January 4, 2024 edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

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Vol. 54 • No. 1 • January 4-10, 2024

SF archbishop says priests can deny same-sex blessings

by John Ferrannini

A Courtesy Joel Engardio

San Francisco Supervisor Joel Engardio, right, rode with his husband, Lionel Hsu, in the 2023 San Francisco Pride parade.

SF Supervisor Engardio focuses on joy of job by Matthew S. Bajko

uring his first year representing the city’s fourth supervisorial district, San Francisco Supervisor Joel Engardio weathered a number of stormy situations. His tenure literally started off with a bang when an outer Sunset home that officials said was used as an illegal drug lab exploded last February, killing a female resident. Alerted to the incident by the city’s fire chief, who texted him amid a committee hearing, Engardio raced from City Hall to the scene. He ended up missing Mayor London Breed’s State of the City address that day as he attended to the needs of his constituents. “It was like a ‘Breaking Bad’ episode,” recalled Engardio, referring to the acclaimed television show about a high school chemistry teacher turned meth producer and dealer. Working with emergency officials and city department heads, Engardio and his staff held a town hall a few days later to address residents’ concerns. The blast had damaged a number of nearby homes and caused a fire that burned several residences and left one person with serious burns. “It was my literal trial by fire, for me and my staff. It was a tragic situation and I don’t want to make light of it, but it also showed early on we were able to handle a crisis,” said Engardio during a phone interview in mid-December. The Bay Area Reporter caught up with Engardio to discuss his freshman year in office before he left with his husband, Lionel Hsu, on their annual holiday vacation to visit Hsu’s family in Taiwan. (They returned this week.) A moderate who lost three bids for the Board of Supervisors’ District 7 seat west of Twin Peaks, Engardio was redistricted into District 4 and defeated progressive former supervisor Gordon Mar on the November 2022 ballot. See page 6 >>

document obtained by the Bay Area Reporter reveals that San Francisco’s archbishop issued supplemental instructions to the archdiocese’s Catholic priests stating they can deny blessing same-sex couples under some circumstances. The December 21 memorandum came just days after the Vatican issued the document Fiducia Suplicans, allowing same-sex blessings in a radical sea change for the church, as the B.A.R. previously reported. In the memo, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone wrote that the Vatican document had been misunderstood “by some reports and analyses,” but did not indicate how, stating “please do not rely on secular media stories, which are easily fueled by ignorance, animosity, and judgmentalism.” Long-standing Catholic teaching is that while homosexuality isn’t sinful per se, it is a sin to have sex with someone of the same sex. The Vatican document, written by Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández and approved by Pope Francis, states that same-sex couples can be blessed but the blessings have to be done in such a manner that they are not confused with marriage, which

Courtesy the Archdiocese of San Francisco

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone celebrates Christmas Mass.

the church teaches can only be between one man and one woman. The blessings also cannot be in the context of the liturgy, as marriages are. The pope’s directive has exposed deep divisions in the world’s largest Christian denomination. In an unprecedented move, some bishops in Kazakhstan, Malawi, Zambia, Namibia, and

Poland have outright rejected it, according to media reports. Cordileone, appointed in 2012 by Francis’ predecessor Benedict XVI, has been an outspoken opponent of LGBTQ equality, both in the church and society at large. While serving as an auxiliary bishop in San Diego in 2008, he opposed the ballot measure Proposition 8 that banned same-sex marriage in California until it was overturned in federal court several years later. As the B.A.R. recently reported, a measure to repeal the “zombie” Prop 8 language will be on the November 2024 ballot. Cordileone’s memo was sent four days before Christmas. “I regret that I have to do this as we are on the verge of the joyful, and busy, celebrations of our Lord’s Nativity,” Cordileone stated in the memo. “Given the large number of people who attend services at Christmas and the interest and misunderstanding that has been circulating, it is of paramount importance that there be some direction for our priests to follow when asked about this declaration.” See page 8 >>

SOMA leather decals defaced with anti-police rhetoric

by John Ferrannini

early 20 leather pride flag decals wrapped around light posts in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood have been vandalized, according to the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District. Robert Goldfarb, a gay man who is executive director of the cultural district, told the Bay Area Reporter January 2 that he thinks people mistook the leather pride flag image – which includes blue and black stripes – for the thin blue line flag of a similar design, which is intended to show support for law enforcement and is also used by a number of far-right groups. The district first put up 112 decals around light posts within the district’s noncontiguous boundaries – between the Central Freeway, Howard Street and the 101 Freeway, and between Bryant and Harrison streets, between Fifth and Sixth streets – in early August. Between the two parts of the district is the Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant, which contains the San Francisco County Jail, the county criminal courts, and the sheriff ’s department. The California Highway Patrol and the San Francisco Police Officers Association also have offices nearby. “Within hours they were vandalized,” Goldfarb said. “People wrote ‘fuck the police’ and the ACAB, an anti-police thing, those stickers, on them.”

Courtesy SF Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District

A leather flag banner was one of 19 that were defaced or vandalized in San Francisco’s South of Market Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District.

ACAB stands for “all cops are bastards.” “A number were scraped off,” Goldfarb said of the decals. “Nineteen of them had been damaged.

We had a few extras printed, not 19, so we’ll be trying to get a few more printed and have them installed hopefully in the near future.” Goldfarb said the 19 damaged decals are still up. It’s “too early to say anything definitive” about when they’ll be replaced, and the total cost to do so. “It seems to have stabilized at the moment,” he said. “The most recent one was probably last month. … We have to do another print run and I was waiting to see if the situation would stabilize, or if it’d be ongoing and we’d need an educational campaign, and in some places, like 10th Street, people were putting up event flyers all over them.” The leather pride flag was first designed by Tony DeBlase for the 1989 International Mister Leather competition in Chicago. It features a red heart atop blue and black stripes, with a white stripe running through the middle of the banner. The color scheme is part of an installation in Ringold Alley that the B.A.R. reported had been vandalized last year. A large version of the leather flag flies in Eagle Plaza, adjacent to the San Francisco Eagle bar, within the district’s boundaries, visible from the 101 and Central freeways. The most common variation of the thin blue line flag has a blue line running through a grayscale version of the United States flag. The thin See page 3 >>

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2 • Bay Area Repor ter • January 4-10, 2024

East Bay hate crime case nearly resolved

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he case of the man prosecutors say committed hate crime vandalism at an Emeryville senior housing facility isn’t over yet, as his attorney claims he is owed a remedy for alleged racism by police. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, Ayman Badr, 64, a former resident at the facility, has been charged with one count of vandalism under $400 and another of “violation of civil rights.” He is alleged by Beth Rosales, a resident at the Avalon Senior Housing community in Emeryville, to have torn down a Pride display in June after making a homophobic rant. Badr was evicted from the housing complex after the incident, Rosales said. The final details were partly worked out December 20 in Department 106 at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in downtown Oakland, with Alameda County Superior Court Judge Sharon L. Djemal presiding. The district attorney’s office and Badr’s attorney, Alameda County Deputy Public Defender Karl Lindemann, have agreed on most of a deal to send Badr to deferment. The timeframe would be six months, which started November 29, with Badr being required to obey all laws during that time. They also agreed Badr should attend some kind of sensitivity training, though Lindemann said the one suggested by the victims only makes sense in a corporate setting. He also objected to a one-on-one training session, saying those might be expensive, and “I don’t know if Mr. Badr can afford that type of class.” Assistant District Attorney Angela Frances Steffes said that a less specific training would be OK. “To me, it’s just, be sensitive, even if it’s not specifically LGBT,” she said. Djemal said that the Safe Zone Project provides trainings. “There’s a guided online course,” she said. “There’s also a foundational twohour curriculum.” Lindemann said it looked like that was for educators. The website itself states that course is specifically for those who “teach about sexuality, gender, and LGBTQ+ identities.” It was agreed that the best solution might be for Badr to review the material and then provide a written summary. Lindemann objected to the original proposal by those seeking restitution from Badr, an LGBTQ+ sensitivity training with OPEN Pride, saying when he called “oddly the same person who submitted a restitution claim,” Tim Fisher, answered the phone. Lindemann thought it would be inappropriate for a person seeking restitution to also lead a sensitivity training for Badr. Fisher is the man identified in the last B.A.R. report as someone who might receive $93.84 in restitution from Badr. Rosales would get $121.40. The Peer Advocates website states Fisher is “an experienced restorative justice practitioner, group facilitator, peer specialist, and a trainer and consultant focused on issues of the LGBTQI+, senior, and incarcerated men communities.” Fisher told the B.A.R. in a December 21 phone call unequivocally that “I did not have a phone conversation with Karl Lindemann.” “We’ve exchanged emails and there is an effort underway to be able to find someone to offer the training to Ayman Badr but that is in process,” he said. “My understanding is Beth had given three suggestions – Peer Advocates, Pacific Center, and maybe the third was Open Pride. I did not have any phone conversations with Karl Lindemann. I’m not at Open Pride, but I did email back and forth about Peer Advocates. It’s still being processed.” Fisher, who is in line to get restitution because he bought the materials Badr tore down, said Badr does need education.

John Ferrannini

A man accused of hate crime vandalism at an Emeryville senior housing facility will be in a deferment program after a deal was reached between his defense attorney and prosecutors in an Oakland courtroom.

“The people exposed to his anger were quite frightened by him,” Fisher said. “Avalon Senior Housing is subsidized senior housing and there’s been a lot of discussion in circles I’m a part of about how seniors of a certain age, who came up in the 1960s, 1970s, who were very active in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, find themselves backtracking on their own open identity in environments where they’re either not openly welcomed or there are not a lot of other LGBTQ seniors and I think this incident at Avalon is a glaring example.”

Discrimination by police alleged

The second issue was Lindemann’s claim that the Emeryville police were illegally discriminatory against Badr by mentioning his national origin in a report. Rosales said he is originally from Egypt. “The DA’s proposed terms are commensurate with the allegations, but I would suggest in light of the claims made by the police officer in the police report that the court is empowered to make any remedy in the interest of justice,” Lindemann said at the previous hearing. “It’s very rare we find explicit ... racism and bias.” Lindemann said December 20 that “Mr. Badr is willing to accept any conditions the court imposes, but I cannot let that issue slide.” Alameda County Superior Court Judge Pelayo A. Llamas Jr. had said at the last hearing that he wasn’t going to rule on that matter. Djemal and Steffes agreed to read Lindemann’s petition, which will be discussed at the next court date, January 24 at 9 a.m. in Department 106. “A remedy, if at all, should come from here,” Lindemann said, suggesting the six months could be shortened to three if the sensitivity training goes through. The B.A.R. had the opportunity to speak with Badr in person October 24, at which time he declined to give contact information, saying, “I don’t want to talk to you. You published information that’s unfair and actually also you published information that’s not correct. I will hold you responsible for it. You tarnished my reputation and took one side of the story.” Rosales told the B.A.R., reached for comment December 20, that “I guess we wait. … It’s difficult for me to comment.” Emeryville police did not return requests for comment in this matter.t The State of California offers help for victims or witnesses to a hate crime or hate incident. This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to cavshate.org.

Community News >>

January 4-10, 2024 • Bay Area Repor ter • 3

Sex worker confessed to killing man, feds say by John Ferrannini

away to a third party because ‘there’s a body on [it].’” Walupupu’s body was discovered in the Crissy Field parking lot at 6:25 a.m. November 12, according to an affidavit from FBI Agent Casey Smith. “The victim was found lying on his back with a significant amount of blood pooled under his head,” Smith stated. “The medical examiner later determined the victim suffered from a single gunshot wound to his head. There was also another large pool of blood under the victim’s left leg. A bloody tire track was observed leading away from the pool of blood from under the victim’s left leg. At the time the victim’s body was discovered, there were no other persons or vehicles observed in the area by witnesses.” Three days later, San Francisco Police Department officers happened upon the Hyundai after they got a call that it’d been double parked for three days in Hunters Point. Officers found blood in the vehicle and recovered video footage of the car arriving at the location November 12. The video also showed the driver of a Jeep Commander speaking with the driver of the Hyundai. Police found through a DMV inquiry that the owner of the Commander is Butler’s mother, Smith stated. “Upon reviewing these materials, I believe that Butler … is the same person that exited the victim’s Hyundai

Accent, attempted to wipe away blood and other forensic evidence, and drove off in the Subject Vehicle with an unknown person approximately 20 minutes after the victim’s deceased body was found,” Smith stated. Butler was arrested November 20. Mission Local reported the arrest occurred after a pre-dawn raid and involved flash grenades.

somewhere close, but the victim said he knew a place where they could go to be alone.” That place was Crissy Field. When the pair got there, Butler performed oral sex on Walupupu, prosecutors state. “Afterwards, the victim said he wanted more, and the defendant told the victim that she was transgender,” the document states. “The victim demanded his money back, and the defendant refused. She believed she had earned the money, explaining, ‘there’s no money back ... I was never giving [the money] back to him.’ They

argued, and the victim demanded that the defendant get out of his car. The defendant felt disrespected and refused. The defendant explained that if she had gotten out of the car, she would have been ‘stranded cold as fuck’ and looked ‘dumb as fuck.’” Butler said she felt Walupupu should drive her back to where he’d picked her up. “After the defendant refused to get out of the car, the victim began getting out of the car, and the defendant shot him,” the document states. “The defendant used her own gun that she kept in her purse. She explained that right before she shot him, she saw ‘hella different angles and ways on how I’m gonna do it.’ After she shot him, the defendant debated what to do for a few minutes and decided to take his car.” Butler drove the car, a 2014 Hyundai Accent, to Hunters Point, where she “parked the victim’s car and wiped it down to eliminate fingerprints and DNA.” Butler called her mother, who advised her to destroy evidence, the document states. “The defendant took – and later disposed of – the victim’s backpack because she had looked in it and thought it had her DNA on it,” the document stated. “She also disposed of the clothes she was wearing, which had blood on them, and her mother threw away the purse she was carrying. The defendant also gave her gun

officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu. It has been used by former President Donald Trump; at the insurrection at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021; and to protest Black Lives Matter. The leather district was established in 2018 to help preserve the leather subculture’s place in the SOMA community. Once known for its bustling

bars and bathhouses, the community had been displaced first during the AIDS epidemic then due to gentrification and the expansion of the downtown business district south of Market Street. Goldfarb told the B.A.R. that the district did not report the vandalism to the police. Matt Dorsey, T:9.75" a gay man who rep-

resents District 6, which includes the leather district, on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and who prior to that was the San Francisco Police Department’s head of strategic communications, stated to the B.A.R. that he had spoken with Goldfarb about the vandalism. “I’ve committed my office to assist the cultural district with getting new

pole wraps to replace the defaced ones as soon as possible,” he stated January 2. “These are an important part of the neighborhood’s identity and history, and it’s disappointing to see them vandalized.” The San Francisco Police Officers Pride Alliance, an affinity group of LGBTQ police personnel, did not return a request for comment.t

transgender woman working as a sex worker confessed to killing a man at San Francisco’s Crissy Field, federal prosecutors state in court documents, though she has pleaded not guilty to homicide charges. Leion Butler, 20, was kept in custody after a court hearing December 18. Her next hearing, in the courtroom of San Francisco magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse at the federal courthouse at 450 Golden Gate Avenue, is January 12 at 11 a.m. Butler was charged with seconddegree murder in the death of Hamza Walupupu, 32, on November 12 at Crissy Field. A former United States Army airfield and part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the location bumps the prosecution up from the state to the federal court system.

‘There’s no money back’

According to a memorandum in support of keeping Butler in custody, Butler told police in an interview after her arrest that she was working as a sex worker the night of November 12 when Walupupu allegedly approached her. “The defendant asked the victim whether he wanted a date, and he said yes and that he was looking for ‘everything,’” the document states. “The defendant agreed and got into the victim’s car. After stopping at the ATM, the defendant wanted to pull over

Leather decals

From page 1

blue line, representing police – the color is due to the uniforms of many law enforcement agencies – represents the division between law and order and societal chaos. It came to prominence after the 2014 killings of New York City Police Department

A transgender woman is appearing in the San Francisco federal building where she faces second-degree murder charges in the killing of a man at Crissy Field who wanted his money back after a sexual encounter.

Feds won’t answer where Butler is

Butler is not in the custody of the Alameda County Sheriff ’s office – which usually holds defendants held in custody in federal cases – according to an online tool to look up people in custody. According to San Francisco Public Safety News her attorney, Assistant Federal Public Defender David Rizk, complained she’d been held by the San Francisco Sheriff ’s Department in an all-male facility and that Tse ordered the United States Marshals Service to respond to remediate those concerns. According to an online tool to look up people in custody, Butler is not in San Francisco Sheriff ’s Department custody. Rizk and the department did not return requests for comment for this report. For its part, the marshals service would neither confirm nor deny in a December 19 phone call if Butler is in its custody. The U.S. attorney’s office also did not return a request for comment.t

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Volume 54, Number 1 January 4-10, 2024 www.ebar.com

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SF archbishop needs to follow pope’s directive S ure, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone will tell the public that he is following Pope Francis’ recent directive to allow priests to bless couples in same-sex relationships. But as we discovered this week, Cordileone is sneaking around the backdoor with a three-page memorandum to diocesan priests outlining five instructions, which includes that a priest may determine not to give such a blessing. This is outrageous, but not surprising. Cordileone has been a staunch homophobe long before he was named head of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. As soon as the news of the pope’s directive, Fiducia Suplicans, was announced December 18, we suspected that Cordileone would come up with some reason for why he shouldn’t have to follow it. The Vatican should be displeased with this development. Each of Cordileone’s five “instructions” is disingenuous; some, in our opinion, fly in the face of what was written in the Vatican document by Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández and approved by Pope Francis. The Vatican document states that same-sex couples can be blessed but the blessings have to be done in such a manner that they are not confused with marriage, which the church teaches can only be between one man and one woman. The blessings also cannot be in the context of the liturgy, as marriages are. Cordileone starts his instructions by stating that the blessings cannot be pre-planned or pre-scheduled but must be given spontaneously, like if a same-sex couple just decides on a whim to have a blessing. He then goes on to state that “if it is evident that they are not in the bond of a valid marriage, it is always licit to bless them as two separate individuals.” However, this is not what the Vatican document says. It explicitly refers to the blessing of same-sex couples, not individuals. The archbishop also notes that in some cases, same-sex blessings cannot be given “if it would be a cause of scandal, that is, if it would mislead either the individuals themselves or others into believing that there may be contexts other than marriage in which ‘sexual relations find their natural, proper, and fully human meaning.’” Now, we think most same-sex couples seeking a Catholic priest’s blessing – and the priests themselves – are fully aware that these blessings, while a monumental shift for the church, do not represent marriage in the eyes of the church. Yet

Courtesy Archdiocese of San Francisco

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone

here is Cordileone stating that priests don’t have to give the blessings because same-sex sexual relations are not, in the church’s view, “natural and proper.” Again, that is not what the Vatican document says. We reported this week that Francis DeBernardo, the director of New Ways Ministry, an affinity group for LGBTQ Catholics, questioned why Cordileone’s memo was necessary. “The Vatican’s instructions for blessing same-gender couples offered a clear set of parameters for how, when, and what priests are supposed to do when people request such blessings,” DeBernardo stated. “The instructions were very clear and detailed, and so it seems that Archbishop Cordileone’s additional comments, including a warning about scandal, were unnecessary. The archbishop’s warning may cause priests to be reluctant to give such blessings when asked, and may also cause some couples to be wary of asking for them.” That is exactly Cordileone’s goal. What he accomplishes with this memo is to instill a sense of doubt and fear into priests so that they will hem and haw and not provide the blessings, or that same-sex couples will be reluctant to ask for one. But Cordileone should be careful. After all, in November, Pope Francis removed Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, who had clashed publicly with the pope over social and theological issues, as the Texas Standard reported. In his case, Strickland reportedly stated on social

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media last summer that the pope was undermining the Catholic faith. It is extremely rare for a pope to remove a bishop; usually they may be nudged into retirement, and while a reason wasn’t publicly given, Strickland was known as a vocal critic of the pope. What Cordileone has done here is stealthier. His memo references the Vatican document in several places and even writes that his instructions are “supplemental” to the document, a clever way of seeming to go along with it while simultaneously giving a wink-nod as if to say, “You know, you don’t really have to do this and let me show you how.” What he has done is undermine the language and intent of Fiducia Suplicans by supplying priests with an escape clause for bestowing blessings. Cardinal Fernandez, the author of the pope’s directive, stated in a recent interview in the Catholic publication The Pillar that “we do not deny a blessing” even to someone who is a “great sinner.” “Since it is not a question of the sacrament of confession, but of a simple blessing, it is still asked that this friendship be purified, matured, and lived in fidelity to the gospel,” Fernández stated. “And even if there was some kind of sexual relationship, known or not, the blessing made in this way does not validate or justify anything. Actually the same thing happens whenever individuals are blessed, because that individual who asks for a blessing – not absolution – may be a great sinner, but we do not deny a blessing to him.” Cordileone has long opposed same-sex marriage. He was in the forefront of the Yes on Prop 8 campaign back in 2008. In San Diego at the time, he led a procession into Qualcomm Stadium for a religious event featuring the A-list of Christian conservatives that sought to encourage people to vote for the discriminatory measure. It’s been reported that Cordileone helped raise $1.5 million to put Prop 8 on the ballot. While that anti-same-sex marriage law has thankfully been history since 2013, there will be a constitutional amendment on the ballot this November to rid the “zombie” language of Prop 8 from the state’s governing document. Cordileone likely will speak out on the opposing side, and this latest missive of his is just one more way to disparage same-sex couples. This time, however, with the Vatican’s approval of blessings for same-sex couples, he’s going against what his own church leadership has declared to be a permitted matter.t

Navigating gender transition in the workplace

by Wynne Nowland

Bay Area Reporter

s the CEO of a business, you are responsible for the company’s performance as well as its image in the eyes of employees, clients, and the public. When I decided to come out as a trans woman in the office, I had to consider how my identity would affect my career. Unfortunately, I had let this worry over how I would be affected prevent me from living as my authentic self for far too long. Especially as the CEO of my company, navigating my gender transition in the workplace was one of the biggest challenges I faced. Like many other trans people, I came out everywhere else before I decided to come out in the professional sphere, but living this “double life” grew to be taxing. I worried that someone from the office might see me living as Wynne in a restaurant or another public venue, which would cause people to talk, and I would lose control over making the announcement the way I wanted to.

Making the decision to come out in the workplace

The most significant factor I had to consider when deciding to come out in the workplace was how it would affect my career. I had spent a long time building my career, working hard to reach the executive suite and eventually become CEO. I developed many significant relationships and friendships with our team members, business partners, vendors, and clients. I wondered how those relationships would change if I transitioned and came out as a trans woman. One morning in 2017, I sent an email to my 70-person staff, stating that I would be working as Wynne effective immediately. I showed up in a woman’s pantsuit, pearls, and full makeup with a pixie haircut. To my surprise, the response was primarily positive. When I decided to rip the proverbial BandAid off, I found out that I didn’t have much to

Courtesy Wynne Nowland

Wynne Nowland

worry about in that department. With very few exceptions, all the relationships that were important to my success in my career survived. In some cases, my relationships even got stronger. Of course, it took some time for some people to get used to the changes, such as using my name and my preferred pronouns, but that’s understandable given that they knew me as a different person for so long. The important thing was that they were willing to accept me and learn how best to do so. One thing that many people don’t realize is that coming out, at least for me, was not about building up enough courage to overcome the fears I had. In fact, I don’t think I ever overcame my agitation until my co-workers, clients, and vendors accepted me, and I realized that I had very little to fear. Instead, it was a matter of becoming so uncomfortable hiding my true self that I realized I would be better off dealing with those challenges if they arose.

I am the first to admit that my story is not the same as everyone else’s. Many trans people have faced dreadful consequences for revealing their true selves – just look at the staggering amount of anti-trans legislation that has been passed in the United States. However, I was lucky that I was surrounded by people who were accepting and supportive of my transition. I even found that some of my co-workers stood up for me when others ridiculed me behind my back. I can also confidently say that coming out in the workplace only positively affected my performance as a leader. Now that I am not struggling to juggle two different personas, I can be far more effective and engaged at my job. My employees, team members, vendors, and clients all get the real me – not the facade I had forced myself to maintain for so long. My abilities are now focused entirely on business rather than trying to hide who I am. Ultimately, the biggest regret that I have is that I did not make this life-changing decision to come out sooner. I’d known that I was a woman since I was a child, but I waited until I was 56 to transition. I wasted so much time in fear and worry that I could have spent at peace with myself. While it’s understandable why many trans people are anxious about living as their true selves, I hope my story and its outcome show others in the trans community that coming out can be a meaningful, positive experience.t Wynne Nowland is the CEO of Bradley & Parker, (https://bradley-parker.com/) and she is also a transgender woman. Her coming out story was featured in the Wall Street Journal. As one of the very few trans CEOs, Nowland is able to provide unique insight on coming out to family, as well as in the workplace. She has been featured in The Hill, Newsweek, Business Insider, “Today,” CNBC, and more.

Politics >>

January 4-10, 2024 • Bay Area Repor ter • 5

Legislative candidates vow to strengthen CA being a trans refuge by Matthew S. Bajko

alifornia lawmakers in 2022 declared the Golden State to be a refuge for transgender kids and their parents fleeing transphobic laws in their home states. It was in reaction to lawmakers in those states adopting policies that threatened parents who allow their children to receive genderaffirming care with jail or having their kids be taken from them. The bill authored by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) focused on ensuring California officials didn’t assist in such prosecutions of parents with trans kids. It did not have provisions for what services to provide to any families that seek safe haven in the state. Two bills adopted in 2023 that took effect January 1 added several safeguards for individuals coming to California for gender-affirming care or reproductive services including abortions. Assembly Bill 352 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) mandates companies overseeing electronic medical records to protect the privacy of people traveling to the state for such sensitive health services. Senate Bill 345 authored by state Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) protects providers and people from enforcement action in California of other states’ laws that criminalize or limit reproductive and gender-affirming health care services. As the list of states adopting laws targeting trans youth and their parents is expected to grow in 2024, the Bay Area Reporter asked candidates running in several competitive Bay Area state legislative races what services and programs they believe California should be providing such families who relocate here. Their answers to the query on the paper’s endorsement questionnaire ran the gamut from detailed responses to more succinct suggestions. Providing one of the more lengthy replies was gay former West Sacramento mayor Christopher Cabaldon. He is seeking to succeed state Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa), who is termed out this year from his District 3 Senate seat that sprawls across a number of counties, from Contra Costa and Sonoma to Yolo and Sacramento. “As an LGBTQ+ person who lived most of my life with the fear of being outed and the very real threat of not just losing my job and my apartment but also social ostracism and violence, I know the horrific dangers that trans kids face,” noted Cabaldon, who served as chief of staff for lesbian former state lawmaker Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) during her first term in the Assembly in the late 1990s. “The forced outing policies the far right is peddling in school districts across the state are not only abhorrent but also dangerous. The culture war they are trying to start could get children killed, plain and simple.” At the moment, Attorney General Rob Bonta is suing one Southern California school district in San Bernardino County that adopted such an outing policy. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and Governor Gavin Newsom

Courtesy the campaigns

State Senate candidates Christopher Cabaldon, left, Kathryn Lybarger, and Jovanka Beckles, were among several legislative candidates who discussed policies that would help trans kids and their families.

have also used their bully pulpits to lambaste the various school districts around the state that have adopted similar policies. “Trans students have a right to exist, and to exist free from fear, intimidation, violence, ridicule or bullying – especially from adults,” Cabaldon, who for years has worked as a higher education consultant, told the B.A.R. “Furthermore, forcing teachers to out their students raises serious ethical and labor concerns. I am wholly opposed to this.” A legislative attempt to ban school outing policies was put on hold last fall by gay Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) amid the legal fight. He is not expected to reintroduce it while the case makes its way through the courts this year and an anti-trans parental group tries to qualify by late May a measure supportive of the outing policy for the fall ballot. As for Cabaldon, he said the state should do everything in its power to ensure trans students are not forced out of the closet against their wishes. “When I came out publicly in 2006, I was one of only a few openly gay mayors in the country. Even as an adult, this was not easy and to see these proposals being so vehemently advanced is shocking and disappointing,” he wrote in his response. “California cannot no longer rely upon school districts to protect its students, as too many are demonizing trans kids and politicizing their existence. The state should deploy its own agencies and mobilize county programs to make real the refuge and state haven. And it should aggressively intervene in districts that are preying upon trans kids and their families.” In the race to succeed termed-out Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) in his Assembly District 19 seat that covers the city’s western neighborhoods, District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani told the B.A.R. she opposes any actions that would result in transgender people being blocked from accessing public or private facilities consistent with their gender identity. “I support efforts for transgender people to obtain government-issued documents that accurately reflect their gender identity,” she told the B.A.R. “I also support policies to protect incarcerated transgender people and their right to be housed consistent with their gender identity.” A straight ally, the issue of LGBTQ rights has long been personal for Stefani, who is the oldest of six siblings, one of whom is a gay woman and

another a trans man. In addition to protecting trans individuals’ access to medical care, Stefani said more state resources need to be allocated to trans programs and services. “I support policies to improve access to gender-affirming care and other necessary healthcare services for transgender people,” Stefani told the B.A.R. “I believe we should increase state funding for organizations that serve transgender and gendernonconforming people, to ensure that they have access to necessary care, housing and financial assistance.” Her opponent in the race, educator David Lee, also told the B.A.R. Attorney at Law that more state funding is needed to expand and fund services for trans individuals and their families. “California, and especially San • Divorce w/emphasis on Francisco, has always been a place for Real Estate & Business Divisions LGBTQ folks to find the services and • Domestic Partnerships, Support & Custody support they need. As LGBTQ rights • Probate and Wills are being weakened across the country, California should stand up as a leader www.SchneiderLawSF.com against these infringements,” responded Lee, who has taught at San Francisco State University and Laney College, *Certified by the California State Bar part of the East Bay’s Peralta Community College District. “Organizations 315 Montgomery St., Ste. 1025, San Francisco, CA 94104 like the SF AIDS Foundation provide a host of services, ranging from health examinations to help accessing social services to hosting art exhibits. I believe that the state should expand upon these Vice President of Advertising types of wraparound programs that not advertising@ebar.com only take care of health needs but also social and cultural needs.” Lee added, “There should be robust funding from the state that supports trans kids and their families with access to housing, social services, and community supports.” Providing more concise responses was a trio of candidates running to succeed the termed out Skinner in 44 Gough Street #302, San Francisco, CA 94103 the East Bay’s 7th Senate District that (415) 829-8937 • www.ebar.com spans western Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Queer former Richmond city councilmember Jovanka Beckles, now an elected member of the board that oversees the AC Transit public transportation agency, focused her response on addressing the health needs of trans individuals. “I would champion and fight hard to fund programs that focus on transinclusive health care, mental health support, educational resources, and anti-discrimination initiatives to ensure the well-being and equal opportunities for trans kids and their families,” replied Beckles, a Black and Latina immigrant who recently retired after a career as a mental health specialist for Contra Costa County. Also responding to the question with a health-centered focus was When you plan your life celebration and lasting remembrance in California Labor Federation President advance, you can design every detail of your own unique memorial Kathryn Lybarger, who identifies as and provide your loved ones with true peace of mind. Planning ahead both lesbian and queer. When your celebration lasting protectsyou your plan loved ones fromlife unnecessary stress and and financial burden, “Universal health care and stable, When you remembrance plan your celebration and lasting in allowing themlife to focus on what will matter most at design that remembrance time—you. in advance, you can every affordable housing are essential to enadvance, you can design every detail of your own unique memorial detail ofusyour owntheunique memorial andlegacy provide suring the wellbeing and stability of all Contact today about beautiful ways to create a lasting families, including trans people and and provide at the San Francisco Columbarium. your loved ones with true peace of mind. Planning ahead your loved ones with true peace of mind. Planning their families,” replied Lybarger, who protects your loved ones from unnecessary stress and financial ahead protectsProudly yourserving loved onesCommunity. from unnecessary burden, lives with her wife, Nina Ackerberg, the LGBT allowing them focus on whatburden, will matter most them at thattotime—you. in Berkeley. stresstoand financial allowing Lastly, Oakland City Councilmemfocus on what will matter most at that time—you. ber Dan Kalb, a straight ally, told the Contact us today about the beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy B.A.R. what is needed to assist those FranciscousColumbarium. seeking trans refuge in Californiaatarethe San Contact today about the beautiful ways to create “workshops for teachers and school a lasting legacy at the San Francisco Columbarium. administrators on supporting trans One Loraine Ct. | San Francisco | 415-771-0717 families and the challenges/realities of Proudly serving our Community. SanFranciscoColumbarium.com being a trans minor.”t Proudly serving the LGBT Community.

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Letters >> Have disco nights at Castro Theatre

Now that the seat issues have been settled at our local treasured Castro Theatre and it’s expected that sometime in March after the last events are held inside that the old seats will be removed, let’s turn the place into a huge disco for two weekends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) for Pride Month in June or before. The Nassers, along with the new lease managers Another Planet Entertainment, can bring in the famous DJs from the disco era

along with huge mirror balls, LED lights, strobes, and a kick ass Cerwin Vega speaker system. Let the Castro Theatre, without its seats for the first and only time, go old school disco for two magic weekends. Open all the new bars inside and let the place go out in dance style before more stage events take over. Maybe they can even donate some of the ticket disco sales to a local charity. Terry “Photo” Wade San Francisco

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<< International News

t Court rules Poland violated same-sex couples’ rights 6 • Bay Area Repor ter • January 4-10, 2024

by Heather Cassell

he European Court of Human Rights recently ruled that Poland violated five same-sex couples’ rights by denying them the ability to legally recognize their relationships when they attempted to register to marry. The court issued its decision December 12 but announced it in a December 19 news release. The court, based in Strasbourg, France, is led by its president, Justice Alena Poláčková. The court voted 6-1 in favor of 10 unidentified Polish plaintiffs born between 1963 and 1991 who individually attempted to register to marry their same-sex partner at their local civil registries in Cracow, Łódź, and Warsaw, according to the release. “This verdict is proof that individual resistance changes reality,” said attorney and coalition coordinator Pawel Knut in a December 12 statement from Polish LGBTQ organization Campaign Against Homophobia, responding to the ECHR decision. “Our coalition is testimony to the fact that when politicians fail, ordinary people take matters into their own hands and effectively fight for their rights,” Knut added. “The consistent persistence of five couples moved the country. From today we start living in a new reality in which the roles have been reversed. Same-sex couples no longer have to ask for recognition in court or office. Thanks to the tribunal’s judgment, the state must start explaining why it has not yet introduced appropriate legal protection.” The decision places Poland’s newly elected pro-European Union Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government

Engardio

From page 1

His victory brought the number of gay men serving on the board to three, a record. Engardio also became the first LGBTQ resident of a western neighborhood in the city to be elected supervisor. A former journalist and advocate on public safety issues, Engardio has used his writing skills to pen newsletters and blog posts to keep his constituents, and City Hall watchers, informed not only about his legislative priorities but also highlights about the goings-on in the neighborhoods he represents. A frequent feature is his profiles of police officers assigned to

Courtesy the European Council

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the Polish government has violated the rights of five same-sex couples who wanted to register to marry.

in the hot seat to follow through on his campaign promise to improve LGBTQ Poles’ lives, including to legalize samesex marriage, reported Pink News . In October, the ruling right-wing Law and Justice party was upended by Tusk’s Civic Platform centrist party, reported the New York Times. Tusk previously served as prime minister from 2007 to 2014. Polish President Andrzej Duda’s Law and Justice Party had been in power since 2015.

The case

Polish government officials rejected the couples’ applications to marry based on Article 18 of Poland’s Constitution, which states marriage is a “union of a man and a woman, as well as the family, motherhood, and parenthood.” In 2017 and 2018, the couples sued Poland at the ECHR, arguing that provisions of the Central European country’s Family and Custody Code patrol his oceanside district. It stems from his visit to the Taraval Station during his first week as a supervisor last January. Engardio spent 10 hours meeting individually with the officers there as they came in for their shifts throughout the day. “This was all about meeting actual beat officers and hearing what they are going through,” explained Engardio, who noted many were born and raised in the city. “They want the city to be better. A lot of them are younger people and are part of a new generation of police officers, so they embrace reform and want to help the community. It is why in my newsletter I try to profile as many of these officers as I can.”

were incompatible with the country’s constitution. The court decided to examine the applications jointly in a single judgment, according to the release. The release stated that two applicants’ constitutional complaints were dismissed by the court December 15, 2021, stating that the argument same-sex marriage should be characterized as a legislative omission was “outside” the court’s “competence.” That meant the applicants could file a case at ECHR since they exhausted all legal avenues in their home country. The court dismissed the Polish government’s argument that the couples hadn’t exhausted all legal avenues in the country’s legal system. The other eight applicants’ constitutional complaints have not yet been examined. The court noted that the other complaints were “almost identical” to the dismissed complaints and “would probably result in the same outcome,” according to the release. The decision stated the 10 plaintiffs based their argument on the right

to respect for private and family life (Article 8) and the prohibition of discrimination (Article 14) in Poland’s Constitution. Additionally, the couples complained of a lack of any form of legal recognition and protection for same-sex couples in Poland. The couples noted in their argument that most member states of the Council of Europe offer marriage equality or some form of civil union. The couples asserted the lack of being able to have their relationships legally recognized disadvantaged them in taxation, social rights, and family law. According to the release, the court dismissed the government’s objection that eight of the applicants had not exhausted all national legal avenues since their constitutional complaints were still pending. The court also admonished Poland’s argument that the issue was at its “wide discretion,” stating traditional marriage between a man and a woman constituted its “social and legal heritage,” which echoed Russia’s argument against legally recognizing same-sex couples in the

A favorite profile of his was the one he posted last March about Police Officer Drewkai Butler, (https://engardio.com/blog/officer-drewkai-butler) an immigrant from Liberia who left a tech career to join the force in his early 40s. “He really loves and believes in San Francisco. He brings so many life experiences and other skills to the job,” said Engardio. “It is what we want to see more of. So many people are doing good, and I want to highlight it.”

meeting adorned in a T-shirt festooned with the face of the character Joy from the Pixar movie “Inside Out.” “There is a lot to fix in San Francisco and it can feel daunting. But we must recognize the joy in our city. There is plenty of it,” Engardio wrote in a November blog post (https://engardio. com/blog/joy) titled “Leading With Joy.” Speaking to the B.A.R. Engardio said he has tried to lead with joy since taking his oath of office. “There are a lot of things we need to focus on in San Francisco that can seem daunting,” he said. “The hard work we are doing to fix problems is not sustainable if you don’t have hope. It is important to recognize joy where

Purveyor of joy

Being a purveyor of joy has become a major facet of Engardio’s persona as an elected representative. So much so he came to the board’s Halloween

Grand Chamber’s January 17 decision for Fedotova and Others v. Russia. In that case, three same-sex couples sued Russia for refusing to register to marry them. Russia banned same sex-marriage in 2021, reported the Washington Blade. The same year, the ECHR ruled Russia violated the European Convention on Human Rights by not providing same-sex unions to samesex couples, reported Amnesty International. The court stated Poland’s case “did not concern same-sex marriage.” The judges noted that other E.U. countries were able to implement a legal mechanism to recognize and grant rights to same-sex couples. “It was important that the protection afforded by member states to same-sex couples was adequate,” the court stated in the decision. The court determined that Polish same-sex couples in “stable and committed” relationships were not protected by the current Polish legal framework, limiting them from managing their lives together on issues from taxation to inheritance. Additionally, Polish same-sex couples’ “relationship held no weight in dealings with the judicial or administrative authorities.” The court also considered the antiLGBTQ rhetoric and environment propagated by high-ranking Polish leaders, such as Duda and members of the Law and Justice party, in its decision, according to the release. Polish Judge Krzysztof Wojtyczek wrote the dissenting opinion.t Got international LGBTQ news tips? Call or send them to Heather Cassell at WhatsApp/ Signal: 415-517-7239, or oitwnews@gmail.com

it exists.” Engardio has continued to volunteer as a marriage officiant for couples who wed at City Hall. In June, he spent two hours marrying couples on the 10th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed same-sex marriages to resume in California after being blocked by a statewide ballot measure passed in 2008. “I try to volunteer to marry all couples at City Hall when I can because it’s a joyful thing to do when things get intense in other areas of City Hall,” Engardio noted. He’s also reveled in the more joyous aspects of his role as a supervisor, See page 8 >>

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Community News>>

January 4-10, 2024 • Bay Area Repor ter • 7

Groups to detail fight to save Castro Theatre compiled by Cynthia Laird

istorians, preservationists, and community organizers will hold a public panel discussion on the fight to save the Castro Theatre Thursday, January 11, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Roxie Theater, 3117 16th Street in the Mission district. As the Bay Area Reporter has previously reported, Another Planet Entertainment took over management of the historic movie palace in January 2022. Over the ensuing months, stretching into 2023, groups formed to save the fixed orchestra seating after APE’s plans revealed the concert promoter wanted to replace them with seats that could be moved for live music and other non-film events. During numerous hearings last spring, summer, and fall, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved the prerequisite ordinances allowing APE’s vision to move forward. The most recent – allowing second-floor alcohol sales throughout the Castro Street Neighborhood Commercial District – was approved October 24, as the B.A.R. reported. The upcoming panel discussion, “The Fight for the Castro Theatre: Lessons for Queer Preservation,” is billed as “an inside report on the campaign to save a historic LGBTQ cultural site,” a news release stated. The panel will put a spotlight on the city’s refusal to save a San Francisco landmark, and will open a discussion of how the LGBTQ community can better protect queer historic sites and cultural heritage in the future, according to the release. (The Castro Theatre’s exterior is a city landmark; the Board of Supervisors approved the interior landmarking ordinance last year but the orchestra seats were not deemed historic so they were not part of what needs to be preserved.) Preservation organizers did persuade the city to impose a number of conditions on APE, the release noted. These include offering movie screenings at least 75 days per year, seeking ongoing guidance from San Francisco-based LGBTQIA+ nonprofits to ensure ongoing queer programming and culturally appropriate LGBTQ events at the theater; and providing annual compliance reports to the city. Scheduled speakers at the forum are Christine Madrid French, a historian and architectural advocate; Gerard Koskovich, a queer public historian and adviser on the Castro Theatre landmark amendment; Peter Pastreich, executive director of the Castro Theatre Conservancy; Jen Reck, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology at San Francisco State University and executive co-chair of the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District; Stephen Torres, former executive cochair of the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District and a candidate for District 9 supervisor; and Shayne Watson, an LGBTQ historian and member of Friends of the Castro Theatre Coalition and San Franciscans to Save the Castro Theatre.

U.S. Mint

The Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray, left, graces a U.S. quarter. Scott Wazlowski

Preservationists and others will hold a panel discussion about lessons learned from the fight to save the Castro Theatre.

The host is M Rocket of the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, Friends of the Castro Theatre Coalition, and San Franciscans to Save the Castro Theatre. Event sponsors are the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, the Roxie Theater, the Castro Theatre Conservancy, and San Franciscans to Save the Castro Theatre. A $10 donation is suggested, though no one will be turned away for lack of funds. All profits benefit the Roxie Theater. To register, go to http:// tinyurl.com/mvc54usz To submit questions for the panelists in advance, send an email to qasavethecastro@gmail.com.

SF police watchdog agency to hold outreach event

The San Francisco Department of Police Accountability, which investigates complaints about police officers and recommends policy changes, will hold an outreach event Thursday, January 11, at 6 p.m. at Manny’s the cafe and event space at 3092 16th Street in the Mission district. The forum will discuss the role DPA plays in the city, how its work impacts public safety, civilian oversight, and the work of the San Francisco Police Department. Scheduled speakers will be agency personnel Tinetta Thompson, an attorney, and Janelle Gaywood, a policy director. Tickets are $15-$30. To register, go to http://tinyurl.com/2p995shn

Recology recycling Christmas trees

A San Francisco tradition returns this week with a Christmas tree recycling program that turns the holiday pines, spruces, and firs into environmentally-friendly mulch and keeps them out of the landfill. San Francisco Public Works noted in its newsletter that recycling Christmas trees is easy. Simply place the unadorned tree curbside, next to the blue recycling bin, the night before the regular collection day between now and January 12. Recology will take it away. Before putting the tree out for pick-

up, please remember to remove all tinsel, decorations, nails, plastic bags, stands and lights – anything that was added to the natural tree. If the tree measures more than six feet tall, please cut it in half. Trees should not be put into a plastic bag. “We never want to see old Christmas trees left out on the sidewalk willy-nilly for extended periods of time where they can become hazards,” said San Francisco Public Works Director Carla Short. “San Francisco’s tree-cycling initiative helps keep our neighborhoods clean and safe by allowing residents to dispose of their old trees properly and put them to good use as mulch that can be used for gardens and farms.” Additional information is available online at recology.com. (https://www. recology.com/) Residents and businesses can contact Recology at customerservice@recologySF.com or call (415) 330-1300.

US Mint begins shipping Murray quarters

The United States Mint this week began shipping the first coin in the 2024 American Women Quarters program for the Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray, a queer female icon. Murray, as the B.A.R. noted in a 2021 LGBTQ History Month story, defied gender norms and variously identified as a woman, a man, and as neither. She was a Black civil rights activist, attorney, and muchpublished poet and essayist. Murray had created new feminist theory and lived a lesbian life for decades. Murray’s was a life of firsts: first Black woman law school graduate at Howard University, first Black person to earn a JSD (doctor of the science of law) degree from Yale Law School, and first Black woman ordained as an Episcopal priest. “The first coin of the 2024 American Women Quarters program honors the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray,” stated Mint director Ventris C. Gibson. “Reverend Dr. Murray was keenly aware of the oppression that she faced as a Black woman. She lived her life and fought tirelessly as a steadfast advocate for civil rights and

Obituaries >> Jack Lasner December 20, 1927 – December 16, 2023

Jack Lasner, who become an unlikely celebrity in his 90s when he was profiled in “Conversations with Gay Elders,” a 2017 documentary, featuring several older gay men and their reminiscences about how gay culture changed during their long lifetimes, died in San Francisco on December 16, 2023. He was 95, although he often claimed to be younger. He passed away in his sleep in his

Castro district home three days shy of his 96th birthday, according to his longtime friend and caregiver, Peter Golbetz. Born in Brooklyn, New York on December 20, 1927, Jack witnessed some of the world’s greatest highs and lows. A World War II veteran, he participated in the liberation of Nazi death camps, as a German-English translator for the U.S. Army. And as an accomplished mountain climber, he ascended many of the world’s highest peaks on four continents. After moving to San Francisco in the 1970s, Jack worked for many years for the San Francisco Unified School District, teaching chemistry

at Lowell High School. He was an accomplished athlete, and continued to work out daily at the Castro Fitness SF gym until the COVID pandemic. He remained in extraordinary physical condition until his 90s, and at the gym he was often seen bopping along in an exercise class with gymgoers young enough to be his great-grandchildren. Jack was frequently recognized on the street and was well-known in the Castro for his sex-positive libidinous attitude, complaining in the documentary’s most quoted line that the closure of the notoriously sexually active steam room at Fitness SF was “the worst thing ever.”

gender equality.” As the B.A.R. previously reported, U.S. Mint artistic infusion program artist Emily Damstra designed the image, and United States Mint Chief Engraver Joseph Menna sculpted the image. It depicts Murray’s eyeglassframed face within the shape of the word “Hope,” which is symbolic of Murray’s belief that significant societal reforms were possible when rooted in hope, the release noted. A line from her poem “Dark Testament” that characterizes hope as “a song in a weary throat” is featured as an additional inscription in the design. The other quarters in the 2024 series will honor Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color to

be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first woman from Hawaii to be elected to Congress; Cuban singer Celia Cruz, who eventually came to the U.S.; ZitkalaSa, a Yankton Dakota writer, editor, translator, musician, educator, and political activist; and Civil War era surgeon Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a women’s rights advocate and abolitionist with an LGBTQ-focused health clinic in Washington, D.C. partly named after her. People can check with their banks in late January or early February about the availability of the Murray quarter. Interested people can also visit the U.S. Mint’s website about commemorative coins at catalog.usmint.gov/.t

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<< Community News

8 • Bay Area Repor ter • January 4-10, 2024

Archbishop

From page 1

Cordileone went on to list five instructions: the first is no “pre-planned” or “pre-scheduled” blessings. The second is “in the case of two people who present themselves as a couple in a marital or marital-like relationship, but it is evident that they are not in the bond of a valid marriage, it is always licit to bless them as two separate individuals.” Cordileone stated that priests “are simply praying with and for these people and not enacting any kind of formalized ceremony or reciting any specialized prayer.” “Even in this context, such a blessing cannot be given if it would be a cause of scandal, that is, if it would mislead either the individuals themselves or others into believing that there may be contexts other than marriage in which ‘sexual relations find their natural, proper, and fully human meaning,’” the fourth instruction states. Finally, Cordileone’s memo states, “as a consequence, any priest has the right to deny such blessings if, in his judgment, doing so would be a source

Engardio

From page 6

such as participating in the annual Lunar New Year and Pride parades. Asked what he considered to be one of his most significant achievements in 2023, Engardio pointed to the night market he held in the Sunset that drew thousands of people on a Friday evening in September. (He sent the B.A.R. a photo of him and Hsu “researching” the food at Taipei’s famous night markets in order “to enhance the food offerings at the returning Sunset Night Market” that will be held this spring.) “I look around my Sunset district and I see all types of joyful activities,” noted Engardio, who pointed to the nighttime market as an example of how “we can all have joyous, positive experiences in our neighborhoods.” A main legislative priority for him in 2024 will be amending the city’s zoning to allow for increased heights of mixeduse developments on corner lots in the westside of San Francisco. Engardio pointed to the building that houses a Gus’s Community Market below several floors of housing at 44th and Noriega streets, which opened a few years ago, as an example of the type of in-fill developments he wants to promote. “We need more of that in the Sunset, especially units that can serve as senior housing,” he said. “If you are a

of scandal in any way.” Cordileone also stated to “please note that these instructions are of an interpretative nature and so supplementary to what is already clearly regulated in the declaration itself.” The document seems to put some daylight between Cordileone and the pope. Fernández stated in a recent interview in the Catholic publication The Pillar that “we do not deny a blessing” even to someone who is a “great sinner.” “Since it is not a question of the sacrament of confession, but of a simple blessing, it is still asked that this friendship be purified, matured, and lived in fidelity to the gospel,” Fernández stated. “And even if there was some kind of sexual relationship, known or not, the blessing made in this way does not validate or justify anything. Actually the same thing happens whenever individuals are blessed, because that individual who asks for a blessing – not absolution – may be a great sinner, but we do not deny a blessing to him.” When reached for comment January 2, archdiocesan spokesperson Peter Marlow insisted Cordileone was

fully in line with the Vatican’s position. “If you obtained a document from the Archbishop, you should know that all he does in that document is quote from the declaration,” Marlow stated. “There is no inconsistency in what the declaration outlines and the guidance the Archbishop gave to priests in the Archdiocese.” But the Reverend James Martin, S.J., an American priest who is a consultant on the Roman Dicastery for Communication, which advises the pope, pointed out that the blessings referred to in the pope’s document were of couples specifically, and not of individuals. “As Archbishop Cordileone has said, Fiducia Supplicans is clear that the blessings are not meant to replicate a sacramental marriage,” Martin stated January 2. “At the same time, according to the declaration, the priest is blessing a couple, not simply two individuals. The word ‘couple’ (and the term ‘same-sex couple’) is used repeatedly in the Vatican’s declaration. So it is indeed the blessing of a couple.” Paul Riofski, a 66-year-old gay man who since 1978 has been a member of Dignity/SF, a local LGBTQ Catholic

affinity group, and has held leadership roles there, made similar remarks. “It [Fiducia Supplicans] refers to blessings of couples. It doesn’t say separate individuals,” Riofski said. “We believe our relationships and our love is blessed by God and consonant with God’s love. … The best thing he [Cordileone] did say publicly was telling people to read the entire document. And if you read church documents, you read the entirety and look at what’s being promoted and called on. “It’s very clear the purpose of this document is to open things up and be more inclusive and point a way to how people can be encouraged in their lives to grow in love and adherence to the gospel,” Riofski said of the Vatican directive. “We have different understandings, at times, of what the gospel calls for.” Francis DeBernardo, the director of New Ways Ministry, another affinity group for LGBTQ Catholics, questioned why Cordileone’s memo was necessary. “The Vatican’s instructions for blessing same-gender couples offered a clear set of parameters for

how, when, and what priests are supposed to do when people request such blessings,” DeBernardo stated. “The instructions were very clear and detailed, and so it seems that Archbishop Cordileone’s additional comments, including a warning about scandal, were unnecessary. The archbishop’s warning may cause priests to be reluctant to give such blessings when asked, and may also cause some couples to be wary of asking for them.” Stan JR Zerkowski, the executive director of the LGBTQ Catholic-affinity group Fortunate Families and director of Catholic LGBT ministry for the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, told the B.A.R. that Cordileone was giving “an easy excuse” out of providing religious instruction for the faithful. “The resistance to invoking a blessing on a same-sex couple and blaming it on ‘scandal’ seems to be an easy excuse for refusing to provide catechesis, which can be challenging in this regard for some, and appears to be lacking in mercy, welcome, as well as pastoral sensitivity,” he stated. The Holy See Press Office didn’t return a request for comment. t

senior in the Sunset and want to sell your home, you have zero to no options to downsize and age in place in an elevator building in your neighborhood. I want to create housing to allow people to stay in their neighborhoods.”

Challenging year ahead

Finding the joy in his job will be more challenging this year due to city leaders having to grapple with a ballooning budget deficit and a heated election cycle that will see voters either adopt or reject a number of local measures on the March primary ballot and elect a mayor come November. After a rough few years confronted with a number of challenges, from the ongoing impacts of the COVID pandemic and faltering city revenues to continued fallout from a City Hall bribery scandal that has led to the federal prosecution of a number of former department heads, city administrators, and local developers, Mayor London Breed is seeking another term this fall. (That scandal led the city’s Ethics Commission to place Proposition D on the March primary ballot to strengthen the rules city officers and employees must abide by when it comes to accepting gifts or payments and engaging in non-work activities.) Endorsing her candidacy is Engardio, who told the B.A.R. that a number of policies Breed implemented to ad-

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44 Gough Street, Suite 204, San Francisco, CA 94103

Courtesy Joel Engardio

Lionel Hsu, left, and his husband, San Francisco Supervisor Joel Engardio, try dishes at a Taipei night market.

dress myriad ails of the city are beginning to yield positive outcomes. “She is very focused on fixing San Francisco, and we can see, especially in recent months, traction and improvements,” he said. “There are many, many puzzle pieces that have to be put into place to fix our city and they are coming into place. It is taking time to see some results, but we are starting to see results.” He has split with the mayor on one of her three ballot measures she is pushing voters to approve in March. Should Proposition F pass, it would require drug screening for single people under the age of 65 receiving city services such as employment assistance, housing, shelter, utilities and food. “I don’t know how effective it will be,” said Engardio. “I worry that if too many resources are put into implementing it, it could subtract from the resources needed to solve other problems.” He is backing Breed’s Prop C, which would waive certain taxes for officeto-residential conversions in the city’s downtown core. “We can’t have buildings sitting empty,” said Engardio. “Anything we can do to incentivize repurposing buildings will go a long way to rejuvenate downtown.” Engardio also supports Prop E, which among its provisions would allow the police to use drones for vehicle pursuits and submit body-camera footage in lieu of written reports in certain use-of-force incidents where they didn’t fire their weapon or physically injure someone. But he is not backing Supervisor Ahsha Safai’s Prop B, a charter amendment that would increase the minimum number of police officers from 1,700 to 2,074 but only if voters approve funding to do so

in a future election. “It talks aspirationally about proposing a new tax, but there is nothing real in it to actually implement anything,” said Engardio. He would like to see the supervisors hammer out a new ballot measure to fund more police, as well as 911 dispatchers, that can be put on the November ballot. “They are underpaid and stressed. They are leaving the job in droves,” Engardio noted. “You can have all the police officers in the world, but if no one is there to answer the phone in an emergency, what is the point?” In the meantime, Engardio is pushing for adoption of his own ballot measure, Prop G, which calls on the San Francisco Unified School District to teach Algebra 1 to students by their eighth-grade year. As the school district is run independently, it would not be binding if passed. Nonetheless, Engardio told the B.A.R. he placed it on the ballot because parents in support of offering earlier algebra classes don’t feel listened to by school leaders, even with a committee formed to look into the matter. The district moved the courses a decade ago to being taught in ninth grade with an eye toward improving Black students’ success rates in the subject. A Stanford University study found it largely failed to do so, as Education Week reported last year. And Engardio contends the postponement of the classes is one reason why parents pull their children from the city’s public schools when they enter middle school. “We need to attract parents back to the public schools and offering algebra in 8th grade is one way to do that. This is not an outlier, most school districts offer it,” he said. “If the school district

knows it is a failed policy and is not fixing it then the voters should have a say and be able to say there is a mandate for this.” As for an effort being pushed by the city’s youth commission to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local elections, Engardio told the B.A.R. he supports it. He pledged to work to see it placed on the ballot in the fall. (Similar city measures narrowly lost in 2016 and 2020.) “Kids can drive a car at 16 and work at a job at 16. Both of those activities have tremendous consequences and require tremendous responsibilities, so I see no reason why we can’t let 16and 17-year-olds vote locally,” said Engardio. “It is important to encourage kids to get into the habit of voting so it becomes a lifelong endeavor.” Having been so dogged in his pursuit of serving on the board, Engardio told the B.A.R. he has no regrets and continues to “love the job” of being a supervisor. While most Fridays he schedules himself to be in his district, during the rest of the week when he enters City Hall he always ascends to his office on the second floor via the stairs under the building’s rotunda. “Harvey Milk famously did that,” noted Engardio, referring to the city’s first gay supervisor elected in 1977. “Now I do it. I never take the elevator; I always take the stairs.” Anytime he is at City Hall or in the board chamber, Engardio said he pinches himself. “I love the job. I relish the history of where I am sitting,” he said. “If public comment gets long or laborious, I look up at the chandelier or at the antique desk I am sitting at and really savor the moment and be grateful I am here and able to effect change.”t

Obituaries >>

t Former SF supe aide Tom Cooper dies in New York

January 4-10, 2024 • Bay Area Repor ter • 9

by Cynthia Laird

om Cooper, a gay man who once worked for former San Francisco supervisor Annemarie Conroy before launching a successful real estate career in New York City, died December 26. He was 56. Mr. Cooper apparently died by suicide after jumping to his death from his apartment building on New York City’s Upper East Side, according to media reports. Those reports also stated that police said he left a note, though its contents were not made public. Mr. Cooper had been a licensed associate real estate broker and top sales agent at the Douglas Elliman firm since about 2002. He had worked with buyers and sellers of Manhattan condominiums, coops, and townhouses, according to his LinkedIn page, and focused on luxury residential properties. According to the Messenger, Mr. Cooper was the closing agent on an $18.5 million Greenwich Village brownstone in November. In a January 2 phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter, Conroy said she had stayed in touch with her former aide and had recently texted him. “He was focused, he was smart, he was kind,” Conroy said. “He had tremendous wit.” Mr. Cooper had worked for Conroy during her two and a half years on the board. She had been appointed by her godfather, former mayor Frank Jordan, and served from April 6, 1992 until January 8, 1995, according to an online list of former supervisors. Conroy is now an assistant U.S. attorney. Mr. Cooper attended community

Courtesy LinkedIn

Tom Cooper, a successful real estate agent, once worked for San Francisco supervisor Annemarie Conroy.

meetings on behalf of Ms. Conroy and assisted with legislative work, she said. His death, she said, “left a huge void in a lot of people.” Conroy recalled a time when lesbian then-supervisor Roberta Achtenberg stopped by her office to share the good news that she had just been invited to speak at the Democratic National Convention. Conroy’s office was a popular gathering spot because of Mr. Cooper, she recalled. “A few people were saying, ‘what are you going to say?’ And Tom said, ‘Forget what are you going to say. What are you going to wear?’” Conroy said. Achtenberg, reached by phone,

laughed at the story. “That’s probably true,” she said. “That was the thing I was most worried about as well.” Achtenberg said that she was sorry to hear the news of Mr. Cooper’s passing. “He was a completely delightful person,” she said. Mr. Cooper was an avid follower of news about the British royal family, so much so that he once joked in the City Hall press box with reporters that, as the Board of Supervisors was debating some piece of legislation, “We have two royal marriages on the rocks,” Conroy said. Mr. Cooper was referring to the marriages of now-King Charles and the late Princess Diana and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, both of whom went through public separations in 1992. Mary Lasher worked with Mr. Cooper in Conroy’s office as the supervisor’s other legislative aide. She recalled the bustling office as people wanted to hear Mr. Cooper’s jokes. “Department heads would call our office to hear his jokes,” Lasher, now senior director of communications at SAP, said in a phone interview. Lasher, a straight ally, said Mr. Cooper was in her wedding and her son’s godfather. She, too, kept in touch with Mr. Cooper. She recalled that Mr. Cooper had just come out as gay in the early 1990s. “He loved being gay,” she said. “He was a bon vivant – he embraced all of what life had to offer. He was brilliant. “He had a passion and zest for life and he commanded a room,” Lasher added.

She said that after Mr. Cooper left City Hall, he met with a career coach to determine his next steps and was told the real estate profession would be a good fit for him. Bevan Dufty, a gay man and BART board president, is a former San Francisco supervisor who also had other jobs at City Hall over the years and knew Mr. Cooper. “He had the greatest smile and personified himself as someone who could disagree without being disagreeable,” Dufty wrote in a text message.

FILE CNC-23-558091

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

Friends ‘heartbroken’

Robert Oakes, a gay man and longtime friend, said that Mr. Cooper helped him get a job at City Hall back in the 1990s. Oakes said he was heartbroken by Mr. Cooper’s death. “He was an amazing human being,” Oakes said. “It reminds us that mental well-being is something we all need to be mindful of.” Oakes said he last spoke with Mr. Cooper in November. He said that Mr. Cooper had lived in New York City for decades, relocating there a few years before 9/11. “I’m having trouble with it,” Oakes said of Mr. Cooper’s death. “I have intense sadness, frustration, and at times I’m so mad – like why?” Oakes said that Mr. Cooper had been in recovery, though he did not know if that was a factor in his death. He said that he had been with Mr. Cooper during some of his “down periods.” Oakes, who just finished a project for the Bay Area Council, said that he spent some time previously working in the behavioral health field, and that

he and Mr. Cooper had talked about his sobriety. “I think I know too many people who have died by suicide,” Oakes said, adding that it’s long been a part of the LGBTQ community for many reasons. “We’ve got to do a better job as a society. That somebody with means and support thinks this [is a] permanent solution, and a violent one too.” But Oakes also recalled Mr. Cooper’s “wicked sense of humor” and how he changed politically. “When I met him he was a Republican,” Oakes said. “I’m happy to say he evolved.” Mr. Cooper grew up in the East Bay, graduating from Miramonte High School in Orinda in 1985 and from UC Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in political and social sciences in 1989, according to his LinkedIn page. Conroy had a final thought on working with Mr. Cooper and how he detested the more informal Friday City Hall dress code. “Tom thought casual Fridays were the decline of Western civilization,” Conroy said. “He dressed to the nines every Friday. It was really funny.” Added Lasher, “The world is a little less brighter without him in it.”t If you are having a crisis, call the national suicide and crisis line at 988. San Francisco Suicide Prevention’s 24-hour crisis line is (415) 781-0500. Its HIV Nightline is (415) 434-2437 or 1-800-2732437. For the 24-hour crisis text line, text (415) 200-2920. For more information, go to sfsuicide.org. (https://www.sfsuicide.org/)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401920

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

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

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402019

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

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

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402046

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

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

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402052 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MARINA AESTHETIC DENTISTRY, 2001 UNION ST

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

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

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402057

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

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

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402013

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

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

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402032

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

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

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401970

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

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

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401902

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

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

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

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

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

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO

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