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Vol. 42 • No. 08 • February 23 -29, 2012

Trial ordered in ’83 cold case A

SB 48 repeal cleared for signatures by Seth Hemmelgarn

by Seth Hemmelgarn

man charged with the 1983 death of another man in San Francisco is facing trial after a judge held him to answer on a charge that he committed first-degree murder during the Courtesy SFPD course of sodomy. Because of the William Payne sodomy allegation, William Payne, 47, who’s accused of killing Nikolaus Crumbley, 41, could be sentenced to life without parole if convicted. In addition to the murder and sodomy accusations, Payne was also facing allegations of use of a deadly weapon and robbery at the beginning of his preliminary hearing Thursday, February 16 in San Francisco Superior Court. But after about five hours of testimony, Judge Donald Squires ruled that there wasn’t enough evidence to go forward with the deadly weapon and robbery accusations. The sodomy allegation makes Payne eligible for the death penalty, but District Attorney George Gascón told reporters February 16 that “We’re not going to be seeking the death penalty,” for Payne or in any other case. Crumbley’s body was found with his pants and underwear pulled down below his knees November 16, 1983 in John McLaren Park. The San Francisco Medical Examiner’s office listed the cause of death as ligature strangulation. Law enforcement officials have indicated Payne had sex with Crumbley, but it’s not clear if it was consensual or forced. San Francisco police arrested Payne on Monday, January 30 after matching DNA from Crumbley’s body to him. Payne’s sexuality came up in court Thursday. Assistant District Attorney Michael Swart played a recording of an interview Payne had with San Francisco Police Department homicide Inspectors Joe Toomey and Holly Pera almost three weeks before his arrest. In the recording, a barely audible Payne said he didn’t recognize Crumbley from a photo and indicated that he didn’t recall Crumbley’s name. He also said that he’d never had any sexual relations with another man. “I’m not homosexual,” he said. When Toomey told Payne that his semen See page 13 >>

Rick Gerharter

SF krewe’s new royalty T

he new queen and king of the Krewe de Kinque were installed at the Krewe’s ninth annual Bal Masque party for Mardi Gras. BeBe Sweetbriar, left, and Tony Leo received the honors and led the packed house on a Second Line parade through Trigger bar to the rousing beat of the drumming group SambaFunk! Funkquar-

ians. This year’s Mardi Gras party, held February 18, took the theme: “Occupy Bourbon Street and Party with the Naughty-Nine Percent.” As in past years, several thousand dollars were raised for an organization helping those in need. This year’s beneficiary was the AIDS Housing Alliance/San Francisco.

tate officials have given anti-gay activists the goahead to gather petition signatures to repeal Senate Bill 48, also known as the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful Education Act. The law requires that California school Karen England students be taught about the historical contributions of LGBTs. The proposed anti-SB 48 initiative, which the secretary of state’s office cleared for circulation Tuesday, February 21, would undo that requirement. Among other provisions, the state attorney general’s office spelled out that the proposal would also remove the stipulation that schools prohibit instructional materials that discriminate against people based on sexual orientation, disabilities, gender, or other characteristics. See page 13 >>

Prop 8 backers ask appellate court to review decision

by Matthew S. Bajko

he backers of California’s ban against same-sex marriage have asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review a recent ruling that found voters did not have the right to adopt the antigay law. In a 2-1 decision released February 7 a three-judge appellate panel upheld the 2010 ruling by now-retired U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker that the constitutional amendment voters passed in 2008, known as Proposition 8, is unconstitutional. Lawyers for Protectmarriage.com, the group that succeeded in having voters adopt Prop 8, filed their request with the federal appellate court Tuesday, February 21. The move was expected and means Prop 8 will remain in effect for the time being. They are seeking what is known as an en banc review, in which the chief judge of the appellate court and 10 other judges of the 9th Circuit assigned at random reconsider the case. A majority of the 9th Circuit’s 25 judges in regular active service must vote to grant the request. According to the court’s rules published online, en banc reviews are “not favored” and See page 12 >>

Bill Wilson

Marriage equality supporter Spencer Jones waved the 9th Circuit’s decision outside the federal courthouse in San Francisco February 7.

{ FIRST OF TWO SECTIONS }

<< Community News

2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 23-29, 2012

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Crimes hit Castroarea businesses by Seth Hemmelgarn

ebar.com

ecent crimes that have hit San Francisco’s Mission and Castro districts highlight concerns about pickpockets and shoplifters. A Castro Business Watch organizational meeting will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. tonight (Thursday, February 23) at Coldwell Banker, 2355 Market Street. The program is designed to help businesses exchange information about shoplifters and similar “troublemakers,” according to organizers, including Castro Community on Patrol. A hearing will be held in San Francisco Superior Court on Thursday related to one of the recent cases. In the incident, which was reported at about 5:30 p.m., Sunday, February 12, San Jose resident Ricardo Delaguardia, 48, has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of grand theft from a person and a felony charge of possession of Norco, a controlled substance also known as acetaminophen and hydrocodone, without a prescription. According to police, officers responded to Badlands bar, 4121 18th Street, where a man reported that Delaguardia had been groping him. He said that after he pushed Delaguardia away, another man told him that Delaguardia had taken his wallet while he was grabbing him. Delaguardia denied taking the wallet, but he allegedly had handed it to David Oneil, 57, of San Francisco. Police reported that Oneil denied doing anything. Along with Delaguardia and Oneil, Zonya Sisto, 33, of Las Vegas, was also arrested in connection with the incident, in which $100 was allegedly taken from the wallet. Delaguardia’s court date Thursday

is to set a date for a preliminary hearing. Oneil and Sisto have not been charged “pending further investigation,” said Alex Bastian, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office. Another recent incident also involved Badlands. At about 6:30 p.m. on January 30, four off-duty police were at the club when Andre Sherman, 55, of San Francisco, allegedly took one of their jackets – a $550 Juicy Couture garment – and left. The officers pursued Sherman, who’s also known as Undra Sherman, and he was eventually apprehended about half a block away, according to police. Sherman was initially charged with felony grand theft of property and receiving or buying stolen property. On February 7, he pleaded no contest to the grand theft charge after it was reduced to a misdemeanor. The other charge was dismissed as part of a negotiated disposition. He received a suspended imposition of sentence with one year of probation. Sergeant Chuck Limbert, Mission Station’s LGBT liaison, said that there’s been a decrease in the number of reports of pickpockets and robberies recently. He said one factor he attributes that to is that “the bars are talking more and sharing information regarding possible suspects.” He said that for two months, several area bars have had a texting system allowing them to alert each other to potential problems.

Alleged shoplifter A third Mission district incident involved two alleged shoplifters. On February 3, the manager of the Five and Diamond clothing store, 510 Valencia Street, reported that she had refused service to Travis Bernard Davis, 45, and Lyle Gaines, 47, whom she reportedly recognized from a prior alleged theft.

Courtesy SFPD

Andre Sherman

Responding officers found the two San Francisco residents nearby just after they had apparently ditched two shopping bags they had been carrying. Police said each bag, apparently empty, was combined with a similar-shaped bag and lined with tin foil. An officer said in his report that such containers are often used in thefts to get around merchandise sensors. Davis denied any wrongdoing. In their report, police said that both suspects were described in a Mission Station broadcast as “possible” transgender individuals. The genders for Davis, who’s also known as Broderick Walker, and Gaines, also known as Dewayne Harrison, are both listed as female in the police report. Bastian said that Davis was already on felony probation for second-degree burglary at the time she was arrested. He said that a motion to revoke probation has been filed, and the February 3 case was discharged. A hearing related to Davis’s probation is set for March 2. Bastian said the district attorney’s office didn’t file charges against Gaines due to a lack of evidence, pending further investigation. Demarris Evans, the attorney representing Davis, couldn’t be reached for comment. The attorney for Sherman didn’t respond to interview requests. It’s not clear who Delaguradia’s attorney is. Susan Fahey, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco Sheriff ’s Department, said Friday, February 17 that Delaguardia and Davis weren’t in custody. ▼

Trigger club making progress by Seth Hemmelgarn

ity officials who have been working for improvements at a problematic Castro area nightclub are expressing satisfaction with changes at the venue. Trigger, 2344 Market Street, has been the source of loud music and noisy patrons for years, neighbors have said. Owner Greg Bronstein was hit with fines that had reached $50,000 by March 2011, San Francisco Planning Department records show. Alan Beach-Nelson, president of the Castro/Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association, said in a recent email to planning department staff and others that changes are under way. “Trigger seems to finally be getting it and has implemented a sound attenuation plan,” including a limiter on its sound system, “and other adjustments to ensure noise containment, with neighbors confirming the improvement,” BeachNelson said in his Thursday, February 16 email. He shared a copy of the message with the Bay Area Reporter. Last Thursday, planning department staff met with District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, Beach-Nelson, Bronstein, and others to discuss the club.

Rick Gerharter

Trigger owner Greg Bronstein

Beach-Nelson said that Trigger’s taken a “very strong good neighbor policy that has alleviated much of the rowdy crowd noise.” He added, however, “The real test will be sustaining the improvement over the long haul.” Conditions for the Trigger space were agreed upon in 2008. That year, Bronstein proposed, and the city’s Planning Commission approved, the expansion of his existing Jet bar into the adjacent first floor See page 3 >>

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Community News >>

February 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 3

Hair replacement company targets gay market by Matthew S. Bajko

orking as a sous chef and cook in restaurants Kathryn Bode found it impractical to wear wigs to hide her balding scalp. “Most are made out of artificial material, so say you open an oven door, they melt,” said Bode, a transgender woman who is in her 50s. But without her wigs, Bode added, “The other employees laugh at my appearance.” Beginning in her 20s, when she still lived her life as a man, Bode’s hair began to thin. While male pattern baldness, “does run in my family,” said Bode, “no one is completely bald.” After she transitioned her gender identity at the age of 38, Bode started wearing wigs for the first time. Not only did she find them a hindrance at work, she never quite adjusted to them. “Having to wear wigs is very selfconscious. God forbid they fell off or something,” said Bode, who lives in the East Bay city of Pinole. Looking for an alternative, she sought out hair treatment. She at first considered getting a hair transplant but instead settled on a tech-

nique pioneered by the Hair Club company. Called the Bio-Matrix Strand-by-Strand Process, it involves using real hair that is adhered and removed to clients’ scalps. The hair restoration procedure involves weaving a blend of the client’s own hair with real human hair through a microfiber membrane that is applied to the scalp with a medical grade adhesive. The company boasts that if one were to pull at the hair, it would be as hard to pull out as if it were someone’s natural hair. “That has worked very well for me,” said Bode, who receives the treatment monthly. “I shower with it. I sleep with it.” Made famous by goofy television commercials in the 1980s that featured company founder Sy Sperling looking into the camera and declaring “I’m not only the Hair Club president, but I’m also a client,” Hair Club in recent years has moved to rebrand itself to be taken more seriously. And part of the strategy has been to target the LGBT market. It launched a gay-specific website at www.hairclubpride.com/ with the tagline “Hair Club Always Be Proud.”

Jane Philomen Cleland

Sous chef Kathryn Bode

It features a photo of two men in a pool and testimonials from half a dozen men who, while not identified as such outright, appear to be gay. In 2010 the company participated in Gays Days at Walt Disney World and has partnered with the national gay men’s magazine In-

stinct to promote itself to gay consumers. “I think gay men in particular are very image conscious. Unfortunately, when one starts losing their hair it negatively impacts people. When they look in the mirror they think they are not good-looking,” said Chris Varona, a doctor of osteopathic medicine and one of the Hair Club’s openly gay hair restoration surgeons. Varona joined the company in late May 2010 around the time it rolled out its marketing to the LGBT community. He splits his time between Chicago and West Palm Beach, Florida. One of the hair replacement field’s biggest issues today is polishing its own image in people’s minds, said Varona. “It still has this negative stereotype of hair plugs they used to do 25 years ago. It prevents people from looking into their options,” he said. In addition to its non-surgical hair replacement procedure, the Hair Club also offers hair transplant surgery. The prices vary depending on the technique used and are priced between $4.50 to $5.50 per graft; less intrusive procedures can cost $1,200 to $1,500.

The surgical route can take up to a year for patients to see the full effects, Varona said. “That gradualness sounds like a negative, but people don’t look at you and think you had a hair transplant. It is so gradual they think you are just looking better,” he said. “There is a lot of negative stereotypes when it comes to hair transplants in general. It comes from the older techniques we no longer use.” Both men and women experience hair loss for various reasons, whether due to stress or hereditary traits. Although he has yet to work with a transgender male client, Varona has worked with several transgender women in addition to his gay male clientele. “Hair loss is not solely a male issue. Females can lose hair for a multitude of reasons as men can. Stress is a big one or hormone changes.” The replacement hair has transformed Bode’s life, she said. “It is a huge deal as a trans woman to have healthy hair. It helped my self confidence a great deal,” she said. The greatest advantage, said Bode, was “I didn’t have to wear wigs anymore.”▼

Alcohol often leads to risky behavior, officials say by David Duran

methamphetamine or other hardcore drug user patients down to undetectable viral load levels but the hardest to get to an undetectable level are those with a severe alcohol problem. E. Maxwell Davis, Ph.D., who moderated the panel, said that the assessment tools providers are using are not helpful or effective when deciphering if a patient is abusing alcohol.

discussion panel agreed last week that a disturbingly high number of gay men are usually under the influence of alcohol or another substance when engaging in sex. In gay society, a bar is considered to be a staple place to meet up. For many years, bars were the only public place gay men could go to meet other gays. But while under the influence of alcohol, people tend to have sex more often and are less likely to use condoms or are less likely to use condoms correctly. Culture gives mixed messages about sex and how gay men communicate. Those were the key points at an HIVision forum February 16 hosted by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Alcohol has been referred to as the forgotten drug and the panel discussed that at the forum, held at the LGBT Community Center. According to Dr. Susan Buchbinder, with the Department of Public Health, there is a real range of use with alcohol in the community and it has some significant similarities and differences when compared to other drugs. “It has a big impact on many organs of the body if used to excess. It interacts with medications and how one metabolizes those medications,” said Buchbinder. Michael Siever, Ph.D. added, “Most people don’t think of alcohol as a drug but it has the most deadliest consequences.” According to Siever, director of behavioral health sciences at SFAF, alcohol use is considered black or white. Most people either tend to think it’s not a prob-

Trigger

From page 2

commercial space. Bronstein didn’t respond directly to interview requests, but his associate Deckel Israeli responded to emailed questions. “We are satisfied with the outcome of this process,” Israeli said. He said Wiener “demonstrated great leadership in pulling together the key parties and showed that objectively we can get results by working together.” Israeli wouldn’t say how much of

David Duran

Dr. Susan Buchbinder

lem in their life or they are an alcoholic. There is no happy medium. Panelist Chris Hastings, owner of the Lookout bar, gave the perspective of a community small business owner. “Bars have always been a safe space for our community and it is my responsibility to be more community focused,” he said. The focus of the night was the use of alcohol by someone living with HIV. “HIV and alcohol work synergistically, that leads to more brain tissue destruction,” said Buchbinder, director of research for the health department’s HIV prevention section. She believes the biggest issue among those living with HIV is if they are drinking too much and not adhering to taking their medication. It was pointed out that doctors have no problem getting their

the $50,000 in fines Bronstein has paid, but said, “We are continuously working with the city to satisfy our financial obligation.” Wiener said in a phone interview that he’s “very happy” with the improvements, and there will be meetings every six months “as a check-in to make sure there’s still progress.” Christine Haw, a planning department code enforcement supervisor, said, “We have not yet closed our case, but we are very pleased, because there’s been a definite improvement in following the conditions of approval.”▼

“In a routine HIV appointment with a provider, there just is no time to ask about drinking or the consequences involved,” Davis said. Clinicians just don’t seem to have enough time with their patients since they are overloaded with appointments in one day. “The whole care system needs to radically change. You need doctors to start listening,” said Buchbinder. She noted that doctors often take

immediate action of increasing medications or changing regimens without really looking more into the causal issue, which in turn could be more social or psychological. “We need a different type of care that is not physician centered,” she said. The long-term effects of alcohol on mental health are often overlooked. See page 13 >>

<< Open Forum

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 23-29, 2012

Volume 42, Number 08 February 23-29, 2012 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Thomas E. Horn Bob Ross (Founder, 1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko Seth Hemmelgarn Jim Provenzano CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dan Aiello • Tavo Amador • Erin Blackwell Roger Brigham • Scott Brogan Victoria A. Brownworth • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Chuck Colbert Richard Dodds • David Duran Raymond Flournoy • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell John F. Karr • Lisa Keen • Matthew Kennedy David Lamble • Michael K. Lavers Michael McDonagh • Paul Parish Lois Pearlman • Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota Bob Roehr • Donna Sachet • Adam Sandel Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Ed Walsh • Sura Wood

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News Editor • news@ebar.com Arts Editor • arts@ebar.com Out & About listings • events@ebar.com Advertising • advertising@ebar.com Letters • letters@ebar.com A division of Benro Enterprises, Inc. © 2012 Published weekly. Bay Area Reporter reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement which the publisher believes is in poor taste or which advertises illegal items which might result in legal action against Bay Area Reporter. Ads will not be rejected solely on the basis of politics, philosophy, religion, race, age, or sexual orientation. Advertising rates available upon request. Our list of subscribers and advertisers is conﬁdential and is not sold. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, and writers published herein is neither inferred nor implied. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

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Another crack in DOMA A

bout a year ago U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Department of Justice would no longer defend a key portion of the Defense of Marriage Act in two of the four federal lawsuits challenging the discriminatory law. Last Friday, the department sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) stating that it would not defend DOMA in yet another case, this one challenging the law because it prevents samesex spouses of military personnel from receiving veterans benefits. “Neither the Department of Defense nor the Department of Veterans Affairs identified any justifications for that distinction that could warrant treating these [military benefit] provisions differently from [the parallel portion of] DOMA,” Holder wrote. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network filed the lawsuit last fall on behalf of several current and former service members. The case, McLaughlin et. al v. Panetta, is being heard in federal court in Massachusetts, which allows same-sex couples to wed. The lead plaintiff is Major Shannon McLaughlin, an Army major in the Massachusetts National Guard, who married her wife more than two years ago. One of the other plaintiff couples is from the Bay Area, Lieutenant Colonel Victoria Hudson and her spouse, Monika Poxon. The Justice Department’s latest letter puts more pressure on House Republicans, who are defending the other DOMA cases, because once again the U.S. government is on record as stating that the law is unconstitutional. Another critical development with this latest letter is that Holder, for the first time, has said that the separate definitions that apply to military veterans are also unconstitutional. This is an important factor in SLDN’s case because the military had been seen as a separate entity that did not have to adhere to the same laws as civilians. Now, the Justice Department is stating officially that there is no such distinction, at least as DOMA is concerned. The Justice Department’s latest slap at

DOMA should give momentum to the effort in Congress to repeal the anti-gay law. Farreaching and insidious, DOMA has had severe negative consequences on untold numbers of married same-sex couples: those who work in government and those who work in the private sector are not spared, from taxes to health benefits to immigration, DOMA is far-reaching and unsparing. If congressional Republicans really cared about family stability, they would join the growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers who have signed on to legislation that would repeal DOMA. But as is often the case, the Republican leadership and their Tea Party insurgents are only concerned with inaccurate statements and throwing red meat to their clueless base, which in turn relies on the blatantly biased Fox News for a steady diet of Obama-bashing. The GOP presidential candidates, too, are

a big part of the problem. When the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its ruling earlier this month that found Proposition 8 was indeed unconstitutional, the candidates roundly criticized “activist” judges who are “appointed.” As if any of them would refuse to appoint federal judges should they actually win the election. We think not. Judicial appointments are one of the greatest privileges of the presidency and Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul know that. Once you cut through the cacophony of the GOP noise machine, you realize that same-sex couples should be treated fairly and should be able to receive the same benefits as other married couples. The dirty little secret is that these Republican leaders know that, yet instead of trying to move the conversation – and public opinion – forward, they always revert back to gay-baiting. This latest crack in DOMA adds to the growing body of evidence that the law is indeed unconstitutional. The courts should come to the same conclusion.▼

Left out of the party – again? by Gabriel Haaland

ver four years ago, the United States Congress took up legislation, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act or ENDA, that banned employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. But near the end of the session, some legislators balked at the gender identity provision. The lead organization that was shepherding it through Congress, the Human Rights Campaign, therefore agreed to strip the gender identity protections. The dismay and outrage throughout the community was immediate. Within a year, over 350 local, state, and national organizations banded together to denounce the move and call for a United ENDA. For months, local activists and elected officials protested HRC dinners across the country, and in July 2008, an LGBT labor group, San Francisco Pride at Work, organized one of the largest boycotts/ protests ever assembled outside an HRC function. Dozens of local organizations and elected officials endorsed the boycott, including the San Francisco Labor Council and the San Francisco Democratic Party; no elected officials in San Francisco attended the dinner. Even the mayor of Los Angeles, the scheduled speaker, wouldn’t cross a Labor Councilendorsed picket line. Hundreds of activists picketed in front of the dinner, and after the dinner started, they filled the streets dancing, in what was called the “Left-Out Party.” After the HRC dinner, then-Supervisor Bevan Dufty welcomed the picketers into his home and even fed them. One local LGBT Democratic club published an open letter that stated: “Unfortunately, last fall HRC betrayed its own legacy and values, and betrayed the LGBT community, when the organization’s leadership reversed its long-standing commitment to inclusive legislation, suddenly advocating passage of a federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act that, for sake of expediency, deliberately excluded gender identity and expression protections. This cynical

move left millions of Americans vulnerable to gender discrimination in employment, and implied that, while discrimination based on sexual orientation was unacceptable, bias and intolerance based on gender identity or expression were negotiable. Even worse, HRC’s leadership made its decision in secret, breaching its collaboration with every other national LGBT organization.” Needless to say, the relationship between HRC and the transgender community and its allies was frayed. Fast-forward four years. Now, we find that the Advocate has run a story detailing several potential candidates the powers that be at HRC might be considering to replace the current president, Joe Solmonese, who is departing the organization in March and who this week was named one of 35 national co-chairs for President Barack Obama’s re-election. Although the list is comprised of worthy candidates, most are gay white men and there are two white women. What struck me most profoundly, however, was that there was not one person of color or one transgender person listed. Arguably, the article may not be a complete reflection of which candidates HRC may be considering, but it says a lot that the list as it stands reflects the seeming assumption that there are no people of color or transgender leaders whatsoever that HRC views as qualified to lead. It’s not the first time, and I’m sorry to say it won’t be the last time, that we are left out of the party. For the sake of argument, I will give HRC the benefit of the doubt as to whether this list is an accurate picture of which candidates it is considering. I hope that board members are evaluating a person of color or a transgender person among their selection of potential candidates, and that the board has decided to prioritize hiring someone who will address the needs of the these communities. Given what HRC did around ENDA, it is high time that it begin addressing the long process of rebuild-

ing the relationship between themselves and the transgender community. I have spoken to some members of the transgender community who have asked: “Why bother?” In response, I say there is a genuine need and a real opportunity for change. HRC is an enormous organization with a multitude of resources. There will always be the potential for HRC to be representative of us all. On a local level, there is one example, the San Francisco Trans March, that I think shows promise and would be a great road map for HRC. For years, many transgender women of color had felt alienated by the march’s lack of inclusion of their perspectives, issues, needs, and priorities. Over the years, there were transgender women of color involved in organizing the Trans March. Yet the needs of these women were never at the core of this work and most felt like their participation was just token flag waving. Then, a few years ago, a concerted effort was made by transgender people of color to make the march more relevant to their community; consequently, significant changes have been made. According to the organizers, there was no magic bullet: The process of real inclusion is an ongoing effort. But they feel that showing people that their needs are essential to the success of endeavor has begun to have an impact, and trust is beginning to build. As for HRC, many transgender people I have spoken to have said that they believe that the organization would only support the transgender community if it could do so at no political or financial cost to itself. This statement is telling on many levels, and particularly shows the deep feeling of mistrust that most community members have. Some said that the best strategy is just to ignore HRC and put energy into other organizations that have showed genuine support and respect for us. Those are all reasonable strategies, and I See page 11 >>

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Letters >>

February 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

Case is one of self-defense Just read your piece on this [“Man facing trial in hate crime,” February 16]. Unfortunately, it seems some misrepresentations have been made. My client slapped the complainant to get him away from him (i.e., in self-defense), and used some profanity when he felt threatened. All witnesses then agree that Mr. Sandoval took out a knife as he was walking away from the complainant; to make sure the complainant did not follow and threaten him again. My client has never hurt another human being in his life. Moreover, he has no interest in judging people based on their sexuality. I’m very sorry to see his actions here being so misconstrued.

This is not an anti-gay case, it’s a self-defense case. A person has the right to defend himself regardless of the sexual orientation or any trait of the person who assaults him. Unfortunately in San Francisco, that principle is sometimes overlooked. I’m sure you saw Ari Burack’s recent article on hate crimes generally in San Francisco: www.sfexaminer. com/local/crime/2011/05/increase-hatecrimes-san-francisco-questioned. This is not the first case I’ve defended where someone attacked a client who then defended himself and used epithets and found himself charged with a hate crime. Danielle Harris, Deputy Public Defender San Francisco

First flag change under new policy compiled by Cynthia Laird

hat was quick. No sooner had the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro posted its new policy on the flagpole at Harvey Milk Plaza than a request went through the new process that saw the bear flag atop the iconic pole last weekend for Bear 2.0, the grassroots successor to the International Bear Rendezvous. According to Steve Adams, MUMC president, Bears of San Francisco requested the flag swap last week. The MUMC board met February 15 and the request was unanimously approved, Adams said. “It flew for three days (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) over the Presidents Day weekend,” Adams said. As reported in last week’s Bay Area Reporter, MUMC has posted its policy for the flagpole, which normally flies a giant rainbow flag. The written policy was the result of criticism from some activists who felt there was no consistency by MUMC in determining if or when the rainbow flag would be lowered to half-staff to honor a notable figure who had died or for some other occasion. There was also a dustup before last year’s 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, when people planning a memorial wanted the U.S. and rainbow flags to both be flown on the flagpole. That request was deemed not feasible because of mechanical problems with the flagpole; only one flag can be flown at any given time. Adams was asked if MUMC would consider flying the transgender flag in November in recognition of the Transgender Day of Remembrance. “Yes,” Adams said, MUMC would consider such a request. “I think it is a great idea and one I would support. The board would have to vote on it per our guidelines, but I can help make a case for it.” As a reminder, requests to fly the flag at half-staff should be submitted to MUMC’s board (info@castromerchants.com) and the proposals must have broad, diverse community support, the policy states. The requests should be submitted with as much advance notice as possible, and the MUMC board will review them as promptly as possible, according to the policy. MUMC’s flag policy can be found at tinyurl.com/6qgcp43.

Grad student seeks gay men for online sex study Gay men who use the Internet for sexual purposes are being asked to take part in a new online survey aimed at exploring possible links between emotions and sexual compulsivity. The study is part of a

Rick Gerharter

The bear flag was flying over Harvey Milk Plaza last weekend in recognition of Bear 2.0, a grassroots get-together for bears and their friends.

doctoral research project being conducted by psychology grad student and Castro resident Colin Baptie, who attends the Wright Institute in Berkeley. According to Baptie, previous studies show that gay men are more likely to use the Internet for sexual purposes than straight men. “For many gay men, watching online porn, visiting sites like Manhunt, or using mobile apps like Grindr is a big part of their sex life,” Baptie said in a statement. “For most, this is harmless fun. But we know that, for 1 percent of Internet users, online sex can have a significant adverse impact on everyday functioning. We’re interested in finding out whether, for gay men, certain feelings or emotional experiences might be linked to more intense online sexual behavior.” The study will look specifically at whether depression, social isolation, shame, guilt, and negative feelings about being gay might be associated with online sexual compulsivity. Results of the research are expected to be available in July. For more information and to take the survey, go to www.tinyurl.com/82sv5jf.

SF HRC seeks nominations for Hero Awards The San Francisco Human Rights Commission’s Equality Advisory Committee has announced a call for nominations for the 2012 HRC Hero Awards recognizing organizations, students, and other individuals for their outstanding contributions in the fields of human rights advocacy and equity in education. There are three categories of the awards. The first is the Educational Equity Award for an organization. HRC would like to recognize successful organizations and programs that have helped ensure all students in

San Francisco have equal access to the fundamental human right of education. Organizations and programs of all sizes, experience, and levels of development will be considered. The second category is the Student Hero Award. Outstanding high school students will be honored for their work in enhancing, promoting, and protecting human rights. Those students who have a demonstrated commitment to human rights issues are encouraged to apply. Finally, HRC has the Individual Hero Award to recognize worthy individuals for their outstanding leadership in human rights advocacy and whose contributions have enhanced the quality of life for their respective communities and the residents of San Francisco. Application forms will be accepted until March 30 and will then be reviewed by the selection committee. Applications and nomination forms can be found at www.sf-hrc.org. Go to the “Commissions and Committees” tab and look for “Equity Advisory Committee. Submission instructions and eligibility information can be found on the applications. Awardees will be honored at an HRC meeting and reception in May, where they will have an opportunity to present their work to the HRC and the public. Honorees will also have their organization or individual names displayed on the HRC website. For more information, contact David Carrington Miree at david.miree@ sfgov.org or 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 800, San Francisco, CA 94102, or (415) 252-2502.▼

Correction The February 16 article, “Ad campaign encourages HIV testing among black men,” misstated the number of black men who will test HIVpositive in their lifetime. It is one in 16. The online version has been updated.

<< Commentary

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 23-29, 2012

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Meanwhile, in Sweden by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

n 1972, back in the days of Earth shoes and the Watergate scandal, a law passed in Sweden. The law, in the works since 1966, covered the legal standards for sex reassignment in the country. With this law, Sweden became the first country in the world to officially recognize gender reassignment. In many ways, this law appears very similar to those in many other places over the ensuing years, and will be familiar to many transsexuals who have sought to have their birth certificate changed in the last decade or so: in order to get your personal identification updated, you needed to have genital reassignment and an official authorization of the change in gender. One key part of that genital reassignment, by the way, involves sterilization. The world has changed a lot since 1972. The United States saw the downfall of President Nixon two years later, followed by the short presidencies of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, followed by

Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. In 1972, there were no personal computers, no DVDs, not even a fax machine. We’ve gone from 8-track tapes to cassettes to compact disks and finally MP3s. Then, the LGBT movement was still fresh from Stonewall, and still had a couple years before the backlash of Anita Bryant and the Briggs initiative. It would be a bit more than a decade until the scourge of AIDS, and more years still until we see the fights over “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and marriage equality. Oh, and it wasn’t called the LGBT community then: it was the gay rights movement. Tr a n s g e n d e r people – mainly transsexuals – were gaining some visibility then. Harry Benjamin’s book, The Transsexual Phenomenon, came out in 1966: the year Sweden first set up the committee that led to its 1972 ruling. That year, Wendy Carlos would undergo surgery, but not come out about it for some seven years. In 1974, Jan Morris’s autobiography Conundrum would hit

bookshelves. In 1975 Renee Richards would have her genital reassignment surgery, and be denied a spot in the U.S. Open the next year. It was right, then, for Sweden to explore the first rights for transgender people. The laws they came up with, then, were presumably in step with the times. As I said, though, the world has changed a lot since then, and our society – as well as our laws – has had to be updated to keep pace. Sweden reviewed its 1972 law recently, and decided to keep the provision requiring sterilization in order to have one’s gender recognized legally. But we live in very different times. Transgender people do not always seek sexual reassignment nowadays, for many different reasons. This is particularly common among transgender men, given the high cost and relative lack of functionality from a male to female surgical result. Many are opting to look beyond genitals, and not seeing change in same to be as important as it may have been all those decades ago. Perhaps more to the point, we’ve begun to see a few examples of transgender men carrying children, See page 12 >>

The GOP’s obsession with same-sex marriage by Michael K. Lavers

ebar.com

hy do Republican presidential candidates appear obsessed with marriage for same-sex couples? This question consistently comes to mind each time a White House hopeful highlights their opposition to marriage equality on the campaign trail. And the panel of judges of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that found Proposition 8, California’s same-sex marriage ban, unconstitutional earlier this month provided an all too relevant case study. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum were all quick to breathlessly blast so-called judicial activism before they renewed their pledge to uphold the federal Defense of Marriage Act and a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman. Romney defended his use of an arcane 1913 state law that prevented out-of-state same-sex couples from marrying in Massachusetts during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., a few days later. “On my watch, we fought hard and prevented Massachusetts from becoming the Las Vegas of gay marriage,” said Romney to sustained applause. Current Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (D) repealed the aforementioned statute that had originally been passed to prevent interracial couples from marrying in the state in 2008. Nevertheless, Romney used it to once again position himself as the campaign’s most viable conservative. Did it work? Romney narrowly defeated Santorum in the annual CPAC straw poll, but only 19 percent of voters

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has used his opposition to same-sex marriage on the campaign trail, but it doesn’t always seem to be a winning position.

cited promoting “traditional values” as their top priority. Of those who participated in last year’s poll, only 1 percent said stopping marriage for same-sex couples was their top priority. Romney, Texas Governor Rick Perry (a onetime presidential candidate), and others also backed a bill that would repeal New Hampshire’s marriage equality ahead of the first-in-thenation presidential primary on January 10. The majority of voters with whom the Bay Area Reporter spoke to in the Granite State ahead of the vote indicated the economy and jobs were their top issues. A University of New Hampshire/WMUR poll earlier this month found that 37 percent of Granite State Republicans oppose a bill that would repeal the state’s marriage equality law. “He is not appealing to the 53 percent who support gay marriage,” said Republican San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, co-chair of a coalition of more than 140 mayors from across the country who support marriage for gays and lesbians,

during an interview at a Washington, D.C., hotel on February 14. “He’s going for the others in Middle America who may have a different view on that. And I just think that’s unfortunate.” R. Clarke Cooper, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans, didn’t mince words when he criticized Romney over his response to the Prop 8 decision. “Governor Romney’s comments attacking the court for striking down Proposition 8 reflect an unfortunate kneejerk opposition to expanding liberty and a poorly calculated political effort to appeal to a shrinking base of primary voters opposed to marriage equality,” he said. Strong opposition to marriage for same-sex couples did not prove an effective campaign strategy for either Perry or Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. A Gallup daily tracking poll from February 15-19 found that Santorum has opened a 10-point lead over Romney after he won primaries and caucuses in Missouri, Colorado, and Minnesota. He continues to face persistent questions on the campaign trail, however, over his strong opposition to marriage for same-sex couples, contraception, and other social issues. Is Santorum a viable candidate to challenge President Barack Obama in November if Republicans were to nominate him? A USA Today/Gallup poll conducted between February 16-19 found that 54 percent of Americans feel that Romney has the best chance of beating Obama in November, compared to only 29 percent who chose Santorum. Sanders offered some more sanguine advice to Romney and others who remain obsessed with marriage for same-sex couples. “I don’t think that it’s a good issue for the campaign trail,” he said.▼ Inside the Beltway is a new column by Washington, D.C.-based journalist Michael K. Lavers. It will appear the last Thursday of the month. A video accompanying this column is online at ebar.com.

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Politics >>

February 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

Oakland gay couple seeks elective office by Matthew S. Bajko

who would like to be a father someday. “I don’t want to send my child outside of our neighborhood to school.” Another Los Angeles native, Fuentes’s parents immigrated to

n Oakland gay couple is making history as the first out pair to seek elective office in their hometown at the same time. Sean Sullivan, 37, is considered a leading candidate for Oakland’s District 3 City Council seat this fall following Councilwoman Nancy Nadel’s decision not to seek re-election. Four years ago Sullivan tried to unseat Nadel, but she easily won re-election to a fourth term in the June primary that year and avoided a runoff in November. Richard Fuentes, 29, who has been dating Sullivan for five years, is seeking the District 3 seat on the Oakland Unified School District’s board. The current officeholder, Jumoke Hinton-Hodge, is expected not to seek re-election. Green Party candidate Vicente Cruz is also running. The political boundaries of the school board and city council seats they are seeking are similar and include many gay-friendly Oakland neighborhoods. But the couple is keeping their campaign operations separate. “We looked into it and have been told we are the first LGBT couple running for office at the same time in the United States,” said Fuentes. Denis Dison, a spokesman for the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, told the Bay Area Reporter this week that he could not recall a similar instance with an LGBT couple where both of the partners were running for office. But he added that did not mean it was “unprecedented.” “It would certainly be an incredibly rare thing,” said Dison. The couple lives together in West Oakland and has been a fixture within the East Bay’s LGBT political scene since 2009 when they helped launch the Oakland Rainbow PAC with the goal of electing more out people to public office or being named to city commissions. Their political aspirations, though, have raised eyebrows. “Not everyone is pleased that an LGBT couple is running,” said Sullivan, a vice president with College Track, a nonprofit after-school program for low-income youth. “This is historic, but also, anytime you make history you are seen as rocking the boat. Not everybody is thrilled with that.” So far seven out candidates are running in the East Bay this year. Both lesbian Oakland At-Large City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan and gay Berkeley City Councilman Darryl Moore are up for re-election. Attorney Tara Flanagan pulled papers to seek an open seat on the Alameda County Superior Court, while transportation advocate Rebecca Saltzman is seeking the newly drawn District 3 seat on the Bay Area Rapid Transit board, which includes parts of Oakland and Berkeley and the Contra Costa County cities of Orinda, Moraga, and Lafayette. Peralta Community College Board Trustee Abel Guillen, who identifies as two-spirit and dates both men and women, is seeking the 18th Assembly District seat in Oakland. He is running in the June primary, where the top two votegetters regardless of party affiliation advance to the November election. “What’s been interesting is this is a culmination of a long process of the LGBTQ community getting organized, doing roundtables, and figuring out what our priorities are,” said gay Oakland Planning Commissioner Michael Colbruno. “We

Jane Philomen Cleland

Richard Fuentes is running for a seat on the Oakland school board.

Sean Sullivan is running his second race for Oakland City Council.

are catching up to San Francisco.” Colbruno, a local lobbyist and campaign consultant, is in talks about becoming chair of the Oakland Rainbow PAC this year. He said the political action committee has a plethora of well-qualified candidates it can back this election cycle. “I am thrilled about it. It is qualified people who are running,” he said. “It is not like we are pulling people out of the hat.” Saltzman, 30, is vice-chair of the Oakland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and works as an environmental policy advocate with the California League of Conversation Voters. “I have been a transit advocate for many years,” said Saltzman, who married her partner of nine years, Caitlin Stone, in 2010. The Los Angeles native moved to the Bay Area 12 years ago to attend UC Berkeley, where she graduated with a degree in sociology. She sees BART’s role as a regional transit provider becoming increasingly more critical in the coming years and wants to help shape the system as it continues to expand its lines in the outer reaches of the East Bay and south into San Jose. “BART and regional transit will be increasingly important over the next decade or two as gas prices continue to rise and we try to figure out how to get around in different ways,” said Saltzman. “With all these extensions it is very important to connect them with development so we have the ridership. If people can’t live near the stations, it is going to be very hard to fill those trains.” She decided to enter the race after the incumbent, BART Director Bob Franklin, announced in January he would not seek re-election and instead would run for Oakland City Council. Saltzman expects to have her campaign website go live this month and will soon begin fundraising. She would be the second out person to serve on the BART board; openly gay director Tom Radulovich has served for years representing San Francisco. Saltzman doubts that most voters in the sprawling District 3, which stretches from El Cerrito south into Hayward, will care about her sexual orientation. “I am sure some voters may be uncomfortable. But I think more voters will be excited,” she said. Fuentes would be the first openly gay person to serve on the Oakland school board. He launched his campaign last summer and has raised $20,000 to date. A policy analyst for Oakland City Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente, Fuentes has been laying the groundwork to run for office for years. He joined the site council at Hoover Elementary School three years ago and serves as its president.

“Right now public education in Oakland is in the midst of trouble. I want to make sure we bring leadership to our schools in Oakland so they are competitive,” said Fuentes,

the U.S. from Guadalajara, Mexico. Raised in a Spanish-speaking household, Fuentes didn’t learn to read and write in English until the fifth grade and later on struggled in See page 11 >>

<< Travel

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 23-29, 2012

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Geena Dabadghav

The iconic Sydney Opera House, viewed from Sydney Harbor, is host to many arts and cultural events.

Adventure awaits gays Down Under by Heather Cassell

arger than life, gay and lesbian Australians offer a warm “G’day, mate,” to their LGBT American counterparts as well as a variety of adventures and experiences for queer travelers. Australia is the size of the United States, barring the outlying Alaska, Hawaii, and commonwealth islands. Australia has equivalent diverse climates from deserts to snowcapped mountains to tropical beaches much like the U.S. Most of the 22.8 million Australians live on the eastern coast in Sydney; Melbourne; Canberra, the capital; Brisbane; and other cities. The mildest times of the year to travel in Australia are April through September, with peak tourism being from June through August. November through March it heats up Down Under to its hottest and most humid temperatures, hovering in the high 90s and reaching over 100 degrees. This is also the time, January-February, when many of Australia’s famed gay festivals take place – Mardi Gras (there’s been tensions since the committee dropped gay and lesbian from the organization’s name recently) and Midsumma Festival in Melbourne. Christmas through January is the summer holiday season and also the same time many of the popular festivals happen, so if you are planning on going to Australia during this time period be prepared to make reservations in advance and plan for the sticker shock. Prices are at their highest during this time of year. Discovered by Captain James Cook in 1770, who claimed Australia for Britain – in spite of its original discoverers, the aboriginal people, who populated the island continent an estimated 50,000 years ago – it was quickly designated as a penal colony. Australia welcomed its first ships full of prisoners nearly two decades after Cook’s arrival. Shipping convicts off to Australia ended in 1868. Australia won its independence from the crown in 1901, but the country has retained the British feel it acquired during colonization and remains loyal as a commonwealth of the U.K. Today, Australia is governed by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who took office in 2010. From what we could tell while watching a morning show interview with Gillard during our group’s trip, she is charismatic, spunky, and smart. Australia is moving forward on LGBT rights. At the end of 2011, Queensland passed civil unions and

the debate on same-sex marriage is on the forefront of Australians’ minds. Melbourne, the artistic center of Australia, also was the first to elect an openly intersex mayor, Tony Briffa, at the end of last year. Celebrity athletes are getting into the game and coming out of the locker room. Australia’s rugby league referee Matt Cecchin came out publicly earlier this month.

Aussie urban experience It was hot when I finally touched down in Australia. Summer was upon the Oceania continent and my girlfriend, who already spent a week trekking through the Australian Outback from Perth to Sydney with her travel companion, was waiting for me in Sydney with the rest of our group. The plan was to tie a bow, traveling between Eastern Australia’s most well-known cities by jetting up to Brisbane in Queensland for two days, circle back to Sydney for an overnight train to Melbourne for a day, and back to Sydney. We spent our final two days exploring Sydney and touring its famed opera house. Experiencing Australia’s great outdoors – the Great Barrier Reef or Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock; or any of the country’s rain-

forests – wasn’t on our agenda. The closest we got to Australian nature was in controlled environments. My girlfriend watched the barren landscape of the Outback pass by her from the window of her luxury car on the India Pacific Railway during a four-day cross-country trip between Perth and Sydney, with a stop in Adelaide. Our group visited metropolitan animal sanctuaries. It was a tease, only a sampling of what Australia has to offer in natural wonders, watching camels running wild through the stark desert and kangaroos darting for the cool shade under trees in the plusher parts of the Outback. On a smaller scale in the zoos, some parts are open where kangaroos and other animals roam freely, greeting visitors. The highlight of our urban wildlife adventures was the Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane where we watched a joey (baby kangaroo) hop over to his mother and jump into her pouch, held koala bears, and fed birds and petted other animals indigenous to Australia. Australia’s natural wonders are destinations in themselves, as it is a journey to get to them. If heading to the Great Barrier Reef, rainforests, See page 12 >>

Geena Dabadghav

Koalas welcome visitors at the Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane.

Read more online at www.ebar.com

February 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 23-29, 2012

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

▼

The Sports Page>>

February 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

Speaking up (but not out) for women in sports by Roger Brigham

izarre. By all accounts, the fifth World Conference on Women and Sport, held last week in Los Angeles under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee, was an energizing and empowering event, doing much to advance the fight for gender equality in the highest levels of sport and issuing 10 specific points for the IOC to address. Prominent sports icons such as swimmers Donna De Varona and Diana Nyad, former IOC Vice President Anita DeFrantz, and tennis star Billie Jean King joined with 800 fellow sports leaders from 140 countries to talk about the need for women to speak out and step up into policy-making leadership positions. And yet ... “There were so many lesbians in that room, so why did nobody bring up homophobia?” Martha Ehrenfeld, Team San Francisco delegate to the Federation of Gay Games, told the Bay Area Reporter. “There wasn’t any discussion about homophobia.” Bizarre. There were discussions about policies to include transgender women in Olympic sports, destined to be a rising topic with the advent of women’s boxing and rugby. There were discussions about the perceptions surrounding gender presentation and expression, about uniform rules allowing women boxers to wear skirts as part of their uniforms if teams desire. But the word “lesbian” went unuttered, as did any mention of the pervasive discrimination and inhospitable work environments that lesbian athletes and coaches face – and not just from heterosexist men. Consider that it has been less than a year since Nigerian women’s soccer coach

Political Notebook

From page 7

middle and high school. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Los Angeles, becoming the first person in his family to graduate from college. “Those struggles I faced, I see in

Eucharia Uche called lesbians in soccer “a dirty issue” and declared that she had driven all lesbians off of her World Cup team. The international soccer federation has promised, after public outcry, to conduct an investigation, but a positive statement on the right to respect and inclusion of lesbians in sports in the conference’s closing platform would have sent a strong statement to the very sports federations the IOC is supposed to be influencing and added teeth to whatever steps the soccer federation finally takes. The focus of this conference was on broader, more fundamental issues. The event ended with the issuance of a 10-point statement called the Los Angeles Declaration. Chief among the specific steps it asks the IOC to take are reviewing, revising, and enforcing its requirements on the number of women included in leadership roles for its member organizations; asking the international sports federations to review their policies to ensure gender participation equality; working more with organizations, especially the United Nations, that promote the welfare of girls and women with the ultimate goals of gender equality and empowerment of females; and increase outreach to government agencies. “The Olympics is getting close to 50-50 participation,” Ehrenfeld said, “but at the committee level it is very low, about 17 percent. Quotas can be a very effective tool, but the Olympic committees, which are mostly men, have to vote them in, and they aren’t likely to vote in something that will replace them.” Ehrenfeld and Shamey Cramer, FGG officer for ceremonies, represented the Gay Games at the conference. “Having seen the IOC up close and in action for the first time on the

administrative side,” Cramer said, “I can tell you this: they are no more immune to the individual personalities of their governing body than the FGG or GLISA (the Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association) are. I applaud Anita DeFrantz and the IOC’s Women and Sports Commission, which she chairs, for enlightening so many of their own rank and file to some critical issues facing not only Olympic athletes, but those who are marginalized around the world because of race, gender or gender preference and/or identity.” “I believe Martha and I were able to make solid inroads, not only with the IOC, but many other organizations that are making a difference,” he added. “Hopefully, these connections will be able to benefit the work being done by our partners in Cleveland and Akron for Gay Games 9 in 2014. Sport is as unifying a force as music, and I was proud to represent the organization that for 30 years has stood for the use of sport to eradicate homophobia, racism and sexism around the globe.” The Friday and Saturday morning sessions were devoted to broad top-

our own youth in Oakland,” he said. Fuentes started campaigning early on the advice of Sullivan, who has learned from the mistakes he made during his first council race. Sullivan also started running early and has raised $39,000 to date. Three other people have also declared their interest in the seat, and Sullivan expects it will be another

tough campaign. Unlike last time he is not up against an incumbent, and over the last four years, he has become more involved in the community and Oakland’s political scene. “I think people want someone with a depth of experience in the community and a history of getting things done because Oakland is definitely challenged and in need

Courtesy Shamey Cramer

Former IOC Vice President Anita DeFrantz addresses World Conference on Women and Sport in Los Angeles.

ics presented to the entire assembly. Actress Geena Davis, who discovered sports in her mid-30s when she prepared for her role in the movie A League of Their Own, talked about how sports helped her overcome self-consciousness about her height. “Learning to play was about so much more than just gaining a skill and a technical ability. Learning to play affected how I saw myself,” she said. “Playing sports dramatically improved my self-image and quieted that relentless voice in my brain that told me, ‘You’re not good enough, you’re not good enough.’” Afternoons were devoted to topicspecific workshops. “A really fascinating workshop was about medical matters and intersex issues,” Ehrenfeld said. “A presenter from a medical school said one in 2,000 tested women has a Y chromosome (in addition to two X chromosomes). But in female Olympic athletes, it is one in 200, and there’s no information out there about why or if that extra chromosome makes you a stronger athlete.” Alan Abrahamson, a University of Southern California professor and member of the IOC Press Commission, led a discussion on “Women, Sport and the Media.” Ehrenfeld said the speakers noted that women watch the Olympics as much as men do, but are drawn not so much by the coverage of the competition events, but by the background features presented on the athletes themselves. Participants were urged to call up local sports editors and news directors to ask for coverage of the women’s sports events they want to know about. Nyad shared her personal ordeals in sports, including being raped by a swim coach in her youth, and chided the IOC for taking so long to achieve gender parity, including resistance to adding women’s Nordic ski jumping in the 2010 Winter Olympics. “How long did it take us to persuade the body of Olympic orga-

nizers that the marathon doesn’t damage the female genitals?” Nyad asked. “For 100 years, women have powerfully and gracefully been flying off mountaintops with the exact same power and grace as the men. It’s taken them 100 years, and now 2014 in Sochi they will be flying in the Olympic Games at last.”

of real leadership,” said Sullivan. “I am going to be able to demonstrate that the best of anyone that steps forward.”▼

companion. The column returns Monday, February 27. Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ twitter.com/politicalnotes.

Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check www.ebar.com Monday mornings around 11 a.m. for Political Notes, the notebook’s online

Guest Opinion

From page 4

won’t deny that we need a more than healthy dose of caution in our dealings, but I remain hopeful that HRC will see that real leadership “is the most important element for change, and that includes fostering workplaces that have an inclusive culture and that enhance cross-cultural awareness and skills through communication, training, and education. This is the starting point for any meaningful change in creating fair workplaces.” I would hope that HRC agrees with that statement, particularly since it is drawn from its own website.

Jane Philomen Cleland

Dignity honors artist, clergy D

ignity/San Francisco, the local chapter of the national LGBT Catholic organization, bestowed awards on local advocates at its annual Pax et Bonum banquet February 18 in San Francisco. Emmanuel Romero, left, a playwright and filmmaker, was recognized for his service to Dignity for his Catholic-oriented videos that were made in the spirit of the It Gets Better project. Aaron Sachs, second from left, repre-

sented Colage, which received a service to community award for its work with children of LGBT parents. The Reverend Elder Jim Mitulski, center, pastor at New Spirit Community Church in Berkeley, was honored for his service to the greater church community, which includes his work with Catholics for Marriage Equality in California. At right are Dignity/SF Co-Chairs Paul Riofski and Veronica Abrickis.

Resistance to Olympic Pride House drops The Guardian (U.K.) reports that Friends of Clapham Commons, which had been lambasted for homophobia after raising objections to a planned Pride House for the 2012 Summer Olympics, has apologized for its initial resistance and agreed to support the venue. (See February 2 Jock Talk column.) A press release for FCC said the organization “agreed to work together to increase involvement by individuals from the LGBT and other minority groups in the local area, to help strengthen the great work done by the FCC in enhancing Clapham Common for the benefit of all in the community.”

Anti-homophobia campaign lacks cleats Soccer’s international Football versus Homophobia campaign launched this month, but with little backing from teams in the sport’s homeland. The Independent reports that just 20 of the 160 pro teams in England that have signed the government sports charter have signed up with the Football versus Homophobia campaign. None of the Premier League teams agreed to allow their playing fields to be used for a photo shoot to support the campaign. “Football’s in the gutter at the moment,” the Independent quoted a senior government source as saying. “They’ve got real problems with homophobia in dressing rooms and on the terraces. It needs top clubs to speak out repeatedly and as publicly as possible.”▼

Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 861-5019 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

When parts of the LGBT community fall short, time and again, we need to speak that truth and make concrete demands for change. And we will watch closely to see if HRC steps up – or stumbles. Either way, it will be another snapshot in time to see its true colors. HRC has a window of opportunity to either take a healing step forward or make a damaging rift more permanent.▼ Gabriel Haaland is a queer labor activist who was one of the lead organizers of the HRC dinner boycott/Left Out Party, and serves on the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee.

<< Community News

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 23-29, 2012

Transmissions

From page 6

such as Matt Rice in 1999, Thomas Beatie in 2008, Yuval Topper in 2011 and an undisclosed man in the U.K. this year. Yet Sweden chose the conservative path, siding with their conservative Christian Democrats party government and the nationalist Sweden Democrats party, deciding to retain the sterilization requirement. Many cried foul, given that Swedish law is only reviewed every 40 years – meaning it would take that much more time until it could be re-

Down Under

From page 8

or Uluru plan to take extra days to travel. The closest LGBT life in the Outback near Uluru is about a six and a half hour drive. There aren’t any LGBT-owned lodging or businesses closer to Uluru, according to experts. The largest gay resort destination that is close to the great outdoors, but still has a bit of civilization, is the Great Barrier Reef. There are a variety of LGBT accommodations – including a gay male-only resort – that make up Queensland’s resort life in the towns on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef and rainforests.

Brisbane Brisbane, the third largest city in Australia, was the highlight of our urban adventures. The river city is charming, with the Brisbane River snaking through it. Restaurants and shops line the RiverWalk that runs a little more than 12 miles on both the north and south banks, laced together by bridges. At one end of the south bank stood the Brisbane Ferris wheel, a gigantic 196-feet tall attraction that can carry up to 336 people, and the other end Kangaroo Point, where the Koala Sanctuary resides. The north side starts at the University of Queensland Campus at St. Lucia and ends at Teneriffe. We were sad to learn soon after we left Brisbane that the River Walk was washed out by fierce flooding. Not to worry, the city council was already shaping up plans to reconstruct a bigger and better River Walk announced in November 2011, according to media reports. Brisbane has an active LGBT

Prop 8

From page 1

“ordinarily will not be ordered” unless there is a need to “secure or maintain uniformity of the court’s decisions” or the case raises “a question of exceptional importance.” In their 61-page request with the court, Prop 8’s attorneys contend that “the panel majority’s decision conflicts with decisions of the United States Supreme Court” as well as the 9th Circuit. They also contend that an important question is raised by the case: if the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits a state from limiting marriage to oppositesex couples. “The panel majority’s holding that California must recognize same-sex relationships as marriages conflicts not only with the binding authority cited above, but also with the decisions of every other state and federal appellate court to address this question,” states the petition for review. It goes on to state that, “The panel majority erred in breaking with the uniform and binding precedent upholding the constitutionality of laws adopting the traditional definition of marriage, and the Court, sitting en banc, should rehear this profoundly important case.” They also say the lawsuit, known as Perry v. Brown, raises another

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considered. Who knows, by 2052, we may again see the rise of Earth shoes and 8-track tapes. A petition was distributed, eventually delivering 77,000 signatures to the Swedish prime minister. Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, noted that forcing people to undergo unwanted medical interventions to change their legal status was a breach of human rights. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe said much the same. In response to all this, Sweden – so far ahead of the curve in 1972 and so far behind the curve in 2012 –

blinked. Christian Democrats party leadership reversed course, calling instead for the removal of the sterilization requirement. Yet things are not perfect. While this is a good move, the rest of the law remains as is. Other requirements remain in place, including the rule that in order to be legally recognized, you must be unmarried. This, in a country that already allows same-sex marriage. More than this, Sweden is not alone in having a sterilization requirement. Though it is not entirely clear how many do require it, Transgender Europe reports that

Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, and Spain require some genital reassignment and/or sterilization in order to legally recognize a transperson’s gender. There are still places in our country, too, that require it – heck, there are places that won’t change your birth certificate regardless of surgical procedures. The world is continuing to change, and with it, the very nature of gender. What was progressive 40 years ago is regressive today. It will be quaint, at best, tomorrow. In 40 years, will Sweden finally change its laws? Will it even matter

then, or will this law and its requirements read like an outdated San Francisco law against piling horse manure more than six feet high on a street corner? Something so far out of step with the times as to be instantly ignored, a relic from a long bygone age. Let’s make for that tomorrow, and see laws like that in Sweden – and closer to home – reflect our needs now and in the future.▼

nightlife with a variety of queer bars and parties happening on any given night in the Spring Hill and the Valley neighborhoods. The most recent lesbian offering is Mascara, run by lesbian couple Sarah Booker and Tara Rae, who launched the monthly party six months ago. It became an instant hit alongside some of the other queer women parties, such as Vu Du (Vu-Du) promoted by DJ D’Lux. The ladies aren’t outdoing the boys. Nightlife for the guys is thriving, with a plethora of parties of their own and mixed clubs. Gay men head out to Brisbane’s popular clubs Fluffy and Klub Kruise: Men’s Cruise Club, to name two. Brisbane’s gayborhood was an easy 20-minute stroll from our hotel. We walked over and stopped off for a drink at the Wickham Hotel, a popular gay bar, after a day of sightseeing and shopping, and my girlfriend hit the casino. She was excited to find out that Australia has casino stands, called “pokies,” all over the place, as well as casinos in Brisbane and Melbourne. We were pleased to learn that all venues, casinos and bars included, were nonsmoking. As pleasant as Brisbane was, from what our group could tell tourists have barely discovered its charms. Sydney and Melbourne continue to capture non-Australian travelers’ imaginations.

its exquisite botanical and Victorian gardens and some of its religious architecture freely available to the public to enjoy. The center of Melbourne is quite compact, in many ways reminding our group of New Orleans’ French Quarter, with a free train that circles the square. Melbourne is often touted as Australia’s art center, but it’s also just as much a sporty town as it is creative. Melbourne has more than 50 professional and recreational athletic venues throughout the city. Perhaps the athletic nature of the city was amped up due to the hubbub around international cricket matches and the Australian Open, but it definitely had a healthy, sweaty vibe during our visit. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to venture out to explore Melbourne’s LGBT scene, which is spread out throughout the gayfriendly city at a number of hot spots including Chapel Street, Fitzroy, and South Yara, to name a few.

distance to the Darlinghurst neighborhood, Sydney’s gayborhood. On our last night in Australia, we barhopped from the Stonewall Hotel to the Beauchamp (pronounced beacham). We attempted one final nightcap at the Ruby Rabbit, but got there as it was closing.

tiful and easy to use. We rarely took cabs; only when it was pouring rain did we opt for a quick ride back to our hotel.

Melbourne Like Brisbane, Melbourne is also divided by a river, the Yarras, which is lined with restaurants and shops, but it wasn’t as charming. The river was dirty. What the city lacked in a clean water view it made up for in pertinent question: whether Walker should have recused himself from hearing the lawsuit because he is gay and in a committed relationship. Walker never revealed his sexual orientation while overseeing the 2010 trial in the case, though the San Francisco Chronicle outed him months prior to Walker issuing his ruling that August. All three of the appellate panel judges ruled this month that Walker did not have to disclose the information or recuse himself from hearing the case. But Prop 8’s attorneys continue to claim that Walker should not have heard the case because it directly benefits himself and his partner’s ability to marry. “This appeal ought to be resolved without reaching the merits of the constitutional questions it presents, because the district court judge whose judgment is under review was disqualified from presiding. His judgment thus must be vacated and the case remanded to the district court for decision by a new judge,” they contend in their petition for review. Lawyers for the two same-sex couples who filed the lawsuit as well as the San Francisco City Attorney’s office, which is a party to the case, will have a chance to respond to the en banc request prior to the appellate court’s decision to accept it or not.

Sydney Upon our return from Melbourne we finally toured the interior and exterior of the Sydney Opera House. Australia’s most recognizable and celebrated architectural feat with its distinct curved structure symbolizing a lotus blossom took 17 years and $101 million to build. The opera house is made up of three distinct buildings that is home to Sydney’s opera and symphony as well as host to many concerts and theater productions. We took a separate boat tour in Sydney Harbor to circle around the iconic building. Our hotel at the Darling Harbor was once again within walking

Rick Gerharter

Attorney Theodore J. Boutrous Jr.

In a statement issued late Tuesday afternoon, the attorneys made clear they are opposed to the request for review. “We are ready to defend our victory whatever path this case takes,” stated plaintiffs’ attorney Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. “Because our plaintiffs have the right to get married, which both the Federal District Court and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals vindicated, we oppose en banc review and will seek to bring that fundamental right to reality at the earliest possible time for the tens of thousands of Californians who are being denied basic justice, due process and equality.”

Getting to and around Australia Australia’s best-known airline is Qantas, but many others also fly to the country. I flew New Zealand Air, stopping over in Auckland, New Zealand before heading to Sydney. The 13-hour flight from San Francisco to Auckland and three and a half hours to Sydney was comfortable and pleasant. I only wish Virgin Australia was as comfortable and clean. Virgin Australia was disappointingly dirty and expensive. Everything, including water, was only available for purchase. It is advised to skip the economy class for a sleeper car when crossing Australia by train for overnight trips. We made the mistake of going economy on our overnight return trip to Sydney from Melbourne. We arrived in Sydney exhausted and sleepless. It was a completely different experience traveling platinum class across the Outback, according to my girlfriend, who shared her sleeper car room with her travel companion. The chairs converted into beds and passengers were catered to by a personal attendant throughout the journey. No matter how luxurious transportation was or where we went cellular and Internet access was difficult to find and expensive. Every city we visited was walkable and public transportation was plenAnd they called the renewed complaints about Walker a “baseless attempt to impugn [his] reputation.” Should the court agree to en banc review, then the names of the judges who will hear the matter would be drawn by the clerk or a deputy clerk of the court in the presence of at least one judge and shall occur on the first working day following the date of the order granting review. After the en banc court is chosen, the judges on the panel then decide whether to conduct another oral argument session or ask for additional briefing. If there is to be oral argument, the chief judge will schedule the date, time, and location. If there is no call for oral argument then the chief judge will schedule a conference of the en banc court. The entire process can take at least six months, meaning a decision could come as early as August. If the appellate court rejects the en banc request, Prop 8’s backers can then ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case. Both sides have repeatedly said they expect that the case will land before the nation’s highest court. The lawsuit stems from the fight over marriage equality that former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom jump-started in 2004 when he ordered city officials to marry samesex couples. That action paved the way for City Attorney Dennis Her-

Gwen Smith only vaguely remembers 1972. You can find her online at www.gwensmith.com.

Where we slept We stayed at Hiltons for most of the trip, but we were pleasantly surprised by Swiss Hotel in Sydney, which we booked on a whim for one of our nights in the city. Swiss Hotel was swanky. It was a great experience from the atmosphere to the customer service to the spacious rooms. One thing to be aware of and try not to get confused about when visiting Australia is that bars also have “hotel” in their names due to licensing laws. Another slight difference to get used to when checking in at accommodations in Australia is that the bell desk is usually on the first floor and guests have to travel up to the fourth or sixth floors to get to the registration lobby. An added bonus was that hotels allowed us to check in to our rooms no matter what time we arrived. All of the hotels we stayed at were first rate, with comfortable, modern rooms. Internet access wasn’t included and was expensive at all of the hotels, except for the Four Point Sheraton at Darling Harbor, where Internet was free for guests’ use in the lobby. We liked the Sheraton’s unpretentious atmosphere that was very American, making us feel instantaneously right at home. The accessibility of the hotel to everything in Sydney and excellent customer service only added value to our experience.▼ Geena Dabadghav contributed to this article.

rera to file a historic lawsuit against the state seeking marriage rights for LGBT people. The state Supreme Court ruled in May 2008 that California’s anti-gay marriage statutes were unconstitutional, opening up a four-month window that summer and early fall where thousands of same-sex couples tied the knot. Voters by a slim majority overturned that decision at the voting booth that fall, a crushing defeat for the state’s LGBT community. Shortly after the state Supreme Court upheld the voters’ right to pass Prop 8, the group American Foundation for Equal Rights filed the federal lawsuit in the spring of 2009 with the high-profile legal team of Theodore Olson and David Boies. The lawsuit is named after Berkeley resident Kristin Perry, who has been with her partner, Sandra Stier, for 12 years. The other couple is Los Angeles residents Paul Katami and Jeff Zarillo, who have been together 11 years. The 9th Circuit appellate decision is narrow in scope, so if it were upheld, it would only mean that California could once again begin marrying same-sex couples. And presumably it would mean that voters in states covered by the 9th Circuit could not rescind marriage rights for gays and lesbians at the ballot box.▼

▼ <<

Community News>>

February 23-29, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

Cold case

From page 1

had been found at the scene, Payne asked if he could call an attorney, and the conversation soon ended. Part of the interview took place in an unmarked police car at Van Ness Avenue and McAllister Street, and Payne also spoke with the inspectors outside the car. Attorney Kwixuan Maloof said that the interview was conducted at a busy intersection as a man who had accompanied Payne was nearby. He indicated that Payne may have been too embarrassed to discuss sexual orientation and said that such an inquiry is “probably one of the most personal questions you can ever ask someone. ... To some people, there’s a stigma that goes along with homosexuality.” Toomey indicated that nobody had been able to overhear the conversation. Before playing the recording, Swart said that “the evidence contradicts” Payne’s statement that he hadn’t had sex with a man. He also said that Payne’s denials “clearly show he’s not being truthful.” Swart later said, “Clearly [Payne] has every reason to lie and continues to lie.” He also said it was clear that force had been used during the sexual encounter, but it wasn’t obvious what evidence he was referring to. Pera testified that Medical Examiner Dr. Amy Hart had told her that Crumbley’s “clothing was down and there was a possibility [the case] could be a sexual assault.” According to the medical examiner’s report, Crumbley’s anus showed no evidence of contusion, abrasion, or laceration. The legal nature of sodomy was briefly the focus Thursday when Bicka Barlow, an attorney with the public defender’s office, asked Bonnie Cheng, a criminalist who had examined DNA evidence in the case, if there were any way to tell from the material whether force had been used. Swart said that in 1983, force was not required for sodomy to have

SB 48

From page 1

Proponents have until July 16 to collect the 504,760 valid signatures they’ll need in order to get their measure on the November ballot. Having the money needed to hire paid signature gatherers would likely be key to backers’ success. Karen England, executive director of the Capitol Resource Institute and its affiliated Capitol Resource Family Impact, is among the backers of the proposal. England wasn’t available to comment for this story. A message left at a phone number for proponents that was provided by the secretary of state’s office wasn’t returned. A previous attempt backed by England and others to repeal SB 48, which took effect January 1, failed last fall. The proposal’s supporters claimed they came close to gathering the almost 505,000 signatures

Alcohol

From page 3

“The goal when drinking is to not think about what is really going on and to mostly, forget,” said Siever. Most drink to forget about their responsibilities. Alcohol can cause major isolation, which is already an issue with HIV patients, he said. “The negative impacts of alcohol may not be problematic immediately, but over time,” added Buchbinder. San Francisco offers many services for the LGBT community, including for those having issues with alcohol. But, weaving together alcohol use and HIV prevention is

Courtesy SFPD

Nikolaus Crumbley

been committed. Barlow noted that consensual sodomy isn’t a crime, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2003 landmark Lawrence v. Texas decision that overturned all remaining state sodomy laws in the country. Squires said that he wasn’t interested either way. In his closing statements, Maloof questioned sodomy being made part of the case since there was “no evidence of non-consensual sex.” It’s not clear whether Crumbley was gay. Inspector Pera previously told the Bay Area Reporter that he’d had “partners.”

Dissecting evidence Maloof and Barlow tried to show that the chain of custody of the DNA evidence in the case wasn’t clear, since it wasn’t always known exactly who had handled samples, and how and when they had done it, over the years. Taryn Mead, a criminalist in the San Francisco Police Department’s forensic services division, testified that evidence from the sperm fraction of a rectal swab taken from Crumbley indicated a mixture of DNA from at least two individuals. The profile of the “possible major donor” matched Payne, she said, but she couldn’t conclude that the other

individual was Crumbley. Barlow said the DNA evidence should be stricken, but Squires rejected the request. In his closing arguments, Maloof referred to the evidence of two individuals’ DNA in Crumbley’s rectum and said, “We know there was somebody else there.” He said that even if Payne had had sex with another man, that was “the only credible evidence” Swart had, and it was “nowhere near enough” to support the murder charge and allegations. During the hearing, Payne sat calmly between Barlow and Maloof. He wore orange jail clothes but was free of handcuffs and sometimes took notes. He entered his not guilty plea to first-degree murder and an allegation of use of a deadly weapon through Maloof on February 2. The sodomy and robbery allegations were added later.

‘Surprised’ Harold Johns, 67, who said his daughter is married to Payne, watched the court proceedings Thursday. Johns told the B.A.R. that some people “have skeletons and you don’t know unless they reveal it to you,” but asked whether he thought Payne was capable of killing Crumbley, Johns said, “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I was surprised. That’s why I’m here.” He said he didn’t know Payne well, but he estimated his daughter had been married to Payne since 1993. He said they’ve been separated since about 2005, but he had “no idea” why. Payne has an extensive criminal history with cases including assault, robbery, and driving under the influence, and he’s been incarcerated several times since 1986, state records show. Johns said that Payne and his daughter have two children, ages 15 and 9. He said the children are “fine.” Payne’s case is set for arraignment March 2.▼

they needed, but it’s not known if that figure is accurate. Rebekah Orr, a spokeswoman for Equality California, a key SB 48 sponsor, said her group is keeping an eye on the law’s opponents. “One thing we’re looking at most closely is whether they have any money,” she said, adding that so far it appears that they don’t. If the anti-gay activists gain momentum, EQCA will have plenty of fundraising to do too, however. Orr said if the proposal makes it to the ballot, tens of millions of dollars would be needed to defeat it. She said that a coalition that was formed last year to preserve SB 48 still exists, but she wouldn’t say how much money has been collected for the effort. EQCA has resources available “to use as seed funds for a campaign,” Orr said, but “of course we need other folks to bring resources to the table as well.”

She said people with her group are currently talking to voters about SB 48 “every day,” and working to build their list of supporters. Proper implementation of the law is also important, she said, so that they can show opponents “This isn’t the big scary thing you’re making it out to be.” The secretary of state’s office cleared another proposal to gut SB 48 on January 26. A message left at the Traditional Values Coalition’s office in Anaheim, California, wasn’t returned. Anti-gay activist Richard Rios had also proposed undoing SB 48, but he eventually dropped those efforts. Rios said in late January that he’d stick with a proposal that he’d submitted to allow parents to opt their children out of school instruction in social science and family life that conflicts with their moral convictions. Parents can already opt their children out of health lessons.▼

something the city is lacking. “About 13 percent of people living with HIV would be qualified as alcohol dependent,” stated Davis, an assistant professor at California State University, East Bay. Buchbinder emphasized that it’s important for people to know that if they drink on a day-to-day basis, they should still take their meds, that in the long run, it’s healthier.

being done by the Stop AIDS Project, which is now part of the AIDS foundation. The study, which is being spearheaded at the Lookout in the Castro, consists of a five-minute exit survey and breathalyzer as well as a followup online survey aimed to capture what the bar patron did after leaving the establishment. The study hopes to find what patterns of alcohol use are in the community. Since the study began, there has been an interest among bar patrons, mostly due to the breathalyzer. It’s intriguing and sparks interest as well as conversation, which is also a goal of the study, said Jen Hecht, with Stop AIDS.▼

Teaching prevention Over the next year and a half there will be a new developing study in three Castro bars and one South of Market bar. The Pacing Alcohol Consumption Experiment is a study

Legal Notices>> STATEMENT FILE A-034062500

STATEMENT FILE A-034076100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MB ELECTRIC, 243 Chenery St., SF, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Michael T. Ballingall. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/15/86. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/19/12.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FOX MARKET, 570 Larkin St., SF, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Dipak Gandhi. 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 01/24/12

FEB 2, 9, 16, 23, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A- 034063300

FEB 2, 9, 16, 23, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034080400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSET LIQUIDATORS, 243 Parnassus Ave. #4, SF, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Frederick Gulotta. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/19/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/20/12.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE DUBLINER, 3838 24th St., SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Cheuk Yan Yeung. 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 01/25/12

FEB 2, 9, 16, 23, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034081800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as PRIORITY PERSONAL SERVICES, 2636 Judah St. #207, SF, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Alex Tico. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/26/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/26/12.

FEB 2, 9, 16, 23, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034081700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as AT CONSULTING, 2636 Judah St. #207, SF, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Alex Tico. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/26/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/26/12.

FEB 2, 9, 16, 23, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034066500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ROYAL SEAFOOD RESTAURANT COMPANY, 2241 Judah St., SF, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Xiong Hua Xie. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/20/12.

FEB 2, 9, 16, 23, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034038500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as DOUBLE INFINITY, 88 Perry St. #205, SF, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Thomas Burns. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/06/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/06/12.

FEB 2, 9, 16, 23, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034083800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as VFORTAL CLEANING SERVICES, 5214F Diamond Heights Blvd. #712, SF, CA 94131-2175. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Viviane C. Cavalcante. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/26/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/26/12.

FEB 2, 9, 16, 23, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034089900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as GREEN MEADOWS JANITORIAL SERVICE, 658 Linden St., SF, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Beverly Hull. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/30/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/30/12.

FEB 2, 9, 16, 23, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034084000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LA BOHEMIA PRODUCTIONS, 2905 23rd St., SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Carlos Disdier. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/26/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/26/12.

FEB 2, 9, 16, 23, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034079300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MSN INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY, 711 Market St. 2nd Fl., SF, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a general partnership, signed Masud Husain. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/24/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/25/12.

FEB 2, 9, 16, 23, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034089200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as 1.J&T COMPANY, 2.FAITH SANDWICH, 548 6th Ave., SF, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a husband and wife, signed Jack Duong. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/27/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/30/12.

FEB 2, 9, 16, 23, 2012

ebar.com

FEB 2, 9, 16, 23, 2012 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME: #A-0339393-00 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as PRIORITY CARE SERVICES, 2636 Judah St. #207, SF, CA 94122. This business was conducted by an individual, signed Alex Tico. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/09/11.

FEB 2, 9, 16, 23, 2012 NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO SELL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES Dated 01/26/12 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: LAUREL ENTERPRISES LLC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 1515 Clay Street, Suite 2208, Oakland, CA 94612 to sell alcoholic beverages at 3250 Middleﬁeld Rd., Menlo Park, CA 94025-1828. Type of license applied

41- ON-SALE BEER AND WINE EATING PLACE FEB 9, 16, 23, 2012 STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE# CNC-12-548390 In the matter of the application of WEIXING XIAO for change of name. The application of WEIXING XIAO for change of name having been ﬁled in Court, and it appearing from said application that WEIXING XIAO ﬁled an application proposing that his/her name be changed to LANA RUSH. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Room 514 on the 3rd of April, 2012 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted

FEB 9, 16, 23, MAR 1, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A- 034096500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as STANCE LAB, 3542 Anza St., SF, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Wilson Tam. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/01/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/01/12.

FEB 9, 16, 23, MAR 1, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034102200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as I.P. ESTIMATES, 1300 Sacramento St. #304, SF, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Illario Peppe. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 02/02/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/02/12.

FEB 9, 16, 23, MAR 1, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034098400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SHELTER CO., 701 Florida St., SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Kelsey Sheofsky. 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 02/01/12.

FEB 9, 16, 23, MAR 1, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034067800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ALLIANCE COMPUTER’S, 2600 Judah St., SF, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Dzmitry Bychkou. 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 01/23/12.

FEB 9, 16, 23, MAR 1, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034046700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ORTIZ TAX AND NOTARY SERVICES, 2517 Mission St. #8, SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Olga Ortiz. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/11/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/11/12.

FEB 9, 16, 23, MAR 1, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034068000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as WATERLOO BEVERAGES, 295 Terry Francois St., Shed A, SF, CA 94158. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed John Valeer. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/01/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/23/12.

FEB 9, 16, 23, MAR 1, 2012

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

14 • Bay Area Reporter • February 23-29, 2012

Classifieds

Legal Notices>>

The

Legal Notices>> STATEMENT FILE A-034105700

STATEMENT FILE A-034108400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as WIZARD OF ADS, 335 Grand View Ave. #1, SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Herman J. Hobi. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/03/12.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FIORI DESIGNS BY SARINA, 60 29th St. #630, SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Sarina Safina. 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 02/06/12.

FEB 9, 16, 23, MAR 1, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034110900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CAVALIER, 1035 Post St., SF, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Jay Jeffers. 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 02/07/12.

FEB 9, 16, 23, MAR 1, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034112200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DANTE’S WEIRD FISH, 2193 Mission St., SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Peter Hood. 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 02/07/12.

FEB 9, 16, 23, MAR 1, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034112300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE PERCH, 2199 Mission St., SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Peter Hood. 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 02/07/12.

FEB 9, 16, 23, MAR 1, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034104600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EDWARD MARTINEZ FABRICATIONS, 79 Sharon St., SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Edward Martinez. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/31/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/03/12.

FEB 16, 23, MAR 1, 8, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034107200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MOTOR ARZT, 1023 Mission St., SF, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Carl Peters. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/06/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/06/12.

FEB 16, 23, MAR 1, 8, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034113400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SNAPDOCS, 1369 Hyde St. #26, SF, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Stefani Herr. 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 02/07/12.

FEB 16, 23, MAR 1, 8, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034117600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KRISHNA HOTEL, 2032 Mission St., SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed Sailesh Patel. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/24 /12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/08/12.

FEB 16, 23, MAR 1, 8, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034121500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VINYL, 359 Divisadero St., SF, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Michael Musleh. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/09/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/12.

FEB 16, 23, MAR 1, 8, 2012 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME: A-032932200 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: CARINA MOBILE, 210 Fell St. #4, SF, CA 94102. This business was conducted by an individual, signed Tim C. DeBenedictis. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/10.

FEB 16, 23, MAR 1, 8, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034125900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: POISON, 2451 Bay St., SF, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed David Baxter. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/13/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/13/12.

FEB 16, 23, MAR 1, 8, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034125100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CARLO’S NOOK,2919 24th St., SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Dean Clark. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/13/12.

FEB 16, 23, MAR 1, 8, 2012 SUMMONS DOMESTIC RELATIONS SUIT IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON FOR THE COUNTY OF LANE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE# CNC12-548403 In the matter of the application of: JERRY ALLEN HOFFINE JR. for change of name. The application of JERRY ALLEN HOFFINE JR. for change of name having been filed in Court, and it appearing from said application that JERRY ALLEN HOFFINE JR. filed an application proposing that his/her name be changed to JAY ARTHUR BEANAN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Room 514 on the 10th of April, 2012 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted

FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012 STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE# CNC-12-548444 In the matter of the application of: CYNTHIA PATRICIA BONORRIS for change of name. The application of CYNTHIA PATRICIA BONORRIS for change of name having been filed in Court, and it appearing from said application that CYNTHIA PATRICIA BONORRIS filed an application proposing that his/her name be changed to CYNSA BONORRIS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Room 514 on the 24th of April, 2012 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted

FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012 STATEMENT FILE# A-034096700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CAMPUS EDUCATION, 40 1st St., 4th Fl., SF, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Ammon Torrence. 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 02/01/12.

FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012 STATEMENT FILE# A-034136900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 3-SUM EATS, 360 De Haro St., SF, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed Jonathan Panday. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/1612. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/16/12.

FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012 STATEMENT FILE# A-034136800

In the matter of the application of: EVELYN ISOBEL EMERSON for change of name. The application of EVELYN ISOBEL EMERSON for change of name having been filed in Court, and it appearing from said application that EVELYN ISOBEL EMERSON filed an application proposing that his/her name be changed to EVAN LUTHER EMERSON. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Room 514 on the 19th of April, 2012 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted

FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AES WEB DESIGN, 995 14th St., SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Allen Siewert. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/15/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/15/12.

FEB 16, 23, MAR 1, 8, 2012

FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: A LINEAGE EDUCATION, 4309 Lincoln Way, SF, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Ali M. Salahshoor. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/07/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/07/12.

FEB 16, 23, MAR 1, 8, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034111400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STEVE BOECKELS AND ASSOCIATES, 270 Valencia #503, SF, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Stephen Boeckels. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/07/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/07/12.

FEB 16, 23, MAR 1, 8, 2012 STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE# CNC12-548436

FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012 STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE# CNC12-548424 In the matter of the application of: DERA MARIE JONES for change of name. The application of DERA MARIE JONES for change of name having been filed in Court, and it appearing from said application that DERA MARIE JONES filed an application proposing that his/her name be changed to ALANNA MARIE FOX. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Room 514 on the 17th of April, 2012 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted

FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012 STATEMENT FILE# A-034140800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LIVING AMBIANCE, 2101 20th Ave., SF, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Alycia Moy. 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 02/17/12.

FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012 STATEMENT FILE# A-034132700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ST FRANCIS MARKET, 16 West Portal Ave., SF, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Venkata Tangirala. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/19/05. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/15/12.

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FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE# A-033898200 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: FIRST CUT, 813 Clay St., SF, CA 94108. This business was conducted by a general partnership, signed Dong Mei Li. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/20/11.

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FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012 STATEMENT FILE# A-034135900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THOMAS MADE, 1648 Leavenworth St., SF, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Thomas Li. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/16/12.

FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012 STATEMENT FILE# A-034132400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FIRST CUT, 813 Clay St., SF, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed Dong Mei Li. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/14/12.

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RECOVER YOUR THOUGHTS, 2730 16th St., SF, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Leah MacNeil. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/21/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/21/12.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DE PLACE, 5700 Geary Blvd., SF, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Belinda Yu. 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 02/16/12.

FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012 STATEMENT FILE# A-034131300

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FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012 STATEMENT FILE# A-034143200

FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012 STATEMENT FILE# A-034134800

STATEMENT FILE# A-034078400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CROWN MARKET & LIQUOR, 712 Geary St., SF, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Ali Mozeb. 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 01/25/12.

FEB 23, MAR 1, 8, 15, 2012

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MARKET & RYE, 68 West Portal Ave., SF, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed Jonathan Panday. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/16/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/16/12.

In the Matter of the marriage of SHANA L. TUCKER, Petitioner, and ALBERT A. TREJO, Respondent, to ALBERT A. TREJ0, home address 80 Beachside Ct., Daly City, CA 94015, work address 111 Taylor St., San Francisco, CA 94102. The petitioner has filed a Petition asking for DIVORCE WITH CHILD. If you do not file the appropriate legal paper with the court in the time required (see below), the petitioner may ask the court for a judgment against you that orders the relief requested. NOTICE TO RESPONDENT: READ THESE PAPERS CAREFULLY! You must “appear” in this case or the other side will win automatically. To “appear,” you must file with the Court a legal paper called a “Response” or “Motion.” Response forms may be available through the court located at Lane County Courts, 125 East 8th Ave., Eugene, OR 97401. This Response must be filed with the court clerk or administrator within thirty (30) days of the date of first publication specified herein: 02/15/12, along with the required filing fee. It must be in proper form and you must show that the Petitioner’s attorney (or the Petitioner if he/she does not have an attorney) was served with a copy of the “Response” or “Motion.” The location to file your response is at the court address indicated above. If you have questions, you should see an attorney immediately. If you need help finding an attorney, you may call the Oregon State Bar’s Lawyer Referral Service online at www. oregonstatebar.org or by calling (503) 684-3763 (in the Portland metropolitan area) or toll free elsewhere in Oregon at (800) 452-7636. If special accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act is needed, please contact your local court at the address above; telephone number (541) 682-4020. Certificate of Document Preparation. You are required to truthfully complete this certificate regarding the document you are filing with the court. I selected this document for myself and I completed it without paid assistance, signed SHANA L. TUCKER, 2555 Roosevelt Blvd. #22, Eugene, OR 97402, (541) 232-8150.

FEB 16, 23, MAR 1, 8, 2012 STATEMENT FILE A-034113200

STATEMENT FILE# A-034114900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOWES TAX, 3892 26th St., SF, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Mark Howe. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/08/12.

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February 23-29, 2012 • Bay Area Reporter • 15

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Vol. 41 • No. 08 • February 23-March 1, 2012

Tickle me, Oscar! Predictions, snubs & critical picks by David Lamble

Oscar publicity this year looks back to some past honorees.

s the dreaded night approaches, mainstream critics are rebooting their 84th annual Oscar moan-and-groan: too much Harvey influence on the big-dollar Best Picture campaigns – that’s Weinstein, not Milk; the new, last-minute show producers had the chutzpah to recycle Long Beach, Long Island’s favorite son Billy Crystal as Oscar host, but what’s wrong with the dude who was among the first actors to play gay on TV? Consider who he’s replacing. Should Madonna host? Nah, she’s better off offending the much larger Super Bowl crowd. How appropriate that director Clint Eastwood’s Super Bowl car ad attracted the buzz he craved for J. Edgar. This triple-play of box office, critical and now Oscar disapproval must really smart. I had no problem with J. Edgar’s take on our late secret police chief ’s domestic arrangements, but ultimately Clint, Leo and Lance couldn’t create an Edgar you loved to hate. While Oscar ignored some extremely worthy queer-content dramas – Weekend, Pariah, Tomboy, Romeos, Private Romeos, Circumstance, 3 – those slights should be redressed under the big tent of the Indie Spirit Awards. We note that Academy members singled out the Herculean efforts of Glenn Close to bring Albert Nobbs to the screen, and the Hilary Swank potential of Janet McTeer’s Best Supporting Actress nomination, with the

matching possibility for Christopher Plummer’s 75-year-old gay dad in Beginners. How’s that for forever banishing the stench of The Sound of Music? And that empty 10th Best Picture spot belongs to the plucky Harry Potter and friends. Further Oscar reflections: Albert Nobbs Glenn Close eloquently described her 15-year struggle to film this unique cross-dressing drama. “A story like this is just so outside the formula of Hollywood that it scares people. There was a time when people wouldn’t have touched this kind of content with a 10-foot pole, and I think it ended up that the film was made in exactly the right time.” David Lamble: Nobbs has neither a feminist nor a lesbian identity? Glenn Close: No, she doesn’t understand sexuality; she’s never been touched by love, never been in an intimate relationship. Janet McTeer’s character is a lesbian, basically? She has become one. She sees herself as a real man, like Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry. She’s comfortable in her skin. Beginners Director/writer Mike Mills was thrilled when the actor he picked to play his dead gay dad, Christopher Plummer, started acting like dad, beginning with a lively shopping expedition. Michelle Williams Her director See page 20 >>

Beaux arts

San Francisco Ballet Programs 2 & 3 by Paul Parish

an Francisco Ballet charged into its spring season with two triple bills which play through this weekend at the Opera House. Both are full of variety, superlatively well-danced, well worth seeing, and contrast chiefly in that Program 2 is “Modern and Challenging,” and Program 3 is “Romantic and Melodramatic.” Each has a premiere, Mark Morris’ Beaux (#2) and Yuri Possokhov’s Francesca da Rimini (#3), and that’s the major story. Actually, Program 2 is an all-gay evening, with an all-male centerpiece by Morris, who is now I’d say the greatest choreographer alive. Beaux is a pastorale for nine adorable men camouflaged as gay boys (pink-camo unitards by Isaac

Mizrahi). Last Friday night, the gay presence in the house was almost overwhelming. Donna Sachet, with a fabulous red shawl and a very short, very tight red cocktail dress, was only the most spectacular of the many B.A.R. folk on hand; and the lobby was full of darling young people who looked liked they’d styled their hair with cum. Beaux does not yield all its secrets on first sight. I desperately want to see it again. If it’s about sex – maybe – it’s also about affection and community, about longing for an ideal peer group, friends you can play with. It thoroughly dismayed all my straight friends, who wanted passion, excitement, big technique, and what it gave See page 28 >>

Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet dancers in choreographer Mark Morris’ all-male ballet, Beaux.

{ SECOND OF TWO SECTIONS }

<< Out There

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 23-March 1, 2012

▼

Reese’s pieces by Roberto Friedman

inger and actress Della Reese’s debut at the Rrazz Room in San Francisco last week was celebrated with a swank cocktail party there in the Hotel Nikko, and Out There was in the house as her stellar career was recognized with a certificate of honor from the Mayor’s Office. Born Deloreese Patricia Early in Detroit, Michigan, Reese sang in her family’s church at the tender age of six. Her talents landed her a touring gig with gospel great Mahalia Jackson while Reese was still only a teenager. Reese formed the Meditation Singers at 18, the group that became the first to take gospel music to the fabled nightclubs of Las Vegas. Reese began making records with the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra in the 1950s. In 1969, she was the first black woman to host a variety talk show, Della, on CBS. In other words, she was Oprah before Oprah. Her television series Touched by

a Janitor, oops we mean by an Angel ran for nine years on CBS, and it’s still in syndication on Hallmark. San Francisco cabaret society, including Rrazz Room team Robert Kotonly and Rory Paull, was out in full force to welcome Miss Reese to our little burg by the bay.

Paying the piper MacArthur Awardwinning artist Mark Bradford was the man of the hour last week when a retrospective of his large, colorful, vibrant abstract works opened with two concurrent shows at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (reviewed in this issue, p. 23). In the YBCA component, we immersed ourselves in Bradford’s Rat Catcher of Hamelin I-IV (2011), a large-scale, four-panel mixed-media collage he created for the Istanbul biennial, featuring 50 billboards collected from all around South Central Los Angeles, sanded and stripped to reveal what lies beneath their surfaces.

Steven Underhill

Star of stage and screen Della Reese made her Rrazz Room debut last week.

SFMOMA’s Gary Garrels, the Elise S. Haas Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture, noted that although the work was a response to the case of a serial killer who operated in South Central L.A., its title harkened back to the somewhat dark children’s tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, who made off with the town’s youngsters when the town elders foolishly refused to pay their exterminator’s bill. Bradford’s work thus has a “twin” of sorts in the landmark Maxfield Parrish painting that illustrates this tale that hangs proudly over the bar in the Palace Hotel a few blocks away and gives the Pied Piper Bar & Grill its name. “Woo-hoo!” rooted Out There. “Press party at the Pied Piper room!” We’re so easily excitable that way.

and Empathy. One of our cherished Tyranny recordings is called Country Boy Country Dog/How To Discover Music in the Sounds of Your Daily Life, released in 1994, and generated from a 25-year project for electronics, orchestra and environmental sounds. Now he has a new release out, Detours (Unseen Worlds Records),

Chris cross

Tyranny rules One of our favorite new music composer/musicians is avant-garde pianist “Blue” Gene Tyranny, perhaps best known for composing and playing the harmonies and piano improvisations in composer Robert Ashley’s seminal operafor-television Perfect Lives. Tyranny has premiered works by John Cage, Yoko Ono and others; has collaborated with theater and dance artists; performed on Laurie Anderson’s Strange Angels; and records his own works on labels like Lovely Music

The pieces “She Wore Red Shoes” and “Intuition” layer Tyranny’s pianism with electronics in satisfying and unexpected ways; they’re improvisations with a bit more than the random about them. “Blue” Gene quotes French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur, who famously said, “Chance favors the prepared mind.”

which consists of four piano compositions, some with electronics, of varying lengths from less than six minutes long to about 20. The first piece, “13 Detours,” resonates with the music of immortals Bill Evans and Erik Satie. In liner notes Tyranny writes, “Each of the brief harmonic discourses begins at a pre-determined location and winds up at a totally unexpected place, and then when the rubber hits the road we take a brief, uncharted journey acting on impulse guided by mood to a new, unknown location.” In other words, it’s improvisatory but solidly grounded in structure, like the best jazz piano. “George Fox Searches” is a long tour de force that takes its inspiration from Quaker hymns and other American spirituals. As such, it seems a close heir to works by the great Charles Ives or the contemporary composer Robin Holcomb. “Some of the material used for this improvisation is based upon the song ‘How Can I Keep from Singing?,’ which has long been taken as a Quaker tune. In actuality the tune was written in 1860 by Robert Lowry, who was a Baptist minister. The text of the song nevertheless reflects much of the Quaker spirit of freedom, compassion, and hope for an honest and just world.”

The New York Post reported last week that Soundggarden rocker Chris Cornell b broke up a verbal altercation tthis week at the Alaska Airllines lounge in Seattle, where a m man in a business suit “called aanother man a queer when he o overheard him make a proO Obama statement,” according tto an eyewitness. “Cornell stepped up in the p packed lounge and slammed th the guy for making anti-gay ccomments. According to a passsenger in the lounge, Cornell ssaid, ‘You’re a [bleep]. You deliliberately called him a queer to m make him feel uncomfortable in front of a lot of people.’ The witness said security came and the offending suit was asked to leave. The other man and Alaska reps thanked Cornell for his help, the source added. A rep for Cornell confirmed the incident, adding he was on his way to perform at an Obama fund-raiser in San Francisco.” Yay team! Finally, an art exhibition that oughtn’t fall through the cracks: the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive is currently presenting Andy Warhol: Polaroids, through May 20. BAM/PFA press materials say, “From 1970 to 1987, Warhol, armed with his Polaroid Big Shot camera, captured a wide range of individuals: the royalty, rock stars, executives, artists, patrons of the arts, and athletes who epitomized 1970s and 80s high society, but also as many unknown subjects. This exhibition features a group of 40 of these photographs, including portraits of Caroline, Princess of Monaco; Diane von Furstenberg; and O.J. Simpson.” All these years later, it’s still Warhol’s world. The museum is located at 2626 Bancroft Way, just below College Ave. across from the UC Berkeley campus. For information, call (510) 642-0808 or go to bampfa.berkeley.edu. ▼

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Theatre >>

February 23-March 1, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

The real McKay does Bloody Babs by Richard Dodds

ow do you follow up a tribute to Doris Day? Why, naturally, with a cabaret biography of convicted murderer Barbara Graham. Dubbed by the 1950s press as Bloody Babs, and executed at the San Quentin gas chamber in 1955, Graham led a misbegotten life that provided Susan Hayward with an Oscar-winning role three years later in I Want to Live! That’s also the title of McKay’s cabaret show that played to glowing reviews last year in New York, and that she has now taken on the road. San Francisco, where Graham worked for a time as a prostitute, is its next stop, playing Feb. 28-29 at the Rrazz Room. “A brilliant, zany film-noir musical biography,” is how The New York Times described the show when it played Feinstein’s. The New Yorker’s reviewer was even more rapturous: “Part B movie, part seedy cabaret act, part existential meditation, and all musical exploration, McKay and an excellent band mix some original tunes, some period tunes, and some wildly anachronistic ones to create a brilliant piece of theatre.” The London-born McKay, who stomped around the U.S. as a kid with her eccentric divorced mother, began attracting attention on New York’s boite circuit in her late teens before signing with Columbia Records in 2003. Her folky, jazz sound is hard to categorize, whether singing her own quirky compositions or old standards, and she variously accompanies her vocals on the piano, ukulele, cello, xylophone, and glockenspiel. Her latest CD is titled Home Sweet Mobile Home, and its

Maura Halloran plays a struggling performance artist and Ariane Owens is her pregnant sister with a disappearing job in the collapsing financial industry. It’s a topsyturvy crisis that may be solved by commercializing the sister’s performance art, as family obligations, artistic integrity, and the pull of the past converge. Stuart Bousel, founder of No Nude Men Productions, is directing Merchants, which was presented earlier as part of the Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco’s program of developmental readings. Tickets are available at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/221334.

immediate predecessor was titled, with at least some irony, Normal as Blueberry Pie – A Tribute to Doris Day. McKay hopes to record I Want to Live!, but there are no plans to expand it. “We try to keep it intimate,” she told an interviewer earlier this month, “so I don’t see it as a big stage show. And you need people to be drinking. This is a real drinking show. It has to have that nighttime energy going through the audience.” Ticket info for I Want to Live! is available at www.therrazzroom. com.

Life without father

Mormon mania In olden times, like 10 years ago and earlier, the percent of capacity at which a Broadway show played was the prime indicator of success. After all, how could you beat 100%? But with half-off tickets and something called dynamic pricing, the real gauge of success has become the average price of tickets sold. The winner for months, by far, has been The Book of Mormon. For example, during the most recent week at press time, the average price of a ticket to The Book of Mormon was $169.76. War Horse placed at $112.78, and The Lion King showed at $110.03. Which is to say The Book of Mormon is a hot-as-Hades ticket, and reason enough for SHN to announce a November run at the Curran before it has the rest of the five shows in its 2012-2013 season ready to share. It will be a “strictly limited” five-week run, and the only way to guarantee a ticket to the Tony-winning musical from the creators of South Park is to take a flier on the rest of the TBA season. That can be done by calling (888) 746-1799 or

Rick Gonzalez

Quirky singer-songwriter Nellie McKay brings her acclaimed cabaret biography I Want to Live! to the Rrazz Room on Feb. 28 and 29.

by going to www.shnsf.com/shows/ mormon.

No Nude ‘Merchants’ The long-running indie theater group No Nude Men has a world

premiere on its docket. Emerging playwright Susan Sobeloff explores the oddities of today’s economy through the plight of two sisters in Merchants, running March 1-24 at Exit Stage Left.

Cassie Angley is the author and sole performer in Finding the Michaels, creating multiple characters as she centers on a character also named Cassie on a paternal quest. Footloose is presenting the solo show as part of its Artists in Motion program at Shotwell Studios. The story begins on Sept. 11, 2001, as Cassie heads back to her New York teaching job after a midlife crisis that included a fling with a character she dubs Messed-Up Mary. As the Twin Towers fall that morning, it unleashes an urgency in Cassie to find her long-missing father. Her search leads to a series of Michaels, who become characters in the piece about resetting a fractured life. Angley has a lengthy resume as an actress and writer in New York and on the road. The current production came about after Footloose Artistic Director Mary Alice Fry saw a workshop production of Finding the Michaels at the Marsh. The two-weekend run at Shotwell begins March 3. Tickets at 289-2000 or www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/222756. ▼

MEDIA NETWORK

kevinberne.com

Steven Epp, center, plays the title character in A Doctor in Spite of Himself, who is pressed into a fake medical practice by a rich man’s servants (Jacob Ming-Trent and Liam Craig) in the Berkeley Rep production.

Farce served by Richard Dodds

link, and it’s gone. But don’t worry. Before you can blink again, another gag is at the ready. Berkeley Rep, in a co-production with Yale Rep, is presenting an exceedingly impertinent interpretation of Moliere’s A Doctor in Spite of Himself that requires far more knowledge of the pop culture of recent decades than anything about 17th-century French society. A tossed-off pun about a “dream of genius” elicits from the band a few-note musical quote from the I Dream of Jeannie theme song. A pair of diner-type plastic bottles of ketchup and mustard discreetly adorns the fireplace mantle in a nobleman’s mansion. And the opening number from The Music Man, the a cappella “Rock Island” song syncopated to a train’s rattling rhythms, finds its way for no good reason into the action. No good reason, that is, except that it’s part of the pattern of a nearly nonstop hilarity that adapters Christopher

Mayes, who is also the director, and Steven Epp, who plays the title role, have wrangled out of Moliere’s script. Mayes and Epp are veterans of the celebrated but lamentably shuttered Theatre de la Jeune Lune of Minneapolis. Its imaginative productions traveled several times to Berkeley Rep before the 30-year-old Jeune Lune closed down operations in 2008 under the weight of its debt. Theatre de la Jeune Lune certainly had a non-traditional approach to theater, but any pressure that its productions should possess some form of classy veneer seems lifted from Mayes and Epp with A Doctor in Spite of Himself. And they have freed themselves from reverence for Moliere’s 1666 play because the comedy was a commercially pandering comedy hastily written to make up for the failure of The Misanthrope. The characters may bear the same names, and the plot is recognizable, but Mayes and Epp have basically used the story as a clothesline on See page 21 >>

COAST TO COAST.. EDGE IS THERE! H HERE! JOIN THE CONVERSATION ON ON FACEBOOK: EDGE MEDIA NETWORK DIA NETWO ORK RK AND ON TWITTER: @EDGEontheNet DGE Eonthe eNet et

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20 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 23-March 1, 2012

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The gala must go on! by Adam Sandel

n economic downturn, fiscal hardships, and slashed budgets will not deter the Academy of Friends from throwing their 32nd Annual Academy Awards Night Gala this Sunday, Feb. 26 at the SF Design Center Galleria. Having raised and donated $8 million to Bay Area HIV/AIDS service organizations over its 31-year history, the Academy of Friends looks to two veterans of the organization to deliver both donations and glamour despite tough financial times. Five-year AOF board member, elected to Board President this past June, Howard Edelman oversaw the cutting of the group’s operating costs to less than an eighth of what they were two years ago. In his fifth year as Gala Chair, David Miranda said working on a tighter budget is much more challenging, but leads to more innovative ways to make the event as splashy and glamorous as it ever was. “This year’s theme Scandalous! is a lot of fun,” said Miranda. “It lends itself to a more modern, streamlined look than in past years. It’s a pop art look that’s also hot and sexy. We’re getting more pop for the buck, but

it will still feel like a black-tie gala.” AOF’s belt-tightening is nothing compared to the fiscal challenges faced by the HIV/AIDS agencies that it supports. The gala’s glamour and fun are still in the service of raising funds for this year’s beneficiaries: Huckleberry Youth Programs, Maitri, Shanti, Tenderloin Health and the Women’s HIV Program at UCSF. Online ticket-buyers have the option of distributing their purchase to all five beneficiaries or choosing to have it directly support one of the agencies. “Our goal has always been to raise corporate and individual sponsorship to cover gala expenses in advance,” wrote Edelman in a recent guest column in these pages. “So ideally, funds from gala ticket sales, raffle ticket sales and silent auction item proceeds will go to our beneficiaries.” To that end, AOF has brought on presenting sponsor Nordstrom to join major sponsors such as AT&T, Gold’s Gym, Blueprint Studios, and Diageo Brands. AOF board members are also digging deeper to make personal contributions to the event. The gala’s move from Fort Mason to the SF Design Center Galleria has also helped design maestro Mi-

randa. “It’s more comfortable, the building is more aesthetically pleasing, and it feels more like a place for a black-tie function,” he said. “And we don’t have to spend so much draping the walls of Fort Mason. “As many, if not more restaurants, wineries and beverage companies are contributing to this year’s gala,” said Miranda. More than 60 vendors will provide the drinks, savories, and sweets that guests will dine on while mixing, mingling and viewing the Oscar telecast. A tip for die-hard Oscar fans who attend the gala: tape the show so you can enjoy the gala’s flirting, food and fun, and enjoy every Oscar night bon mot, gaffe and awful gown the next day, in the privacy of your own home. Does the Gala Chair have any favorite movies that he’s rooting for in this year’s Oscar race? “I couldn’t get anyone to go see War Horse,” said Miranda. “I’m so busy trying to organize the party that I don’t get to see many of the movies. I usually see them after the fact.” The gala will not be short on live entertainment, including strolling talent and dancers (who promise to contribute to the Scandalous! theme). The cast of the musical Mamma Mia! will perform num-

Oscar picks

From page 17

for My Week with Marilyn, Simon Curtis, summed it up succinctly: “Some of the most brilliant actresses around couldn’t play Marilyn. I was thrilled when Michelle read and wanted to meet. She would be working on the body language – things in Marilyn’s repertoire that Marilyn had created – and also working on the complex psychological makeup of Marilyn.” Gary Oldman For once this 53-year-old actor’s actor didn’t disappear when it came time to handing out the hardware. I enjoyed my chat with the man with ineffable takes on some of our great rogues, fuck-ups and cut-ups: Lee Harvey Oswald, Dracula, Sid Vicious, Joe Orton, and finally, spymaster George Smiley. Oldman on playing Orton’s bisexual charmer/murderer in the English stage version of Entertaining Mr. Sloane: “[The irony was] you couldn’t have any references to heterosexual sex, so all those references in Sloane to Kath had to go, yet Ed says to Sloane, ‘I support the Scout movement, and with me behind you, boy, we can have a great future.’ [Orton] was very mischievous, the way he got around the censors.”

Mike Rosati

The festive scene during a previous Academy of Friends Oscar-night gala, as always, is enlivened by live golden boys.

bers as the transition act between the Oscar show and the dance party that concludes the evening. Between the black-tie gaiety, the return of Oscar host Billy Crystal, and the music of ABBA, the Acad-

emy of Friends Gala promises to be an event to remember.▼

David Lamble: I was impressed with your George Smiley, a part so associated with Sir Alec Guinness. You play Hamlet at a certain age, King Lear at another: at 53, you’re perfect for Smiley. Gary Oldman: It’s a moveable feast, the birthday of George Smiley. Sir Alec was nearly 70, and that’s more like Lear, so I’m closer to the age. There have been other Hamlets, other Romeos, other Lears – it was just a reinterpretation. Best Foreign Film: A Separation With the winds of war howling, this nuanced depiction of the class fissures among urban Iranians arrives at the perfect moment. An Iranianstyle Raisin in the Sun, it’s the sort of issue-oriented drama (sans the political firestorm) that was catnip on 1950s TV: Playhouse 90, Studio One. In Darkness Europe’s most dogged Holocaust chronicler, director Agnieszka Holland, grabs your heart with a pitiless look at Jewish refugees escaping through a Polish city’s sewers. Bullhead This Belgium nominee takes sexual and steroid abuse to the end of the line. Best Picture: The Artist This Harvey Weinstein-promoted entry wasn’t as bad as I feared. It’s actually rather good, hitting some oldfashioned, tear-jerking beats, but a Best Picture? No way! The Descendants It’s the longawaited return of director Alexander Payne, responsible for penetrating and downright hilarious takes on wine-soaked bro-mance guys, angry seniors, pesky high school lesbians, and the bravest abortion comedy/satire. Moneyball Aaron Sorkin’s stinging, dead-on funny barbs about baseball men at work (the scrappy Oakland A’s) fuel a comic gem, including a Cary Grant-worthy turn by Brad Pitt. Hugo Director Martin Scorsese’s Valentine to a cinema pioneer is worthy, if not fully engaging. The Tree of Life Director Terrence Malick’s Waco, Texas version of the Big Bang theory, with a sublime slice of Pitt. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close The 9/11, epiphany-dripping tear-jerker was massacred by Gotham critics. It’s worth a second peek, if only for the incendiary debut of Oakland plucky boy actor Thomas Horn.

The Help Much too soapy, but boasts a fine African American supporting ensemble, headed up by Viola Davis. Midnight in Paris Woody Allen’s career peak at the box office is a recapitulation of themes from his standup comedy days, a bow to The Purple Rose of Cairo with visual echoes of Manhattan. War Horse In a double-feature year for the incomparable Spielberg, Oscar tosses a consolation bouquet instead of a double snub. Best Documentary Feature In a year where director Werner Herzog’s Texas crime doc Into the Abyss was inexplicably ignored, fellow countryman Wim Wenders’ Pina deserves the Oscar. Pina For years, my companion James and I sought out this city’s tiny dance companies. Wenders captures for the first time on screen the unexpected joys and ineffable sorrows that a live company can evoke. If a Tree Falls in the Forest: The Earth Liberation Movement Shows the high personal cost of being radicalized in today’s environmental movement. Best Picture My pick: Moneyball. The Oscar goes to: The Artist. Best Director My pick: Alexander Payne for The Descendants. The Oscar goes to: Martin Scorsese for Hugo. Best Actor My pick: Brad Pitt for Moneyball. The Oscar goes to: George Clooney for The Descendants. Best Actress Meryl Streep cops her third Oscar for The Iron Lady. Best Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer for the queerthemed Beginners. Best Supporting Actress My pick and the possible upset winner is Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs. Best Original Screenplay My pick: Margin Call. The Oscar goes to: Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris. Best Adapted Screenplay My pick: Aaron Sorkin for Moneyball. The Oscar goes to: The Descendants. Best Animated Feature My pick: Chico & Rita. The Oscar goes to: Kung Fu Panda 2. Best Foreign Film A Separation from Iran. Best Documentary Feature Wim Wenders for his dance feature Pina.▼

Tickets: $250 advance, $300 at the door ($750 VIP): www.academyoffriends.org or call (415) 995-9890.

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Film >>

February 23-March 1, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 21

Out of the background

Surveying the history of the Best Supporting Actor/Actress Oscars by Tavo Amador

or more than a decade, the prestige gap between winning a Best Actor/ Actress Oscar and capturing one in the supporting category has nearly disappeared. In 2002 for example, Catherine Zeta-Jones entered the race for Best Supporting Actress for Chicago, even though hers was a lead role, and won. That wasn’t always the case. Anne Baxter insisted that her part in All About Eve (1950) was a starring one, so she and Bette Davis were both nominated in that category, and neither won. In 1955, Rosalind Russell refused to be considered for a supporting Oscar for her intense performance in Picnic, arguing it would irreparably harm her status. She would never win an Academy Award for acting. Six years later, however, Judy Garland and Montgomery Clift were nominated in supporting roles for Judgment at Nuremberg. Classic Hollywood knew the importance of casting supporting roles appropriately, but it took until 1936 – the eighth year of the Academy Awards – for players in those parts to be acknowledged. The first winners were Walter Brennan for Come and Get It and Gale Sondergaard for Anthony Adverse. Neither would ever become a major star, although they worked steadily. Brennan would collect two more Best Supporting Actor Oscars – still a record – for playing the same part. For the next several decades, the nominees and winners were usually character actors. Olivia de Havilland was a notable exception: a losing nominee as Best Supporting Actress for Gone With the Wind (1939), she would subsequently be nominated four times for Best Actress, winning twice. The first to regularly alternate was Geraldine Page. From 1954 to 1986, she was nominated eight times, four in each category, finally winning the statuette on her last try, as Best Actress, for taking The Trip to Bountiful. Shelley Winters, who won in the Best Supporting category twice (1959’s The Diary of Anne Frank, 1967’s A Patch of Blue), earned her first nomination – as Best Actress – for A Place in the Sun (1951). Ingrid Bergman’s first two Oscars were for starring roles, her third for a supporting part (Murder on the Orient Express, 1974), but she would garner her last nomination as Best Actress. Anthony Quinn, for decades Tinseltown’s all-purpose ethnic, won the prize twice in supporting parts (as Eufenio Zapata in Viva Zapata, 1952, and for his cameo as Paul Gauguin in Lust for Life, 1956), and would be nominated for lead actor as an Italian rancher in Wild Is the Wind (1957) and as Zorba the Greek (1964). Surprisingly, many of the studio era’s most popular supporting actors weren’t winners: the terrific Thelma

Doctor in Spite

From page 19

which to pin their jokes, sight gags, contemporary interpolations, topical references, and mockery of theatrical conventions. Although the intermissionless production clocks in at just 90 minutes, relentless laugh provocation can become exhausting. Wisely, they have built into the production a stage version of the seventh-inning stretch as the cast assembles to harmonize on a romantic ballad that lets the audience catch its breath. The show starts off with an outhouse-turned-puppet theater in which Punch and Judy characters are battling it out. Their human counterparts emerge from the miniature playhouse to become the oafish Sganarelle (Epp) and his shrewish wife Martine (Justine Williams). To

Catherine Zeta-Jones won Best Supporting Actress for Chicago in 2002.

Ritter was a six-time loser. Agnes Moorehead lost four times; and Angela Lansbury lost three times. The great Eve Arden had a sole, losing nod. Similarly, Claude Rains and Arthur Kennedy were also-rans three times, the splendid Clifton Webb lost twice, as did Lee J. Cobb. Scene-stealing Sidney Greenstreet earned one, losing nomination, and Peter Lorre was never a nominee. Taking a page from Geraldine Page, Meryl Streep’s record 17 nominations include three for supporting roles – she has won once in each category. Of Jack Nicholson’s 12 nods, four have been for supporting performances, for which he won once. Maggie Smith, Helen Hayes, Gene Hackman, Jessica Lange, Denzel Washington, and Kevin Spacey have one win in each category. Michael Caine’s six nominations have been evenly divided, but his two wins have been for supporting performances. Other two-time winners include Dianne Weist, Peter Ustinov, Jason Robards, Jr., and Melvyn Douglas. Laurence Olivier’s 10 acting nominations include one in a supporting role. His sole win was as Hamlet (1948). Paul Newman got eight Best Actor nods, winning once, and was nominated for a supporting role in his last film, The Road to Perdition (2002). Similarly, Marlon Brando earned seven Best Actor nominations, winning twice, before getting a losing nod in the supporting field, for 1990’s A Dry White Season. Their equivalents during the studio era were Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. She won four times – a record – and had 12 nominations, all for starring parts. He was nominated eight times, winning twice, always for leading roles. This year, Glenn Close earned her sixth nomination, giving her three in each category. George Clooney’s nod is his third for Best Actor, but his sole win has been for a supporting role in Syriana (2005). Christopher Plummer’s nomination is his second in this category. Racial and ethnic minority performers received initial recognition avenge herself on Sganarelle, Martine convinces a nobleman’s servants (Jacob Ming-Trent and Liam Craig) that her husband is actually a great doctor who will only admit to his profession if beaten with sticks. And, after a thrashing, Sganarelle concludes he had better be a doctor, agreeing to treat the daughter (Renata Friedman) of the wealthy Geronte (Allen Gilmore). She has gone speechless from her forbidden love of the foppish Leandre (Chivas Michael), and Sganarelle arrives spouting medical adlibs and lusting for a well-endowed maid (Julie Briskman). The cast is filled with talented farceurs whose buffoonery is rooted in archetypical characters. Or stereotypical characters, if there is an extra joke to be had. What at first blush appears to be racially blind casting instead becomes grist for cartoon

Jack Nicholson, seen here in 1971, has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor four times; he won once.

from Hollywood with supporting Oscars. Hattie McDaniel was the first African American winner, for Gone With the Wind (1939). Subsequent triumphant African Americans in supporting roles include Whoopi Goldberg, Jennifer Hudson, M’onique, Louis Gossett, Jr., Cuba Gooding, Jr., Morgan Freeman, and Denzel Washington. (Sidney Poitier, Washington, Halle Barry, Jamie Foxx, and Forrest Whitaker have been honored for leading parts.) Katy Jurado was the first Hispanic nominated for Best Supporting Actress, losing for Broken Lance (1954). Subsequently, Rita Moreno, Mercedes Ruehl, and Penelope Cruz have won that prize. In addition to Quinn, Benicio del Toro and Javier Bardem are Hispanic winners for supporting roles. (Jose Ferrer is the only Best Actor Hispanic winner, for 1950’s Cyrano de Bergerac.) Two Asians have collected the little man, and both have been for supporting parts: Miyoshi Umeki (Sayonara, 1957), and Haing S. Ngor (The Killing Fields, 1984.) The Best Supporting Oscars confirm what generations of English stage stars have insisted was true, “There are no small parts, only small actors.”▼ outbursts, whether in the form of a snippet of rap or a lordy-lordy reaction from the black actors. Turnaround is fair play with the white players, whose characterizations include a sullen goth girl and a foulmouthed redneck. Greg C. Powers and Robertson Witmer are the entirety of the onstage band, though between them they play six instruments. The accompaniment may be a bit of ABBA, a snippet of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” or a few bars from Oliver! It’s all part of the general mayhem, which may have a method behind it, but there is delight in never knowing what the next blink of an eye will bring.▼ A Doctor in Spite of Himself will run through March 25 at Berkeley Rep. Tickets are $14.50-$73. Call (510) 647-2949 or go to www.berkeleyrep.org.

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22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 23-March 1, 2012

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Mickey Mouse as the mischievous Sorcerer’s Apprentice in Walt Disney’s Fantasia.

Wonderful world Disney’s ‘Fantasia’ plays the Castro Theatre by David Lamble

wo of my dearest friends, a lovely Southland male couple, once confessed, while escorting me through “The Magic Kingdom,” that the achievements of Walter Elias Disney – 87 feature-length films commissioned during his lifetime, the reinvention of the family amusement park, the merger of Hollywood, TV and all visual digital toys into one synergistic universe, the creation and elevation of film animation (and its logical spin-offs, the graphic novel and the lowly comic book) into the world’s most popular art-form – had not only nurtured their marriage, but really provided a framework of meaning for their lives that we usually associate with organized religion. This weekend (Friday through Sunday) the Church of Disney convenes at the Castro Theatre for nine screenings of the 1940 classic Fantasia (at 2, 5 & 8 p.m. daily), the third work in the Disney canon, and still a mind-expanding display of how an artist could connect to the broadest possible public without vulgarity or condescension. According to Disney biographer Neal Gabler (Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination, Knopf), the idea for what was long dubbed “The Concert Feature” popped into Disney’s head in 1936 on the eve of the release of his first animated feature, the wildly popular Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Snow White was an instant smashhit, for which Disney was to receive one regular-sized Oscar and seven tiny ones, presented by child star

Shirley Temple. Disney frequently claimed its popularity was underestimated because its small-fry fans paid as little as a dime admission. An unexpected downside to Snow White’s worldwide success was the shadow cast over the Disney Studio’s resident star rodent and Walt’s creative alter ego, Mickey Mouse. Feeling that the Mouse needed a new starring vehicle with a touch of class that would raise him above the likes of Donald Duck, Pluto and Goofy, Walt conceived of an expanded version of the Studio’s Silly Symphony series based on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas. The idea stalled for fear that an expensive two-reel short could never earn back its investment. The project got a gigantic boost from a chance encounter between Disney and Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra conductor Leopold Stokowski. Casual friends, the men bonded over the idea that film animation could transport the viewer into an imaginative reconfiguration of the concert experience. Joining forces with music commentator Deems Taylor, the team laid out a two-hour program (complete with intermission) that would allow Disney’s small army of animators to conceive visual accompaniments to the classical world’s most challenging compositions. Released in 1940 just as the European War cut off one of its potentially most lucrative audience bases, Fantasia – with its high built-in costs including an expensive stateof-the-art stereo sound system for each theatre (for the San Francisco run, projectors and stereo sound were installed at the Geary Theatre)

– did sluggish box office outside of the cultural hubs. Eventually, Walt, desperate for cash, had to agree to his baby being slashed down to 80 minutes and relegated to the second half of a bill with a contemporary Western. Ironically, the “acid generation,” weaned on Disney TV and theme parks, would discover how awesome the master’s work could be if enjoyed while stoned. This weekend’s restored version of Fantasia (114 minutes plus an intermission) offers a great work of art well ahead of its time that finally finds its perfect audience and venue. For me, the highlight remains Mickey’s hilarious (silent) turn as the mischievous apprentice whose world goes awry when those pesky brooms multiply. In this simple fable, you can see the seeds of humankind’s hubris and overreaching on issues as diverse as weapons of mass destruction and a multitude of environmental time bombs. Disney’s take on Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring flirts with offending Fundamentalist Christians with a distinctly non-Genesis version of how the age of dinosaurs came to an abrupt, nonBiblically ordained end. And in a finale that may still be a bit rough for the under-12 set, the Devil appears in all his fury in a scary rendition of Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, brought to a soothing if still unsettling conclusion by Franz Schubert’s Ave Maria. A word to the wise: come either fully alert or stoned, but not merely tired, because this is one lovely secular service that requires the congregation’s active collaboration.▼

Mickey Mouse with maestro Leopold Stokowski in Walt Disney’s Fantasia.

▼

Fine Art >>

February 23-March 1, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 23

colors. The title alludes to depraved Roman emperors who kept the population docile and discouraged rebellion by plying the rabble with food and lascivious entertainment, an effective opiate for the masses. “Pinocchio is on Fire,” the threepart multimedia installation that concludes the show, feels like a work-in-progress, and is the weakest component of an otherwise remarkably strong exhibition. Here he conflates the fairy tale about a puppet who wanted to be a real boy with the fate of Teddy Pendergrass, a sexually suggestive soul singer of the 1970s, best known for his “ladies night” performances. Unfortunately, a transsexual prostitute was discovered at the scene of the horrific

Bruce M. White

“Scorched Earth” (2006) by Mark Bradford, billboard paper, photomechanical reproductions, acrylic gel medium, carbon paper, acrylic paint, bleach, and mixed-media on canvas.

Permanent wave by Sura Wood

tanding nearly seven feet tall with a lanky frame as slender as a deer rifle, Mark Bradford isn’t exactly straight out of South Central. True, he grew up there, and his family’s beauty salon, a gathering place and hub of neighborhood activity that he has since appropriated for his studio, was a pivotal laboratory, and its materials a source of alchemy. But the work of this charismatic, gay African-American artist – a fusion of sculpture, painting and mixedmedia collages on canvas – is its own animal. Mark Bradford, a fresh and exhilarating survey of over 50 artworks, from 2000 to 2010, now on view at SFMOMA, is a mash-up of abstract expressionism, pop art, minimalism and black culture filtered through a prism of unique experiences and a world view that’s as loose-limbed and rangy as the artist himself. (Bradford, who’s 50 and looks half his age despite a pair of studiouslooking glasses, is often asked if he’s a pro-basketball player, or a former one.) In his first major museum show, he reaches beyond insularity

and narcissism for something bigger than his immediate universe and grabs it, making this one of the most exciting exhibitions to come around in some time. It’s as if the doors of the museum have been flung open and a bracing breeze off the bay has rushed in. (Though billed as a co-presentation with YBCA, which features three jumbo-sized works related to Hurricane Katrina installed in a single gallery, the heft of the exhibition, in terms of quantity and strength, is at SFMOMA.) Unencumbered by art-school orthodoxies – Bradford didn’t attend CalArts until he was in his 30s and armed with an established identity – he’s a welcome departure from, let’s face it, the usual white guys whose works occupy the majority of museum space. But there’s nothing usual about Bradford. He certainly doesn’t arrive with the standard pedigree. By his own admission, he majored in “nightclubbing” in high school, barely graduating, and never went to a museum; he left for New York and then Europe during the 1980s, a decade he calls “an era of death,” a perfect storm of “AIDS, drive-bys and Crips and Bloods.” Returning

Fredrik Nilsen

“Bag of Tricks” (2009) by Mark Bradford, nylon string and paper.

to L.A. when he was 28, he decided, he says, that “becoming a black male abstract painter was the most radical thing I could do.” In his early ventures, he collected permanent-wave endpapers from the beauty salon, singeing then layering them on canvas. He still uses the medium of paper, power-sanding, treating, shading and texturing billboard remnants, comic books, scraps of magazines and maps he scavenges, as fluidly as others use paint. Although he takes on class, gender and race, and plays with stereotypes and words, what most characterizes his personality and his art is openness, sly humor and vitality. He draws on a kaleidoscope of references, from literature, history, pop culture and the street to socio-political events, as in “Scorched Earth” (2006), where a fiery orange horizon and charred streets refer to the race riots and inferno that engulfed Tulsa during a hellish three-day period when a mob, consisting of thousands of white men, destroyed the city’s thriving black community. Bradford’s love of narrative is evident in the back stories he creates for his works and the titles he chooses for them. In “Black Venus” (2005), for instance, the imagery suggests an urban grid and city lights, while the title harkens back to a prevalent and insidious 18th- and 19th-century stereotype of black women as sexually ravenous. The piece itself is an immense topographical canvas based on an aerial Google map of the Baldwin Hills neighborhood, a black bourgeoisie enclave of L.A. where he envisions an imaginary character residing. “You’re Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You)” addresses how black society is often invisible to whites until a celebrity is murdered or turned into an infamous headline, and California’s water wars are the jumping-off point for “Potable Water,” whose SoCal palette includes shards of tropical hues and a startling aqua background the color of a David Hockney swimming pool. Between 2003 and 2004, Bradford began working on a larger scale that more accurately reflects his physical size and reach. One can’t help thinking he wouldn’t really need a ladder to ascend to the top of the mammoth “Bread and Circuses” (2007), which at 11x21 feet is one of his biggest pieces. It depicts a dynamic, shimmering metallic landscape, all silvery foil flecked with a rainbow of

1982 car crash that paralyzed him, destroying both his body and his virile image as god’s gift to women in one fell swoop. The installation, the basis of a film Bradford is planning to make, is a meditation, he says, on good boys and bad boys. When asked which group he fits into, Bradford shrugs, “I’m a little bit of both.”▼ Mark Bradford runs through June 17 at SFMOMA, and May 27 at YBCA. Also opening at SFMOMA last weekend: Rineke Dijkstra: A Retrospective, a major show of portraits by the Dutch artist that includes 70 color photographs, mostly of adolescents, and several video installations. Through May 28.

<< Out&About

24 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 23-March 1, 2012

a special concert of clever covers; with the Whoa Nellies, featuring Leigh Crowe, aka Bond’s partner! Celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. $26 ($51 with dinner). 9pm. 859 O’Farrell St. www.gamh.com

Fri 24

Love Hurts @ City Art Gallery

Bob Mould and Rich Morel return with their popular night of deliciously cool danceelectro-house music mixes. $15. 10pm-2am. 333 11th St. 255-0333. www.blowoff.us www.slims-sf.com

Mamma Mia! @ Orpheum Theatre

The Producers @ SF School of the Arts Student production of the wacky musical satire about Broadway show producers who try to intentionally make a flop – about Hitler. $15-$20. Feb. 23-25, March 2 & 3 at 7:30pm. Feb 25 & March 3 at 2pm. 555 Portola. 695-5720. www.sfsota.org

San Francisco Ballet @ War Memorial Opera House Print by James Bidgood at Robert Tat Gallery

Something visual By Jim Provenzano

or those craving a bit of eye-popping art, here are a few choices that’ll dazzle. The Human Form at the Robert Tat Gallery, an exhibit of vintage and contemporary photographic prints, includes some stunning male and female nudes by James Bidgood, including stills from his lush film Pink Narcissus, plus prints by gay artists George Platt Lynes, Wilhelm Von Gloeden and others. Tue-Sat 11am-5:30pm. 49 Geary St. #410. 781-1122. www.roberttat.com Nature can be quite the artiste when she’s inspired. The Pacific Orchid Expo at the Fort Mason Center showcases floral magic, accomplished with a lot of human assistance. At the 60th annual exposition of thousands of gorgeous orchids, see floral displays celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge. Gala benefit preview includes The Pacific Orchid Expo wine tastings; Feb 23, $40-$45. Feb 25, 9am-6pm & Feb 26, 10am-5pm. $12$15. Buchanan at Bay St. www.orchidsanfrancisco.org Hippos waltz with alligators, Mickey begets enchanted workerbroomsticks, and one incredibly ripped mountain demon are only some of the fascinating subjects in Disney’s Fantasia at the Castro Theatre. The classic animated musical film, with hilarious and mysterious scenes set to excerpts from classic music by Stravinsky, Tchai- Disney’s Fantasia kovsky, Mussorgsky and others, is screened in a vintage 35mm print. $7.50-$10. 2pm, 5pm, 8pm daily February 24-26. 621-6120. www.castrothreatre.com Don’t worry if you haven’t seen all of this year’s nominated films. At the Academy of Friends Gala at the Galleria Design Center, the real show is the patrons and volunteers. Scandalous is the theme of the annual Oscar party. Cheer for your favorites during the live broadcast on multiple large screens while making the circuit through a tempting array of bars, restaurant tables, silent auction items, raffle drawings and live entertainment. Festive and/or formal attire. $125 and up. Sunday, Feb. 26. 5pm-11pm. 101 Henry AdSteven Underhill ams St www.academyoffriends.org Academy of Friends gala

Thu 23>> Batsheva @ Novellus Theater Ohad Naharin’s modern dance company performs new and repertory works. $30$60. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru Feb 25. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St. www.ybca.org

Classical Music Recitals @ SF Conservatory of Music Nightly free concerts of performances by students and faculty. Feb 23, 8pm, Piano Dept. Feb. 24, 8pm, Composition students. Feb 25, 8pm & Feb 26, 2pm, Voice students perform selections from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and The Light in the Piazza. Feb. 27, 8pm, piano chamber music of Schumann. Feb. 28, 8pm, cello students. Feb. 29, 7:30pm, violin finalists. 50 Oak St. 503-6265. www.sfcm.edu

Comedy Bodega @ Esta Nocha

Program 2 includes Wayne McGregor’s Chroma, the world premiere of Mark Morris nine-man Beaux, and Christopher Wheedon’s Number Nine. Also Feb. 25. Program 3 (Feb 24, 26) includes Alexei Ratmansky’s Carnival of the Animals, world premiere of Yuri Possokhov’s Francesca da Rimini, and Helgi Tomasson’s Trio. $20-$285. 301 Van Ness Ave. 865-2000. www.sfballet.org/niteout

Tree City Legends @ Intersection for the Arts Playwright-musician Dennis Kim’s multidisciplinary theater work melds post-hip hop aesthetics, urban folklore, Korean traditional tales, live music, legend, and parable. $20$25. 8pm. Thru March 3. 925 Mission St. 626-3311. www.theintersection.org

Fri 24>> Audience as Subject @ YBCA Mark Bradford (wild found material sculptures) and Audience as Subject, Part 2, (big photos of fans at soccer matches and rock concerts), plus other exhibits. Thru May 27. 701 Mission St. 978-2787. www.ybca.org

Black Choreographers Festival @ Dance Mission Theatre Words Become Flesh, a new work by Marc Bamuthi Joseph, plus a series of collaboriatvie dance and spoken word performances. Created with members of the the Living word Project and Youth Speaks. $15-$25. 8pm. Thru Feb 26. 3315 24th St. at Mission. (888) 898-2722. 273-4633. www.bcfhereandnow.com www.dancemission.com

Christine Bonansea, Minna Hart @ The Garage Shared duo dance concert, Dead/Alive and No Exit, works about death, immortality, containment and human existance. $12-$15. 8pm. Also Feb 25. 975 Howard St. 518-1517. www.975howard.com

Marga Gomez @ The Marsh Everyone’s favorite lesbian Latina comic returns with her new hit solo show Not Getting Any Younger. $15-$35. Fri 8pm. Sat 5pm & 8:30pm. Thru Feb 25. Studio Theater, 1062 Valencia St. at 22nd. 282-3055. www.margagomez.com

Marin Art Show @ Marin Civic Center, San Rafael

The new LGBT and indie comic stand-up night’s hosted by “Mr. Gomez” (retired Telemundo extra and associate of comic Marga Gomez). Special guest Scott Capurro. 8pm-9:30pm. 3079 16th St. at Mission. www.comedybodega.com

Art of the Americas showcase and sale of contemporary indigenous art and culture. Opening night preview party includes $25 and up. General art viewing/sales $15, Feb 25 & 26. 10am-6pm (Sun til 5pm). Exhibit Hall and Embassy Suites Ballroom, 10 Ave. of the Flags. www.marinshow.com

A Doctor in Spite of Himself @ Berkeley Repertory

Maurice @ New Conservatory Theatre

Moliere’s classic comedy –about a man who impersonates a physician to woo his girl– gets a zing-filled contemporary pop culture update in this co-production with Yale Repertory Theatre. $14-$73. Tue, Fri-Sat 8pm. Wed 7pm. Sun 2pm & 7pm. Thru March 25. 2015 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Andy Graham and Roger Parsley’s stage adaptation of E.M. Forster’s pioneering 1914 novel about the romance between an aristocratic Englishman and a working-class groundskeeper. 422-$45. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru March 25. 25 Van Ness Ave. at Market, lower level. 861-8972. www.nctcsf.org

Justin Vivian Bond @ Great American Music Hall

Private Parts @ SF Playhouse

The popular chanteuse returns home for

The Cult of Beauty @ Legion of Honor Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company @ Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley The celebrated and innovative New York choreographer’s new multidisciplinary work, Story/Time, receives its West Coast premiere. $30-$68. 8pm. Also Feb. 25. Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave., UC Berkeley campus. (510) 642-9988. www.calperformances.org

Graham Gremore’s wacky solo show about his family, teachers, and other dysfunctional

Subtitled The Victorian Avante-Garde, 18601900, this new exhibit focuses on the British Aesthetic Movement; paintings, architecture and decorative arts by Gabriel Rossetti, James McNeill Whistler, and Edward BurneJones and designers E.W. Godwin, William Morris and Christopher Dresser and others. Free-$20. Tue-Sun 9:30am-5:15pm. Thru June 17. Lincoln Park, 100 34th Ave. 750-3620. www.famsf.org

Dick Gregory, Will Durst @ The Rrazz Room

people, including himself. $20. Thu 7pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Thru Feb 25. 533 Sutter St. www.sfplayhouse.org

Activist and philosopher shares an on-stage discussion with the social comic. $35-$45. 4pm. Also Feb 26, 3pm & 7pm; Feb 27, 8pm. 2-drink min. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (800) 380-3095. www.TheRrazzRoom.com

The Real Americans @ The Marsh

House of Garza @ Café Flore

Dan Hoyle returns with his fascinating multiple-character solo show based on his cross-country trek into America’s red states and liberal cities. $25-$50. Fri 8pm. Sat 5pm. Sun 2pm. Thru March 18. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

The Story of My Life @ New Conservatory Theatre Neil Bartram and Brian Hill’s new melodic musical comedy about best friends and the personal cost of success; one man recounts his friend’s life while writing his obituary. $22-$36. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru Feb. 26. 25 Van Ness Ave. at Market, lower level. www.nctcsf.org

Three’s Company @ Finn’s Funhouse D’Arcy Drollinger, Mike Finn, Laurie Bushman and Jane Wiedlin (of the Go-Gos) stage a live performance of two early episodes of the innuendo-laden ‘70s sitcom at the intimate home-theatre. $20. Fri & Sat at 7pm & 9pm. Thru March 3. 814 Grove St, at Fillmore (Alamo Square Park). Limited seating. www.brownpapertickets.com/event/223125

Fun drag show hosted by Garza, with Farrokh, Tweaka Turner, Mamadora and other; DJ Ken Vulsion. Proceeds benefit The Long Road Home Project, a cycling fundraiser for Iraq War veterans. Donations. 10pm-2am. Market St. at Noe. www.cafeflore.com www.longroadhomeproject.com

Imperial Coronation @ Galleria Design Center Every Day is a Parade is the theme of the lavish five-hour extravaganza with musical production numbers, elaborate costumes, stunning jewelry and regal pageantry, all with an element of camp thrown in. Dignitaries from across the continent attend, local elected officials pay their regards and everyone dons their finest attire. Other events Feb 23-27. $40-$50. 6pm. 101 Henry Adams St. www.imperialcouncilsf.org

Radar Book Club @ Viracocha Author Michelle Tea welcomes singer Justin Vivian Bond ( Dendrophile) and author/editor Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore ( Why Are Faggots So Afraid of Faggots?). $10. 3pm. 998 Valencia St. www.radarproductions.org

Tango Dancing @ Magnet Queer Ballroom leads lessons and open dancing with an Argentine twist; straightfriendly, too. $5-$10. 7pm beginners class, 7:30-9:30pm dancing. 4122 18th St. www. QueerBallroom.com www.magnetsf.org

Body Awareness @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Aurora Theatre company performs Annie Baker’s comic play about a lesbian couple whose lives become unraveled by their new male housemate. $30-$55. Tue 7pm. WedSat 8pm. Sun 2pm & 7pm. Thru March 11. 2081 Addison St. (510) 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org

pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. Reg: $25-$130. Wed, Thu, Fri at 8pm. Sat 6:30, 9:30pm. Sun 2pm, 5pm. (Beer/wine served; cash only). 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd (Green St.). 421-4222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

Blowoff @ Slim’s

Group show of gay and straight artists who visualize the not-so-sweet side of love. 7pm-10pm. Thru Feb. 25, Wed-Sun, 2pm-9pm. 828 Valencia St. 970-9900. www.cityartgallery.org

The popular ABBA musical returns. $30$100. Tue-Sat 8pm. Wed, Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru March 4. 1192 Market St. (888) SHN 1799. www.shnsf.com/shows/mammamia

▼

Titus Andronicus @ La Val’s Subterranean, Berkeley

Fri 24 Eat Our Shorts 4 @ Stage Werx Love and Other Disasters, Guy Writers’ fourth annual short play series, with seven short gaythemed plays. $15-$20. Thu-Sat 8pm thru March 9. 446 Valencia St. www.guywritersonline.org

True West, Buried Child @ Boxcar Theatre Gritty dramas of battling brothers and family secrets; the first and second of four Sam Shepard plays the company will perform in repertory thru April 26. True West and Buried Child thru April 7. $25-$35, or $85-$120 full pass. 505 Natoma St. 967-2227. www.boxcartheatre.org

Vice Palace @ Hypnodrome Theatre

Impact Theatre’s up-close production of Shakespeare’s most violent, gory drama. Prepare to be splattered. No, really. Don’t wear clothes you don’t want to get fakebloody. $10-$20. Thu-Sat 8pm. 1834 Euclid Ave. (510) 224-5744. www.impacttheatre. com

Sun 26>> Ellyn Marie Marsh @ Martuni's Star of Broadway’s Priscilla Queen of the Desert and the local production of Tommy performs her cabaret act; part of Ray of Light Theatre’s new Spotlight Cabaret Series. Open mic afterwards with Ray of Light musical director Ben Prince at the piano. 7pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market. www.ellynmarsh.com www.roltheatre.com

John Pizzarelli @ The Venetian Room

The darkly comic Cockettes musical, expanded and revised by the talented Scrumbly Koldwyn. $30-$35. Fri & Sat 8pm. Thru March 3. 575 10th St. at Bryant/Division. 377-4202. www.thrillpeddlers.com

Jazz guitarist/vocalist performs a musical tribute to Duke Ellington with his quartet at the elegant ballroom. $40-$45. 5pm. Feb. 26, Pizzarelli performs with his wife Jessica Molasky in their biographical cabaret show When Worlds Collide. $40-$45. 8pm. The Fairmont Hotel. 950 Mason st. 392-4400. www.bayareacabaret.org

Vonda Shepard @ The Rrazz Room

Sunday’s a Drag @ Starlight Room

Modern R&B singer performs live. $45. 8pm. Also Feb 25. 2-drink min. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (800) 380-3095. www.TheRrazzRoom.com

Sat 25>> Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi Musical comedy revue, now in its 35th year, with an ever-changing lineup of political and

Donna Sachet and Harry Denton host the weekly fabulous brunch and drag show. $45. 11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square. 395-8595. www.harrydenton.com

Vladimir Spivakov, Olga Kern @ Herbst Theatre Veteran violinist and award-winning young pianist perform together in the last city of their tour before their concert at Carnegie Hall. Program includes Johannes Brahms’

▼

Out&About >>

Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, op. 108; Igor Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne, Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel, and Cesar Franck’s Sonata in A Major. $45-$85. 8pm. 401 Van Ness Ave. 392-4400. www.sfwmpac.org

February 23-March 1, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 25

Sun 26

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

Mon 27>> Omar d'Leon @ Paul Mahder Gallery

Exhibit of work by the Nicaraguan neomagic realist painter. Mon-Sat 10am-7pm Sun 1pm-5pm. Thru Mar. 3378 Sacramento St. www.paulmahdergallery.com

Richard Boswell @ Magnet Exhibit of the artist’s works, The Silence of Light. 8pm. Thru Feb. 4122 18th St. www.magnetsf.org

Stephen Kladder @ Castro Country Club Exhibit of the artist’s portrait paintings at the LGBT sober space. 2pm-3pm. Thru Feb 29. 4058 18th St. www.castrocountryclub.org

The Windows @ Central Market Stores SF Arts Commission and the Northern California Chapter of the International Interior Design Association present a series of unique window installations based on artwork by children living in homeless shelters. Thru March 28. www.thewindows.org

Tue 28>> Brian Dettmer @ Toomey Tourell Gallery Beguiling pop culture collages made entirely

at 21st. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Kemble Scott @ Magnet

The Pirates of Penzance @ Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, Berkeley Berkeley Playhouse adapts the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta as a post-apocalyptic punk extravaganza; think Terry Gilliam’s Brazil meets Glee. $17-$35. Fri 7pm. Sat 2pm & 7pm. Sun 12pm & 5pm. Thru April 1. 2640 College Ave., Berkeley. (510) 485-8542. www.berkeleyplayhouse.org

out of books. Tue-Fri 11am-5:30pm Sat til 5pm. 49 Geary, 4th floor. Thru March 31. 989-6444. www.toomey-tourell.com

The Drag Show @ Various Channels Stu Smith’s weekly LGBT variety show features local talents, and not just drag artistes. Channels 29 & 76 on Comcast; 99 on AT&T and 30 on Astound. www.thedragshow.org

Elect to Laugh @ The Marsh Will Durst welcomes comic commentator pals to a new weekly political humor night. $15-$50. 8pm. Thru Nov 6. 1062 Valencia St.

Gay author of the fascinating books SoMa and The Sower discusses his work with host Oscar Raymundo at the monthly Magnet Book Club. Free; wine served. 7:30pm. 4122 18th St. www.magnetsf.org

Love Never Dies @ Century 9 Cinema Nationwide simulcast screening of a production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. $15. 7:30pm. Also March 7. 835 Market St. www.FathomEvents.com

Nellie McKay @ The Rrazz Room Comic singer-actress performs a musical parody-tribute to the classic Susan Hayward film; “a zany film noir musical biography.” – (NY Times). 2-drink min. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (800) 380-3095. www.TheRrazzRoom.com

Queer Comic Artists @ Cartoon Art Museum Exhibit of work by talented LGBT artists. Free-$7. Thru March 4. Reg hours Tue-Sun 11am-5pm. 655 Mission St. www.cartoonart.org

Visions Beyond the Badge @ Harvey Milk Photo Center Exhibit of photos by members of the San Francisco Fire and Police Departments. 6:309pm. Thru March 1. 50 Scott St. 554-9522. www.harveymilkphotocenter.org

Wed 29>> Andras Schiff @ Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley Talented pianist performs a recital of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. $30-$75. Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave., UC Berkeley campus. (510) 642-9988. www.calperformances.org

Eli Conley

Plastic Camera Show @ Rayko Photo

Duly noted F

east your ears on the array of live music concerts this week, from classical to surf rock.

Feb 24 - Aleron Trio @ Old First Church French women’s trio (violin, cello, piano) perform works by Beethoven, Kirchner and Piazolla. $14-$17. 8pm. 1751 Sacramento St. 474-1608. www.oldfirstconcerts.org

Feb 24 - Oakland East Bay Symphony @ Paramount Theatre, Oakland Heroes and Giants, a concert of works by Erwin Schulhoff and Mieczyslaw Weinberg, composers who suffered under Nazi and Stalinist regimes; with trumpet soloist William Harvey. $20-$70. 8pm. Pre-concert talk at 7pm. 2025 Broadway. (800) 745-3000. www.oebs.org

Feb 25 - Eli Conley, Hip for Squares @ La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley Queer folk trio performs in their final concert together. Indie rock band Dear Indugu and The Skinny opens. $10-$20. 8pm. 3105 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley. www.eliconley.com Eric Zuber www.lapena.org

Feb 26 - Eric Zuber @ Old First Church The acclaimed pianist performs a concert of etudes by Chopin, in celebration of the composer’s birthday. $14-$17. 4pm. 1751 Sacramento St. 474-1608. www.oldfirstconcerts.org

Feb 26 John Cavellini @ Martuni’s John Cavellini

The Tom Shaw Trio accompanies the local singer-actor’s concert of songs about falling

in and out of love. $7. 7pm. 4 Valencia St. www.TomShawTrio.com

Feb 26 - Rainbow Chamber Players @ First Congregational Church Concert of chamber music performed by the LGBT music ensemble includes Beethoven’s Octet, Gounoud’s Petite Symphonie and Mozart opera arias. Guest tenor Brian Thorsett; conducted by Jessica Bejarano. Free/donations. 2pm. 1300 Polk St. at Bush. www.bars-sf.org

Feb 28 Carly Ozard @ DNA Lounge Bid a musical farewell to the local vocal sensation, who’s off to greener Carly Ozard career pastures in New York City, at Accentuate the PAWS-itive, a benefit for Pets Are Wonderful Support. Mrs. Trauma Flintstone cohosts. $20. 7pm. 365 11th St. (650) 759-3053. www.carlyozard.com www.dnalounge.com

Feb 29 Susan Surftone @ Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge, Alameda Lesbian surf guitarist performs classic Susan and contemporary Surftone surf music with her band Free. 5pm. 1304 Lincoln Ave. (510) 749-0332. www.susansurfton.com www.forbiddenislandalameda.com

Group exhibit of surprisingly good photos taken with surprisingly cheap cameras. Thru March 6. Tue-Thu-10am-10pm. Fri-Sun 10am-8pm. 428 Third St. 495-3773. www.raykophoto.com

Playland @ Conservatory of Flowers New exhibit of miniature trains and buildings recreating the Sutro Baths, Cliff House and Playland amusement park of SF’s yesteryears. $1.50-$5. Reg. hours Tue-Sun 10am-4pm. Thru April 15. 100 JFK Drive, Golden Gate Park. 831-2090. www.conservatoryofflowers.org

Our Vast Queer Past @ GLBT History Museum See the fascinating exhibit from the GLBT Historical Society, with a wide array of rare historic items on display. New miniexhibit focuses on the legacy of activist and performer Jose Sarria. Free for members-$5. Wed-Sat 11am-7pm. Sun 12pm-5pm. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Seeing Double @ City Hall Gallery The San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery’s Art at City Hall program presents Seeing Double: The Best of DOUBLEtruck Magazine, a travelling exhibition of over 60 of the best photographs featured in the first five years of the award-winning quarterly magazine. Exhibit thru May 18. Ground floor, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place. www.sfarts.org

Thu 1>> Human Rights Watch Film Festival @ YBCA Weekly screenings of films from around the world that focus on human rights abuses and freedoms. First, David Fine’s Salaam Dunk, about an Iraqi women’s basketball team. $6-$8. Mostly 7:30pm. Thru Mar. 29. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St. 978-2787. www.ybca.org

Xavier Castellanos @ Alliance Francaise Opening reception for an exhibit of quaint colorful paintings by the Mexican-Swiss gay artist. 6pm-8:30pm. 1345 Bush St. Thru March 31. www.xavierart.com

To submit event listings, email jim@ebar.com. Deadline is each Thursday, a week before publication.

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<< Leather +

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 23-March 1, 2012

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LDG rolls out mentorship by Scott Brogan

he Leathermen’s Discussion Group (LDG) first announced their new mentorship program at their 15th anniversary celebration last December. I’m happy to report that the program is on track, with mentors and mentees already signed up. There’s room for more mentors and mentees, so be sure to sign up if you want to mentor or be mentored. The application form is available for download at their site, www.sfldg. org. If the group’s past successes are any indication, this new program will become a vital part of our evergrowing and changing community. Homoto announces candidate for Mr. SF Leather: The gay motorcycle club Homoto has entered Stephen Charles as their representative in the upcoming Mr. SF Leather 2012 contest. Homoto was founded two years ago by Jay Larson, and is now a member organization of the SF Leather Alliance. Since that time, Homoto has kept a low profile. In their press release, Larson explained, “This is our coming out to the community. We want to show San Francisco that we’re a vibrant, active motorcycle-riding organization in the Bay Area, and that sport bike leather has a place in this longtime contest.” Homoto’s current president Joey Bailey added, “We think that this contest is an excellent opportunity to showcase our organization and become more involved in the queer community of San Francisco.” Charles has been involved with the Stop AIDS Project and currently chairs the highly successful Gear-Up Men’s weekend taking place this July. Homoto info: www.sanfrancisco.homoto.us. For info on GearUp go to: www. gearupweekend.com Mr. Edge meet & greet: Speaking of Mr. SF Leather, the Edge Bar in the Castro officially welcomed their candidate Will Swagger at their meet-and-greet on Feb. 15. Mr. Edge Leather 2011 Drew Cutler gave Will a nice welcome and pre-

Courtesy Homoto

Stephen Charles is the newest contestant for the Mr. SF Leather 2012 contest, representing the Homoto Motorcycle Club.

sented him with his patch. The Edge appointed Will rather than have a contest due to some unresolved issues with the city’s wonky entertainment licensing process. The Leather Alliance Weekend is happening March 2-4. Go to: www.leatheralliance. org for details. The highlight will be the Mr. SF Leather 2012 contest as well as the celebration/roast of Lenny Broberg that same week. Can’t wait for that! Leather Sir/boy: The Northern California Leather Sir/boy and Community Bootblack Contest came back to SF on Feb. 11, filling up the Beatbox in SoMa with eager attendees. In fact, the Beatbox is the ideal venue for contests or any other

event you might be planning. The stage was set up perfectly, and the staff was friendly and professional, creating just the right vibe. Firsttime producer Deborah Isadora Wade was given a short five months to bring us the contest, and the night wasn’t without its snags. A bit of disorganization and a slow start didn’t help. But Wade’s production team plus emcees Bubblinsugare and Lance Holman were able to keep the night moving as quickly as possible. The audience seemed disinterested and unresponsive in the beginning, but finally warmed up. Sir Ray Middling was the only Sir contestant. That doesn’t automatically make one the winner. A single contestant still needs to achieve the required number of points. Luckily Ray did, and he’s the new Northern California Leather Sir. Boy Seth See page 27 >>

Coming up in leather and kink Thu., Feb. 23: Daddy Thursdays at Kok Bar (1225 Folsom). Shot & drink specials. 10 p.m.-close. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com. Thu., Feb. 23: Bare Chest Calendar Contest at The Powerhouse (1347 Folsom). 8-10 p.m. Go to: www.barechest.org. Thu., Feb. 23: It’s a Trap! Predicament and Playful BDSM with Stefanos and Chey at the SF Citadel. $20. 8-10 p.m. Go to: www.sfcitadel.org. Thu., Feb. 23: Underwear Night at The Powerhouse (in conjunction with the Bare Chest Calendar contest). $5 cover to benefit Project Inform. 10 p.m.-close. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com. Fri., Feb. 24: Truck Wash at Truck (1900 Folsom). 10 p.m.-close. Live shower boys, drink specials, loads of fun! Go to: www.trucksf.com. Fri., Feb. 24: Strip at Kok Bar. Monthly strip party featuring go-go boys and the Cheap Ass contest – win $100! $2 cover, free clothes check so you can strip down to your jocks and undies. 11 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com. Fri., Feb. 24: Monthly Steam Party at The Powerhouse. Featuring the PowerShower, towel dancers & $1/minute massage. Clothes check/towels available. $8 donation suggested for the LGBT Center. 9 p.m.close. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com. Sat., Feb. 25: Klub 86’d at Kok Bar. Featuring Malibu Koktails, Get a Klub 86’d Kard and get it stamped with every drink: 5th drink is free! Taking pictures for mug shots that we’ll be posting on Facebook. Guber spins. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com. Sat., Feb. 25: 15 Association Men’s Dungeon Party at the SF Citadel, a men’s only event. 2-8 p.m. Go to: www.15sf.org. Sat., Feb. 25: Open Play Party at the SF Citadel. 8

p.m.-1 a.m. Go to: www.sfcitadel.org. Sat., Feb. 25: All Beef Saturday Nights at The Lone Star (1354 Harrison). 100% SoMa Beef! 9 p.m.-close. Go to: www.facebook.com/lonestarsf. Sat., Feb. 25: Boot Lickin’ at The Powerhouse. It’s all about the boots! 9 p.m.-close. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com. Sun., Feb. 26: Jockstrap Beer Bust at Kok Bar. $8. 3-7 p.m. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com. Mon., Feb. 27: Trivia Night with host Casey Ley at Truck. Featuring prizes, insane fun and ridiculous questions! 8-10 p.m. Go to: www.trucksf.com. Mon., Feb. 27: Dirty Dicks at The Powerhouse. $3 well drinks. 4-10 p.m. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com. Tue., Feb. 28: Busted at Truck. $5 beer bust. 9-11 p.m. Go to: www.trucksf.com. Tue., Feb. 28: Making the Connection at Mr. S Leather (upstairs at 385 8th St.). Join Darren Bondy as he welcomes Graylin Thornton, who will speak about “Not Just for Titleholder.” Great discussions and good people, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Go to Facebook for details. Tue., Feb. 28: Safeword: 12-Step Kink Recovery Group at the SF Citadel. 6:30-8 p.m. Go to: www.sfcitadel.org. Tue., Feb. 28: And the Cradle Will Fall: Dark Age Play at the SF Citadel. Presented by Keri Leigh. $20. 7-9 p.m. Go to: www.sfcitadel.org. Wed., Feb. 29: Nipple Play at The Powerhouse. Drink specials for the shirtless. 10 p.m.- close. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com. Wed., Feb. 29: Leather Buddies at Blow Buddies (933 Harrison), a male-only club. Doors open 8 p.m.12 a.m. Play till late. Go to: www.blowbuddies.com.

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Karrnal >>

February 23-March 1, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 27

Gamesome guys by John F. Karr

ver since Raging Stallion, Falcon, and their handful of boutique brands became a conglomerate, I’ve been concerned that their rotating pool of directors and commingling of performers would result in a sameness of product. But here are three movies that not only bring us some new faces, but which each breathes its own identity. The best of them is them is Satisfaction, a collection of slammin’ scenes which were originally recorded live by directors Steve Cruz and Bruno Bond as Web broadcasts at HardFriction.com. The four scenes have an impromptu feel that is not so much a part of the high spirits that I know Cruz brings to his work, as their simplicity of set-up and delivery. There’s no dialogue, and only a bit of scenery – we’re in a locker room, or simpler, a back room, or simpler yet, one of those placeless places that this time consists of a work table in front of some canvasbacked flats. There’s quietly propulsive music that remains unobtrusive. There’s lots and lots of that picturesque cock-straddling, formally known as the Reverse Cowboy, to highlight energetic fucks, and the facial cum shots include a pair that are partially oral. Very tasty. The guys have obviously had time to get some chemistry going, as we join them in the midst of playful and passionate kissing. Fierce at their heart, the scenes are gamesome going in and coming out. The first fine scene, not even the best of them, is typical of what’s to come. Here’s Angelo Marconi, with his svelte body and savory, uncut cock that’s tightly cockringed – I love it when plump balls and granite cock jump out beyond a choker of a ring. Jay Roberts tongue-fucks the moaning Marconi, who sits eagerly on Roberts’ cock. As in subsequent scenes, a long and vigorous cockride has lotsa bouncing, grinding, and helicoptering cock. Christian Wilde and delectable newcomer Dylan Hyde have such similar body types – tats on flat swimmer’s builds – that they look like brothers. The movie’s high point finds suave and handsome Ben Brown taking a punchy fuck from butch hottie Steve Vex after a swell kiss-n-suck. They’re another pair of similars, with cropped hair, cropped beards, and mild chest fuzz on muscular, nicely fleshed bodies. Newcomer Vex has appeared only at Raging

Hard Friction

Butch hottie Steve Vex is a part of Hard Friction’s Satisfaction.

Stallion; this is his third movie for them. He’s good. He’s got an unbendable bone that shoots hard. The movie’s last scene features tasty Spaniard Felix Barca in a swell flipfuck with Morgan Black. Another pair of similar guys, they’re both bearded and black-haired. Concerning Black, it’s curious: while I don’t mind an upward cock-curve, I dislike a sideways twist. Morgan’s cock does both. Still, he’s got enough else to have made me a fan. He’s really handsome, obviously personable (his eyes shine with warmth), his cock’s truly hard, and he responds to his partner loudly. What I like most, though, is that manly look he’s got that’d be killer in a three-piece suit. Steve Cruz, this time without Bruno Bond, directed Big Dick Revolution for the RS boutique brand Monster Bang. It’s a failed movie, with cheap sets and embarrassingly stupid lead-ins that falsify and scuttle potential relationships between performers. Too bad they weren’t left unencumbered, like the guys in Satisfaction. I’m thinking, most particularly, of Adam Herst, a potent slab of envi-

able physique, creamy complexion, and porn-star cock – he’s a mighty bottom who’s highly butch. Impressive cocksucker Max Marshall, a skinny guy with a shockingly thick dick, makes a debut that has me looking forward to more, under better circumstances. As for guys looking good in suits, we have reliable director Tony Dimarco’s fine Raging Stallion feature Suited for Sex. It’s got a swell collection of stars, although not Morgan Black. Dimarco forgoes the containments of plot or dialogue, releasing his stars to treat each other lustily on Dimarco’s handsomely masculine setting – a comfy black leather sofa in the middle of an expansive, light-flooded, brick warehouse. I’m impressed again by Steve Vex, who is so handsome in a rough way, and who gives muscle lad Marc Dylan a hearty ride. Jesse Santana shines as Dominic Sol’s top, and both humpy Shay Michaels and hot Angelo Marconi have scenes with RS Exclusive Tom Wolfe. I’ve been reserved about Wolfe, but like him unreservedly here. He seems more involved, more active, and actually makes facial expressions (even if he’s still not much of a cummer).▼ www.RagingStallion.com

Leather +

From page 26

Watkins won the boy title. That was no small feat considering he had three worthy competitors in boy Lexx, boy Ryan, and boy Tony. They all did an amazing job, gave thoughtful speeches and made this writer feel great about the future of our community. Patrick Mulcahey, former president of the Leathermen’s Discussion Group, was presented with the Robert Davolt Spirit of Leather Award. I can’t think of anyone more worthy. Sir Ray and boy Seth will compete in the International Leather Sir/boy contest on July 26 right here in SF. Finally, the 2012 Bare Chest Calendar men presented a check for $151,676.88 to the AIDS Emergency Fund and the Positive Resource Center at the Powerhouse last Thursday. That’s how much the men raised this past year from selling calendars and other calendarrelated events. Great job, guys!▼

Scott Brogan

Mr. Edge Leather 2011 Drew Cutler (right) presents Mr. Edge Leather 2012 Will Swagger with his vest.

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28 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 23-March 1, 2012

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Music>>

Rigoletto without regret by Tim Pfaff

f there was a whiff of apology in SF Opera’s recent announcement that it’s presenting Verdi’s Rigoletto next season, there needn’t have been. I suppose, now that the aging but still potent Placido Domingo has taken on the title role, some might fear that doing it with anyone else constitutes a second best, if only at the box office. But clearly the company doesn’t think it’s fielding an also-ran in Zeljko Lucic. Though he’s hardly a household name and faces an extreme uphill battle phonetically to become one, the Serbian baritone is rapidly emerging as one of the most important singers in a now-threatened subspecies. For evidence you need look no farther than Virgin Classics’ superb Rigoletto DVD, filmed live at the Semperoper Dresden in June 2006, in which Lucic is nothing short of spell-binding in the title role. But what SF Opera actually seemed shy about was the idea of rolling out, in reduced seasons, an old warhorse like Rigoletto – when the truth is that by scheduling it, the company is rising to one of the major challenges in our operatic times: mounting, and casting, a middleperiod Verdi opera, chestnut or not. What’s startling about the Dresden Rigoletto is, besides its musical excellence top to bottom, its deep conviction that the opera itself is one of

the jewels of the repertoire, and inexhaustible in the bargain. For starters, chalk up a major win for director Nikolaus Lehnhoff, best known locally for having produced SF Opera’s previous Wagner Ring. He seems to be the director on every third opera released on DVD these days, and that’s not always the cheering news. Over the years the gay opera Wunderkind, protégé of Wieland Wagner, no less, has rolled his own with enough of the repertory staples that you’re always on concept alert whenever he’s in the canvas chair. In The Ring he staged immediately after San Francisco’s, for the Bavarian State Opera, all of Das Rheingold was set entirely on the wing of an airliner. I speak from experience when I say being there didn’t help. Although Lehnhoff ’s Dresden Rigoletto qualifies as a “moderndress” production – if you take the older meaning of modern, that is, from the early decades of the 20th century – its story-telling is remark-

able straightforward and deeply trusting of the instincts of Verdi and his librettist, Francesco Maria Piave. Lehnhoff reminds us that while the opera is about class, vengeance, and parental love, dead center in the ac-

ttion sits a rape. Hand dled completely witho out sensationalism, it h has enormous impact. Typically for a latevvintage Lehnhoff p production, the costtumes, particularly for tthe court scenes, are ssufficiently extreme – and often salacious – that they threaten tto steal the show. But, iin a refreshing break ffrom contemporary E European practice, B Bettina Walter gives th the singers costumes th they don’t have to steer. SSparafucile is a dead rringer for a latter-day T Tom Cruise with long h hair and dark glasses. M Masks – totemic anim mal and bird headd dresses for the courtiers in Act I, horned skull m masks for the men in A Act II – are used ingeni niously in a story that co comes to its tragic concl clusion over a matter of co concealed identity. In fact, in Dresden the whole business of dressing up starts right at the overture, during which Lucic as Rigoletto dons his electric lime-green jester suit and applies his own primary-red clown face. Never mind that in doing so he

becomes the spitting image of Domingo as Canio in I Pagliacci, it’s a good bit of business that in no way vandalizes the music – and establishes what a first-rate physical actor Lucic is, without even a note to sing. When things click in a Lehnhoff production – and here they click like a Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney backyard musical – singers get deeply into their roles until music and drama really fuse. Lucic leaves no doubt that, as a musical actor, he knows what he’s about and has a clear notion of who his Rigoletto is, so Lehnhoff was not sculpting a character out of a single piece of unformed rock. The marvel with Lucic is that his portrayal is so complete and individual that nothing is left for the audience to fill in, and neither is a single gesture wasted. At least on the night this Rigoletto was filmed, the baritone hugged the lower side of his pitches, but his voice has a distinctive timbre and is arrestingly clean and nimble. He has eyes you can see from the back of the house, ideal for a characterization built on a series of suddenly dawning realizations. Juan Diego Florez stretches to sing the Duke, a part usually associated with bigger-voiced singers, but he lands it, and Diana Damrau has such complete command of her music that she stuns you with her full-blooded Gilda. Fabio Luisi is incandescent in the pit.▼

place Alford considers “a high-surveillance area where many of your actions will last in perpetuity.” Speaking of Facebook, Alford chimes in on that as well, calling it a hubris-stroking, self-lubricating, auto-congratulatory vehicle for those promoting their own significance, but also warns about the dangers of “de-friending” and the

u uber-importance of boundarys setting. Gay readers would do better to i investigate last summer’s definitive g guidebook Steven Petrow’s Comp plete Gay & Lesbian Manners, w which gets into the much more s specifi c nitty-gritty, nuts-and-bolts w world of proper queer etiquette t than Alford could ever do justice t here. There’s also a supremely to e excellent book out there with the m most self-explanatory title ever c conceived, called Don’t Be That G by comic writer Colin Nissan. Guy, T one’s an absolute must-have This f anyone concerned with not befor in ing a dick. Ever. Alford provides a brisk, amusing gglimpse into the world of decorum. T There’s nothing overtly sobering o or condescending here, just some darn good writing produced in such a snarky, cheeky way that it’s almost impossible to put down once you’ve decided to take the plunge. He’s no Judith Martin (“Miss Manners,”) but please, graciously thank him for his charming stab at social betterment if you bump into him on the street. Just don’t forget to say “excuse me” first. ▼

Books>>

Mister manners by Jim Piechota Would It Kill You To Stop Doing That? A Modern Guide to Manners by Henry Alford; Twelve Books, $24.99

as it really become too much to ask for common decency, a simple please and thank you, perhaps? That’s exactly the point in humorist and Vanity Fair/New York Times scribe Henry Alford’s Would It Kill You To Stop Doing That? A Modern Guide to Manners, skewering our etiquette and how blatantly absent it has become. Alford, who is openly gay (should that really count in smatters of decorum?), casts a discerning, critically cheeky eye on our dismissive, selfimportant world and starts in Japan, “the Fort Knox of the World Manners Reserve,” training with two iron-fisted teachers. His 20-day stint in Tokyo brought him up to speed on the pro-

tocols of things like head-bowing, the no-tipping-at-restaurants rule, and the prorating of bananas at a grocery. From there, the book delves into everything from the flatness of e-mail posturing to the loveliness of common gestures. Alford was inspired to write on manners after reading that 18th-century Irish philosopher Edmund Burke considered them to be “more important than laws.” So he dove head-first into matters of human (and humane, or lack thereof) nature to “hold up a magnifying glass to unattractive habits that I stumble upon, be they my own or others.” Admittedly something that doesn’t come naturally, manners must be taught, he writes. In comical, breezy, and highly addictive prose, he offers examples of the good, the bad, and the ugliest of etiquette mishaps, most notably a section on “Pregnant or Well-Fed?” and a hilarious chapter on “Rude Questions,” where a hiker on a Jackson Hole, Wyoming moun-

taintop called a park ranger on his cell phone to request hot chocolate. There are, however, a few egregious authorial exceptions throughout, such as the writer’s insistence on playing a healthy game of “Touch the Waiter,” a tasteless tactic sure to piss off even the most good-natured, hard-working server. Some advice will be surprising only for the truly oblivious: e-mail forwarding can be the “devil’s candy” of business communication; self-deprecation can only go so far; when to speak up or shut down when criticizing friends; and the universal importance of the “two pillars of courtesy, ‘Thank you’ and ‘Excuse me.’” What makes the book the most fun is not necessarily the information Alford dispenses, but his witty repartee while doing so. The author has a knack for delivering the kind of snappy wordplay that can make a blog a can’t-miss daily habit or a newspaper column something to share on Facebook, a

SF Ballet 2 & 3

From page 17

us was fugitive images. The one that comes back to me most, that I woke up thinking about, was of a guy sliding his hand from behind you across your chest and leaving it there a moment; it didn’t turn into anything, it’s all touch and go, like Whitman’s Calamus poems and the Song of the Open Road – tantalizing, leaving you touched but wanting more. There are many emotions in there, but they are not about mating for life, uniting fates, or creating households. For my gay friends it was very moving. The dance is intimately connected to Bohuslav Martinu’s music (Concerto for Harpsichord and Chamber Orchestra), but it’s not like a marriage, more like a walk with your dog. It was Vito Mazzeo, the new Ital-

Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet dancers Yuan Yuan Tan and Taras Domitro in Wayne MacGregor’s Chroma, part of Program 2.

ian principal dancer whom so far we’ve mostly seen as a strong, generous partner for the ballerina Sofiane Sylve, who bore the banner of

making sense of Morris’ ballet. It’s a whole new side of Mazzeo – poetic fancy, delicacy, affection, sovereign lightness, a power to soar and

float and leave his arms in the air as his body floats down, the power to charm others so that a boy (Ruben Martin Cintas) begins to smile and suddenly rushes forward to dance with him, whereupon their phrases played out to heavenly length, with a melodic freshness and delicacy that put me in mind of Franz Schubert. Martinu’s neoclassical concerto has three movements; repeated viewings might disclose how Morris has divined Martinu’s structure and set his groupings and solos to enhance it. On first viewing it was spankingly new and so fascinating in tone and detail, I’ve just got the beginnings of an understanding of how it works. But I’d bet it’s built to last. The groups keep dividing into trios – which are kinetically easy to grasp but emotionally very unsatisfying (“Who’s going to be the odd one out?” is always the question in my lonely mind). The finale, a jig,

Morris takes as a chance to present his dancers in little dance cameos, exquisite little solos that show more than one has ever seen before of who (say) Jeremy Rucker is as a person. The most remarkable passages, though, came earlier, sudden Arcadian poses for the SFB apprentice (!) Sean Bennett, who tosses himself onto the balls of his feet and holds a goat-legged shape like a statue of a faun; his stillness is remarkable, the perfection of the shape is like a statue by Donatello. I need to go back and see why that’s there. I don’t know. With a new piece by Morris, it takes a long time for the mind to wrap itself around it. Beaux has that old-fashioned homoeroticism that belongs to the Rhodes Scholarships, to Houseman’s poems, to the Unknown Soldier, to Paul Taylor’s Sunset and Company B, to Jerome RobSee page 29 >>

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February 23-March 1, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 29

Books>>

Primed at the pump by Tavo Amador

cotty Bowers (b. 1923) was, for decades, almost a mythical figure, a man who arranged for some of the biggest Hollywood names to fulfill their sexual desires by providing them with young, attractive, willing males and females – and, in his youth, tricking with both genders himself. Full Service (Grove Press, $25), his gossipy, revealing autobiography, confirms many previously recounted stories and adds several new ones. He was a farm boy from the Midwest. His first sexual experience, as a kid, was with an adult male neighbor whose children were his friends. After the family moved to Chicago, he had a newspaper route. He had his first ejaculation with a customer, an adult man. As a U.S. Marine, he fought in the South Pacific during WWII, and upon discharge, settled in Los Angeles, working at a gas station. He met a young woman named Betty, and they moved in together, eventually having a daughter. In 1946, a dapper, handsome, middle-aged man driving a shiny Lincoln pulled in for gasoline, paid, and holding several bills in his hand, asked if he was busy. Bowers knew what he wanted and left with Walter Pidgeon, a married, major star of the period, who in movies like How Green Was My Valley (1941) and Mrs. Miniver (42), played warm, loving, wise hus-

bands and fathers. Soon, word about the handsome, wholesome, sexually talented youth spread through the film colony, and Bowers, who says he prefers women to men but is open to almost anything, was tricking with Randolph Scott and Cary Grant (individually and in threesomes), George Cukor, Spencer Tracy, Vivien Leigh, Edith Piaf, and Tyrone Power. He also arranged for some of his ex-Marine buddies and other friends to satisfy these clients, who liked variety. He fixed Katharine Hepburn up with young, pretty brunettes, provided women for William Holden, Errol Flynn, Howard Hughes, and Jack Ryan, the creator of the Barbie Doll, who was once married to Zsa Zsa Gabor. He arranged for young men to sleep with Clifton Webb, Anthony Perkins, Charles Laughton, Rock Hudson, Roddy McDowell, and Montgomery Clift, among others. Bowers insists he wasn’t a pimp – he only accepted money when he slept with a client. He charged nothing when his friends tricked with the rich and famous. Others who availed themselves of his services – personally and from his youthful friends – included Somerset Maugham and his lover Alan Searle, Noel Coward, Cole Porter, Cecil Beaton, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, whom he says were bisexual and enjoyed threesomes and

foursomes. At least one wealthy man, unable to sire children, had Bowers impregnate his wife, but not until checking out his parents and other relatives to assess his genetic makeup. Eventually, Bowers began working from home. He became a trusted bartender at private parties. At one, a livid Lucille Ball demanded that he stop “pimping” whores for husband Desi Arnaz. Bowers doesn’t stint on details, sometimes providing too much information about sexual encounters and preferences. Power, who was bisexual, and Laughton had very esoteric tastes. Perkins, McDowell, and Clift were fussy and usually found something to complain about, no matter how attractive the young man was. Bowers and his friends were interviewed by Alfred Kinsey as part of his famous study on human sexuality. Indeed, one of the most refreshing aspects of Full Service is Bowers’ guiltfree acceptance of all sexual behavior as natural: he enjoyed what he did, and did it well. How accurate is Full Service? It’s hard to say, because all the famous

names are dead and there are no pictures of them in action. Coward, Cukor, Porter, McDowell, Perkins, Hudson, Power, Laughton, Maugham were known to be gay or bisexual. The relationship between Grant and Scott has been well-documented. Bowers insists that Flynn and Hughes were completely straight, although the former’s heavy drinking made him a disappointing lover to women, and the latter’s phobia about germs made him nearly impossible to please. Leigh was promiscuous and had

m many affairs, including one with P Peter Finch, while she was marri ried to Laurence Olivier. Piaf liliked handsome young men and sseduced as many as she could. T The famous love affair between T Tracy and Hepburn has in reccent years been questioned as to w whether it included physical intim macy. It’s doubtful that it did or d did for very long. He, an alcoholiic, was married and claimed to b be devoutly Catholic, so divorce w wasn’t an option. She almost ccertainly preferred women. Toggether, they fooled most of the p press into thinking theirs was a great love that could never be m made public. In a blurb, Gore Vidal, who knew almost everyone and almost everything about them, writes, “I have known Scotty Bowers for the better part of a century. I’m so pleased he has decided to tell his story to the world. Scotty doesn’t lie – the stars sometimes do.” Full Service both reclaims part of our history and underscores that the difference between screen images and reality is often extreme. Fans of boudoir biography and of classic Hollywood will enjoy this breezy, easy to read, well-illustrated account of a long-gone era. It lacks an index, which would be helpful, but perhaps one will be included in subsequent editions.▼

and it all began a full decade before Stonewall. In Out Late, Beatrice Alda and Jennifer Brooke (partners as filmmakers as well as in life) present a series of profoundly moving portraits. Each of them focuses on a senior who, as the title suggests, came out late in life. As the “baby” of the group, 57-year-old

Kathy became a marriage equality activist after Kansas, her home state, passed a “one m man-one woman” marriage aamendment. Her energy is iinspiring. We even get to meet K Kathy’s conservative neighb bors, whose views on LGBT eequality have softened thanks tto Kathy’s activism. Some of the stories are h heartbreaking. Leanna, transggender at 60, says goodbye tto her Mom alone after her ssiblings exclude her from the fu funeral. Leanna hopes that her sson will one day agree to see h her again. Then there’s Elaine. w who came out at 79. Elaine is ggreat fun. She flirts shamelessly w with women half her age, and is h having a ball! She gleefully adm mits to enjoying the sex scenes o on The L Word, Showtime’s lesbian-themed soap opera. Two gay men, two lesbians, and a transgender share their stories in Out Late. Some speak of regret over the earlier years they feel were wasted. Some hope to find love in the future. All express themselves honestly in this heartfelt film. Out Late is a life lesson for us all.▼

throws her knees around his waist – a gift that’s unmatched anywhere in the world right now. The movement goes on and on, and the cumulative effect is absolutely staggering. So this is what he wanted to do, and this is what we’ve got, and it’s a hysterical mess with brilliant moments and one totally committed ghoulish star-turn – a weird mixture of Martha Graham and the Soviet school of heroic dramballet from which Possokhov comes, via the Bolshoi, where he was one of the last Soviet star men. All this is set to Tchaikovsky’s tonepoem. Mind you, there’s a gay subtext to this ballet, too, since the impossible love Tchaikovsky immortalized in his impassioned music mirrors the unrealizability of his own homosexual longings. Joan Boada and Maria Kochetkova devoted their colossal talents to realizing Possokhov’s overwrought pas de deux. Tchaikovsky did not plan for this to be choreographed,

and there’s way too much music; Possokhov has plenty of ideas, but not enough for all this. The astonishing triumph belongs to Taras Dimitro, as their antagonist, her creepy husband. Domitro managed to channel the great British dancer Robert Helpmann, distorting the classical outlines of his heroic dancing with huge, spinning, twisting leaps that alight in horrible distortions that dramatize the cruelty and hellish passions of his monstrous heart. This program is rounded out with Helgi Tomasson’s Trio, which was beautifully danced by Sarah Van Patten, Tiit Helimets, Vito Mazzeo, Courtney Elizabeth, Vitor Luiz, Vanessa Zahorian, and Isaac Hernandez; and Alexei Ratmansky’s preposterous Carnival des Animaux, in which only Elizabeth Miner and Courtney Elizabeth matched the levels of ridiculousness that the choreography called for.▼

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he drag queens who rioted at the Stonewall Inn in New York City are often credited with giving birth to the LGBT equality movement. Not so fast, say the primarily transgendered people who patronized Compton’s Cafeteria here in San Francisco. The Compton’s people say that their 1966 rebellion against police harassment preceded Stonewall by three years. In his new documentary Sons of Tennessee Williams, Tim Wolff argues that both incidents may have had a previously little-known forerunner. Wolff’s history lesson teaches us that the legendary French Quarter in New Orleans, now one of our gay meccas, was once a place where it was most dangerous to be gay. Police would throw gay men in jail on

SF Ballet 2 & 3

From page 28

bins’ Dances at a Gathering, which I haven’t seen Morris explore since Robe of White decades ago. I do not know how valuable this is to dance history. I only know that as I write this, it is my 65th birthday, and this is something I’ve always longed to know more about, and I still need to dare to explore, to live out the rest of my life. The rest of the program was Wayne MacGregor’s iconoclastic Chroma, in which Taras Dimitro, Dana Genshaft, Garen Scribner, and Yuan Yuan Tan danced with astonishing precision and power; and Christopher Wheeldon’s perpetualmotion ballet Number 9, a brilliant, thrilling ballet that drives the dancers and the audience to a pitch of exhaustion I’d just as soon not visit again.

trumped-up charges of solicitation. Drag queens were singled out for the harshest treatment. The most popular column in the Times Picayune, the city’s daily newspaper, outed gay men who’d been arrested, their addresses and phone numbers published for all to see. In 1958, three teens who brutally murdered a gay man got off scot-free. In 1959, groups of gay men in the Big Easy, tired of the treatment accorded to them, began chartering social clubs called “krewes,” which were licensed by the city to present drag pageants, The men expressed their astonishment that the city actually granted these licenses. Their primary purpose was simple: to increase their own visibility, and to change the public’s perception of them. The pageants proved to be enormously popular, and became one of the hottest tickets in town. By 1969, Mayoral candidate Harry Connick, Sr., openly courted the gay vote, promising to stop the police raids.

What these courageous drag queens accomplished is extraordinary. Wolff documents the entire story, including many fascinating archival photos of Mardi Gras events dating back to the 1930s. Interviews with now-senior Krewes participants remind us of how much they suffered. Some of them express their dismay that today’s LGBT youth have so little knowledge of our history. Wolff’s newly-shot pageant footage is glorious. Pageant queens are adorned in colorful jewels and feathers that often rise above their wigs by as much as 10 feet. One of the more amusing costumes is called New York City Cheesecake. It’s impressive and inspiring to see the brave, hearty soul who walks the runway with a papermache model of the New York City skyline attached to her back. When we see surviving Pageant Queens rehearsing for a number to be performed at the 2008 pageant, the joy in their faces says it all. They’ve come a long way. They kicked doors open,

Passion play Take everything I’ve said about Morris’ ballet, reverse it, and you’d have Possokhov’s dramballet Francesca da Rimini, the centerpiece of Program 3. It’s set in Hell (fantastically realized by scenic designer Alexander V. Nichols, who’s recreated the monumentality of WWII-era stage-designs, nay, even the grandeur of Rodin’s Inferno), where Dante’s Paolo and Francesca re-live in longing the passion that got them assassinated by his brother, her husband, the prince. Possokhov is a major, major talent – he’s gone way overboard this time, but who cares? He has an unmatched power to create long movement phrases, roller-coaster rides for the soul, where she’s thrown onto the shoulders, over the back, between the legs, onto the waist, back over the back, onto the floor, and up into pointe in arabesque, and then they hug and she

Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet dancers Sarah Van Patten and Tiit Helimets in Helgi Tomasson’s Trio.

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