February 22, 2018 edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

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Vol. 48 • No. 8 • February 22-28, 2018

Sheriff Vicki Hennessy

SF sheriff implements trans inmate policies by Seth Hemmelgarn

an Francisco Sheriff Vicki Hennessy this week announced that her agency has formally implemented its policy and procedures on transgender, gender variant and nonbinary, or TGN, inmates. The guidelines, which have been gradually introduced in recent years and are among the first of their kind in the country, were finally implemented Tuesday, February 20. They cover everything from where inmates are housed to which pronouns deputies should use to refer to inmates to which gender staff should perform searches. “Our number one priority is safety for all: staff, inmates, visitors, and service providers,” said Hennessy in a news release. “We thoughtfully and carefully considered and vetted every policy and procedure, which impacts our TGN inmates to ensure they feel protected, respected, and have full access to the county jail’s educational, vocational, recovery and life skills classes and services.” Former Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, whom Hennessy defeated in 2015, first proposed revising transgender policies a few months before he left office. Less than 1 percent of the people in jail are TGN, but the sheriff ’s department noted that they face high rates of harassment, poverty, and unemployment across the country. “The sheriff ’s department goal is to help all inmates live successfully once they’re released from custody,” stated Hennessy. “Respecting TGN individuals, making them feel safe and facilitating their participation in the county jail’s rehabilitation programs will increase the chance [they] won’t come back to jail. And that’s an outcome we all want for all individuals in our custody.” Changes have included using TGN inmates’ preferred pronouns to address them, and moving them from a 12-person cell in County Jail #4, the men’s facility at 850 Bryant Street, to the re-entry housing pod next door in County Jail #2, the co-ed jail at 425 Seventh Street. There, they are able to participate in classes and services. Additionally, people who are booked into jail are now asked to use a Statement of See page 15 >>

Farrell supports Milk SFO terminal naming

A rendering of what signage might look like at the new Terminal 1 at SFO. B.A.R. ilustration/Rendering courtesy San Francisco International Airport

by Matthew S. Bajko

an Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell supports naming Terminal 1 at the city’s airport after slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk. In 2013 gay former supervisor David Campos scrapped his idea to rename San Francisco International Airport after Milk due

to a lack of support. Instead, he and the late mayor Ed Lee compromised on naming one of the airport’s four terminals in honor of Milk. It was 40 years ago that Milk was sworn in as a city supervisor, becoming the first out LGBT individual to hold elective office in both San Francisco and California. Tragically, Milk and then-mayor George Moscone were

assassinated inside City Hall by disgruntled former supervisor Dan White the morning of November 27, 1978. After years of delays by Lee in naming his appointees to an advisory panel tasked with selecting which terminal should bear Milk’s name, it voted in June for Terminal 1. With the facility undergoing a $2.4 billion

Grants given out for Guerneville homeless services

See page 14 >>

by Charlie Wagner

hile Guerneville residents await the results of the 2018 Sonoma County Homeless Point-in-Time Count, scheduled for Friday, February 23, the county has distributed $450,000 in grants to several local nonprofit organizations. Giving added urgency to the homeless issue in the Russian River community is the fact that two people living on the streets of Guerneville have died since January 1. With 1 percent of the total county population, the 2017 count found the lower river area had 248 homeless individuals, more than 8 percent of the county total. Many of the housed know their unhoused neighbors by sight, and often by name. Metropolitan Community Church of the Redwood Empire hosted a memorial in Guerneville last month for all who died in the past two years. In early 2017, District 5 Supervisor Lynda Hopkins found $750,000 for West County homeless services. She formed the Lower Russian River Homeless Task Force, which included Environmentalist and Clean River Alliance founder Chris Brokate and 15 others. After a formal review process, the Board of Supervisors approved $450,000 in grants last December. The other $300,000 remains for future proposals.

Charlie Wagner

The new Homeless Healthcare Center on Third Street in downtown Guerneville, operated by West County Health Centers, is expected to open in April.

West County Community Services received $221,000 to identify housing and get homeless individuals housed; Russian Riverkeeper/Clean River Alliance got $100,000 for environmental education and trash collection to prevent waste from polluting the watershed, including regular trash removal from homeless encampments; Social Advocates for Youth was awarded $58,000 for outreach to young adults struggling with a lack of housing; Russian River Alliance/Guerneville Community Alliance received $50,000 for

emergency relief for local low-income workers; and Russian River Area Resources and Advocates got $20,000 for coordination of community efforts to housing access and to help local groups apply correctly for future grants. Tim Miller, WCCS executive director and a member of the task force, said the greatest need for their homeless services is in the Guerneville area. “Nine months ago homeless were 10 percent See page 14 >>

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What is TRUVADA for PrEP?

Who should not take TRUVADA for PrEP?

TRUVADA for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a prescription medicine that is used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1. To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health.

Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you:

Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to prevent getting HIV. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about TRUVADA for PrEP? Before taking TRUVADA for PrEP:  You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take TRUVADA to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-negative.  Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. If you have flu-like symptoms, you could have recently become infected with HIV-1. Tell your healthcare provider if you had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting or at any time while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP:  You must continue to use safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1.  You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP:  Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months.  If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away.  To further help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1:  Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners.  Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you.  Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners.  Do not miss any doses of TRUVADA. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection.  If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. TRUVADA can cause serious side effects:  Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. TRUVADA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV and stop taking TRUVADA, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

 Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. If you are HIV-1 positive, you need to take other medicines with TRUVADA to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time.  Also take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection.

What are the other possible side effects of TRUVADA for PrEP? Serious side effects of TRUVADA may also include:  Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with TRUVADA. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking TRUVADA.  Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.  Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.  Bone problems, including bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones. Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP are stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking TRUVADA for PrEP?  All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis.  If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TRUVADA can harm your unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking TRUVADA for PrEP, talk to your healthcare provider to decide if you should keep taking TRUVADA.  If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can be passed to the baby in breast milk.  All the medicines you take, including prescription and overthe-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. TRUVADA may interact with other medicines. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.  If you take certain other medicines with TRUVADA, your healthcare provider may need to check you more often or change your dose. These medicines include certain medicines to treat hepatitis C (HCV) infection. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see Important Facts about TRUVADA for PrEP including important warnings on the following page.

I’m irresistible, not irresponsible. I know who I am. And I make choices that fit my life. TRUVADA for PrEP™ is a once-daily prescription medicine that can help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 when taken every day and used together with safer sex practices.  TRUVADA for PrEP is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV through sex.  You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP.

Ask your doctor about your risk of getting HIV-1 infection and if TRUVADA for PrEP may be right for you.

Learn more at truvada.com

IMPORTANT FACTS

This is only a brief summary of important information about taking TRUVADA for PrEPTM (pre-exposure prophylaxis) to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. This does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your medicine.

(tru-VAH-dah) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF TRUVADA FOR PrEP

Before starting TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must be HIV-1 negative. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-1 negative. • Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include flu-like symptoms, tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. Tell your healthcare provider if you have had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting TRUVADA for PrEP. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must continue to use safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. • You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you think you were exposed to HIV-1 or have a flu-like illness while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. • If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. • See the “How To Further Reduce Your Risk” section for more information. TRUVADA may cause serious side effects, including: • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. TRUVADA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

TRUVADA can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About TRUVADA for PrEP” section. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. • Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. • Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. • Bone problems. Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP include stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. These are not all the possible side effects of TRUVADA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with TRUVADA for PrEP.

ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP TRUVADA for PrEP is a prescription medicine used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1. • To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health. Do NOT take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: • Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. • Take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection.

HOW TO TAKE TRUVADA FOR PrEP • Take 1 tablet once a day, every day, not just when you think you have been exposed to HIV-1. • Do not miss any doses. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. • Use TRUVADA for PrEP together with condoms and safer sex practices. • Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months. You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP.

BEFORE TAKING TRUVADA FOR PrEP Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis. • Have any other medical conditions. • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can pass to the baby in breast milk. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with TRUVADA for PrEP.

HOW TO FURTHER REDUCE YOUR RISK • Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners. • Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you. • Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners. • Do not share needles or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them.

GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about TRUVADA for PrEP. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more, including how to prevent HIV infection. • Go to start.truvada.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit start.truvada.com for program information.

TRUVADA FOR PREP, the TRUVADA FOR PREP Logo, the TRUVADA Blue Pill Design, TRUVADA, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Version date: April 2017 © 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. TVDC0165 07/17

TVDC0165_PrEP_D_9-75x16_BayAreaReporter_Drag_p1.indd 3

1/31/18 8:22 AM

demand or receive security in an amount or and tried to schedule a walkthrough to get value more than an amount equal to two her deposit back. The manager said my months’ rent in the case of unfurnished resimother could come back and clean the dential property, and an amount equal to apartment and get her remaining items. The AY AREA REPORTER • 5 22-28, 2018 • Brent three months’ in the case of furnished manager then changed herFebruary position and told residential property. This is in addition to my mom she could not come back in to any rent for the first month paid on or before clean or get her things. She also said that initial occupancy. Therefore, the collection she would not give my mother back her se-

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Oakland center co-founders honored

akland City Councilman Abel Guillen, left, and Mayor Libby Schaaf, right, honored Oakland LGBTQ Community Center co-founders Jeff Myers, second from left, and Joe Hawkins for their service

to the Oakland LGBTQ community. Myers serves as board president and Hawkins is executive director of the center, which opened last fall. The ceremony was part of the city’s celebration of Black History Month.

SF mayor to form trans advisory panel by Matthew S. Bajko

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an Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell plans to form a transgender advisory panel to assist the city in meeting the community’s needs, the Bay Area Reporter has learned. The panel would work with Clair Farley, the mayor’s senior adviser for transgender initiatives. She took over the role in the fall after the retirement of longtime transgender advocate and city leader Theresa Sparks, who recently moved to Kansas. The late Mayor Ed Lee had created the position in the summer of 2016. While it was the first such mayoral advisory position in the country, a number of cities have formed transgender advisory committees, including West Hollywood and Los Angeles. The mayor’s office is currently looking for people to serve on the advisory body and expects it to meet for the first time in April. Farrell disclosed his decision to form the panel during a February 15 interview with the B.A.R. “Hopefully, it will give the community a greater voice inside City Hall,” said Farrell, who just the day prior had signed first-of-its-kind legislation requiring single-roomoccupancy hotels in the city to have gender-neutral bathrooms for transgender residents and other tenants to utilize. Formerly the District 2 supervisor representing the Marina and Cow Hollow, Farrell is serving as mayor until the winner of the special June 5 mayoral election is determined. It was called following Lee’s sudden death December 12 due to a heart attack. News of the transgender advisory panel comes as the city is being sued by a state agency on behalf of a transgender woman who claims a city employee in February 2016 denied her access to the women’s restroom in a municipal building and called her offensive slurs because she is transgender. [See story, Page 10.] Farrell declined to comment about the pending lawsuit when asked about it by the B.A.R. Speaking generally, he said it is important for employees and residents of the city to stand up for members of the transgender community. It is particularly critical for people to do so, noted Farrell, in light of the rollback of rights for transgender people and individuals who

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are gender nonconforming by the Trump administration. He pointed to the recent news that Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos would no longer hear complaints from transgender students denied access to school restrooms that correspond to their gender identity. “We see policy after policy coming out of Washington, D.C. that are antithetical to what we stand for,” said Farrell. “As loud as possible we will not stand up for any anti-discrimination behavior at all. Certainly, as the leader of our city government, I take that obligation very seriously. Discrimination in any shape or form will not be tolerated.” At the bill signing for the SRO bathrooms legislation Farrell had sounded a similar note of defiance against the Trump administration. “In San Francisco we are different. We will not let hatred to dominate,” said Farrell, who was joined by local transgender advocates and members of the Board of Supervisors for the signing ceremony. At his side was Farley, who thanked Farrell for “making sure San Francisco is committed to supporting the transgender community.” She also praised the transgender advocates who initiated and pushed for the legislation, while noting the community’s work is not finished. “We know there is more work to be done. We will continue to advance policies and initiatives that support a thriving transgender community in San Francisco,” said Farley. “Let’s make sure San Francisco continues to be the beacon of hope and change the rest of the country so desperately needs right now.”

During the interview with the B.A.R. Farrell pledged to fund Farley’s position and her office in the two-year budget he will present to the supervisors June 1. She earns $132,000 a year. He also recommitted to the pledge made by previous mayors to backfill any federal cuts to local HIV and AIDS programs. Prior to his death, Lee had promised that the city would cover a $1.4 million cut in its fiveyear grant for such services from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that began in January. “One hundred percent I will backfill any AIDS cuts,” promised Farrell, noting that, as a native of San Francisco, he understands “how important the LGBT community is to the heart and soul of the city.” He also pledged to ensure the city continues to financially back the health department’s Getting to Zero initiative aimed at eliminating the transmission of new HIV cases in San Francisco by 90 percent come 2020. When he served as chair of the supervisors’ budget committee, Farrell noted he supported the request to fund the program when asked to do so by AIDS advocates. “Moving that forward as mayor, it is critically important,” said Farrell. One of those advocates was Jeff Sheehy, who was appointed by Lee last year as the District 8 supervisor. Sheehy, the board’s lone gay member and the first known HIV-positive supervisor, was part of the majority that voted to name Farrell mayor through June. Farrell’s decision not to run for mayor led to his surprise selection as the board’s pick January 23. Sheehy told the B.A.R. this week that, so far, he has been pleased with how Farrell is leading the city. “I think he is doing a great job, but he is doing it in the context of a caretaker mayor,” said Sheehy. “He is continuing the policies that had been going on in the past, and where he is innovating, he is doing it very judiciously.” In that regard, Farrell asked all department heads and top staff to stay in their posts. His main focus is on presenting a balanced budget to the board and implementing policies he believes are best for the city. Once his time as mayor is complete, Farrell has said he will leave politics to return to the private sector and his job as a See page 15 >>

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6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 22-28, 2018

Volume 47, Number 8 February 22-28, 2018 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Seth Hemmelgarn CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani Richard Dodds • Michael Flanagan Jim Gladstone • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell John F. Karr • Lisa Keen • Matthew Kennedy Joshua Klipp • David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • David-Elijah Nahmod Michael Nugent • Paul Parish • Sean Piverger Lois Pearlman • Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota Bob Roehr • Adam Sandel • Khaled Sayed Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Tony Taylor • Sari Staver Jim Stewart • Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez Ronn Vigh • Charlie Wagner • Ed Walsh Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan Steven Underhil • Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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ast week, the state Assembly Women’s Caucus named lesbian Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman as its acting interim chair. The move was necessary because Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia had decided to voluntarily step down amid accusations of sexual harassment. The caucus, which is bipartisan, should consider keeping Eggman in the post, as the Stockton Democrat has the skills and experience to guide it through this difficult time. Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) won national attention as part of the #Me Too movement in the Capitol. She was among the women featured on the cover of Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” issue, which honored the “Silence Breakers.” Now, she is accused of groping a male colleague and urging her staff to play “spin the bottle” after a fundraiser, as Politico reported this week. She is on an unpaid voluntary leave of absence and is facing a legislative investigation. The accusations against Garcia are serious, and give ammunition to critics of #MeToo. While the movement has succeeded in removing numerous powerful men from their jobs over a range of workplace misconduct and sexual harassment, charges made against women have been rare; but when it happens it should be treated equally. It would be hypocritical to dismiss allegations against Garcia while simultaneously calling for the ouster of similarly accused male colleagues. And the Capitol is engulfed in such investigations now: Two lawmakers have resigned, another quit for health reasons. Eggman won the respect of voters in her Central Valley district. She’s been re-elected twice and is expected to easily win re-election this year. She’s a strong leader and a member of the legislative LGBT and Latino caucuses. She has demonstrated an ability to work effectively with different groups. She also doesn’t give up in the face of defeat. One of her unsuccessful efforts last year was a bill – co-authored with

gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) – to authorize safe injection sites in various California cities, including San Francisco. While that bill did not pass, it’s expected to be reconsidered this year. One consequence of the narrow loss was an increased public awareness of the issue, and that can only help as California grapples with addiction and access to mental health and substance abuse services. For her part, Eggman, in a statement, was modest about her appointment leading the women’s caucus: “I am humbled that my colleagues have placed their faith and trust in me to lead the caucus during these challenging times and I look forward to working closely with Vice Chair Senator [Connie] Leyva and the rest of my colleagues in the caucus as we work to promote the well-being of women, children, and families in California.” She’s right. Helping women, children, and families is key, and numerous bills will soon be debated on other critical issues such as housing. Electing more women to the Legislature would help end the “old boy’s network” that seems to permeate statehouses and Congress (and many other professions). In fact, that’s one of the goals of the Women’s Caucus. According to its website,

the caucus “seeks to increase participation and representation of women in state government. Members of the Legislative Women’s Caucus seek to promote sound legislative policies and budget priorities that will improve the wellbeing of women, children and families and to work cooperatively with local, state, and national women’s organizations interested in advancing policies to achieve these same objectives.” Eggman is an excellent choice to lead the caucus, and its members should keep her in that post.

Students take on the NRA

The mass school shooting last week left 17 people dead. As much as this has become a horrific regular occurrence, there is something different about the students who survived the carnage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. They are using their anger to confront lawmakers and are seeking gun control legislation. They’ll need others to join them. These kids are articulate on TV, giving interviews and explaining why gun violence must stop. Unfortunately for them, and everyone else who supports gun control, the National Rifle Association controls the debate by using money to influence politicians and working to undermine even the most basic gun safety bills. Politicians promised action after the Las Vegas shooting in October. Nothing has happened. But this generation of teenagers may be able to do more than that. Savvy users of social media, many of them live-tweeted the bloodshed and the aftermath. On Monday, a group called Teens for Gun Control staged a “lie-in” near the White House. On March 14, students in the Bay Area are expected to take part in a National School Walkout. For 17 minutes – one for each of the lives lost in Parkland – students and their supporters will demand stricter gun safety laws. We know it will be a difficult and long battle, but maybe, finally, politicians will begin to get the message and eventually free themselves from the grip of the NRA. t

Insurance commissioner must stand up for patients and other Californians by Ricardo Lara

n my race to become California’s next insurance commissioner – and our first openly gay statewide elected leader – I have traveled all over the state, and there is one question I always get: “What does the insurance commissioner actually do?” I don’t blame Californians for asking, because insurance isn’t on most people’s minds – until you have a problem with it. The insurance commissioner runs the state’s largest consumer protection agency, which in today’s political world puts it on the front lines of the fight for basic fairness. People need a place to turn to when an insurance company denies their health claims without review or turns them down for homeowner’s insurance. People need a defender against insurance fraud. We need a strong insurance commissioner who will stand up for patients, homeowners, and small businesses, especially as the Trump administration begins the work of dismantling the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from within. I am running for insurance commissioner because I want to defend the people of California. That’s what my career has been about since I was first elected to the Legislature in 2010. I have had the privilege to work on many of the issues that the insurance commissioner oversees on a daily basis. In the Assembly, I was chair of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, where I implemented strong, ethical oversight of public monies. That experience gave me valuable experience in dealing with insurance markets. Last year I authored Senate Bill 562, the bill to establish universal, publicly run health care in California and make it a right for all. I also wrote the law that extended health care to 218,000 undocumented children in California, because if we can’t cover children then we are limiting their futures and hurting our whole state. I recently introduced the Wildfire Safety and Recovery Act in order to limit insurance companies’ ability to deny or cancel coverage to

Courtesy Lara for Insurance Commissioner campaign

State Senator Ricardo Lara

homeowners just because they face a risk of wildfire. After last year’s record fire season, that could be almost anywhere in California. There’s a reason why California has become the center of the resistance to President Donald Trump’s plan to roll back protections for consumers, working people, and LGBT Americans. It’s because so many of us grew up in families that believed in fairness for all, no matter where they were born or who they love. I was born in East Los Angeles, the son of a seamstress and a factory worker. My parents are lifelong Democrats because, my mom told me recently, “This is the party that didn’t make fun of our accent. They saw us as opportunities and not as liabilities. This party accepts us for who we are.” Even in this divided and polarized time, we have to keep working for policies that promote opportunity and protect people from exploitation. It is this spirit that drove me to become

the first openly gay person of color elected to the California state Senate, running to represent my community and unafraid to be who I am. In nearly 168 years as a state, California has never elected an openly gay person to statewide office – including governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and insurance commissioner. Just 10 years ago, Californians voted to ban equal marriage with Proposition 8, and even with all the progress we have made as a state and a nation, the challenges ahead are not lost on me. I am committed to serving in this spirit of inclusion as the next insurance commissioner. I am committed to continuing my work to increase access to health care for all Californians, control rates, and prepare to implement a single-payer universal health care system as outlined in SB 562. I am committed to defending homeowners from exploitative insurance practices. I am committed to cracking down on anyone who tries to cheat the system at the expense of working people. I am committed to standing up for the LGBT community, who continue to experience discrimination from health insurance companies that deny hormone treatments and identity-affirming surgeries to trans people, even though this practice was outlawed by the Insurance Gender Nondiscrimination Act in 2005. It will be a priority for me as insurance commissioner to hold insurers accountable for practices like these, and make California a more just place for LGBT individuals and for everyone who just needs a fair shot and a level playing field. That is the commitment my parents made to me, and why more than ever California is the keeper of the American dream.t State Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) is a candidate for state insurance commissioner on the June ballot. For more information, visit www.ricardolara.com.

Politics>>

February 22-28, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

Milk inspires Pelosi challenger Ryan Khojasteh by Matthew S. Bajko

e won’t turn the required age to be a member of the House of Representatives, 25, until four days before the November 6 election. And amid campaigning he is also focused on earning a law degree from UC Hastings College of the Law. Ryan A. Khojasteh, in his first bid for elected office, is under no illusions about the uphill climb he faces to win California’s 12th District House seat. After all, he is challenging Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), 77, for the seat she has held since 1987 and is expected to easily win re-election to this year. For now, his focus is on surviving the June 5 primary race, where the top two vote-getters regardless of party affiliation will advance to the general election in the fall. Fellow Democrat Stephen Jaffe and Green Party member Barry Hermanson are also running. “Some people may be hesitant to vote for me because of my age,” Khojasteh acknowledged during an interview with the Bay Area Reporter at Flore cafe in the Castro district. “But if I make it through June, I would be the youngest person in history to challenge a sitting member of Congress.” (Two years ago Congressman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, faced a 25-year-old opponent.) Rather than wait to run after graduating law school this December and establishing his career, Khojasteh said he was inspired to enter this year’s race by the late gay San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk. Prior to his historic victory in 1977 as the city’s and state’s first openly gay elected official, Milk had mounted several previously unsuccessful campaigns despite opposition to his doing so from LGBT community leaders. “He didn’t get permission from anyone to run for office,” said Khojasteh, who is straight but connected with Milk’s story when he saw the Oscar-winning movie about him starring Sean Penn. His parents are from Iran. His father left the country right before the 1979 hostage crisis and worked odd jobs in Louisiana in order to bring his wife to the U.S. Two decades ago, his parents moved to Campbell where they raised Khojasteh and his younger sister and now own a Subway franchise. It wasn’t until after the 9/11 terrorist attack that the family experienced discrimination because of their ancestry. “Being different in school, I developed a heightened sense of awareness and dedicated my life to fighting for equality. People should have voices,” said Khojasteh. “Harvey Milk did. He wanted people to say, ‘I am proud of my background and who I am.’ It is what I hope to do in his honor and legacy.” Khojasteh, who earned a B.S. in political science from Santa Clara University, serves on the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission. He is also on the board of the San Francisco Young Democrats and is a member of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club. He plans to make his presence known this weekend when the state Democratic Party holds its convention in San Diego. His campaign will have a booth in the convention hall as he seeks to raise

Congressional candidate Ryan A. Khojasteh

his profile among party members and activists. Should he advance past the June primary, Khojasteh hopes his candidacy, and the fact he is the son of Iranian immigrants, will attract national attention. He wants to serve as a role model for other youth, people of color, and immigrants who feel neglected by the government. “If we try we can do incredible things,” said Khojasteh, who opened his local campaign headquarters last weekend. “There are so many people in the country with immigrant backgrounds or who are young and don’t feel like they have a seat at the table.”

Milk club splits mayoral endorsement

As expected, the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club has dual endorsed in San Francisco’s special mayoral election on the June 5 primary ballot. The progressive political group’s members voted Tuesday to support both District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim and gay former supervisor and state lawmaker Mark Leno in the race. Leno, who is aiming to become the city’s first openly gay mayor, also picked up a sole endorsement Wednesday from the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a national group focused on electing LGBT candidates. The endorsement by the Milk club was unranked. Under the city’s instant-voting runoff system, voters can rank up to three candidates for mayor. As the candidates with the least amount of votes are eliminated, their voters’ second and third choices are then tabulated until one candidate emerges with 50 percent plus one of the vote. The city’s more moderate Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club is considering doing its own unranked dual endorsement of Leno and Board of Supervisors President London Breed, who had served as acting mayor upon the unexpected death December 12 of the late mayor Ed Lee. The club’s members are expected to vote on the endorsement in March.

Sheehy kicks supervisor campaign into high gear

While he has been holding fundraising events for months, District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy will publicly launch his campaign to maintain his seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors this weekend. Sheehy, the lone gay member on the board and the first known supervisor to be HIV positive, was appointed to the seat last year

by Lee to fill the vacancy created by Scott Wiener’s election to the state Senate. He is facing a strong challenge from gay attorney Rafael Mandelman, who serves on the City College of San Francisco board and lost to Wiener in the 2010 supervisor race. Wiener and Mayor Mark Farrell will join Sheehy for the opening of his campaign headquarters at 10 a.m. Sunday, February 25, at 541 Castro Street. The vacant retail space is owned by Castro bar owner Les Natali and is next door to the long-vacant Patio restaurant space, which Natali also owns and is working to reopen as a Hamburger Mary’s. Asked about renting from the controversial landlord, Sheehy told the B.A.R. he has no qualms about activating a vacant storefront in the heart of the Castro for the next nine months. Sheehy and Mandelman are running on the June ballot to serve out the remainder of Wiener’s supervisor term through early 2019 and are both expected to run in November for a full, four-year term on the board. “If we can reduce the number of empty storefronts in the Castro, that is a good thing,” said Sheehy, a married father who lives in Glen Park. Mandelman, a resident near the Valencia corridor, has his campaign office on 24th Street in Noe Valley. He will also be holding an event in the Castro this weekend to promote his candidacy. His campaign is organizing an LGBTQ mobilization in the neighborhood and has asked supporters to gather at 10 a.m. Saturday, February 24, in Jane Warner Plaza at the intersection of 17th, Castro and Market streets. t

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<< Community News

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 22-28, 2018

Teen seeks to end bullying he once experienced by Alex Madison

hroughout elementary and middle school, Sameer Jha faced severe bullying for being an effeminate child. Dirt was thrown on him by his male peers as they called him “gay” and “disgusting.” He had a jar of tarantulas thrown at him in his seventh-grade biology class. Jha is now 16 years old, identifies as a gender flux queer, and is dedicated to making sure no other LGBTQ youth experiences the harassment he did. Through GoFundMe, Jha is asking for $8,000 to publish an educator’s guide to help create safer schools for queer youth. To date, he has raised almost $1,400. “My ultimate goal is to make sure students don’t have the same experiences as I did,” he said. “I want straight and cisgender youth to be equipped with the knowledge that when they meet queer people or discuss queer people they can handle the situation carefully and have it lead to a positive outcome.” After joining the Gender and Sexualities Alliance club at the College Preparatory School, his current high school in Oakland, Jha came out at 14. Since then, Jha has looked back

Courtesy Sameer Jha

Youth grand marshal Sameer Jha waves a rainbow flag before the start of last year’s Oakland Pride parade.

retrospectively at his bullying experiences and said he realized the root of it came from the ignorance and lack of awareness that his educators, peers, and their families had about the LGBTQ community. “I realized there were a lot of misconceptions and a lack of awareness that led to my bullying,” he said. “It

wasn’t out of malicious intent, but a lack of awareness.” From this, Jha has spent the last two years researching and writing a book that aims to end bullying and increase awareness of the LGBTQ youth community and its needs through educating middle and high school teachers. The book is just one of Jha’s accomplishments in advocacy for his community. Jha is the founder of the Empathy Alliance, a nonprofit organization that consults educators and students on how to create a more welcoming school environment for LGBTQ youth. The organization holds workshops, assemblies, and panels across the United States. “I want to help queer students and queer youth have a safe place to learn, discuss, share ideas and talk about queer identities,” he said. One of the first things he did as founder was return to the middle school in Fremont, California, where he faced some of his most challenging times. The school now has its first gay-straight alliance, thanks to Jha, the opening meeting of which welcomed close to 60 students and teachers, filling the room to capacity.

Just recently, Jha was named youth ambassador for the Human Rights Campaign, America’s largest LGBT civil rights organization, and traveled last weekend to Orlando for its Time to Thrive conference. In the past year, he has spoken at rallies, served on panels, led workshops, and facilitated classes reaching hundreds of educators and students from schools around the country on topics including trans rights, gender and sexuality, breaking down misconceptions, and intersectionality. Two people Jha worked with talked about his passion for advocacy, work ethic, and his potential to become a leader in the LGBTQ community. One of those people is Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. Jha worked as an intern in the mayor’s office to help engage Oakland’s LGBTQ community around Oakland Pride. He was the youth grand marshal in last year’s Pride parade. “I consider Sameer an integral youth leader in the Oakland LGBT community,” Schaaf wrote in an email. “We need more people like him to step up and make a difference in our world.” Another person Jha worked closely with is Dr. Ron Holt, a

psychiatrist, motivational speaker, and author of the best-selling book, “PRIDE: You Can’t Heal if You’re Hiding From Yourself.” Holt has consulted Jha about his educator’s guide and sat on various panels with him, including the Time to Thrive conference. “Sameer has been able to take his past adversity of being bullied and turn his story into an asset for current students to learn and grow from,” Holt wrote in an email. “It has been an honor to be one of his mentors watching him grow and change his community one person at a time.” Although he hasn’t even graduated from high school, Jha has made a significant impact in the LGBTQ community. As a first-generation American, with parents who immigrated from India and Pakistan, Jha has a particular interest in intersectionality. He is not sure where he will attend college, but plans to earn his Ph.D., possibly in gender studies, and become a professor. t To donate to Jha’s educator’s guide, visit https://www.gofundme.com/theempathyalliance.

SFMTA plans open house for street safety project by Tony Taylor

he San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s upcoming street construction project, which intends to increase pedestrian, traffic, and bicycle safety, is seeking a final round of community feedback on potential circulation changes and upgrades along the Upper Market Street corridor. As part of the ongoing community dialogue and phased implementation associated with the project, in partnership with San Francisco Public Works, SFMTA will host the Upper Market Street Safety Project open house Wednesday, February 28. The project includes the design and implementation of safety improvements for people walking, riding bikes, taking transit, and driving in the Upper Market Street corridor from Castro Street to Octavia Boulevard. Also included in the project is the elimination of most left turns onto Market Street from the Duboce Triangle area and the addition of a new left turn from eastbound Market

Tony Taylor

An installed curb ramp along Market Street near the intersection of Guerrero and Laguna streets is part of the Upper Market safety project that intends to increase pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

Street onto northbound Castro Street. As stated on the SFMTA website, “The core of the project is a suite of engineering improvements including signal timing, striping, and concrete work to improve the safety and comfort of pedestrian crossings, better separate bicycle

and vehicle traffic, and improve the safety of intersections for vehicles and bicycles.” Over the past two years, SFMTA has studied potential turn restrictions and other signal phasing changes that would improve efficiency along the Upper Market Street

O K E L L’ S

corridor. The safety project includes engineering recommendations for Upper Market Street’s complex sixlegged intersections at 17th and Castro, 16th and Noe, 15th and Sanchez, and Guerrero and Laguna streets. The recommendations would reduce potential for conflict and make travel along the corridor more predictable and intuitive, officials said. Clients of Openhouse, which has apartments for seniors and an LGBT service center located just north of Market Street on Laguna Street, are affected daily by the complicated intersection. “We appreciate that the city is taking steps to try to make this area safer. While parking is certainly a challenge in our neighborhood, safety is our number one concern at this point.” Karyn Skultety, a bisexual woman who’s executive director of Openhouse, told the Bay Area Reporter. “The Guerrero-Laguna-Market Street intersections, along with the stop signs on Hermann and Laguna [Street], are a real danger for our seniors, staff members, and

visitors,” she added. “The question is if this is going to be enough to make a difference.” SFMTA representatives did not return a request for comment. Intended goals include better signal separation, simplifying turn movements, and promoting more predictable behaviors. Project staff expect to present a finalized proposal for altered circulation to the SFMTA board later this spring. The Public Works landscape team is also inviting additional input on the location and priority of features such as landscaping, lighting, seating, and other potential elements like street furniture to accompany the street and sidewalk upgrades approved by the SFMTA Board in May 2017. This feedback will help generate a draft design proposal by this fall to support the construction expected in late 2019. According to a release from SFMTA, $500,000 has been dedicated for public realm upgrades. See page 14 >>

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<< Community News

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 22-28, 2018

Trans woman sues SF over bathroom use by Seth Hemmelgarn

transgender woman who claims a San Francisco city worker blocked her from using a women’s bathroom and called her a “fucking freak” is suing the city. At the time of the February 2016 incident, Tanesh Nutall, 52, worked for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and was attending a training that had been organized by the city’s Department of Public Health at its building located at 25 Van Ness Avenue. During a break at about 11 a.m., Nutall went to use the women’s restroom located near the training room. Entry to the restroom required a key code, which was posted on the training room’s wall. Mary Ivas, who worked at what was then known as the city’s Office of Citizen Complaints, which has an office near the training room, was entering the restroom as Nutall approached, so Nutall asked her, “Excuse me, miss, can you hold the door?” according to the complaint

Courtesy TLC

Tanesh Nutall

Nutall filed February 16 in San Francisco Superior Court. Ivas turned and said, “No, this is a women’s restroom,” and quickly closed the door to block Nutall, Nutall claims. Nutall says she went back to the training room and told Natalie

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to file a complaint with the city’s Human Rights Commission, which is also located in the building. Robinson helped Nutall start an intake interview with one of the commission’s representatives, but Nutall was too “overwhelmed with distress” to finish. Eventually, Joyce Hicks, who was then executive director of the Office of Citizen Complaints, approached Nutall and Robinson to talk about what had happened, and someone who was referred to as “OCC legal counsel” joined them. Hicks apologized for the incident and told them Ivas’ name and that she was an OCC employee, according to Nutall’s complaint. Asked about the lawsuit, John Cote, a spokesman for the city attorney, said in a statement, “San Francisco respects the rights of all individuals, and the department apologized to Ms. Nutall after the incident and provided additional training to the now former-employee in question. But it is our understanding that the factual allegations

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in the complaint are not entirely accurate, and that the former employee did not violate Ms. Nutall’s protected rights.” Ivas, whose LinkedIn page says she worked for the city as an investigator for more than 20 years, couldn’t be reached for comment. Nutall filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission in June 2016 but that agency rejected her case, asserting that it doesn’t have jurisdiction to investigate the city, according to her complaint. In February 2017, Nutall filed a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. The department found merit to Nutall’s allegations, but after she and city officials were unable to resolve the case, the state agency filed a complaint in San Francisco Superior Court February 7 listing the Department of Police Accountability as the defendant. (The OCC was renamed the Department of Police See page 14 >>

SF officials look to cut criminal justice fees by Seth Hemmelgarn

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Thoreson, the presenter, about the incident and asked her to come with her to the restroom so she could get in. They saw Ivas as they approached the restroom, and Nutall says she told Thoreson, “That is the woman right there. She would not let me use the restroom.” Ivas turned to the women and said, “Yes, this is a women’s restroom, and that is a fucking man.” She then turned to Nutall and called her a “fucking freak,” the complaint says. Thoreson chided Ivas and asked for her name and whether she worked in the building. Ivas ignored the questions and “bolted down the hall” into an office, Nutall claims. She says that she and Thoreson followed Ivas into the office and asked again for her name while trying to read her badge. Ivas refused. Nutall went to talk to a security guard, and Ace Robinson, her supervisor at the AIDS foundation, joined her to support her, her complaint says. The guard told them

an Francisco Board of Supervisors President London Breed and other officials are working to eliminate criminal justice fees in the city, which can cost people hundreds of dollars. The fees, which defendants often pay for things like adult probation, home detention, and alcohol testing, help keep people mired in poverty, and “come at a time when formerly incarcerated individuals are working to turn their lives around after having served their time,” a news release from Breed’s office said. “These fees are counterproductive and a problematic source of revenue for the city,” stated Breed, who represents District 5 on the board. Legislation that would eliminate all the existing criminal justice fees within the city’s jurisdiction was introduced February 6 and is expected to be heard at committee in March. The proposal is believed to be the first of its kind in the country. According to Breed’s office, data indicate that many people can’t pay the fees. In 2016, for example, just 9 percent of all adult probation fees were collected. From 2012 to 2016, the average rate of collection for all courtordered criminal fees was 17 percent. Fees for adult probation are about $1,800 up front and the cost for getting booked is $135, just to give a

Rick Gerharter

Board of Supervisors President London Breed

couple examples of what people’s expenses are. “By eliminating these fees, we’re giving our reentry population a fighting chance to turn their lives around and to become thriving members of society,” said Breed. “At a time when our city is grappling with recordbreaking income disparity and severe homelessness and affordability challenges, the benefits of removing these fees far outweigh the costs of administering them.” When they’re not paid, the fees can grow, which results in heavy wage garnishments and levies on bank accounts. Public Defender Jeff Adachi stated, “Fees in a criminal case are the

equivalent of payday loans, where they tell you that if you plead guilty, you’ll get out of jail, but then the tack on over 50 fees that will keep you buried in debt forever. We see our clients and their families struggling for years to pay these substantial fees, drowning in debt instead of moving on with their futures. People of color are disproportionately affected.” Treasurer Jose Cisneros talked about his efforts to help city residents who are poor and how the fees can undercut that work. “Charging fees to people who are exiting the criminal justice system is a lose-lose for government and for the people we serve,” said Cisneros, a gay man. “I launched the nation’s first Financial Justice Project because I believe we can right-size fines and fees so they don’t disproportionately impact poor people and people of color, while protecting our city’s financial health.” Breed’s office said that less than 6 percent of San Francisco’s population is African-American, yet more than half of the people in county jail are African-American, so “the burden of these fines and fees falls heaviest on the African-American community.” Human Rights Commission Director Sheryl Davis stated, “It’s an equity issue. This is an example of how governments can address policies that foster inequity and put people first.”t

Obituaries >> Joseph Zbycho Kukulka September 17, 1950 – January 26, 2018 Joe Kukulka was born in Ottawa, Ontario Canada and passed away in San Francisco after battling several chronic health conditions during the last few years. He is the son of Maria Zielinska and Peter Kukulka of Ottawa. He is survived by his husband, John Spakas; his mum; a brother and sisterin-law, Jerry and Linda Kukulka, of Fishkill, New York; and several nieces and a nephew. He graduated from Carleton University with an advanced degree in physics and electrical engineering before moving to the Bay Area in 1989. He was self-employed as a computer repairman and a masseur. He was active with the Radical Faeries, Billy Club, the Gay Buddhist Fellowship, Kagyu Droden Kunchab, and Parkinson’s Disease Active. He was a kind man and much-loved by

those who knew him. His remains will be interred at the San Francisco Columbarium. A memorial service date has not yet been set. For information about the service, email spakas@pacbell.net.

Memorial set for Dennis Peron

A memorial and celebration of life will be held for gay marijuana advocate Dennis Peron Sunday, March 11, from 5 to 10 p.m. at Flore, 2298 Market Street in San Francisco. Mr. Peron, 71, died January 27 after a long battle with lung cancer. Mr. Peron was a pioneering marijuana activist and led the fight for successful passage of California’s medical cannabis initiative in 1996. For the upcoming memorial, friends and family who are organizing the event said that Noe Street will be closed and a large tent erected to protect an altar for all to share a moment of connection with

Mr. Peron. There will be a video montage wall, a psychedelic light show on the tent roof, entertainment, and a stage for speakers to share their stories and experiences with Mr. Peron. People who have photos to share can send them to peronmemorial@gmail. com to be included in the video montage. People interested in volunteering can also email the above address. Organizers are seeking donations to help cover expenses. A Gofundme page has been set up at https://www.gofundme. com/memorial-for-dennis-peron. To reserve a ticket for the memorial, visit http://bit.ly/2nXomxh. To read the Bay Area Reporter’s obituary, go to http://ebar.com/news/article. php?sec=news&article=73310.

Travel>>

February 22-28, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

Paris will be gay for Gay Games X by Heather Cassell

Plaza August 12. Gala events will follow both ceremonies.

t had been a dream of mine to go to Paris, and that desire to go to the City of Lights was real as I leaned over my girlfriend, pointing out the airplane window, saying, “Regardez! C’est la Tour Eiffel.” “What?” she asked, not understanding a word I said. “Look! The Eiffel Tower. We’re in Paris,” I said, excited to finally be in France. My goal for the next five days was to try not to speak English as much as possible and to soak in Paris. I did many of the things that firsttimers in Paris do. I saw the “Mona Lisa” at the Louvre Museum and checked out the impressionists at the Musee d’Orsay. We dined at the Eiffel Tower and local restaurants and ate crepes and croissants. I spent some time at the famed Shakespeare and Company Bookstore. I saw the gargoyles at Notre Dame and climbed the stairs to Sacre-Coeur, taking in the view of Paris before walking through the artists square around the corner and down the hill through the Montmartre neighborhood to see the Moulin Rouge. This summer, I will have the chance to be charmed by Paris again when we go for Gay Games X, August 4-12. My girlfriend will leave me in Paris to entertain myself with all the things I didn’t do on my list during our first encounter with the city, while she plays golf at Versailles. This trip will be our gay Paris trip since we didn’t do anything very gay the last time we were in the city. And Paris will never be gayer – an estimated 40,000 LGBTs are expected for the Gay Games, according to officials from Gay Games 2018 and Paris tourism. They’ll be flying in from around the world to compete or watch the games. I plan to see Le Marais, the gayborhood; Rue Des

What to do

Heather Cassell

Emy Ritt, participation and international relations director of Gay Games X.

Les Ecouffes, where the girls are; the Gay Games village; and museums and cafes with our gay friends, who are joining us on this adventure. Travelers who have experienced Paris tend to get a little amnesia about the grittiness of the city that is more than 2,000 years old, according to Discover France. I certainly have. Perhaps, it’s the gray skies that make the perfect backdrop for taking in the iconic landmarks that make a romantic imprint on a traveler’s mind.

Gay Games X and beyond

It’s a historic moment for the Gay Games. The games were founded by the late Dr. Tom Waddell, a former Olympian, in San Francisco in 1982. This summer’s event marks the first time the Gay Games has ever been hosted in a country’s capital city, Emy Ritt, participation and international relations director of Gay Games X, told the Bay Area Reporter when we visited in 2016, a month after registrations opened. Like the Olympics, Gay Games

The Pitchfork: Dry, organic apple cider, creamy pear finish

Heather Cassell

The Louvre draws visitors from around the world to see the “Mona Lisa” and other artwork.

happen every four years in different host cities, and it is open to every adult. This year, registrations for nearly all the 36 sports, from bowling to dance to golf to track and field to sailing to pétanque (France’s version of bocce ball), are filled. “I think that people are really going to enjoy being in Paris,” said Ritt, noting that Gay Games and Paris’ philosophies align. Gay Games believes in participation, inclusion, and personal best, she said, which fits neatly with Paris’ mantra, “liberty, equality, fraternity,” and values of diversity, respect, equality, solidarity, and sharing, said Ritt, 63, a lesbian who was co-president of the Federation of Gay Games for six years prior to joining Gay Games Paris’ 14-member team to produce the $7 million event. Ritt credited Cleveland’s team for producing an incredible Gay Games IX four years ago, and for helping the Paris effort.

The city of Paris and France donated many of the venues, and the event has received support from tourism bureaus, among other sponsors and donors, she said. The games kick off with a more intellectual look at sports and LGBT rights starting August 1. There will be 14 cultural events from cafe talks to a memorial quilt exhibit to gaythemed guided tours of the city to musicians performing at “key offs” throughout the city. Concerts at the Sport Village at the City Hall Plaza, are planned, as well as a fashion show, in a nod to the city being one of the capitals of haute couture. “It’s a life-changing experience,” said Ritt. “I think for those who have already been to a Gay Games they can always remember their first Gay Games like it was yesterday.” The games begin August 4 with opening ceremonies at Jean Bouin Stadium and end with closing ceremonies at the City Hall

Not everyone will be participating in the Gay Games. For spectators and supporters who are going in part to visit the city itself, Paris offers many things to do. “There’s lots to see in Paris for both women and men,” said Ritt. “Paris is a beautiful city and a wonderful city. We know that you will have a great time in Paris.” The City of Lights is also the city of innovation, rapidly changing while retaining its history. During my previous trip, I didn’t get to everything on my itinerary. It’s just another way Paris entices travelers back to her streets. One of the first things we did was get up early to get in line to see the “Mona Lisa.” Knowing a little bit of French helped, as I simply asked and was pointed in the right direction. When we got to the room, for a long minute my girlfriend and I were alone with Mona Lisa – and the guard – before the crowds arrived. A full day could be spent at the Louvre, but as magnificent as Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” is, for me, seeing the impressionists at the Musee d’Orsay was another breathtaking museum experience. Some of the newest additions to Paris’ museum scene are L’Atelier des Lumieres, Fondation Louis Vuitton, and the forthcoming Museum of Fashion housed at the Palais Galliera. L’Atelier des Lumieres is the city’s first digital museum of fine art located in a restored iron foundry in the 11th arrondissement (administrative district), a workingclass neighborhood turned trendy with some of the city’s hottest See page 15 >>

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<< Commentary

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 22-28, 2018

Let’s make actions cop-free zones by Christina A. DiEdoardo

or the last several years, the presence of San Francisco Police officers at events like San Francisco Pride and the Trans March has become increasingly controversial. Given the frequency by which SFPD officers kill people of color, from Alex Nieto in 2014 to Mario Woods in 2015 to Luis Góngora Pat in 2016 to Keita O’Neil in 2017 (to name just a few) and the general lack of subsequent public consequences for those who wear badges and pull triggers, it’s not surprising that the SFPD can look more like a threat than an asset to many. Similarly, given that many in the trans community, especially those in San Francisco, trace our struggle for liberation back to the Compton’s Cafeteria uprising of 1966 where trans women of color literally fought the SFPD and won, the heavy police presence at the Trans March and similar events has always seemed incongruous. Those concerns become even more explicit when SFPD invites itself to anti-fascist demonstrations and protests, as has been happening with greater and greater frequency since November 2016 as the number and intensity of those actions ramps up. In

Christina A. DiEdoardo

Federal Protective Service police officers show up uninvited to a January 29 Refuse Fascism action at Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in San Francisco.

contrast to SF Pride, these demonstrations and protests often draw a cadre of fascists in response, many of whom have threatened (and some of whom have carried out) violent acts against anti-fascists. Sadly, it’s become clear that the SFPD – like most police forces, no matter what their leaders may say – is hardly a neutral party. Last August, I saw with my own eyes how the SFPD gave Joey Gibson of Patriot Prayer a

personal escort (presumably, at taxpayer expense) as he traipsed around Civic Center after he forced the city to blow several hundred thousand dollars preparing for his event at Crissy Field that Gibson canceled the day before it was supposed to take place. I’ve also seen SFPD sniper teams set up in Union Square when Refuse Fascism has a demonstration and noted said teams appear to be mysteriously absent when the fascists assemble in that same space. At actions where the police attempt to enforce a buffer zone between the anti-fascists and the fascists, SFPD will typically come down hard on any anti-fascist who tries to push through, while allowing fascists far greater leeway and room to maneuver. Even when that isn’t happening, it’s frankly disturbing to see anti-fascist parades be flanked on both sides by SFPD officers marching alongside and – in some cases – leading the procession. Either the streets are truly ours – as we lustily proclaim at every march to the call-and-response to “Whose streets?” – or they are not. If the former is true, it’s time to come up with a way to assume responsibility for the security of our events and not rely on an organization whose members have

repeatedly slaughtered persons of color, often resisted investigating hate crime charges against those who attack trans women and who, by acts of omission and commission, frequently enable fascist organizing. To do this would require a major revision of the San Francisco Police Code, which currently gives the police chief veto power over whether a parade (defined as any procession on a city street longer than a block that “interferes” with traffic, except for military parades) happens or not; the code also provides that parades that take place without a permit are punishable as an infraction, as is any attempt to interfere with or disrupt the parade, though both of the latter provisions are seldom or never enforced. The code not only allows the deployment of officers to “police” parade lines, but also grants the chief power to deny a permit if they think calling out enough cops to do that would “prevent normal police protection to the rest of the City and County of San Francisco.” One way to change that might be to have the San Francisco Municipal

Transportation Agency (which, after all, has a better sense of how traffic flows work than the SFPD does) be the lead agency for permit requests and to require applicants to prepare a security plan if they don’t wish to use the SFPD’s services. As the organizers for the March to Reclaim King’s Radical Legacy demonstrated in Oakland last month, it’s possible for activists to maintain a safe environment for marchers and the public using their own resources. I’m not naive enough to believe this will completely eliminate law enforcement officers from our events. They’ll continue to show up, whether invited or not and whether in uniform or not. That said, having community members being publicly seen to be responsible for maintaining safety is the best way to make the “Whose Streets? Our Streets!” chant a statement of reality rather than one of aspiration. It’s what we, as queers and as antifascists, should be working toward. t Got a tip? Email me at christina@ diedoardolaw.com.

Pop-up exhibit, parade set for Lunar New Year compiled by Cynthia Laird

faced due to their sexual orientation or gender identity; how the nominee has overcome these obstacles; and how the award, which is $10,000, could transform their life. Higgins, for whom the awards are named, was a gay man and screenwriter best known for the classic films like “Harold and Maude,” and “9 to 5,” which he wrote and directed. He died of AIDS-related complications in 1988. The Courage Awards were established in 2000. To fill out a nomination form, visit www.colinhiggins.org/yca.

he Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco will ring in the Lunar New Year with a pop-up exhibit celebrating the Year of the Dog, its annual Spring Festival, and the popular parade. “Dogs, Dogs, Dogs” is the theme of the pop-up exhibit, which opens Thursday (February 22), with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. at the center, 750 Kearny Street, 3rd floor. Special hours for Chinese New Year will be Saturday, February 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 to 8. The exhibit runs through March 17. The Spring Festival, which is the largest indoor Lunar New Year celebration in the city, takes place at the center Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free. The festival will feature performances from musicians and dancers, in addition to fun and interactive activities for all ages. The parade takes place Saturday night from 5 to 8 p.m. The Chinese Cultural Center will have a special VIP viewing party on the Dr. Rolland and Kathryn Lowe Community Bridge. Tickets are $80 per person, or $50 for CCC contemporaries, a benefit program to support the center. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit http://bit.ly/2szhxGX. The parade itself is free to view along the route, which starts at Second and Market streets, and continues up Geary, over to Post, and then along Kearny in Chinatown. Bleacher seats are sold out.

Portola Year of the Dog celebration

Portola Family Connections welcomes the Year of the Dog with a community celebration for children of all ages Friday, March 2, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 2565 San Bruno Avenue in San Francisco. Coming a week after the Lunar New Year parade, the cultural celebration will feature holidaythemed games, arts and crafts, a photo booth, and a variety of treats. There will be a lion dance performance and fortune cookie decorating. “The Lunar New Year is important to our participants, and likewise, to us,” said Maryann Fleming, executive director of Portola Family Connections. The organization is also holding its

Courtesy YouTube

San Francisco’s popular Lunar New Year parade is Saturday, February 24.

annual raffle, with various prizes. The grand prize is a $300 Visa gift card. Raffle tickets are $10 each, three for $25, or eight for $50. There is a $2 admission charge per person (ages 13 and up), payable at the door. Children under 12 are free. All children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, and all adults must be accompanied by a child. The raffle drawing will take place at 6:15. Winners need not be present. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the agency’s office or online at https://www.givedirect. org/donate/?cid=13530 (minimum credit card purchase is $20).

To learn more about the nominees and to vote, go to http://www.sfpride. org/grand-marshals/.

Courage Award nominations being accepted

Nominations close Friday, February 23, at 5 p.m. (Pacific time) for the Colin Higgins Foundation’s Youth Courage Awards, which will honor three LGBTQ youth activists. Nomination forms ask for information about obstacles a person has

Black History Month film screening

The Freedom Socialist Party will screen “I Am Not Your Negro,” a 2016 documentary based on gay black activist and writer James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript, Saturday, February 24, from 1 to 4 p.m. at New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk Street in San Francisco. The building is near the Civic Center BART/ Muni station. Afterward there will be a discussion about Baldwin’s reflections on the boundaries of race and the necessity for multi-issue

coalition building in the civil rights movement. There is a requested donation of $3-$5. Snack plates will be available for $5. For child care or work exchange, call (415) 864-1278 or email bafsp@ earthlink.net.

Point scholarship applications available soon

The Point Foundation has announced that applications will be available March 1 for its community college scholarships for LGBTQ students. Community colleges are an increasingly useful and affordable steppingstone for students beginning their college career. Those LGBTQ students planning to transfer to a four-year degree program are encouraged to apply for the Point scholarships. Point launched its community college scholarship program in 2016 with support from Wells Fargo, its longtime partner. The scholarships are $8,000 over one year. For application information, visit www.pointfoundation.org/ communitycollege.t

SF Pride grand marshal voting

People can now vote for community grand marshals for this year’s San Francisco LGBT Pride parade. This year’s nominees are: Billy Curtis, Kin Folkz, Steven Gaynes, Ali Marrero-Calderon, Pamela Peniston, Gabriel Quinto, Jenna Rapues, Mrs. Vera, Soni Wolf, and Carolyn Wysinger. Nominees for organizational grand marshal are: Bay Area Bisexual Network, The FAIR Education Act Implementation Coalition, Rafiki Coalition, the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, and the Young Women’s Freedom Center. Voting will be open until Wednesday, March 7 at noon. The winners of the public vote will be announced in mid-March, and the full slate of community grand marshals and awardees will be announced in early April. San Francisco Pride takes place June 23-24, under the theme“Generations of Strength.”

Jane Philomen Cleland

Calendar bares money for PRC

he 2018 Bare Chest Calendar raised $118,000 for Positive Resource Center, which was celebrated during preliminaries for the 2019 calendar February 15 at the Powerhouse. From left are Den daddy Donny Lobree, Wayne Rash, PRC CEO Brett Andrews, Chris Rice, Scot Hammond, Jawn Marques, Eric Press, Ben Perez,

Jeffrey Hodges, and Tonybear Hart. Organizers noted that the 2019 calendar will be the 35th and that, over the years, more than 400 men have appeared in the yearly editions. For those who might be interested in competing, preliminaries continue through April. For more information, visit http://barechest.org/compete.html.

Community News>>

February 22-28, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

North Beach highlights its LGBT history by Matthew S. Bajko

or several months in 1984 Sean Martinfield served as the master of ceremonies at the famed Finocchio’s female impersonators cabaret in North Beach. He would introduce his fellow cabaret acts, help the performers with their costume changes, and oversee the lighting effects. Martinfield, 69, a native San Franciscan, would also sing his own set dressed up as the female chanteuse Pat O’Shea. It was the stage name his mother had performed under as a cabaret singer in Oregon. “It was difficult and very, very challenging,” recalled Martinfield of the job, which he had to relinquish in August of that year when he had a tonsillectomy. “We did four shows a night, and then in the morning I would race to the Sunset to the church where I was a cantor and do two masses in a row.” The cabaret club’s last curtain call came in 1999 when it closed its doors. Last Friday, February 16, Martinfield and his partner of 32 years, Tom Crites, were back outside 506 Broadway to inspect a new historical marker embedded in the sidewalk in front of the building. It alerts passersby who take the time to read its script that the elaborate shows put on by Finocchio’s

Jane Philomen Cleland

Sean Martinfield, who once served as master of ceremonies at Finocchio’s, looks at the historical plaque unveiled February 16 outside the former female impersonators cabaret in North Beach.

gay and straight performers “drew in sailors and tourists alike, as well as the watchful eye of law enforcement.” Today, the second floor space the club had occupied is home to Pier 5 Law Offices, including that of high-profile attorney J. Tony Serra. “The plaque is great. How else will people know of it?” said Martinfield.

“It has to be memorialized.” Crites, who declined to give his age but did say he moved to San Francisco in 1968, never set foot into Finnochio’s as he served in the military and doing so “would have been a big mistake.” Nonetheless, he too told the Bay Area Reporter he was glad to see that piece of the city’s LGBT history be memorialized. “I am very happy it is getting the recognition it deserves and that we are getting recognition as the older generation that lived through this. It is an incredible thing they are doing,” said Crites. The Top of Broadway Community Benefit District last week unveiled 10 bronze street plaques commemorating historical locations in the city’s Italian neighborhood. The 17-inch by 12-inch sidewalk markers can also be found at the site of two other long-gone lesbian bars that had operated in the area decades ago. Nearby Finnochio’s, at 440 Broadway, is a plaque commemorating where Mona’s Club 440 had operated. Started by Mona Sargent Hood and her then-husband, Jimmie, the bar is credited as being the first openly lesbian bar in the nation, having first opened in 1936 in a different location. It was known as the place “where girls will be boys” due to the women

performers who dressed as men and entertained patrons. Mona’s popularity spiked during World War II, and in 1948, the bar was renamed as Ann’s 440 Club. Comedians Lenny Bruce and singer Johnny Mathis launched their careers there; today it is home to the Cosmo bar and lounge. The other lesbian bar once operated at 12 Saroyan Place, formerly Adler Street, in the 1950s. Proprietor Eleanor “Tommy” Vasu is believed to be the first known lesbian to legally own a bar in San Francisco. She was forced to shutter the two lesbian bars she owned in North Beach amid a citywide crackdown on gay nightlife establishments in 1954. In 1968 it became Spec’s 12 Adler Museum Cafe, a family-owned union bar run by Richard “Specs” Simmons. His daughter Elly Simmons, who is making a documentary about her father, was on hand for the unveiling ceremony for the historical markers. Also in attendance was Jerry Cimino, the owner of the Beat Museum who chairs the CBD’s District Identity & Streetscape Improvement Committee. He assisted with the historical markets project, paid for through a $30,000 Community Challenge Grant the CBD won from the city four years ago.

“So much of San Francisco’s life today came out of North Beach. San Francisco’s values came from this neighborhood,” said Cimino. Other sites included in the Top of Broadway CBD Historical Marker Walking Tour include 473 Broadway, home of the noted club the Jazz Workshop in the 1950s and ‘60s, and 1033 Kearny Street, where the Lusty Lady for decades screened adult films and later live peep shows until it closed in 2013. “This is not just where topless bars began or where the Beat generation got its roots, it is also where the LGBT community started here in the city,” said District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who represents the neighborhood at City Hall and won city approval for the plaque project. “This is a walking tour through the history of San Francisco.” The CBD is looking to apply for additional funding to install more historic markers in the area. A map with information on the inaugural group of 10 markers can be picked up at the Beat Museum, 540 Broadway, or in the lobby of the Green Tortoise Hostel at 494 Broadway. For more information on the North Beach plaque project, visit the CBD’s website at http:// w w w. t o p o f b ro a d w ayc b d . o r g / historical-marker-project/.t

Lesbians who fought gender bias at Home Depot honored by David-Elijah Nahmod

wo lesbians who challenged gender discrimination on behalf of 6,000 women at Home Depot two decades ago were honored by the Impact Fund and inducted into its Class Action Hall of Fame. Vicki Butler and Kimberly Stoddard, who were co-defendants in a Title VII class action lawsuit challenging gender discrimination at Home Depot, attended the February 16 luncheon at the Hotel Kabuki with their spouses. Both women had been denied promotions and equal pay because of their gender. Their case was settled in 1998 for $87.5 million. Under the agreement, management replaced assumptions and interest with a validated sales aptitude test and computer registry. As a result, the percentage of women in sales and management jobs rose from 7 percent to 28 percent. The value of these jobs was $100 million per year. After the decree expired, Home Depot continued to use the system because it reduced turnover and increased productivity. “By stepping forward, Vicki and

Jane Philomen Cleland

Impact Fund inductee Vicki Butler, left, and her spouse, Twyla Rowe, joined fellow inductee Kimberly Stoddard and her spouse, Margaret Allison, at last week’s ceremony.

Kim obtained good, high-paying jobs for women at Home Depot and throughout the home improvement industry,” Impact Fund deputy director Teddy Basham-Witherington told the Bay Area Reporter. “They challenged stereotypes about what jobs women can perform and are interested in performing.” Founded in 1992, Impact Fund

provides leadership and support for litigation intended to achieve economic and social justice. It provides funds for impact litigation in the areas of civil rights, environmental justice, and poverty. In addition to technical support, training and expertise, Impact Fund serves as lead counsel, cocounsel, and amicus counsel in select class action and impact litigations. Butler and Stoddard were among the 10 inductees in Impact Fund’s Class Action Hall of Fame ceremony. They are the only inductees this year who publicly identify as LGBT. “I experienced gender discrimination in wages and job placement,” recalled Stoddard, speaking from the podium. “When I experienced a lack of promotion I spoke to my attorney and brought a class action suit against a big corporate giant who said they never lost, ever.” Butler talked about having to be deposed during the case. “Plaintiffs are uniquely trained for the torture known as deposition,” Butler told the audience. “You have to choose your words carefully. Don’t give the opposing side a chance to use something you wouldn’t want to see

in the media. We changed how Home Depot and other companies treat women.” Both women spoke to the B.A.R. after the ceremony. “I feel great,” Butler said. “It was extremely painful at the time, but I felt determined to protect the other women who were working at Home Depot. That’s what helped me carry on. I came out much stronger for the experience.” “I’m proud of my accomplishments,” added Stoddard. “I’m most excited that the lawsuit grew from seven Western states to the whole country. They changed their hiring and promotion practices to be more inclusive of deserving women. I have personally seen that there are more women in management at Home Depot.” The women’s spouses said they were proud and were there to offer support during the case. “I’m very proud of what she did to become recognized,” said Margaret Allison, Stoddard’s partner. “She’s paved the way not only for women to work in the industry, but to be recognized by the industry.”

“I’m glad I was there to be able to support her through the really hard depositions,” said Butler’s wife, Twyla Rowe, noting that the two have been together for 35 years. “I’m pleased that the fund recognizes everyone – breaking stereotypes is a good thing and I hope it encourages others.” Other Hall of Fame inductees included: Christian Rodriguez, who challenged an unconstitutional curfew provision that put him in a public battle with the Los Angeles Police Department; D’Angelo Foster and Amanda Underwood, who challenged a local debtors’ prison and mobilized those wrongfully jailed for their inability to pay parking fines and court fees; Lynne Coates, who championed equal pay for women attorneys employed as in-house counsel; Dustin Jones, who fought the New York Subway to become accessible to people with disabilities; Elaine and Walter Barry, who challenged the practice of denying food assistance to those mistakenly classified by bureaucratic red tape; and Patrice Daniels, who led the fight for adequate treatment for over 11,000 mentally ill prisoners in Illinois. t

LGBT Dreamers left in limbo as bills fail in Senate by Heather Cassell

bipartisan immigration proposal failed in the Senate last week, as President Donald Trump’s deadline to reform immigration, particularly the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, looms. Meanwhile, federal courts continue to block attempts to roll back protections on immigration and sanctuary cities, which the Trump administration has criticized. Three other bills attempting to bundle those protected under DACA, or Dreamers, with tougher border security, including funding for building a wall, failed February 15. Earlier last week, a bill focused on defunding sanctuary cities also failed to pass the Senate. The bills needed 60 votes to move forward. Adding to the mix, a federal court judge issued another order to retain DACA protections.

Jane Philomen Cleland

Gerardo Gomez, left, a gay man and DACA Dream fellow, addressed a crowd in Oakland last September in preparation for President Donald Trump’s expected action on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights, working with law firm Gibson

Dunn and Crutcher, and a coalition of organizations, filed an amicus brief with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the City and County of San Francisco, et. al. v. Donald J. Trump, et. al. Trump officially ended DACA, a program signed into law by former President Barack Obama, with an executive order last September. He gave Congress until March 5 to reform the country’s immigration policies. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Dreamers continue to live in uncertainty and organizations fight to protect sanctuary cities.

LGBT Dreamers

There are an estimated 75,000 LGBT Dreamers in the United States, according to the Williams Institute, a think tank at UCLA School

of Law. A majority of those are in California, Texas, Illinois, New York, and Florida. Like their counterparts, LGBT Dreamers identify as American and have little knowledge of the countries from which their family fled. However, the threat for them goes beyond unfamiliarity of other countries if they are deported. More than 80 countries around the world criminalize homosexuality. Many of the countries hand out harsh punishments – in some cases, the death penalty– for LGBT people. LGBT people aren’t treated kindly within the communities in these countries, and oftentimes, they face harassment, discrimination, and violent attacks or are even killed with no justice brought to the perpetrators. “The consequences of rescinding

DACA are particularly dire. Dreamers would be at risk of being deported to countries that they haven’t been in since they were children, but their lives would be in jeopardy or they may not have the same set of legal rights as they do in this country,” Tyrone Hanley, a gay man who is policy counsel at NCLR’s Washington, D.C. office, told the Bay Area Reporter. He explained that in this political climate, DACA recipient or not, immigrants of various status levels “are really nervous about what’s going to happen to them.” “We are hearing from a number of immigrants just in this political climate who are really terrified,” said Hanley. “We’ve been doing our best to really address the concern and to deal with their particular cases in any way that we can,” out of NCLR’s See page 15 >>

<< Community News

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 22-28, 2018

Guerneville

From page 1

of our clients, now they are 16 percent,” Miller said. “Many people are at risk of becoming homeless because of a single trauma.” Last summer, Hopkins separately appropriated $250,000 to WCCS for a program called Rapid Rehousing, intended for people recently homeless or at imminent risk. “When we see a ‘pay or quit’ notice, the program can give landlords money to help keep the tenants in the property,” Miller said. With the funding, WCCS now has a total of $471,000 for the Rapid Rehousing program. As of February 15, Miller said they have 33 adults and 15 children in the program and have helped 34 find housing, including nine previously homeless and 25 at-risk. WCCS will have one employee in the new Health Center for Homeless building, spending eight hours a week helping the homeless get jobs. “Having no address is a big barrier, but the biggest issue for homeless people is personal presentation,” Miller said. “We will provide a shower and place to wash clothes and help them get spruced up.”

Mitigating the impact

WCCS also prioritizes mitigating the impact of those without homes, a topic that arouses much passion in Guerneville. One organization frequently not in agreement with WCCS on that topic is the Guerneville Community Alliance, or GVCA, a project of the Russian River Alliance. GVCA has

Trans woman

From page 10

Accountability in November 2016.) Nutall’s complaint from February 16, which was filed to complement the state’s lawsuit, lists as defendants the renamed department and its interim executive director, Paul Henderson; the Department of Public Health and its director, Barbara Garcia; and the city.

Milk terminal

From page 1

remodel that will be unveiled in stages through 2024, panel members reasoned the years of media coverage for the project would help publicize it being named the Harvey Milk Terminal. In a statement to the B.A.R. this week, Farrell’s office said he “fully supports” the renaming proposal “to honor Harvey Milk, just as he did while serving as supervisor.” Formerly the District 2 supervisor, Farrell is serving as mayor until the winner of the special June 5 mayoral election is determined. It was called following Lee’s sudden death December 12 due to a heart attack.

Safety project

From page 8

While initial construction impacts will be minimal with a few curb ramp installations, the bulk of construction activities will include forming concrete islands and restriping traffic lanes. As noted on the SFMTA website, construction crews will largely avoid peak commute hours, though for much of late February and early March, Market Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction midday. Lane closures on Guerrero and Laguna streets will also occur, but should be brief, the agency stated. Construction along the twoblock segment of Market Street between Octavia Boulevard and Duboce Avenue and Buchanan Street is expected to be completed by the end of March, depending

no formal membership list, operates with a handful of volunteers, and communicates primarily through social media. GVCA spokeswoman Jeniffer Wertz said they have no paid staff. Wertz believes something about the West County draws homeless people and questions the origins of the local homeless population. The 2017 count found that 79 percent of the homeless listed Sonoma County as their “residence prior to homelessness.” Wertz is a lesbian resident of downtown Guerneville who works as an appraiser. Wertz described how GVCA will use its grant. “Any local worker employed more than 24 hours a week in Guerneville, Monte Rio, or Rio Nido will be eligible for assistance grants,” she said. “They must have a maximum income of 50 percent or less of area median income, which roughly works out to $30,000 for one person. One hundred percent of the grant will go to workers.” GVCA started distributing applications in late January. “We hope to make people self-sufficient and do something about the growing split between rich and poor,” Wertz said. GVCA made two disbursements as of January 27 and will refer nonworking applicants to WCCS. At a public meeting in April 2017 about a proposed (and later dropped) homeless service center on Armstrong Woods Road, Wertz said GVCA collected about 300 surveys showing “95 percent in favor of more transparency.” She cited the conversion underway currently of the former dental clinic in Guerneville, now temporarily moved to

Sebastopol, to what she called a “homeless service center” as one example of a lack of transparency. But according to Jed Heibel, program manager for homeless health care services at West County Health Centers, the new facility will be a Homeless Healthcare Center and will have no beds. Expected to open in April, the clinic will be run by WCHC and will serve its current 248 homeless clients. Heibel is also a member of the task force. Wertz complained the clinic should have included a substance abuse center and supports the establishment of a substance abuse center downtown “if there’s no adverse impact on the surrounding community.” Wertz would support a year-round homeless shelter in Guerneville if it accepted only clean and sober residents or those agreeing to accept substance abuse treatment. Wertz would also support a housing approach being tried by the city of Sebastopol by WCCS where some RVs were purchased and offered to the homeless as long-term housing, but qualified that with, “If it did not have an adverse effect on the neighborhood.” But it’s not clear GVCA would support any expansion of homeless services since Wertz said, “The Russian River is an environmentally sensitive area so homeless services would be better offered elsewhere.” Wendy Bignall, a lesbian resident of downtown Guerneville, is a volunteer with the Clean River Alliance and has a different perspective. Bignall said she co-founded GVCA to give property owners the

information and tools for dealing with homeless campers. She is no longer associated with that group. “It’s not morally right to push people on and on,” Bignall said. A very important issue for Wertz is the need for stricter enforcement of alcohol laws in the town center. “I see people drinking (downtown) every day,” she said. Bignall does not agree that the winter shelter actually draws more homeless to Guerneville. She pointed out that clients sleep on mats on the floor, cannot stay there during the day, and only get meals when community volunteers prepare them. In response to Wertz’s complaints about the winter shelter’s behaviorally-based approach, Bignall stated, “It is inhumane to refuse to let people stay overnight at the shelter.” Bignall and her wife live close to the Mill Street, Cherry Creek, and Fife Creek residences run by WCCS and observed, “They are working very well and we see no problems.” WCHC is the largest nonprofit providing homeless services in Guerneville and has four other licensed sites in the county and a budget of $18 million, mostly funded from federal reimbursement. Its focus is low-income residents and it charges on a sliding scale, which Heibel said “starts at zero.” Heibel explained the WCHC approach. “Our medical team goes to camps until the residents start coming to health center,” he said. “When they move, they lose touch and are dislodged from their system of support.” Brokate pointed out, “moving (campers) around is worse for the

environment because they react by burrowing deeper into the forest.” After observing trash washed down the Russian River during high water in December 2014, Brokate organized an informal group for a beach cleanup in December 2015 and again on Earth Day. “We were different than other Earth Day cleanups because we had homeless trash cleanup as one of our goals from the start,” he explained. During those cleanups Brokate spoke with homeless campers who told him, “It would help if you guys were able to get us more bags,” and asked they could come back to pick them up. CRA started organizing regular trash cleanups and promoted the idea “if you pack it in, pack it back out.” CRA is now part of the Russian Riverkeeper organization, an environmental nonprofit, and Brokate is the project’s director. He said that in 2017 alone, CRA removed about 160,000 pounds of trash from the Russian River watershed. But as more than one person pointed out, the only real answer to homelessness is homes, and that means funding. Guerneville is not incorporated and relies on funding from Sonoma County for all public projects. The goal of the Homeless Healthcare Center is “to create an environment where the homeless can access services in one place,” Heibel said. “If we kick people out, we find their relapse causes them to go much deeper.” t

Ivas’ actions show that San Francisco officials “failed in their obligation to properly train and/or supervise their employees” regarding their legal obligations, and their failure to train staff directly caused the “harassment, intimidation,” and Nutall’s “unlawful exclusion from the restroom,” her complaint says. Through her lawsuit, Nutall is seeking damages exceeding $25,000 and “a permanent injunction

ordering all defendants and their agents and employees to cease engaging in the unlawful conduct” she described, along with other relief. Nutall, who in a brief call with the Bay Area Reporter declined to say where she lives now, claims in her lawsuit that she’s suffered panic attacks, depression, and other problems and has had to take medications and get therapy as a result of the incident. She also ended up

being late for work or missing it entirely, and the AIDS foundation “constructively terminated” her in April 2017. Flor Bermudez, legal director for the Transgender Law Center, which is representing Nutall, told the B.A.R. that “the allegation is that she was constructively fired from the AIDS foundation because she didn’t receive the support she needed to handle what happened.”

(Constructive termination generally means that conditions at work have become so intolerable or hostile that one is forced to resign.) Nutall hasn’t yet filed a claim against the AIDS foundation. Andrew Hattori, a spokesman for the nonprofit, said he couldn’t comment, since it’s a personnel matter. Supporters held a rally for Nutall Tuesday at San Francisco City Hall. t

The Board of Supervisors’ budget and finance committee is set to hold a hearing Thursday, March 22, on renaming Terminal 1 for Milk. The full board is expected to vote on it April 3. District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen, a former aide to Campos who eight months ago introduced the legislation for the Milk terminal naming, told the B.A.R. the mayor’s announcement of support for it “is good news.” It is the second time Farrell has announced his backing of legislation sponsored by Ronen that involved LGBT issues prior to its passage by the board. He also came out early in support of Ronen’s legislation requiring single-room-occupancy hotels to have gender-neutral bathrooms,

which he signed into law last week. “It is great news to hear that the mayor is on board. I can’t wait to get this done,” said Ronen, who told the B.A.R. Tuesday she is confident the legislation will pass. District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, the board’s lone gay member and co-sponsor of the legislation, told the B.A.R. that he always assumed Farrell would support the proposal. “I never got any hint of opposition to it from Mayor Farrell,” said Sheehy, who will also be seeking board approval to make the airport’s address 1 Harvey Milk Way. The mayor’s unequivocal backing came after he sounded less resolute during an interview February 15 with the B.A.R. At the

time Farrell had said he was “totally open to the idea of naming a terminal after Milk but needed to have a comprehensive discussion to talk about if it should be Terminal 1 or another terminal.” Farrell had said he wanted to meet first with members of the airport commission – its president contends areas of SFO should only be named for people with a direct connection to the airport – and members of the board to discuss if it would be better to name all four of the airport terminals at once rather than piecemeal. “I am not saying yes or no to anything, but Harvey Milk must be a part of the discussion,” said Farrell. But in the statement sent to the

B.A.R. Monday, Farrell clarified that he was ready to move forward with naming the terminal after Milk. His signing of the legislation is expected to come prior to this year’s commemoration of Harvey Milk Day. A state day of special significance, it is observed in California every May 22, Milk’s birthday. At the same time, Farrell believes a conversation should be had on naming SFO’s three other terminals. “And if there is public support to consider other renamings for notable San Franciscans like the late Mayor Ed Lee or Senator (Dianne) Feinstein then the mayor would want the airport commission to reengage its committee process,” Farrell’s office told the B.A.R. t

on weather. Improvements will include a curbside bikeway protected from moving vehicles by concrete islands, a large pedestrian safety zone where Guerrero Street meets Market Street, and painted pedestrian refuge islands at the Laguna, Hermann, and Market Street crosswalks. Painted safety zones have already been installed at intersections on Howard, Polk, and Sixth streets with khaki-colored painted areas and flexible white posts that wrap around the sidewalk corner. “We are installing painted safety zones on the city’s pedestrian high-injury network, where just 6 percent of city streets account for 60 percent of pedestrian injuries and fatalities,” the SFMTA website states. “[These] zones are one of the elements we are quickly installing to improve safety in support of our Vision Zero goal of

eliminating all traffic deaths.” Vision Zero aims to eliminate all traffic deaths in San Francisco by 2024 and SFMTA is prioritizing efforts on the corridors that have the highest number of serious and fatal collisions.

From October 2014 to April 2017, the Upper Market Street Safety Project team held 22 inperson meetings with key organizations including the Castro/ Upper Market Community Benefit District, Castro Merchants, Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association, Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association, and the Market-Octavia Citizens Advisory Committee. The project team also hosted seven public open meetings, including a curb space management workshop in October 2015 to gather community feedback on corridor parking and safety issues including double-parking and loading concerns. Daniel Bergerac, a gay man who’s president of the Castro Merchants business group and owns a dog-washing business in the neighborhood, declined the

B.A.R.’s request for comment. At the business group’s February 1 meeting, Bergerac disclosed that it had informed city transit officials of its displeasure that it had reworked the plans for the section of Market Street near the LGBT Community Center to remove the metered parking spots on the street. Skultety said that Openhouse and WalkSF have been working together, with the community, to communicate their concerns. “We hope the city will continue to work with us on this project to make sure we are creating a safe area for people of all ages,” she said. t

Parking

Parking changes will be made on side streets to replace metered parking lost along Market Street. New metered spaces on parts of Hermann, Laguna, Waller, and Duboce streets will replace unregulated and residential permit/ time-limited spaces. The new metered spaces will have a four-hour time limit to ensure a supply of open spaces are available to support commercial businesses on Market Street. More passenger and vehicle loading zones are also expected along Market Street.

The SFMTA open house will be held Wednesday, February 28, from 5 to 8 p.m. in the cafeteria at Sanchez Elementary School, 325 Sanchez Street.

t <<

Community News>>

Paris

From page 11

restaurants, galleries, and shops. Fondation Louis Vuitton focuses on contemporary art from the past 20 years, according to its website, and is located in a unique architectural structure in Bois de Boulogne in the city’s 16th arrondissement. The Museum of Fashion currently only displays curated temporary exhibits from its collection of 200,000 pieces, giving visitors a taste of what’s to come when it opens permanently in 2019. The House of Chanel, in partnership with the city, backs the museum project. Contemporary artists and fashion designers will also be on display starting this spring at the Lafayette Anticipations - Galleries Lafayette Corporate Foundation located in the trendy Marias District. Paying the price of our dinner at Le Jules Verne at the Eiffel Tower turned out to be a blessing. We dined peacefully as winds whipped around the iconic iron structure and the rain raged against the windows for about an hour during our six-course meal. Before and after the storm cleared, our view of Paris was impeccable – from the sunset to the lights twinkling below us as the tower itself lit up the night sky. We got our exercise climbing the steps to Sacre-Coeur. The RomanoByzantine cathedral dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was erected on top of Paris’ highest peak, crowning the city’s most creative neighborhood Montmartre, in 1914, nearly 40 years after construction began. The views

Where to eat

We dined at the granddaddy of touristy gastronomic affairs at the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed a dinner cruise on the Seine, but we also enjoyed neighborhood fine cuisine and eateries in the 9th arrondissement, the Opera District, where we stayed. One of our favorite nights out was at Hotel Panache restaurant, where we enjoyed a wonderful meal with a selection of small plates we shared: French cheeses, asparagus and summer truffles, and a spicy gnocchi. On our final night we enjoyed Moroccan cuisine at Chez Leon. For brunch and

From page 5

Trans inmate policies

From page 1

Preference form to self-identify their gender identity, their preference for the deputy’s gender identity who does a visual body search, and their housing preferences based on their gender identity. Housing assignments consider the TGN inmate’s preferences, the availability of preferred housing where the agency can ensure privacy for showering, and individual classification concerns. Those include behavioral history, medical and mental health considerations, criminal sophistication, gang affiliation, and assaultive or violent history. “As we adopt these policies the department remains challenged in providing appropriate housing for transwomen who wish to be housed with ciswomen due to the lack of single cells available for our varied female populations,” wrote Hennessy in a February

are stunning, and the maze of the hilly neighborhood leads pedestrians into interesting galleries, boutiques, cafes, and restaurants. Travelers who are new to Paris will definitely want to take in a few museums and historic sites. The best way to access as many attractions as possible is to purchase a Paris Pass. You will not only receive a discount on the ticket and unlimited metro rides, but you will be placed in the fast track line at all the significant sites. The pass can be purchased online in two-day, three-day, four-day, and six-day increments and mailed to you in advance; an alternative option is to pick up passes at the tourism office. For those who want to explore the city beyond the sports and festivities, they can find all things to do in the gayborhood, Marais. They can also go to www.parisparis.com or download GayCities app or Damron’s Gay Scout or Gurl Scout apps for the latest happenings in gay Paris.

Trans panel

partner at a venture capital firm. “Look, I realize I have a unique opportunity here over the first half of the year,” said Farrell. “I plan to do what I think is truly right for San Francisco residents.” During the board’s deliberation on whether to keep board President London Breed as acting mayor, which she had automatically become upon Lee’s death, or name her or someone else as the interim mayor, Farrell was painted as a “rich, white guy” too conservative to lead the famously liberal city. Farrell told the B.A.R.

February 22-28, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 15

Out in the World

From page 13

immigration project at its San Francisco office, he said. Rebecca Rolfe, executive director of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, agreed. “We’re definitely seeing a lot of anxiety and uncertainty for what’s going to happen to folks in the future,” said Rolfe, who added that center staff has all been trained to work with LGBT

Kelly Sullivan

Clair Farley

he was unfazed by the characterization, one his supporters argue is inaccurate. 7 memo to all department personnel. “Each request for housing will continue to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, as it is for all inmates who come into our custody. Safety that protects the rights of all individuals under our supervision is paramount.” Last year, Hennessy asked the city for funding for body scanners so that trans inmates could be searched electronically rather than rely on sheriff’s deputies to examine people. Nancy Hayden Crowley, Hennessy’s spokeswoman, told the Bay Area Reporter that the department has a budget approval for two body scanners and has put out a request for proposals. “We expect to get them in the near future,” said Crowley. The sheriff’s department developed and delivered a four-hour accredited Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) course on gender awareness to over 800 staff in order to prepare for the policies’ implementation, and it also now includes immigrants and network to refer them to the right resources on the local level. On a political level, Rolfe said the center has been actively involved with Equality California’s Equality for All coalition that has been working on immigrant rights. Immigrants are “really being used in some ways as a political pawn,” said Rolfe. “It’s very frustrating to see this kind of political shenanigans really wreaking havoc in people’s lives.” She noted that it’s not just

dessert, we dined on crepes at Le Petit Pont and La Creme de Paris. We capped off our nights at Snoobar Restaurant/Les Saveurs du Moyen Orient, a Lebanese hookah bar and lounge, across from our hotel. Our dining experience was random, which is often an adventure, but with foodies traveling with us this summer, our culinary wish list is growing.

Where to stay

We stayed at Cosy’s Apartments Cadet. The apartment was perfect for our group, providing enough space for additional bedding, a kitchen, dining table, and daily housekeeping on a tiny street off Rue du Faubourg Montmartre. The apartment was in a great location within easy walking distance to the metro, which got us to all of the sites we wanted to see. If you are planning to go to Gay Games X and haven’t booked yet accommodations, vacation rentals and hotel rooms are going fast. Gay Games partnered with Misterbandb.com as well as KTS France (contact: paris2018@ ktsvoyages.fr) to assist with travel arrangements at a discounted rate.

Getting around

Brushing up on your French will make your trip much more pleasant. Parisians are much kinder if you make an effort to speak French. Rosetta Stone, iTranslate, or Duolingo make it easy and fun to learn other languages. Walking is one of the best ways to see Paris, but the city is spread out from its center. Getting a metro pass, if you don’t get a Paris Pass, will help you zip around the city like a local. t “I was born and raised here. I am raising my children here. I believe in the values and ethos of our city. It is simply who I am,” said Farrell, who with his wife has three young children. He allowed that being mayor means “a lot less sleep” and that he was looking forward to taking a big family vacation come July. “Being a dad is my greatest priority, that will not change no matter what office I am in,” said Farrell. “I still take my kids to school in the mornings and spend time with them.” t

For more information or to get involved with the trans advisory panel, email TransCitySF@sfgov.org.

gender awareness training in its new employee curriculum. Throughout the policy development, the sheriff’s department worked with partners including former San Francisco Human Rights Commission Executive Director Theresa Sparks, a trans woman who also served as the late mayor Ed Lee adviser on trans issues, and retired San Francisco police Lieutenant Stephan Thorne, a trans man; the Transgender Law Center; Just Detention International; the San Francisco Police Department; the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association; and others. Clair Farley, senior adviser to Mayor Mark Farrell and executive director of the Office of Transgender Initiatives, stated, “The community advocates and agencies came together to address the vital needs of transgender and non binary community members in jail. All transgender people deserve safe housing, healthcare, and services in San Francisco and beyond.” t Dreamers, undocumented immigrants, and immigrants who are in the U.S. legally who are affected, but also community members who live and work with them. t To see the complete article visit ebar.com Got international LGBT news tips? Call or send them to Heather Cassell at Skype: heather.cassell or oitwnews@gmail.com.

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18553626

In the matter of the application of: JOSE FERNANDO LEMA, 3008 ULLOA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JOSE FERNANDO LEMA, is requesting that the name JOSE FERNANDO LEMA, be changed to DANIEL LOPEZ. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 15th of March 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-553622

In the matter of the application of: DEEPTI ROHATGI & MAX KELLY, C/O LAW OFFICES OF YASMINE S. MEHMET, 435 PACIFIC AVE #200, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioners DEEPTI ROHATGI & MAX KELLY, are requesting that the name SIMCHA HECATE AURORA ROHATGI KELLY, be changed to SIMCHA HECATE AURORA ROHATGI-KELLY. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 15th of March 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037935600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TOUCH TOUCH FLOWER SHOP, 1550 CALIFORNIA ST #1R, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ISAO KASE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/09/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/18.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037975300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TRANSCENDENT COUNSEL, 870 MARKET ST #400, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALEXANDER THEBERGE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/29/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/29/18.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037959300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ADVENT ANGELS, 34 RAE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MORENA V. ABELLO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/19/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/19/18.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037962000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JT NAILS, 1848 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TRANG THI TRUONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/22/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/22/18.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037963500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JAVIER FIGUEROA HANDYMAN AND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE, 202 VERANO DR., DALY CITY, CA 94015. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JAVIER HERIBERTO FIGUEROA MARTINEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/01/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/23/18.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037975000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TINO’S CLEANING, 70 OCEAN AVE #10, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FLORENTINO MORALES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/29/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/29/18.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037971000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: D1 MUSIC, 3012 16 TH ST #201, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LOU GORDON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/26/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/26/18.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037976600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: APPLIED CABINET, 1709 TENNESSEE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed APPLIED CABINET TECHNOLOGIES, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/29/18.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037960800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, 726-730 POLK ST, 4TH FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER WELLNESS CENTER, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/22/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/22/18.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037966900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SIMPLY SF, 1001 BRANNAN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BRANNAN STEET FITNESS, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/24/18.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037961800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MAYER THERAPY, 1774 UNION ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MAYER THERAPY, A MARRAIGE AND FAMILY THERAPY CORP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/15/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/22/18.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037939800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TENROKU RAMEN #2, 4435 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation and is signed W & C JAPANESE RESTAURANT INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/10/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/10/18.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037939000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THIRD WAY MEDIA, 660 MISSION ST, 2ND FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BARNES MOSHER WHITEHURST LAUTER & PARTNERS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/10/18.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037953600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUGAR SAN FRANCISCO, 1116 SUTTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SUGAR METHOD LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 06/01/13. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/17/18.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037969000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MARRAKECH MOROCCAN RESTAURANT, 419 O’FARRELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MMR-SF LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/24/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/25/18.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-035088300

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: JUDAH CLEAN CENTER, 3944 JUDAH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by SANDY WALSER. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/07/13.

FEB 01, 08, 15, 22, 2018 SUMMONS (FAMILY LAW) SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, NOTICE TO RESPONDENT: HONGJUN XUN, You have been sued. Read the information below and on the next page.

PETITIONER’S NAME IS: JEREMY T. PAZ CASE NO. FDI-18-789129

You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this Summons and Petition are served on you to file a Response (form FL-120 or FL-123) at the court and have a copy served on the petitioner. A letter or phone call will not protect you. If you do not file your Response on time, the court may make orders affecting your marriage or domestic partnerships, your property, and custody of your children. You may be ordered to pay support and attorney fees and costs. For legal advice, contact a lawyer immediately. Get help finding a lawyer at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www. courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), at the California Legal Services website (www.lawhelpca.org) or by contacting your local county bar association. NOTICE: Restraining orders are on page 2: These restraining orders following are effective against both spouses or domestic partners until the petition is dismissed, a judgment entered, or the court makes further orders. These orders are enforceable anywhere in California by any law enforcement officer who has received or seen a copy of them. FEE WAIVER: If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the clerk for a fee waiver form. The court may order you to pay back all or part of the fees and costs that the court waived for you or the other party. The name and address of the court are: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, UNIFIED FAMILY COURT, 400 McAllister St, San Francisco, CA 94102; The name, address, and telephone number of petitioner’s attorney, or the petitioner without an attorney, is: Jeremy T. Paz, 1859 Fulton St, Apt1, San Francisco, CA 94117, 415-846-8770 Clerk of the Superior Court by Annie Toy, Deputy. STANDARD FAMILY LAW RESTRAINING ORDERS: Starting immediately, you and your spouse or domestic partner are restrained from: 1. Removing the minor child or children of the parties, if any, from the state without the prior written consent of the other party or an order of the court; 2. Cashing borrowing against, canceling, transferring, disposing of, or changing the beneficiaries of any insurance or other coverage, including life, health, automobile, and disability, held for the benefit of the parties and their minor child or children; 3. Transferring, encumbering, hypothecating, concealing, or in any way disposing of any property, real or personal, whether community, quasi-community, or separate, without the written consent of the other party or an order of the court, except in the usual course of business or for the necessities of life; and 4. Creating a nonprobate transfer or modifying a nonprobate transfer in the manner that affects the disposition of property subject to the transfer, without the written consent of the other party or an order of the court. Before revocation of a nonprobate transfer can take effect or a right of survivorship to property can be eliminated, notice of the change must be filed and served on the other party. You must notify each other of any proposed extraordinary expenditures at least five business days prior to incurring these extraordinary expenditures and account to the court for all extraordinary expenditures made after these restraining orders are effective. However, you may use community property, quasicommunity property, or your own separate property to pay an attorney to help you or to pay court costs. NOTICE – ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE: Do you or someone in your household need affordable health insurance? If so, you should apply for Covered California. Covered California can help reduce the cost you pay towards high quality affordable health care. For more information, visit www.coveredca.com. Or call Covered California at 1-800-300-1506. WARNING: California law provides that, for the purposes of division of property upon dissolution of a marriage or domestic partnership or upon legal separation, property acquired by the parties during marriage or domestic partnership in joint form is presumed to be community property. If either party to this action should die before the jointly held community property is divided, the language in the deed that characterizes how title is held (i.e., joint tenancy, tenants in common, or community property) will be controlling, and not the community property presumption. You should consult your attorney if you want the community property presumption to be written into the recorded title to the property.

FEB 08, 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-553635

In the matter of the application of: NICOLLE BUNNY ROSENBERG, 2125 BRYANT ST #110, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner NICOLLE BUNNY ROSENBERG, is requesting that the name NICOLLE BUNNY ROSENBERG, be changed to BUNNY ELIZABETH ROSENBERG. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 22nd of Mar 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

FEB 08, 15, 22, MAR 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037976400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BARRETT VOICES, 535 LEAVENWORTH ST. #44, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BARRETT EDMONDS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/29/18.

FEB 08, 15, 22, MAR 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037991000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BELKIS CLEANING SERVICES, 844 NORTH MELITA CT., TRACY, CA 95391. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BELKIS MARCIA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/05/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/05/18.

FEB 08, 15, 22, MAR 01, 2018

<< Classiffieds

16 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 22-28, 2018

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037976200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PLAYMAKERS MOBILE MASSAGE, 114 KIRKWOOD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROWENA I. LANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/29/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/29/18.

FEB 08, 15, 22, MAR 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037977200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RED BOOT PR, 1501 28TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LAURA GOLDFARB. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/02/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/30/18.

FEB 08, 15, 22, MAR 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037971800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALL BAY AREA DUSTLESS BLASTING, 318 21ST AVE #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALEXEI GURBANOV. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/25/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/26/18.

FEB 08, 15, 22, MAR 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037949800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PAR MADERO CLEANING SERVICES, 1743 REVERE AVE #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AMILCAR A. HERNANDEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 12/06/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/16/18.

FEB 08, 15, 22, MAR 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037974900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROSE KITCHEN, 607 LARKIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed SU NGUYEN & HUNG HAU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/29/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/29/18.

FEB 08, 15, 22, MAR 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037985200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CREATIVE SUSHI CATERING; IKE’S KITCHEN, 800 VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed IJSY WORLD KITCHEN, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/30/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/01/18.

FEB 08, 15, 22, MAR 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037975100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: POTTED, 3600 21ST ST #204, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SPIN STUDIO, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/23/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/29/18.

FEB 08, 15, 22, MAR 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037988900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HILL TOP GENERAL STORE, 1398 LEAVENWORTH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed TIMOTHY TALBOT & YOUNG MI KIM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/17/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/02/18.

FEB 08, 15, 22, MAR 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037979600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALYSSON SANTOS, 584 CASTRO ST #490, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ALYSSON SANTOS BRANDS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 12/27/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/30/18.

FEB 08, 15, 22, MAR 01, 2018

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037964200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MARIJUANA TOURS; FREE MARIJUANA TOURS, 6 CYRUS PL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109.This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed GREEN GUIDE TOURS LLC (CA).The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/17.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/23/18.

FEB 08, 15, 22, MAR 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037982200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as:WOOLY PIG, 2295 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107.This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CAP SPIKE BUZZ, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/01/18.

FEB 08, 15, 22, MAR 01, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-553661

In the matter of the application of:ALAN DARREN CHOI, 200 BRANNAN ST # 207, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitionerALAN DARREN CHOI, is requesting that the nameALAN DARREN CHOI, be changed toALAN DARREN NAKAGIRI. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 22nd of March 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037994900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: H J TRADING CO, 1630 45TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122.This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PYONG HWA KANG.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/07/18.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/07/18.

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037994400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BOWTIES AND BUBBLY EVENTS, 251 CARL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALEXANDRA HOLLAND. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/07/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/07/18.

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037990800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 9K TRAVEL, 9 KIMBALL PLACE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109.This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JAMES F.TOSCHI.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/12.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/05/18.

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038002300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DZINE CABINETRY INSTALLATION, 128 UTAH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DZINE, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/26/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/13/18.

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038003100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STUDIO HEIMAT, 690 MARKET ST #2003, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104.This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SFHEIMAT, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/13/18.

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037993600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DIVINE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR, 88 HOWARD ST #2309, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105.This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MILANO SOMA INC. (CA).The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/06/18.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/06/18.

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037978500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SF SIREN, 551 HAYES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SF SIREN CO (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 10/16/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/3018.

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037978400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SF SIREN, 244 WEST PORTAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SF SIREN CO (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 09/03/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/30/18.

Movers>>

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037998400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAYSHORE SHELL, 319 BAYSHORE BLVD., SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BAL STATIONS, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/12/04. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/18.

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037988200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: UVA ENOTECA, 568 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed UVA RESOURCES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/02/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/02/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BABY’S EATERY AND PALABOK, 4609 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PATRICK JOHN ALVIR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/08/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/14/18.

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037994700

FEB 22, MAR 01, 08, 15, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038002000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THOMPSON MOTORCARS, 553A CLIPPER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed THOMPSON SALVAGE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/07/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/07/18.

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037990900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PREGO PROPERTIES LLC, 1212A UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PREGO PROPERTIES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 12/01/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/05/18.

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018

Tech Support>>

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BARBER & GENT; ORIGINAL GRAPHIC ARTS, 3239 MISSION ST #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed IVAN GOMEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/12/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/12/18.

FEB 22, MAR 01, 08, 15, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038001800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: QUICKDRAW PERMIT CONSULTING, 584 CASTRO ST #466, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JEREMY S. PAUL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 06/15/89. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/12/18.

FEB 22, MAR 01, 08, 15, 2018

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SHANGHAI SUPERSMART INTERNATIONAL TRADE, 560 7TH AVE #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed VIVIAN H. WANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/05/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/05/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CASA MAYAH RESTAURANT, 294 TURK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RODOLFO MAAY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/13/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/13/18.

FEB 22, MAR 01, 08, 15, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038007000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CABLE CAR COFFEE, 902 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed ASMEROM B. GUEBRMICAEL & SIMON H. ZERAI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/15/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/15/18.

FEB 22, MAR 01, 08, 15, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038002100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ENGINEER.AI, 600 CALIFORNIA ST, 11TH FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SD SQUARED NORTH AMERICA LIMITED (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 11/06/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/12/18.

FEB 22, MAR 01, 08, 15, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038005000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FOLIOAVENUE; PANCOAST BITCOIN, 3053 FILLMORE #118, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed GREENFORCE CLEAN TEAM CO. LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/14/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/14/18.

FEB 22, MAR 01, 08, 15, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038011100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OPEN SKY COMMUNICATIONS, 520 27TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed OPEN SKY COMMUNICATIONS, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/16/18.

FEB 22, MAR 01, 08, 15, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038013000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BALLAST COFFEE, 329 W PORTAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed KICK-START COFFEE, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/01/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/16/18.

FEB 22, MAR 01, 08, 15, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036235200

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: CITY PIZZA & YUCATAN FOOD, 294 TURK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by RODOLFO MAAY. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/07/15.

FEB 22, MAR 01, 08, 15, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037332900

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: CABLE CAR COFFEE, 902 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by SIMON H. ZERAI. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/03/16.

FEB 22, MAR 01, 08, 15, 2018

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT NOTICE TO PROPOSERS GENERAL INFORMATION THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, California, is advertising for proposals on or about February 8, 2018 to provide Districtwide Pre-Award Small Business Supportive Services (Pre-Award SBSS) and Districtwide Post-Award Small Business Supportive Services (Post-Award SBSS). The eventual goal of this Agreement is to have Pre-Award SBSS to expand the pool of construction firms available to participate as a prime or a subcontractor on BART’s construction contracts by providing training to small businesses (SB) new to BART contracting as well as to small businesses who have bid or worked on BART contracts but could benefit from additional training and Post-Award SBSS is to provide technical assistance and training to small businesses working on BART construction contracts as either primes or subcontractors which will help small business contractors effectively complete their contracts or subcontracts and to build their capacity for future BART work, including as a prime contractor. Proposals are due by 2:00 P.M. local time, Tuesday, March 20, 2018.

DESCRIPTION OF WORK TO BE PERFORMED

The request to provide Pre-Award Small Business Supportive Services and/or Post-Award Small Business Supportive Services shall be for five (5) years. It is anticipated that the total cost for the Agreement for PreAward Supportive Services shall not exceed the amount of Three Million and Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars ($3,900,000) and it is anticipated that the total cost for the Agreement for Post-Award Supportive Services shall not exceed the amount of Four Million and Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($4,600,000); however, there is no guaranteed minimum level of compensation for either anticipated agreement as described in the RFP No. 6M5125.

REQUIRED REGISTRATION ON BART PROCUREMENT PORTAL

CLEANING PROFESSIONAL

27 Years Exp. (415) 794-4411 Roger Miller 35 PUC # 176618

In order for prospective Proposers to be eligible for award of an Agreement being solicited on the BART Procurement Portal, such Proposers are required to be currently registered to do business with BART on the BART Procurement Portal on line at https://suppliers.bart.gov and have obtained Solicitation Documents, updates, and any Addenda issued on line so as to be added to the On-Line Planholders List for this solicitation. If a prospective Proposer is a joint venture or partnership, such entity may register on the BART procurement portal with the entity’s tax identification number (TIN) and download the Solicitation Documents so as to be listed as an on-line planholder under the entity’s name prior to submitting its Proposal. If such entity has not registered on BART procurement portal in the name of the joint venture or partnership prior to submitting its Proposal, provided that at least one of the joint venturers or partners registered on line on the BART Procurement Portal and downloaded the Solicitation Documents so as to be added to the ON-Line Planholders List for this solicitation, such entity will be required to register with the entity’s TIN as an on-line planholder following the submittal of Proposals, in order for the entity to be eligible for award of this Agreement. PROPOSERS WHO HAVE NOT REGISTERED ON THE BART PROCUREMENT PORTAL PRIOR TO SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL, (OR FOR JOINT VENTURE OR PARTNERSHIP AS DECRIBED ABOVE PRIOR TO AWARD) AND DID NOT DOWNLOAD THE SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS FOR THIS SOLICITATION ON LINE SO AS TO BE LISTED AS AN ON-LINE PLANHOLDER FOR THIS SOLICITATION, WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR AWARD OF THIS AGREEMENT

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FEB 22, MAR 01, 08, 15, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038003500

FEB 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038005700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HONEST HERB, 1770 POST ST #140, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BRIGHT CIRCLE, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/25/18.

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FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF JONATHAN SILVERMAN IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-17-301478

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: BOWTIES AND BUBBLY EVENTS, 251 CARL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by ALEXANDRA HOLLAND & MEGHANN DODGE. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/18/15.

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037988400

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037970300

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037989800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VIOLET’S, 2301 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TAVERN PROJECT LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/29/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/02/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SF SIREN, 2086 CHESTNUT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SF SIREN CO (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/06/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/30/18.

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STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036376000

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of JONATHAN MATTHEW SILVERMAN. A Petition for Probate has been filed by ARTHUR SILVERMAN, in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that ARTHUR SILVERMAN, be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: Mar 13, 2018, 9:00 a.m., Dept: Probate, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: Mr. Arthur Silverman, 180 Red Fir Rd., P.O. Box 7903, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546; Ph. (415) 465-6616.

FEB 15, 22, MAR 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037978600

Create & design gameplay for new system development. Req 2 yrs of exp. in job or 2 yrs of progressive &/or promotional exp as Designer or Competitive Systems Designer or rel. occup. Any suitable combo of educ, training &/or exp is acceptable. Jobsite: Foster City, CA. Send resume ref#15151: K. Jones, Activision Publishing Inc, 3100 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405.

A Pre-Proposal Conference will be held on Wednesday, March 7, 2018. The meeting will convene promptly at 10:00 a.m. at the District’s Offices, at Conference Room 1500, 15th Floor at 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, California 94612. At the Pre-Proposal Meeting the District’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Participation Program will be explained. All questions regarding these programs should be directed to James Soncuya, Office of Civil Rights at (510) 464-7578. Prospective Proposers are requested to make every effort to attend this only scheduled Pre-Proposal Meeting. Proposals must be received by 2:00 p.M., Local time, tuesday, march 20, 2018 at the address listed in the rfp. Submission of a proposal shall constitute a firm offer to the district for one hundred and eighty (180) calendar days from date of proposal submission.

Dated at Oakland, California this 8th day of February 2018. /S/ Jaqueline Edwards Kenneth A. Duron, District Secretary San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District 2/22/18 CNS-3099505#

Troubled souls

Double dare

Winter Games

Virtual world

Vol. 48 • No. 8 • February 22-28, 2018

www.ebar.com/arts Darwin Bell

Late night at Compton’s

Champion dance by Paul Parish

by Sari Staver

he world premiere of an interactive theater production inspired by the historic riots that launched transgender activism in San Francisco opens for a four-week run on February 22 at the New Village Café, 1426 Polk St. Tickets, already sold out for the first weekend, are $60, and include a meal (breakfast for dinner), which is served before the play begins. Co-produced by the Tenderloin Museum and playwright Mark Nasser, “The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot” is an “immersive and interactive” performance that’s staged in a café a few minutes away from the long-gone Compton’s Cafeteria at Turk and Taylor. See page 26 >>

The Great Seducer

Erik Tomasson

Clair Farley as Young Vicki in “The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot.”

an Francisco Ballet slid into a slump just after the season opened, with two programs of mixed bills, one of them above average and the other – well, the best said about Program 3 is that the dancers saved it. Dancers are always saving the day, and in fact, a ballet does not need great choreography if it offers wonderful opportunities for exceptional dancers. And that’s what SF Ballet has: champion dancers. Sasha da Sola, Dores Andre, Luke Ingham, Jennifer Stahl, Myles Thatcher: all of them tore it up on both programs and turned in performances that lifted Program 2 into the ranks of the memorable, and made you think that at least Program 3 went down fighting. See page 26 >>

Maria Kochetkova in Benjamin Millepied’s “The Chairman Dances [Quartet for Two].”

by Sura Wood

Rick Gerharter

s if being known as the most notorious libertine in history weren’t enough, Giacomo Casanova was also a gambler, a social climber and a spy; a prolific literary figure who penned the first science-fiction novel (a failure); and an unreliable reporter who aggrandized his sexual exploits in a 3,500-page autobiography, a romp through the boudoirs and salons of 18th-century society considered so racy that its unabridged version wasn’t published until 1960. See page 18 >>

Martin Chapman, curator of European decorative arts and sculpture at the Legion of Honor, points out the fine detail in a sedan chair made in Naples, Italy about 1750, and given to the museum by its founder, Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, who used it as a phone booth. Part of the exhibit “Casanova: The Seduction of Europe.”

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

<< Out There

18 • Bay Area Reporter • February 22-28, 2018

Shorts but sweets by Roberto Friedman

this short, although based on a real event, has a rare happy ending. Not so back in the real world. The Silent Child (Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton, UK) is an advocacy film calling for the right kind of attention to be devoted to deaf children in public schools. Although rather a stark morality tale, the short has enough humanity and empathy in it to engage our attention. My Nephew Emmett (Kevin Wilson, Jr., USA) is a dramatization of the true events leading up to the 1955 murder of the black teenager Emmett Till in the Deep South by deeply racist bigots ironically charged with keeping the peace. Shocking, infuriating, and a part of American history that we all should know. Watu Wote (All of Us) (Katja Benrath and Tobias Rosen, Germany) is another harrowing true story, told from the point of view of a Christian woman whose life is in danger during an attack by Al-Shabaab terrorists on a bus traversing the border between Kenya and Somalia.

gain this year Landmark Theatres is offering audiences a chance to see the new Academy Award nominees in the categories of Best Animated & Best Live Action Short Films. Out There went to screenings of both programs to prep ourselves for the 90th Academy Awards show, broadcast live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sun., March 4. A major advisory: If you’re looking for light fare, you’ll be 80% out of luck attending the Live Action Shorts program, as four out of five entries are rather sober-minded affairs, if not outright depressing. We could feel a shudder going through the theater when it became apparent that the first short on the program, DeKalb Elementary (director Reed Van Dyk, USA), was about a school shooting. It was only a few days after the latest real-life school massacre in America, and none of us were in the mood to revisit the scenario. But

Casanova

no less than three major museums. With one minor exception, however, images of the man himself are mysteriously absent. The imaginatively conceived art and history exhibition, which opened recently at the Legion of Honor, is less a fullfledged memoir than a gilded grand tour that attempts to recreate the shimmering, decadent environs inhabited by a fellow of insatiable appetites. While not entirely seamless, the illusion is seductive, in keeping with its source of inspiration. The show’s 200 objects include a model of a gondola fashioned from walnut polished to a high sheen and decorated with sculpted gold; a procession of gold-encrusted furnishings, ornate luxury items, and paintings, like the sublimely lit, amorous scenes by the French master Jean-Honore Fragonard, and “Resting Girl,” Francois Boucher’s sumptuous portrait of an alabasterskinned odalisque lounging prone on a divan. Together they evoke a candlelit, opulent world ripe with romantic possibility, glittering masquerade balls, 12-course banquets

From page 17

He was one of the creators of France’s first state lottery, presumably reaped its benefits, and oh yes, he translated Homer’s “The Iliad” into Italian in his spare time. He saw everything, met everyone who was anyone in the Age of Enlightenment, and as a voracious traveler, logged over 40,000 miles in Europe’s pleasure capitals, Russia and Constantinople. Blessed with an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time, he was a perpetual if itinerant guest, a compulsive seducer and dissembler who charmed his way into the best houses and the company of the most brilliant minds of his time, rubbing shoulders with Catherine the Great, Benjamin Franklin, Voltaire and Rousseau, when he wasn’t pursuing sexual conquests and gratifying his carnal lust. The lavish milieu in which he circulated for nearly six decades is now the subject of “Casanova: The Seduction of Europe,” a collaborative new show put together under the auspices of

Both photos: ShortsTV

Left: Still from “Garden Party,” directors Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon, and Right: Still from “Watu Wote” (“All of Us,”) directors Katja Benrath and Tobias Rosen, part of the Best Live Action Shorts program.

After so much strife and wanton violence, The Eleven O’Clock (Derin Seale and Josh Lawson, Australia) comes as rather a mellow relief. It’s a mind game between a psychiatrist and patient that plays out in clever ways. And for keeping it light, it’s our choice for Best in the category. The Animated Shorts program, as usual, is a lot easier to enjoy. It starts with Dear Basketball (Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant, USA), pro basketball star Bryant’s tribute to himself. It’s a narcissistic love af-

fair for true fans only. Negative Space (Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata, France) is a cute manifesto on the best way to pack a suitcase that becomes an unexpectedly poignant memory piece. Lou (Dave Mullins and Dana Murray, USA) is Pixar being Pixar, state-of-the-art animation in service of a rather pedestrian children’s story. Revolting Rhymes (Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer, UK) is a BBC adaptation of the late classic children’s book author Roald

Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Jean-Marc Nattier (French, 1685-1766), “Thalia, Muse of Comedy” (1739). Oil on canvas.

and splendid palaces. Aside from a metallic-glazed earthenware tureen in the shape of an angry-faced

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boar’s head, a favorite objet is sure to be the sedan chair (ca. 1750), a means of conveyance that instantly denoted the status of its passenger as a person of quality. Hand-carried by servants, it was designed for those who wanted to travel around town or within the confines of a palace without soiling their fine clothes or mingling with riff-raff. The excellent specimen on view, made in Naples, the 18th century’s Motown of elegant transport, has exterior panels painted with scenes from Virgil’s “Voyage of Aeneas,” and is embellished with shells and golden ornamental scrollwork; the interior’s pink silk upholstery assured a plush journey. Casanova recalled riding in a similar vehicle while ascending the Alps. Born into an impoverished theatrical family in Venice, a city where grand fetes and masked partygoers regularly spilled into the plazas at night, Casanova was a natural chameleon, his greatest performance being the life he led cavorting with the rich. A pair of Rococo Venetian throne chairs on display, trimmed with carved gilded wood, and covered in a shiny floral-patterned velvet, would’ve been ideal for a Grand Canal palazzo he might have frequented. Among several paeans to the beauty of Venice painted by Canaletto is one depicting the Island of Murano in the Venetian Lagoon, where a convent gleaming in fading afternoon sun, cast against a slate-

Dahl’s take on fairy-tale characters and their fantastic plots. Finally, Garden Party (Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon, France) is a computer animation tour de force that stars animals from the garden – notably, a rather beefy frog and his amphibious consort – invading a derelict mansion with secrets in store. It’s funny, it’s lovely to look at, and it has a surprise ending. Our choice for Best in its category. OK, bring on the Oscars. We’re set for the Shorts.t

gray sky, floats on the water like the Land of Oz. If wealthy parents of the period assumed their daughters’ virtue would be safe within the confines of this or any nunnery, as many did, they’d have been mistaken. Paramours outfitted in finery would romance the chaperoned women in an area called the Parlatorio, a scene echoed in Francesco Guardi’s 1746 painting of the same name in which the flirtatious female boarders eschewed nun’s habits for fashionable clothing, as was the custom. An adjacent staged tableau features mannequins dressed in elaborate costumes like the three-piece, black-velvet suit of a male visitor whose coat is embroidered with gold threads and embedded with tiny shards of glass to reflect the flickering candlelight. The narrative was inspired by a young woman whose father dispatched her to a convent to protect her from the lascivious Casanova, who, despite those efforts, connived his way into secret visits with his forbidden virginal quarry. Although these clandestine meetings required resourcefulness and guile, the most thrilling escapade detailed here is Casanova’s incredible escape from the Palazzo Ducale prison complex in 1756. A freewheeling gambler whose extravagant lifestyle made him a target, he was incarcerated by Venetian authorities, one of numerous brushes with the law across the Continent that further burnished his mystique and infamous reputation. Undeterred by bars and guards, he and a fellow inmate pried open a lead plate from the prison roof, and descended to a maze of lower floors where a turn down the wrong corridor could have resulted in apprehension. Having saved the expensive duds he was wearing when captured, he changed into them, assumed the identity of a mistakenly arrested, indignant aristocrat, and persuaded a guard to release them. The duo hailed a gondola and fled to France, where he began another picaresque chapter. Casanova wouldn’t return to Venice for 18 years. Like the comedian who wants to play Hamlet, Casanova yearned to be remembered as a cultivated intellectual. More than that, he simply wished to be remembered, a feat he achieved beyond measure.t Through May 28; legionofhonor. famsf.org

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2/1/18 9:20 AM

<< Music

20 • Bay Area Reporter • February 22-28, 2018

Operatic double bill becomes one by Philip Campbell

he worldwide celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s birth centennial continued last week as SFJAZZ and innovative Opera Parallele re-teamed to create a double bill that meshed two works into one. Contemporary composer Jake Heggie’s “At the Statue of Venus,” with a libretto by Terrence McNally, introduced a woman anxiously awaiting a blind date. The course of her resulting marriage cleverly incorporated Bernstein’s (words and music) melancholy 1951 one-act opera to become Part Two. Rose, the sole character in Heggie’s chamber work, becomes Dinah in “Trouble in Tahiti.” Director Brian Staufenbiel’s imaginative combination started with a medley of tunes from “West Side Story,” played as patrons of the arts strolled through a museum, taking special notice of a statue of Venus (well-portrayed by dancer Steffi Cheong). The single man who would meet Rose/Dinah and later become her husband sang “Something’s Coming.” The Overture used Charles Ives’ beautiful “The Unanswered Question” as background for the goddess of love’s dance of contemplation. It took a while for the show to get up and running, but the vaguely mixtape feeling of the opening soon appeared seamless. Staufenbiel made sure we would enjoy the setup, and two operas easily became

one story. The talented performers brought convincing life and cohesion to his vision. The orchestra was conducted by OP’s Artistic Director Nicole Paiement, and despite some balance problems in the cramped seating arrangement, the lively sound was still better than many a touring Broadway pit-band. Paiement has a knowing grasp of contemporary idioms: modern opera, theatre music and jazz. The central characters in both operas were double-cast. Mezzosopranos Renee Rapier and Abigail Levis (as Rose/Dinah) shared the bill with baritones Kyle Albertson and Eugene Brancoveanu (Single Man/Sam). A jazz trio of energetic singers – soprano Krista Wigle, tenor Andres Ramirez, and baritone Bradley Kynard – personified the Greek chorus in all performances. Their brittle syncopated commentary added pep to the “Mad Men” atmosphere of Bernstein’s jaded take on midcentury suburbia. Scenic designer Dave Dunning’s colorful sets, Matthew Antaky’s bright lighting, and Christine Crook’s evocative costumes were also spot-on. The era was full of roiling transition, but it looked like a lot of fun. David Murakami’s projections and Sherry Parker’s mixedmedia collage art tied the visuals together with laugh-out-loud glee. Eugene Brancoveanu was Sam on opening night, and proved again he

is both an imposing singer and convincing actor. He was off to a slightly shaky start, singing a labored “Something’s Coming.” As confused and blustering macho Sam in Bernstein’s opera, he later took control of the stage with a fully realized and powerfully moving performance. The sight of him smoking a cigarette while working out on an Exercycle, singing the virtues of testosterone, was alone worth the price of admission. Abigail Levis’ Rose/Dinah deserved the focused attention given her combined characters. Staufenbiel was really telling her story. She was both dignified and heartbreaking as a woman trying desperately to keep youthful optimism alive. Heggie’s score is in a musical world inspired by Bernstein. McNally’s libretto is sympathetic but superficial. The soloist must add depth. Sort of like a much longer version of “Will He Like Me” from “She Loves Me,” the work needs a strong personality. Levis was nuanced, witty and believable. In “Trouble in Tahiti” she went on to create an indelibly touching memory.

SFS keeps the party going

Steve DiBartolomeo

Renee Rapier and Kyle Albertson in the Opera Parallele/SFJAZZ production of Leonard Bernstein’s “Trouble in Tahiti.”

The San Francisco Symphony wraps up the season-long Bernstein Centennial celebration Feb. 22-24 with performances of his exuberant Divertimento and the moving and lyrical orchestral Serenade with violinist Vadim Gluzman, the perfect soloist with a deep feeling for the composer. Conductor Andrey Bo-

reyko concludes the program with Shostakovich’s mighty and perhaps most famous score: Symphony No. 5. Bernstein was an early champion of the thrilling work. When you are in Davies Hall, don’t miss the wonderful Bernstein Exhibit in the First Tier lobby. Video, photos and some marvelous

memorabilia in cases (including a concert vest and cummerbund!) make intermission a special treat. The picture of Bernstein cradling a young MTT in his arms perfectly captures the great man’s emotional warmth. His legacy endures.t

a few of them. “Double Lover” is Ozon’s French-Belgian erotic thriller drama starring Marine Vacth as Chloe, a young woman who discov-

ers that her lover is concealing part of his identity. One of the film’s many tricks is to introduce its young heroine as a patient of a handsome boyish shrink, Dr. Paul Meyer, played by the still shockingly handsome Jeremie Renier, the Belgian-born actor who made a disturbing appearance for Ozon in the erotic thriller “Criminal Lovers.” Ozon sends Chloe to Dr. Meyer, where she describes her problem. “I am 25 years old, and I live alone. Well, not totally alone, I have my cat, Milo. I am currently looking for a job, and it’s not easy. I feel stressed, and I say the opposite of what I mean, and I do everything wrong.” Then the young woman explains that she has a pain. Dr. Meyer: “Where does it hurt?” Chloe: “In my stomach.” Then, the film’s psychological lynchpin: “Once you speak, when you look at me that way, I feel I exist.” The film allows us to temporarily climb onto the coach for a vicarious bout of cheap therapy. Ozon uses the narrative device of the young woman’s therapy sessions as a window into a psychological thriller that may feel a cheat to some viewers. Chloe tells Dr. Meyer that she was dissatisfied with her success as a high-priced Parisian fashion model, that her severe and persistent ab-

dominal pains are due to a psychosomatic disorder. “Double Lover” depends for its success partly on Ozon’s speeding up of normal patient-shrink transference so that the two immediately surrender to the strong mutual sexual attraction between them, making it impossible to continue with therapy. Soon the passionate lovers will move in together, and Paul’s cloudy past will convince Chloe that there’s more to this sexy therapist than first appeared. How much you buy into this wild ride depends on your enjoyment of Renier’s performance. As in the controversial “Criminal Lovers,” can this sexy trickster be trusted? Born in 1981 in Brussels, Renier has an impressive film resume, ranging from Martin McDonagh’s “In Bruges” (2008) to a turn as the flamboyant fashion designer in “Saint Laurent” (2014). Perhaps one reason he’s so slyly good as Dr. Meyer is that both of his parents were osteopaths. This tricky sleight-of-hand reminds us that movies have always been a guilty pleasure. Go see “Double Lovers” with a healthy dose of skepticism and a large box of Milk Duds. Afterwards, rent “Criminal Lovers” to see how good Ozon is as a cinema provocateur, trickster and grand entertainer. Opens Friday.t

sfsymphony.org.

Tricky thriller by David Lamble

o describe Francois Ozon as a cinema “bad boy” may seem a

tad quaint, but the one-time Young Turk of French film is back with a new feature that comes with big aspirations, and delivers on at least

Cohen Media

Scene from director Francois Ozon’s “Double Lover.”

Theatre>>

February 22-28, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 21

Role-playing drama in avatar form

10th Anniversary Concert

by Richard Dodds

Dawn Harms, Music Director & Conductor Patricia Racette, soprano

ome of the best theatrical experiences arise from situations that seem to have no obvious relevance to the viewer. Working to create a world that may be far apart from your own, a gifted playwright can take you into hearts and souls of the characters, not through obvious swings at universality, but in specifics that reverberate with recognizable truth. So it could have been with “NonPlayer Character,” Walt McGough’s play now on display as part of San Francisco Playhouse’s Sandbox Series of world premieres. But despite the stylish production it is receiving at Yerba Buena Center’s Creativity Theater in director Lauren English’s production, the play doesn’t transcend its niche specifics, and even for those in that niche, the storytelling may still seem weak. McGough was inspired by the real-life “Gamergate,” a snowballing series of events that was big news among those involved in the roleplaying video-game culture, but perhaps under the radar of those whose video-game experiences range from Pac-Man to Angry Birds. (That would include me.) As McGough explores the virulent sexism, harassment, and threats that can erupt in an anonymous role-playing community, he seldom digs beneath the obvious surface of the situations. In the opening scenes, we see the characters in their virtual world of make-believe battles in a mythical world. Glued to computer screens around the country, they can hear each other but only see avatars as they battle villainous forces with swords, fists, and karate chops. “A nefarious warlock has made off with my prize pumpkin,” says a gnome as make-believe warriors go to battle against killer zucchinis and enraged rose bushes that they can see but we cannot. It’s not terribly interesting to watch actors leap about in an empty space without weapons against invisible monsters, although Jacquelyn Scott’s spare set and Theodore J.H. Hulsker’s projections are helpful.

Tickets & Info: http://BARS-SF.ORG CHARGE - BY - PHONE / INFORMATION: (415) 392-4400 Tickets Available at CITY BOX OFFICE, 180 Redwood Street

Saturday, March 3, 8pm Herbst Theatre 401 Van Ness

Jessica Palopoli

Devin O’Brien, left, Annemaria Rajala, Tyler McKenna, and Emily Radosevich are seen as their video-game avatars in “Non-Player Character,” part of SF Playhouse’s Sandbox Series of world premieres.

Troubles arise when one of the regular players invites a newcomer into the game who, in avatar form, is a muscular, bare-chested bully (Tyler McKenna) who thinks one female player is a girly wuss who should be exiled, although he’s fine with a flame-throwing warrior (Annemaria Rajala) who is not what she seems. But the belittled Katya (Emily Radosevich) is defended by her old friend Trent (Devin O’Brien), who hopes romance will kindle between them even though she moved to Seattle and he is stuck living with his parents in a secondtier city in Pennsylvania. Katya is happy with their longdistance relationship, and when she rebuffs Trent’s professions of love, he enflames the message boards with derogatory comments. “She is a serial careerist,” is one of his not-too-potent condemnations, but from there, the online community begins stalking, trolling, and threatening her. Katya becomes a recluse, taking refuge in the home of a Starbucks colleague (Charisse Loriaux), and her meltdown is pretty much in the form we would expect. All the while, she is developing her own video game that supposedly shows

the gentler side of gaming. “How do you win?” asks Trent. There are no winners, she replies. “Where are the guns?” asks her Starbucks buddy. There are no guns. Just trees and falling leaves and sentimental stories to go with the imagery, which provides an unlikely, ineffectual, but supposedly happy denouement. A glossary is provided with the program, but it’s not much help as characters throw around such terms as battlemage, paladins, and nightblades. It wouldn’t matter so much if the dramatic situations surrounding the game-playing and real-life dramas displayed more insight into a world where gender, behavior, and personal circumstances can be overridden with the help of a computer program. While respect for female players in video games is supposedly at stake, the playwright doesn’t take us much beyond a play-nice message that could have shed light on larger societal situations but is stuck among the enraged rose bushes.t “Non-Player Character” will run at the Creativity Theater through March 3. Tickets are $20-$125. Call (415) 677-9596 or go to sfplayhouse.org.

Collateral damage by David Lamble

that remains is the disposition of the apartment and the kid. irector Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Alyosha (Matvey Novikov) is 12, bleak and emotionally harblond and polite, but under the rowing domestic drama “Loveless” surface he’s an introverted, sensiis Russia’s Oscar candidate for Best tive, and tragically sad boy. While Foreign Language Film. A Moscow his parents hurl invective at each couple, Boris and Zhenya, are sharother as if insulting were an Olyming a bed in a tiny flat. In the midst pic sport, the kid takes it all to heart of a bitter breakup, they’re already as if he were the cause of this toxic sleeping with other partners. All marriage. Boris and Zhenya escalate their tantrums, failing to notice that their son is missing, gone for a crucial two days before they summon help. “Loveless” is a fascinating if heart-breaking study of the collateral damage inflicted upon innocent parties when adults behave childishly. Director Zvyagintsev, who shares writing credit with Oleg Negin, cites Ingmar Bergman’s 1973 Swedish classic “Scenes from a Marriage” as inspiration. In a written statement the filmmaker chastises his bickering couple for their refusal to own their mistakes, quoting Zhenya (vividly played Anna Matveeva, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics by Maryana Spivak): “I’ll Maryana Spivak as Zhenya, and Matvey change; I won’t repeat the Novikov as Alyosha, in “Loveless.” mistakes that led me to this disillusionment; I will

begin anew.” (Aleksey Rozin is also superb as the self-absorbed husband Boris.) As Zvyagintsev notes, “These are the thoughts of people who blame others for their fiascos. In the end the only thing you can really change is yourself. Only then will the world around you glow once more; perhaps only a terrible loss can allow this to happen.” “Loveless” shows how an authoritarian society like Russia under Putin can still produce amazing work about the human condition, in much the same way that Iranian filmmakers have been able to do under the Ayatollah. As our world is rocked by cyber-crimes of foreign tyrants, and the listless response to American school violence by gun-lobby-led politicians, films such as “Loveless” remind us that we’re not alone in facing moral bankruptcy. Overseas filmmakers are also providing cinematic wakeup calls, in places where sleepers are just beginning to stir. One of the film’s most effective features is a sharply discordant soundtrack, credited to Evgeni Galperin, with sound design by Andrey Dergachey. A completely adult excursion, “Loveless” is rated R for strong sexuality, graphic nudity, language and a brief, disturbing image. In Russian with English subtitles, it opens Friday.t

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<< TV

22 • Bay Area Reporter • February 22-28, 2018

Gay heroism on & off the ice by Victoria A. Brownworth

e forget from the vantage point of 2018 what 1995 was like. We forget how hard it was to be gay and out. We took our eyes off the Olympics briefly this week to watch the latest episode of “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” and the counterpoint of what Ryan Murphy is doing with this deeply incendiary and political series to the extraordinary presence of Adam Rippon and Johnny Weir at the Olympics. (We haven’t forgotten you, Gus Kenworthy, you just aren’t flaming for us like they are.) Murphy took us back to 1995. To Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. To the simmering violence always just below the surface, waiting to erupt against us. In 1995, Adam Rippon was six years old. Johnny Weir was 11. Jeff Trail was 28. Gianni Versace was 48. In 1995, no one was imagining an out gay star at the Olympics or even the end to DADT, which itself was a net-positive to what had come before. In 1995, when Andrew Cunanan met his first victim, Jeff Trail, and Gianni Versace came out on the pages of The Advocate, the fight for our rights was still a nascent movement despite a quarter-century since Stonewall, despite the impact of the AIDS pandemic, despite the work we had done collectively to get Bill Clinton elected and how visible David Mixner was. Murphy, who was just 29 in 1995, does a masterful job of positioning Andrew Cunanan at the epicenter of the fear of coming out for gay men who had survived the AIDS crisis. When Andrew meets naval officer Jeff Trail on his first time in a gay bar, Trail’s just come off saving the life of a fellow sailor who was nearly beaten to death by other sailors. His career in the Navy is threatened, but his own desire to be in the company of other men propels him into that bar and into a relationship with the then-fabulist, soon-to-be serial killer. There are so many things happening in this series that we expect thesis papers will be written about it in the future. Each scene has its own trajectory, and the non-linear telling of the tale makes it all the more disturbing to watch. The foreshadowing has been removed: we already know the outcome beforehand. Yet that seems to make the impending tragedy in these men’s lives all the more real. The most chilling juxtaposition for us was between Trail speaking to CBS “48 Hours” reporter Richard

Schlesinger about his experience as a gay naval officer, and Versace talking with The Advocate. The “48 Hours” interview was real. In late 1993 DADT is about to become law, and Trail decides to speak out about his own experience as a gay man in the military. The episode of “ACS: Versace” begins with an out-take from that episode in which a group of Navy men talk about what they would do if a gay sailor were onboard with them. It foreshadows the violent beatings we see later. In “ACS: Versace,” the back-andforth between the two scenes (both Trail and Versace were being interviewed in hotel rooms, where no one else would see them) borders on being heavy-handed, yet overcomes that because each new reveal elevates this from easy comparison to heartbreaking reality. As Trail relates what he’s going to do to Cunanan as they sit in the bar together, Cunanan warns him against doing it. He says Trail is being hidden in silhouette, like a criminal, while the real criminals, the Navy men who are beating fellow sailors within an inch of their lives, are being shown without masking, because the world still views gay men as criminals, and those who would kill them if given the chance as normal. It’s stark, because we know that soon Cunanan will kill Trail. Prior to doing The Advocate interview, Versace has a conversation with his sister, Donatella. She is horrified that he’s contemplating this option. She reminds him that when designer Perry Ellis, who was then dying of AIDS, did his final show just weeks before his death, he had to be supported by two assistants on the runway. Versace tells her that was Ellis’ greatest show, and she says no one bought his clothes after that. But he explains to her, “I was sick, and I did not die. And I have been asking myself, what have I done to deserve it?” So he’s doing this: he’s coming out. He’s hoping to make a difference. One of the most heartbreaking elements of “ACS: Versace” is, we love Versace from the outset. He’s a kind and generous man, a caring lover, a great designer, a humble visionary. Even as we know Cunanan will murder him because we’ve seen the killing in the first episode, we hope somehow he will survive. We feel equally for Trail, who risks everything to save another Navy man’s life and to tell the story of how hard it is to live under DADT. We’re heartbroken for his family that as

ABC

Adam Rippon figure-skated his way into our hearts at the Winter Olympics.

his sister is giving birth, he is already dead, his body in a rolled-up rug, bludgeoned to death by Cunanan. Cut from “ACS: Versace” to the Olympics and the flaming grandeur that has been Johnny Weir’s commentating and Adam Rippon’s presence in PyeongChang, and all that has happened in America for gay people between 1995 and now is shown in bold relief. As we watched the men’s beautiful free skate on Feb. 16, we could not help but be reminded of the decades we have been watching the Olympics and wondering what it would have been like for us if, as a gay teen, we had seen an Adam Rippon or a Johnny Weir. Versace was right. Donatella was wrong. We could write reams about Adam Rippon at the Olympics. Many Olympians, particularly figure skaters, become beloved sports icons. But Rippon is in a class all his own. He is such a delightful man, such a fine athlete, such a team player, such a good sport that we would love him even if he weren’t gay. But he is, Blanche, he is gay, and that has made all the difference. The import of Rippon’s willingness to be openly gay in a venue that has suppressed gay athletes forever cannot be overstated. He has proven that one can be out and proud and still succeed. He is the first openly gay U.S. male athlete to win a medal (bronze) at the Winter Olympics. Rippon’s natural insouciance brought him before the camera often, even though his teammate Nathan Chen was the favorite to win, and at only 17 has techniques Rippon does not, and made history when he delivered six quads on Feb. 16. Rippon made himself available for everything–from taking on Vice Pres. Pence to being called out by Donald J. Trump, Jr. He was willing to be slapped around by the right to promote our community and our right to be ourselves, whether on the ice at the Olympics or walking down the streets of the Mission District. As Rippon noted last week in an interview, “I don’t want my Olympic experience to be about Mike Pence. I want it to be about my amazing skating and being America’s sweetheart.” America’s sweetheart he is. He posted a video on Twitter of himself explaining figure skating with Legos. He’s posed with everyone, from other athletes to fans. Rippon has become a darling of not just the media, but people who don’t really like gay people. He’s like Ellen DeGeneres: his brash humor and openness have made gayness accessible to people who hate us. Just as no one hates puppies or Ellen, no one (except perhaps the Trumps, who appear to hate everything good and decent) hates Rippon. In his pinned tweet on Twitter, Rippon notes, “I was recently asked in an interview what its like to be a gay athlete in sports. I said that it’s exactly like being a straight athlete.

Lots of hard work, but usually done with better eyebrows.” When Rippon’s performance ended Friday night, Johnny Weir situated him in history. Yes, Rippon had given three flawless performances, and when he held his hands up to the crowd at the end, the applause was wild. But Rippon also stood on the ice in his gorgeous teal outfit as an iconic figure, the only out gay male figure skater in Winter Olympics history. There were only three openly gay men and five open lesbians in PyeongChang. Out of hundreds of contestants. It remains so hard to be out in so many places in the world, and the world of sports is one of those places. Rippon opened that global closet door just a bit with his refusal to stay on the margins. Also making history is Johnny Weir. Every night his commentating is a statement. He’s flamboyantly in-your-face gay. As we noted on Twitter, “Find someone who loves you as elaborately and declaratively as Johnny Weir loves his hair and sequins.” On Twitter, Weir wrote, “Eight years ago, after I finished my free program at the Olympics, I had to hold a press conference to defend myself against people questioning my gender. Now, watching the world accept a vibrant and powerful hero in Adam Rippon, I am so proud & thankful to those whose came before us.” Pure gold.

Off the slopes

Our devotion to the Olympics is such we have barely watched anything else. Most networks have held all their new programming until Feb. 25, when the world collectively exhales after 18 days of brilliance on the slopes and on the ice. But not everyone. HBO wasn’t thinking clearly when it scheduled the debut of its new series “Here and Now” to debut in the middle of the Olympics, so you can be forgiven if you missed it. But do catch up, because it’s fabulous. Starring Oscar winners Holly Hunter and Tim Robbins, it is about gayness, life in a multi-racial family, and learning to be in the world when the world is constantly changing. Hunter is one of the great undersung actresses in America. She’s thin and wiry, she’s not aging well because she hasn’t had her face re-crafted, and she always feels like the real-est person in the series. She anchors this “Here and Now” as the lawyer mother of four children: three non-white adopted now-adult kids, and one biological daughter who’s in high school. Created by out gay Oscar- and Emmy-winner Alan Ball (“Six Feet Under”), this is real-life gay men, real-life gay sex and real-life racial conflict. These characters could not be more compelling, and the gay son Ramon (the gorgeous Daniel Zovatto) is a focal point, not an adjunct to the story.

Another new series you want to watch is “Seven Seconds,” which begins streaming on Netflix Feb. 23. Emmy nominee Veena Sud (“The Killing”) created this new thriller starring Emmy winner Regina King, whom we would watch in anything, anytime. Also debuting on Netflix Feb. 23 is “Ugly Delicious,” an new docuseries featuring best-selling cookbook author and restaurateur David Chang. In the eight-episode series, Chang travels to different countries where he uses food to confront cultural barriers and misconceptions. The series features an array of writers, chefs, comedians and activists, including San Francisco comedian Ali Wong, Jimmy Kimmel, Nick Kroll and others. Intriguing and compelling. On Feb. 26 BBC launches “McMafia,” which melds Russian mafia, London and great performances. Also on Feb. 26, NBC debuts “Good Girls,” a strong new comedy featuring Christina Hendricks, Retta and Mae Whitman as a trio of moms who rob a grocery store. On Feb. 28 Hulu debuts “The Looming Tower,” a chilling 10-episode series about the events leading up to the 9/11 attacks. Hulu describes the series as focusing on the “rising threat of Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda in the late 1990s, and how the rivalry between the FBI and CIA during that time may have inadvertently set the path for the tragedy of 9/11. “The Looming Tower” follows members of the I-49 Squad in New York and Alec Station in Washington, D.C., the counterterrorism divisions of the FBI and CIA, respectively, as they travel the world fighting for ownership of information while working toward the same goal: trying to prevent an imminent attack on U.S. soil.” Unsettling in many ways, particularly as the Mueller investigation reveals more about what happens in the shadows in America. Based on the 2006 book by Lawrence Wright and starring Peter Sarsgaard, Jeff Daniels, Wrenn Schmidt and Tahar Rahiim. Finally, the roll call of our most recent dead: Alyssa Alhadeff, Martin Duque Anguiano, Scott Beigel, Nicholas Dworet, Aaron Feis, Jaime Guttenberg, Christopher Hixon, Luke Hoyer, Cara Loughran, Gina Montalto, Joaquin Oliver, Alaina Petty, Meadow Pollack, Helena Ramsay, Alex Schachter, Carmen Schentrup and Peter Wang. We don’t know if any of the 14-to17-year-olds murdered in Parkland, FL on Valentine’s Day were or would have come out as LGBT. We do know that many of their surviving classmates have rainbow flags in their social media accounts. We also know that those same survivors have been outspoken, putting themselves in front of TV news cameras with in-your-face activism. These brave young voices are refusing silence, the mayhem of guns and assault weapons, or to accept that the only answer to conflict is killing. They are standing up to Trump, the GOP, the NRA. They are all over TV from ABC to CNN, and their voices remind us that activism is the bedrock of this nation. Rippon tweeted, “I got asked if competing at the Olympics was the most important day in my life and the answer is no, every day is important and shouldn’t be taken for granted. These shootings have to stop. Sending love to those families hurting today.” So for the feats of athleticism and bravery at the Olympics, the dramas of our recent past, the profound tragedy of our present, and for all the ways TV links us to our world in the real-est of time, you know you must stay tuned.t

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<< Music

24 • Bay Area Reporter • February 22-28, 2018

Goodbye, yellow brick road by Gregg Shapiro

a way of saying in song the things many of us think: “My Therapist Says,” “Don’t Blame New York,” “I’m a Monster,” and the server anthem “Cover My Section.” Gay, Austin-based singer-songwriter Patrick Boothe returns with You Have To Believe We Are Tragic (patrickboothe.com). The title may sound like a parody of the Olivia Newton-John song “Magic,” but the material is serious. Boothe wanted the album “to reflect what it may be like for one to fall in love while working through depression and anxiety.” This comes across on the songs “Untouchable,” “Living Man” and “Do Better.” Musical genres you might not think of as being welcoming to out gay men, say country, metal or jazz, have begun to change. Even the blues, perhaps the last vestige of the straight male musician, has an openly gay artist in its ranks with harmonica player Jason Ricci. Over the course of 11 songs clocking in at 77 minutes, Approved by Snakes (Eller Soul) by confirms that Ricci & The Bad Kind are a blues force to be reckoned with. Dance music has long been the province of gay men, as both performers and fans. On Celebrate (Burning Tyger), Win Marcinak

blends covers (Three Dog Night’s “Celebrate,” Sylvester’s “Mighty Real,” Kajagoogoo’s “Too Shy” and Aretha’s “Rock Steady”) with originals. Ulla Hedwig, one of Bette Midler’s original Harlettes, sings along on “We Are What We Are.” Finally, musical theater continues to play an important role in the lives of gay men. Three recent cast recordings feature significant contributions from gays. The late Howard Ashman was not only behind the Broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors, but he also helped to revive Disney’s animated musical with blockbusters The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. The first collaboration by Ashman and Alan Menken, Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (Ghostlight), has finally made its way to CD on the premiere cast recording featuring James Earl Jones. Partners Dan Martin and Michael Biello collaborated with Jennifer Robbins on Marry Harry: Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording (MarryHarry.com), about the intersection of love and food. Zombie Bathhouse features a book by Brian Kirst and music and lyrics by Scott Free. Free’s fans may recognize some of the music from his own solo albums.t

The protagonist, Colin, at 13 at the threshold of adulthood, is mired in guilt that he caused his father’s suicide. Putting it that way articulates both the absurdity and the unavoidability of that death-dealing psychic needle. Here’s the deal – what the French would call the donnee of the plot: Colin’s father, David, has passed the larger part of fatherhood in the chill, low-lit basement of his family’s Minneapolis home. He’s written things strange and personal, enough to fill a long shelf of notebooks. He keeps a gun in a drawer with the bullets made for it. Father-seeking son, longing participant, compulsive reader Colin surreptitiously loads the gun. Soon David’s brains paint the study. So is Colin’s chronic rushing to light his mother’s cigarettes Oedipal? In short order, dazed Diane smother-mothers away Colin’s smart-mouthed Cassandra of an older sister, Heather, institutionalizes his autistic older bother, Paul, and launches that ur-American adventure, a vacation a deux, Colin the navigator to her scattered, chainsmoking Ahab. One soon wonders if it’s because the road trip limits Colin’s guilt-

ridden, compulsive masturbation that it also becomes his initiation into real adult gay sexuality. Some might say “prematurely,” but Colin’s clear it’s in the nick of time. The original destination for this Jack Kerouac meets Mona Simpson meets the Coen Bros. road trip is San Francisco, one degree too perfect for a gay kid’s coming of age. Only momentarily does it seem impulsive that Diane re-routes their trip, via the Grand Canyon, America’s archetypal vagina, to LA, where

anyone so inclined can play roles. Nathan is unsparing in detailing the multiform anguish of fatherseeking boy love encountering the smooth operators expertly prepared to pick the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil at its juiciest. Nathan writes about inexperienced sex without making you wince – at the writing, anyway. Psychic and psychological hazards abound in “Some Hell,” but the reader learns to trust the author’s steady hand, contending with double-dealing memory while slipping in beauties of prose. Here’s twilight in LA: “The sun had long set and it was the ground’s turn to light the sky.” He even riffs on the Chekhovian dictum that you never show a gun that doesn’t go off. The gun in the plot, which explores several mouth cavities, isn’t it. The novel begins: “Two days before their father shot himself, Heather foretold her brother’s death” (shortly after his 16th birthday). A birthday then passes, observed belatedly and pathetically, keeping the birthday idea afloat, and Colin not incidentally alive. Only at the end does Nathan resurrect the prophecy, and make poetry of it.t

up and make-believe.” Holding fast to a belief in fairies, she pursued her love of musicals and theater, idolizing the boys she grew up with, and having a first gay sexual experience in a shared sleeping bag while attending the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in San Rafael. At 21, having moved out of his mother’s home and been kicked out of a Tenderloin hotel “for doing drag,” Lake relocated into the “Angels of Light” house on Church St., an alternative if chaotic safe haven led by drag royalty “Hibiscus” for atrisk youth searching for community and solidarity. Her desire to become a member of the spectacular drag troupe The Cockettes became an obsession. She describes the group as “glamorous, yet still really gross,” and notes their enduring conflicts

about how to achieve “the proper ratio of beauty to crassness” during their shows. A chapter on her time in Berlin is vividly realized. Lake describes the “open, decadent, and free” culture and attitudes there in the mid-70s, and encounters with David Bowie and Iggy Pop. Her work as a stripper at the Galaxy Club on Broadway in North Beach is also dynamically drawn. She ruminates on the beauty of classic musclemen and “straight” rock-and-roll boys to whom she was drawn, but only so far: “I’m willing to bow down, but not all the way over.” Gigs as a porn film actress and a she-male call girl, and a desperate personal reinvention followed. Lake returned to the stage as a singer

and stage star. An Afterword details what Lake, now 68, has been up to over the last two decades. She writes about living in subsidized senior housing, and having her breast implants removed after one gave her problems. Lake has become calmer about not having a place to fit in, or a partner. She has let go of the anger that plagued her younger years. “I’m calm now, but it took an awful long time for me,” she writes. “Things happen when you get quasi-famous.” Lake has been the subject of a documentary, “Sticks and Stones,” and returned to the stage last year in a sold-out one-woman-show at the Oasis cabaret. The book doesn’t divulge the future of Bambi Lake, only her extraordinary past. For fans, that just might be enough for now.t

ast month Elton John announced that he would be retiring from touring. His three-year farewell concert tour is sure to be one of the biggest events in pop-music history. The release of the double-disc hits compilation Diamonds (Rocket-Island-UMe) preceded the announcement by a couple of months. At 34 tracks, Diamonds does a good job of representing the first 10 years of Elton’s career on the first disc. But things go awry on the second disc, since this represents a much longer period, 1980 to the present day, a time when the hits were somewhat less plentiful. Because it covers more than 36 years, during which he released more than 15 studio albums, as well as movie soundtracks and cast recordings, there are obvious exclusions. Nevertheless, as updated collections go, Diamonds sparkles. Arriving six years after his debut EP, Jason Gould’s first full-length album Dangerous Man (Qwest) is a safe but solid disc. Gould, the gay son of Barbra Streisand and Elliott Gould, holds his own throughout, performing originals and cover tunes. A couple of the songs from the EP, “Morning Prayer” and “This Masquerade,” have made their way

onto the full-length. His covers of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “For All We Know” and “The Way You Look Tonight” are all pleasing to the ear. “The Stranger,” co-written with Marilyn and Alan Bergman, responsible for some of Streisand’s biggest hits, could be the sole nod to Gould’s mother. Also notable are collaborations with lesbian songwriter Marsha Malamet, including “One Day” and “All’s Forgiven.” Let’s face it, Sam Smith is the gay male Adele. His new album The Thrill of It All (Capitol) only seals the deal. It’s an unavoidable comparison when Smith opens the disc with the heart-tugging ballad “Too Good at Goodbyes.” The gospelstyle choir is also a nice touch. The

biggest difference between the new disc and Smith’s award-winning debut In the Lonely Hour is the way that ballads dominate. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as “Say It First,” “Him” and the religious experience of “Pray” (cue gospel choir) demonstrate that Smith knows his strengths. Gay singer-songwriter Jim Andralis released his solo debut in 2016. Lucky for us, we didn’t have to wait long for the follow-up. Available on CD and gorgeous pink vinyl, Shut Up Shut Up (jimandralismusic. com) exceeds expectations. With stunning girl-group harmonies provided by The Syntonics (Julie Delano, Leslie Graves, Susan Hwang and Jessie Kilguss), Andralis has

Father time by Tim Pfaff

“T

he New Yorker” reports that “static apnea” (competitive extreme breathholding) is now a thing. For out-of-pool practice I’d recommend reading Patrick Nathan’s debut novel “Some Hell” (Graywolf Press), which had me holding mine to new limits. Nathan’s writing is nothing if not gutsy. Writing a literary novel at all is pushing the envelope today. Reading “Some Hell” as someone more than twice Nathan’s age (he’s 33), time and again I watched him walk into Michael O’Laughlin thickets I thought would be, if not his undoing, a mistake Patrick Nathan’s debut novel is from which his book might not “Some Hell” (Graywolf Press). recover. Unfailingly, he marched on through, if not unscathed, a I’ve edited enough YAL to wonfar better narrator for it. der whether I had the appetite for Nathan’s novel is accomplished more teen Sturm und Drang. As a in many ways. The prose has finish, staple of coming-of-age novels, it’s while the writing gets things done. a given fewer writers should take It turns genres and formulas on than actually do, what with Henry their heads without showing off, James’ haunting the writer’s garret. and adroitly skirts prose promising Nathan veils the profundity in his truthy takeaways. There are even story in the nail-biting teenager’s times you pause to ask, “Did that voice. But it’s a deep dive into the really happen?” elated to find out same hot, tarry business of patrithere’s no telling. cide the Greeks worried to death.

Iconic identity by Jim Piechota

The Unsinkable Bambi Lake by Bambi Lake with Alvin Orloff; Manic D Press, $15.95

n this updated version of local chanteuse Bambi Lake’s memoir, there are more photographs and commentary, but the core of the book remains a testament to the flamboyant, adventurous life of a unique and talented performer. First published in 1996, Lake’s book intimately describes her humble beginnings growing up as California native Johnny Purcell in Redwood City, where “Latins ruled” and she openly adored her sexy young neighbors. A teenager in the 1960s, Lake was unafraid to be the “artistic one, expressing a rather

striking, perhaps even shocking flare for the feminine arts of dress-

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<< Theatre

26 • Bay Area Reporter • February 22-28, 2018

Compton’s Cafeteria

From page 17

The production features a 12-person cast who interact with the 50 audience members to recreate life in the Tenderloin in the 1960s, when drag queens and their allies got together regularly for latenight breakfasts at Compton’s. In 1966, a drag queen threw her cup of hot coffee in the face of a police officer as he made an unwarranted attempt to arrest her. The riot that followed would come to be known as the United States’ first recorded act of militant queer resistance to social oppression and police harassment, three years before the famous gay riot at New York’s Stonewall Inn. The new production, in the works for two years, brings together an accomplished playwright and two transgender women whose memories of life in the Tenderloin provided the storyline and dialogue. The collaborative production was conceived and developed by Bay Area playwright Mark Nasser and Tenderloin Museum director Katie Conry. Nasser wrote the script with neighborhood drag queens Donna Personna and Collette LeGrand. The three then workshopped the play through 2017, incorporating community feedback. Conry, who took the helm as museum director last year, got grants from from the California Humanities, a nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Zellerbach Family Foundation, the Horizons Foundation, and the Neighborhoods Arts Collaborative/Grants for the Arts. The idea for the production came spontaneously, when Nasser, a straight man, visited the Tenderloin Museum and was intrigued by what he learned about the community activism illustrated in its permanent collection. A playwright and actor best-known for developing “Tony and Tina’s Wedding,” the longest-

running Off Broadway comedy in New York City history (25 years), Nasser hopes the new production will resonate with theatregoers. In a telephone interview with the B.A.R., Nasser, 60, said he became interested in writing about the Tenderloin after visiting St. Boniface Church, where he saw homeless people sleeping in the pews, and meeting Tenderloin Museum director Katie Conry. “Can we collaborate on something?” Nassar asked Conry. “I’d ordinarily mull over a new project for a long time,” he said, “but I knew immediately this was something I wanted to write about. It’s historically significant and still so relevant today.” Nasser said an important part of the production was finding transgender people to play the roles of the “queens” in the production. “It wasn’t easy” to find trained actors for the parts, he said, “but it was important to us.” The production came together slowly, gelling after Nasser was introduced to two community activisits, Collette LeGrand and Donna Personna, who were interested in working on something so close to their hearts. Personna, 71, an artist who performed with the Cockettes and serves on the board of directors for the Trans March and the Transgender Day of Rembrance, had a 45-year career as a hairstylist in the South Bay, taking the Greyhound bus to San Francisco on weekends, where she spent time in the Tenderloin. Going to beauty college guaranteed Peronna a job in a field where transgender women were accepted, she said in a phone interview with the B.A.R. “It wasn’t as if I made an informed decision,” she said, “but thanks to the suggestion of my brother I was able to work in a field where heterosexual men and women welcomed queers.” But when she visited the city, she witnessed the everyday

Darwin Bell

Pleasure Bynight as Collette, Lavale Davis as Nicki, and Persia as a police officer in “The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot.”

“trauma and hatred” transgender women faced on the street, including the time a car she was riding in got riddled with bullets. “Life on the streets was scary,” she said. At 37, Personna went back to college, graduating with honors from San Jose State. “I consider myself a warrior, activist, and rebel,” she said. “I was honored to be given the opportunity to tell my personal stories that were adapted into the play. So everything the audience sees and hears actually happened.” LeGrand, 69, the twice former Grand Duchess of the Ducal Court of San Francisco who has raised funds for charity in the Tenderloin for 30 years and has her own biweekly drag show, “Dream Queens Revue,” moved to San Francisco in 1973. When she first arrived in the city, she spent years “pretty much as a streetwalker. Back then,” she said in a phone interview with the

Erik Tomasson

Benjamin Freemantle and Ulrik Birkkjaer partner in choreographer Benjamin Millepied’s “The Chairman Dances [Quartet for Two]” for San Francisco Ballet.

SF Ballet 2 & 3

From page 17

Over and over, it’s yes and no. The male corps in “On a Theme of Paganini” lined up in effacee attitudes more beautiful than the women can do at New York City Ballet. In the ballet that opened Program 3, Da Sola and her two cavaliers made brilliant work of everything. On the other hand, Maria Kochetkova and Vitor Luis, the main couple, blurred a lot of things, and made you wonder: Had they nailed their steps to Rachmaninoff ’s music, would the choreography have shone through? Or are those steps not really what the music is asking for? And that question, why isn’t the choreogra-

phy better than serviceable, plagued everything all night. Especially if you’d seen Program 2, which also opened with a neoclassical ballet, “Serenade,” set to great Russian music, Tchaikovsky, where every move they make seems miraculously wedded to the music. The dance is in love with the music, even though the ballet is now almost 80 years, it’s still inspiring the dancers of today to outdo themselves. The harmonic structure of that music is guaranteed to stir hearts. The cry from the heart that you hear in the very first chord, with its searing dissonance, lets you know that in the end she’s going to die a tragic death and be borne off into the heavens. Sarah van Patten met her fate with a

tragic masque, and it was all implicit in the first chord of that music, which we heard before the curtain went up. She was not in top form til then, and was outdanced in the waltz by her partner, Luke Ingham, who without grandstanding or seeming to try to pull focus danced with the clarity, elegance, modesty and exquisite form of a ballerina in every move he made. Sasha de Sola gave one of the greatest readings of the Russian Girl I’ve ever seen. I could complain that she keeps her toes slightly flexed in entrechats, which would be reasonable in any dancer other than one at her world-classchallenging level. But it spoils the line; Kyra Nichols did not do them that way. On the other hand, her

B.A.R., “there weren’t many jobs available” to transgender women. In the 1980s, LeGrand began a 27-year career with Pacific Bell, a “welcome relief ” from her years working on the street. When LeGrand was first asked about getting involved with a play about life in the Tenderloin in the 1960s, “I really didn’t want to do it. I didn’t like the idea of my life being out there in the public eye,” she said. But after she and Personna met with Nasser for several weeks, “the idea of a straight man writing about transgender people starting making a lot of sense to me.” Now, she said on the eve of the premiere, “I realize this is probably the most interesting and exciting thing” that has ever happened to her. Others in the production include Kelly J. Kelly, who recently appeared in her comedy solo show “Stepford Wife Wannabe”; Clair Farley, a trans advocate, actress,

writer, and the Mayor’s Senior Advisor on Trans Initiatives; Pleasure Bynight, a recent transplant to San Francisco who performs at shows around the city; LaVale Davis, who can be seen as his drag alter ego Coco Buttah; Jaylyn Abergas, who twirls hair at Smoke & Mirrors Salon downtown by day, and twirls her legs as her drag persona Miss J by night; Shane Zaldivar, who came to the Bay Area to attend Oaksterdam University, now a drag performer; Drew Olvey, pursuing a degree in theatre and performance studies; and Steve Menasche, a conservatory-trained actor, musician and martial artist who has toured the world with West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar and the American Folk Theatre. Also in the cast are Jacob Ritts, Joseph Paul, Barbara Pond, and Persia.t

trajectories have such glorious intent to them, as if Picasso had put his pen to the page. She goes where she’s going, it is unbelievably clean, clear, shining. The great thing about ballet is that any child can see this, that the whole audience sees it. Or the great balance at the end of that evening: when Dores Andre in Justin Peck’s “Rodeo” took a balance facing away from her partner (brilliant Ulrik Birkkjaer), whose hands were outstretched near her waist but not touching. She stayed where she was, then let herself fall forward into his hands in one of the great moments of dance drama I’ve ever seen. That is a ballerina. But there is also the sheer physical thrill of seeing so many magnificently fit people moving so fast, so accurately, with such momentum and precision that the activity itself summons up their beauty and makes them all seem immortal, as if time and gravity and space had yielded to this time and this space, where now feels like forever. So those are the big Yes’s. The weirdest of the No’s is the stab at gay-friendliness made by Benjamin Millepied in the brand-new postscript he added to “The Chairman Dances [Quartet for Two].” During a blackout in “Quartet,” Yuan Yuan Tan metamorphoses into Benjamin Freemantle, and a pas de deux continues that’s no longer heterosexual. Of course, I applaud the sentiment. But it reminds me of the way that in Afghanistan, when a new conqueror overruns the country, all the mothers put little flags in the hands of their children and send them out to wave. It felt completely phony to me. Others may have been touched or moved, and I don’t want to call them fools. But nothing else in that ballet so far had seemed to require this new addition. Millepied has a facile hand

at getting people moving, but his ideas are flashes in the pan. He also has a gift for publicity. In case you’ve forgotten, he is not only married to Natalie Portman, he was also for a nanosecond director of the Paris Opera Ballet. It was a bad idea to add the “Quartet”; the only connection is that it’s more music by John Adams. You can’t win them all, not even Steph Curry can win every time. “Chairman” was fun on the SFB Gala several years ago, but it cannot stand up to having pride of place on a serious program, despite the sweetnatured dancing of the leads, Maria Kochetkova and Carlo di Lanno. Especially not following “Serenade.” Technically, it’s a premiere, so nobrainer, it gets pride of place. “Rodeo” is an affectionate reuse of music from the great midcentury ballet “Rodeo,” which starred the choreographer herself, Agnes de Mille, in music she commissioned from Aaron Copland, whose party trick was making Americana music. Fabulous music, lovely new dances about male bonding, framed as a capriccio for dancers by from Justin Peck, who has given everyone a chance to shine. Esteban Hernandez shone brightest of all, but noble Jaime Garcia Castillo stood out, as did Hansuke Yamamoto and the allable Wei Wang, and in smaller roles Henry Sidford, Lonnie Weeks. If everyone in “Ibsen’s House” had projected the intensity and pain of the characters they were portraying as Jennifer Stahl and Myles Thatcher did, I might have a very different view of that exhausting spectacle. The audience loved it: the cheering was loud and long. Certainly the dancers threw themselves into the kinetics of the churning phrases. Caniparoli has too many ideas, good ideas many of them, but the effect is chaotic, like Hollywood junipers in a high wind.t

“The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot” tickets: www.eventbrite.com.

Nightlife Events

Jack Andy

Shining Stars Vol. 48 • No. 8 • February 22-28, 2018

www.ebar.com V www.bartabsf.com

You boldly go, girl! Gender-bending ‘Star Trek Live’ at Oasis by David-Elijah Nahmod

magine a man playing a woman, and a woman playing a man, who switch bodies. Sound confusing? Not if you’re attending Star Trek Live at the Oasis, when the original series episode “Turnabout Intruder” will be performed live on stage. The show takes off on multiple dates in February and March. See page 28

Gooch

Ammo Eisu, Zelda Koznofski, Carol Ann Walker, Leigh Crow, Emily France and Ally Johnson in Star Trek Live.

Arts Events F February 22-March 1

Jeffery Moanalani

ebruary’s fabulous in the fine arts and performing fields this week. Gung Hay Fat Choy!

n page 29 >> Listings begin o

Sat 24

Chinese New Year Concert @ Davies Symphony Hall

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

<< Feature

28 • Bay Area Reporter • February 22-28, 2018

Captain Kirk (William Shatner) with Janice Lester (Sandra Smith) and –with Lester having switched bodies– flirting with Dr. Coleman (Harry Sanders).

Gooch

D’Arcy Drollinger as Janice Lester, Leigh Crow as James Kirk and Laurie Bushman as Arthur Coleman, in Star Trek Live.

Star Trek Live

From page 27

In the show, popular drag king Leigh Crow, once known as Elvis Presley impersonator Elvis Herselvis, stars as Captain James T. Kirk. D’arcy Drollinger, who also directs, will be seen as Kirk’s ex-girlfriend, now nemesis, Janice Lester. As the story unfolds, Lester’s mind takes over Kirk’s body, and vice-versa. “It’s a pretty funny part to be playing, for both myself and Leigh Crow,” Drollinger tells Bay Area Reporter. “I am in sexy space lady

drag doing my best, or worst, William Shatner impersonation. And Leigh Crow is doing a hilarious take on a very fem version of Kirk. That in and of itself is worth the price of admission alone.” “Playing with gender is what I do,” added Crow. “I love the strong audience reaction I get when I am playing a woman like in Bitchslap, when me in a dress gets a gasp! This will be a lot of fun as Shatner is overacting even for him! It’s like Victor/Victoria in space.” Crow has played Kirk at the Oasis in earlier incarnations of Star

Trek Live. Her love for the character goes back to her childhood. “I am a full-blown Trekkie and love both Kirk and Shatner,” she said. “Kirk wouldn’t be Kirk without Shatner and vice-versa. I don’t think you can play Kirk without playing Shatner and I love doing an over the top Shatner because it’s so much fun. Only a director like D’Arcy could say Bigger! More!” In its day the original Star Trek series was considered quite groundbreaking. Creator and producer Gene Roddenberry went where no TV series had gone before: Rod-

denberry insisted on diversity in his casting choices. The crew of the USS Enterprise included Mr. Sulu, an Asian man (George Takei), and Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), an African American woman. In the series’ most daring move, one episode featured an onscreen kiss between Uhura, and Kirk, who was white. Nichols has since recalled being told by Dr. Martin Luther King that he and his family were fans of hers. “It was very much about diversity,” Drollinger noted, as he recalled the interracial kiss between Kirk and Uhura. “I do think it’s important to embrace this right now. We are doing the final episode in the original series which is pretty sexy, but having women playing men saying their lines has another layer of comedy and social commentary.” Drollinger pointed out that Star Trek Live was both a satire and an homage. “I feel like there is a duty to be true to certain aspects of the series,” he said. “We have built Kirk’s chair to spec and use as much of the original music as we can find, but at the same time we take certain liberties

to mine for comedy. I describe it as a satirical restoration piece.” Audiences can expect to see impressive sets, which harken back to the original series. “I’m proud of what we’ve done with the art direction in a limited space,” said Drollinger. “Sarah Phykitt, who is the mastermind behind the art direction and sets, goes deep into the recreation process. I love working with her. We both embrace our artistic OCD.” And though no gay characters appeared on Star Trek until the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery, the latest voyage into the Trek universe, Drollinger wants to assure B.A.R. readers that Star Trek Live has much that will appeal to a gay audience. “The original Star Trek was one of the campiest shows ever produced on TV,” he said. “That factor has a built-in appeal to a gay audience.”t ‘Star Trek Live:’ “Turnabout Intruder” at Oasis: $27.50-$40. (Captain’s Table: $250). 298 11 St. February 23, 25, March 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 16, 17 at 7pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Arts Events>>

February 22-28, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 29

Reel to Reel @ Magic Theatre World premiere of writer-director John Kolvenbach’s play about an elderly couple’s recorded and forgotten memories. $35-$80. Tue 7pm, Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2:30pm. Thru Feb 25. Fort Mason, 2 Marina Blvd., Bldg D, 3rd floor. Magic Theatre.org

Robert Moses’ Kin @ YBCA World premiere of Moses’ new dance, Bootstrap Tales, inspired by foster youth outreach stories. $19$55. 8pm. Thru Feb. 25 (3pm). 700 Howard St. www.ybca.org

Company Wang Ramirez @ Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley

Thu 22 Angela Davis: OUTspoken @ GLBT History Museum New exhibit of art and ephemera about the historic lesbian activist and scholar. Feb 22: A Queer Love Story: Jane Rule & Rick Bébout with author Marilyn Schuster. Feb. 28: Fighting Back: Finding the Bisexual in LGBTQ, with a panel of historians and multi-generational activists. Both $5, 7pm. Also, Faces of the Past: Queer Lives in Northern California Before 1930, part of the Queer Past Becomes Present main exhibit. $5. 4127 18th St. glbthistory.org

The Book of Mormon @ Orpheum Theatre The multi-Tony-winning musical about the Mormon Church, written and composed by the South Park guys, returns. $80-$246. Thru Mar. 4. 1192 Market St. www.shnsf.com

Classic & New Films @ Castro Theatre

Literary Speakeasy @ Martuni’s

Reform School Girls @ Roxie Cinema

James J. Siegel’s monthly readings at the martini bar this time includes authors toasting the Beat Generation: Klipschutz, Brandon Loberg, K.R. Morrison, Zephir O’Meara, William Taylor Jr., and singer-songwriters Slim Critchlow. 7pm. 4 Valencia St.

Veruca Bathsalts and Jerry Lee cohost a screening of the campy B-film. $8$15. 3117 16th St. roxie.com

Lucia Berlin: Stories @ Z Below Word for Word’s staging of short stories by the acclaimed late author. $20-$75. Wed-Thu 7pm. Fri-Sat 8pm, Sun 3pm. Thru Mar. 11. 470 Florida St. www.zspace.org

Mad Hatter Party @ SF County Fair Bldg. Fundraiser and costume party for the opening of the annual Pacific Orchid Exhibition. $50. Reg admission $10$35. Exhibits thru Feb 25. 9th Ave. at Lincoln Blvd. pacorchidexpo.org/tickets

Feb 22-25: Sing-along The Little Mermaid. Feb 25 & 26: BPM (Beats Per Minute) (2pm, 7pm) and Tom of Finland (4:35, 9:35). Feb. 27: Call Me By Your Name (1:30, 4:!5, 7pm, 9:30). $11-$16. 429 Castro St. castrotheatre.com

Steve Hackett @ UC Theatre, Berkeley Founding member of Genesis plays. $40-$80. 8pm. 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. theuctheatre.org

Until, Until, Until ... @ YBCA Frank Lawson stars in Edgar Arceneaux’s live-action play based on Broadway performer Ben Vereen’s controversial Reagan inaugural Blackface performance in 1981. $20$25. 8pm. Also 23 & 24. Gallery One, 701 Mission St. ybca.org

Vietgone @ Strand Theater American Conservatory Theatre’s production of Qui Nguyen’s moving road trip comedy about three Vietnamese immigrants who trek across 1970s America. $25-$55. TueSat 7pm or 7:30pm (some 2pm), thru April 22. 1127 Market St. act-sf.org

Fri 23 Bamboozled @ City Club, Berkeley Central Works Workshop’s production of Patricia Milton’s new play about a Daughter of the Conferacy swindled out of historic heirlooms. $30-$35. Thru Mar. 18. 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. centralworks.org

The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot @ New Village Café The Tenderloin Museum presents the world premiere of Collette LeGrande, Mark Nassar and Donna Persona’s stage story of the Loaded author Roxanne historic pre-Stonewall Dunbar-Ortiz @ City Lights San Francisco uprising of Tenderloin drag queens, with a dozen performers. $60 (includes a ‘breakfast for dinner” Non-Player Character meal). 1960s attire and drag @ Creativity Theater encouraged. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru SF Playhouse’s world premiere March 17. 1426 Polk St. http://bit. of Walt McGough’s drama about ly/2mvz8ZY video game competitors and online revenge. $30. 7pm. Thu 7pm, Fri-Sat A Fatal Step @ The Marsh 8pm. Also Sat 3pm. Thru Mar. 3. 221 Jill Vice’s solo show about a 4th St., YBCA. sfplayhouse.org hardboiled detective, told by a femme fatale. $20-$100. Thu 8pm, Office Hour Sat 8:30pm. Thru Mar. 3. 1062 @ Berkeley Rep Valencia St. www.themarsh.org Julia Cho’s new drama about a Howl and Other Poems troubled student and a teacher’s attempts to help him. $30-$97. @ City Lights Booksellers Tue, Thu-Sat 8pm. Wed & Sun 7pm, Release party for the deluxe vinyl and Sun 2pm. Thru March 25. 2025 recordings of Allen Ginberg’s historic Addison St., Berkeley. berkeleyrep.org epic poem, recorded in 1959, with a book of poems; readings by Queer Ancestors Ann Charters, Kim Shuck, Neeli Project @ Strut Cherkovski, Garrett Caples and box Queer youth exhibition of art about set producer Bill Belmont. 7pm. 261 LGBTQ pioneers. 4709 Castro St. Columbus Ave. citylights.com strutsf.org

Fri 23

Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi The musical comedy revue celebrates its 43th year with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. $25-$160. Beer/wine served; cash only; . Wed-Fri 8pm. Sat 6pm & 9pm. Sun 2pm & 5pm. 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd. (Green St.). 421-4222. beachblanketbabylon.com

Born Yesterday @ SF Playhouse Garson Kanin’s 1946 comedy gets a stylish revival at the downtown company’s stage. $35-$60. Thru Mar. 10. 450 Post St. sfplayhouse.org

Carla Bruni @ The Venetian Room The gorgeous singer performs songs from her recent EP, French Touch. $90-$125. 8pm. Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason St. bayareacabaret.com

Hot Draw @ SF Eagle Colton Long, Mr. SF Eagle 2018 and Mark I Chester of Gay Men’s Sketch cohost a drawing event, with a leather-clad male model; open to all. $20. Proceeds benefit Mark Leno’s mayoral campaign. 6:30pm-9pm. 398 12th St. www.markichester.com

Agathe Poupeney

Sat 24

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz @ City Lights Booksellers

Lucie Arnaz @ Feinstein’s The Broadway veteran and TV star performs Latin Roots, her musical tribute to her father, Ricky Arnaz. $60-$100. 8pm. Also Feb. 23. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Megabytes the Musical @ Shelton Theater Morris Bobrow’s comedy song revue about the frustrations of technology. $25-$30. Fri & Sat 8pm. 533 Sutter St. megabytesthemusical.com

Older and Out @ North Berkeley Senior Center Weekly group discussion about problems for elders in the LGBT community. 3:15pm. 1901 Hearst Ave., Berkeley. pacificcenter.org

The author of Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment, discusses her investigation of the gun industry and mass shootings. 7pm. 261 Columbus Ave. citylights.com

SF Chamber Orchestra @ Herbst Theatre Dvorák’s Serenade in D minor, Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 and Brahms’ Serenade No. 2 in A Major are performed in a mostly woodwinds concert, with soprano Natalie Image. 7:30pm. 401 Van Ness Ave. (Also Feb 25, 3pm at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave., Berkeley. thesfco.org

Spirited Probabilities @ Southern Exposure Opening reception for a group exhibit using the space as a canvas. 7pm-9pm. Thru Mar. 31. Tue-Sat 12pm-6pm. 3030 20th St. soex.org

Star Trek Live @ Oasis See pages 27-28 for full info. $27$40. Fri-Sun 7pm. Thru March 17. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

See page 30 >>

<< Arts Events

30 • Bay Area Reporter • February 22-28, 2018

Gender Schmear @ Chez Poulet

Skate Night @ Church on 8 Wheels

Keshet and Sha’ar Zahav’s annual LGBTQ Purim party, with Ariel Vegosen. Costumes, food, drinks and fun. $10-$70. 8pm-11pm. 3359 Cesar Chavez St. keshetonline.org

Wheeled fun at the former Sacred Heart Church-turned disco roller skate party space, hosted by John D. Miles, the “Godfather of Skate,” including Saturday’s Black Rock night (Burning Man garb encouraged). 7pm-10pm. Sat afternoon sessions 1pm-2pm and 3pm-5pm. $10. Kids 12 and under $5. Skate rentals $5. 554 Fillmore St at Fell. www.churchof8wheels.com

I Am Not Your Negro @ New Valencia Hall Screening of the acclaimed documentary about gay author James Baldwin. 1pm snacks, 1:30pm program. $3-$5. 747 Polk St. socialism.com

Thu 22

Ida Lupino Films @ Berkeley Art Museum/ Pacific Film Archive

Frank Lawson in Until, Until, Until ... @ YBCA

Arts Events

From page 29

Still at Risk @ NCTC Tim Pinckley’s new play explores the hazards of rewriting an AIDS activist’s past as he tries to move forward. Pre-/post-show panels/ events. $35-$45. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru Feb 25. 25 Van Ness Ave, lower level. nctcsf.org

Transitions @ Gateway Theatre Theatre Rhino’s new production of John Fisher’s satire about Donald Trump’s secret romance with a sassy drag queen. $15-$40. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sat 3pm. Thru Mar. 17. 215 Jackson St. www.theatrerhino.org

The Wedding Singer @ Victoria Theatre Bay Area Musicals’ new production of the Tony-nominated musical based on the Adam Sandler film. $35-$100. Thu-Sat 8pm, some 7:30pm. Thru Mar. 17. 2961 16th St. bamsf.org

Weightless @ Z Space World premiere of Kate Kilbane and Dan Moses’ genre-bending rock show take on Ovid’s tale of Procne and Philomela, sisters who fight gods and distance to reunite; set in a nightclub speakeasy, with different nightly opening acts. $10-$150. Thru March 18. 450 Florida St. zspace.org

Widowers’ Houses @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Aurora Theatre Company’s production of George Bernard Shaw’s 1892 comic satire romance and villains. $33-$65. Tue, Wed Sun 7pm. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru Feb. 25. 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. auroratheatre.org

Sat 24 Agony in Effigy @ BAM/PFA, Berkeley Art, Truth, Pain, and the Body, a graphic art exhibit of historic works from the 1500-1600s. Thru June 17. Berkely Art Museum, Pacific Film archive, 2155 Center St. Berkeley. www.bampfa.org

Be Not Still: Living in Uncertain Times @ diRose Center for Art, Napa Group exhibit of conceptual art that explores the dangers of contemporary times and ideas, with Rigo 23, Allison Smith, Ala Ebtekar, and Dodie Bellamy & Kevin Killian showcase works that represent fear and foreboding. Thru May 27. 200 Sonoma (Carneros) Highway, Napa. www.dirosaart.org

Black Choreographers Festival @ Dance Mission Theatre Three weekends of new dance works by choreographers from SF, LA and elsewhere: Delina Patrice Brooks, Alex Diaz, Chris Evans with Byb Chanel Bibene, Ashley Gayle and Noah James, Shawn Hawkins, Kai Hazelwood, Cherie Hill, Joslynn Mathis Reed, Nkechi Njaka, Chris Scarver, Natalya Shoaf, Dazaun Soleyn, Phylicia Stroud, Latanya d. Tigner, Meagan Uriah Wells and Jamie Wright. $10-$25. Sat & Sun 7:30pm. Thru Mar. 4. 3316 24th St. www.bcfhereandnow.com

Blessed Unrest @ CounterPulse Daylong meeting and discussions about how nonprofits are making community and arts projects. 11am6pm. 80 Turk St. counterpulse.org

The Book of Moron @ Marin Center Robert Dubac’s hit OffBroadway comic solo show about existence. $30-$60. 8pm. Feb. 25 at 4pm & 8pm. 10 Ave. of the flags, San Rafael. www.marincenter.org

Chinese New Year Concert @ Davies Symphony Hall SF Symphony rings in the lunar new year with a concert of works by Huanzhi Li, Rachmaninoff, Tan Dun, Huang Ruo and traditional music, with a dragon dance, and 2pm pre-concert festivities for kids and adults. $34-$79. 3pm. Post-concert Imperial Dinner $400 and up. 201 Van Ness Ave. www.sfsymphony.org

Company Wang Ramirez @ Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley Honji Wang & Sébastien Ramirez’ dance-theatre company performs the aerial, athletic and ethereal work, Borderline. $24-$72. 8pm. Also Feb. 25, 3pm. UC Berkeley campus. www.calperformances.org

Screenings of films starring the innovative actress who wrote, produced and directed films in the ‘40s and ‘50s. $5-$13. Thru Feb 24. 2155Center St., Berkeley. bampfa.org

Imperial Coronation @ SF Design Center Galleria See the newest Empress and Emperor competition and crowning, with drag acts galore, and an ‘Emerald City’ theme. $20, $70 and up. 5pm-11:30pm. 101 Henry Adams St. Other events through the weekend. bit.ly/2CmnGpB

LGBTQ Histories from the WWII Home Front @ Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center, Richmond Park indoor exhibit that showcases the lives of historic LGBT people. Open daily 10am-5pm. 1414 Harbour Way South, Suite 3000, Richmond. www.roseitheriveter.org

En Mas’ @ MOAD En Mas’: Carnaval and Performance Art of the Caribbean, an exhibit of colorful costumes, videos, ephemera from Carnaval culture. Thru Mar. 4. 685 Mission St. moadsf.org

Spring Festival @ Chinese Cultural Center Free event with music, arts, demos, snacks and dragon dancers celebrating The Year of the Dog. 12pm-4pm. 750 Kearny St., 3rd floor, inside Hilton Hotel. www.cccsf.us

Stacey Kent @ Venetian Room The Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist performs her new cabaret show, I Know I Dream. $55-$65. 4pm & 7pm. Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason St. www.staceykent.com

Sweeney Todd @ San Jose Stage Company Stephen Sondheim’s wickedly amazing musical about a serial-killing barber gets a local production. $32-$72. Wed-Thu 7:30pm. Fri-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru March 18. 490 South First St., San Jose. https://www.thestage.org/

Tender Life @ Tenderloin Museum Tender Life: Graphic and Ceramic Memories of Tenderloin Living, 1999-2004, a group exhibit of contemporary ceramic and other works by Holly Coley and others. 398 Eddy St. tenderloinmuseum.org

Teotihuacan @ de Young Museum

Visit the lush gardens for winter Magnolia displays, plus many other trees and plants. Free entry with SF proof of residency. $5-$10 for others. 7:30am-closing. 9th Ave at Lincoln Way. sfbotanicalgarden.org

Teotihuacan : City of Water, City of Fire, a new interactive exhibit of archeological discoveries from the ancient Mexican city (thru Feb. 11). Also, Revelations: Art from the African American South (thru April 1) and amazing modern and historic art. Free/$15. 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park. www.famsf.org

New Year Parade @ Chinatown

Various Exhibits @ NIAD Art Center, Richmond

Magnificent Magnolias @ SF Botanical Garden

Watch dragons, bands and local organizations parade through downtown and Chinatown. VIP viewing party 5pm-8pm. $80 tickets benefit Chinese Cultural Center programs. cccsf.us/calendar

Exhibits of art by visiting professionals, and art made by developmentally disabled people. Mon-Fri 10am-4pm. 551 23rd St. Richmond. (510) 620-0290. niadart.org

Constructed Communication @ Museum of Craft and Design Dogpatch warehouse is a museum store, gallery and program space. Tom Loeser’s Please Please Please (artistic unique furniture) and T.W. Five (vinyl murals). Mon-Fri 9:30am-5:30pm. 2569 Third St. 773-0303. sfmcd.org

Contraption @ Contemporary Jewish Museum Contraption: Rediscovering California Jewish Artists, a new group exhibit of works by 16 artists who explore the idea of the “machines,” including ceramics, drawings, sculpture and paintings by Ned Kahn, Bella Feldman, Howard Fried, and Annabeth Rosen. Thru July 29. 736 Mission St. thecjm.org

Crescendo @ Fairmont Hotel The SF Gay Men’s Chorus’ annual star-studded gala fundraiser, with Wilson Cruz ( Star Trek: Discovery), Kelley Jakle ( Pitch Perfect), Mary Lambert, Andrew Lippa, Carson Jones, London Breed, Armistead Maupin, Tyler Glenn, Bob the Drag Queen, plus cocktails, silent auction, dinner, choral performances. Black tie optional. $250, $350 and up. 5pm-11pm. 950 Mason St. sfgmc.org

Fri 23

Hot Draw @ Mark I. Chester Studio

Arts Events>>

February 22-28, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 31

Wild SF Walking Tours @ Citywide

Queerest Library Ever @ SF Public Libraries

Enjoy weekly informed tours of various parts of San Francisco, from Chinatown to the Haight, and a ‘radical’ and political-themed LGBTinclusive tour. Various dates and times. $15-$25. wildsftours.com

Hormel at 20: Celebrating Our Past/ Creating Our Future, a dual exhibit of archival materials celebrating two decades of the LGBTQ collections. 100 Larkin St., 3rd floor, and at the Eureka Valley Branch, 1 Jose Sarria Court at 16th St. sfpl.org

Sat 24

I Am Not Your Negro @ New Valencia Hall

Sun 25

The Retrieval @ SFAC Gallery Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle’s solo exhibit of works visualizing the disappearance of Black women in California, and with traditional nigerian Egungun costumes. Thru April 7 (closing reception, performance 5:30pm-7pm). 401 Van Ness Ave. sfartscommission.org

Angie Chau, Andrew Lam @ Asian Art Museum The two Vietnamese authors discuss their books ( Quiet As They Come, Birds of Paradise Lost) and coming of age in San Francisco. Free w/ museum admission ($6-$15). 1pm2:30pm. 200 Larkin St. asianart.org

Annual Gala @ The Flight Deck, Oakland Fundraiser for the performance nonprofit, with cocktails, a biffet, silent auction and performances. $110 and up. 4:30pm. 1540 Broadway, Oakland. theflightdeck.org

The Art and Science of Pinball @ Chabot Space & Science Museum, Alameda New exhibit of 35 pinball machine, historic early versions, models, diagrams and demos. $5-$15. 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. chabotspace.org

Ecstatic Dance @ Sacred Heart Church Weekly group freeform dance with a spiritual flavor at the former churchturned event space. $15. 9am-12pm. Also Wed. and Fridays in Oakland and Fairfax. 554 Fillmore St. www.ecstaticdance.org

Casanova: The Seduction of Europe @ Legion of Honor See Rococo finery in an 80-work tour of paintings, furniture and lavish objects. Thru May 28. Also, Séraphin Soudbinine, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Framing the Body, Mummies and Medicine and other exhibits of classical and modern art. Free/$30. Lincoln Park, 100 34th Ave. legionofhonor.famsf.org

Lunar New Year @ Oakland Museum Celebration of Chinese New Year, with family-friendly arts, crafts, foods, demos, dancing dragons, live music and more. $5-$15. 12pm4:30pm. 1000 Oak St., Oakland. www.museumca.org

Sat 24

My Stroke of Luck @ The Marsh Diane Barnes’ solo show about recovering from a stroke. $20-$100. Sat 5pm, Sun 2pm, thru Mar. 4. Also Mar. 15-29, Thu 8pm & Sun 2pm. 1062 Valencia St. themarsh.org

OutLook Video @ Channel 29

Smile! The Comics of Raina Telgemeier @ Cartoon Art Museum

The Rose That Grew From Concrete @ LGBT Center

New exhibit of works by the awardwinning author and illustrator of graphic novels, at the museum’s new location. Free/$10. Thu-Tue 11am-5pm. 781 Beach St. Thru Mar. 20. https://www.cartoonart.org/

Exhibit of multimedia art by members of the Center’s Youth Program. 1800 Market St. sfcenter.org

The weekly LGBT TV show, with updates on current events. 9:30pm. www.outlookvideo.org

Traces of the Past and Future @ Asian Art Museum

Queer Tango @ Finnish Hall, Berkeley

Fu Shen’s Painting and calligraphy, thru Sept. Many other exhibits of sculpture and antiquities. Free-$20. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. 200 Larkin St. www.asianart.org

Same-sex partner tango dancing, including lessons for newbies, food and drinks. $5-$10. 3:30pm6:30pm. 1970 Chestnut St, Berkeley. www.finnishhall.org

Robert Rauchenberg @ SF MOMA Erasing the Rules, a new expansive exhibit of work by the post-modern artist; thru March 25. Also, Walker Evans ; an exhibit of 300 prints from the 1930s, with 100 of his own collected artifacts. Also, exhibits of Pop, Abstract and classic Modern art. Free/$25. Fri-Tue 10am-6pm. Thru Feb 4. 151 3rd St. sfmoma.org

SF Hiking Club @ Presidio Join GLBT hikers of the SF Hiking Club for a nine-mile hike in the Presidio, San Francisco’s not-sohidden national park. Highlights and some obscure treasures include Andy Goldsworthy’s installations. Enjoy some spectacular Golden Gate and city views. Bring layers, hat, lunch, water, and comfortable, sturdy shoes. Meet 10:15 at the Presidio Gate, Presidio Ave. at Pacific. Buses #1 and #43 get you close. 378-5612. sfhiking.com

Spring Festival @ Chinese Cultural Center

Mon 26 Book Club @ Strut The club discusses the late Justin Chin’s Selected Works, with wine and snacks. 7:30pm. 470 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

Fantasy Life @ SF City Hall Tabitha Soren’s 15-year project photographing Oakland A’s players through their careers. Extended thru March 23. Ground Floor & North Light Court. http://www. sfartscommission.org

Looking Through the Lens @ Diane Wilsey Center for Opera The Glory of San Francisco Opera, Past and Present, an exhibit of historic productions photos from the San Francisco Opera’s many productions. Free. Mon-Fri 9am6pm. Veteran’s Building, 401 Van Ness Ave. www.sfopera.com

William Blake in Color @ William Blake Gallery Exhibit of classic plates in the gallery of historic art by the 18th- and 19th-century poet and illustrator. Mon-Fri 10am-5pm. Sat 11am5pm. 49 Geary St. #205. williamblakegallery.com

Tue 27 David Spiher @ Strut The gay artist’s exhibit of compelling portraits and figure paintings. Thru Feb. 470 Castro St. strutsf.org

Deborah Roberts @ Jenkins Johnson Gallery Exhibit of the artist’s collage portraits of African American girls. Thru March 17. 464 Sutter St. jenkinsjohnsongallery.com

Gogol Bordello @ The Fillmore International band, known for energetic “gypsy punk” shows with a folk flair, performs with Lucky Chops. $40. 8pm. 1095 Geary Blvd. at Fillmore. gogolbordello.com

Unearthed @ California Academy of Sciences Exhibits and planetarium shows with various live, interactive and installed exhibits about animals, plants and the earth; new exhibit, From Stone Age to Space Age, showcases minerals through time. Special events each week, with adult nightlife parties many Thursday nights. $20-$35. Mon-Sat 9:30am5pm. Sun 11am-5pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. 379-8000. www.calacademy.org

Various Events @ Oakland LGBTQ Center Social events and meetings at the new LGBTQ center include film screenings and workshops, including Bruthas Rising, trans men of color meetings, 4th Tuesdays, 6:30pm. Film screenings, 4th Saturdays, 7:30pm. Game nights, Fridays 7:30pm-11pm. Vogue sessions, first Saturdays. 3207 Lakeshore Ave. Oakland. oaklandlgbtqcenter.org

Wed 28 Dennis Conkin @ Tenderloin Museum Color is Pure Feeling, the local artist and former B.A.R. journalist’s exhibit of vibrant abstract paintings. Thru Mar. 31. Also, historic exhibits in the main museum. 398 Eddy St. tenderloinmuseum.org

Robert Plant @ The Fox, Oakland The veteran lead signer for Led Zeppelin performs new music from his eleventh solo album, with the Sensational Space Shifters. $73$103. 8pm. 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. thefoxoakland.com

Thu 1 Jazz Search West @ Various Venues New weekly jazz singer/musician showcases and competition. March 1, $10, 7pm at The Sound Room, 2147 Broadway, Oakland. $40 series pass. Various dates thru SemiFinals April 18 and Finale April 24 at Yoshi’s Oakland. https://www. livingjazz.org/jazz-search-attend

Ten Percent @ Comcast David Perry’s online and cable interviews with notable local and visiting LGBT people, broadcast through the week. Wed 7pm, Thu-Tue 11:30am & 10:30pm. ComcastHometown.com

Various Exhibits @ The Beat Museum Enjoy exhibits, a bookstore and gift shop that celebrates the era of ‘beatnik’ literature (Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, etc.), with frequent readings, walking tours and other events in North Beach. $5-$8. Daily 10am-7pm. 540 Broadway kerouac.com To submit event listings, email events@ebar.com Deadline is each Thursday, a week before publication.

<< On the Tab Gooch

32 • Bay Area Reporter • February 22-28, 2018

Royal Variety Show @ Moby Dick Queen Dilly Dally's weekly fun variety show of drag, music and even puppets. 9pm-11pm. 4049 18th St. www.queendillydally.com

Steve Hackett @ UC Theatre, Berkeley Founding member of Genesis plays select hits and solo music. $40-$80. 8pm. 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. theuctheatre.org

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550

Sat 24

The Country-Western line-dancing two-stepping dance events celebrates 18 years. Free-$5. 5pm-10:30pm. Also Sundays. 550 Barneveld Ave. www.sundancesaloon.org

Tubesteak Connection @ Aunt Charlie's Lounge Disco guru DJ Bus Station John spins grooves at the intimate retro music night. $5. 10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

Fri 23 Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi

Sat 24

Code @ The Edge

For full listings, visit www.ebar.com/bartab

Thu 22 Academy of Friends VIP Party @ Cambria Gallery Cocktail pre-celebration with the (March 4) Oscar party organizers, benefactors and even a few gold statue hunks. $20 and up. 6:30pm-8:30pm. 1045 Bryant St. bit.ly/2H4aRnw

Circle Jerk @ Nob Hill Theatre Porn studs Jack Andy and Scott De Marco lead the interactive sex party before their Feb. 23 & 24 strips & sex shows. $20. 9pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Hush Hush @ The Stud Sit-down show of performances, drag and other styles. 7pm-9:30pm. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Jakmel Ekpsresyon Benefit @ The Stud Fundraiser for a Haiti artist space, with Homobile, Crissy Bell, Messy Lover, and MC Honey Mahogany. $7-$20. 10pm-2am. 399 9th St. studsf.com

Literary Speakeasy @ Martuni's James J. Siegel's monthly readings at the martini bar this time includes authors toasting the Beat Generation: Klipschutz, Brandon Loberg, K.R. Morrison, Zephir O’Meara, William Taylor Jr., and singer-songwriters Slim Critchlow. 7pm. 4 Valencia St.

Mad Hatter Party @ SF County Fair Bldg. Fundraiser/costume party for the opening of the annual Pacific Orchid Exhibition. $50. Reg admission $10$35. Thru Feb 25. 9th Ave. at Lincoln Blvd. pacorchidexpo.org/tickets/

The Monster Show @ The Edge The weekly drag show with host Sue Casa, DJ MC2, themed nights and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Music California Video Awards @ Neck of the Woods Awards show with performances by Xavier Toscano, Jon Mullane, Travis Marsh and others. 406 Clement St. www.MusicVideoAwards.com

NightLife @ California Academy of Sciences

The musical comedy revue celebrates its 43th year with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. $25-$160. Beer/wine served; cash only; 21+, except where noted. Wed-Fri 8pm. Sat 6pm & 9pm. Sun 2pm & 5pm. 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd. (Green St.). 421-4222. beachblanketbabylon.com

Bear Happy Hour @ Midnight Sun Hairy men and their pals enjoy 2-for-1 drinks and no cover. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Big Boy @ Lone Star Saloon Beer, bears, beats with DJ Boyshapedbox. $5. 9pm-2am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

La Bomba Latina @ Club OMG Drag show with DJ Jaffeth. $5. 9pm2am. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Carla Bruni @ The Venetian Room The gorgeous singer performs songs from her recent EP, French Touch. $90-$125. 8pm. Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason St. www.bayareacabaret.com

Crescendo @ Fairmont Hotel

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

Friday Night Live @ El Rio Enjoy the weekly queer and LGBTfriendly live acoustic concerts. $5pm. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Hot Draw @ SF Eagle Colton Long, Mr. SF Eagle 2018 and Mark I Chester of Gay Men's Sketch cohost a drawing event, with a leather-clad male model; open to all. $20. Proceeds benefit Mark Leno's mayoral campaign. 6:30pm-9pm. 398 12th St. www.markichester.com www.sf-eagle.com

Lulu and DJ Marco's Latin night with sexy gogo guys. 9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Skate Night @ Church on 8 Wheels Groove on wheels at the former Sacred Heart Church-turned disco roller skate party space, hosted by John D. Miles, the "Godfather of Skate." 7pm-11pm. Sat afternoon sessions 1pm-2:30pm and 3pm5:30pm. $10. Kids 12 and under $5. Skate rentals $5. 554 Fillmore St. at Fell. www.churchof8wheels.com

Star Trek Live @ Oasis

Andy performs solo (8pm) and in sex shows with De Marco (10pm). $25. Also Feb. 23. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. thenobhilltheatre.com

Latin Explosion @ Club 21

Steam @ Powerhouse

The popular Latin club includes drag shows, with gogo guys, drink specials and table reservations available. $10$20. 10pm-3am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

Lucie Arnaz @ Feinstein's At the Nikko The Broadway veteran and TV star performs Latin Roots, her musical tribute to her father, Ricky Arnaz. $60-$100 ($20 food/drink min.) 8pm. Also Feb. 23. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. feinsteinsatthenikko.com

The monthly bath-house style cruise nigth include towel-clad gogos, power hoser, wet towel contest and moist fun. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Sat 24 Bearracuda @ SF Eagle Tommy Cornelis is the featured DJ at Matt B.'s popular bear event, celebrating its 500th party! $7-$10. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. bearracuda.com

Bootie @ DNA Lounge Resident DJs and guests spin at the mash-up DJ dance party, with Adrian A, Mysterious D; four rooms of different sounds and eight DJs; The Monster Drag Show hosted by Sue Casa. $10-$15 and up. 9:30pm-3am. 375 11th St. www.bootiesf.com

Noisepop @ Great American Music Hall

Picante @ The Cafe

The saucy women's burlesque show hosted by Dottie Lux will titillate and tantalize, with guests Alotta Boutte, Shells Bells, and Caramel Knowledge. $10-$20. 8pm-9:30pm. 399 9th St. redhotsburlesque.com

Back by popular demand, another hilarious stage adaptation of a classic Star Trek episode, "Turnabout Intruder," with Leigh Crow, Laurie Bushman, Allison Johnson, Ammo Eisu, and guests stars D'Arcy Drollinger and Sue Casa. $27-$40. Fri-Sun 7pm. Thru March 17. 298 11th St. sfoasis.com

Jack Andy, Scott De Marco @ Nob Hill Theatre

The museum parties return. March 1, Plant Lover Edition with DJ Luiza Sa Davis; March 8: Curious Creature, with DJ Jamies Jams, biologist demos and science experts. $12-$15. 6pm-10pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. calacademy.org/nightlife

Pop-punk bands Jeff Rosenstick & The Hotelier, Lemuria and Roar play; part of the NoisePop music festival. $20. 8pm. 859 O'Farrell st. slimspresents.com

Red Hots Burlesque @ The Stud

La Bota Loca @ Club 21, Oakland

Sat 24

Gender Schmear @ Chez Poulet

Banda Los Shakas performs live at the LGBT Latinx night. $10. 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St. club21oakland.com

Castro Leather Invasion @ Several Bars A geared-up pub crawl through the Castro district for LGBT leather folk, ending up at Code at The Edge. 6pm12am. http://bit.ly/2EKnAxi

Code @ The Edge Erick Lopez' popular leather in the Castro night, with a special pub crawl crew joining in, plus gogo studs. Leather-fetish gear, please! $5. 9:30pm-2am. 4149 18th St. edgesf.com

Crescendo @ Fairmont Hotel The SF Gay Men's Chorus' annual starstudded gala fundraiser, with Wilson Cruz ( Star Trek: Discovery), Kelley Jakle ( Pitch Perfect), Mary Lambert, Andrew Lippa, Carson Jones, London Breed, Armistead Maupin, Tyler Glenn, Bob the Drag Queen, plus cocktails, silent auction, dinner, choral performances. Black tie optional. $250, $350 and up. 5pm-11pm. 950 Mason St. www.sfgmc.org

On the Tab>>

February 22-28, 2018 â&#x20AC;˘ Bay Area Reporter â&#x20AC;˘ 33

Gender Schmear @ Chez Poulet

Stacey Kent @ Venetian Room

Vice Tuesdays @ Q Bar

Keshet and Sha'ar Zahav's annual LGBTQ Purim party, with Ariel Vegosen. Costimes, food, drinks and fun. $10-$70. 8pm-11pm. 3359 Cesar Chavez St. www.keshetonline.org

The Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist performs her new cabaret show, I Know I Dream. $55-$65. 4pm & 7pm. Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason St. www.staceykent.com

Queer femme and friends dance party with hip hop, Top 40 and throwbacks at the stylish intimate bar, with DJs Val G and Iris Triska. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Sun 25

Wed 28

Blessed @ Port Bar, Oakland

Bottoms Up Bingo @ Hi Tops

Heroes & Villians @ Powerhouse ONYX, the men of color leather/kink group, celebrates the Black Panther film release with a cosplay superhero fetish night and costume contest with raffles and prizes. $5. 6pm-9pm. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Imperial Coronation @ SF Design Center Galleria See the newest Empress and Emperor competition and crowning, with drag acts galore, and an 'Emerald City' theme. $20, $70 and up. 5pm11:30pm. 101 Henry Adams St. Other events through the weekend. bit.ly/2CmnGpB

Carnie Asada's fun drag night with Carnie's Angels Mahlae Balenciaga and Au Jus, plus DJ Ion. 2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com

Dirty Musical Sundays @ The Edge Sing along at the popular musical theatre night, with a bawdy edge; also Mondays and Wednesdays (but not dirty). 7pm-2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Domingo De Escandal @ Club OMG Weekly Latin night with drag shows hosted by Vicky Jimenez and DJ Carlitos. (Comedy Open Mic 5:30pm). 7pm-2am. 43 6th St. clubomgsf.com

Annual Gala @ The Flight Deck, Oakland

Thu 22 Xavier Toscano performs at Music California Video Awards @ Neck of the Woods

Lips and Lashes Brunch @ Lookout Weekly show with soul, funk and Motown grooves hosted by Carnie Asada, with DJs Becky Knox and Pumpkin Spice. The yummy brunch menu starts at 12pm, with the show at 1:30pm. 3600 16th St. lookoutsf.com

Mother @ Oasis Heklina's popular drag show, with special guests and great music themes DJ MC2 plays grooves. $15. 10pm3am (11:30pm show). 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Nitty Gritty @ Beaux Josh Carmichael with DJ Salazer host the tattoo appreciation night. $10. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

The Playground @ Club BNB, Oakland Revamped night at the popular hip hop and Latin dance club. $5-$15. 9pm to 3am. 2120 Broadway. (510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Polyglamorous @ F8 The way-groovy dance party celebrates three years, with special guest DJ Octo Octa, plus Keith Law performing live, Ultra, art by Justin Denburg, and resident DJs Mark O'Brien, Major and Beya. $5-$12. 10pm-4am. 1192 Folsom St. bit.ly/2GdgLRO

Saturgay @ Qbar

Fundraiser for the performance nonprofit, with cocktails, a biffet, silent auction and performances. $110 and up. 4:30pm. 1540 Broadway, Oakland. theflightdeck.org

Pastel Gore @ The Stud

Pop-up Pokemanthemed drag show and horror parody night, with Erika Klash, Rock M Sakura, Cash Monet, KaiKai Bee Michael, DJ Tweaka Turner. $5-$10. 10pm-2am. 399 9th St. at Harrison. studsf.com

Mon 26 Epic Karaoke @ White Horse, Oakland Mondays and Tuesdays popular weekly sing-along night. No cover. 8:30pm-1am. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. whitehorsebar.com

Munro's at Midnight @ Midnight Sun Drag night with Mercedez Munro. No cover. 10pm. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

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

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

Tue 27 High Fantasy @ Aunt Charlie's Lounge

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

Weekly drag and variety show, with live acts and lip-synching divas, plus DJed grooves. $5. Shows at 10:30pm & 12am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

Shake It Up @ Port Bar, Oakland

Hysteria Comedy @ Martuni's

DJ Lady Char spins dance grooves; gogo studs, and drink specials, too. 9pm-2am. 2023 Broadway. (510) 8232099. www.portbaroakland.com

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

Open mic for women and queer comics, with host Irene Tu. 6pm-8pm. 4 Valencia St.

Naked Night @ Nob Hill Theatre Strip down with the strippers at the clothing-optional night. $20. 9pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

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

B.P.M. @ Club BnB, Oakland Olga T and Shugga Shay's weekly queer women and men's R&B hip hop and soul night, at the club's new location. 8pm-2am. 2120 Broadway, Oakland. bench-and-bar.com

Comedy Showcase @ SF Eagle Kollin Holtz hosts the open mic comedy night. 5:30pm-8pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Dick at Nite @ Moby Dick Grace Towers' weekly drag show at the fun local bar. 9pm-12am. 4049 18th St. mobydicksf.com

Follies & Dollies @ White Horse Bar, Oakland Weekly drag show at the historic gay bar. 9:30pm-11:30pm. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.com

Kosmetik @ The Stud Weekly grovvy dance time. 9pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Miss Kitty's Trivia Night @ Wild Side West The weekly fun night at the Bernal Heights bar includes prizes, hosted by Kitty Tapata. No cover. 7pm10pm. 424 Cortland St. 647-3099. wildsidewest.com

Wrangler Wednesdays @ Rainbow Cattle Company, Guerneville Wear your jeans and meet new folks at the Russian River gay bar. 16220 Main St., Guerneville. queersteer.com

Thu 1 Fuego @ The Watergarden, San Jose Weekly DJed sex party with Latin videos and musics, free salsa bar, half-price lockers, at the famed South Bay bath house. 4pm-12am. 1010 The Alameda, San Jose. thewatergarden.com

Kick It @ DNA Lounge Kandi Love, Northcore Collective and Plus Alliance's weekly EDM, flow arts dance night, with DJs; glow drag encouraged. $5-$10. 9pm-2am. 375 11th St. www.dnalounge.com

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

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

Queer Karaoke @ Club OMG KJ Dana hosts the weekly singing night; unleash your inner American Idol ; first Thursdays are Costume Karaoke; 3rd is Kinky Karaoke 8pm. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com Want your nightlife event listed? Email events@ebar.com, at least two weeks before your event. Event photos welcome.

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<< XXX Interview

34 • Bay Area Reporter • February 22-28, 2018

Jack of the trade New stud Jack Andy debuts at The Nob Hill Theatre

Jack Andy

stripped since I was 18, but, I still feel that this venue is on a whole other level. I guess I’ll have to experience it first. Have you ever before worked with performance partner Scott DeMarco live? If so, what kind of chemistry do you have together? Yes. I work with Scott very often and we have amazing chemistry. When and why did you begin performing live? Just kinda happened. Everything just jumped out at me at once and I couldn’t refuse.

Jack Andy

by Cornelius Washington

t is rare that you find someone so focused, disciplined and accomplished in such a short time in the adult industry. The fruits of his labor have gotten awards and accolades from his peers. His imagery invokes a thoroughly and uninhibited sensuality that scorches the screen. So, The Nob Hill Theatre is gracing him with

the ultimate accolade; a weekend series of shows, featuring his frequent screen partner, Scott DeMarco. Cornelius Washington: You’re so fresh and new in the porn world, and you’re performing at the legendary Nob Hill Theatre! How do you feel? Jack Andy: A little nervous. I’ve performed on stage before and

What element of live shows gets you the most aroused? The company, I suppose. If I’m not performing with anyone, I just focus on turning on the crowd and that turned me on. So, I guess it’s the energy in the room. How do you prepare to perform live?

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I get a matching outfit, select the music, get it hard and step on stage. What’s been your most outrageous/scandalous live performance experience, so far? Honestly, I think when I fuck on the dance floor, where I know I’m not supposed to, it ends up being more scandalous. I just did that at Mid-Atlantic Leather Party in Washington, DC and made it look like I was dancing, but, I was passing around bottoms. When and why did you become a porn model? I had stripped since I was 18. I’ve turned people on my whole life. I have an unmatched sex drive. It just made sense. What has most surprised you about the adult industry? Not much really. I suppose the scene shooting process is interesting. What was it like to film your first scenes(emotionally, mentally, physically, etc.)? It was such a turn on. It was like “Here, fuck this hot guy!” and I was like “Okay!”. How important is it for you to connect with your scene partners? It’s very important. I gotta see them get turned on or I won’t. When and why did you begin to film bareback porn? I just did it with the other porn. To me, there was no difference between the two, with modern medicine nowadays. How do you prepare for and relax after porn shoots? There really is no big prep; you douche, clean up then go in and make out with your partner. How do you feel about being a part of the current wave of more grown men entering porn? Are we? I’ve been called a daddy a few times. I didn’t know I was a brand. When and why did you begin escorting? September 18th, 2017, and it was to understand what my boyfriend was going through when he escorted, because I’d never done it. How do you approach your clients, sexually? Do you role play, or are you pretty much yourself? I’m pretty much myself. You have to ease yourself into it as much as they do. What do you most want your clients to understand about you, as an escort? Just be kind, schedule in advance, be precise, book your time and stick with it.

Are you currently single? What do you look for in a man? I am not single. My man is my world; he is smart, kind, passionate, driven, handsome, funny, and successful. I see spending the rest of my life with him and I am very happy. You’ve mentioned wanting to date a fellow porn star. Have you done that yet, and what appeals to you about that kind of relationship? Yes, I am dating a fellow porn star. He is wonderful. You’re pretty versatile. What do you look for in men when you top? When you bottom? Great ass, big dick and a good kisser. Please give my readers tips on how to be better top, bottom and versatile men. Well, when you’re topping, you have to pay attention to how you work over your bottom. Pay attention to the tension in their ass and try to make it as good of an experience for them as it for you. When you bottom, being clean is your comfort. As long as you maintain throughout the day, you can take it whenever you want and just enjoy the ride. Nothing is quite as nice as being railed and the only thing you get to focus on is looking into the top’s eyes and watching him lose control. Yum. You’ve mentioned a desire for philanthropy for the LGBTQ community. What steps have you taken in that direction? None, to be honest. However, when I do achieve a comfortable level of success, I’d like to give back to the community, especially involving therapy for HIV-stigmatized individuals. When the Nob Hill Theatre’s curtains open on your opening night, what do you want to give your audiences? I want to give these gays everything they’ve ever wanted.t Jack Andy performs at The Nob Hill Theatre with Scott DeMarco; Thursday Feb 22 for a double Circle Jerk with a Porn Star ($15, 9pm) and stage shows Feb. 23 & 24, 8pm & 10pm ($25). 729 Bush St. http://thenobhilltheatre.com/ Jack Andy links: Chaturbate: https://chaturbate. com/platinumjackandy/ Instagram: https://www.instagram. com/jack_andy6969/ RentMen: https://rent.men/PlatinumJackAndy Twitter: Jack Andy (@jack_ andy6969) | Twitter Cornelius Washington’s Erotic Fetish Photography: http://cuirphoto.com

Shining Stars>>

February 22-28, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 35

Shining Stars Steven Underhill Photos by

One Night Only @ Marines’ Memorial Theatre

ast members from the new tour of The Book of Mormon let loose with stellar performances at One Night Only, the Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation’s latest concert benefit at the Marines’ Memorial Theatre, Monday February 19. “Songs Off the Resumé” featured the performers’ audition numbers that got them their big roles. Cast members from Bay Area Musicals’ The Wedding Singer joined in as well. At the VIP after-party, fans and performers mingled and enjoyed drinks and desserts. https://www.reaf-sf.org/ See plenty more photos on BARtab’s Facebook page, facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at StevenUnderhill.com.