December 21, 2023 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

Randall aims for Congress

11

NYE events

ARTS

HIV vaccine trial fails

ARTS

05

02

11

Last-minute gifts

The

www.ebar.com

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

Vol. 53 • No. 51 • December 21-27, 2023

Bill Wilson

Pope Francis has announced that Catholic priests can perform blessings for same-sex couples.

Courtesy the campaign

San Francisco mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie

Pope OKs blessings for Catholic samesex couples

Mayoral candidate Lurie banks on SF ties

by Matthew S. Bajko

F

or Daniel Lurie, a major talking point for why he is seeking to become San Francisco’s next mayor is his deep connections to the city. His campaign website bio is even titled “A San Francisco Story,” which it notes is “firmly rooted in” the city where he grew up.

“It is a great question and one I do get asked often,” Lurie noted when asked by the Bay Area Reporter why he is running to be mayor. “I really start right at the beginning. I was born and raised in San Francisco. I love this town.”

See page 9 >>

by John Ferrannini

Rick Gerharter

Castro shows its holiday spirit

L

arge lighted gingerbread characters add a festive touch to the home at 2750 Market Street, which is festooned with lights, wreaths, and large or-

naments. It shows that San Francisco’s LGBTQ neighborhood is no stranger to celebrating the season.

A

dvocates for LGBTQ people in the Roman Catholic Church are pleased by Pope Francis’ significant change of tact Monday, now allowing priests to bless couples in same-sex relationships.

“It cannot be overstated how significant the Vatican’s new declaration is. Approving blessings for same-gender couples is certainly monumenSee page 8 >>

Organizers apologize after drag performer protest sparks altercation

by John Ferrannini

B.A.R. Archive

B.A.R. assistant editor Matthew S. Bajko took third place in the San Francisco Press Club awards for a feature on the New Conservatory Theater Center that was published in June 2022.

B.A.R. takes honors at SF press club awards

by Cynthia Laird

T

he Bay Area Reporter won several honors at the San Francisco Press Club’s journalism awards dinner December 13.

The 46th annual event was held at the Elks Lodge No. 3 near Union Square. Curtis Sparrer, president of the press club, stated in an announcement of the winners that this year saw a record set with more than 500 entries from news outlets around the Bay Area. The contest was for content published in 2022.

See page 7 >>

T

hree drag artists who helped organize pop-up performances around San Francisco as part of SF is a Drag earlier this month apologized December 13 for a lack of security after a performer was met with aggression after they protested in support of Palestinians on a street corner in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood.

Overseeing the citywide event was D’Arcy Drollinger, the city’s drag laureate, along with drag queens Honey Mahogany and Juanita MORE! The Civic Joy Fund provided stipends to the 100 drag performers who fanned out across the city December 2-3.

The incident that prompted the apology occurred at Haight and Cole streets at 1 p.m. December 3, Civic Joy Fund spokesperson Alexandra Liss confirmed to the Bay Area Reporter.

A video shows King Lotus Boy and a small group chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

The slogan has been used at recent protests against Israel. On October 7, Hamas terrorists went into Israel and killed 1,200 people in the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Israel responded with an extensive bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip, governed by Hamas, and a ground invasion, which has led to the deaths of

A video shows a drag artist, second from right, chanting “From the river to the sea” at the corner of Haight and Cole streets during the SF is a Drag event December 3.

over 16,000 Palestinians, according to reports.

The statement from the Drollinger, Mahogany, and MORE! reads, “On Sunday, December 3rd, one of the participating performers, King Lotus Boy, exercised their right to protest and were joined by additional protesters, including Harddeep. We were deeply troubled to hear that they were confronted by an individual who responded

to their protest with aggression, racist remarks, and a threat to their safety. This is unacceptable and we strongly condemn the assailant’s actions.”

The statement continued, “The lack of on-site security and our reliance on volunteers who were untrained in de-escalation for this type of situation was a significant oversight.”

See page 9 >>

<< Health News

2 • Bay Area Repor ter • December 21-27, 2023

t

CA health officials pilot LGBTQ data collection plan

by Matthew S. Bajko

Parks’ office released the response December 14. It stems from the issuance last April of his 45-page report titled “The California Department of Public Health: It Has Not Collected and Reported Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data as State Law Intended.”

A

s it continues to address lapses in its gathering of LGBTQ health information, California’s health department is piloting a plan in Los Angeles County for sharing sexual orientation and gender identity data. If deemed successful, the pilot project could be expanded to other counties in the state, including San Francisco, to ensure local SOGI data is being shared with the state agency.

At issue is that not every local health jurisdiction uses the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange, known as CalREDIE, to report all communicable disease data, including SOGI data, to state public health officials. Thus, the state health agency’s Center for Infectious Diseases has been developing a plan to ensure that the information is being transmitted at the local level to Sacramento.

The center has been working with the state health agency’s Information Technology Services Division to make sure its technical infrastructure for receipt of automated data files is utilizing a cloud-based data warehouse that was established to track how the COVID-19 epidemic was impacting the Golden State. It also will be informing local health officials who do not use CalREDIE to report all disease conditions of the technical specifications their jurisdictions will need to imple-

Courtesy CADPH

California health officials have started a pilot program in Los Angeles County for the sharing of sexual orientation and gender identity data.

ment so they are transmitting the required LGBTQ health information to the state.

It will be testing out the collection of SOGI data for upward of 20 reportable disease conditions with Los Angeles County’s health department through March. By March 31, 2026, state health officials would like to see all local health agencies not using CalREDIE be reporting the LGBTQ health information.

“Information gained from this pilot will inform and guide the process for the remaining reportable disease conditions from LA County, as well as San Diego and San Francisco for diseases that are not in CalREDIE,” stated state health officials in a response sent to California State Auditor Grant Parks this fall.

Issues have derailed data collection

Legislation signed by former governor Jerry Brown had mandated the state’s departments of health care services, public health, social services, and aging begin gathering SOGI data in 2016. But as the Bay Area Reporter has repeatedly reported over the years, and Parks’ audit explained in detail, myriad issues have derailed the collection of the LGBTQ health information.

For instance, Parks had disclosed in his audit that 105 out of 129 forms used by the state health department are exempted from collecting SOGI data because a third party, such as a local health jurisdiction, oversees them.

And only 17 of the 24 forms that are required to collect SOGI data “do so in a complete manner,” Parks noted.

As detailed in the audit, there is little SOGI data made available to the public. It also highlighted the fact that “resource and technical limitations” make it impossible for the state’s health department to export the SOGI data it does collect for over 100 of 128 report-

able disease conditions to an electronic database it oversees.

Since its release the state health department has been working to address the various issues raised by the audit, as the B.A.R. reported in September.

It’s been reviewing and updating the forms it uses to ensure they include SOGI questions and that the phrasing of the queries are up to date, and expects to post by the end of this month the feedback it has received regarding the standardized definition, wording, and format of SOGI data questions and response fields.

“The SOGI data display standards are still in discussion. Staff are developing recommendations addressing the major issues that affect the display of SOGI data, including privacy protection of small cell sizes and sources of SOGI denominator data,” state health officials informed the auditor in October.

The Center for Infectious Diseases recently informed the auditor that it continues to add SOGI data elements to each data extract in the CalREDIE Data Warehouse so that they are available to public health programs. It expects to have it fully updated by the end of April and the SOGI data accessible to local health jurisdictions by October 31, 2024.

“As of September 20, 2023, 80 of the 128 extracts have been updated with SOGI data elements, an increase of 31 since the last update was reported,” according to the center.

But other steps to address the audit findings will require several years to implement, the state health department has disclosed in its responses to Parks’ office this fall. It is moving to a new surveillance system and is requiring that the vendor includes SOGI data fields, though doing so by July 1, 2026, will require additional state funding in next year’s budget.

“As part of the project process, there will be a ‘requirements traceability matrix,’ as well as an independent verification and validation process to ensure project requirements and objectives are met once a contract is executed with a vendor,” state health officials noted in their most recent response to the auditor.

Among the functional requirements for the new surveillance system that state health officials are asking for is that the Master Person Index captures SOGI data and allows users to view the SOGI data history since people’s answers to those questions may change over time. It also must allow the SOGI data to be customizable by disease.

The auditor’s office continues to assess the health department’s responses to its report. It said it looks “forward to reviewing Public Health’s progress towards implementing” its various recommendations. t

Last large HIV vaccine trial fails

by Liz Highleyman

T

he last large HIV vaccine study has been halted ahead of schedule after researchers determined “there is little or no chance of the trial demonstrating vaccine efficacy in preventing HIV acquisition,” according to a December 6 announcement. Leaders of the PrEPVacc trial shared the news at the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa, held last week in Zimbabwe.

While this outcome is disappointing, the International AIDS Society stressed the need to step up HIV vaccine research and development.

“We cannot and will not lose hope that the world will have an effective HIV vaccine that is accessible by all who need it, anywhere,” said IAS Executive Director Birgit Poniatowski. “A vaccine remains one of our most powerful tools to reach and change the lives of vulnerable communities and key populations in the most affected parts of the world.”

PrEPVacc

PrEPVacc chief investigator Dr. Pontiano Kaleebu

The PrEPVacc trial, testing two vaccine regimens along with two different PrEP pills, enrolled more than 1,500 men and women at risk for HIV in South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The participants will not receive any more vaccine doses, but they will be followed for additional safety data collection. The oral PrEP component of the study is ongoing.

The trial’s early discontinuation does not put an end to HIV vaccine research, but it does suggest that more sophisticated approaches will be needed.

“We have come so far in our HIV prevention journey, but we must look to a new generation of vaccine approaches and technology to take us forward again,” stated PrEPVacc chief investigator Dr. Pontiano Kaleebu of the Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit. “We must also look to a new generation of leaders. We set up PrEPVacc to grow our capacity in Africa to do future trials ourselves and to develop those who will lead them here in Africa.”

A history of disappointments

Only one large vaccine study – the RV144 trial in Thailand – has shown any effectiveness for HIV prevention. That trial tested a vaccine called AIDSVAX

that contains HIV’s gp120 envelope protein plus a second vaccine that delivers DNA instructions for HIV proteins. In 2009, researchers reported that this regimen reduced new infections by 31%.

But later studies evaluating this kind of traditional vaccine approach did not see a similar benefit.

The Uhambo trial tested a DNA vaccine plus another vaccine containing gp120 proteins. It was halted in 2020 after early results showed that it did not prevent HIV infection. Two large phase III vaccine trials, Imbokodo and Mosaico, tested a vaccine that uses an adenovirus vector to deliver antigens from multiple HIV strains plus different booster vaccines. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, Imbokodo was halted in August 2021 after the vaccine regimen did not reduce the risk of HIV acquisition for young women in Africa. Likewise, Mosaico was stopped this past January because it failed to protect gay and bisexual

men and transgender women in North and South America and Europe.

That left PrEPVacc as the only ongoing large vaccine trial. The study used an approach similar to the one that showed promise in the RV144 trial.

Participants were randomly assigned to receive AIDSVAX plus a DNA vaccine, these two vaccines plus a third vaccine that uses a modified poxvirus vector to deliver HIV DNA, or placebo injections.

In addition, the study compared two PrEP pills, Descovy (tenofovir alafenamide/emtricitabine) and Truvada (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine). Truvada is approved as an HIV prevention option for all populations, but Descovy is not yet approved for cisgender women, trans men, and others exposed to HIV via vaginal sex due to inadequate data. PrEPVacc, which enrolled nearly 90% women, aims to fill that research gap.

See page 8 >>

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<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Repor ter • December 21-27, 2023

Volume 53, Number 51 December 21-27, 2023 www.ebar.com

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Lumps of coal bestowed on Newsom, Atkins

While there were a lot of good LGBTQ-related bills that came out of Sacramento this year, Governor Gavin Newsom and lesbian outgoing state Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins (DSan Diego) whiffed on a couple of things. Hence, they’re getting our symbolic lumps of coal as the year comes to a close.

Newsom

For someone who proclaims to be a steadfast ally to the transgender and broader LGBTQ community, Newsom sure has a funny way of showing it when given an opportunity. He went toe-to-toe with homophobic Florida Republican Governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis in a nationally televised debate last month and talked about how he supports trans kids. He called DeSantis a bully for, among other things, signing into law extreme anti-trans legislation, including a law banning gender-affirming care for people of all ages. And in the Golden State, Newsom signed a bill into law last year designating California as a refuge for trans kids and their parents. He’s a former San Francisco mayor who ushered in the “Winter of Love” in 2004 that jump-started the effort to legalize same-sex marriage.

And yet ... when Newsom could have put the state at the forefront of really protecting trans kids, he fell short. We’re talking about his veto of Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson’s (D-Suisun City) Assembly Bill 975 that would have required state judges to take into account parental support for their transgender children during custody disputes. You know, something that would have actually helped trans kids in the state. Yes, judges have some discretion and need to follow the law. But this bill could have been a game-changer.

Wilson’s TGI (Transgender, GenderDiverse, and Intersex) Youth Empowerment Act would have required courts “to strongly consider” if a parent is affirming of their child’s gender identity or gender expression, and if they consent to legally changing the child’s name and gender marker to mirror their preferred gender, when considering the legal guardianship and visitation rights of the minor’s divorcing parents. Under this bill, the interests – and support for – trans and nonbinary kids would have been taken into account in family court, which is something that is sorely needed.

Wilson, as the parent of an adult trans child, knows what will help these youth, and she crafted a sensible bill to accomplish a goal – that judges consider the best interests of youth.

Research has shown that trans and gender-nonconforming youth have much healthier outcomes

when they have parental support. Child custody cases are often difficult, but such parental support should be a no-brainer for judges, and the guidance provided by Wilson’s bill would have been helpful.

This is not a bill that would have cost a lot of money – Newsom’s used that excuse to veto other legislation over the years, or had his office ask that bills come to him with no funding attached, as was the case in 2020 with Assemblymember Miguel Santiago’s (D-Los Angeles) Transgender Wellness and Equity Fund. That bill, which Newsom signed, got $13 million in state funding in 2021.

State officials recently announced a $68 billion budget deficit, and Newsom is barreling ahead with his Delta Conveyance project to send our water to Southern California (at a price tag of some $16 billion). But when it comes to a cost-neutral bill that would simply ask family court judges to do what they should be doing already, it’s a bridge too far for Newsom to cross.

We noted previously that we urge Wilson to attempt a similar bill next year. We hope she does, and this time, Newsom should sign it.

Atkins

As her leadership of the state Senate was winding down, Atkins suddenly decided that California’s law banning publicly funded travel to states with anti-LGBTQ laws was ripe for repeal. (She got some help in that effort from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, which jettisoned its own version of the travel ban in April.) In March, Atkins held a press call to announce she was introducing a bill to end the state travel ban that was authored several years ago by gay Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Cupertino). This was despite a number of states passing even more anti-LGBTQ laws over the years, bringing the number to 26 on California’s no-fly list.

To make this change, Atkins came up with Senate Bill 447, the BRIDGE Act, which stands for Building and Reinforcing Inclusive, Diverse, Gender-Supportive Equality. It scrapped the travel ban policy for a marketing program in those states attacking LGBTQ rights that Atkins said would “encourage acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community.”

Atkins, who grew up in poverty in rural Virginia, added that the goal of her legislation “is to speak to people’s hearts and open minds. That’s a pursuit that would have made teen Toni – that southwestern Virginia girl afraid to be herself back then – so proud.” Atkins denied that the travel ban was a failure, though no state that had been added to it was then removed because it rescinded the homopho-

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bic or transphobic law that had landed it on the list.

Of course, Atkins’ BRIDGE bill sailed through the Legislature and Newsom signed it almost as soon as the ink was dry, joined by Atkins and several other out lawmakers. Clearly, the fix was in, so to speak, in that political leaders thought the ban was hindering their definition of progress. We think that one reason was because, as California became a refuge for people seeking reproductive health care after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion last year, it became apparent that the state couldn’t use taxpayer money to provide travel funds for people who lived in those states on the no-fly list. In June 2022, after the court decision, the Associated Press reported that California could spend $20 million to bring women from out of state to its abortion clinics. Atkins led the fight last year to pass Proposition 1, which enshrined the right to abortion in California’s constitution. She has long been a staunch supporter of reproductive rights.

SB 447 contained an urgency clause, meaning that it went into effect as soon as Newsom signed it on September 13. But what happened to the marketing campaigns in those states with antiLGBTQ laws? A Google search reveals no news about the bill since it was signed. Atkins had said that funding for the program would likely come from the state’s Go-BIZ program, which is run out of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, along with private donations. GoBIZ’s website lists no news releases related to the BRIDGE Act. We continue to believe that the travel bans served a purpose, that California and San Francisco had principles – what Congressmember Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) calls “San Francisco values.” We don’t see companies in those red states beating a path to California to do business here any more than they were already present. And we don’t see a marketing campaign convincing the country’s polarized electorate of anything.

Here’s what Atkins could do, particularly when her term as president pro tem of the Senate ends in February. She should take the lead on convincing people not to sign petitions to qualify a massive anti-trans initiative for the state ballot next year. (We’re looking at you, Equality California, to assist or bring Atkins on board for a decline to sign campaign.) She should become a public face of the campaign to repeal Proposition 8’s “zombie” language that remains in the state constitution and will be on next November’s ballot. If Atkins wants to run for governor in 2026 – and the signs are there – these two efforts certainly could use her help and carve out a niche for her as the candidate that the LGBTQ community could get behind. t

Pope’s directive represents progress

by Jim Mitulski

Bay Area Reporter

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his week something unprecedented happened at the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Pope Francis quietly, yet unmistakably, shifted the rules regarding the honoring of LGBTQ relationships. In the Roman Catholic Church the pope is the one person who has the authority to preside over a change of this magnitude. He used his power as a spiritual and political leader to signal to LGBTQ people that where we once received rejection, we could begin to see blessing. It’s more than an internal church policy update because this change will echo throughout the world.

Fiducia Supplicans, or “On The Pastoral Meaning of Blessings,” is barely five pages long. It contains many scriptural references and theological arguments meant to bolster this new policy. It supersedes a previous directive and now permits priests to bless same-sex couples. It defines blessings as requests to be nearer to God, and though this is a simplification, it makes a case that no such request should ever be discouraged or denied. He cautions priests to avoid being “judges who only deny, reject, and exclude.”

There is more in the statement about what it is not than what it is. There is no revision of traditional teaching about marriage as a union of one man and one woman intended as a lifetime commitment for the principal purpose of procreation. There is no new theology of human sexuality informed by reason and science. It simply says it’s OK to bless same-sex couples. But critics and supporters recognize it as a paradigm shift. No more language of condemnation or abomination or the ugly language of a 1986 statement that calls us “intrinsically disordered.” There is a call to blessing, which emphasizes God’s unconditional love in, and for all, creation. It is an implicit call to stand with us, to accompany us on life’s journey. All of us.

Bill Wilson

Pope Francis issued a directive this week that allows Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples.

Francis performed a minor miracle by giving permission to priests to bless same-sex relationships. The church has always allowed for the blessing of people, places, and things. But never before has it acknowledged the potential blessings of honoring same-sex love. This wasn’t entirely a surprise.

Francis early on signaled his openness to LGBTQ people when he famously remarked, “Who am I to judge?” He has spoken up in defense of transgender rights and spent time with this community. Earlier this year Francis affirmed the place of transgender people in the life of the church, saying, for example, that trans people can be godparents. During the same period San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and Oakland Bishop Michael Barber issued a harshly antitransgender statement, “The Body-Soul Unity of the Human Person.” Fortunately, the pope has the final word, which may be hard for local church officials to hear.

There will be widespread outcries from conservative prelates who have a stake in preserving the status quo. What next? Women priests? We can only hope so, and not soon enough. There is no apology,

no recognition of how many have suffered from the church’s outmoded notions of human sexuality, divorce, abortion, or contraceptives. We can hope it will discourage the church’s impulse to legislate its doctrines as social policy.

It can be discouraging how slowly the church changes. When I was in seminary 40 years ago, the United Methodist Church was in the vanguard of progressive policies regarding LGBTQ inclusion; this year it is dividing over issues of LGBTQ inclusion. During that same period, the Lutheran Church expelled the San Francisco congregation that supported the ordination of openly gay the Reverend Jeff Johnson and others who were seeking ordination. This month the same Lutheran denomination installed him to be its bishop here in Northern California. Some changes take more than a lifetime to realize.

I performed my first same-sex wedding in 1981. I was working as a student pastor at the gay Metropolitan Community Church in New York’s Greenwich Village. Doris and Rocky (Rachel) were a young Puerto Rican couple, living in Queens, raising two children. They were devout Catholics and their lives focused on family. They worked hard to send their kids to Catholic school because it afforded a better education. They came to my gay church seeking a blessing for their relationship. They wanted their relatives and their children to witness them exchanging vows in a church, even a Protestant church if necessary.

Their local priest was privately sympathetic to them and even sent them to us because he knew our queer congregation would provide what his church would not. On their wedding day, I pronounced “what God has joined together, let no one, let no church, let no state put their love asunder” to the couple attired in bridal gown and tux, with their children bearing rings and flowers.

Afterward, Rocky assured me that she knew God See page 8 >>

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Politics >>

December 21-27, 2023 • Bay Area Repor ter • 5

Former Oakland resident Randall aims to make US congressional history

by Matthew S. Bajko

A

long the West Coast just California has sent LGBTQ people to serve in Congress. At the moment two gay male House members and one lesbian U.S. senator are among the Golden State’s congressional delegation.

Now a queer Washington state senator with Bay Area ties is aiming to add the Evergreen State to the list of those with out congressional members. Democratic Senator Emily Randall, 38, is vying to succeed Congressmember Derek Kilmer (D-Gig Harbor) in the Puget Sound region.

As the Bay Area Reporter’s online Political Notes column first reported (https://www.ebar.com/story. php?ch=news&sc=news&id=329813) last month, Randall was born and raised in Port Orchard on the Kitsap Peninsula, which is part of Kilmer’s 6th Congressional District. It also includes the cities of Tacoma and Bremerton, where Randall now owns a home with her partner of 18 years, Alison Leahey.

Should she win the House seat in 2024, Randall would not only expand the ranks of West Coast congressional members but also be the first queer Latina to serve in Congress. But she is facing a tough campaign next year, as Kilmer endorsed Washington Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz to succeed him.

As a courtesy, Kilmer had called Randall to tell her the news about his retirement about 45 minutes before he made it public on November 9. Almost immediately afterward Randall was fielding queries on if she would run for his seat.

“It was a real surprise to me when he called me and told me he wasn’t going to run,” Randall told the Bay Area Reporter.

“My phone was blowing up for at least 12 hours, and not just because of my friends but also calls from other elected officials and residents in the district. I felt I needed to listen to those calls from my neighbors.”

She also received Leahey’s permission to seek the seat since if she is elected next November, it would mean her having to live part-time in Washington, D.C. and her wife also possibly needing to relocate across the country. Leahey works in the construction field and is in a pre-apprenticeship class for carpenters.

“It definitely was a family decision and if this would be best for us,” Randall told the B.A.R. over breakfast November 22 at The Cove restaurant in San Francisco’s LGBTQ Castro district.

The couple were in the Bay Area to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with Leahey’s sister and her family, who live on the Peninsula south of the city. Back in 2015 and 2016 Randall had managed institutional partnerships for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Her time at the agency coincided with its opening the Strut health clinic in the Castro just down the street from The Cove. Back then Randall and Leahey lived in West Oakland.

The women first met at Wellesley College in Massachusetts and eventually moved together out west. Randall left the AIDS agency to become a major gifts officer with Planned Parenthood.

In 2017, with Leahey working at the time for Microsoft, the women had relocated to Washington state. Upset by the election the previous year of Donald Trump as president, Randall decided to seek public office herself.

She won her 2018 race for the 26th Senate District in her state Legislature and became the first Latina elected to represent it. Claire Wilson, a lesbian who grew up in Seattle, also won a Senate seat that November.

Barry Schneider Attorney at Law Courtesy the candidate

Washington state Senator Emily Randall is seeking an open congressional seat next year.

They became the first out women elected to their Legislature’s upper chamber and both won second terms last year. (Wilson has yet to endorse in the House race.)

Both times Randall faced a tough contest against her Republican opponent. She is viewed as an underdog in the House race, which so far has drawn a third Democratic candidate, Jefferson County Commissioner Kate Dean.

The August 8 primary for the open seat has also drawn Republican state Senator Drew MacEwen; candidates have until May to file. Like in California, Washington state uses a top-two primary voting system so the two candidates with the most votes regardless of party affiliation will move on to the general election next November.

“It is very unlikely two Democrats will make it,” Randall told the B.A.R. despite the district having a 6% Democratic voter registration advantage and President Joe Biden (D) carrying it by 57% of the vote in 2020.

Randall is the second 2024 House candidate in the West Coast outside of California with Bay Area ties. Running again for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District seat is lesbian former Santa Clara city councilmember Jamie McLeod-Skinner, having fallen short last year.

She would be the Beaver State’s first LGBTQ member of Congress if she wins her race. Oregon uses a primary party system, and McLeodSkinner is the odds-on favorite to be the Democratic Party’s candidate in 2024 running against the Republican incumbent, Congressmember Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Happy Valley.

Seeing all three West Coast states have out representation in Congress come January 2025 “would be amazing,” said Randall.

Endorsements

The national LGBTQ Victory Fund; Equality PAC, the political action committee for the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus; and LPAC, which works to elect LGBTQ women and nonbinary candidates, have endorsed both McLeod-Skinner and Randall in their respective House races.

“Emily has worked tirelessly to make Washington state one of the most inclusive and accepting places for LGBTQ Americans to live their best lives,” stated gay Democratic Congressmembers Mark Takano of California and Ritchie Torres of New York, who cochair Equality PAC. Like Torres, Takano is running for reelection in 2024 to his Riverside County seat. California’s other gay member of the House, Congressmember Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), is also seeking a second term next year. (Senator Laphonza Butler (D), the first out Black woman in the U.S. Senate, opted not to seek a full term after being appointed to

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

fill the vacancy created by the death in September of Dianne Feinstein.) www.SchneiderLawSF.com Many of the issues facing Takano’s and Garcia’s Southern California constituents are also top-of-mind for those *Certified by the California State Bar of the House district Randall is running in, she told the B.A.R. From hous315 Montgomery St., Ste. 1025, San Francisco, CA 94104 ing costs and the price of health care to infrastructure needs and addressing the impacts of climate change, Randall wants to seek federal solutions for the various concerns that will benefit resiVice President of Advertising dents all along the West Coast, she said. advertising@ebar.com “We need partners,” said Randall of having like-minded members of Congress for the three-state region.

Asked why she had determined it was a winnable race for herself, despite not having the support of the incumbent, Randall replied that her family has long roots in the Puget Sound area.

A grandfather of hers owned a cabin on land he leased from one of the region’s 44 Gough Street #302, San Francisco, CA 94103 Native American tribes, while her mom (415) 829-8937 • www.ebar.com worked at a local resort.

The House district also mirrors her state Senate district in myriad ways, such as having dense urban areas and vast rural sections, she noted. Both have seen changes in the local business sector present problems for residents who needed to find new work or switch careers, added Randall.

“Having someone able to represent both those communities is important.

I also have a strong record in the Senate,” said Randall, who is her chamber’s deputy majority leader.

She pointed to her passing bills that protected reproductive freedoms, expanded heath care coverage, and made education more accessible. Randall also noted she has worked across the aisle with her GOP counterparts, which she would continue to aim to do in the House, she When you plan your life celebration and lasting remembrance in said, despite its partisan divisions beadvance, you can design every detail of your own unique memorial tween Democrats and Republicans. and provide your loved ones with true peace of mind. Planning ahead “I will work to make sure all my neighWhen your celebration lasting protectsyou your plan loved ones fromlife unnecessary stress and and financial burden, bors’ voices are heard,” said Randall.When you plan your life celebration and lasting remembrance in allowing them to focus on what will matter most at design that time—you. remembrance in advance, you can every Having been endorsed by the trio of you canofdesign every detail of your ownand unique memorial national LGBTQ organizations theadvance, day detail own memorial provide Contact usyour today about theunique beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy prior to meeting up with the B.A.R., atyour theloved San Francisco Columbarium. and provide loved ones with true peace mind.

Planning ahead your ones with true peace ofof mind.

Planning Randall said she was honored to have protects your loved ones from unnecessary stress and financial ahead protectsProudly yourserving loved onesCommunity. from unnecessary burden, their support of her historic candidacy. the LGBT allowing them focus on whatburden, will matter most them at thattotime—you.

She added she is aware of the signifistresstoand financial allowing cance of her seeking the seat for both the focus on what will matter most at that time—you.

LGBTQ and Latino communities.

Contact us today about the beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy “I know this matters to so many in our community, especially youth at whothe San Contact FranciscousColumbarium. today about the beautiful ways to create don’t see themselves in government,” a lasting legacy at the San Francisco Columbarium. said Randall. “I think having more doorOne Loraine Ct. | San Francisco | 415-771-0717 ways we can open for people to enter our Proudly serving our Community.

SanFranciscoColumbarium.com system of government is really exciting.”

Proudly serving the LGBT Community.

Part of her strategy for winning the FD 1306 / COA 660 House seat is to connect with younger voters below the age of 25; it is partly why she has an account on the social app TikTok. In her past races for her state Senate seat, Randall’s legislative district had the highest turnout of voters age 18 to 22 of any in Washington state, she noted.

“I want to continue to give them a reason to be involved in our politics,” One Loraine Ct. | San Francisco | 415-771-0717 said Randall.

To learn more about Randall, visit her SanFranciscoColumbarium.com campaign website at electemilyrandall. com. t

415-781-6500

Scott W. Wazlowski

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PlanningAhead Ahead isisSimple Planning Simple The benefits are immense.

Planning Ahead is Simple The benefits are immense.

The benefits are immense.

FD 1306 / COA 660

<< National News

6 • Bay Area Repor ter • December 21-27, 2023

US Senate panel grills Biden judicial picks

by John Ferrannini

T

he U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony December 13 from two attorneys aspiring to become federal appellate judges – including lesbian Nicole Berner who played a major role in an Israeli Supreme Court case that ruled a child can legally have two mothers.

Republicans on the committee grilled and repeatedly cut off Berner and her fellow nominee, Adeel Mangi, though Democrats steered the questioning back to legal issues and their experiences.

President Joe Biden nominated Berner, who is currently general counsel for the Service Employees International Union, to serve on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Mangi, a partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, to serve on the 3rd Circuit. If confirmed by the Senate, Berner would be the first LGBTQ jurist to serve on the 4th Circuit, and Mangi would be the first Muslim on a federal appellate bench.

“It’s important to remember these important milestones,” said Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), the chair of the judiciary committee. “As well as the excellent professional experience of both these nominees.”

Berner was introduced by Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D), the senior senator from her home state of Maryland. He said Berner has a “great breadth of experience.”

Cardin walked through Berner’s career. A graduate of UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall (now UC Berkeley Law), she was a visiting attorney at Yigal Arnon and Co., an Israeli firm, from 1999-2000, and was a litigation associate at Jenner and Block from 2000-2004. From 20042006, she was a staff attorney with Planned Parenthood, and since 2006 she’s been with SEIU, which represents about two million workers largely across public sector and health care fields.

“She is motivated by the desire to ensure fair and equal access to the courts for all Americans, in spite of their social status or financial resources,” Cardin said. “As a skilled appellate lawyer, she has organized legal strategies to bring her clients’ voices to the courts and tell their story. She seeks to show how their lives will be affected by the outcome of a case.”

Cardin added that Berner “also

Screengrab

Attorney Adeel Mangi testified at his Senate Judiciary Committee hearing December 13.

has personal experience with discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.” Berner, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Israel, played a key role in the landmark Israeli Supreme Court case Berner-Kadish v.

Minister of Interior.

“That ruling is considered one of the most important LGBTQ rights decisions in Israeli history, expanding the rights of families like hers in perpetuity,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland). “It was also an experience that taught Ms. Berner ‘how humbling and terrible it is to be a litigant defending the most important things she has.’”

In the case, Berner challenged the refusal of the Israeli Ministry of the Interior to register her as her son’s second mother. In California, she’d legally adopted her son. In the case, Israel’s high court ruled in favor of Berner.

In her remarks, Berner thanked Biden for the nomination.

“This nomination has been the greatest honor of my professional life and for that I am extremely grateful,” she said, adding that she has devoted her career to social justice, exemplified in the Hebrew phrase “tikkun olam,” or “repairing the world.”

Berner noted she had family in attendance visiting from Israel, in spite of the Israel-Hamas war taking place. On October 7, Hamas terrorists went into Israel and killed 1,200 people in the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

Israel responded with an extensive bombing campaign in the Gaza strip, governed by Hamas, and a ground invasion, which has led to the deaths of over 16,000 Palestin-

We Want to Hear from You! The City and County of San Francisco invites you to share input on the topics of affordable and fair housing, community services, and economic and workforce development.

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dignity | san francisco LGBTQ Catholics, Our Families and Friends Christmas and Advent Schedule Sunday 12/23 @ 5:30pm (Not Sunday at 5pm) – Vigil: Fourth Sunday of Advent Sunday 12/24 @ 6pm – Celebrate Christmas eve w/us at St. John of God Sunday 12/30 @ 5:30pm (Not Sunday at 5pm) – Vigil: The Holy Family Dunday 12/31 - No Liturgy - Happy New Year

Screengrab

Attorney Nicole Berner testified at her Senate Judiciary Committee hearing December 13.

ians, according to reports.

Durbin asked Berner and Mangi the opening question – whether they can, if appointed, separate their personal beliefs and past positions from the application of the law.

“I understand the role of a judge is very different from the role of an advocate,” Berner said. “I saw first hand the importance of applying each case with an open mind, of studying the record of the case deeply and thoroughly.”

Answered Mangi: “It is fundamentally important that litigants in the federal justice system be able to receive consistent adjudication from judges, regardless of that judge’s personal beliefs or background. I set aside my personal views, my background, my beliefs.”

Mangi, who lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, is from Pakistan. He earned a law degree from Oxford, in the United Kingdom, before he came to the U.S. in 1999.

Berner paid tribute to the late jurist Sandra Day O’Connor, who became the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court after being appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. O’Connor died December 1.

“When Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed, I saw that and I thought as a woman I can do anything,” Berner said. “She forged her own path, she broke glass ceilings, she maintained dignity and treated all fairly, and I know we are all thinking of her today and I would like to bring her name into this room as well.”

Republicans raise objections

Republicans on the committee raised several objections to the nominations.

Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) noted that, as general counsel to the SEIU, Berner had signed on to an amicus curiae brief in the case of Masterpiece Cakeshop v.

Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018). In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that the commission violated the free exercise clause of the First Amendment when it put the principle of non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation ahead of a baker’s right not to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding when he found doing so would violate his religious beliefs.

“You signed an amicus brief in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, also known as the ‘bake the cake, bigot’ case, in which a man in Colorado who had a cake shop didn’t want to bake a cake for a gay marriage,” Cotton said. “The Supreme Court ruled in his favor. Let me ask you if Hamas radicals went into a cake shop, say a Jewish bakery,

Correction Come for the service and stay for the fellowship. dignitysf@gmail.com for more details Instagram @dignitysanfrancisco † Facebook @DignitySF

In the article “LGBTQ groups launch new immigrant center” that was published in the Bay Area

and [wanted] a cake saying ‘From the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea, Palestine will be free,’ with a dagger through the Star of David … would a Jewish baker be compelled to bake a cake?”

Berner answered, “The Supreme Court did not rule along the lines advocated by my client,” but that “I would, of course, apply that Supreme Court precedent, like every other Supreme Court precedent.”

Answered Cotton: “I guess if confirmed, we’ll have to see if Hamas radicals can have such a cake baked.”

Mangi was criticized for his work as part of an advisory council for Rutgers Law School’s Center for Security, Race and Rights. GOP senators repeatedly asked him to condemn the Hamas attacks against Israel.

“The events of October 7 were horrific, a horror,” Mangi said. “The attacks on civilians were abominable and against everything that I stand for. I have no patience for any attempts to justify those attacks on civilians.”

But Mangi would not take positions beyond that, including on whether Israel is a “settler-colonial” state.

“I will condemn without equivocation any terrorism, any terrorist, any act of terrorism,” Mangi said.

He later clarified he believes Israel has a right to exist.

Berner faced criticism from Cotton and Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) over allegedly saying, in a 2020 speech, that the right-to-work movement is “deeply racist.”

Berner answered that the speech was made in her capacity as council for the SEIU. Senator Marsha Blackburn (RTennessee) was among those who questioned Berner about her response to an incident that occurred at an SEIU local.

SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West settled a sexual misconduct suit that made allegations against Dave Regan, who is now president of the SEIU-UHW. The terms of the settlement were not released, according to Payday Report.

A person who made allegations against Regan had asked Berner to investigate.

“It appears the union knew about these allegations and the union failed to take action and they continued to support the men who carried out the allegations,” Blackburn said. “The fact that he is still there and the fact that he was known – this wasn’t something that was hearsay, he was known for going to conferences, for getting drunk at the conference and inappropriately dancing with female employees – what it appears is this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Berner said that the SEIU local is separately affiliated from the national SEIU organization, and that her actions were done in accordance with her ethical obligations as a lawyer.

“What I can tell you is that I take all allegations of sexual assault seriously, but I faithfully carried out my role as an advocate and if I’m so fortunate to be confirmed, any position I take on behalf of a client would not have any relation to any positions I take as a judge,” she said.

Democratic senators

Democratic senators on the committee asked Berner and Mangi

Reporter’s November 23 print edition, it should have stated that the LGBT Asylum Project has won asylum in the U.S. for 116 people since is founding and that Brooke

t

versions of the GOP questions that allowed them to provide a few answers; at one point Durbin accused Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) of badgering Mangi.

These senators included lesbian Senator Laphonza Butler (DCalifornia), who allowed Berner to expound on the right-to-work movement speech and the SEIU situation.

“Can you describe the role of local union legal staff in comparison to the role you had as general council for the national SEIU?” she asked Answered Berner: “Each member of the union is a member of a locally-chartered affiliate. Each local union has its own council, its own constitution and governing body. I’m counsel to the international union and am not responsible for local unions except when I’m called upon in specific instances. In the instance referenced, I was not called upon to be council.”

Durbin read a December 8 letter from the 210,000 advocates of the National Council of Jewish Women supporting Mangi’s nomination.

“The National Council of Jewish Women believes the judiciary is best served by qualified judges who are fair minded and independent and reflective of the diversity of this nation,” the letter states. Durbin read it into the record before saying to Mangi that “I am sorry that you were subjected to the suggestion you are antisemitic or insensitive. This letter indicates that those people who looked at your record feel just the opposite.”

Senator Alex Padilla (D-California) thanked the nominees “for your willingness to serve.”

“You two just don’t get here like that,” Padilla said. “There is certainly an interest in serving on your part or professionals who advise members of the Senate on who would be a good member of the federal judiciary, conduct some initial outreach, some initial background, some initial vetting … and personal experience, and if you meet that threshold, a name is put forward.”

Padilla submitted two additional letters – one from the New Jersey State Bar Association in support of Mangi and a second in support of Berner from former clerks of the late Betty Binns Fletcher, a longtime 9th Circuit judge who died in 2012.

“We share a special bond with Nicole,” the letter states. “All of us had the honor of clerking for Judge Betty Fletcher. We have no doubt that Nicole will bring her exceptional talents to bear as a 4th Circuit judge.”

The committee adjourned without Durbin saying when a vote is scheduled to forward the nominations to the whole Senate.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which earlier this year advocated for Biden to nominate more out LGBTQ judges, praised both Berner and Mangi.

“As they demonstrated during today’s hearing, Nicole Berner and Adeel Mangi will be phenomenal and fair-minded federal judges,” stated Maya Wiley, CEO of the Leadership Conference. “Throughout their accomplished legal careers, both nominees have shown a sincere dedication to civil and human rights that our federal courts need.” t

Westling is a co-founder. It should also have stated that Anjali Rimi formerly led Parivar Bay Area. The online version has been corrected.

t Community News>>

December 21-27, 2023 • Bay Area Repor ter • 7

SF Eagle Bar receives $10K in grant funds compiled by Cynthia Laird

wrote. “This vision embodies our unwavering dedication to support Oakland’s rich and diverse LGBTQ+ community, support Oakland’s BIPOC businesses and nonprofit organizations, establish a Pride for Oakland that is sustainable for years to come that makes a lasting impact in the communities we serve.”

As the B.A.R. recently reported, Oakland Pride is having a bar crawl fundraiser Saturday, December 23, starting at 3 p.m. Five LGBTQ bars will be on the tour. The event is for those 21 and older.

Tickets are $25 and available at https:// tinyurl.com/sxkkjm99.

T

he SF Eagle Bar held a special ceremony last weekend in recognition of it being awarded a $10,000 arts and culture grant from SF New Deal via a partnership with the city’s Shared Spaces program.

Lex Montiel, owner of the Eagle, (https://sf-eagle.com/) located at 398 12th Street in the city’s South of Market neighborhood and anchoring the San Francisco Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District, accepted the grant.

“We are honored to be chosen for this grant,” Montiel stated in a news release.

“The SF Eagle Bar is dedicated to supporting local artists and performers by fostering a vibrant queer culture that is accessible to all.”

Montiel added that the funds will “grow our support of local performers, promoters, and artists who enrich our community and make events, such as Eagle Plaza Pride and Leather Pride Fest, possible.”

Speakers at the December 16 event included gay political leaders state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, and District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman.

Also making remarks were SF New Deal Executive Director Simon Bertrang and chief program officer and co-founder Jacob Bindman. SF New Deal is a nonprofit that works to respond to unmet small business needs, according to its website.

Eagle Plaza, which is adjacent to the bar, was created as the result of a community benefit deal with Build Inc., which constructed a housing project across the street. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, the firm agreed to pay for the majority of the parklet as a condition for securing approval of its housing development.

In 2021, the Eagle was designated as San Francisco’s first leather-related landmark, as the B.A.R. also reported.

Tenderloin Tessie to offer Christmas dinner

The Tenderloin Tessie nonprofit will offer its annual free Christmas Day dinner Monday, December 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. at First Unitarian Church, 1187 Franklin Street (at Geary Boulevard).

Board President Michael Gagne noted in a news release that people in need can get much more than a meal. There will be free haircuts by LoveCuts, a pop-up bar-

<<

B.A.R. awards

From page 1

B.A.R. assistant editors Matthew S. Bajko and John Ferrannini both received recognition.

“B.A.R. readers should appreciate the journalism of Matthew Bajko and John Ferrannini, having won four first-place awards among seven between them,” stated publisher Michael Yamashita, a gay man. “I’m sure Matthew and John are gratified to be recognized by their peers of the San Francisco Press Club. I’m proud of them.”

Bajko, a gay man, picked up first place for his Political Notebook column in the newspapers-non-daily columns-news political category. The three columns entered were “Gay SF Supervisor Mandelman seeks 2nd term;” “1st parent of a transgender child set to serve in CA Legislature,” about Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City); and “Due to redistricting, CA LGBTQ caucus chair Low bunks with dad.”

Bajko won first place for his Business Briefing column “Company aims to flip the script on female contractors” in the newspapersnon-daily business and technology category.

In the feature story, light nature category, Bajko received third place for “SF’s LGBTQ theater brings diverse voices to the stage.” The article, published during last year’s Pride Month, focused on the New

Courtesy SF Eagle Bar

SF Eagle Bar owner Lex Montiel, left, accepts a $10,000 grant from SF New Deal Executive Director Simon Bertrang during a December 16 ceremony.

ber shop; a free gift bag for attendees; and clothing from Tenderloin Tessie’s partner, St. Anthony’s.

Vanessa Bousay will provide entertainment.

Volunteer shifts are available on Monday from 9 a.m. to noon; noon to 4 p.m.; and 3 to 6 p.m. People must show proof of COVID vaccination and ID to help out.

Volunteers are also needed the day before, Sunday, December 24, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesday, December 27, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Both of these are for truck workers to help load and unload supplies.

To volunteer, call Gagne at (415) 5843252 (landline, so no texts) or email tenderlointessie@yahoo.com

Queer Cultural Center relaunches development program

The Queer Cultural Center in San Francisco has announced it is relaunching its Creating Queer Communities, a professional development training program for emerging queer and trans artists in the Bay Area.

According to an email announcement, QCC is offering this paid, structural learning and performance opportunity at two levels for the first time. The level one cohort will perform in fall 2024 in a showcase, and the level two group will perform in spring 2025 in events that the cohort members produce.

QCC is now issuing an open call for the level one cohort and accepting applications from emerging queer, trans, Black, Indigenous people of color artists.

Applications are due Sunday, January Conservatory Theatre Center’s decision to feature works by LGBTQ playwrights of color and different backgrounds to bring more intersectional shows to the stage.

Finally, Bajko picked up a third place award in the feature story, serious nature category for the article “COVID pandemic highlighted importance of advance care planning.”

It was made possible by a grant from AARP to the News Is Out collaboration as part of the Caring for Community series.

Ferrannini, a gay man, took first place in the newspapers-non-daily news story category for “Gwen Araujo remembered 20 years after brutal murder.” Ferrannini spoke with Araujo’s mother, Sylvia Guerrero, and trans leaders about the impact of the 2002 killing of the trans teenager in Newark, California.

Ferrannini won two awards for his coverage of last year’s eviction saga in San Francisco involving well-known gay activist and AIDS Memorial Quilt co-founder Cleve Jones. He received first place in the breaking news category for “Longtime activist Cleve Jones to leave Castro after tense landlord dispute.”

And he received an honorable mention in the continuing coverage category for “Jones to fight eviction.”

Ultimately, Jones ended up not fighting the eviction and leaving the Castro for the Russian River area in Sonoma County, as Ferrannini reported in a follow-up piece. t

7. To learn more and apply, go to https:// tinyurl.com/3j3nuwz3 A separate call in early 2024 will be released for the second level offering for established QTBIPOC artists and artist collectives.

Oakland Pride announces new board members

Following the success of this year’s Oakland Pride event, the organization has announced new board leadership for 2024.

George J. Smith III, who works at the Human Services Agency of San Francisco, is the new board president.

The former Oakland Pride vice president, he succeeds Michel R. Huff of Huff Legal, who is now president emeritus.

Joanna Castano of Radical Emergence is the secretary, while serving as treasurer is Joe Hawkins, co-founder and chief executive officer of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center. Board members are Val Klein of IHeart media, John Eric Henry of Pinnacle Drone, and Valentino Carrillo of Que Rico Nightclub.

In an email to supporters, Smith praised the new leadership and vision of the organization.

“First and foremost, I am delighted to announce that Oakland Pride has embarked on a new and invigorating phase with a redefined vision that reflects our commitment to provide an equitable platform, safe spaces and events for the entire Oakland community,” Smith

BART fares increase Jan. 1

It will cost riders a little more to take BART come January 1. The regional transit agency has announced that fares will increase by 5.5%, raising the average fare by 23 cents to $4.43, according to a news release. A 12-mile trip from downtown Berkeley to Embarcadero in downtown San Francisco, for example, will increase by 25 cents to $4.75, the agency noted.

A 45-mile trip from Antioch to Montgomery Street will increase by 40 cents to $8.60.

The fare hike was approved

by BART’s board of directors during the June 8 budget vote, the agency stated. The board decided to deviate from its policy of approving a fare increase every two years.

BART’s Inflation-Based Fare Increase program, which has been in place since 2003, would have required an 11% fare hike in 2024. To cushion the economic impact on riders, the board directed staff to instead raise fares by 5.5% in January and again at the same rate in January 2025, the release stated.

BART’s trip planner and online fare calculator have already been updated with the new fares, the agency stated. Riders can look up the new fares by selecting a date of January 1.

For more information, go to bart.gov.

The agency also announced that beginning January 1, there will be a deeper discount on fares for qualifying lowerincome riders. This Clipper-START means-based fare discount will increase from 20% to 50%, meaning low-income riders will pay half the regular fare. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission pilot program offers discounts for

MTT gets his Way

F

ormer San Francisco Symphony music director Michael Tilson Thomas, right, joined symphony CEO Matthew Spivey, left, and Mayor London Breed for the December 15 unveiling of MTT Way at the corner of Grove Street and Van Ness Avenue, next to Davies Symphony Hall. Thomas, who is suffering from brain cancer, led the storied orchestra for 25 years. Legislation for the one-block ceremonial street sign was introduced by

Bay Area residents aged 19-64 earning under 200% of the federal poverty level.

Clipper START is accepted by more than 20 regional transit operators in addition to BART, according to the release.

Peralta colleges offer free tuition for spring semester

The Peralta Community College District in the East Bay has announced “Spring is Free in 2024” at all four campuses – Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, and Laney College and Merritt College in Oakland.

A news release stated that California residents who enroll in a minimum of six course credits and who submit a financial aid application (either the federal FAFSA or California Dream Act) will have their tuition and fees waived for the spring 2024 semester.

“We are thrilled to offer this opportunity to California residents who are looking to start or continue their education,” stated Jannett N. Jackson, Ph.D., interim chancellor of the college district. “We know that the cost of college can be a barrier for many students, and we hope that this program will make it easier for more people to access the high-quality education that Peralta colleges offer.”

Students can apply to one of the colleges as their main campus but enroll in classes at any of the four colleges and not all six credits need to be from the same school. In fact, the release noted, over 40% of students take classes at two or more of the Peralta campuses.

This is now the fourth consecutive semester that the Peralta district has waived fees for students. Previous “Fall is Free” (in 2022 and 2023) and “Spring is Free” (in 2023) campaigns have resulted in more than a 10% increase in student enrollments with strong growth particularly in underserved communities, including Hispanic, African American, Asian, and Arab American students, the release noted.

Funding for the spring is free program comes from the California COVID block grant. The grant is intended to help bring students back to school after the pandemic.

“We are grateful for the support of the state of California for this program,” stated Jackson. “This funding will allow us to make a real difference in the lives of our students.”

To begin the application and enrollment process, students can visit home. peralta.edu/enroll.t

Rick Gerharter

Breed this fall and approved by the Board of Supervisors November 28. Plenty of dignitaries were on hand for the unveiling, including Tilson Thomas’ husband, Joshua Robison; Congressmember Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco); and gay former state senator and supervisor Mark Leno, who has been close friends with Tilson Thomas and his husband for decades.

<< Obituaries

8 • Bay Area Repor ter • December 21-27, 2023

t

Sex worker advocate Priscilla Alexander dies

by Cynthia Laird

National Task Force on Prostitution, concentrating on AIDS prevention and education and on human rights for prostitutes, according to COYOTE records.

Paula Lichtenberg, a longtime friend, stated that she worked with Ms. Alexander on various projects when she lived in San Francisco. The two worked at the San Francisco NOW office; the Feminist Anti-Censorship Task Force, which opposed the antiporn feminists; and several gay and lesbian groups. Ms. Alexander worked on the 1977 and 1978 San Francisco Pride parades, Lichtenberg added.

Ms. Alexander was a co-founder of the San Francisco Bay Times LGBTQ newspaper in 1978, stated Randy Alfred, a gay man who was the paper’s first news editor. In an email to the B.A.R. he noted that she edited the women’s page.

“Priscilla was key in the founding of the Bay Times and a devoted, energetic worker to her numerous campaigns for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, women, sex workers, people with AIDS and other issues of social justice for all people,” Alfred wrote. “Her devotion to

principles sometimes made for contentious work relations, but it was worth the effort to learn from Priscilla and accomplish things with her.”

Ms. Alexander was born in New York City on January 27, 1939. She attended the High School of Music and Art there and focused on visual art. Her notes stated that she dreamed of being an artist like her mother, who died when she was 9. Her father was also an artist, mostly in interior design.

She attended Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont and graduated, majoring in set design, as she noted on her Facebook page. After college, she continued to draw and paint in New York and later in San Francisco.

With Frédérique Delacoste, Ms. Alexander co-edited the book “Sex Work: Writings by Women in the Sex Industry.” Friends said that it was a landmark collection of writings that changed the way people think about sex for hire.

When it was first published in 1987, the book popularized the term “sex work,” coined by the late Carol Leigh, a bi former sex worker, to describe the occupations of street prostitutes, exotic

dancers, nude models, escorts, porn actresses and workers in massage parlors and in doing so changed the way people talked about sex for money.

In 1989, Ms. Alexander moved to Geneva, Switzerland to work for the World Health Organization’s Global Programme on AIDS, according to materials supplied to the B.A.R. by friends.

There she helped promote the term sex worker to, as she once noted, “emphasize that sex is a form of labor, appropriate to labor not criminal law.” Ms. Alexander made a number of trips to Africa representing WHO for the Global Programme on AIDS working with African women on AIDS prevention.

She then moved back to her hometown New York City, where she worked with the HIV/AIDS Prevention Project that served women who worked in some of the poorest sections of the city.

She also studied for a master’s degree in public health at Columbia University at the time, friends said.

On her Facebook page, Ms. Alexander wrote, “My most defining work and greatest joy have been in the sex workers’ rights movement.” t

or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage,” Fernández stated.

“The grace of God works in the lives of those who do not claim to be righteous but who acknowledge themselves humbly as sinners, like everyone else,” he added. “This grace can orient everything according to the mysterious and unpredictable designs of God. Therefore, with its untiring wisdom and motherly care, the Church welcomes all who approach God with humble hearts, accompanying them with those spiritual aids that enable everyone to understand and realize God’s will fully in their existence.”

While not giving same-sex couples equality, it is a sea change from just two years ago, when the same office stated its opinion that same-sex unions can’t be blessed because God “cannot bless sin.”

The office now holds that document only referred to blessings in a liturgical context.

Couples seeking a blessing will not be expected to meet “the same moral conditions … that are called for in the reception of the sacraments,” the document states.

Reaction was positive.

“The new declaration opens the door to non-liturgical blessings for same-sex couples, something that had been previously off limits for all bishops, priests, and deacons,” stated the Reverend James Martin, SJ, an American priest who is a consultant on the Roman Dicastery for Communication (which advises the pope). “Along with many Catholic priests, I will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex marriages.”

DeBernardo stated that “this declaration is proof that church teaching can – and does – change.”

“How does change happen?” DeBernardo continued. “Formal approval in

teaching often recognizes what people are already doing pastorally and theologically. Practice precedes teaching. So, too, with LGBTQ+ blessings.”

Richard Zaldivar, executive director and founder of The Wall Las Memorias, a Los Angeles-based LGBTQ+ Latino community organization, called the Vatican’s announcement “a Christmas gift for our LGBTQ+ community.”

“For too long, our Catholic LGBTQ+ community has sought a safe spiritual space in our church, especially for those who are in a committed relationship,” he stated. “We have moved a giant step forward towards equality in our church and we know that it takes time. We thank our Pope Francis for his leadership on this issue and his promotion of inclusion of all Catholics to the church.”

Stan JR Zerkowski, the executive director of the LGBTQ Catholic-affinity group Fortunate Families and director of Catholic LGBT ministry for the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, told the B.A.R. that it was “a very broad permission given.”

“I’m not sure everything has to be codified in a liturgical manual, to be honest with you,” he said. “Many people I’d spoken with were hoping something like this would be articulated, particularly after the synod meetings in October, but I don’t think anyone was anticipating this right now. It shows the difference a day makes.”

Zerkowski said that prior blessings of same-sex couples were done against church rules.

“Yesterday, every ordained person knew they were not to bless same-sex unions. That was, sort of the rule, if you will,” he said. “It was done covertly, not to cause trouble, but I think today signals a whole different pastoral care approach to same-sex relationships. ... For those

who say nothing’s changed, I’d say they’re absolutely wrong and a lot has changed overnight.”

When asked if he would be performing the blessings himself, and his position on his priests performing them, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone stated to the Bay Area Reporter, “I encourage those who have questions to read the Vatican declaration closely, and in continuity with the Church’s unchanging teaching. Doing so will enable one to understand how it encourages pastoral solicitude while maintaining fidelity to the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Cordileone, appointed by Francis’ predecessor Benedict XVI, has been an outspoken opponent of LGBTQ equality both in the church and society-at-large, helping lead the charge for Proposition 8 in 2008, which banned same-sex marriage in California until it was overturned in federal court several years later.

As the B.A.R. recently reported, a measure to repeal the zombie Prop 8 language will be on the November 2024 ballot.

The Reverend Donal Godfrey, SJ, a gay priest in the archdiocese who is executive director of university ministry at the University of San Francisco, stated to the B.A.R. Monday that the Vatican document “humanizes and destigmatizes us.”

“I think it is very positive and will change the tone in the Catholic Church for LGBTQI folk,” he stated. “It is a very significant step for upholding the dignity of LGBTQI folk. I did not foresee it, and I am very grateful to Pope Francis for his pastoral approach. The conversations about the deeper and theological issues will need to continue, and will take time.”

San Francisco District 6 Supervisor

Matt Dorsey, who is gay and a practicing Catholic, told the B.A.R., “I think it’s meaningful progress and I’m grateful to Pope Francis for working to shape a Catholic Church that better reflects God’s inclusive love.”

“I made my peace a long time ago that I may never be married a Catholic, but I’ll be buried a Catholic,” Dorsey stated.

“Honestly, I do think the day will come when same-sex partners have full access to marriage sacraments of the Catholic Church, but I also know change comes slowly to a church that took 350 years to admit it was wrong about Galileo. Still, it’s meaningful to me to see progress on LGBTQ+ equality that I never thought I’d see in my lifetime. And that’s not just true in terms of religious acceptance, but in legal equality, too.”

Dorsey was referring to how the church once condemned Galileo for asserting that the Earth revolves around the sun. The late Pope John Paul II issued the apology during a speech in 1991.

Dignity/San Francisco, a local affinity group for LGBTQ Catholics that has not been allowed to meet on church property in the archdiocese since 1988, also did not return a request for comment Monday.

The national organization, DignityUSA, which is the world’s oldest LGBTQ Catholic affinity group, issued a statement. Executive Director Marianne Duddy-Burke said, “Today’s statement also will provide comfort to the family members and loved ones of people in same-sex relationships. Too many Catholics have felt a tension between their support of LGBTQIA+ people and our church’s teachings. This will alleviate some of that tension and make it easier for families to rejoice in their loved one’s relationships.” t

Some experts and advocates think this is not surprising, because PrEP pills alone are so effective that it’s difficult to tell if vaccines provide additional protection.

Ethics require study investigators to offer participants the best existing prevention tools, so experimental vaccines can no longer be pitted against just a placebo.

PrEPVacc appears to be “the last roll of the dice” for traditional HIV vaccines, study coordinator Dr. Jonathan Weber of Imperial College London, told CNN earlier this year.

“We do clinical trials because we don’t know the answer to questions. It was important to find out whether the com-

bination vaccine regimens in PrEPVacc, developed over 20 years, should be ruled out or further developed for preventing HIV,” Weber added in last week’s announcement. “While we await the final results and analysis of individual products, I believe that our interim result puts this generation of putative HIV vaccines to bed.”

cine will need to trigger the production of broadly neutralizing antibodies that can recognize multiple strains of HIV. One approach, known as germline targeting, uses a series of vaccines in a stepwise manner to encourage the development of specialized B cells that can produce broadly neutralizing antibodies. Researchers hope to speed up the process by employing the same mRNA technology used for COVID-19 vaccines. Taking a different approach, Vir Biotechnology is testing an experimental vaccine designed to produce T cells that recognize HIV. Early results from small studies of these and other strategies look promis-

ing, but much work remains to be done before they can be tested in large human trials, experts said.

“The PrEPVacc outcome underscores yet again that the science of HIV vaccine development is extremely challenging,” said AVAC Executive Director Mitchell Warren. “Now is not the time to step back from vaccine research. There are several promising strategies in early-stage research that must continue, along with research for other HIV prevention options. We will not end HIV without ensuring that everyone who is vulnerable to HIV infection has a choice of effective and desirable prevention options.” t

In those years the possibility of legal marriage wasn’t even imaginable, and nobody ever thought the Catholic Church or most religious traditions would ever allow the blessing of gay and lesbian couples. The Catholic Church was firmly entrenched in its homophobia, vocal in its opposition

to gay and lesbian rights, and actively worked politically to oppose equal rights for queer people. This was even before AIDS, when the church would preach judgment and hate from its pulpits.

Change will come slowly – it might even take generations. But it is happen-

ing. And Rocky, the feisty lesbian who prophesied to me a change like this over 40 years ago, was right. People will come around eventually, to see that love in all its forms is a gift from the divine, and that blessings like same-sex relationships are meant to be celebrated. t

The Reverend Jim Mitulski has been an openly gay pastor for over 40 years in the Metropolitan Community Churches, the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, and the United Church of Christ. He is currently the pastor of the Congregational Church of the Peninsula in Belmont, California.

P

riscilla Alexander, a lesbian and sex worker advocate who worked with the late Margo St. James in San Francisco, died November 18 in New York City. She was 84.

Suzanne Joyce, a longtime friend who posted the news to Facebook, stated that Ms. Alexander died of kidney failure.

“She was not in pain and surrounded with notes and messages from many of her friends and colleagues,” Joyce wrote.

Long involved in the lesbian community, Ms. Alexander worked as a schoolteacher in San Francisco, according to information provided by friends.

According to information from Ms. Alexander, she met St. James in San Francisco in 1975. A short while later she got involved with COYOTE, short for Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics, the sex worker advocacy group that St. James founded. St. James died in Washington state in 2021, as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported.

Ms. Alexander joined the office of

<<

Pope

From page 1

tal,” stated Francis DeBernardo, the director of New Ways Ministry, an affinity group for LGBTQ Catholics. “But Pope Francis goes further than that by stating that people should not be subjected to ‘an exhaustive moral analysis’ to receive a sign of God’s love and mercy.

“Such a declaration is one more step Pope Francis has taken to overturn the harsh policing of pastoral care all too common under his predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI,” he added.

The announcement came December 18 in the release of a document from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the office in charge of defending the church’s doctrines. Long-standing Catholic teaching is that while homosexuality isn’t sinful per se, it is a sin to have sex with someone of the same sex.

The Catholic Church is the world’s largest Christian denomination, claiming 1.4 billion members worldwide. Some countries with large Catholic populations have seen increasingly-restrictive environments for LGBTQ people in recent years, such as Poland and Hungary.

The document, written by the dicastary’s prefect Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, states that such blessings have to be done in such a manner that they are not confused with marriage, which the church teaches can only be between one man and one woman.

The blessings also cannot be in the context of the liturgy, as marriages are.

“It is precisely in this context that one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status

<<

HIV vaccine

From page 2

As of October, more than 1,000 participants had received the full vaccine regimen and most of them also received one of the PrEP pills. Reviewing interim data in November, the study’s independent data monitoring committee found no safety concerns. However, based on the early findings, they determined that the trial would likely be unable to show that the vaccine can prevent HIV. Full study results are expected in the second half of 2024.

<<

Guest Opinion

From page 4

approved of their relationship, even if it took Him awhile to understand, because “when he saw much love they had for each other and their children, He would come around.”

From Facebook

Priscilla Alexander

COYOTE in 1977 and succeeded in getting the National Organization for Women to form a committee on Prostitutes’ Rights in 1982 and to get most women’s conferences around the country to concretely address the issue, according to COYOTE records.

Ms. Alexander and Gloria Lockett were co-directors of the offices of COYOTE, UC CALPEP (California Prostitutes’ Education Project), and the

New approaches needed

After repeatedly failing to show that traditional vaccines can prevent HIV, researchers are now exploring more sophisticated strategies.

Some experts think a successful vac-

SF archbishop demurs

t <<

From the Cover>>

Drag performance

From page 1

“We take full responsibility for the performer and volunteer interaction, and we offer our sincerest apologies for not adequately addressing this at the time and with our initial statement. We are incredibly sorry to King Lotus Boy and their supporters, especially Harddeep, who went through this and the distress it has caused our community,” the trio added. “This incident was a point of failure – one we won’t let go to waste, but rather will serve as a lesson for future events.”

Each performer was paid $1,000 for two performances over the weekend that consisted of two to three songs each, including King Lotus Boy, Liss stated.

King Lotus Boy did not immediately return a request for comment via Instagram message; Harddeep could not be reached for comment.

Drollinger, Mahogany, and MORE! stated that political speech is integral to drag.

<<

December 21-27, 2023 • Bay Area Repor ter • 9

“Drag is inextricably political, subversive, and historically tied to queer liberation,” they stated. “Trans, GNC, and BIPOC individuals are the bedrock of our community and central to our queer freedom. We take seriously our mutual responsibility to protect and uplift this community and respond appropriately and compassionately to its needs. We hear you and are committed to doing better in the future with open ears and open hearts.”

The three also stated that they personally support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza “and we fully acknowledge that the freedom, sovereignty, and safety of the Palestinian people is directly connected to ours and to humanity as a whole.”

The statement came a week and a half after SF is a Drag brought 100 drag kings and queens out to the streets of the city for pop-up performances, as the B.A.R. previously reported.

SF is a Drag was paid for by the Civic Joy Fund, which was launched

by Manny Yekutiel, a gay man who is

proprietor of Manny’s Cafe in the Mission, and Daniel Lurie, an heir to the Levi Strauss fortune who is running for mayor in next year’s election. Last week the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Yekutiel is considering a mayoral run and will decide by January 1.

Yekutiel was in Israel during the Hamas attack on October 7, as the B.A.R. reported at the time.

Civic Joy Fund responds

Yekutiel referred the B.A.R. to Liss, who stated that Civic Joy Fund is “an independent, apolitical nonprofit initiative collaborating with local artists, musicians, small businesses, volunteers and community leaders.”

Liss stated that SF is a Drag is the seventh project the fund worked on. A past project was the Castro Halloween revival, which the B.A.R. also reported on.

The event was “an idea that came about in order to lift the spirits of the city while supporting local drag

performers who make San Francisco great,” Liss stated. “Over the course of two days we saw 400 performances on 50 street corners in 10 neighborhoods spreading drag to thousands of San Franciscans.”

Liss then went into the events of December 3.

“During the second day of the event, a performer and their colleagues exercised their right to protest, which was not only fully supported by event organizers but is also in line with the history of drag,” Liss stated. “We were notified in the midst of the event that they faced intense aggression from an offended passerby and they felt unsafe and unprotected. We’re deeply sorry that this happened, sorry to the performers involved, and sorry to those who witnessed the aggression both in person and online.”

Liss stated that Civic Joy Fund opposes “all forms of violence, whether it be verbal or physical or otherwise.”

“We and Oasis Arts are responsible for mitigating any oversights during

Lurie

From page 1

Lurie, 46, was born at the former Children’s Hospital of San Francisco on California Street. It was also where his wife, Becca, gave birth to the couple’s two children, Sawyer and Taya.

His mother, Miriam, divorced Lurie’s father and later married Peter E. Haas, the longtime CEO and chairman of Levi Strauss & Co., the iconic denim jeans company founded in San Francisco.

Lurie credits his stepfather for teaching him “progressive business practices,” such as Levi’s being the first Fortune 500 Company to provide health benefits to unmarried domestic partners in 1992.

It was a way to offer similar benefits to its LGBTQ workers barred at the time from marrying their spouses due to homophobic marriage laws.

In 2000, Lurie was working in Iowa on the presidential campaign of former U.S. senator Bill Bradley. The next year, with Bradley having fallen short in his bid to be the Democratic nominee, Lurie moved to New York City to work for the Robin Hood Foundation, which is focused on ending poverty.

He had arrived in Manhattan days prior to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Four years later he was back in San Francisco and had founded the Tipping Point Community to assist Bay Area organizations working to address poverty in the region.

But seemingly intractable issues like homelessness, drug addiction, and a severe shortage of affordable housing have only gotten worse over the last two decades. It has eroded among many San Francisco residents, argued Lurie, the sense of pride they have in their city.

“We have taken a historic beating in terms of our reputation,” he told the B.A.R. during a video interview in the fall. “My kids will not be as proud as I have been of being from here if we continue to follow down this path.”

The city’s poor image in the press, both locally and nationally, is one that Mayor London Breed has tried to turn around this year as she seeks reelection to a final fouryear term in 2024. From the endless talk about San Francisco being in a “doom loop” because of its downtown financial district struggling to come out of the COVID pandemic and restaurants across the city closing because of increased costs for doing business while struggling to find employees to the ongoing lack of affordable housing for the middle class and an intractable homelessness crisis, there are any number of concerns voters are fed up with in San Francisco.

Yet neither Lurie nor District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí, another straight ally vying to oust Breed from office, have seen their mayoral bids catch on since they entered the race earlier this year.

New York Times San Francisco bureau chief Heather Knight, a former city hall reporter and columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, recently referred to

Jane Philomen Cleland

Courtesy the subject

Courtesy the subject

San Francisco Mayor London Breed

Mission district cafe owner Manny Yekutiel

San Francisco Supervisor and mayoral candidate Ahsha Safaí

both of their candidacies as “meh.”

A poll of 628 likely voters done in late October found 42% had never heard of Lurie, while another 26% said they didn’t know enough about him to rate him as favorable or unfavorable. He was rated favorable by 18% of the respondents to the poll conducted by FM3 Research.

“We need to get back to basics and it starts with leadership,” Lurie told the B.A.R. “At this time I really believe it needs to be leadership from the outside.”

Lurie has yet to list any endorsers on his campaign website. (https://www. daniellurie.com/) Asked about LGBTQ people supporting his mayoral bid, Lurie told the B.A.R. he wasn’t ready to disclose any just yet.

“I have many friends in the LGBTQ community supporting me,” replied Lurie. “Putting them out on blast in a newspaper article though I haven’t asked them if I can do that yet.”

Earlier this year progressives tried to recruit Assemblymember Phil Ting (DSan Francisco) to run against Breed, as he is termed out next year, while more recently moderates have been begging former mayor and supervisor Mark Farrell to join the race. Neither has agreed to do so, nor has outgoing District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin, the current board president who is also termed out next year, pulled the trigger on a mayoral campaign despite constant chatter he will enter the race.

Farrell briefly took over as mayor when a majority of his board colleagues elected him to fill the vacancy created by the death of mayor Ed Lee in late 2017.

He replaced Breed, who had been acting mayor due to being president of the board at the time of Lee’s passing.

She then won the special election in June 2018 to serve out the remainder of Lee’s mayoral term and won a full fouryear term the next year. Because voters adopted a ballot measure in 2022 moving citywide elections to the fall ballot of presidential years instead of holding the contests the November prior, Breed will be entering a fifth year to her current term in 2024.

Research, the mayoral race is “competitive and fluid” due to none of the talkedabout candidates having a winning advantage heading into next year.

“The mood of the San Francisco electorate is highly negative. Most potential candidates, aside from London Breed and Aaron Peskin, start with little name recognition,” the firm noted in a letter about the results. “Breed leads the race initially, but Farrell and Lurie move into a first-place tie with her after a mix of pro and con messaging – though a plurality of voters remains undecided.”

It is no wonder then that gay business owner Manny Yekutiel told the San Francisco Chronicle earlier this month he was looking at joining the mayoral race and would decide by January 1.

Yekutiel, who did not respond to the B.A.R.’s request for comment for this story, recently resigned his seat on the oversight body for the city’s transportation agency.

He co-founded the Civic Joy Fund with Lurie to support the work of local artists, musicians, small businesses, and community leaders. The nonprofit initiative had a hand in this year’s Halloween events in the LGBTQ Castro district and financially supported the citywide SF is a Drag event that had drag performers fan out around San Francisco in early December.

Lurie told the B.A.R. he sees serving as mayor as the next step in his working to better San Francisco.

“There is more work I can do on behalf of our city,” he said. “We have a real crisis of leadership right now.”

He also argued that he wouldn’t be coming to the job completely blind being a first-time candidate for political office. His wife worked for Governor Gavin Newsom when he was the city’s mayor, and Lurie noted he has “worked with lots of mayors” over the years.

Lee had asked Lurie to chair the host committee for Super Bowl 50 in February 2016. As the B.A.R. reported at the time, it was the first to steer contracts toward LGBTQ businesses but upset many located in the Castro with the closure of the F-Market trolley line that brings many tourists to the neighborhood.

He is on the board of the Bay Area

Host Committee, which is working with the NBA and the Golden State Warriors to host the 2025 NBA All Star Game in San Francisco. The group was also involved in bringing back Super Bowl 60 in 2026 and also the FIFA World Cup that year to the San Francisco 49er’s Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

“I understand what having a global event in San Francisco means to our economy,” said Lurie, who points to the $240 million economic impact the football championship game in 2016 had on the Bay Area.

Competitive race

According to the polling by FM3

Drug crisis

In terms of dealing with the city’s overdose crisis, Lurie told the B.A.R. that his focus as mayor would be on stopping the open-air drug dealing on the streets of the Tenderloin and increasing the number of treatment beds the city has so it can offer treatment on demand to those with drug addictions.

“I do not believe in looking at safe consumption sites right now,” said Lurie.

While Breed in the past has spoken in favor of such facilities where medical professionals are on hand to care for people injecting or using drugs so they don’t overdose, and can also help them into services if amenable, City Attorney David Chiu has advised against the city funding the sites. In her budget this year Breed instead allocated $18.9 million toward three Wellness Hubs aimed at reducing public drug use.

Lurie said the city needs to reprioritize its budget to fund more police and addiction treatment options if it wants to properly address drug dealing, usage, and overdose deaths.

“We have the money. At $14.6 billion, we have the money to do what is right by those people suffering from this disease of addiction,” he said, adding that “there is a lot of money in this city budget and nobody is going to convince me we can’t find the money to fully staff our police department.”

He is also supportive of auditing the nonprofits that receive contracts from the city to provide services in addition to taking a close look at how city de-

the event and are actively debriefing on what we could have done better, including improved communication with our volunteers, providing on site security for all performers, and deescalation training for all involved,” she stated.

Oasis Arts is a nonprofit that Drollinger operates and provides artist in residence programs. It partners with the LGBTQ Oasis nightclub that Drollinger owns.

“We are learning from this incident and promise to ensure far enhanced safety measures in the future. We stand in solidarity with Oasis Arts, D’Arcy Drollinger, Honey Mahogany & Juanita MORE! and their calls for an end to violence and liberation,” Liss added.

The B.A.R. reached out to Drollinger, Mahogany, and MORE! to ask if they had anything further to state. Drollinger and Mahogany did not respond; MORE! referred to the prior statement. t

partments are spending their budgets.

(Lurie spoke with the B.A.R. when the city was projecting an estimated $500 million budget deficit; this month Breed called for across-the-board 10% cuts to address a projected $800 million deficit.)

“I think we have hardworking people inside city government. I also think every department needs to be held to account,” said Lurie. “We need to audit everything. We need to know where our money is going.”

Should be become mayor, Lurie told the B.A.R. he would continue to fund the city’s drag laureate position – “I love that idea, yes,” he said – and would continue with Breed’s plan to house all of the city’s transgender homelessness population by 2027 – “We should have big goals like that,” he said.

With Republicans in Congress targeting federal HIV funding for cuts, part of the fight to fund the government that will consume Capitol Hill when lawmakers return in January, concerns have been ratcheting up among AIDS nonprofit leaders what fiscal impact they could be facing in the years ahead. With San Francisco having seen its share of the funds decreased over the last decade due to its being able to dramatically decrease new HIV infections, as the federal programs funnel money to areas of the country where HIV cases are highest, every mayoral administration has backfilled the federal cuts with local dollars.

Lurie was asked if he would make a similar commitment as mayor. While he agreed with the policy position, he hedged about how much of an additional decrease in federal dollars the city would be able to cover as it deals with its own budget issues in the coming years. If it is a matter of hundreds of thousands of dollars, Lurie said that was doable, “so yes, I make that pledge.”

But if Republicans are able to push through cuts to HIV funds in the hundreds of millions of dollars, he was unsure of the city’s ability to backfill such an amount when it is faced with its own million-dollar deficits to address.

“Knowing we are facing a $500 million budget deficit, I can’t commit to filling a gap of $200 million,” Lurie had told the B.A.R., though he added, “We should always be the leader on LGBTQ issues and HIV issues.”

As for if he considers himself to be a progressive or more moderate Democrat, Lurie demurred and would only label himself “a lifelong Democrat.”

He told the B.A.R. he has been called both over his career and would leave it to others to decide where they see him falling along the city’s political divide.

The question is part of what ails the city, he said, and something he wants to move beyond.

“I am not a career politician and I am not looking to become one,” Lurie told the B.A.R. “I am looking to do this job as mayor to get in to turn the city around and get out. I am not looking at using this as a stepping stone to some higher office.” t

<< Legals

10 • Bay area repor ter • December 21-27, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558379

In the matter of the application of MOHAMMED MAKSAOD ABDUL MAJID SHAIKH, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner MOHAMMED MAKSAOD ABDUL MAJID SHAIKH is requesting that the name MOHAMMED MAKSAOD ABDUL MAJID SHAIKH AKA MOHAMMED MAKSUD ABDULMAJID SHAIKH AKA MOHAMMED MAKSUD SHAIKH be changed to MOHAMMED MAKSUD SHAIKH. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 1st of FEBRUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 30, DEC 07, 14, 21, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558371

In the matter of the application of PETERS CLAUDE LOUIS GISSELERE, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner PETERS CLAUDE LOUIS GISSELERE is requesting that the name PETERS CLAUDE LOUIS GISSELERE be changed to PETERS CLAUDE LOUIS MALHERBE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 20th of FEBRUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 30, DEC 07, 14, 21, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558361

In the matter of the application of KEVIN WILLIAM RUDER, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner KEVIN WILLIAM RUDER is requesting that the name KEVIN WILLIAM RUDER be changed to NICOLAS KEVIN CANALES OUIMETTE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 15th of FEBRUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 30, DEC 07, 14, 21, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558388 In the matter of the application of LEE DUPONT MAYEUX, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner LEE DUPONT MAYEUX is requesting that the name LEE DUPONT MAYEUX be changed to LEE MAYEUX ANDERSON. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 9th of JANUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 30, DEC 07, 14, 21, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558389

In the matter of the application of MELISSA TIFFANY HUNG, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner MELISSA TIFFANY HUNG is requesting that the name MELISSA TIFFANY HUNG be changed to MELISSA KWANG ANDERSSON. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 9th of JANUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 30, DEC 07, 14, 21, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401960

The following person(s) is/are doing business as 4 THE LOVE OF DOG, 1450 SUTTER ST #223, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JAMES JASMIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/21/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/21/2023.

NOV 30, DEC 07, 14, 21, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401857

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SOLECITOS FAMILY HOME DAYCARE, 4480 MISSION ST #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed OSIRIS ALVARADO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/08/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/08/2023.

NOV 30, DEC 07, 14, 21, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401901

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BED AND BREAKFAST JAM, 830 EDDY ST #702, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GABRIEL DAVID CHEUK. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/07/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/10/2023.

NOV 30, DEC 07, 14, 21, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401975

The following person(s) is/are doing business as CONCEPTM; RINCON HOUSE OF BABEL, 1592 UNION ST #387, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed STEVE MORIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/28,2023.

NOV 30, DEC 07, 14, 21, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401840

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DESIGN BLITZ; BLITZ; STUDIO BLITZ; BLITZ ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN; BLITZ SF; BLITZ SAN FRANCISCO; ALPHAPUP OFFICE, 435 JACKSON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DESIGN BLITZ (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/11/2022. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/08/2023.

NOV 30, DEC 07, 14, 21, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401934

The following person(s) is/are doing business as TRAVEL A GOGO, 3739 BALBOA ST #235, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SOL LEGACY VENTURES (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/15/2023.

NOV 30, DEC 07, 14, 21, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401956

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ZUPERPET, 819 BOSWORTH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MIGHTYREAL LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/20/2023.

NOV 30, DEC 07, 14, 21, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401835

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THANK YOU SAINT, 2377 SAN JOSE AVE #18, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed THANK YOU SAINT LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/20/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/07/2023.

NOV 30, DEC 07, 14, 21, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558376

In the matter of the application of KATERINA HELMN, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner KATERINA HELMN is requesting that the name KATERINA HELMN be changed to KATERINA COMING. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 6th of FEBRUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 07, 14, 21, 28, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558408

In the matter of the application of ALI ASSY, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner ALI ASSY is requesting that the name ALI ASSY be changed to ALEX ALI ALASSI. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 5th of MARCH 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 07, 14, 21, 28, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558409

In the matter of the application of STEPHANIE JAQUELYN LEON, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner STEPHANIE JAQUELYN LEON is requesting that the name STEPHANIE JAQUELYN LEON be changed to KITTY JACQUILYN LEON. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 5th of MARCH 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 07, 14, 21, 28, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558396

In the matter of the application of STEVEN PAUL MUSARRA, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner STEVEN PAUL MUSARRA is requesting that the name STEVEN PAUL MUSARRA be changed to STEFANO PAOLO MUSARRA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 9th of JANUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 07, 14, 21, 28, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401970 The following person(s) is/are doing business as POPPY REAL ESTATE; VERSO HOMES; 1 PERCENT LISTS SOCAL; 1 VISION REAL ESTATE; AR REALTY; COAST TO COAST LIVING, 1160 BATTERY ST EAST #100, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AGENTDESKS INCORPORATED (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/01/2023.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/24/2023.

DEC 07, 14, 21, 28, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401987

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SABOR GUATEMALTECO, 4384 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JEFFERSON GOMEZ CHAVEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/20/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/29/2023.

DEC 07, 14, 21, 28, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401969

The following person(s) is/are doing business as EP PLUMBING SERVICES, 1285 PALOU AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ERSON PEREZ GALVEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/27/2023.

DEC 07, 14, 21, 28, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401980

The following person(s) is/are doing business as IF A THEN B, 3150 18TH ST #546, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANIA F. BRZESKI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/03/2023.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/28/2023.

DEC 07, 14, 21, 28, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401996

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SANA THERAPY, 2142 SUTTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LIZETTE GABRIELA MARTINEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/15/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/29/2023.

DEC 07, 14, 21, 28, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401933

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PROJECT COMMOTION, 2095 HARRISON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PROJECT COMMOTION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/04/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/15/2023.

DEC 07, 14, 21, 28, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401935

The following person(s) is/are doing business as NEPALESE INDIAN CUISINE, 1298 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed USA NEPAL CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/15/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/15/2023.

DEC 07, 14, 21, 28, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401972

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ANAN’S DELI KITCHEN, 6900 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BEIJING TOKYO BISTRO LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/27/2023.

DEC 07, 14, 21, 28, 2023

DEC 14, 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401971

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402013

The following person(s) is/are doing business as REKNDLE, 1350 REVERE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed REKNDLE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/27/2023.

DEC 07, 14, 21, 28, 2023

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF BELEN PATRICIA BARRERA IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES23-306603

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of BELEN PATRICIA BARRERA. A Petition for Probate has been filed by BELEN SANTOS BARRERA in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that BELEN SANTOS BARRERA be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval.

Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: JANUARY 08, 2024, 9:00 am, 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 later 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: ANDREW K. CALVERT (SBN 283563), POGUE CALVERT LLP, 373 MERIDIAN AVE #B, SAN JOSE, CA 95126; Ph. (408) 352-5470.

DEC 14, 21, 28, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558417

In the matter of the application of ANH PHAN HO, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner ANH PHAN HO is requesting that the name ANH PHAN HO be changed to ANTHONY ANH PHAN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 12th of MARCH 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 14, 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 2024

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558401

In the matter of the application of ANATALIA DANIELLA HORDOV, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner ANATALIA DANIELLA HORDOV is requesting that the name ANATALIA DANIELLA HORDOV be changed to ANATALIA ST. CLAIR. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 5th of MARCH 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 14, 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 2024

AMENDED ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558004

In the matter of the amended application of MOLLY IULIO-UFAU, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner MOLLY IULIO-UFAU is requesting that the name TESSA AUDRIANA LILLILANI LEWIS be changed to TESSA LILLILANI UFAU. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 18th of JANUARY 2023 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 14, 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401920

The following person(s) is/are doing business as APPRAISE SAN FRANCISCO, 36 THOR AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LORIN S. GEORGE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/14/2023.

DEC 14, 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402019

The following person(s) is/are doing business as JEANNETTE’S, 1950 MISSION ST #701, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LEONTINE COLLINS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/06/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/04/2023.

DEC 14, 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402046

The following person(s) is/are doing business as GOLDEN GATE MAINTENANCE CO, 723 23RD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JIN HO SONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/06/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/06/2023.

DEC 14, 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402052

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MARINA AESTHETIC DENTISTRY, 2001 UNION ST #355, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SONAL R. PATEL-NOVAKOVIC. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/08/2023.

DEC 14, 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402057

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PARADISE RUG & CLEANING, 900 CABRILLO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MAHNDZ SHAYESTEH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/11/2023.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as YAKITORI EDOMASA, 1581 WEBSTER ST #270, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed EK FOOD SERVICES, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/13/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/04/2023.

DEC 14, 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402032

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ORDINARY PSYCHIATRY, 166 GEARY ST STE 1500 #1444, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed KETETHA OLENGUE MD INCORPORATED (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/05/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/05/2023.

DEC 14, 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401970 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ARCHIMEDES INTEGRAL SOLUTIONS LLC, 1145 E OZBOURN CT #E, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94130. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed X. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/05/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/27/2023.

DEC 14, 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401902

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HULA HOOCH, 1868 GOLDEN GATE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HULA HOOCH LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/10/2023.

DEC 14, 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 2024

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-0392203

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as PHILOSOPHERS CLUB, 824 ULLOA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by PHILOSOPHERS INC (CA). The fictitious business name statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/05/2021. The abandonment of fictitious business name statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/08/2023.

DEC 14, 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 2024

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558091

In the matter of the application of MAURA DILLEY & DERMOT HIKISCH, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioners MAURA DILLEY & DERMOT HIKISCH are requesting that the name THADDEUS BJORN DILLEY be changed to BJORN THADDEUS DILLEY. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 1st of FEBRUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

AMENDED ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558076

In the matter of the amended application of ANNA MARIE SCHASKER AKA NICHELE CARY KAMERER AKA ANNA MARIE CRUZ, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner ANNA MARIE SCHASKER AKA NICHELE CARY KAMERER AKA ANNA MARIE CRUZ is requesting that the name ANNA MARIE SCHASKER AKA NICHELE CARY KAMERER AKA ANNA MARIE CRUZ be changed to NICHELE CARY KAMERER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 1st of FEBRUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558425

In the matter of the application of YI RONG MA, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner YI RONG MA is requesting that the name YI RONG MA be changed to YAT WING MA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 14th of MARCH 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558431

In the matter of the application of HAZZEL ADRIANNA LEON, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner HAZZEL ADRIANNA LEON, is requesting that the name HAZZEL ADRIANNA LEON, be changed to HAZE LEGION. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 19th of MARCH 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558435

In the matter of the application of CHANH MALAVANH, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner CHANH MALAVANH is requesting that the name DJAI TRAN be changed to DJAI TRAN PHETSOMPHOU. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 21st of MARCH 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23-558436

In the matter of the application of KIMBERLY ZANGER SCHEER, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner KIMBERLY ZANGER SCHEER is requesting that the name KIMBERLY ZANGER SCHEER be changed to KIMBERLY CLARE SCHEER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 19th of MARCH 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401959

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MS. SAN FRANCISCO LEATHER; MS SF LEATHER, 300 BAYVIEW DR, OAKLEY, CA 94561. This business is

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conducted by an individual, and is signed NADEDJA CASSELBERRY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/21/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/21/2023.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAMMY’S CAFE, 1416 BUSH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ABDULHAMMID ALBADANI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/18/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/18/2023.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402088

The following person(s) is/are doing business as QUEEN CALIFIA’S CRYPTO CAFE, 353 SOUTH VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PRICE P. COBBS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/14/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/14/2023.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401837

The following person(s) is/are doing business as WINGATE STRATEGIES, 3025 CABRILLO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MEREDITH WINGATE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/07/2023.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402012

The following person(s) is/are doing business as TRAVEL TICKER, 114 SANSOME ST #400, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HOTWIRE, INC. (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/28/2006. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/04/2023.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402065 The following person(s) is/are doing business as C.A.S.E. “CARING ABOUT SECURING THE ENVIRONMENT”, 1050 POST ST #42, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed “CARING ABOUT SECURING THE ENVIRONMENT” (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/12/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/12/2023.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402081

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ANCHOR REALTY, 2120 MARKET ST #105, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ANCHOR REALTY, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/12/1995. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/14/2023.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402059

The following person(s) is/are doing business as KEEPINGITCLEANISWHATIMEAN; KEEPING IT CLEAN IS WHAT I MEAN, 3739 BALBOA ST #1024, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed KEEPINGITCLEANISWHATIMEAN LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/11/2023.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402084

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HAUTE DOUGH; AM EVENTS, 1300 EVANS AVE UNIT 882471, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94188. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed AM EVENTS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/14/2023.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402010 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LEISURE PREMIUM, 821 FOLSOM ST #107, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ZAVI SOLUTIONS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/01/2023.

DEC 21, 28, 2023, JAN 04, 11, 2024

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Gala Varo: Pablo Solano Celebrants: Steven Underfill

Baloney at Oasis

Gala Varo

Celebrants in the Castro at a recent New Year’s Eve

Celebrate the New Year Party like it’s 2024

I

t’s hard to believe that 2024 is upon us. Where does the time go? While every bar and nightclub will celebrate the new year in some way, if you’re looking for some fun ways to celebrate the New Year, here are a few of our special suggestions for the best New Year’s Eve events in town.

Most events are 21+.

Baloney Does New Year’s @ Oasis

For those who appreciate a little beefcake camp, there’s no better way to close out the year than with the scantily clad boys of Baloney. Dec. 28-31, $30-$75, 7pm, 298 11th St. sfoasis.com

Big Top New Year’s Eve Celebration @ Beaux

Ring in the New Year among friends and chosen family. Join hosts Natalie Ray, Melanie

from the night before. Polyglamorous showcases a fantastic DJ line-up: David Harness Horse Meat Disco, Brown Amy b2b, Oscar P, Vertel, Brian Urmanita, and Polyglamorous residents BEYA and Mark O’Brien and dozens more, plus aerial acts, food trucks, art installations an interactive playground. January 1, $30-$4800, 4am-9pm, 119 Utah St. www.thegreatnorthernsf.com

Sparks and DJ Parks for a wild party at one of the Castro’s most popular nightspots. Dec. 31, 8pm2am, 2344 Market St, no cover till 9pm, $10 after. www.beauxsf.com

Breakfast of Champions New Year’s Day Block Party @ The Great Northern

The annual massive New Year’s Day party is for all-nighters, or those who enjoyed a disco nap

See page 13 >>

her chef husband, David Fisher, in the Fillmore.

It was during lockdown that Chow locked her own laser focus on ice cream, developing the recipes that have now been unleashed in limited batches under the Jack and Remi brand.

Mouth-boggling flavors that land on the tongue like melting velvet include two seasonal specials: PBRJ: pistachio butter ice cream swirled with homemade rhubarb jam and crunchy crushed pistachios (It’s a Christmassy red and green, too!); and Gingerbread Spice ‘N Everything Nice, a five-spiced custard with cranberry compote and gingerbread cookie crunch. www.scoopjackandremi.com

Jack and RemiL Carly Hackbarth

‘Making the Yuletide Gay: A Very Special Paul Lynde Christmas’

Esteemed Bay Area food and restaurant writer Marcia Gagliardi, aka the Tablehopper, has curated a Taste of San Francisco gift box that can be delivered throughout much of the western United States. Pro Tip: Packed with 12 items from San Francisco restaurants and makers, the box can easily be subdivided for first-rate stocking stuffing or regifting. Each box of booty will includes a zesty array of items. www.tablehopper.com

Sausalito Liquor Company spirits

Jack and Remi ice cream

Last-minute gift guide Local specialties and queer creations

by Jim Gladstone

I

t’s not too late to go to a local small business or jump online and order presents that will arrive in time for Christmas. Here’s a selection of unique gifts that will provide memorable experiences at the table, on the town and even on your television.

Gustatory giftables

Married couple Sarah Bennett and Erika McKenzie-Chapter make quite a pair, and quite a pairing. For a wine and cheese gift with authentic California queer bonafides, it’s hard to beat a package from Pennyroyal Farm, their estate creamery/ winery in the Anderson Valley town of Boonville.

For a holiday season treat, pair their awardwinning Rosé of Pinot Noir, refreshing and full-

Boozy schooling

bodied, with their spreadable goat Laychee with fennel pollen and pink peppercorns. A surprisingly wide range of wines and cheese are available for shipping, as are gift cards. You can also gift a future visit to Pennyroyal for an in-person lunch and farm tour. www.pennyroyalfarm.com

Queer-owned South of Market restaurant Merkado is a culinary and community hot spot. Among its many clever events last year was the reproductive rights fundraiser, “My Taco, My Choice,” featuring local woman chefs. So consider making Merkado your choice for an experiential group gift to share with friends or family members.

Michelin-starred pastry chef Serena Chow runs the fine-dining restaurant 7 Adams with

See page 12 >>

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<< Shopping

12 • Bay Area Repor ter • December 21-27, 2023

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Left: Pennyroyal Farm wine Middle: Tablehopper’s gift basket Right: Cocktails and food at Merkado

<<

Last-minute gifts

From page 11

The restaurant’s margarita classes include a hands-on, drink-what-youmix seminar and the option of a takehome kit with a squeezer, a shaker and a bottle of agave nectar. Tequila tastings feature an expert staff mixologist offering an overview of the spirit’s production and a flight of three distinctive tequilas. www.merkadosf.com Camper English, a queer and ever-querying polymath, runs Alcademics, the internet’s leading timesuck for brainiac boozehounds. His quirky blend of scientific inquiry and

cocktail connoisseurship draws an audience that includes home mixologists, liquor industry professionals and what English refers to as “an army of ice nerds.”

Heralded in The New York Times as one of the forces behind the current explosion of interest in specialty ice, English shares his expertise in “The Ice Book: Cool Cubes, Clear Spheres and Other Chill Cocktail Crafts.” He explains how careful observation and relentless tinkering led to his fairly foolproof, home-kitchen method of making pristine transparent ice, then moves on to lessons in making clear ice shot glasses, punchbowls, spheres and sticks. www.alcademics.com

No Skips: The Game That Gets Everyone Talking

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steal your holiday joy...

Extra Credit: Add a lesson in local geography to your sipping syllabus with the trio of tipples now being crafted at the new Sausalito Liquor Company. For their Unsinkable Bourbon, Tennessee-distilled hooch takes a road trip west, where it’s finished in California Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. Their Marin Coastal Gin adds locally foraged seaweed to the more expected juniper and botanical blend. www.sausalitoliquor.com

Game on

Akash Tharani, a queer Brooklynbased former school teacher now working as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion consultant, has long been a fan of conversation-promptiing adult card games like Table Topics and Mind to Mind. But over years of playing, Tharani became sensitized to the fact that some of the questions and wording made assumptions about players’ sexual orientation, leading some cards to be skipped every time they came to the top of the deck.

His solution is No Skips: The Game That Gets Everyone Talking, which is just as fun (and sometimes just as silly) as similar games, but has been carefully vetted so that every question is inclusive. www.noskipsgame.com

tive mini-essays about each of his picks which go far beyond the post-Stonewall Hollywood fare that many readers will already be familiar with.

In his pithy text, Turner provides new lenses through which to view old favorites and hard-to-resist invitations to check out unfamiliar work. Each film is featured on a vibrant two-page spread, accompanied by an iconic, color-saturated illustration by Andy Warren. This is a reference book you’ll be happy to keep on the coffee table.

Find both titles at local independent bookstores including Fabulosa Books on Castro Street. www.fabulosabooks.com

Yuletide yuks

One of the country’s most prolific comedy recording labels Blonde Medicine, is secreted away in Petaluma.

Founded in 2018, they now have a catalog of well over 100 releases, including sets by Bay Area comics as well as albums recorded live at local clubs.

Among the gems are queer Bay Area favorite Irene Tu’s “We’re Done Now” and trans comic Annick Adelle’s “Between Two Worlds,” turning soulsplitting dilemmas into side-splitting humor. www.blondemedicine.com If your funny bone is still tumescent after seeing “The Golden Girls Live!”, there’s more retro-camp television fun for gays of a certain age in “Making the Yuletide Gay: A Very Special Paul Lynde Christmas.”

A keen facsimile of 1970s seasonal specials, complete with vintage commercials, the 50-minute on-demand video stars Michael Airington doing a snarky Lynde. SF fave Spencer Day plays Tab Hunter, Jackie Beat is Bea Arthur, and Liberace and Sal Mineo dopplegangers also make merry. With a script by Bruce Vilanch, ivory tickling by Seth Rudetsky, lots of parody Christmas songs, , this could become a queer holiday classic. www.amazonprime.comt

Shelvable showbiz

Ethan Mordden, author of the “Buddies” chronicles, is undoubtedly better known for his dozens of nonfiction works about Hollywood, opera and theater. The latest, “Gays on Broadway,” incorporates the sort of dishy quips and acid-etched characterizations that help make his fiction such a pleasure.

Easily readable from front-to-back but also well-suited to dipping in and out of, the book finds Mordden moving chronologically from the early 20th Century to the early 21st, spotlighting queer creators, performers and sensibilities on the stage from decade-to-decade. And oh, the treasures he finds! Mordden’s encyclopedic knowledge and razor-sharp critical skills dazzle on page after page.

If you’re a fan of the cinema as well as the stage, dig into the first book by the linguistically playful and intellectually rigorous young critic Kyle Turner, “The Queer Film Guide: 100 Movies That Tell Great LGBTQIA+ Stories.” Turner has crafted provoca-

Upper Left: Alcademics’ ‘The Ice Book’ Lower Left: ‘Gays on Broadway’ Upper Right: ‘The Queer Film Guide’ Lower Right: Irene Tu’s comedy album

SF Gay Men’s Chorus @ Castro Theatre 479 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA 94114

www.cliffsvariety.com

T

he annual tradition of Christmas Eve concerts by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus is a great way to celebrate the holidays. It’s almost sold out, but there are still tickets available for the December 24, 9pm show. Limited tickets may be released before the 5pm and 7pm shows. $40-$50. www.sfgmc.org For more arts and nightlife holiday week events, unwrap Going Out, our weekly listings, on www.ebar.com.t

December 21-27, 2023 • Bay Area Repor ter • 13

NewSparx Media

Gooch

t

Partying>>

Above Left: Town Bar Above Middle: Epic Steak Above Right: Oasis New Year’s Eve Below Left: The SF Eagle Below Right: The White Horse Bar

<<

NYE events

From page 11

Dancing Queen: ABBA Glitter Disco New Year’s @ The Great Northern

Dress up in your retro drag and dance in the new year to classic hits

by ABBA, The BeeGees, and plenty of other ’70s and ’80s grooves. $40$60. Dec. 31, 9pm-2am. 119 Utah St. www.thegreatnorthernsf.com

night of the club’s ninth anniversary.

Party like a god and ring in 2024 with a mythological Greek and Roman gods and goddesses theme. Dec. 31, $45$3500 (VIP admission includes early special entertainment, hors d’oeuvres and open bar until 9:30pm). 9:30pm2am, 298 11th Street. www.sfoasis.com

Renewal @ SF Eagle

Ring in the New Year with a bang in the heart of San Francisco’s Leather Cultural District. Music from Femanyst and DMP, gogo dancers TIV and Hilary Buff; hosted by Simon Malvaex.

Dec. 31, 9pm-2am. Bonus points for no cover. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

The Sweet Spot’s New Year’s Eve White Party @ White Horse Bar, Oakland

The oldest gay bar in the country, first opened in 1933, celebrates the New Year with performances by Versoul, Dreams, plus pole dancers

and music by DJs Keezy and Lady Ryan. Presented by The Sweet Spot, the queer femme dance party with food and drink tastings should bed quite fun; all-white attire suggested.

Dec. 31, $10-$350, 8pm-2am. 6551 Telegraph Ave. instagram.com/ whitehorsebart

Epic New Year’s Eve 2023 @ Epic Steak

For some classy dining, see the New Year in at this elegant waterfront eatery with a view of the Bay Bridge. The first seating is for people on their way to other celebrations; a table is yours for two hours. At the second seating, the table is yours for the night and includes party hats, favors and a midnight champagne toast. The restaurant will accommodate parties of up to eight only. December 31, starts at $369. 6pm-12:30am, 369 The Embarcadero. www.epicsteak.com

Gala Varo New Year’s Eve @ Que Rico Nightclub, Oakland

Party the New Year in at Oakland’s hottest Latin dance club, and special guest Gala Varo from “RuPaul’s Drag Race Mexico.” Dec. 31, $20-$30, 9pm-3am, 381 15th Street. www.quericonightclub.com

Midnight in Paris: A Legacy NYE Celebration @ Napa Valley Wine Train

For a party that’s literally rolling, celebrate New Year’s Eve aboard the Legacy train. This culinary journey includes a tasting of iconic wines, a three-course gourmet meal, and a two-hour winery party at Grgich Hills Estate. It all ends with watching the ball drop from Paris. Attendees are encouraged to dress to impress, but also dress for December weather and wear comfortable shoes since the tasting portion includes some walking. Dec. 31, $595, 9:45am-4:30pm, 1275 McKinstry St, Napa. www.winetrain.com

New Year’s Eve Party @ Towns Bar & Lounge, Oakland

One of the East Bay’s newest nightclub’s has quickly become quite popular. DJ John Lau will be spinning new and old school Hip Hop, R&B, Pop, and today’s hits from 5pm-10pm. DJ Climaxx takes over at 10pm and will be spinning today’s hits, Hip Hop, R&B, Afro Beats, Soca and Pop. Cocktail attire is strongly suggested. Ticketed party with hors d’oeuvres, champagne toast, etc. starts at 8pm, but only 80 tickets will be sold. Dec. 31, $50, 2001 Broadway. goingtotownoakland.com

Princess New Year’s Eve @ Oasis

After Baloney, Oasis brings out the final drag night of the year, and it’s the

This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to https://www.cavshate.org/.

<< TV & Books

14 • Bay Area Repor ter • December 21-27, 2023

‘We Live Here: The Midwest’

t

Hulu documentary shows diverse families

by Gregg Shapiro

T

he title of the Hulu documentary “We Live Here: The Midwest” is a somewhat misleading misnomer. A far better name for the project, featuring interviews with LGBTQ couples, would be “We Live Here: The Rural Midwest.”

The Midwestern states represented in the doc include Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Ohio, and Minnesota. First stop is Iowa, and the home of Nia and Katie. The land of “Iowa nice,” a passive/aggressive behavior as described by trans lesbian Nia, that is defined by people not saying “I don’t support you” to your face, but instead starting a letter-writing campaign to disparage you (actually, when it comes to the Midwest, that’s not limited to the borders of Iowa).

Des Moines natives who never left, Nia and Katie met in second grade, attended the same “progressive evangelical church,” dated, married, and started a family. And then Nia came out as trans. It turns out the church wasn’t as progressive as they thought.

In Nebraska, where Mario and Monte are “one out of three Black families, let alone gay families,” we learn about their history (and struggles),

Hulu

Families in the Hulu documentary ‘We Live Here’ include Denise, Courtney & Marek, Mario and Monte, and Russ and Mark

which is also connected to a church community. The married fathers of a baby girl, Mario and Monte provided the “mystery sperm” (both mixed together) for surrogate Ariel. They arrived in Nebraska (after living in more liberal Colorado) where Mario, who is in the Air Force, is stationed.

Courtney and Denise, who live in Kansas with their son Marek, always wanted land, to be closer to their food, and to ranch goats. It was definitely an adjustment for the couple, who had met in Lawrence, Kansas, especially

for Denise who had lived in New York, Portland, and Austin. However, it was Marek’s experience of being bullied in school that opened their eyes to the ways in which (again, rural) Midwestern culture is resistant to change.

The next stop is Ohio, the furthest east Midwestern state, where married gay couple Russ and Mark live. Russ is a high school teacher who came out later in life. They talk about how representation matters (Russ’ students know that Mark is his husband) where they live, as well as how following the

presidential election in 2016 a change occurred resulting in a backlash against all the progress made by the LGBTQ community prior to that.

Finally, we arrive in Minnesota.

This segment includes an interview with indigenous queer Heather Keeler of the Minnesota House of Representatives. But the main focus is trans couple Jenn and Debb, and features interviews with Jenn’s daughters, as well as her ex-wife Tricia.

With a runtime of less than an hour, and only five couples (and assorted

others, including family members and neighbors) as interview subjects, it’s reasonable that “We Live Here,” would come up short. Making matters worse is that it feels incredibly amateur and unclear in its messaging (i.e. Jenn’s daughters still refer to her as “dad”).

It’s admirable that Melinda Maerker wanted to address a segment of the population that doesn’t get much attention, but the execution is flawed.

Rating: C-t www.hulu.com

Duplechan’s Personals ‘Movies That Made Me Gay’ Larry cinematic memoir

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household. They helped him define himself as a skinny gay Black kid who didn’t fully understand why he was different. Movies continue to be a major part of his life, in particular classic films from Hollywood’s Golden Age. In his new book, “Movies That Made Me Gay,” Duplechan writes about the movies he loves, and about a few that he didn’t.

Each year he and his husband have seasonal film festivals in their home. The book’s chapters are titled according to those festivals: Black History Month, Pride Month, 4th of July, Halloween, etc.

In Black History Month he recalls Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s, when Black performers like Lena Horne would do a stand-alone musical number in a film without taking part in the film’s plot. This would enable racist theater owners in the South to cut those numbers out of the film without affecting the film’s storyline.

Duplechan eloquently writes about Black performers who toiled away during that time of segregation, rarely getting the recognition they deserved.

In Pride Month, he writes about some of his favorite LGBT films. In 4th of July he shares some of his favorite patriotic films, like 1942’s Oscar winning “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”

In the Halloween section, he writes about horror films, including 1935’s queer coded chiller “Bride of Frankenstein” and the ultimate midnight movie, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Through it all he shares snippets of his life, such as where he was and who he was with when he first saw a particular film and how that person affected him.

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ovelist Larry Duplechan, a Lambda Literary Award winner, loves movies. Movies have shaped his life. They were his solace when he was growing up in a conservative Christian

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Duplechan isn’t afraid to make controversial statements. He likes “Gone With the Wind” but is less fond of “Moonlight.” He thinks that Joan Crawford was too old to play Crystal Allen in 1939’s “The Women,” a film loved by many gay men of a certain age. And he

John Farrell Jr.

Author Larry Duplechan

doesn’t hesitate to say that transwomen of color didn’t throw the first brick of Stonewall. He’s not worried about backlash from the community.

“We currently live in a world where if you say something often enough and loud enough, it becomes an alternative fact,” Duplechan said in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “I am not in favor of alternative facts and I don’t like to see history rewritten to make a snappier meme. Placing two inarguably heroic figures at an event they simply weren’t at is bad history. Marsha P. Johnson herself said that she didn’t get to the riot until it was well underway, and it’s unclear if Sylvia Rivera was there at all. They both did great work for queer liberation. But they did it in the days, weeks and years after Stonewall.

To claim otherwise, well, among other things, it disrespects the people who were actually there.”

Duplechan spoke of what went into his process of choosing which films to write about, such as movies he’s loved since childhood, like “The Wizard of Oz,” “Mary Poppins” and “Funny Girl.”

There are movies that spoke to his budding sexual identity as a teenager like “Cabaret,” the classic 1972 musical that touched upon themes of homosexuality.

“And movies that came out when I was a young man that portrayed gay people as we hadn’t been portrayed when I was a child,” he said. “‘Making Love,’ ‘The Boys in the Band.’

And where there are remakes, or

based-ons, I talk about them if only for a sense of, I don’t know, closure or something. Which is how ‘The Wiz’ got in, for instance.”

Part of the book deals with the racism and sexism that appeared in many Hollywood films. The rest of the book is about the holiday film festivals that Duplechan enjoys with his husband.

“And those choices were super easy because, well, they were there,” Duplechan said. “A stack of DVDs and Blu Ray discs. I wrote the Halloween and Christmas sections pretty much in real time, writing about ‘The Santa Clause’ and ‘Home Alone’ as we watched them in December 2022.”

“Movies That Made Me Gay” came about when Duplechan retired from his secretarial job in 2021. Writing a memoir was on his retirement todo list. Having seen several relatives of his parents’ generation succumb to dementia, he wanted to get some memories written down while he still remembered them. The result is a book that is at once light, fun and thought-provoking. It’s an easy read, the perfect Christmas gift for the film buff you love.

“Unfortunately I made the mistake of publishing a memoir concurrently with Barbra Streisand,” Duplechan said. “Babs didn’t warn me.”t ‘Movies That Made Me Gay by Larry Duplechan. Team Angelica Press, 380 pages, Paperback $21.99, Kindle $9.99 teamangelica.com

t

Books>>

December 21-27, 2023 • Bay Area Repor ter • 15

‘Material Wealth’

Mining the Personal Archive of Allen Ginsberg

by Mark William Norby

S

inger-songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull reported that “Allen Ginsberg tried teaching me how to give a blow job; he said it was like prayer.”

The incident took place between 1988-89 at the Jack Kerouac School for Disembodied Poetics in Boulder, Colorado where Faithfull lectured and performed on songwriting.

Ginsberg co-founded the Kerouac School, as it’s known colloquially, in 1974 along with fellow Beat poet Anne Waldman. The school is located on the campus of Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.

The blow job line is just a small sampling of the plethora of rich moments collected in “Material Wealth: Mining the Personal Archive of Allen Ginsberg” (powerHouse Books, November 1, 2023 $58.00), compiled by Pat Thomas and with an introduction

by Anne Waldman.

An expansive book, it’s worth owning for anyone interested in San Francisco history, especially those interested in the significant contributions of the Beat Generation and how it paved the way for the hippy movement in the 1960s.

A collector’s coffee table book of Ginsberg’s art, drawings, photography (he was a lifelong photographer in addition to being a poet) and every type of memorabilia imaginable – concert tickets, political and concert posters, broadsheets, previously unpublished Ginsberg from his personal archive including journal entries and thoughts on Dylan’s ‘Idiot Wind,’ plus a special pocket containing unseen poems from Ginsberg’s personal collection titled, “First Thoughts, Best Thoughts: notes to self: naked and authentic, 1974-75.”

Thomas, a counterculture historian, archival music producer, and liner-note writer, went to great lengths to compile the project by combing

Author Pat Thomas

through the Allen Ginsberg Collection at Stanford University. Thomas has also just completed a CD to accompany the book set to come out March 2024 titled: “Material Wealth: Ginsberg’s voice in poems and songs 1956-1996.” The CD features musical accompaniments by Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Elvin Jones, Lenny Kaye, Philip Glass, David Mansfield, David Amram, Arthur Russell, and more.

In the book, Dylan quotes Ginsberg saying, “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness.” Some of those members (not necessarily mad but reaching in their work toward something like madness) are featured in Ginsberg’s photography collected in “Material Wealth,” including Beat poets and novelists William S. Burroughs, Gary Snyder, Neal Cassady, Gregory Corso, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, owner (until his death in 2021) of San Francisco’s City Lights Bookstore and Publishers, Diane di Parma, Janine Pommy Vega, Michael McClure, Jack Kerouac, Kenneth Rexroth, Ginsberg’s lifelong partner Peter Orlovsky, Charles Bukowski, Anne Waldman, and many others.

Radical Beat poet

Highly prolific in creating poetic pontifications and known all over the world, Ginsberg traveled extensively across continents with particular interest in India. As a radical hippy and Beat poet, Ginsberg spent two years in San Francisco and had a deep commitment to Ferlinghetti’s City Lights Publishers, bypassing many offers from large publishing houses in favor of the independent press City Lights.

An activist, raconteur, explicit and no-holds-barred proselytizer on gay sex, a man with a big heart, fathomless spiritual connection to Buddhist philosophy, and a fanatic meticulously saving letters, postcards, draft notes, manuscripts, not only his own but also fellow singers, journey companions, agitators, and friends. Ginsberg also played a role in the 1940s and 1950s as a literary agent distributing the works of Burroughs and playing a role assisting in the distribution of the work of Kerouac.

Patti Smith fans will be delighted to find a copy of Smith’s first concert poster. A 1974 copy of a concert ticket to Bob Dylan and The Band includes Yoko Ono’s phone number scribbled on the flipside. Rare posters of early

Beat Generation readings in San Francisco in the 1950s, and still more the next decade in the 1960s particularly capture Haight-Ashbury and the hippy era. Other photos include Lou Reed, Van Morrison, Philip Glass, Norman Mailer, Iggy Pop, Don Cherry, Robert Frank, and Johnny Depp.

Of note is Ginsberg’s legendary, celebrated free verse poem “Howl,” a poem that carries the spirit of Old San Francisco using verse paragraphs to emphasize the thematic nature of the Beat poetry writing style. “Howl” centers on Ginsberg’s observations and life experiences in the modern world.

You can find a free online copy at Poetry Foundation.

Of particular importance in “Material Wealth” is the section that covers the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, which tells how the Kerouac School came into being. Located on the campus of Naropa University, Naropa was founded by the Tibetan Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche who, when he landed in the United States for the first time said, “Take me to your poets.” Under Trungpa’s guidance and along with Ginsberg, Wald-

man, John Cage, and di Parma, a poetics department at Naropa University was established.

The intent of Naropa’s poetry department: “To teach meditators about the golden mouth and to educate poets about the golden mind.” Today, that same school thrives as the Kerouac School bringing to light “a dynamic, ongoing exchange of ideas about the history and legacy of the Beat Generation …” Thomas stated.

The school aims foremost to be an “outrider” – an outrider in this context being outside the academic mainstreams of poetry, yet not ‘outside’ the worlds of poetry. “You ride Parallel.”t Pat Thomas will be joined by Peter Hale, Executor at the Ginsberg Estate for the launch of “Material Wealth,” in appearances at City Lights Bookstore on Wednesday, January 24, 261 Columbus Ave, San Francisco; and at Mrs. Dalloway’s on Thursday, January 25, 2904 College Ave, Berkeley. www.powerhousebooks.com www.allenginsberg.org www.citylights.com www.mrsdalloways.com

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Trace how generations of exploding stars forged every atom and element that make up Earth, the Solar System—and us.

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