romeo and his friends crash Juliet’s debutante ball?

She’s come of age, it’s her presentation to society, the family’s looking to marry her to the Duke’s kinsman, the County Paris? You remember her cousin Tybalt, the preening macho thug, who next day kills Romeo’s best friend Mercutio, the witty hothead, in a fight in the streets? Which gets

Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet dancers Sarah Van Patten and Carlos Quenedit in Helgi Tomasson’s Romeo & Juliet.

Romeo banished from the city after he’s secretly married Juliet?

What you may not suspect is the magnificent, sepulchral tones of the scenes in church, first when Friar Lawrence marries Romeo and Juliet in secret, and later when he gives Juliet the potion that will make her seem dead. These scenes must have atmospheric solemnity, and Prokofiev’s music has a deep, druggy timbre that makes you accept the seriousness of their purpose, and accept the potential for heroism in Juliet.

She’s not just a young girl: she’s in this for life or death, she’s met her man, she’s defied her family and all their power.

There have been many productions of Romeo & Juliet since the great danced-drama version by Leonid Lavrovsky in the 1940s. Though all have added more dancing to a spectacle that was almost a silent

movie, none has surpassed it in actual power. But Tomasson’s modernization is a worthy contender, especially with Van Patten as Juliet, who seriously rivals Galina Ulanova, who created the role in 1946, as a tragic heroine who makes you care about her fate. She has the gift of dramatic projection and of intimate, deep understanding of the music, so she can dance and act at full-bore power at the same time. In the past, she’s not been strong in pirouettes, but last Friday night her standing leg was unbelievably strong, yet all the projection of tenderness and mute appeal that was in the upper body was what you responded to. The performance grew; she was still a child in the first scene, a young woman at the ball, a tragic heroine by the end. Every mo-

<<

Don’t Think

From page 13

Pirozzi’s “instant history lesson” takes us through hundreds of years of history, from Cambodia’s once-magnificent Khmer Empire to its more recent wars with its former colonies and now neighbors. From ancient kingdom to French colony to abrupt independence (1953) to the authoritarian era of Prince Sihanouk to the first baby steps towards democracy in the 60s, undermined by the chaos of the war next door in Vietnam – especially the Nixon Administration’s illegal bombing raids against Viet Cong forces seeking refuge in Cambodia – Pirozzi describes a great civilization undergoing a century’s worth of change in the blink of an eye.

Pirozzi recounts how the country’s capital Phnom Penh experienced the convulsive shocks of the French departure, followed by an American cultural invasion symbolized by young people clutching transistor radios blaring the latest Western music fads courtesy of American Armed Forces Radio. Following the dictator Pol Pot’s nearly successful attempt to eradicate Western culture in his country by killing millions of its fans, the country went through a kind of return to the Dark Ages that was finally ended after a Vietnamese invasion led to the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge killing machine.

The power of the film lies in the

<<

Sappho

From page 16

For undiluted Sappho, it would be difficult to better the words of Fragment 1, in Raynor’s rendering: “Blessed One, with a smile/ on your breathless face, you ask/ what have I suffered again/ and why do I call again// and what in my wild heart do I most wish/ would happen: ‘Once again who must I/ persuade to turn back to your love?/ Sappho who wrongs you?/ If now she flees, soon she’ll chase./ If rejecting gifts, then she’ll give./ If not loving, soon she’ll love even against her will.’”

This is timeless song.

How often has Mary Oliver been called our present-day Sappho? Oliver’s new book of poems, Blue Horses (Penguin Press), rivals the newly complete Sappho in thinness to the point that it would be tempting to

t

ment was spontaneous.

With Paris, her arabesques were like Ulanova’s: clear, magnificent, and unchanging. In the balcony scene with Romeo, they were suspensions, and in renversees, they seemed to stretch time as her leg swept around her. She seemed to stay up forever, then melt around the corner into the next step. The whole time, you felt the flood of impulses moving through her.

This had started already in the ballroom scene. When she was presented to society, she was self-possessed. When she gave her hand to Paris, she allowed him to touch her but did not give him any weight.

But when the figure of the dance brought her to face Romeo, everything changed, you felt her whole body being pulled toward him.

Quenedit was a wonderful partner for her. He softened and yielded to her in the same way, and his whole body smiled in response to her. He is a big guy, thick in the waist, juicy of thigh, but he’s tender with her, he makes her feel safe. Though he’s not pretty, I found it possible to want them to make love with each other.

I felt this especially in the geometric ballroom dances. Tomasson has never done better than these dances, where the two lovers manage to get intoxicated with each other while everybody else dances their prescribed figures like clockwork.

Van Patten excels especially in the footwork. She uses her feet like Balanchine wanted, they reach out “like

hands.” When her leg reaches back into arabesque, it’s like a lance, monumental, unmoving. Like Ulanova’s arabesque, it’s chaste, thrillingly clear, the line is perfect, eternal. With Romeo, it’s altogether different, she’s chosen him and given himself to her.

They knew each other instantly, it’s mutual. It’s so romantic.

I must praise the antagonists Taras Domitro (Mercutio) and Anthony Vincent (Tybalt). I have never felt the fight seem so real, like the taunting of two adolescent men feeling their powers. Domitro has every gesture of disdain at his command, yet you can’t say that Vincent is at a loss. One is Cuban, the other African-American, and they both seem to know the lexicons of streetwise gesture. When Tybalt stabbed Mercutio, I doubled up in my chair. I felt it, and I saw Tybalt wipe six inches of blood off his rapier, and I knew he knew that Mercutio was a goner, even as Mercutio took a good five minutes before all the blood had slid out of him. As Mercutio joked, “Tis not so deep as a well, not so wide as a barn-door, but tis enough.”

Highest possible praise to all concerned, especially to the mountebanks, Norika Matsuyama, Francisco Mungamba, and Wei Wang; and corps members Benjamin Stewart, Myles Thatcher, Kimberly Braylock, Max Cawthorne, Jordan Hammond, Alexander Reneff-Olson, and Lonnie Weeks. Van Patten dances again this coming Sunday. Then we don’t get to see SF Ballet dance again till the end of July.t

survivors’ tales, first-person accounts by now middle-aged and elderly people of how they left the country for French or American exile carrying little pieces of their country’s short Pop era with them: records, song sheets, posters, but most importantly, accounts of the tragically short careers of Cambodian musicians and singers murdered

by Pol Pot. An intriguing sidebar to the story of war and exile is the discussion of how Cambodian rockers managed to assimilate Western rock, at the same time giving it a distinctively Cambodian accent.

One of toughest challenges faced by the children of those who perished under the dictator is never learning the exact fate of their relatives. A son no longer young relates the conflicting accounts he has received about his late dad. “About 30 people told me that during the Khmer Rouge they worked, slept and ate with my father. But each one said he died in a different place. It’s not possible. You can’t die in 30 different places.”

Back in the late 80s, I had the privilege of chatting with the late American monologist Spalding Gray, whose comic-tragic one-man show Swimming to Cambodia provided a personal perspective on the foreign conflagration that many have considered the responsibility of disgraced former President Richard M. Nixon. For anyone wishing

to regard this modern disaster in a kind of prose poetry, I recommend Gray’s special voice.

“So five years of bombing, a diet of bark, bugs, lizards and leaves up in the Cambodian jungles, an education in Paris environs in strict Maoist doctrine with a touch of Rousseau, and other things that we will probably never know about in our lifetimes – including perhaps an invisible cloud of evil that circles the Earth and lands at random in places like Iran, Beirut, Germany, Cambodia, America – set the Khmer Rouge up to commit the worst auto-genocide in modern history.”

Gray explained why Americans should care about this historic injustice beyond whatever guilt we may share.

“It was Shangri-La before it was colonized. Thailand was a Nordic country compared to Cambodia.

Cambodians knew how to have a good time getting born, a good time growing up, a good time going through puberty, a good time falling in love, a good time staying in love, a good time getting married, a good time staying married, a good time having children, a good time growing old, a good time dying – they even knew how to have a good time on New Year’s Eve!” Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten and Swimming to Cambodia will someday comprise a perfect Castro Theatre thematic double-bill.t

compare word counts of the two books. Yet the Oliver “I” is as penetrating an observer as Sappho, and is as capable of laud or threnody regarding basic things. And just as one of the newly discovered Sappho fragments addresses aging in the diminished ability to dance, so the 79-yearold Oliver continues her exploration of the losses and accretions of age.

“I don’t want to be demure or respectable,” she writes in an early poem in Blue Horses. “I was that way, asleep, for years./ That way you forget too many important things./ How the little stones, even if you can’t hear them,/ are singing./ How the river can’t wait to get to the ocean and the sky, it’s been there before.” At the poem’s end, Oliver the nature mystic yields to the woman of direct experience, gazing out over her glasses: “Listen to me or not, it hardly matters./ I’m not trying to be

wise, that would be foolish./ I’m just chattering.”

Predictably, Oliver writes about wasps, blueberries and angels, but now that she’s a widow, there’s an appreciable new wryness in her voice. In “Little Lord Love,” she writes that Cupid, “he with the arrows,/ has definitely shot the last one with my name on it/ straight to the heart/ now, when I’m no longer young/ and it’s not so easy to stay up half the night/ talking, and so on.” There’s a poem about stepping into Franz Marc’s painting “Blue Horses,” and God, a late apparition in Oliver’s poems, reappears in even greater mystery – and apparentness.

But – and this is the most Sapphic sentiment of all, from “No Matter What”: “Some things don’t alter with time:/ the first kiss is a good example,/ and the flighty sweetness of rhyme.” And so on.t

26

27

On the Tab

28

On the Town

NIGHTLIFE

SPIRITS

DINING

Brenner Bolton

SOCIETY

ROMANCE

LEATHER

PERSONALS Vol. 45 • No. 19 • May 7-13, 2015

www.ebar.com ✶ www.bartabsf.com

Divas

Trans enclave in the Polk

by David-Elijah Nahmod

Georg Lester

T Karaoke night at Divas.

he first thing one might notice when entering Divas, the transgender watering hole on Post Street, is that the bar is hardly the den of sin and sleaze some have said it is. Simply put, Divas is a bar frequented by transgender women, their admirers, and friends. Divas has long been considered a hub for trans prostitution, but on the recent Saturday night that we checked it out, there wasn’t a hint of any such activity to be seen.

See page 24 >>

Asheq

The new Middle Eastern gay dance party

by Jim Provenzano

F

or local Middle Eastern LGBTQs, finding a space where their own culture and music can be enjoyed was limited to the Bibi dance parties. When that event’s organizers left town, Ghazwan Alsharif, a gay war veteran and accomplished chef, decided to revive the event and give it a new name: Asheq.

See page 25 >>

The Asheq party held in January.

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

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Divas

From page 23

Divas manager Alexis Miranda wouldn’t allow it, though she admits that prostitutes are among the club’s customer base.

“There are prostitutes who come in and out of Divas,” said Miranda.

“They do not work at Divas. As long as they don’t do it in the bar, I will serve them a drink.”

Divas, Miranda said, isn’t all that different from any other nightclub in San Francisco. “We have birthday parties and bachelorette parties,” she said, pointing out that Divas provides an important service to the trans community.

“Trans girls need a place where they feel comfortable,” she said.

“The Castro is anti-trans. We still have a long way to go to teach people how to respect other people’s spaces.”

Miranda, whose real name is Freddy Miranda, came to San Francisco in 1988. Already established as a drag performer in her native Miami, where she appeared in two episodes of the TV series Miami Vice, Miranda quickly became a popular performer in the local club circuit.

“My family wasn’t accepting,” she recalled. “I was an abused child. I A sultry bartender at Divas. felt relieved when I left Florida.”

Upon her arrival in San Francis“Amore La Mexicana,” a hot Latin co, she got a job at Denny’s, launchnumber by Mexican superstar ing her local performing career at Thalia.

The Black Rose soon after. A long Miss Tiffany proved to be quite stretch headlining at Esta Noche, popular with the audience as she the late, lamented Latin gay bar in twirled madly about the stage to the the Mission, followed.

Bonnie Tyler classic “Total Eclipse In 1998 Miranda was crowned of the Heart.”

Empress of San Francisco. She was About a dozen numbers were the first Latina Empress to serve in performed during the one-hour that position. She calls her reign “an set. Audience members approached honor.” the stage, throwing dollar bills at “I wasn’t the choice of the Imperial Family,” she recalled.

“But if you want something, you have to fight for it.” She noted that former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown attended her coronation.

It was on a lively Saturday night at 11pm that Miranda hosted her weekly show at Divas.

The bar was filled with drag queens, transgender women, guys (both gay and straight) and even a straight couple, who had to leave before the show concluded because their babysitter needed to be home by midnight.

It was a diverse crowd, not only in terms of races and genders, but also in terms of ages. Older folks, some in their sixties and beyond, sat at the bar comfortably Alexis Miranda chatting with girls in their twenties. Patrons included a small group of deaf gay men who happily signed as they drank their beers. It was a laidback and friendly crowd.

Miranda took to the stage in a flaming red dress and high heels.

She lip-synced to a Spanish recording and commanded the stage.

Some drag performers are known to be a few seconds “off ” when they try to follow a record, but not Miranda.

Her lip movements and her sensual dance moves were in perfect unison with the song; it was an impressive performance.

“San Francisco is bigger than the Castro,” she told the crowd, to much applause. “Here at Divas we have gay people, straight people; nobody cares as long as you have a good time. And if you flip-flop, its nobody’s business.”

As she introduced the other performers, she embraced them, calling some of them her daughters. “I have thirteen daughters,” she said.

Divas’ Saturday night drag show.

One of her daughters, Princess Jackie, sizzled as she performed to

Georg Lester

their favorite performers. There was much laughter and friendly catcalls as each of the girls took their bows.

Miranda, who clearly enjoys her work, decried rumors that Divas was closing.

“Divas is not closing,” she said.

“One sale fell through, but we’re currently seeking a new owner who will keep the club as it is.” She said there were a few potential buyers.

“I’ve been through two owners,” she said. “I’ve been here for 29 years.”

She said that it’s important to keep Divas as is. The bar is currently the only trans bar in the City, and there are only a small handful of trans bars in the country.

Divas contributes to the community, having recently raised $700 in support of AIDS Lifecycle. The bar has three levels. Regular events include a karaoke night, gogo girls (Wednesdays at 10PM features naughty schoolgirls) and many other fun happenings. Many of the performers also tend bar at the club, including Miranda.

“San Francisco used to have over one hundred gay clubs,” Miranda said. “Some have reopened as ‘metrosexual’ hangouts, which isn’t a bad thing. But people of a certain age are having a hard time adjusting. Some just want to go to a gay bar and know what they’re dealing with.”t Divas, 1081 Post St. 474-3482. www.divassf.com www.facebook.com/divassf

t <<

Read more online at www.ebar.com

Asheq

From page 23

To alleviate the pressures, Alsharif chose Slate, a straight club, as the event’s next venue. “It’s out of the Castro for now,” he explained. “Not all of us are okay to go there.”

Anywhere with the abundance of selfies and cell phones can be problematic. You might notice a lack of images from the recent Asheq party.

That’s because semi-closeted Middle Eastern gays and lesbians still have privacy concerns, what with an image making its way around the world in seconds.

May 7-13, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 25

“My parents refused to believe their son was gay, and said, ‘You have to get married.’ They presented a folder of photos of eligible women. It was like card play; ‘Pick one!’

I just saw one lady who looked like Barbie. When I was a kid, I loved playing with Barbie. When I married her, I was doing her hair and dressing her up. She did not figure it out.”

After moving to the U.S. and working with the Army, Alsharif faced a lot of life changes.

“One day I and a few friends and club managers were sitting around drinking gin and tonics, talking about Bibi ending, and one guy said, ‘Dude, you have a lot of friends,’ and that we should put something new together. The Middle Eastern community in the Bay Area does a lot of gathering; events, parties. But having a gay one is different. So I told my friend, I’ll try to do it.” The first Asheq was in November Life in Wartime 2014.

Serving in the U.S. Army “I put a lot of time and from 2003 to 2006 in the money into it,” said Alsharif. engineer brigade 4th Infan“I had a good connection try, 1st Infantry and 28th with the international resInfantry as a translator durcue community; I was doing ing the Bush-era invasion of a search for new refugees in Iraq, Alsharif was even jailed the community. They put for several weeks by his sume in contact with a couple periors in 2003, during the of them, and we held a fundchaotic time of the capture raiser for them.” of Saddam Hussein. He was The event revived the colsuspected of being a double lective gatherings of the Bibi agent. events, with a few break“It was a horrible time, but throughs. afterward, I served again,” he “We had our first transsaid. gender belly dancer,” said As dangerous as it was Alsharif. “It was fun. Afterserving in the U.S. Army as ward, I thought. ‘I want to do a translator, he faced other it again.’” risks.

A second event followed in “I could not live outside January of this year. The next the military base, because my one takes place this week, family tried to have me assasMay 8 at Slate Bar (2925 16th sinated,” Alsharif said. “My Street). family thinks I’ve betrayed “It’s changed,” said Alsharif my country.” of the event’s evolution. “It’s From Baghdad to the Bay, a more diverse crowd. We’ll a one-hour documentary, have different belly dancers, tells Alsharif ’’s story (www. male and a female. It’s fun, frombaghdadtothebay.com). an awesome night, although Alsharif has since divorced, I don’t expect to make any but has a twelve-year-old son profit from it.” who lives in Manchester, Alsharif pays the dancers, One of the male belly dancers who will perform England. some who are from Kuwait at the next Asheq.

“The last time I saw him and Saudi Arabia. The event was in 2008,” said Alsharif. attracts North African queers “He said, “Oh, Dad. I know and their friends, although everything about you.”

“My last event was awesome, sunon-Arabic or Persian folks are welBy being more out than most per cool,” said Alsharif. “I’d done a come as well. The music, spun by of his friends here in the Bay Area, lot of work on it. But after posting straight DJ Nile Awad, is a festive Alsharif hopes to inspire others. pictures, I got messages and emails mix of house and dance tracks with “I’ve said it many times; one step from people asking me to remove modern and traditional Middle is a change,” he said. “I’m trying to their photos; a few pictures, not a Eastern music. let them know it’s okay. Yes, we suflot.”

Alsharif believes there is somefer, even gays who are born here.

Although quite out himself, thing special for his community to But it’s okay to come out. There is Alsharif, who is from Iraq, undergather for fun, and in the same space. a relief about not lying to ourselves stands.

“So many of us spend hours anymore. I was a liar for 40 years.

“I have an ex-boyfriend, he’s from on the social media apps; Grindr, Now I feel more relieved.”

Saudi Arabia,” said Alsharif. “He Scruff,” he said. To get them to come Even so, his family connections had the same problem.” out to his events, Alsharif promotes remain fragile in some ways. ReAlsharif has been in the media it on such apps and websites. cently, his family’s former house in several times as one of few out gay “What I do is try to find a Middle Tikrit was bombed.

Middle Eastern men willing to take Eastern crowd and send them the “My parents left a year ago when that risk, as an activist, U.S. Army flyers and posters about the party.

ISIS came to Tikrit and took over,” veteran, and now, event promoter.

My goal is the gathering, us supsaid Alsharif. “When the army came “My parents still don’t know, alporting each other.” and reclaimed Tikrit, my older though I’m out here,” said Alsharif.

By support, in part, Alsharif, sister’s house was damaged. She “My younger brother knows, but who is 43, mentioned the problems checked on my parent’s house. It since 2005 when I told him, we LGBT Middle Eastern people have, was totally destroyed. I was so dishaven’t been close.” with highly conservative families, traught. I can’t help them. It’s terriWhen he lived in London from religious pressures, and the ongoing fying. But I grew up with this chaos.”

1980 to 1986, Alsharif was in an arthreat of racial and antigay violence When he’s not creating deliranged marriage. in the U.S. cious food or planning gay parties, “I was much more successful in “Despite that, we still have our Alsharif is also finishing a book Iraq,” he said of his life before the culture of having fun,” said Alsharif. about his experiences. Originally U.S. and other countries invaded his “Trying to convince people to come titled Shut the Fuck Up, he’s since homeland. out is sometimes not easy.” changed the title to Inchab, which is Iraqi for the same phrase.

“It’s about the war and chaos, the changing of a person’s life; sort of fiction, but is my life.”

Alsharif sees his own life struggles as part of a reason to continue creating joy, through cuisine or events like Asheq.

“The party is a form of relief. You should see the people celebrate!”

He hopes to continue the event every two months.

“We’ll see what happens. There are always new people and faces at our parties. Even if you’re not Middle Eastern, there are hot men and women!” t

Ghazwan Alsharif (left) with DJ Nile Awad.

The next Asheq is May 8 at Slate Bar (2925 16th Street). For more info, visit www.facebook.com/ events/1079474318745955/

<< On the Tab

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 7-13, 2015

eON THE TAB f May 7–14

★

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. Also Saturdays. $10. 11pm.

1081 Polk St. www.divassf.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

Sat 9

Some Thing @ The Stud

Phoebe Leger @ SAFEhouse Arts/Monkey House

W

hat can you get on a night out? A little dance, a few drinks, some flirting, or more. It’s what you make of it, so go make out.

Thu 7 After Dark @ Exploratorium The "Photography"-themed party includes displays, exhibits, interactive image-making, cocktails and DJed music. $10-$15. 6pm-10pm. Pier 15 at Embarcadero. 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

The Facts of Life @ Oasis Those wacky queens who gave you Sex & the City are now doing drag parody versions of two episodes from the cult classic schoolgirl sitcom. $25$30. 7pm. Thu-Sat thru May 16. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Funny Fun @ Club 21, Oakland LGBT comedy night hosted by Dan Mires. $10. 8pm. 2111 Franklin St. Oakland. (510) 268-9425. www.club21oakland.com

Gala Under Glass @ Conservatory of Flowers The Conservatory's annual stylish fundraiser features delicious floralinfused cocktails, sumptuous food, live music with the Deco Belles and the Dick Bright Orchestra, plus tours of the plant exhibits and a snazzy silent auction. Elegant attire, please. $100-$250. 100 JFK Drive, Golden Gate Park, 831-2090. www.conservatoryofflowers.org

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

Homo Thursdays @ Qbar Franko DJs the weekly mash-up/ pop music night. No cover. 2 for 1 well drinks, 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.qbarsf.com

Keiko Matsui @ Feinstein's at the Nikko The internationally acclaimed contemporary jazz pianist/composer performs at the intimate cabaret club. $45-$60. ($20 food/drink min.). 8pm.

Also May 8, 8pm, May 9, 7pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.keikomatsui.com www.ticketweb.com www.hotelnikkosf.com/feinsteins.aspx

Mary Go Round @ Lookout Suppositori Spelling, Mercedez Munro and Holotta Tymes host the weekly night with DJ Philip Grasso, gogo guys, drink specials, and drag acts.

10pm-2am. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

The Monster Show @ The Edge The weekly drag show continues, with gogo guys and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.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

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

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 8 Blow Pony @ Oasis Double Duchess and Gaymous perform at the queer hip hop, bounce dance music night, with DJs Airockx, davO and Shat Monkey. $7. 10pm2am. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 7953180. www.sfoasis.com

Mica Sigourney and pals' weekly offbeat drag performance night. 10pm2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Sat 9 Bearracuda @ Beatbox DJ Rotten Robbie spins pop tunes at the mantastic guy dance night. $10. 10pm-3am. 314 11th St. www. bearracuda.com www.beatboxsf.com

Beer Bust @ Hole in the Wall Saloon Beer only $8 until you bust. 4pm-8pm.

1369 Folsom St. 431-4695. www.hitws.com

Club Rimshot @ Club BNB, Oakland Get groovin' at the weekly hip hop and R&B night at their new location. $8-$15. 9pm to 4am. 2120 Broadway.

(510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Cockblock @ Rickshaw Stop The monthly “queer, lezzie, dyke, tranny” dance party returns. $10.

9pm-2am. 155 Fell St. at Van Ness Ave. www.cockblocksf.com www.rickshawstop.com

Daddy @ Powerhouse Andy Cross’ monthly night of hot boys, sexy daddies, and manly gogo dancers. Wear your leather or trashy gear. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Drop Dead Gorgeous @ Castro Theatre Peaches Christ presents another drag-filled stage show film parody, with Jinkx Monsoon, Pandora Boxx, Suppositori Spelling, plus a beauty pageant costume contest; then, a screening of the dark satire of beauty pageants. $25-$45. 3pm & 8pm. 429 Castro St. www.peacheschrist.com

Frolic @ The Stud The monthly furry party (2nd Saturdays) returns, with DJs Cohn Jonner, Sean Bass, Lycan Catt and NeonBunny. $4-$8. 8pm-2am. 399 9th St. at Harrison. www.frolicparty.com

Heklina's weekly drag show night at the fabulous renovated SoMa nightclub; plus DJ MC2 and guests.

May 9: Mothers From Hell! $10.

10pm-2am. 298 11th St. at Folsom.

795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Phoebe Leger @ SAFEhouse Arts, Monkey House The New York singer and visual artist brings her eclectic shows (readings, live painting, and music) to the Bay Area. $15. 9:30pm. 1 Grove St. www.safehousearts.org. Also May 10, 8pm, at Monkey House, 1638 University Ave., Berkeley. www. monkeyhousetheater.com. Also May 16 & 17 at Maker Faire, San Mateo.

Pound Puppy @ SF Eagle The popular pooch-themed party returns, with resident DJs Taco Tuesday and Kevin O’Connor, canine gogos, barber Tony DiCaro and great grooves. $10. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

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

and lessons. $5. 5pm-10:30pm. Also Thursdays 6:30pm-10:30pm. 550 Barneveld Ave. at Industrial. www.sundancesaloon.org

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

920-0577. www.balancoiresf.com

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

Sat 9 Frolic @ The Stud

WooWoo’s Cirq-us @ Renegades, San Jose WooWoo Monroe hosts a monthly show features the insanity of camp, shock and hilarity. This month's lineup includes Charlamaine Favulous, Hazzard Strange, Mercury Rising, Phatima Rude, and Holy McGrail. $5. 10pm-2am. 501 W. Taylor St., San Jose. renegadesbar.com

Sun 10 Beer Bust @ SF Eagle The classic leather bar's most popular Sunday daytime event in town draws the menfolk. 3pm6pm. 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. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.BeauxSF.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

Jock @ The Lookout The weekly jock-ular fun continues, with special sports team fundraisers.

DJed dance music 3pm-7pm. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Drag Grab Bag, Rarebits, Dirty Game Show @ Oasis Three fun events in one day; Crafty's drag grab bag, where you can donate and buy used drag items ($20, 12pm).

Rarebits, a grab-bag music T-dance ($2, 1pm-6pm), and the comic evening of racy fun with Psychokitty. ($30, 7:30pm). 298 11th St. at Folsom.

795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550 Dance it up at the popular twiceweekly country-western night that includes line-dancing, two-stepping

Mon 11 Drag Mondays @ The Café Mahlae Balenciaga and DJ Kidd Sysko's weekly drag and dance night, 2014's last of the year. 9pm-1am.

2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Gaymer Meetup @ Brewcade The new weekly LGBT video game enthusiastnight include big-screen games, and signature beers. No cover.

7pm-11pm. 2200 Market St. www.brewcadesf.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

Monday Musicals @ The Edge Sing along at the popular musical theatre night; also Wednesdays. 7pm2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing.

4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

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

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

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

Brenner Bolton @ Nob Hill Theatre The avid porn pup performs a live strip show (8pm) and a sex show with muscle hunk Damian Stone (10pm). $25. Also May 9. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Mother @ Oasis

t

Opulence @ Beaux

Mon 11 The Bad Aunties, part of Perforamara @ Oasis

New weekly dance night, with Jocques, DJs Tori, Twistmix and Andre.

9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

See page 30 >>

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

May 7-13, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 27

Santa Barbara, please!

by Donna Sachet

W

e attended Opening Night of the San Francisco International Film Festival and viewed the premiere of the new Steve Jobs movie The Man in the Machine.

The Castro Theatre was packed with not only film buffs, but computer geeks and Jobs fans galore. Since we are not officially members of either sub-group, it was revealing to witness the reaction of the audience to this engaging film and its unfettered exploration of the life of such an influential and historic figure.

As we sat in the dark, we couldn’t help but think of the upcoming Frameline Film Festival, whose complete upcoming schedule will announced very soon.

Immediately afterwards, we crossed the street to Q-Bar for Locoya Hill’s weekly Homo Thursdays, where he dedicated the party to our recent birthday. A gaggle of friends popped in, including Mark Rogers, CoCo Butter, Ken Henderson, and Will Whitaker.

Speaking of birthdays, this year, more than ever, we became aware of the multitude of ways birthday messages can be received. Whether through simple emails, text messages, Facebook, Twitter, or even snail mail, we were inundated with well wishes and can’t thank you all enough!

We will try to respond to as many as possible, but please know that your kind thoughtfulness did not go unnoticed and that we appreciate the time and energy so many of you took to wish us a happy birthday.

Thank you for caring.

Then, we were off for our second weekend in Santa Barbara to visit friends, Michael Loftis & Erik Nickel, and to attend the Royal Ball, an annual fundraiser of Pacific Pride Foundation, the primary LGBT Community organization in that part of California.

First of all, don’t underestimate the beauty of traveling by train; Amtrak from Jack London Square provided a peaceful and worry-free commute to sunny southern California with decent meals and unparalleled views of the coast.

Secondly, don’t discount the beauty and hospitality of Santa Barbara, a lovely place with charming Spanish mission architecture, sublime weather, and a bustling population. Downtown always seemed busy, a variety of boutiques drew our interest, and popular restaurants, such as Honor Bar and Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach kept us satisfied.

The Royal Ball, now in its fourth year, was held at Bacara Resort, transformed into a vision of white

Isaac Hernandez

Can you spot Marisa Tomei, Jane Lynch, Don Roos, Dan Bucatinsky, Julia Louis-Dryfuss, Katherine O’Hara and other celebs at the Pacific Pride Foundation’s Royal Ball?

with pops of color, following the announced theme, featuring spacious outdoor eating and seating, a ballroom swathed in fabric, and hundreds of supportive guests reflecting the variety of the local population.

Honorees Don Roos & Dan Bucatinsky and emcee Jane Lynch attracted a delightful smattering of Hollywood celebrities, like Marisa Tomei, who added to the festivities.

With an extensive silent auction and significant ticket prices, this event was bound to raise lots of money for Pacific Pride Foundation. Next time you are looking for a California trip, consider lovely Santa Barbara!

The following weekend took us to Phoenix, Arizona for their 10th Imperial Coronation, in the company of many San Francisco Imperials, including the Reigning Emperor Kevin Lisle, the Reigning Empress Khmera Rouge, Empresses Anita Martini, Tiger Lily, Patty McGroin, and Misty Blue, Nathan Page, and Jonathan Glendinning.

The city was quite welcoming and the weekend events ran very smoothly, including meetings of the International Court Council, the administrative body of the International Court System with over 65 chapters across Canada, the United States, and Mexico. As one can see from the nearby photo, the Imperial Court of San Francisco deservedly won Best Court Presentation at the Coronation. Despite the incredibly hot weather, all in attendance stayed cool and composed, and a great time was had by all.

Back in San Francisco, a small volunteer committee produced Cinco de Mike-O on May 5, a proper send-off for Mike Smith, who is leaving AIDS Emergency Fund and Breast Cancer Emergency Fund as

Executive Director after 13 years of service. This dedicated man also co-founded with Cleve Jones the Names Project (AIDS Memorial Quilt) and has tirelessly fought for AIDS funding from Washington, D.C. for years. The party was held at Chambers restaurant at the Phoenix Hotel where a variety of entertainment, nearly a hundred raffle prizes, and a short program of speakers paid tribute to Smith’s record.

Nearly 200 supporters made sure that he knew the gratitude we all share, especially for his 13 years with two vital organizations in San Francisco. We anxiously await an announcement of his next position, hopefully right here in our community.

After two weekends out of town, we are anxious to dive into the prePride season back home, starting with the official Pre-Pride Kick-Off Party on Sat., May 30, 7-10PM at Hotel Whitcomb’s Ballroom, 1231 Market Street. Equality Without

Exception is this year’s theme and many of the honorees and Grand Marshals have been announced elsewhere in this publication. Join us at this event to find out much more and to demonstrate your own personal commitment to this mam-

moth undertaking that is the Pride Parade and Celebration!

This weekend, join the Imperial Court at Beaux Bar on Sat., May 9, for the Reigning Emperor & Empress’ Special K fundraiser from 4-7PM and Peaches Christ’s Drop Dead Gorgeous at the Castro Theatre at 8PM with guest stars Jinkx Monsoon, Pandora Boxx, Bendelacreme, Suppositori Spelling, and more.

And the following Sat., May 16, head to the KOFY TV Studio for a special Dance Party with hostess Michelle Meow. Filming starts at noon, but check with the station for complete details.

That night, Patty McGroin introduces a new event at a new place, The Residence, 718 14th Street, called Bourbon & Blanche, starting at 7PM; don’t miss it!

Then, you’re bound to find your friends dancing at Beatbox’s IJWFD: Dungeons & Drag, starting at 10PM, with DJ Alyson Calagna.t

Delicious Sichuan specialties Tasty Dim Sum made fresh daily in-house Great selection of Belgian beers & California wines

Ji’

MaMa “As long-time residents of the neighborhood, we look forward to welcoming you to Mama JI’s.”

Sum Dim

4416 18th St. (Douglas & Eureka) San Francisco • (415) 626-4416 Visit us at www.mamajissf.com

I am the future of the LGBT community.

I’m gay.

I’m 20 years old. I’m out to my parents. I love parties, the beach, and believe it or not, sports. I have a boyfriend, and we like to laugh at dumb online videos.

But I also read the news. I care about the planet. I’m studying Engineering at college. I voted in the last election and and I campaign for marriage equality.

Someday I might want to have kids.

I am the future of the LGBT community. And I read about that future every day on my smart phone. Because that’s where I want it to be.

Dan Bernal (left, Nancy Pelosi’s Chief of Staff) gives outgoing AEF Executive Director Mike Smith a smooch at a recent event.

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nne & Di

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

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

28 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 7-13, 2015

Brenner Bolton Porn pup’s slut pride

by Cornelius Washington

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he reason why The Nob Hill Theater has endured for so long and so strong is that they know that in the adult industry. It’s all about the balance of the established porn studs and the new, hot, horny and vigorous performers. Brenner Bolton is one of those young men who knows what to do and enjoys doing it, with vigor and the sense of fun that the industry needs. He’s very provocative and fearless. This week, The Nob Hill Theater’s got him, and I strongly recommend that you go and see him.

What made you decide to become a power-bottom porn star?

I have always wanted to do porn, since I was a teenager. It just happened that I started out to be a bottom because I thought you got paid more, and the more I bottomed, the more I loved it and craved it. Plus, I love performing as a bottom, because I’m a good seducer.

The Nob Hill Theater is legendary for hiring, as headliners, plenty of tops. As an uber-bottom, what do you intend to bring to the theater that no one else has?

I intend to do an awesome performance, but, as everyone knows, I’m a big slut. But my charm and character will be enough.

Do you have any preconceived notions about The Nob Hill Theater are you aware of its rich history?

I have never heard of the Nob Hill Theater before and once I perform there, I hope I can be a regular at this legendary theater.

How do you think you’ll feel when first, you see you name on the NHT’s marquee and, second, you see yourself on its screens, 30x40 feet?

I’m gonna feel excited, but, also a little nervous at the same time. I’m like a little innocent boy, but dirty at the same time.

This will be the second sex performance that I have ever done, so I am really excited. Seeing my picture up on the screen will be awesome. I get to look at everything I want to change about myself (just kidding), Brenner Bolton shows off his assets. but it will be the first time ever seeing a pic that big of myself.

Besides the obvious, what body What will you wear during your parts do you seem to wear out performances that will showcase most in your films? your big bubble-butt?

Definitely, the legs. I have learned I plan on wearing some Nasty Pig not to work out legs at least a week jock straps and underwear for my before a scene, because they will shows, but the majority of the time, burn like hell after the first minute I will probably be naked! of riding a nice big cock! Also, my back; arching and pushing my ass I love your porn name. How did out is a little hard for me. All those you create it? stressful and hard working hours at I wanted to think of a name that Abercrombie & Fitch has destroyed no one else had, but there is another my back.

Bolton porn star out there. Also, BB for bareback, because I do love a nice, Let’s discuss barebacking. big uncut cock in my tight hole.

What, if any, backlash has your bareback work received from the What’s the very first porn film adult industry? you ever saw?

Backlash would have to be with Oh, God, I would have to say Dallas Reeves. I feel like all the vidFalcon’s old, cool pornos, like the eos came out bad and people defiAspen ones. I was 11 when I started nitely said shit about me and Dallas to watch gay porn and experiment Reeves. [Bolton performed under with the computer. I would always the name Dalton Pierce for Next get bills in the mail, and my mom Door Studios and others.] would question what they were.

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What differences have you noticed between filming condom and bareback porn (i.e., length of shoot, more passion between partners, etc.)?

Honestly, I haven’t seen a difference. Some studios do pay more for bareback. Personally, I like bareback because I hate condoms. They hurt my hole! It’s definitely a lot easier filming bareback because some porn stars get soft after they put on the condom, so, you have to sit there and wait for them to get hard.

As for passion, it just depends upon the scene partner.

I have had plenty of straight scene partners who I connected with really well, and many gay scene partners where we had no connection at all. I actually like the straight ones better, because I like to turn them gay and they know how to fuck nice and hard. Don’t get me wrong. Gay guys know how to fuck, too, but I just get turned on more if they’re straight.

There have been many times where I suck and kiss between takes, which I love, because it keeps my hard on. One of the things that I noticed that I do; when I’m really into my scene partner, all I have to do is touch their foot or body and my cock gets rock hard.

What do you wish that people understood about studios that film bareback scenes?

That shooting bareback is not that bad. As I said before, some studios test twice before they even shoot the scene.

It’s also up to the model who wants to do the scene.

You’re relatively new to the industry, and very hard-working. What are you looking for in a director?

I like a director who has a nice personality and works with the model. Meaning, when the model is ready, the director is ready; not the other way around. I also like directors who like to do a change of scene rather than the usual. Also, I like when a director says that I’m doing great and everything is turning out well. I always like positive feedback.

What do you want audiences to take away from your performances, live and onscreen?

I want them to see me being a sex icon, and someone who appears in their dreams every night and day.”t Read more with Brenner on www.ebar.com Follow Brenner Bolton at twitter.com/brenner_boltonx Brenner Bolton performs at The Nob Hill Theatre May 8 & 9. $25.

Solo shows at 8pm, and live sex shows with hung stud Damien Stone at 10pm. 729 Bush St. 3976758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Brenner Bolton gets a rise and a rose from Dalton Pierce in a NextDoor Buddies scene.

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

May 7-13, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 29

Gaged in Wood

by John F. Karr

eddying below the surface. Gage elicited from his players a simmerhe credit that director Joe ing, yet unreleased sexual tension, Gage has been getting on his and a measured entry into sex that recent movies for TitanMen is “A added so many intangibles to the Joe Gage Chronicle.” That word, occurrence. chronicle, tells us a story will unGage is still working that formufold, and suggests an encounter la, and you gotta applaud anyone of greater breadth than the usual. who makes the effort to suffuse his And that’s been Gage’s trademark, scenes with more than, Oh, there’s a to slowly chronicle the strange cute guy and now we’re fucking. currents of attraction and refusal Yet, my feeling while watching the three extended encounters in Cut to the Chase was that Joe might have been wise to take the title as an instruction.

The two-hour anthology is spread over two hours. One of the scenes is a half hour, one is forty minutes, while the third –and best– gets quite nearly a full hour. In porn time, that’s a grand canyon of open space. Yet the haltingly performed and measured set-ups don’t fill those chasms. They lack connection where much connection was hoped for.

No one will complain about Joe’s cast. There’s Titan Exclusive Dario Beck for glamor, three Anthony London and Mike Tanner (below) take it a step beyond staring bearded daddies in Dirk Caber, Dolan Wolf and Anthony Lonin Cut to the Chase.

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TitanMen

Mike Tanner gives real estate agent Anthony London something better than a closed sale in Cut to the Chase.

don, a pair of younger frat types in Jed Athens and JD Phoenix, plus the stud-cutie with fine blond fur, Mike Tanner.

We open with a yard sale, as homeowner Jed Athens wrangles customer Dario Beck into the seclusion of a backyard garage. Dario notes there’s no merchandise there.

“There’s this,” says Jed, pulling out his goods. Dario hauls out his.

So they stand a yard or so apart, their goods hanging out, their eyes locked in a stare down. There’s little sense of sexuality or desire, just a waiting, while we appraise the cocks.

The guys seem non-committal, and for this pace to work, they must be rapt.

They finally get to sucking, at which Jed works intently on Dario, who seems to want a taste of Jed’s pink, smooth cock.

“Do it,” urges Jed. Hell, the thing’s so pretty I would have already downed and digested it, no urging necessary. But I’ve always been so impetuous. Gage at first has Dario maintain a concentrated tempo, but he gets fervent. There’s a sudden shift to ass-probing, and an equally quick jump to Jed’s measured fucking of Dario. He applies a slow grind, with the sway of his hips making his cock describe a broad circle in Dario’s ass. An RC is nice, with Dario swiveling a bit so he can look Jed in the eye as he bounces.

His increasing rapidity brings on an orgasm, which is repeated in slo-mo, and Jed beats off. Though a little anti-climatic, it’s pretty and there’s lots of cum.

Anthony London plays a real estate agent, looking nerdy and not at all sexy in a bland suit and glasses.

He looks like your high school biology teacher, but sucks cock so much better than your high school biology teacher (though how any of us might know the quality of our high school biology teacher’s cocksucking is a subject that begs discretion).

He’s unengaged as client Mike Tanner strips his clothes off, yet when naked is revealed as quite palatable, looking pretty much like a TitanMan should look –tall, handsome, hairy.

A special talent of Mike’s is that he can remove a fellow’s shoes and socks without his lips breaking their seal on a guy’s cock. Mike’s a slurpy sucker, but mid-tongue lash, he’s flipping Anthony around for some fucking. Mike grinds in silence, Anthony hardly reacts, and remains soft. Mike finally shows a burst of invigorating energy, and the guys cum simultaneously.

Then we get to Dolan Wolfe, playing a teacher. I expected something hot from this frequently nasty performer. That should have been doubled since he’s joined by Dirk Caber in molesting student, JD

TitanMen

Lucky is the student JD Phoenix (center) who gets counseled by teacher/daddies Dolan Wolfe and Dirk Caber in Cut to the Chase.

Phoenix. But imagine having Dirk and Dolan together in one scene without a single touch of kink; not even a cock ring.

I suppose they’re in a classroom, but with only three plastic chairs as furniture, it’s barren and echoing.

Someone sure saved money on this set. Yet Dolan’s fat, uncut cock, and Dirk’s trusty, lusty energy launch all three into a round robin of stroking, sucking, rimming and fucking.

Finally, some real heat!

The movie’s music, by DiscoPup, is no aid to the proceedings. This barely more than quiet rhythm track of background beats offers little forward momentum. It’s too spare to support the scenes, which could have used a cushion of warm sound.

So, Cut to the Chase is a mixed bag, and not competitive.t www.TitanMen.com

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

30 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 7-13, 2015

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Meow Mix @ The Stud

Tue 12

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

Indulge @ ODC Theater

Naked Night @ Nob Hill Theatre

<<

On the Tab

From page 26

Performerama @ Oasis Marga Gomez' monthly variety show this time includes another excerpt from Gomez' hilarious Pound!, plus Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, The Bad Aunties (featuring Diane Amos), Robin Clou, Kat Evasco and Tina D'Elia. $5-$10. 8pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom. www.margagomez.com 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 the popular men's night. 9pm-2am. 440 Castro St. 621-8732. www.the440.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 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

Indulge @ ODC Theater

The weekly burlesque show of women dancers shaking their bonbons includes live music. $10. 9pm. 647 Valencia St. 552-7788. www.elbo.com

The popular dance space's annual gala benefit includes delicious libations, food from dozens of local restuarants and caterers, delicious desserts, popup performances (Amara Tabor-Smith, Jess Curtis/Gravity, Nol Simonse and Scott Wells & Dancers) silent auctions in travel, cuisine, travel and the arts. $45/$55, $150 for pre-gala dinner.

7:30pm. 3153 17th St. www.odcdance.org/indulge

Cock Shot @ Beaux

Ink & Metal @ Powerhouse

Tue 12 Bombshell Betty & Her Burlesqueteers @ Elbo Room

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

Show off your tattoos and piercings at the weekly cruisy SoMa bar night.

10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Strip down with the strippers at the cruisy adult theatre and arcade; free beverages. $20. 8pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

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

44 Castro St. www.the440.com

To place your Personals ad, Call 415-861-5019 for more info & rates 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

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

424 Cortland St. 647-3099. www.wildsidewest.com

Open Mic/Comedy @ SF Eagle Kollin Holts hosts the weekly comedy and open mic talent night. 6pm-8pm.

398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Switch @ Q Bar

Rookies Night @ Nob Hill Theatre Amatuer night, where the newbies get nude for a $200 prize. $20. 9pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

So You Think You Can Gogo? @ Toad Hall 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

Buy a drink and get a wooden nickle good for another. 12pm-2am.

440 Castro St. 621-8732. www.the440.com

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

Thu 14

Underwear Night @ Club OMG

Connie Champagne @ Feinstein's at the Nikko

Weekly underwear night includes free clothes check, and drink specials; different hosts each week. $3. 10pm-2am. Preceded by Open Mic Comedy, 7pm, no cover.

43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

The popular vocalist-actress returns with the special concert, Beyond the Rainbow: The Best of Connie Champagne as Judy Garland. $25-$40. 8pm. ($20 food/drink min.) Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.conniechampagne.com www.ticketweb.com

Wed 13

Mazel Top @ Oasis

Red Hots Burlesque @ Oasis

The social mixer for Jewish guys and their goy pals returns (2nd Thu), at a "bagel meets bagel queen" evening. $5-$7. 9pm-1am.

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

The weekly women's sexy strip show. $15-$25. 8:30pm-11:30pm.

298 11th St. at Folsom. www. sfoasis.com Juanita More! and her weekly intimate –yet packed– dance party. $10-$15. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.qbarsf.com

Weekly women's happy hour, with allwomen music and live performances, 2 for 1 drinks, and no cover. 5pm-9am.

2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Wooden Nickel Wednesday @ 440

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

Booty Call @ QBar

Pussy Party @ Beaux

Thu 14 Connie Champagne @ Feinstein’s

Want your nightlife event listed? Email events@ebar.com, at least two weeks before your event. Event photos welcome.

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

Shooting Stars

May 7-13, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 31

photos by Steven Underhill The Welcoming Committee @ Mr. Smith’s

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he Welcoming Committee’s First Friday Takeover (where gay bar fans “invade” a straight bar) held at Mr. Smith’s (34 7th St.) saw a cocktail-loving mix of patrons, straight, gay and undecided. The group will also host a Big LGBTQ Mixer on May 20 at Oasis. www.thewelcomingcommittee.com More event photo albums are on BARtab’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife.

See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at www.StevenUnderhill.com.

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For headshots, portraits or to arrange your wedding photos

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

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