January 18 2018 by Bay Area Reporter

Pot dispensary sues city

Vote set for SF historic site

ARTS

SF Opera 2018-19

Honoring Michael Greer

The

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Vol. 48 • No. 3 • January 18-24, 2018

Suspect ID’d in death of ‘Bubbles’ by Seth Hemmelgarn

S Judge Teresa M. Caﬀese

Lesbian judge joins SF bench by Matthew S. Bajko

former chief attorney at the public defender’s office in San Francisco recently joined the local superior court bench, maintaining the number of out LGBT judges serving on it at eight. Judge Teresa M. Caffese, 57, a lesbian whose 24-year career with the San Francisco Public Defender’s office ended in 2010 when she announced she was going into private practice, took her judicial oath of office December 18. The court’s presiding judge, Teri L. Jackson, administered the oath. “I have a passion for justice ... I think I always wanted to return to public service,” Caffese told the Bay Area Reporter during a recent interview about her joining the local bench. “I love public service and I love this city. It seemed like the right fit and the right time to do it.” Between 2011 and 2017 Caffese represented several high-profile clients, including gay exSan Francisco 49ers football player Kwame Harris, who was charged in 2015 with two counts of hit-and-run, as well as charges of battery on a police officer and driving under the influence of drugs, and San Francisco Police Officer Edmond Robles, who was convicted in 2014 of federal felony charges from the theft of money and property during searches in 2009. As a judge, Caffese said she would have no trouble maintaining her impartiality. “When you are a judge you don’t have a dog in the fight or a bone in the fight. Your passion is for justice,” said Caffese, whose wife, Laura Caspellano, is a lawyer. “That is the difference, you are not an advocate for one side or the other. You are an advocate for justice. That is certainly my goal and what I plan to do every day serving as a judge for the city and county of San Francisco.” As is typical for new judges, Caffese has been assigned to hear traffic cases at the Hall of Justice and will preside over various trials when needed. “Whatever the court wants me to do, I will do it,” she said when asked if she had a certain legal area she wished to focus on as a judge. Governor Jerry Brown announced November 2 that he had appointed Caffese, a See page 16 >>

an Francisco police have released the identity of the man suspected of fatally shooting Anthony “Bubbles” Torres in September in the Tenderloin district as they seek the public’s help in apprehending him. Police said Friday that an arrest warrant has been issued for Hieu Trung Nguyen, 30, of San Francisco, who “should be considered armed and dangerous.” Nguyen is 6 feet tall and weighs 190 pounds, and has dark hair and dark eyes, police stated. In response to emailed questions Friday, Officer Grace Gatpandan, a police spokeswoman, said she couldn’t disclose what information led to Nguyen being named a suspect. However, she said, “If someone sees him they should just call 911.” As of Tuesday afternoon, police hadn’t provided any updates on the case. Torres, 44, reportedly got into an altercation with someone from the New Century Theater strip club at 2:50 a.m. Saturday, September 9, and was shot several times. He was well known in the Tenderloin and other communities for his love of music, dancing, and handing out free snow cones and cotton candy near the area where he was killed, as well as for wearing big blond

Courtesy SFPD

Anthony “Bubbles” Torres

Hieu Trung Nguyen

wigs and skimpy women’s clothing. According to police scanner activity that was recorded just after the shooting, someone reported that the incident had “spilled out from the New Century,” which is at 816 Larkin Street. “The suspect then chased the victim across the street, where he fell to the ground. The suspect then stood over him, fired the three rounds, and took off southbound.” Torres died across the street from the

strip club, near the gay Gangway bar, which is at 841 Larkin Street. Both the New Century and the Gangway have numerous surveillance cameras, but police haven’t discussed whether there’s any video footage of the incident. A man who lives in a hotel near the scene said that, before the shooting, Torres had been in front of the smoke shop next to See page 16 >>

Record number of lesbians seeks California legislative seats by Matthew S. Bajko

hile the 11 LGBT candidates known to be running for state legislative seats in California this year is six fewer than the high seen in 2012, a record number of lesbians will be on the June primary ballot seeking Assembly or Senate seats. So far at least eight lesbians are looking to be elected to the Statehouse, two more than had sought legislative seats in 2012. It marks the largest group of lesbian legislative candidates in the Golden State over the last decade. Coincidentally, the three out men, two gay and one bisexual, known to be running for legislative seats this year is the fewest number of male candidates from the LGBT community seeking to be elected to the state Legislature since 2008. The previous low mark for male candidates came four years ago when one gay Senate candidate and four gay Assembly candidates were on the June primary ballot. Currently, there are eight out members of the state Legislature, four each in the Assembly and Senate. The membership of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus is also split evenly between men and women at the moment.

Rick Gerharter

Beckles for Assembly campaign

Democrat Joy Silver is seeking to oust a GOP state senator in southern California.

East Bay Assembly candidate Jovanka Beckles is seeking an open seat.

Two members could depart at the end of the year if gay Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) wins his race for state insurance commissioner, marking the first time an LGBT person is elected to statewide office, and if lesbian state Senator Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton) is elected to a seat on the state’s Board of Equalization.

Due to three of this year’s out legislative candidates running for the same Assembly seat in the East Bay, the most the LGBT caucus could grow this year is by five members depending on the outcome of the various races with out candidates.

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

See page 14 >>

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<< Community News

2 • Bay area reporter • January 18-24, 2018

D ay

Marching in SF to honor King

Jane Philomen Cleland

ay San Francisco mayoral candidate Mark Leno, center, was joined by Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco), right, and others as he took part in the annual parade Monday, January 15, to commemorate the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on

the holiday marking his birthday. The march ended at Yerba Buena Gardens, where an interfaith gathering took place. Other political leaders, including acting Mayor London Breed, also participated.

Pacifica man gets 30 years for rapes by Seth Hemmelgarn

Pacifica man accused of drugging and raping more than a dozen other men has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. Joseph Paul Courtney, 33, who had faced the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison, pleaded no contest in August to charges of 14 felony sexual assaults, including seven counts of sodomy by use of drugs, six counts of sodomy by force or threat while acting in concert, and one count of sodomy of an unconscious person, according to San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. Pacifica Police Detective Steve Stump testified at Courtney’s preliminary hearing in April that several victims had reported that Courtney had given them GHB. The incidents occurred between June 2008 and July 2016. During his testimony, Stump gave graphic descriptions of the assaults. In one incident, he testified, a 23-year-old man said that in September 2015 “several” people sexually assaulted him at Courtney’s home. The incident began with the victim having consensual sex with Courtney, who gave him GHB that he “consumed over a span of several hours.” He got sick and “lost consciousness” for about three hours.

Courtesy Paciﬁca Police Department

Joseph Paul Courtney

The victim reported that when he woke up, his hands had been tied to the bed by neckties, “he was being sodomized” by someone he didn’t know, and Courtney was forcing his penis into his mouth. He was also vomiting. Then, Courtney had sex with the victim as he was forced to perform oral sex on the other man, Stump said. Despite what had happened, the victim stayed at the house, and soon after the incident, he and Courtney masturbated together, Stump said. Along with his no contest plea, Courtney admitted to allegations he’d

committed offenses knowing that he has AIDS. Nine of the victims said they became HIV-positive after their contacts with Courtney, according to prosecutors. Steven Chase, Courtney’s attorney, said that one of the men wasn’t diagnosed until a year and a half after he’d been with Courtney. Courtney, who’s being held at Redwood City’s Maguire Correctional Facility, is “a wonderful guy” and the charges against him were “blown way out of proportion,” Chase said in a brief call before the sentencing. Chase previously said Courtney pleaded no contest because “Whenever someone is facing an ungodly amount of years if found guilty of all charges against them, it is best to pursue a settlement that you can live with. ... The prosecution made him an offer that provided a glimmer of hope of getting out before he was an old man.” As part of his sentence, Courtney must also register as a sex offender and pay $18,465 in restitution to one of the victims, among other terms. He’s also expected to pay restitution to other victims, but those amounts haven’t been determined, according to Wagstaffe. With credit for good behavior, Courtney could be released after serving 25 and a half years.t

Police, DA seek to aid sex workers by Seth Hemmelgarn

an Francisco’s top law enforcement agencies have agreed not to arrest or prosecute sex workers for prostitution or minor drug offenses when they report violent crimes. The policy, spelled out in directives that Police Chief William Scott and District Attorney George Gascón issued to their staffs, are meant to prioritize sex workers’ safety over prosecuting them for misdemeanor prostitution and drug-related offenses. The Department on the Status of Women, which worked with law enforcement and local sex worker rights groups to create the policy, made the announcement January 11. One researcher said that most sex workers in San Francisco avoid police. “Our research and direct service work in San Francisco have shown that most sex workers, and people experiencing exploitation in the sex industry, do not go to the police when they have been victimized,” stated Alexandra Lutnick, senior research scientist at RTI International. San Francisco’s policy is the first

Sari Staver

Police Chief William Scott

of its kind in the country, according to Carol Leigh, director of the Bay Area Sex Worker Advocacy Network. In last week’s announcement, Scott stated, “This policy underscores our commitment to providing services to all victims. We understand that many times sex workers are themselves victims of predators and human traffickers.

Our policy is written in the spirit of encouraging sex workers to feel safe coming forward to law enforcement, with the knowledge that they will be treated with respect and their concerns will be taken seriously and investigated.” In a bulletin Scott issued to his department in December, he said that people are not to be arrested for being involved in sex trade when they’re victims or witnesses of sexual assault or other assaults, human trafficking, stalking, robbery, threats, and other violent crimes. Police are also not to arrest suspected sex workers for misdemeanor drug offenses when they report being the victim or witness of such crimes, he said. “However,” Scott said in the bulletin, “if a misdemeanor drug offense violation occurs, and the violator reports being a victim or witness” of a violent crime, “officers shall seize and book evidence as appropriate and document the circumstances of the contact in an incident report. This will facilitate a referral of the case to the district attorney’s office for a warrant consideration.” See page 16 >>

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<< Community News

4 • Bay area reporter • January 18-24, 2018

Pot club sues city over Sunset district vote by Sari Staver

he popular cannabis dispensary the Apothecarium has cried foul, claiming that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors

wrongly overturned “legally correct land use decisions to favor politically connected groups” when it rejected the city planning commission’s vote to approve its new dispensary in the Sunset. In a 20-page lawsuit, filed earlier this month, the dispensary, formally known as PNB Noriega LLC, asks the city to reverse the decision and allow the Apothecarium to open. The suit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, stems from the supervisors’ 9-2 decision last October, reversing the planning commission decision to allow the Apothecarium to open its fourth location in the city at 2505 Noriega Street (http://ebar.com/news/article. php?sec=news&article=72985). The dispensary is owned by former Oakland mayor Jean Quan and her husband, Dr. Floyd Huen. The suit points out that shortly after the Apothecarium’s permit was overturned by the supervisors, they rejected a similar appeal for a different dispensary in the same neighborhood, when they approved the Barbary Coast Collective’s application to open at 2161-2165 Irving Street.

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The Apothecarium charges that the decision to allow the Barbary Coast to open, which was approved by a 10-1 vote, stemmed from financial donations from the Barbary Coast to political campaigns. Barbary Coast is coowned by David Ho, a Chinatown power broker with ties to Supervisors Jane Kim, Ahsha Safai, Mark Farrell, and acting Mayor London Breed. The Apothecarium’s filing cites reports that roughly half of at least $153,000 donated to supervisors by owners, employees, lobbyists, and firms connected to the cannabis industry came from the Barbary Coast Collective, a dispensary at 952 Mission Street. Apothecarium spokesman Eliot Dobris, in a telephone interview with the Bay Area Reporter, said, “This is a classic example of the Board of Supervisors talking out of both sides of its mouth. Why are the two decisions different? The answer is to follow the money,” he said. The Barbary Coast Collective did not return calls for comment. Dobris said in the interview that “one of the official reasons we were denied was the false fears about children, although individually in comments the supervisors acknowledged that the fears were false.” Then, said Dobris, “a nearly identical application goes before them, based on the same arguments, and it sails through. You have to ask why the decisions are so different.”

Sari Staver

The Apothecarium’s Eliot Dobris

In an editorial board meeting with District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen Tuesday, January 16, she said the main difference between the board’s two votes came down to deference to District 4 Supervisor Katy Tang, who represents the Sunset. Ronen was asked about the cannabis votes, in part because the board’s entire progressive bloc voted against the Apothecarium’s dispensary. Only gay Supervisor Jeff Sheehy and Supervisor Malia Cohen voted in favor of the proposal. “Katy Tang was very against the Apothecarium and I deferred to her,” Ronen said, adding that she and other board members were critical of the anti-LGBT

Pacific Justice Institute, which opposed the dispensary, during the meeting. PJI is labeled as an anti-LGBT hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, though its leaders dispute that. The group led the opposition to the Apothecarium’s Sunset dispensary, along with the Chinese American Democratic Club. Ronen said that she voted in favor of Barbary Coast because she believed that Tang gave the supervisors tacit permission to do so, even though she voted against that project. Responding to the Apothecarium’s lawsuit, Ronen said that the vote “had nothing to do with campaign contributions.” “The Apothecarium has a track record of good business, but according to Tang, she felt like they didn’t do enough outreach,” Ronen said. Tang did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dobris, however, said the optics “are terrible” for the supervisors. “A dispensary with a highly connected major donor gets approved and the most respected dispensary (in San Francisco) gets denied,” he said. Barbary Coast Collective has a “clear financial benefit” if it is the only dispensary in a neighborhood, he said. t Cynthia Laird contributed reporting.

Rural school talk includes LGBT issues by Seth Hemmelgarn

tate Assemblyman Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond) recently held a roundtable discussion at a rural high school on supporting LGBTQ youth in schools. The discussion, which took place at San Benito High School in Hollister, about two and a half hours south of San Francisco, included topics ranging from pronoun usage to laws meant to protect students from harassment and discrimination. At the event, which the Bay Area Reporter viewed via a livestream, Thurmond, who is running for state superintendent of public instruction in June, said that he saw the January 5 talk as part of an “ongoing conversation about the role that education and educators play in addressing hate” and “how we support all of our students and how we support LGBTQ students.” He said that since the racist, anti-Semitic riots in August in Charlottesville, Virginia, “We’ve continued to see more and more acts of hate,” and “more acts of aggression,” including against LGBTQ youth. San Benito County schools Superintendent Krystal Lomanto said that she wants to ensure “we provide a safe environment for every student.” The high school where the roundtable took place serves about 3,000 students, said Lomanto. “We need our kids to know that no matter what, when they walk on a school campus, they are safe,” she said. One question is, “How do we support our students in an environment right now that isn’t always conducive” to youth feeling

Courtesy Assemblyman Thurmond’s ofﬁce

Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, second from right, talks during the LGBTQ roundtable he held in Hollister January 5.

safe, she said, adding, “We want them to be thriving young adults.” Mckinzie Lothrop, president of the school’s gay-straight alliance, said that work is being done to educate people on issues, including pronoun usage and ensuring that students feel safe when using campus restrooms. “Hate and fear is all rooted in a lack of education, so my goal is to educate people on different issues,” said Lothrop. “With education comes understanding, and with understanding comes acceptance.” Jo Michael, legislative manager for the LGBT advocacy group Equality California, said the organization is “striving to create a world that is healthy, just and fully equal for all LGBTQ people.” Michael said that harassment and discrimination impact students’ chances of being successful in school. He pointed to laws that EQCA has backed, including

the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful Education Act, which required school districts to teach students about LGBT individuals and people with disabilities. “It really does matter,” said Michael. Pronouns and terminology also came up in the discussion. Erik Martinez, program manager for LGBTQ Support Services at San Francisco Unified School District, talked about how when mistakes in pronoun usage are made, “how do you immediately own it and move forward?” Joel Baum, senior director of professional development for the nonprofit Gender Spectrum, said when someone intentionally refuses to use proper pronouns, it’s “very much a hostile act.” “Students know the difference between someone who makes an honest mistake and someone who’s being hostile,” said Baum.t

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<< Open Forum

6 • Bay Area Reporter • January 18-24, 2018

Volume 48, Number 3 January 18-24, 2018 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Seth Hemmelgarn CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani Richard Dodds • Michael Flanagan Jim Gladstone • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell John F. Karr • Lisa Keen • Matthew Kennedy Joshua Klipp • David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • David-Elijah Nahmod Michael Nugent • Paul Parish • Sean Piverger Lois Pearlman • Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota Bob Roehr • Adam Sandel • Khaled Sayed Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Tony Taylor • Sari Staver Jim Stewart • Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez Ronn Vigh • Charlie Wagner • Ed Walsh Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan Steven Underhil • Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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‘Caretaker’ mayor not needed W

e have thought a lot about San Indeed, if the acting mayor is so Francisco’s succession laws unacceptable to the board the charter since Mayor Ed Lee unexpectedly requires six votes to replace the acting died December 12. The City Charter mayor. There are not six votes on the states, upon the death of the mayor, board in favor of a single candidate, the Board of Supervisors president whether it’s Breed or someone else. becomes acting mayor. That person Every election is different. Yes, forremains acting mayor (as well as the mer state senator Mark Leno, who supervisor of their district and board would be San Francisco’s first openly president) until the next election, gay mayor if he wins, was originally Kelly Sullivan which in this case is June 5, or until Acting Mayor planning to run in the open contest six supervisors vote to appoint an London Breed in 2019, when Lee would have been interim mayor, who would serve until termed out. So did everyone else, until the election. When Lee died, Board of Lee died. What had been a marathon Supervisors President London Breed turned into a sprint, and in became acting mayor. Not surprisingly, Breed the meantime Breed is acting mayor. has also filed to run in the June 5 election to comIf the supervisors appoint someone plete Lee’s term through 2019. Some supervisors else, she’ll still be the former acting and others think that a “caretaker” mayor should mayor – regarded by the public as be appointed in order to “level the playing field” Lee’s successor. Stripping her of her for the June election. mayoral duties will do nothing to Since Lee’s passing just over a month ago, we have level the playing field, and the response concluded that a caretaker mayor is not needed and to this is not to ask for an alternative, that Breed should remain acting mayor. but to adapt to this uncommon – We understand Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s conbut not new – situation. cerns that Breed remains in charge of the city’s We don’t see the sense in aplegislative branch by virtue of being board presipointing someone to fill in for dent and also now leads the executive branch as five months, but who can’t run for acting mayor. “While the Charter allows the board mayor. What are they going to do? Fire the president to serve as acting mayor ... I don’t think police chief? Reverse the progress made by we should be mixing the two branches of governLee’s administration on Navigation Centers ment for a long period of time,” Peskin said at last and other homeless services? Stack boards week’s meeting. But the other mayoral candidates and commissions? Keep things as they are? If would like to see someone else run the city for five it’s the latter, San Francisco already has that in months until the election, depriving Breed of the benefit of incumbency – hence, the “level playing field” talking point that has been expressed. That argument, however, is flawed. Creating a mayoral field where none of the candidates is mayor does not reflect the reality of mayoral succession as defined by the City Charter. More importantly, it sends a subtle (or maybe not so subtle) message that the city’s first female African-American mayor can’t handle her duties. (Indeed, as someone quipped to laughter at a recent rally in support of Breed remaining acting mayor, “When did you know an African-American woman who didn’t work two or three jobs?”)

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Breed, who is also moving forward with Lee’s agenda on housing and other issues. Of course, things could change dramatically and being acting mayor may not give Breed the advantage that some first thought. A serious crisis could alter the race in an instant, just as Lee’s untimely passing transformed the mayoral election in the first place. We’ll see what happens. We want a vigorous debate, with attention paid to our issues and the candidates’ visions for San Francisco. More importantly, we want to hear their solutions for the city’s vexing problems. Right now the board is likely to address the interim mayor issue at its meeting Tuesday, January 23. As of now, the supervisors are deadlocked 5-5 and Breed can’t vote for herself. We think the board should have this conversation; transparency is necessary, and the board is aware of the potential for conflicts with the mixing of executive and legislative duties, as Peskin stated last week. Maybe there are San Franciscans who don’t want Breed to continue serving as acting mayor, although we haven’t heard of such an outcry. But we would encourage those supervisors on the fence to give careful consideration to their vote. Giving another candidate “a leg up” in the race – which is debatable – is the wrong reason to vote for a caretaker mayor. We do not need a pause in city government while a caretaker mayor and his/her staff members move into City Hall and get up to speed, only to leave in June. With the Trump administration constantly threatening sanctuary cities and targeting immigrants, it is not the time for a new mayoral administration when Breed has been fulfilling those duties. All of this should not be construed as an endorsement of Breed in the June election. It is not. We still must meet with the major candidates and watch the campaign unfold. But Breed has been thrust into this position and deserves to serve it out until June. She has done an admirable job in keeping the city together in the wake of Lee’s death. Let the mayor’s race begin in earnest, and let each candidate make their case to lead San Francisco. We look forward to it. t

Now is the time to get a hep A shot by Gil F. Chavez

Bay Area Reporter

he United States is currently experiencing the largest person-to-person hepatitis A outbreak, which is predominantly affecting people who are homeless or who use drugs in unsanitary conditions, in more than two decades. At the same time, the California Department of Public Health is closely monitoring an increase in hepatitis A infections among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. From January through December 2017, 59 cases of hepatitis A among MSM were reported in California. For perspective, during the same time period in 2016, there were 14. Although most of the cases among MSM are not part of the larger outbreak of hepatitis A, the increase is significant and has health officials concerned. California isn’t alone in identifying an increase in hepatitis A cases among MSM. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, as of December 18, 2017, there have been 3,813 cases reported in 22 European countries. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported dozens of cases in Colorado and New York City. So, what is hepatitis A? Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver caused by a virus with the same name. Typically, the virus spreads in settings with limited sanitation (such as toilets and hand washing facilities), or by consuming contaminated food or water. For MSM, the main risk factor is related to

Courtesy CDPH

Dr. Gil F. Chavez

sexual transmission, particularly oral-anal sexual contact. Symptoms may include fatigue, lack of appetite, nausea, diarrhea, and jaundice. However, adults, particularly those with other underlying liver disease, are at higher risk of severe or fatal infection. The good news is you can protect yourself. The best way to prevent hepatitis A infection is to get vaccinated. The hepatitis A vaccine is very effective. Since 1996, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended that all MSM receive two doses of hepatitis A vaccine administered at least six months apart. The first dose of hepatitis A vaccine protects

more than 90 percent of those who receive it, and a second dose protects more than 95 percent. Hepatitis A antibody can persist for at least 20 years in adults who received vaccine as children. A state declaration in October provided emergency funds and a mechanism to purchase doses directly from the manufacturer. The declaration allows CDPH to manage vaccine distribution and supply so people most at risk are vaccinated first to help stop the outbreak. For vaccine distribution, CDPH has prioritized the counties where hepatitis A is spreading or have outbreak cases. CDPH is then fulfilling orders from other counties, based on current available vaccine supply, the potential for spread in the county, and the local health department’s vaccination plans. Since April 2017, the department has provided nearly 120,000 doses of the hepatitis A vaccine for outbreak prevention and control statewide. Vaccine is available in the private sector for administration to high-risk groups including MSM. For more information, talk to your doctor, call your local health department, or visit the CDPH webpage at https://www. cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/ Immunization/Hepatitis-A-Outbreak.aspx or see the CDC’s information at https:// www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/populations/pdfs/ hepgay-factsheet.pdf.t Dr. Gil F. Chavez, MPH, is the state epidemiologist deputy director for infectious diseases at the California Department of Public Health. This op-ed also appeared in Outword California.

Politics>>

t Homelessness dominated Supe Ronen’s freshman year by Matthew S. Bajko

ne issue dominated San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen’s first year in office: homelessness. And it is likely to be her main focus again this year. Elected in 2016 to the board’s District 9 seat, which represents the Mission, Bernal Heights and Portola neighborhoods, Ronen succeeded gay former Supervisor David Campos, whom she had worked for as a legislative aide and was endorsed by in her hardfought election campaign. With her district a magnet for homeless encampments, Ronen made it a priority to find a compassionate approach to address the complaints of residents and merchants upset by the proliferation of homeless people sleeping in tents outside their homes and businesses that didn’t just move the problem to another block or area of town. She worked with developers, state lawmakers, and the administration of the late Mayor Ed Lee, who unexpectedly died last month, to open several Navigation Centers in her district. Unlike with homeless shelters, whose beds are assigned daily and come with strict rules on what a person can bring with them, the Navigation Centers provide homeless people temporary shelter for several months with the chance of moving into more permanent housing. Those who do move into a Navigation Center can do so with their belongings, pets, and fellow homeless individuals they have befriended. Ronen credited the opening of such facilities in or near her district with helping to reduce the number of encampments in the Mission district last year to 30. She said that number has since jumped back up to between 80 and 100 as the city works to open new Navigation Centers to replace those that had to close. Working to address the city’s homeless crisis, however, left her little time to deal with other pressing concerns. “I was like a little executive in my neighborhood rather than a legislator. I haven’t written much legislation or passed many bills because I spent so much of my time to get my hands around solving issues in my district,” Ronen told the Bay Area Reporter this week during an editorial board meeting. “I ran to be a really engaged district supervisor. That is what I have been doing and been pretty successful at it.” However, Ronen did allow it has been “frustrating that I can’t focus on my job as a legislator and lawmaker and instead my focus has literally been on finding sites for Navigation Centers and raising the money to fund them.” She thanked the development firm Lennar for agreeing to turn a building it plans to demolish in order to build housing at the site into a Navigation Center during the yearslong process it will take to secure building permits for the project. It marked the first time a Navigation Center was approved on private land as opposed to a site owned by the city. “Lennar, to their credit and with a lot of assurances from me, really took a chance on us and said yes. That was a big deal, as no private developer has done that,” noted Ronen.

Rick Gerharter

Supervisor Hillary Ronen

One area she has intently focused on is the Highway 101 interchange off Cesar Chavez Street, as it is a favored site for homeless people to pitch their tents due to it being away from homes and storefronts. But the tent encampments present accessibility issues for pedestrians and bicyclists and a potential hazard to drivers. In a much-derided move last month, the city’s public works department placed boulders in the area to impede homeless individuals’ ability to erect their tents. Yet they just moved to nearby sidewalks. Ronen, who called the boulders “stupid,” nonetheless praised the agency’s director, Mohammed Nuru, for working to open more Navigation Centers. She told the B.A.R. she hopes the opening of one nearby the interchange, which is known as “the hairball,” will provide a better solution and allow those living there to move off the streets. “I am very hopeful it will make an impact on the hairball. It is such a bad spot for encampments,” said Ronen. “I want to underground all those freeways. It is a car, bike, pedestrian catastrophe as far as I am concerned.” She added that “if people have better alternatives of where to stay, they are going to use those better alternatives. It is why I am hopeful having a Navigation Center right there will make the difference.” One top concern for Ronen this year is seeing Lee’s initiative to provide an additional 1,000 navigation beds for the homeless come to fruition. She told the B.A.R. she is supportive of setting some aside for homeless youth, many of whom identify as LGBTQ, which her colleague, gay District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy has called on the city to do. Yet neither Sheehy nor Ronen has been able to identify a workable site for a youth-focused Navigation Center. Even if such a site is found, Ronen said the city must also find more permanent housing for the homeless, whether they are youth, adults, or families. “It is important that we address this issue and really address it,” she said. “The Band-Aid solution we have been putting on this problem is not going to solve anything. Moving tent encampments from one block to the next is not going to solve anything.” With the city now focused on the special mayoral election in June, a race that has drawn two of her board colleagues, Ronen told the B.A.R. she questions what can be done at City Hall over the next

five months. It is why she believes that board President London Breed, who became acting mayor upon Lee’s death and is now running for the position, should be replaced with a “caretaker” mayor. The supervisors are expected to take up the issue Tuesday, January 23. But with both Breed and District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim in the mayoral race, it is unclear if the board can reach the six-vote threshold needed to name an interim mayor, whether it be Breed or someone else. “I am deeply concerned with what is going to happen around street homelessness. I believe Mayor Lee was headed in the right direction and shared my urgency around this issue,” said Ronen. “It was his top priority, like it was my top priority. We were in lock step; who knows what is going to happen now?” Ronen does have three legislative priorities this year that concern LGBT issues. She introduced a measure that will require single-occupancy hotels to provide gender-neutral bathrooms for transgender residents. The board is expected to pass the legislation in early February. She is also pushing to see the board take up her resolution, which she first introduced over the summer, to name Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport after the late supervisor Harvey Milk, the first gay person to win elective office in the city. It was a proposal backed by both Lee and Campos as a compromise to Campos’ initial idea to rename the entire airport after Milk, who took his oath of office 40 years ago this month and was assassinated in November 1978. Even naming just the terminal after Milk has been met with opposition. Ronen said she has been assured the delay on voting on the proposal has nothing to do with politics and is hopeful it will be approved in the coming weeks. “We will see who is in Room 200 and what happens there. I am sure we will get six votes on the board because Supervisor Sheehy has been such an ally on this,” said Ronen, who would like to see a veto-proof eight votes at the board for the Milk terminal naming. The third proposal would make it easier to create, and protect, cultural heritage districts in the city. The measure, expected to be taken up in the spring, would specifically assist the plans to create a district honoring the leather and LGBT communities South of Market and a transgender-focused district in the Tenderloin. “We are creating an entire process for getting all city agencies involved in both analyzing and documenting the historic features of these districts that should be preserved,” said Ronen, who also expects to campaign for a city ballot measure this year that would provide funding for such districts. “We are also identifying other opportunities to further enhance those districts with arts, culture and preserving the people who make up the district.”

Milk club early-endorses in SF races

Three candidates for local office in San Francisco secured early endorsements this week from the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club. At its general membership meeting Tuesday night the See page 17 >>

January 18-24, 2018 • Bay area reporter • 7

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<< Commentary

8 • Bay Area Reporter • January 18-24, 2018

Mothers against book reading by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

ne Million Moms is outraged. This, of course, is what One Million Moms does. Outrage is its business. The group, an offshoot of the American Family Association, seems to only exist to send angry releases about media it doesn’t like and calling for largely ineffective boycotts. It covers the gamut of possible issues, but gay- and trans-themed media is a longtime favorite target of the group. It’s been angry at Macy’s for letting the cast of the Broadway musical “Kinky Boots” perform at the Thanksgiving Day parade, for NBC hosting a show called “666: Park Avenue,” and scads of boycotts against The Walt Disney Company. It is a culture warrior, and its actions bring in donations that help keep the lights on for both it and the AFA. The most recent affront to the organization’s mission comes via the Scholastic Corporation and its decision to publish the book “George” by Alex Gino. That Scholastic published the book in 2015 doesn’t seem to matter to One Million Moms. The book itself tells the story of a boy named George. Or, at least, that’s what everyone thinks she is, but she knows better: she’s really a girl named Melissa. When her homeroom teacher plans the class play, an adaptation

Christine Smith

of “Charlotte’s Web,” Melissa and her best friend, Kelly, hatch a plan: Melissa will play Charlotte, and everyone will finally know who she really is. Gino, the author, is genderqueer, a fact I’m sure further rankles One Million Moms. “George” is hardly alone when it comes to transgender-themed children’s books. “I Am Jazz,” which tells the story of transgender teen and reality TV star Jazz Jennings, may well be the best known of these, and is also a regular target of groups like One Million Moms – as is Jennings herself and the TV show. There is even a publishing house, Flamingo Rampant, focusing on books with trans and LGBTQ subject matter.

Contrary to One Million Moms, I think this is a great thing. I love the idea of there being books out there in which young trans kids can see some of themselves represented, and where non-transgender kids can learn a little bit about what life is like for their trans classmates. When I was young, there was no Flamingo Rampant, no “I Am Jazz,” and certainly no “George.” Even books for adults on trans issues were few and far between. Scholastic existed, however. I was a book nerd. I’ve always loved reading, from the first time I cracked open “Green Eggs and Ham” and “Hop On Pop” by Dr. Seuss. I’ve always been a voracious reader, and the Scholastic Corporation has been a part of that. In my elementary school years, our teacher would send a flyer home with us on a monthly basis, from the Scholastic Book Club. One could return the flyer – with some money from home, of course – and get the books, magazines, and posters offered by Scholastic delivered to your school. This was just the sort of dark magic that I embraced and spent plenty of time poring over the flyer for titles that sounded interesting, pleading with my mother every month for any number of books. I tore through them. I consumed “Alexander and the Terrible,

Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” “The Witch Next Door,” and scores of others. I once even got my hands on a copy of “The Road To Oz” by L. Frank Baum, which was most notable to me for its back cover. On it was a lovely silhouette of Princess Ozma and Dorothy Gale kissing. As Baum was the first author, alphabetically, on my shelf, that book’s rear faced my bed, and was the last thing I’d see before going to bed every night. It was later that I learned that Princess Ozma was first introduced in the Oz books as Tip, who had been turned into a boy at a young age by a bad witch. Glinda – the good witch we all know from the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz” – reversed this, allowing Ozma to be a beautiful princess once again. This was not the Scholastic book that holds the biggest piece of my heart, however. That place is reserved for “Allumette,” by Tomi Ungerer. Chances are you’ve never heard of it. It’s a retelling of “The Little Match-Seller” by Hans Christian Andersen. For those not familiar with the original, it tells the story of a little girl selling matches in the snow around Christmastime. The story ends with the girl expiring in the cold, after

imagining bright and beautiful times with her family as she eked out a little warmth from her remaining matches. In “Allumette,” the match seller lives. Indeed, she gets all she ever wished for, and the horrible people she has dealt with get their comeuppance. At the end of the book, due to the generosity of all who have met Allumette, begins a foundation to help everyone in need worldwide. My original copy is long gone, but a friend of mine found me a used copy just like it, from Scholastic’s own Parents Magazine Press. It sits at my desk at all times. It’s a story that made me who I am today, and is one I’ve pulled inspiration from over my lifetime. From my own experiences, reading has helped make me a better person, a more empathic person, a more caring person. Perhaps One Million Moms members should consider popping down to their local bookstore instead of sending their next angry news release – and maybe we should let kids read what they need to read.t Gwen Smith thinks you don’t have to take her word for it. You can find her at gwensmith.com.

Stryker to meet with CIIS students by Alex Madison

usan Stryker recalls first reading the word transsexual in a Dear Abby column in the local newspaper when she was 16 years old. This was the first time the transgender academic, author, filmmaker, and historian had ever heard a word she felt somewhat described the way she was feeling. She searched for texts of any kind that might help her understand her situation only to discover a college phychology textbook at her local library that Stryker said described people with gender identification issues as “freaks.” Almost 40 years later, Stryker has gone on to become a leader in the trans community for her literary and film works that have changed and helped shape the cultural conversation on transgender issues, including her book, “Transgender History.” She’s an associate professor at the University of Arizona, and splits her time

Alex Madison

Susan Stryker

between Tucson and San Francisco. The book, which came out in 2008 with a revised second edition published in November 2017, will be the

topic of conversation at “An Evening of Trans Revolutionary Experience,” Saturday, January 20, hosted by the California Institute of Integral Studies. The critically acclaimed book was chosen last summer by the CIIS’ student-led Transformative Inquiry Department as a community-wide suggested reading. Jennifer Peer, a second-year Ph.D. student at CIIS and a leader of the Transformative Inquiry Department, said the book was chosen not only because it, “furthers the mission of CIIS of inclusiveness and diversity,” but because it, along with Stryker’s long commitment to trans issues, have helped shape an entirely new discipline. “We have a rare opportunity to spend an evening with someone who is the heartbeat of an entirely new discipline of transgender studies,” Peer said. “For anyone who is an activist, the book is a necessary read. Her work is as timely today as it was in 2008. With the

current [Trump] administration, there is basically a war going on against the transgender community.” Talking with Stryker, she’d have to agree with Peer. “Transgender History” is a chronological account of American transgender history from the mid-20th century to today. The second revised edition, renamed “Transgender History: The Roots of Today’s Revolution,” adds a new chapter surrounding the last decade of trans events, progression, and challenges. “The decade from 2008 to 2018 was momentous in terms of trans history in the U.S.,” Stryker said in an interview. “There were civil rights advances, changes in media representation for trans people, and a general level of cultural visibility especially of trans youth.” That being said, Stryker also talked about how the trans community is targeted by right-wing conservatives today. She said Republicans have conceded

that they will no longer be able to defeat the voices of the lesbian and gay community and have shifted their efforts toward the trans community. “As gay and lesbian issues have become more familiar, mainstream, and acceptable, cultural politics are increasingly shifting attention to trans issues, with the bathroom bills becoming a new flash point, the Supreme Court’s rejection of the Gavin Grimm case, controversy in the military, and an increase of violence against trans women of color.” She was referring to the proliferation of state bills that seek to restrict trans people’s access to public restrooms. Grimm was a high school student who took his case to court after the school board adopted a discriminatory bathroom policy. Last spring the Supreme Court said it would not hear the case. See page 10 >>

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<< Community News

t Harvey Milk Plaza redesign meetings announced 10 • Bay area reporter • January 18-24, 2018

compiled by Cynthia Laird

he Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza is entering the next phase of the project to re-imagine the space above the Castro Muni station named for the gay slain supervisor and has announced dates for community meetings. Last year, the Friends group conducted a design competition, and an architectural team led by Perkins Eastman of San Francisco was announced as the winner and selected as the firm to partner with as the project enters its next phase. While the Perkins Eastman design was the top choice by people who voted in an online survey, others have questioned the firm’s initial design and some people have expressed in letters to the Bay Area Reporter whether the plaza needs to be redesigned at all. One of the main points of contention is that the Muni entrance is relocated to the west of its present location in the Perkins Eastman rendering, though Friends officials have said the plaza design likely will change from those initial illustrations. The upcoming meetings are an

opportunity for community members to explore and share their thoughts with others, including folks from Perkins Eastman and the Friends group. The first meeting will be held Saturday, January 27, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 100 Diamond Street. Additional meetings will be held March 3, and April 7, at the same time and location. “This is an opportunity of a lifetime to acknowledge Harvey Milk Plaza for the sacred place it is and the role it has played in the history of the LGBT civil rights movement,” Greg Cassin, a longtime AIDS activist, said in a news release from the Friends group, where he volunteers on the steering committee. The plaza redesign project has been scheduled in tandem with the city’s already-planned accessibility construction that is expected to greatly reduce the expense. The Friends group is in the process of a fundraising effort to secure private donations. A $500,000 donation was received last year from a gay California man. For more information, visit http:// www.friendsofharveymilkplaza.org.

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SF library celebrates black history

Black History Month begins in February but the San Francisco Public Library is getting a head start with “More Than A Month,” a series of programs to emphasize that open dialogue, education, and shared advocacy takes place in communities every month. Beginning this week and throughout February, the library will be showcasing black history, culture, and heritage with special music, dance, crafts, and storytelling events at every branch. People can visit the African American Center in the main library, 100 Larkin Street, to learn about historical, political, and cultural experiences of AfricanAmericans in California and beyond. Other special events include “Talking with Kids About Race: Nurturing Justice,” that takes place Saturday, January 27, from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Koret Auditorium at the main library. The Oscar-winning film “Moonlight” will be screened January 27, at 3 p.m. at the Western Addition branch, 1550 Scott Street. The exhibit, “If Superpowers Could Save My Community,” is now up at the main library. All programs and exhibits are free and open to the public. Download a full schedule of activities at https://sfpl.org/uploads/files/ pdfs/MoreThanAMonth.pdf.

Not too late for a ﬂu shot

San Francisco public health officials said that flu season is off to an early statewide start, with the California Department of Public Health reporting widespread flu activity in the state. San Franciscans can protect themselves by getting a flu shot and taking other steps to prevent getting sick or spreading illness, officials stated in a news release. Health officials advise people to cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow; avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth; wash your hands often and thoroughly; and stay home when you’re sick. While this season’s flu shot is not as effective against the strain of flu that is often seen (H3N2), experts still advise people to get a flu shot as it may make the virus milder if they do get sick, according to Business Insider. People should contact their doctor or primary care clinic for a flu shot, or they are also offered at many pharmacies on a walk-in basis for a fee. For more information about the flu, visit http://www.sfcdcp.org/flu.

CA tax oﬀice to hold seminar for small biz

The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration will have a free small business tax seminar in Oakland Tuesday, January 23, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Elihu Harris State Building, 1515 Clay Street (in the auditorium). Small business owners looking for assistance with state and federal tax issues, as well as those who want to expand their business knowledge, are welcome to attend. Topics include avoiding common sales and use tax problems, employee versus independent contractor, better business

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From page 8

In the revised book, Stryker also focuses heavily on the relationship between transgender issues and intersectional feminism. Although Stryker acknowledges that the book is written from her experiences as a white, 56-year-old trans woman, she hopes readers can try to dissolve the idea of the monolithic feminist or woman. A trans woman of color’s experience and fight as a feminist is not the same as that of a white or Latino trans or lesbian woman, Stryker explained. The book focuses on

Courtesy Perkins Eastman

Design ﬁrm Perkins Eastman’s rendering of a reimagined Harvey Milk Plaza won a competition last fall.

through better records, and forms of ownership. Representatives will be on hand from the Department of Tax and Fee Administration, the Employment Development Department, Franchise Tax Board, and the Internal Revenue Service. To register, call 1-888-847-9652 or visit http://www.cdtfa.ca.gov/seminar/ seminar.aspx?flag=696.

Volunteer fair at Tenderloin Museum

The Tenderloin Museum will hold its annual volunteer fair Tuesday, January 23, at 398 Eddy Street in San Francisco. The event is being held so that people can meet and connect with representatives from several of the Tenderloin’s nonprofit service agencies and learn about how they can help. The gathering is intended to be inclusive and engaging for both first time and seasoned volunteers. The volunteer fair begins with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by short presentations from local organizations. Participants include Glide United Methodist Church, 826 Valencia (the Writing Center), Larkin Street Youth Services, Coalition on Homelessness, Code Tenderloin, Project Open Hand, the St. Anthony Foundation, Skywatchers, and the Shanti Project. There is no cost to attend. For more information, visit http://www.tenderloinmuseum.org.

D8 crime and safety forum

The San Francisco Police Officers Association, the Community Alliance for Jobs and Housing, and local law enforcement leaders will hold a community conversation focusing on crime in District 8 (Castro, Noe Valley, Glen Park, and other neighborhoods) Wednesday, January 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Rainbow Room at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street. To RSVP or for more information, contact (415) 598-8348 or Info@SFCommunityAlliance.org.

ALRP set to receive legacy status

The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission was expected to recommend legacy business status for the AIDS Legal Referral Project at its

how these intersections relate and differ. “You can’t just talk about women and women’s oppression without talking about intersectional feminism,”Stryker said. At the event, Stryker will also talk about her background and other work, including her Emmy-winning documentary “Screaming Queens,” her consulting work for the Academy Award-winning film “The Danish Girl,” and San Francisco’s recent designation of the first transgender historic district in the Tenderloin, among other things. A small panel will also be on stage with Stryker to ask questions and moderate the event. Among the panel members are students of the Transformative

meeting Wednesday, January 17. A report by the commission found that ALRP has served the HIV/AIDS community in the Castro neighborhood for 35 years. ALRP also provides services to clients in other parts of the city. In an email Bill Hirsh said he was “appreciative” for the city’s recognition. “ALRP is proud of its many years of service to the HIV/AIDS community in San Francisco and we are deeply appreciative of the city’s recognition of our work and the difference we have made in the lives of our clients.” The next step is for the city’s Small Business Commission to give final approval.

Meyer to be honored at SFSP gala

Eve Meyer, the longtime former executive director of San Francisco Suicide Prevention, will be honored at the organization’s Heroes of Nonprofit luncheon Friday, February 9, from noon to 2 p.m. at the City Club of San Francisco, 155 Sansome Street. Meyer, who recently retired, led the agency for more than 20 years, and worked there for a decade before that. She is a frequent speaker on the topic of suicide prevention. Other honorees include Kavoos Chane Bassiri, with the San Francisco Department of Public Health; Kurt Melchoir, former SFSP board member; and Rudy Corpus and United Playaz. Tickets are $60 and can be purchased at http://bit.ly/2CXfwoE.

Chiu seeks ideas for laws

With the beginning of the 2018 legislative session, Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco) has announced his third annual “There Ought to be a Law” program, which offers constituents the opportunity to propose new state legislation for the upcoming year. In an email to supporters, Chiu said that some of the best ideas come from constituents “who are seeing problems in their neighborhoods firsthand.” He has worked with past program winners to pass the Student Voting Act (2015) and a bill that ensured CalFresh (food stamp) recipients have access to job training and employment services with social enterprises. Chiu said that proposals can vary from local community improvements to statewide reforms and can be new policies or revisions to existing laws. For more information, visit https:// a17.asmdc.org/there-ought-be-law.t

Inquiry Department, including Alex Combs, the son of CIIS professor Lesley Combs, who will introduce his graphic novel that surrounds transgender characters and issues. The event is free and open to the public. People are asked to RSVP at http://www.ciis.edu/ciisnews-and-events/campus-calendar/ transgender-history-talk.t The event will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Portola Room at the Best Western Plus Lighthouse Hotel located at 105 Rockaway Beach Avenue in Pacifica.

Community News>>

t Women’s Building closer to being nat’l historic site

January 18-24, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

by Matthew S. Bajko

Francisco’s LGBTQ community and contributed a chapter to the Park Service’s LGBTQ theme study.

he San Francisco Women’s Building is closer to becoming a national historic site, which would make it one of a handful of properties across the country given such federal recognition due to its place in LGBT history and only the third on the West Coast. California’s State Historical Resources Commission is expected to support the listing of the Women’s Building on the National Register of Historic Places at its meeting February 2. If approved by the state body, then the nomination would be sent to the State Historic Preservation Officer for certification. After that, the state official would forward the nomination to the Keeper of the National Register in Washington, D.C. for final determination. The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission was expected to vote on supporting the Women’s Building application at its meeting Wednesday night, after the Bay Area Reporter went to press. “The Women’s Building has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places at the national level of significance. Properties can be listed at the local, state, or national level of significance,” Amy H. Crain, a state historian at the California State Office of Historic Preservation, explained in an email to the B.A.R. “The recommendation from the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission will become part of the nomination file.” Despite the Trump administration’s moves against LGBT policies and initiatives at a number of federal agencies, it is expected that the Women’s Building will be approved as a national historic site. As the B.A.R. reported last January, the Women’s Building dropped its

History

Jane Philomen Cleland

The San Francisco Women’s Building is closer to becoming a national historic site.

initial request to become a National Historic Landmark, a designation with higher stature than that of a national historic site, after the election of President Donald Trump on the advice of federal park advocates. “The funding source for the National Historic Landmark project is through the National Park Foundation. The advice given was it would be better to pursue a National Register nomination because the funding available is not enough to complete the historic landmark process,” Andrew Munoz, a spokesman for the National Park Service’s Pacific West Region, had told the B.A.R. at the time. Donna Graves, a public historian based in Berkeley, has been working on the Women’s Building application since 2016 after securing a grant from the National Park Service’s LGBTQ Heritage Initiative, which earmarked fundin. ing specifically 9.75 for LGBT historic nominations. She also co-wrote a historic context statement for San

The Women’s Building was founded in 1971 by a group of women that included a number of lesbian leaders, including Roma Guy, whose life and advocacy for the building was depicted last year in the ABC mini-series “When We Rise” about a number of LGBT San Francisco leaders. In 1979 the Women’s Building moved into its current location, at 3543 18th Street near Valencia Street, where it has hosted numerous meetings of LGBT groups and conferences over the years and continues to do so. The building is already deemed a city landmark, though it was listed for its historical significance predating the modern LGBT rights movement. The Women’s Building, noted Graves in the application for the national listing, “sought to explore and articulate how the organization could be a place for contact and coalition to fight sexism, racism, homophobia, imperialism, and other oppressive forces.” Included in the application are a number of documents from the archives of the San Francisco-based GLBT Historical Society, such as a photo of the San Francisco Lesbian Chorus performing in the Women’s Building’s auditorium in 1980 and a flyer for an event celebrating a new collection of short stories by author Alice Walker, who dated both men and women. The Women’s Building is also noteworthy for its role in the history of second wave feminism, which Graves notes in the application, is lacking in “site-based documentation” as has happened with “other under-represented histories” in the

last decade, because it is just now reaching the 50-year threshold the Park Service uses for determining the historical significance of a social movement. Graves writes that the Women’s Building “is a powerful embodiment of second wave feminism that shaped, and was shaped by, the national movement of second wave feminism.” District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who married her husband in the building and served on the board of one of its tenants, Mujeres Unidas Y Activa, told the B.A.R. it would be “amazing” to see it receive federal recognition. “After watching ‘When We Rise,’ it is very evident there is a clear and deep LGBT history about that building,” said Ronen, whose Mission-based District 9 does not include but borders the Women’s Building, which is in District 8. Should it win federal recognition, the property would be the third such site on the West Coast to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places whose application initially referred to its significance in LGBT history. In recent years, the listings of several properties have been updated to refer to their connections to LGBT history as that information was omitted when their applications were first submitted. The first West Coast site to be listed on the national register due in part to its ties to LGBT history was the Federal Building (50 UN Plaza) in San Francisco, which was added last year on June 5. Its listing refers to the AIDS/ARC Vigil, a decade-long protest against the lack of a federal response to the deadly disease that was started in 1985 by several gay men who chained themselves to the building’s doors. The second national historic site,

listed on September 18, was the Great Wall of Los Angeles, a halfmile long mural that depicts numerous California historical events and figures, including the struggle for LGBT rights. The Park Service’s webpage for its LGBT initiative currently lists 21 LGBT historic places, some landmarks and others historic sites, at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/tellingallamericansstories/lgbtqplaces.htm.

Other sites

In San Francisco the planning department’s historic preservation division is moving forward to list two additional sites with ties to the city’s LGBT history on the National Register as well as designate them city landmarks. It has hired Shayne Watson, a lesbian and architectural historian, to work on the application for Glide Memorial Church, at 330 Ellis Street in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood, and Graves to complete one for the building that once housed the Japantown YWCA, located at 1830 Sutter Street and now occupied by the private, nonprofit childcare center Nihonmachi Little Friends. In May 1954, the early gay rights group the Mattachine Society hosted its first convention at the Y building, while Glide’s leaders have long pushed for LGBT rights and cared for people living with HIV and AIDS. Watson is also working with the owners of the historic Paper Doll site in North Beach at 524 Union Street, believed to be San Francisco’s first queer restaurant, on securing city landmark status for the building. She recently told the B.A.R. she expects the application to go before the historic preservation commission sometime this See page 16 >>

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<< National News

12 • Bay area reporter • January 18-24, 2018

Manning to run for US Senate seat in Maryland by Lisa Keen

dd Chelsea Manning to the list of trans candidates seeking office this year. The convicted WikiLeaks whistleblower pulled papers last week to run for the U.S. Senate in Maryland and confirmed in a tweet that she is a candidate. She seeks to replace a Democratic senator for Maryland who has a solid pro-LGBT voting record. Manning, whose primary claim to fame is her conviction for leaking classified government documents to WikiLeaks, is now one of three Democratic candidates seeking to unseat incumbent Senator Benjamin Cardin. Cardin has scored a perfect 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign’s Congressional Scorecard concerning LGBT-related votes. A campaign video available on Manning’s Twitter account opens with footage from the rioting in Charlottesville, Virginia, last summer and Manning’s voiceover saying,

Chelsea Manning

“We live in trying times. Times of fear, of suppression, hate. We don’t need more or better leaders. We need someone willing to fight. We need to stop asking them to give us our rights. They won’t support us, won’t compromise. We need to stop expecting that our systems will

somehow fix themselves. We need to actually take the reins of power from them. We need to challenge them at every level. We need to fix this. We don’t need them anymore. We can do better. You’re damn right, we got this.” The closing frame says “Chelsea Manning for U.S. Senate. #Wegotthis.” While much of the mainstream media took notice of Manning’s announcement, so did people who clearly don’t like her. One Twitter post, for instance, called her a “treasonous, cop hating” person who “has proven to be a threat to our national security.” Manning, 30, first came to widespread public attention in 2010 when, as a U.S. Army private she worked in intelligence analysis and was arrested for leaking hundreds of thousands of government documents – some classified and considered highly sensitive – to WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks is an organization that puts documents of high interest on its publicly accessible website. Manning pleaded guilty,

then revealed that she would transition to female and begin going by the name of Chelsea. Manning was sentenced to military prison. In a statement seeking clemency, she said she “did not intend to harm the interests of the United States or harm any service members.” Just before leaving office, President Barack Obama commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence, allowing for her release in May 2017. According to the Baltimore Sun, Manning is a native of Oklahoma who lived in Montgomery County, Maryland, for many years. She came back to Maryland after she was released from Fort Leavenworth prison last year. Harvard University invited Manning to be a visiting fellow last year, but a vigorous backlash ensued, and the school rescinded its offer. Neither Manning nor the other two Democratic challengers have reported any funds in their campaign coffers, according to the Federal Elections Commission. Incumbent

Cardin has $1.7 million. His Republican challenger has $125,000. Candidates for Senate typically spend about $1.5 million, according to the Washington Post. Winning a seat requires much more, about $10 million, according to OpenSecrets.org. The Sun reported Cardin has a 50 percent approval rating among voters. It also noted that another transgender candidate in Maryland, Kristin Beck, a former Navy SEAL, garnered only 12 percent of the vote in her 2016 race against incumbent Congressman Steny Hoyer (D), who serves as minority whip. Beck told the Sun she considers Manning’s Senate bid a “publicity stunt.” Fivethirtyeight.com, a statistical site that focuses on elections and is led by gay analyst Nate Silver, puts Cardin’s likelihood of being re-elected at 95 percent. Manning did not return an email message seeking comment. HRC also did not respond to a request for comment.t

Trans man, others suing CA prison system by Seth Hemmelgarn

wo queer female prisoners, a transgender inmate, and a gender nonconforming person who was formerly incarcerated are suing California’s prison system claiming officers beat them up and sexually harassed them. The lawsuit, which names the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, specific correctional officers, and other defendants, also says that the plaintiffs were denied medical treatment for their injuries and prevented from

filing grievances. The complaint was filed in November but is being highlighted now amidst the #MeToo movement calling attention to sexual violence. “Most of us are inside because of the histories of violence and abuse that we experienced and then got caught up in,” plaintiff Stacy Rojas, a former inmate of Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, where the alleged abuses occurred, said in a news release. “Just because we are in prison doesn’t mean that we should not have our basic human rights protected. I do

not want anyone else to go through what I did. My fellow inmates used to tell me that I was singled out because of my gender and because I advocated for myself and others.” Rojas, who’s gender nonconforming and uses third person pronouns, was released in January 2017 and is now part of the legal advocacy team behind the case. CDCR spokeswoman Vicky Waters declined to comment on the case, since the agency hasn’t been served with the complaint. The assaults originally took place in November 2015, when

correctional officers attacked Rojas after Rojas warned they planned to complain to prison officials about guards’ repeated harassment based on Rojas’ gender, according to the lawsuit. Rojas’ cellmates were then allegedly attacked after they indicated they’d report the abuse of Rojas. The three inmates were confined for almost 12 hours in programming cages where they were stomped on and suffered other abuse, the complaint says. They were then placed in solitary confinement without any treatment for their injuries and prohibited from using the restroom. When the three plaintiffs tried to report the abuse, officials claimed their complaints had been lost, and they were never told of the results of any investigations. In January 2017, Isaac Medina, a trans man who was then an inmate and in a wheelchair, allegedly wasn’t given access to his medication. Guards attacked him when he asked why he couldn’t get his meds, according to the lawsuit. His head was smashed up against a brick wall and his pants were pulled down around his ankles during the assault, and Medina was put in a programming cage and blocked from using the restroom, the complaint says, and his injuries weren’t treated. “These incidents are part of a pattern of abuse at CCWF, part of a climate of increasing violence employed by correctional officers at CCWF against transgender, gender

The Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla

non-conforming and queer women prisoners,” Sara Kershnar of the advocacy group California Coalition for Women Prisoners, said in the news release. “... They also re-traumatize people who have suffered sexual violence and homophobia and transphobia before they were incarcerated.” The complaint says that Medina’s also known as Claudia Medina. Along with Rojas, the other plaintiffs are Ivett Ayestas and Sarah Lara. (CDCR data indicate Ayestas’ first name is spelled “Yvett.”) Through the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages and injunctive relief to prevent future wrongdoing.t

Gay couple settle dispute with Google by David-Elijah Nahmod

gay married San Francisco couple that produces GNews, a gay news show on YouTube, has settled their dispute with Google, which owns the popular site. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, Chris Knight and Celso Dulay had an ad for their Christmas special rejected for “shocking content.” They were told by a floor manager at Google Adwords that the ad was rejected because GNews is a gay show. The B.A.R. had reviewed the episode in question and could find no examples of nudity, hate speech, or

obscene language. Knight and Dulay asked that their censorship complaint be escalated. Google spokesman Alex Krasov assured the couple and the B.A.R. that Google does not allow bias. “YouTube has long supported LGBTQ creators and we do not have any policies against LGBTQ content,” Krasov said. “Sometimes we make mistakes, which is why we encourage creators to appeal when they encounter issues.” Other Google representatives, who did not want to be named, noted that as part of its commitment to LGBTQ See page 16 >>

International News>>

January 18-24, 2018 • Bay area reporter • 13

Jamaica on alert for anti-gay pastor’s visit by Heather Cassell

us here in Jamaica,” John said. “His statement at the time, which celebrated the murders of those people, is just too much for us to bear as a country.” Anderson has been banned from entering Botswana, Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom for hate speech and inciting violence. The Change.org petition also noted Anderson’s attacks on women. Anderson didn’t respond to the B.A.R.’s request for comment.

amaican officials are facing international pressure to either block or monitor an anti-gay American pastor who plans to visit the Caribbean island country later this month. Pastor Steven Anderson of the Phoenix-based Faithful World Baptist Church announced his forthcoming visit to Jamaica on a “Mission Trip” January 28 through February 4, via a YouTube video in late December, reported the Southern Poverty Law Center, the anti-hate watch-dog organization. Anderson’s trip is posted on his church’s website and lists dates as January 29 through February 3. Upon learning the news, Jay John, a 24-year-old gay Jamaican man, sprang into action, launching two petitions to block Anderson from entering Jamaica. One petition was directly with the Jamaican government and the other was posted on Change.org, he told the Bay Area Reporter earlier this month via Skype. John uses a pseudonym to protect his family and his privacy for safety reasons. The change.org petition urges the Jamaican government to “denounce terrorism and violence against marginalized groups.” Father Sean Major-Campbell, rector of Christ Church in Vineyard Town, Jamaica, and an ally, agreed. “We have no interest in him bringing that brand of hate here to Jamaica,” wrote Major-Campbell in a January 9 statement from Human Rights First. Jaevion Nelson, acting executive director of J-Flag, wrote in a statement to the B.A.R. that LGBT Jamaican activists are “deeply concerned.” “As a society, our motto celebrates diversity and respect, and so we are mindful of the impact this can have on our efforts as a country to promote

LGBT rights in Jamaica

Mambia Online

Anti-gay pastor Steven Anderson

respect,” wrote Nelson. “We hope that the relevant authorities will take the necessary steps to monitor his visit and ensure that messages which promote hate, disrespect and violence are not tolerated.” As of January 16, the change.org petition has garnered international media attention, pressure from global human rights organizations, and statements from the State Department and LGBT tourism officials. It had 28,207 signatories.

Case against Anderson

Anderson rose to public notoriety following his comments after the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, when he said, “The good news is there are 50 less pedophiles in this world.” During the rampage, gunman Omar Mateen killed 49 people and injured 53 others. It was suspected, but never confirmed, that two gay Jamaicans were victims of the shooting, according to media reports, and the incident affected Jamaica’s LGBT community. “That also had a direct impact on

Homosexuality is criminalized under the country’s colonial-era “buggery laws,” where individuals charged for consensual same-sex relations face up to 10 years in prison. Politicians’ promises to strike down the law haven’t materialized. The Christian country’s court of public opinion is harsher. Jamaica is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be LGBT. Headlines often describe brutal killings of LGBT people by mobs in broad daylight and others slain in their own homes. None of the murderers have been brought to justice. A February LGBT history cruise by Pride of the Ocean plans to stop in Jamaica during its trip next month. However, John Scagliotti, a gay man who is program director and co-founder, told the B.A.R. this week that they plan to boycott Jamaica by encouraging the estimated 125 LGBT guests to stay aboard the ship for a day of education instead of disembarking. Scagliotti told the B.A.R. in November that the company was aware of potential security concerns. A 2015 report by HRF, “The World as it Should Be: Advancing the Human Rights of LGBT People

Progressive Pastures beef rib eye, tomato confit, black olive potatoes

in Jamaica,” documented the struggle and progress of Jamaica’s LGBT movement. In recent years, Jamaica’s queer community has had hope. LGBT Jamaican activists have been speaking out against the violence and for the past three years the country has hosted two Pride events, Pride JA in Kingston and Montego Bay Pride. Last year, both events reported no incidents, but they are held amid a high level of secrecy and security to protect participants. “Things are changing in Jamaica, we are making slow progress,” said prominent Jamaican activist and attorney Maurice Tomlinson, 47, who spoke to the B.A.R. via Facebook from Ontario, Canada. Tomlinson lodged a constitutional challenge against the country’s buggery laws last year, pressuring Jamaican officials. The case is currently proceeding through Jamaican courts. “The last thing we need is American murder preacher,” said Tomlinson, referring to Anderson. He noted that Jamaica’s murder rate is one of the highest in the world, including LGBT homicides. “We don’t need a murder preacher coming from America at this spot where we’re making these tentative steps to kind of whip the people up into a frenzy again.” Even with recent small advances made by LGBT activists they remain skeptical the Jamaican government will heed their warnings about Anderson. “I’m not too optimistic on the government’s leadership,” said John, who hopes to warn Anderson that he will be watched. “I can hope to achieve as a national discussion a discussion that puts him on his toes if he does come,” said John,

whose broader hope is for a national conversation about foreign influence, hate speech, and LGBT rights in Jamaica. Tomlinson noted that with President Donald Trump’s win the radical right has been emboldened. “They realize that America, the American government, will not be trying to quell this kind of homophobia as it had been under another president,” he said. A statement from a State Department spokesperson and a response from a representative at the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica confirmed Tomlinson’s concerns. “We were told that the embassy does not comment on the speech statements of private citizens. They encourage the idea of free speech,” said Tomlinson. A State Department spokesperson responded similarly to global LGBT rights activists’ concerns about Jamaica, telling the Washington Blade that “the most effective antidote to offensive speech is more speech,” noting that the petition is an example of public debate, which is “critical to the health of a vibrant, pluralistic democracy.” The representative also cited U.S. human rights policy that includes protecting LGBT people. The State Department’s response was a “step in the right direction,” said Shawn Gaylord, advocacy council for the organization, but it wasn’t strong enough. Gaylord urged the department to condemn Anderson’s homophobic rhetoric ahead of his trip to Jamaica. “Pastor Anderson’s hateful and violent language needs to be met with strong and specific condemnation. It is not enough to simply say what we believe in, we must denounce those who would advocate for the persecution of vulnerable communities,” said See page 17 >>

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<< Community News

14 • Bay area reporter • January 18-24, 2018

CA traﬀic stop law unclear on LGBTs by Seth Hemmelgarn

hile a California law requires police to collect data on the perceived sexual orientation and gender identity of people involved in traffic stops, it still isn’t clear what criteria officers are supposed to use to determine whether someone’s LGBT. Assembly Bill 953 – the Racial and Identity Profiling Act of 2015 – which was authored by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), requires agencies to submit whether the officer perceives the person is transgender, among other data. The bill was intended to combat racial and identity profiling by law enforcement officials. AB 953 mandated the creation of the Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board to advise Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s office and work with law enforcement agencies. The board issued its inaugural report earlier this month. Beginning in July, law enforcement agencies will start collecting data and reporting it to the attorney general. Among other provisions, the law requires agencies to collect “the perceived race or ethnicity, gender,

Assemblywoman Shirley Weber

and approximate age of the person stopped, provided that the identification of these characteristics shall be based on the observation and perception of the peace officer making the stop, and the information shall not be requested from the person stopped.” RIPA regulations developed by Becerra’s office, law enforcement professionals, and others require officers submit data to the attorney general on “whether the officer perceives that the person is lesbian, gay,

bisexual or transgender.” “We need to move beyond the rhetoric and the entrenched positions on this issue,” said Weber in a November news release from Becerra. “It’s time for us to address bias in policing from a policymaking perspective.” Becerra stated, “Public safety is a job for all of us – our peace officers, of course, but a cooperative citizenry as well. Trust is the glue that makes the relationship between law enforcement and the community work. This new RIPA data collection and reporting process is meant to strengthen, and in some cases repair, that trust.” Asked in an email how San Francisco police officers will determine whether someone is LGBT, and whether all officers are being trained, Sergeant Michael Andraychak, a police spokesman, responded, “The department will comply with the state law. At this time, we have not determined how we will collect that data. It is likely that we will utilize the ‘App’ being developed by the attorney general’s office.” Sergeant Enrique Garcia, a San Jose police spokesman, said in an email, “We don’t have to comply with AB 953 until January 2019, at which point our department will have a policy for the requirements.” Oakland police didn’t provide a response to questions about AB 953.

Spokespeople for Weber didn’t provide comment for this story. In response to an email from the Bay Area Reporter asking how police officers are supposed to determine whether someone is LGBT, the attorney general’s office said, “The question is a Yes/No question asking officers whether they perceive a person to be LGBT. If they have such a perception, they are required to indicate it. If they do not have any such perception, then they should state no. They are not expected to guess but simply to indicate any perceptions they may have.”

San Francisco legislation

In September 2015, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed legislation meant to help gauge police interactions with trans people and others, following years of concerns about abuse of trans, black, and other communities at the hands of law enforcement. The proposal, introduced by District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen, originally would have required police and sheriff ’s officials to ask people about their gender identity, in order to track how often they were being held, but that provision was dropped when advocates worried it would have led to more harassment. The legislation called on police to report how many complaints the Office of Citizen Complaints,

which is now known as the Department of Police Accountability, says are based on gender identity or other factors. It also required officers to record the race or ethnicity, sex, and approximate age of people detained in traffic stops and other encounters. In an interview at the time her proposal was passed, Cohen said she removed the requirement that people’s gender identity data be collected at the request of LGBT groups so as “not to place transgender individuals at an increased risk for discrimination, harassment, or violence.” She said she was “a little bit disappointed” at losing the gender identity data, but “I’m not looking to create an uncomfortable environment” for trans people. Community United Against Violence, a San Francisco nonprofit that works with transgender people and others, is one of the agencies that expressed concern to Cohen about the legislation. Carolina Morales, who at the time was CUAV’s programs co-director and is now a legislative aide to District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen, said CUAV wanted gender identity dropped because it would have made “transgender and gender nonconforming people more vulnerable to violence” and “harassment from police.”t

Legislative seats

From page 1

Competitive race

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The only competitive race in the Bay Area with out candidates is the legislative contest for the open 15th Assembly District seat, which stretches from Richmond south into parts of Oakland. Among those running are lesbian Richmond City Councilwoman Jovanka Beckles, lesbian Berkeley school board member Judy Appel, and bisexual East Bay Municipal Utility District board member Andy Katz, who is vying a second time for the seat. The incumbent, Assemblyman Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond), is running to be the state’s superintendent of public instruction after serving two two-year terms in the Legislature. The race has drawn a wide field of candidates who are all angling to survive the June primary, where the top two vote-getters will face off against each other in November. Facing relatively easy bids for re-election come the fall are gay Assemblymen Evan Low (DCampbell) and Todd Gloria (DSan Diego), as they are facing token opposition from Republicans in safe Democratic districts. Lesbian Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) is also expected to easily win re-election this year to her Central Valley seat. Lesbian Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona) could face a tough re-election campaign this year, two years after ousting a Republican incumbent. The GOP has targeted Cervantes for defeat, using her vote for the state’s controversial gas tax increase against her. Republican Corona City Councilman Randy Fox, who failed in 2016 to unseat gay Congressman Mark Takano (D-Riverside), so far is the only person to pull papers to run against Cervantes. Yet it remains unclear if he will mount a bid, as in September he told a local newspaper he was “leaning more heavily” toward running for reelection to his council seat. The deadline for state legislative candidates to file for the June primary ballot is March 9.

Appel for Assembly campaign

Katz for Assembly campaign

East Bay Assembly candidate Judy Appel

East Bay Assembly candidate Andy Katz

Looking for blue wave

and one Republican who have pulled papers to challenge Nguyen, a former Orange County supervisor first elected to the state Senate in 2014. Their chances could greatly improve if Nguyen opts to run for the congressional seat held by Republican Ed Royce, who announced earlier this month he would not seek re-election. And Joy Silver, a lesbian expert on aging issues, is running for the state’s 28th Senate District seat, currently held by Senator Jeff Stone (R-La Quinta), one of the most anti-LGBT members of the Statehouse. The Palm Springs resident, who formerly served on the board of the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco and was in town last week to fundraise for her campaign, told the Bay Area Reporter she was inspired to seek political office for the first time following the election of Trump, as she had worked hard to elect former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The remaining four lesbian candidates all face tough odds as they are running against Republican incumbents. But they could ride a blue wave of voter discontent with President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans this year to surprise electoral wins. In Placer County former San Jose resident Jackie Smith is running to oust freshman Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Granite Bay) from his 6th District seat. She moved with her wife, Darlene Smith, to Rocklin six years ago and founded the LGBT political group Placer Stonewall Democrats. In San Diego, lesbian real estate agent Sunday Gover, who lives with her partner and their four children in Scripps Ranch, is running against Assemblyman Brian Maienschein (R-San Diego). The former San Diego city councilman was first elected to his 77th Assembly District seat in 2012 and has been very supportive of LGBT legislation over the last six years. Lesbian former Long Beach City Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske is seeking the 34th Senate District seat, which is largely based in Orange County but includes Schipske’s former council district in the Los Angeles County beach community. A lawyer, registered nurse, and a faculty member at Cal State Long Beach, Schipske is running to unseat Senator Janet Nguyen (R-Garden Grove). She is one of three Democrats

See page 17 >>

Seeing in the Dark will return

Seeing in the Dark columnist Belo Cipriani is taking a few months off to focus on his doctorate program. He anticipates resuming his monthly column in June.

Sports>>

January 18-24, 2018 • Bay area reporter • 15

Sin City Classic still fun, despite legal dispute by Roger Brigham

he legal dispute over ownership of the Sin City Classic LGBT multi-sport festival does not appear to have cast a major pall over the event held during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in Las Vegas. No, the wristbands weren’t good for a 20 percent restaurant discount the way they were in the past. Yes, it was a bit hard for some to get the daytime “gay vibe” of past festivals, back when a smaller host hotel meant a more concentrated “critical” mass of athletes. And yeah, the logistics for some sports were a bit more difficult. But the meet-and-greets were as joyous as ever as athletes from across the country reconnected, and the parties were lively. Private mediation in the Greater Los Angeles Softball Association’s federal court case against former event director Eric Ryan was initially supposed to have been completed by December 18, but the parties requested and received a

court-ordered extension to January 31. A joint report on the mediation is to be filed by February 9. “Sin City Classic was fun,” local runner Reggie Snowden told the Bay Area Reporter. “This year I attended the registration event on Thursday evening to kick it off at the Linq Hotel and there was great energy. I helped distribute race packets and met a lot of runners and participants of other sporting events. Dodgeball was on one side of us and flag football was on the other. This was one of my favorite parts of the event because we saw all other sports in attendance under one roof.” Snowden, 52, said the event is a great start for the season for local runners planning to run later in the Pride Track and Field Meet in San Francisco in early summer and then the Gay Games in Paris in August. “As for the LGBT running calendar, this event is perfect timing to start the year,” said Snowden, who competed in the road races in Vegas. “Personally, I won’t be on the track until March and will

courtesy Reggie Snowden

Some of the road runners from SF FrontRunners who raced in the Sin City Classic, were, left to right: Alex Soejarto, Michael DeLeon, Michael Hipolito, Colin Gallagher, and Carlos Groth.

continue with another 5K for the Kaiser Permanente on February 4 before transitioning to the track. I cannot train on the track more than five months in a row as I’ve gotten older and I need to protect my knees and hips. Training with FrontRunners gives me the endurance I need to get through multiple events on the track.”

Snowden may not be competing on track right now, but he plans on a solid slate of events at the Gay Games. “I will plan on doing the 100meter hurdles, 400-meter intermediate hurdles, long jump, and triple jump,” he said. “As for relays, I will also compete on the 4x100 relay and possibly the 4x400. This is why

I will continue building and maintaining my endurance by training with FrontRunners to establish a strong foundation to get through the year.” San Francisco FrontRunner top age-group finishers in the Sin City road races included winners Colin Gallagher, Bob Calliori, and Snowden in the 5-kilometer; Michael Hipolito first in the 10K; Mike DeLeon second in the 10K; and Hipolito, second in the 5K. Snowden said the Sin City highlights for him were the opening party, helping out with the 10K race, and closing party. “The opening evening where participants for all of the events were together in the ballroom was pretty exciting,” he said. “I met athletes I haven’t met before from other sports such as dodgeball and flag football, watching the wrestlers was awesome, and most of all passing out goodie bags to the runners and meeting them also was a thrill.” For information on SF FrontRunners, visit http://www.sffr. org. For registration for the Gay Games in Paris, visit http://www. paris2018.com. t

AIDS advocate, researcher Dr. Mathilde Krim dies

Best Wedding Photographer as voted by BAR readers

by Liz Highleyman

r. Mathilde Krim, a pioneering medical researcher and advocate for people living with HIV/ AIDS, died at her home on Long Island, New York, Monday, January 15. She was 91. Dr. Krim, who became involved in AIDS research and activism in the early years of the epidemic, was the founding chairperson of amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Bill Clinton. “Dr. Krim devoted her life to ending the AIDS epidemic, standing up against misinformation and discrimination,” said San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO Joe Hollendoner. “Our progress would not have been possible without Dr. Krim’s leadership of the scientific and philanthropic responses to the HIV pandemic.” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), lauded Dr. Krim’s work. “Dr. Krim’s groundbreaking research helped overcome the prejudice-fueled fears and misconceptions rife in the early years in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” Pelosi said in a statement. “Inspired by the incredible strength of men and women fighting HIV/AIDS, she moved beyond the lab to become an outspoken, fearless champion against homophobia and AIDSrelated stigma.” In the early 1980s, Dr. Krim was among the first scientists to take an interest in the vexing new disease and to recognize its epidemic potential. Along with Dr. Joseph Sonnabend and others, she founded the AIDS Medical Foundation in 1983, which merged with Elizabeth Taylor’s National AIDS Research Foundation to become the American Foundation for AIDS Research. She served as amfAR’s board chair for more than a decade before stepping down for health reasons in 2005. Over the years amfAR has raised more than $500 million for HIV/AIDS research. In addition to her scientific efforts, Dr. Krim, a straight ally, was also involved in raising public awareness and fighting stigma around AIDS, as well as promoting safer sex and needle exchange, advocating for HIV prevention and care for people who use drugs, and championing gay rights.

Courtesy amfAR

Dr. Mathilde Krim

“I have no doubt that I owe my life in part to Dr. Mathilde Krim,” said former ACT UP/San Francisco member Waiyde Palmer. “Her leadership in the fight to end AIDS, stop discrimination, confront an indifferent and ineffective governmental response to the pandemic, and her unflappable courage from the earliest days of the disease to the end of her days on this planet were “sheroic.’” Dr. Krim worked with ACT UP, the Treatment Action Group, and other activists to expand access and lower the cost of early HIV medications. She testified before Congress for increased funding for AIDS research and services and hosted numerous fundraisers for amfAR, TAG, and other organizations. “We have lost an inspirational, tireless, and catalytic leader of our movement,” said TAG executive director Mark Harrington. “Dr. Krim understood the gravity of the epidemic in its earliest and darkest days, and was driven by her own remarkable intelligence, fierce commitment to civil rights and social justice, extraordinary social and political networks, and true grit to galvanize funders, scientists, policy leaders, and activists toward a single cause: ending HIV and AIDS as a threat to humanity.”

Early life

Dr. Krim was born Mathilde Galland on July 9, 1926 in Como, Italy, and grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, during World War II. She would later say that her dedication to fighting injustice was sparked by seeing

news footage of Nazi concentration camps. Dr. Krim studied biology at the University of Geneva, earning her Ph.D. in 1953. There she met David Danon, a Jewish student who was a member of the Zionist paramilitary group Irgun, and she recalled smuggling guns for fighters in Britishruled Palestine. She married Danon, converted to Judaism, and moved to Israel, where she studied cancercausing viruses at the Weizmann Institute of Science. In 1958, after divorcing Danon, Dr. Krim married New York entertainment lawyer Arthur Krim, chair of United Artists and founder of Orion Pictures, as well as chair of the Democratic National Finance Committee and a presidential adviser. Not satisfied with the life of a New York City society hostess, Dr. Krim joined the research staff at Cornell University Medical School. She later moved to the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, where she led research on interferon, an immune-based therapy used in the treatment of cancer and viral hepatitis. After starting the AIDS Medical Foundation, Dr. Krim found her time increasingly spent on fundraising and she gave up biomedical research to devote herself full-time to the cause. Following the development of effective combination treatment in the mid-1990s, the organization refocused on HIV cure research. “[Dr. Krim’s] discoveries with interferon continue to inform us to this day and her work creating what would become amfAR are a vital part of our search for a cure,” Dr. Paul Volberding, director of the UCSF AIDS Research Institute and the amfAR Institute for HIV Cure Research, told the Bay Area Reporter. “She was a true pioneer – a scientist and an activist and brilliant at both.” Dr. Krim’s work as a scientist and advocate was widely lauded by the HIV/AIDS community. “For people living with HIV/ AIDS of a certain age, Mathilde Krim was a hero. I don’t know how many people in their 20s, 30s, or even 40s know her name or what she did in the fight against this disease, her work in the civil rights, anti-apartheid, and gay rights movements,” said longtime AIDS activist Gregg Gonsalves.

“She was never afraid to speak out, to use her privilege and position to advocate for people with HIV/AIDS, to push for syringe exchange and the rights of people who use drugs, and to combat the homophobia and racism that fueled the epidemic. She went after

political leaders who ignored us – she had our backs.” Dr. Krim is survived by her daughter Daphna Krim, two grandchildren, and a sister. Donations in her memory may be made to amfAR (http://www.amfar. org/). t

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<< Community News

16 • Bay area reporter • January 18-24, 2018

Sex workers

From page 2

The police chief said that in addition to documenting information in a police report, officers would refer sex workers who report violent crimes to community resources and the DA’s Victim Services Division. A DA’s memo to the agency’s staff said people suspected of being involved in the sex trade won’t be prosecuted when they’re victims or

Google

Lesbian judge

From page 1

Democrat, to the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge James P. Collins. It came two years after Caffese had applied to be considered for a judicial appointment. It also came two months after the retirement of lesbian Judge Nancy Davis, who had first won election to the San Francisco bench in 2002. She stepped down effective September 21.

Judicial data

Caffese’s appointment means the number of gay and lesbian jurists on the local bench remains at its historic high of eight. As of this month, there are five lesbians and three gay men on the San Francisco court, based on a list compiled by the B.A.R. According to the annual report released by the California Administrative Office of the Courts on the diversity of the judiciary, including on the sexual orientation and gender identity makeup of the state bench, the San Francisco Superior Court first reported having

‘Bubbles’

From page 1

the New Century with some of his belongings. The man, who didn’t want his name published out of fear of recrimination, said that he’d heard Torres yelling for someone to call the police, then three to four shots being fired. He said he’d then seen a man running up O’Farrell Street, which is just south of the scene. He didn’t see a gun. The man didn’t respond to a text message Tuesday asking if the photo

or in the future,” the memo said. In last week’s announcement, Gascón stated, “If we fail to prioritize this population’s health and safety they will not come forward and work with law enforcement as witnesses and victims of violence. Ultimately, unreported crimes and criminals pose a threat to everyone’s public safety.” Police and prosecutors will work with the sheriff’s department and community groups on a training program to ensure the policy’s

From page 12

inclusiveness, YouTube released a documentary on trans content creator Gigi Gorgeous on its YouTube Red channel. YouTube also claims that when LGBTQ creators raise concerns around demonetization, it has done research and found no instances of bias. And, in almost all cases, the creators voicing concerns were seeing only a handful of videos being flagged, against hundreds of videos on their channels that were monetizing just fine. This would be a rate consistent with creators across the platform, the reps said. YouTube further claims that it is constantly evaluating its systems to ensure they are enforcing policies without any bias, and in repeated tests to evaluate bias of any kind, bias has not been found, according to the reps. Beyond that, the team that does manual reviews of appealed

witnesses of the violent crimes that Scott listed, and people won’t be prosecuted “for uncharged offenses” involving sex work and misdemeanor drug offenses when reporting violent crimes. “Information gathered from a victim or witness of a violent crime who is engaged in sex work or other forms of sex trade including trafficked persons will not be used in any manner to investigate and prosecute that person, during the course of the investigation

Women’s Building

From page 11

year. Also in the pipeline is granting city landmark status to seven LGBT historic sites the planning department first identified in August of 2016 but has yet to find the

Cameron Stiehl, left, and Celso Dulay prepare for a toast in episode 103 of GNews, which is shown on YouTube.

“implemented in a manner that furthers the goal of the reporting of violent crime by persons engaged in sex work and other forms of sex trade including trafficked persons,” the DA’s memo said. Johanna Breyer, executive director of St. James Infirmary, an occupational health and safety clinic that offers free medical care and other services to sex workers, stated last week, “Our hope for this policy is to reduce the harm experienced by sex workers,

in particular, women of color and transgender women engaged in the sex trades, who have no protections when reporting violence, or experience mistreatment at the hands of law enforcement.” Minouche Kandel, director of women’s policy at the Department on the Status of Women, said that the policy is “a major step toward addressing violence against women wary of contacting law enforcement because of their criminalized status.”t

viewed by 2,200 people. The following two episodes of GNews, episodes 102 and 103, have since been posted at YouTube and were boosted without issue. Episode 102 has received 8,000 views, while 103 is currently up to 4,700 views. “We’re cautiously optimistic that our conversation with senior Google executives helped shine a light on the incident of LGBT discrimination we experienced on December 29 while trying to promote our holiday show,” Knight said in a statement to the B.A.R. “The call with the floor manager in the Google AdWords’ call center is not one of our favorite memories.” Knight urged other content creators to speak up when they face these kinds of issues. “Speak out, act quickly, and do not let incidents like this lie in an age where resistance is necessary to fight back against anti-discriminatory roll-backs,” he said. “As a result of

more pressure on internet providers and tech platforms like Facebook, Google, and Twitter to patrol their news feeds and content by adding more humans into the process there will surely be more issues with humans discriminating against other humans. With net neutrality and other legal protections to a free internet being threatened, it’s more important than ever that all voices be heard, and that we’re all ready to stand up to battle for vital pillars of our democracy.” Knight said that moving forward, episodes of GNews would be posted on Facebook, in addition to YouTube. In GNews’ 103rd episode the B.A.R. was thanked for the previous coverage given to the incident. t

Caffese’s judicial seat, number 13, will be on the June primary ballot if she draws an opponent by the March 9 filing deadline. Two other out judges’ seats are also scheduled for the same election – lesbian Judge Angela Bradstreet’s Seat 2 and gay Judge Roger Chan’s Seat 3. Bradstreet has served on the local bench since being appointed by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2010, while Chan received a judicial appointment from Brown in 2016, becoming the first known LGBT person of color to serve on the San Francisco bench. There are a total of 13 judges whose seats on the San Francisco court are up in June. If no one runs against them, then the judges’ names will not appear on the primary ballot, and all will be automatically elected following the November 6 election. According to the elections department, none of the judges have yet to be opposed. “I am hoping I will not be the first,” Caffese said when asked about the possibility of having to run for the seat. t

To watch GNews episodes and to subscribe to its YouTube channel, visit https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UC7hq3vVmGiCeypwAMdacRLA.

videos goes through extensive training to understand how they should apply the advertiser content guidelines. YouTube knows these reviews are important to creators and their

revenue, so they strive to review as many videos as humanly possible, as quickly as possible, the reps said. The GNews Christmas show has since been boosted and has been

eight out jurists, four lesbians and four gay men, on the report released in 2017. The data covered the makeup of the state bench as of December 31, 2016 and marked an increase of one from the seven gay or lesbian judges counted in the report released two years ago. For the reports released between 2015 and 2012, there had been a total of six gay or lesbian judges on the San Francisco bench. According to the 2017 report, there were 47 LGBT trial court judges out of 1,584 on the state bench as of the close of 2016. It reported that, for the first time since the LGBT data started being collected in 2011, there were two bisexual judges serving on trial courts, one in San Bernardino and one in San Joaquin counties. (The report does not identify the names of the judges, as the demographic data is reported anonymously.) The state continues to have just one out trans judge, Victoria Kolakowski, who serves on the Alameda County bench and is married to B.A.R. news editor Cynthia Laird. San Francisco had the second

most LGBT judges, with Los Angeles having the most at 11, three lesbian and eight gay judges. All seven of the state’s Supreme Court justices at the time identified as heterosexual – one has since left the bench and the B.A.R. last week called on Brown to appoint an LGBT person to the seat – while just two lesbians and one gay man were serving on the state’s courts of appeal: two in the First District and one in the Fourth District. Two more out judges joined the roster of trial court judges when Brown announced a host of judicial appointments December 22. Joel S. Agron, 49, a gay resident of Whitewater, was appointed to a judgeship on the San Bernardino County Superior Court, where he had been serving as a commissioner since 2016. Susan J. De Witt, 56, a lesbian resident of Pasadena, was appointed to a judgeship on the Los Angeles County Superior Court. She had served as senior litigation counsel at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California since 2015, where she had been an

assistant U.S. Attorney since 1997. De Witt earned her Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, while Agron earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where Caffese also earned her law degree. All three judges are registered Democrats.

of Nguyen matched the person he’d seen running up O’Farrell. A man who answered the phone Tuesday at the New Century said he didn’t recognize Nguyen’s name. The man, who didn’t give his name, said he didn’t have time to discuss the case but he said the club’s manager would be in later, after the Bay Area Reporter’s deadline. He hung up the phone when asked for the manager’s contact information. Email and Facebook messages to the club weren’t returned. Marke Bieschke, a gay longtime San Francisco journalist, DJ, and

bar co-owner who knew Torres for almost 20 years, said in September that Torres had been planning to go to strip clubs the night he was shot “to model swim suits” that he’d made. Bieschke, who used gender-neutral pronouns for Torres, described his friend as “a very sweet and gentle person at heart” who freely doled out hugs and frozen-treats. However, Torres was also “very unfiltered in what they said.” In the days before his death, Torres had been standing on street corners with an amplifier and a

microphone, “loudly telling people on the street” what he thought of them, whether they were “cute,” or they were “assholes” for ignoring him, said Bieschke. “You agreed with Bubbles in most of the cases,” he said, adding, “I never saw any kind of physical altercation or evidence of that.” Asked just after Torres’ death whether it was being investigated as a hate crime, Officer Robert Rueca, a police spokesman, said, “At this time we don’t have evidence” that’s what it was, but “if we receive information that that’s part of what

happened in this incident, then definitely we’re going to pursue that.” The warrant for Nguyen was issued with a bail of $15 million. Nguyen was identified as the suspect after an investigation by the San Francisco Police Department Homicide Detail. Anyone with information on Nguyen’s whereabouts may call the SFPD’s 24-hour tip line at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with “SFPD.” t

resources to work on their applications. The list includes 710 Montgomery Street, formerly home to gay bar the Black Cat, and 440 Broadway, once the site of lesbian bar Mona’s 440 Club. Two buildings that served as headquarters for early LGBT rights groups are on the list: 689-93

Mission Street, known as the Williams Building, where both the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis first met, and 83 Sixth Street, the early home of the Society of Individual Rights. The other three locations are 101 Taylor Street, where transgender and queer patrons of Gene

Compton’s Cafeteria rioted in the mid 1960s; 1001 Potrero Avenue, which houses Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital’s Ward 86 AIDS clinic, the first of its kind in the country; and 623 Valencia Street, which houses Community Thrift, a secondhand store that raises money for LGBT nonprofits

and others founded by the Tavern Guild, the country’s first gay business association. A copy of the application for the Women’s Building can be downloaded online at http:// com m i s s i on s . s f p l a n n i n g . org / hpcpackets/2017-015684FED. pdf.t

Special resonance

Being appointed to the bench by Brown carries special resonance for Caffese as the governor toward the end of his second term in 1983 appointed Herbert Donaldson as the first out gay judge in the state. Donaldson was a mentor to Caffese as well as a close friend and her neighbor near San Francisco’s Duboce Triangle neighborhood. “Really, it is an incredibly humbling time. It is important for me to say that. I know Herbert is looking down and being supportive too,” said Caffese, who also thanked Brown for being supportive of a fair justice system that reflects the state’s diverse population. “We don’t know how lucky we are to have Governor Brown, who supports inclusion and diversity.”

t <<

Community News>>

Out in the World

From page 13

Gaylord. “Anderson would have Jamaica’s LGBT community eradicated, the United States needs to clearly let the Jamaican people know that he does not represent American ideals.”

Jamaica’s response

Late last week, Jamaica’s Ministry of Labor and Social Security issued a warning to Anderson in an indirect response to the country’s LGBT community. The ministry made it clear that Anderson will need to observe Jamaican

Legislative seats

From page 14

“Absolutely,” said Silver when asked if Trump’s victory pushed her to run. She added that Stone’s Senate district is “much more progressive than it is thought to be, and Democrats have a reason to vote this year.” She said her ability to win would come down to getting her supporters to vote, noting that the difference between registered Democratic and Republican voters in the district is less than 3 percent. “It is all in the turnout,” said Silver. In speaking to her local

Political Notebook

From page 7

progressive LGBTQ political club threw its support behind District 6 supervisor candidate Matt Haney, a straight man on the city’s school board, and gay District 8 supervisor candidate Rafael Mandelman, a member of the City College board running to oust appointed Supervisor Jeff Sheehy from the seat. Both Sheehy, who is the board’s first openly HIV-positive

January 18-24, 2018 • Bay area reporter • 17

laws by obtaining a work permit or be sponsored by a government-recognized religious organization to conduct missionary work, the Jamaican Observer reported January 13. Without the permit or authorized sponsorship, Anderson will be barred from entering Jamaica on an official religious mission. Anderson stated on a radio show last week that he didn’t have a work permit, reported the newspaper. He said that he would practice “street evangelism on a one-on-one basis.” He also emphasized that the purpose of his visit wasn’t to discuss homosexuality.

If Anderson enters Jamaica and breaks the law, he faces a fine up to half a million Jamaican dollars or prison time, the minister stated. “We want this man on the radar of the government. We don’t want him to come, but if he does come we want him to be on their radar and make sure that he’s heavily watched. Anytime he incites violence, he is promptly dispatched,” said Tomlinson. Ultimately, John hopes the change. org petition and Jamaican officials’ response sends a message to others like Anderson and to the LGBT community. He hopes it “deters fundamentals

newspaper, the Press Tribune, Smith said she is also hoping to see a large Democratic turnout sweep her to victory this year. “If you could turn Alabama, we could turn it here,” said Smith, referring to the victory last month in the Southern state by Democrat Doug Jones in a special election for a U.S Senate seat. The number of out state legislative candidates in California varies every two-year election cycle depending on how many open seats there are, as incumbent lawmakers often do not draw serious opponents. It is also influenced by how many members of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus are

running for re-election or a seat in the other legislative chamber in any given year. Of the 80 Assembly seats up for grabs this year, six are expected to feature no incumbent running. And only six of the 20 contests for the even-numbered state Senate seats will be open due to the current occupants being ineligible to run because of term limits. Assembly members run every two years for re-election, while state Senators serve four-year terms. The list of out candidates could grow should LGBT contenders enter the special elections for three Assembly seats due to the resignations of a trio of male lawmakers,

member, and Mandelman are former presidents of the Milk club. Mia Satya, a transgender woman who works for the LGBT Community Center’s economic development program, also secured the club’s early backing in her bid for a seat on the board overseeing the San Francisco Unified School District. The District 8 supervisor election will be on the June ballot, as Mandelman and Sheehy are running to serve out the remainder of

gay former supervisor Scott Wiener’s term, which expires in early January 2019. Wiener resigned after being elected to the state Senate in November 2016. The two candidates are also expected to compete for a full four-year term on the board in the November election. The fall ballot will also include the contest for three school board seats and the race for the open District 6 supervisor seat, as the incumbent, Jane Kim, is barred from

from seeing us as a place where they can spread their seed of hate,” he said. “We are moving forward,” John said. “We’re willing to have this discussion. There are people here who are willing to stand on the opposite side of fundamentalism.” t To sign the petition, visit http:// www.change.org/p/governmentof-jamaica-stop-american-hatepreacher-from-entering-jamaica. Got international LGBT news tips? Call or send them to Heather Cassell at Skype: heather.cassell or oitwnews@gmail.com.

one for health reasons and two for allegations of sexual harassment. One factor for why the number of gay male candidates is so low this year is due to the dearth of out Republicans running for statehouse seats. All of the out male and female candidates running this year are Democrats. California Log Cabin Republicans’ chairman Matthew Craffey, who unsuccessfully ran for a Los Angeles-area Assembly seat in 2016, told the Bay Area Reporter this week that the LGBT GOP political group had “no legislative candidates running this time that I’m aware of.” t

running again due to term limits. t Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion, returns Monday, January 22. Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes. Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or email m.bajko@ebar.com.

We are the future of the LGBT community. “The world still has its challenges but things are getting better. From the way we first met on line to marriage equality to our daughter’s upcoming Quinceañera our life together is more fulfilling every day. We keep up with events and entertainment on EDGE, because that’s where we see our future at its brightest.”

Legal Notices>> PUBLIC NOTICE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-553481

In the matter of the application of: LEAH KATHLEEN RANDOLPH, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner LEAH KATHLEEN RANDOLPH, is requesting that the name LEAH KATHLEEN RANDOLPH, be changed to LEAH KATHLEEN CONDER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 514, Dept. 514 on the 23rd of January 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 28, 2017; JAN 04, 11, 18, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037876800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DMB REGISTRATION SERVICE, 5190 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARTHA PATRICIA BENITEZ CASTREJON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/04/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/04/17.

DEC 28, 2017; JAN 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037876400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: REVEL & ROUGE, 1616 16TH ST #370, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAVA GUTHMILLER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/04/17.

DEC 28, 2017; JAN 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037914300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FLOWER CART, 2 MONTGOMERY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed VALERIE CHIENG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/26/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/26/17.

DEC 28, 2017; JAN 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037910600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TOWNSHIP 31, 1629 JERROLD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ARWYN MOONRISE KOLTUNIAK. 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 12/22/17.

DEC 28, 2017; JAN 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037901200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MS SF LEATHER; MS SAN FRANCISCO LEATHER, 270 BAYVIEW CIRCLE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SALEAL HOPKINS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/13/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/18/17.

DEC 28, 2017; JAN 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037906600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JIKA RAMEN & GOLD CURRY SUSHI, 3925 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JIALING WANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/20/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/20/17.

DEC 28, 2017; JAN 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037896000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CREATIVE MEDIA, 389 OAK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ORIEL NAGEL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/08/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/12//17.

DEC 28, 2017; JAN 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037900200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MIND FU MEDIA, 29 GROVE ST #340, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JAMES BEACH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/15/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/15/17.

DEC 28, 2017; JAN 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037904000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TENA PRO NAILS, 2717 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed BICH NGOC THI NGUYEN & LAN THUY THANH LE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/19/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/19/17.

DEC 28, 2017; JAN 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037878700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HELLOSIGN; HELLOFAX, 301 HOWARD ST #200, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JN PROJECTS INC. (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/05/17.

DEC 28, 2017; JAN 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037909600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SOTHA SAING, 291 PUTNAM ST #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SIMKEINASO, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/22/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/22/17.

DEC 28, 2017; JAN 04, 11, 18, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037874900

The people depicted here are models. Their image is being used for illustrative purposes only.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SHELTON CAPITOL MANAGEMENT, 455 MARKET ST #1600, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a limited partnership, and is signed RFS PARTNERS, LP (GP OF CCM PARTNERS). 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 12/01/17.

DEC 28, 2017; JAN 04, 11, 18, 2017

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

18 • Bay area reporter • January 18-24, 2018

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037905200

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037917900

DEC 28, 2017; JAN 04, 11, 18, 2017 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036982900

JAN 11, 18, 25, FEB 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037932100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GLOSS NAIL BAR, 702 LARKIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed STRAND SF LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/19/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/19/17.

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: SPARC, 123 10TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by NOPARC, INC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/09/16.

DEC 28, 2017; JAN 04, 11, 18, 2017 NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF CLIFFORD BARBANELL AND HARRIET BARBANELL BY TRUSTEES, CYNTHIA B. SILVERSTEIN AND GREGG S. BARBANELL COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO

Notice is hereby given to the creditors and contingent creditors of the above-named decedents that all persons having claims against the decedents are required to mail or deliver a copy to CYNTHIA B. SILVERSTEIN and GREGG S. BARBANELL, as Trustees of the BARBANELL FAMILY TRUST dated March 2, 2001, wherein the decedents were the Trustors, at 23 Ralston Road, Atherton, California 94027-3912, within the later of four months after January 4, 2018 (the date of the first publication of Notice to Creditors) or, if Notice is mailed or personally delivered to you, sixty (60) days after the date this Notice is mailed or personally delivered to you, or you must petition to file a late claim as provided in Section 19103 of the Probate Code. A claim form may be obtained from the court clerk. For your protection, you are encouraged to file your claim by certified mail, with return receipt requested. Trustees: CYNTHIA B. SILVERSTEIN and GREGG S. BARBANELL Address: 23 Ralston Road, Atherton, California 940273912

JAN 04, 11, 18, 25, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037917400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAILEY’S PROTECTIVE & SECURITY SERVICES, 247 NELSON AVE, PACIFICA, CA 94044. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed STEVEN RAY BAILEY. 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 12/27/17.

JAN 04, 11, 18, 25, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037918900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SHERESE ELSEY PHOTOGRAPHY, 2230 MISSION ST #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SHERESE ELSEY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/28/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/28/17.

JAN 04, 11, 18, 25, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037923700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MANI PEDI PLUS, 1447 20TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TRANG MY THI DOAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/18 The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/02/18.

JAN 04, 11, 18, 25, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037919600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MOREWOOD VENTURES, 175 BLUXOME ST #207, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DANNY HAO-YEI LIN. 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 12/28/17.

JAN 04, 11, 18, 25, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037920400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE BAY AREA TEAM; BAY AREA TEAM, 1699 VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PACIFIC UNION INTERNATIONAL, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/29/17.

JAN 04, 11, 18, 25, 2018

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GO GO TRAVELER, 912 COLE ST #131, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LISA ZAMARIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/27/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/28/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JIE YING, 3751 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SHUYING WU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/08/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/18.

JAN 11, 18, 25, FEB 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037933400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LUIS GARNICA MAINTENANCE SERVICES, 388 BEALE ST #1309, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSE LUIS GARNICA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/04/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/18.

JAN 11, 18, 25, FEB 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037931000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JOVAN & BROTHERS BUILDING MAINTENANCE, 235 SANTA BARBARA AVE, DALY CITY, CA 94014. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOVAN BUENROSTRO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/23/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/05/18.

JAN 11, 18, 25, FEB 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037914500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TESSA MARIE, 2845 VAN NESS AVE #504, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TESSA VIKE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/20/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/26/17.

JAN 11, 18, 25, FEB 01, 2018, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037926900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ON TOP TAX, 4348 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROBERT EDWARDS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/13/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/03/18.

JAN 11, 18, 25, FEB 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037927000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BUBBLE LOUNGE LAUNDROMAT, 1811 FULTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JEREMY PAZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/03/18.

JAN 11, 18, 25, FEB 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037908800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LEDA LAW FIRM; LIFSCHITZ, EZRIN, DARSKY & ALIOTO, 345 FRANKLIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LOELL, P.C. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/21/17.

JAN 11, 18, 25, FEB 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037929600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES, 109 BARTLETT ST #302, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SCOTT S. WILSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/04/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/04/18.

JAN 11, 18, 25, FEB 01, 2018

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037924100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 415 DESIGN+BUILD; 415 MAINTENANCE; 763 25TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed 415 DESIGN+BUILD (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/02/18.

JAN 11, 18, 25, FEB 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037906400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TORCH LEADERSHIP LABS, 383 RHODE ISLAND #201, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed REDFISH LABS, INC. (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/15/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/20/17.

JAN 11, 18, 25, FEB 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037931100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PAPI’S SF, 425 A HAYES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PAPI’S SF, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/05/18.

JAN 11, 18, 25, FEB 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037931800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAY BRIDGE SPIRITS; BEAR MOON SPIRITS, 849 AVE D, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94130. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TREEHOUSE CRAFT DISTILLERY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/05/18.

JAN 11, 18, 25, FEB 01, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037672500

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: 415 DESIGN+BUILD, 763 25TH AVE, SF, CA 94121. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by KENNETH CROMPTON. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/07/17.

JAN 11, 18, 25, FEB 01, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037314900

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: CROMPTON CONSTRUCTION, 763 25TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by KENNETH CROMPTON. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/19/16.

JAN 11, 18, 25, FEB 01, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037921100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SIT STAY SF, 854 54TH ST, OAKLAND, CA 94608. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALTHEA S. KARWOWSKI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/11/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/29/17.

JAN 18, 25, FEB 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037936800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOLDEN STATE ROAD SERVICE, 156 9TH ST, RICHMOND, CA 94801. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JAYSON FULLER BRYANT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/05/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/18.

JAN 18, 25, FEB 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037910700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RMS ASSOCIATES, 850 POWELL ST #502, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RICHARD SCHLACKMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/22/17.

JAN 18, 25, FEB 01, 08, 2018

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AVENUE, 3361 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCICO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BING CONSULTING SERVICES (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/12//18.

JAN 18, 25, FEB 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037946700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NOKTURNAL, 708 POLK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed S.A.K. BARS, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/12/18.

JAN 18, 25, FEB 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037943100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MANAGEMENT, 2549 NORIEGA ST, #203, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ZMX CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/11/18.

JAN 18, 25, FEB 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037934600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE SUPPLY CLOSET, 501 CESAR CHAVEZ ST #100C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JD BERGLUND GROUP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/21/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ARMOUR FENCE, 2900 BRODERICK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JD BERGLUND GROUP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/08/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/18.

JAN 18, 25, FEB 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037939400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FITNESS SF SOMA, 1001 BRANNAN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BRANNAN STREET FITNESS INC. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/13/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/10/18.

JAN 18, 25, FEB 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037916100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALL STATES BEST FOODS, 1607 20TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ALEES CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/27/17.

JAN 18, 25, FEB 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037916000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DAVE’S FOOD MARKET, 1601 20TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ALEES CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/27/17.

JAN 18, 25, FEB 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037934900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BLAZE TRADERS, 815 TERESITA BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed ABHINAV SANSON & SHARIKA SANSON. 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 01/08/18.

JAN 18, 25, FEB 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037940300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DOBBS FERRY, 409 GOUGH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed DIABLO RESTAURANT GROUP LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/10//18.

JAN 18, 25, FEB 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037934800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SIZZLING POT KING, 139 8TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed GAN XIANG YU LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/08/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/18.

JAN 18, 25, FEB 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037922300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PAPI RICO, 544 CASTRO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed RY & RIC LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/29/17.

JAN 18, 25, FEB 01, 08, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037938600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CLOCKWISE, 1067 MARKET ST #1018, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LOCKBOX ESCAPES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/09/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/18.

JAN 18, 25, FEB 01, 08, 2018

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NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below. You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/ selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. The name and address of the court is: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, 400 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102, The name, address, and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney, or the plaintiff without an attorney, is: Lawrence M. Scancarelli Esq., 220 Bush Street, Suite 1650, San Francisco, CA 94104 08/26/16, Clerk of the Court by Madonna Caranto, Deputy.

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SUMMONS SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: ALL PERSONS CLAIMING BY, THROUGH OR UNDER THE STONECREST CORPORATION, A DISSOLVED CORPORATION, ALL PERSONS UNKNOWN, CLAIMING ANY LEGAL OR EQUITABLE RIGHT, TITLE, ESTATE, LIEN, OR INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN THE COMPLAINT ADVERSE TO PLAINTIFFS’ TITLE, OR ANY CLOUD ON PLAINTIFF’ TITLE HERETO, AND DOES 1 THROUGH 10, YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF’S JOHN E. HADELER AND AILEEN N. WATANABE CASE NO. CGC-16-553913

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THANK YOU ST. JUDE May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved and preserved throughout the world now and forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. St. Jude, worker of miracles, pray for us. St. Jude, helper of the hopeless, pray for us. Say prayer nine time a day for nine days. Thank you Jesus and St. Jude for prayers answered. Publication must be promised. B.K.

Risk group

Latin lessons

Vertigo dreams

Oscar hopes

Vol. 48 • No. 03 • January 18-24, 2018

www.ebar.com/arts

San Francisco Opera announces 2018-19 season

recent conversation with San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock centered on the announcement this week of repertory in the Company’s 2018-19 Season. The chat offered interesting highlights of the productions and confirmed our impression of the young leader’s (early 40s) encouraging executive and artistic viewpoint. Well-spoken (Oxford and Amherst), with confidence See page 20 >>

“Pagliacci,” here seen in the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège production, will open the San Francisco Opera’s 2018-19 season on a double bill with “Cavalleria Rusticana.”

(Mis)representing

Hump days

by David-Elijah Nahmod

Hump! fest films “are united by a shared spirit of sex positivity.”

Courtesy the artist

Courtesy Hump!

by Sari Staver porn festival for people who don’t like pornography? That’s how syndicated sex columnist Dan Savage describes the Hump! Film Festival, the 13th annual event coming to San Francisco’s Victoria Theater, Jan. See page 22 >>

Jacques Croisier

by Philip Campbell

onight (Jan. 18) the GLBT Historical Society will explore how queer people have been portrayed on screen. Gay film historian Jim Van Buskirk will show trailers from queer-themed films and lead a discus-

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

sion on how each film depicts queers. The evening begins at 7 p.m. at the GLBT History Museum in the Castro. Films to be discussed include “The Children’s Hour” (1962), in which Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn play schoolteachers falsely accused of being a lesbian couple; and See page 24 >>

<< Out There

20 • Bay area reporter • January 18-24, 2018

Questioning marriage equality by Roberto Friedman

n his cover story in the January issue of Harper’s magazine entitled “The Future of Queer – a manifesto,” queer essayist/novelist Fenton Johnson argues that legalized gay marriage in the US has damaged our gay culture. It’s a somewhat counterintuitive claim, so let’s unpack it a bit. Johnson maintains that extending marital rights to same-sex couples is “a landmark civil rights victory but a subcultural defeat.” He sees it as a political setback, since the “backlash from the marriage victory has delayed indefinitely the passage of federal employment and housing protections for LGBT people, protections long supported by a majority of voters.” But mostly the essay attempts to defend non-heteronormative queer culture from what Johnson sees as creeping conventionality.

SF Opera 2018-19

He is leery of “the predominance and glorification of Fortress Marriage as the norm: the married couple whose friends are all couples, who divide the world into inside and outside, who practice an intense, couple-centered version of collective narcissism.” This is a bit harsh, but it must be said that before we achieved marriage equality, queer people had to make up our own rules for committed relationships, and they all didn’t look like Ozzie & Harriet. Johnson is not so much antimarriage as he is trying to make a larger point, which is distilled in the essay’s pull-quotes: “What defines

queer is not what one does in bed, but one’s stance

toward the ancien regime, the status quo,” and, “The evolution from ACT UP to statesanctioned marriage is precisely analogous to gentrification.” By this he means: “So long as we, the outliers, insisted that we had something to offer, that our world, where we formed enduring relationships outside the tax code and the sanction of church and state, where we created and took care of families of lovers and friends and strangers alike – so long as we insisted that this world was richer, more sustainable, more loving in so many ways than the insular world of Fortress Marriage, we got nowhere. Only when we exchanged our lofty ideals for conventionality was our struggle embraced.”

These are strong claims, and the essay is worth reading in its entirety. Certainly all queer people deserve and need to have the rights and recognition that marital status bestows upon us. The larger question is, does straight-style matrimony (including expectations of monogamy) fit larger queer culture? To Out There, who has married, divorced, separated, happily single, and polymorphously perverse queer friends, the question is worth considering. However sensational Johnson’s intentionally provocative manifesto is, its first page in Harper’s faces a full-page ad that is potentially more button-pushing than the editorial content around it. It’s a publicservice announcement from PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and its copy reads: “Homeless Animals on your Mind? Spay or Neuter Today.” The poster boy is none other than animalrights activist/pop star Morrissey, with a tabby cat perched on his big, inﬂated head. Now that’s courting controversy! t

Pagliacci, featuring the original scary clown. Renowned Argentinian tenor-turned-director Jose Cura has staged the that comes from an encyclopedic two-fer in the Italian knowledge of the operatic canon barrio of Buenos Aires. and the thousands of artists who Russian mezzo-soprano maintain it, he also communicates Ekaterina Semenchuk genuine passion and a calm deterreturns after her fine Ammination to ensure the future of a neris in “Aida,” and Ar“perpetually resonant” tradition. menian soprano Lianna Shilvock came to SFO in 2005 Haroutounian is back as part of David Gockley’s transiafter triumphs in Puccini. tion team, serving as Associate Donizetti’s Roberto General Director since 2010 until Devereux, the final his promotion in 2016. Commutwork in his trio of Tudor ing from Marin, where he and his Queen operas, hasn’t wife are raising their two children, been staged for almost he has become a full-ﬂedged San 40 years. British director Franciscan. Knowing the history of Stephen Lawless reunites the city and its legendary intersecthree stars of 2014’s tion with opera, Shilvock is keen on “Norma.” Shilvock rightSimon Pauly/San Francisco Opera reaching out to a rapidly changing fully calls soprano Sondra demographic. He understands the San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock. Radvanovsky a “reigning “complicated jigsaw puzzle” of stagdiva,” but mezzo-soprano ing opera and all of the pieces. Robert Innes Hopkins’ red-hued Jamie Barton is rising fast, and The 96th season is the first to be color scheme. Local favorite Brian tenor Russell Thomas is a powerfully programmed (with one excepJagde is Cavaradossi, and baritone ful singer making his role debut as tion) by Shilvock’s administration. Scott Hendricks portrays Baron the title character. Geared to boost subscriptions, a Scarpia. Making her Company A brand-new Puccini Tosca, the special enticement is offered by a and role debuts, Italian soprano fabled shocker that established the one-matinee concert in October Carmen Giannattasio is Tosca. A Fall 2018 season SFO brand, comes next. Shilvock starring Placido Domingo with preview of her glamorous looks Double bill: Mascagni’s raw has infectious enthusiasm for the Latin American guest artists. It will and thrilling voice can be seen on and melodic Cavalleria Rustilatest incarnation, giving an ininitially be available to Full Series YouTube. cana with Leoncavallo’s verismo triguing description of designer subscribers only. Shilvock adds one of his favorite composers to the season with Richard Strauss’ lyrical AraNEW CONSERVATORY THEATRE CENTER bella. Innovative director Tim Albery debuts with his update of the romantic story. Ellie Dehn, San Francisco Opera Brian Mulligan, Heidi Stober and Michaela Martens are becoming San Francisco Opera will household names; hearing them in present the West Coast one grand night of singing offers a premiere of composer Jake special treat. Heggie (above) and librettist West Coast Premiere: Jake HegGene Scheer’s new work, “It’s a gie (composer) and Gene Scheer Wonderful Life.” (librettist), It’s a Wonderful Life. Shilvock calls them one of modern Director gets some of his love for opera’s best artistic partnerships, Baroque music onstage, and I get and their co-commissioned new to hear favorite mezzo-soprano work arrives with revisions after Sasha Cooke make her role debut. the world premiere. The sugar Dvorak: Rusalka. A bewitching coating is gone, but the heartpiece about a water nymph who warming tale is still in time for the trades her voice for love sounds holidays. like Disney, but goes deeper. Reunited after their praised SFO Summer 2019 season appearances in “Die Meistersinger REWRITING THE PAST IS RISKY Bizet: Carmen. Francesca von Nurnberg,” American singZambello’s production showcases ers Rachel Willis-Sorensen and mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges. Brandon Jovanovich team again Memories of her success in “Girls with David McVicar, the brilliant of the Golden West” make this director of that production. Jamie unmissable. You will be able to say, Barton makes another appear“I knew her when.” There may be ance, and celebrated bass Ferrucio no nudity this time, but Shilvock Furlanetto is the Water Gnome. t laughs and says we will “just have to wait and see.” Pinckney shows a keen talent for witty dialogue www.sfopera.com Handel: Orlando. The General From page 19

The season reveals the absence of two composers, Verdi and Mozart, but Shilvock says everyone couldn’t fit into the first round of his commitment to renovating the classic repertoire, and “This is a season of the new.” All productions are new to the War Memorial, thematically divided between fairy-tale scores with messages and works of “pure unadulterated emotion.” Each is meant to “speak to the heart.” Conducting assignments are taken by an exciting roster of musicians, six new to a mainstage season. I asked about the active search for a new Music Director. Conductors will be noted for their interaction with the Company. Nothing like a trial run, though the international opera community has introduced many additions to the SFO family. Old connections and associations are sprinkled throughout the cast and crew listings. Loyalty is obvious, but younger talent and promising debuts are included. There is diversity, some colorblind casting, and a woman will be seen on the podium: South Korean rising star Eun Sun Kim.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH TOM KIRDAHY PRODUCTIONS

SEASON PRODUCERS: NORMAN ABRAMSON & DAVID BEERY, LOWELL KIMBLE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: JIM TAUL & DAVE HOPMANN

PRODUCERS: DR. ALLAN GOLD & MR. ALAN FERRARA PRESENT

JAN 19–FEB 25, 2018 “

BUY TICKETS AT NCTCSF.ORG BOX OFFICE: 415.861.8972

Theatre>>

January 18-24, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 21

Getting unstuck after the AIDS crisis by Richard Dodds

im Pinckney had reached that pivotal point in a young actor’s career: He was finally spending more time on stages than waiting on tables. But he realized that career was over when he had to agree with a casting director’s decision not to hire him. “My best friend was getting sicker and sicker with AIDS, and there was no hope, and every time I left town for a month for an acting job, it was, like, this is a month I should be spending with David,” Pinckney said. “I had been offered a role in a big tour, and I told them that if David goes into the hospital, I’m leaving that day. And they said, well, we can’t hire you, and I said, I wouldn’t hire me either. It was clear that my heart wasn’t in it anymore.” Show business wasn’t even backburnered after that. It was off the stovetop entirely, and Pinckney went to work full time at Gay Men’s Health Crisis as his friends were dying at an astonishing rate. But from that experience, and results that helped remove the death sentence from a HIV diagnosis, Pinckney has for his new play drawn a character at sea now that the ship he helped command has docked. Kevin, who had been an actor before an activist, is the focal character in “Still at Risk,” having its world premiere at New Conservatory Theater Center. It was nearly 20 years ago that NCTC presented Pinckney’s very first play, “Message to Michael,” not long after its New York run. Pinckney and NCTC Artistic Director Ed Decker stayed in touch over the years, and when an Actors Fund event he was

Lois Tema

Matt Weimer, left, Desiree Rogers, Scott Cox, William Giammona, and J. Conrad Frank make up the world-premiere cast of “Still at Risk” at New Conservatory Theatre Center.

producing brought Pinckney to the city, Decker asked if the playwright had anything new. Soon he was reading Pinckney’s “Still at Risk,” and not long after agreed to usher the play through readings and workshops toward its world premiere on Jan. 27. “Still at Risk” is set in 2005, not long after the HIV treatment breakthroughs of the late 1990s began changing the healthy landscape. The urgency behind Kevin’s passions is dissipating, and even as he celebrates, he misses – certainly not the disease’s human toll – but the crisis intensity that had been his fuel. “Kevin is in his own way stuck and doesn’t know how to become unstuck,” Pinckney said. Despite a disquieting title and its AIDS backstory, the play, Pinckney

Marga Gomez remembers by Richard Dodds

if not always for Gomez back in the moment, she grew up in a showbiz ou know there has to be a script. family of wondrously rich dysfuncAfter all, someone tucked away tion. in a control booth is cueing sound In her new show, now at Brava and light effects at specific moTheatre Center, she totes her inments. But the thing about a Marga herited baggage through long-ago Gomez solo show – a form distinct reminiscences and into contempofrom her standup comedy routines rary life, where she is still unpack– is that it sounds so much like a ing all those carry-ons. “Latin Stanspontaneous creation. There is no dards,” a title filled with subtext, sense of a sequestration in the bubuses as its focal point her father’s ble of a spotlight; Gomez could as briefly successful songwriting cawell be telling you her stories over reer that came as his time as a celeba cup of Cafe Bustelo as in a venue rity in New York’s Latino nightclubs with a stage and chairs. was waning. Most of his songs had “Latin Standards” is her newest lyrics about love affairs gone horsmartly honed klatch, and she has ribly wrong, but the lively melodies adamantly declared that this will be proudly landed him a contract with the final solo show she will write. Muzak, with instrumentals that It is her 12th show, after all, most could lull passengers during elevaof them delving into aspects of her tor rides. family and rocky romantic life, and Playing off the fact that “Latin accompanied with generous doses Standards” is her final solo show, of everyday observational humor. Gomez packages the performance Fortunately for audiences, as if it were a farewell concert of songs by Willy Chevalier, which, as you might suspect, was a stage name. As Gomez points out, the best thing she likes about an Adele concert is the talk that comes between the songs, and she takes the same approach to the handful of her father’s compositions that she performs. Actually, she recites the lyrics in English as vintage recordings are played, with the translaa Fabian Echevarri tions liberally amping up the histrionics that Marga Gomez’s showbiz-obsessed father is

st the subject of “Latin Standards,” her newe solo show now at Brava Theatre Center.

See page 22 >>

is eager to note, is filled with humor. “I don’t want people to stay away because they think it’s going to be this bleak revisitation of the AIDS crisis,” he said. “The play is framed around the planning of a benefit, and having been in the middle of so many of them, I can tell you it’s often an absurd situation.” At this fictional gala honoring both living and late heroes of the movement, the name of a fallen victim, and one of Kevin’s closest friends, is somehow left off the names of honorees. “That’s what starts Kevin on his journey,” Pinckney said, as two friends try to help nudge Kevin into a healthier direction. “His best friend, Mark, is still an actor, and they have a delicious wise-ass sensibility in the way they talk together. And then there’s Susan, someone Kevin knew back in the days of activism but who has found her own way to move on. There is also a confrontation with a younger

Sean Turi

“Still at Risk” playwright Tim Pinckney left acting to become an AIDS activist before moving into playwriting.

character with little awareness of the sacrifices that have made his life easier. “A lot of the play just came from seeing the changes in gay culture, things that switched in many great ways, but what we went through seems a little bit pushed aside,” Pinckney said. “Back then, I couldn’t even have wrapped my head around gay marriage, but a lot of these freedoms are on the backs of what many went through at the height of the AIDS crisis, and it’s where we found our voices as a people.” Much like the central character in “Still at Risk,” Pinckney was an actor who became an activist. “There are absolutely moments in the play that are very much my experience,” he said, “but the journey of the play actually has very little to do with me.” While the character of Kevin is stuck, Pinckney found his way into a new chapter through playwriting. It

started as a series of letters he wrote posthumously to his late friend David that eventually became his first play. “Message to Michael” got mostly good reviews and had a successful run in New York in 1996, though a negative notice in The New York Times limited its future possibilities. “But once you’ve gotten your ass kicked by The New York Times, you can take anything,” said the playwright. In addition to playwriting, Pinckney spends much of his time as a producer for the Actors Fund’s concert series that will soon present a reunion benefit performance of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” with original star Sutton Foster. Earlier he helped produce a benefit concert of “Funny Girl” with 16 Broadway divas sharing the role of Fanny Brice. Home for Pinckney and his husband, actor Edward Pisapia, is in the New York commuter village of Maplewood, N.J., where, on the day of this telephone conversation, Pinckney was in bed with a bad cold. “I’m just trying to feel better so I feel fit as a fiddle when I get to San Francisco,” he said. He’ll be at final rehearsals and previews through opening night of “Still at Risk,” giving whatever notes that might seem helpful to director Dennis Lickteig and the cast. “I’ve been to San Francisco for two separate readings of different drafts of the play, and then in December I got to spend four days with the company for some pretty intense rehearsals,” he said. “I know I have the A-list of New Conservatory Theatre, so I’m in very good hands.” t “Still at Risk” will run Jan. 19-Feb. 25 at New Conservatory Theatre Center. Tickets are $20-$45. Go to nctcsf.org.

<< Fine Arts

22 • Bay Area Reporter • January 18-24, 2018

Haunted (or stalked?) by VertiGhost by Sura Wood

her, will you love me?” Dating back to the 1960s, the Bay Area multimedia artist has been prescient in her merging of art and new technologies, probing issues of morphing identity, violence, gender, privacy and pervasive surveillance, and the invisibility of women. Sharp, tough-minded and original, Leeson’s work is informed by a formidable critical intelligence. “Ever since I first met her, I’ve been impressed with her unique blend of imagination, ingenuity, wisdom and tenacity,” observes film critic and scholar B. Ruby Rich. “She continues to extend her domain – art, science, feminism, Courtesy Anglim Gilbert Gallery and the artist film history, futurism Lynn Hershman Leeson, “Ghosts Have No – and makes it look Reflections (Vertighost)” (2017). easy. There’s nobody like her.” revise it on her own terms, and “turn Leeson was among everyone into a performer.” 100 women artists, curators and Objects of voyeuristic desire and writers who crafted “Not Surprised,” attention, many women have been an open letter protesting sexual haforced to reconcile who they are inside rassment in the art world. It was sent with onerous societal expectations out in October, translated into five that dictate how they should look and languages, and garnered 10,000 signabehave, while others feel pressured tures in the space of two days. “Since to alter their appearance to satisfy an my generation, in the 70s, when elusive ideal. It’s a subject that has long women first became aware they had intrigued Leeson and one that’s taken been left out of history, there’s been to a pathological extreme in “Vertigo,” a steady drip of information, protest where Novak’s character, tormented and action that’s erupted into a new by Jimmy Stewart’s compulsion to generation who won’t accept this kind remake her in the image of another of behavior anymore. I think it’s wonwoman, plaintively asks: “If I become derful to see women standing up for

their rights.” Reasons for optimism aside, Leeson has faced her share of professional obstacles due to a number of factors, from being ahead of her time to the scarcity of exhibition space allocated to the work of female artists compared to that of their male counterparts. “Civic Radar,” her first comprehensive career retrospective, which was organized by ZKM and toured Germany, received laudatory reviews but was taken by only one American institution, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, which presented a quarter of the show’s 800 works in 2017. Over the last few years, though, things have been breaking her way. She has upcoming exhibitions in Latvia and Basel, Switzerland; Novartis Pharmaceutical is naming an anti-body after her in response to an installation that forays into genetic engineering; and MoMA acquired over 40 artworks, some of which are included in “Being Modern,” an exhibition at the razzmatazz, Frank Gehry-designed Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris. Leeson credits her recent good fortune to younger women critics and curators who understand and champion her work. (Neither female nor young, New York Times art critic Holland Cotter has also been one of her most vocal supporters.) “I needed the millennials to be born,” she says ruefully, adding she’s “finally out of debt.” But there has been a valuable upside to the decades of struggle. “I’ve gotten to do exactly what I wanted, nobody told me what to do, and I haven’t had the economic pressure to repeat myself, like some artists,” she says. “I’ve had a life of freedom.” t

re-released and achieved tine into one of the sexi“significant commercial est stripteases Hump! has success.” Most notable were ever seen.” the gay feature “Lawnboy” Savage began his coland the short mockumenumn “Savage Love” in tary “How To Get a Leg Up 1991, when he moved in Porn.” from Madison, Wisconsin, The festival opened its where he was working in national tour in Seattle a videostore, to Seattle, to and Portland, where feswrite for the alternative tivalgoers voted for their weekly “The Stranger.” favorites, which include: The column took off imBest humor: “A Hump! mediately, and at its peak Public Service Announcewas syndicated to 100 ment,” which the program publications internationsays is both “educational ally. In the beginning, and sexy.” many of the questions Best humor, runner up: were about “particular sex “Dildrone,” the story of acts,” said Savage. But now a drone equipped with a “everything has its own dildo. Wiki page, so the quesBest sex: “The Alley,” tions tend to involve situfeaturing “tattooed strangational ethics.” ers who find an extremely Savage has also worked hot way to pass the time as a theater director under between a few spin cycles.” the name Kennan HolloBest sex, runner up: han, and founded Seattle’s “The Code,” a film that Greek Active Theater, “will convince you to never where he produced queer take Uber again,” with a interpretations of classic Courtesy Hump! warning not to try what works, such as a tragicomic is described in the film on Hump! filmmakers “show us what they “Macbeth” with both the your Lyft ride home. title character and Lady Best kink: “Paramnesia,” think is hot and sexy.” Macbeth played by perfeaturing “kinky Tumblr formers of the opposite sex. who haunts a trashed mattress.” girls who shot a Lynchian In 2010, Savage and his Annual best in show: “Connecporn.” husband Terry Miller began the “It tion,” “a coffee-shop fantasy that Annual jury award: “Bed Bugs,” a Gets Better Project” to help prevent turns a contemporary dance roustory of “the ghost of boyfriend past suicide among LGBT youth. He has

written four books, and contributes to “This American Life,” “Out” magazine, and HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.” He has appeared frequently on TV news programs discussing LGBT issues, including same-sex marriage and policies about gays in the military. In 2014, Savage participated in the David Thorpe documentary “Do I Sound Gay?” about stereotypes of gay men’s speech patterns. He also produces “Savage Lovecast,” a weekly podcast based on his column. Running the 60-city Hump! Fest tour is an “unbelievable amount of work,” said Savage, who plans to be in San Francisco for the entire run, fielding questions and “taking selfies” with audience members who want a picture with him. During the day, he said, “I hide out in coffeeshops, writing my column,” and in the evenings, he tries to have dinner out with friends. Part of the appeal of the festival, he said, is that the films are “not dehumanizing. Everyone in them wants to be in them. People do it for fun. Nobody is paid, so audience members never have to worry” that people are working because they need the money. In addition to his current lineup of gigs, Savage said a “television project” is now under discussion. “But I can’t say anymore right now.” t

ing in 2014. Through the tightly packed 90-minute show, Gomez offers delightful digressions into the minutiae of life with father. There are his sacred coffee-making rituals, chronic tardiness made excusable by his debonair charm, the slacksloving Marga’s horror at having to wear those “creepy Spanish-girl dresses with the puff sleeves and a

briefly but poignantly, a love letter to the father she abandoned for the last years of his life. t

here may be no movie more closely identified with San Francisco than Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo,” a labyrinthine tale of obsessive love and murder that takes advantage of scenic city locations from the Golden Gate Bridge and Fort Point to Dolores Park and the Legion of Honor. With its story of a wealthy, cheating husband who orchestrates a Machiavellian plan to murder his wife by transforming his mistress (Kim Novak) into a lookalike of his spouse, and its themes of multiple identity, authenticity and the projection of male fantasy, the twisted psychological thriller was fertile ground for Lynn Hershman Leeson’s “VertiGhost,” a layered, multi-component installation in Gallery Six at the Legion, where Hitchcock shot a scene for the 1958 film. Commissioned by the Fine Arts Museums to create a piece alluding to works associated with their collection, Leeson, a versatile feminist artist and experimental filmmaker, chose two paintings shrouded in mystery: Modigliani’s “Pierre-Edouard Baranowski” (ca.1918), once thought to be a fake and consigned to storage for three decades before being authenticated; and “Portrait of Carlotta,” a fictional prop and plot-point from “Vertigo.” The museum helped track down a copy of the counterfeit Carlotta painting, which was so ugly, Leeson recalls, she blurred her own rendition of it. Where its eyes had been, she embedded GoPro cameras that project images of visitors inside a black box, allowing the watchers to be watched in real time. (The footage is simultaneously transported to a sister box at the de Young.) The work includes a 15-minute film shown at both venues that features 35 sequences from “Vertigo” that Leeson

Hump fest

From page 19

17-27. The festival will also be in Berkeley at the Ashby Stage, Jan. 31-Feb. 4, and in Oakland at the Starline Social Club, Feb. 8-10. In a phone interview with the B.A.R. to discuss the details of the festival, Savage said Hump! “showcases home movie erotica, amateur sex cinema, and locally produced pornography, all less than five minutes long. Essentially, it’s short dirty movies created by people who aren’t porn stars but want to be one for a weekend.” The filmmakers and their film stars “show us what they think is hot and sexy,” said Savage. The program consists of 21 shorts, a carefully curated program featuring “a cornucopia of body types, shapes, ages, colors and sexualities.” The films “are united by a shared spirit of sex positivity.” “Hump! is a celebration of creative sexual expression,” said Savage. “You may see films that shock you, that make you laugh, or that turn you on.” The festival’s main mission, he said, “is to change the way America sees, makes, and shares pornography.” Savage said the filmmakers are encouraged to produce entries specifically for the festival, pointing out that several films that premiered at Hump! in previous years have been

Marga Gomez

From page 21

her father had originally provided. They also provide context for loose parallels to contemporary conversation about her revolvingdoor love life and the heartbreak of seeing the seminal gay Latino nightclub Esta Noche, where she had developed a following, clos-

Sarah Thornton

Artist Lynn Hershman Leeson.

meticulously recreated and reshot with angles and lighting eerily similar to the original; interviews with three ringers for Kim Novak; excerpts from a British Film Institute conversation with Novak herself; and commentary from FAMSF curator Elise Effmann Clifford, who maps the Modigliani’s rocky road to legitimacy. The connection between the artworks, Leeson explains, “is authenticity, and how you treat something you think is fake. Some people think women are fake and treat them really badly, until they find out they have something to contribute.” “Almost all of Hitchcock’s films deal with obsession and violence toward women and decapitation of their psyches,” she notes, but “Vertigo,” which film historian David Thomson has called “Hitchcock’s finest moment as a master of cruelty and torture,” was particularly suited for Leeson’s latest brainchild, not only because it was shot on location in San Francisco and the museum, but because it represented an opportunity to revisit the ghost of the production,

slip made of crinoline and barbed wire,” and even her father’s meanspirited taunts about a daughter he has with another family whom he claims he likes better. Directed with a smartly honed casual flair by longtime collaborator David Schweizer, “Latin Standards” is the debut attraction in Brava’s new cabaret space. It is now basically a black-box space

waiting for some more trappings, and this inaugural attraction lacks the visual enhancements of its New York run last year. But, as she says, “Mi cabaret is su cabaret.” Gomez is an expert at holding focus in the barest of circumstances, and in “Latin Standards” she transports us without accouterment into a magically messedup childhood that becomes,

Through March 25. vertighost. net

humpfilmfest.com

“Latin Standards” will run through June 28 at Brava Theatre Center. Tickets are $25-$30. Go to brava.org.

Music>>

January 18-24, 2018 • Bay area reporter • 23

All that (gay) jazz by Tim Pfaﬀ

merican music has produced nothing finer or more advanced than jazz, yet it lurks in the shadows. Sure, even its practitioners and adherents like many of its subaltern aspects, but its geniuses are many, its imitators almost universally bad and its financial rewards whimsically disbursed. Playing jazz, you might “kill,” but no way will you be making a killing, unless you’re Wynton Marsalis, upon whom brilliance and luck deservedly conspired. Against such odds, Vijay Iyer’s Sextet gets the recognition it richly deserves, but, even there, many people who appreciate his ensemble praise its diversity while missing much of the musical point. If you don’t know their latest CD for ECM, “A Cosmic Rhythm with Each Stroke,” you’re just depriving yourself. Iyer and his Trio are at the SF Jazz Center Jan. 18-20. Their music is great not only because of the ever-increasing ethnic diversity of the ensemble’s core members and side musicians – an ongoing improvisation of personnel – but because together they make music that is challengingly, bravely beautiful, inviting its listeners to rise to it. Iyer, though straight, stands out among today’s renowned jazzmen as a fierce, vocal proponent of LGBT rights, among other things. But even in 2018, in that respect he’s still all-too-rare. Being a gay jazz musician may no longer be a non-starter, but neither, in a phenomenally straight-male milieu, is it as accepted as it is even in sports. Why else is the most common

answer to “But what about Patricia Barber?” – a singer, pianist, composer, poet of ﬂabbergasting daring – usually “Who?” Barber’s male counterpart is Fred Hersch, who’s now added to an artistic legacy as full as it is improbable with a new, Grammy-nominated CD, not incidentally called “Open Book” (Palmetto+), and a memoir published nearly simultaneously, “Good Things Happen Slowly: A Life In and Out of Jazz” (Crown Archetype), whose very title speaks volumes. The times I’ve heard Hersch live count among my peak experiences. I’d say more about “Open Book” than “get it; it will change you” if I were better qualified to write about jazz and less inclined to drool on my keyboard. But I find it as telling as it is mildly embarrassing that I found out about “Good Things” from a tweet by Igor Levit, a “classical” pianist with an insistence on pushing musical and political boundaries, and whose own Hersch fandom is one drop shy of slobbering. Such as there’s any problem with Hersch’s deeply touching memoir, it’s the onslaught of jazz names a general reader might not know. But after decades of telling daily newspaper editors who insist I write for the layman that I can’t make it through the lede of a sports story, I cast no blame. Besides, it’s just the way jazzmen talk, so skim if you must. Like the books of the

Bible, the gospel of jazz is names that hold their own meanings. Had Hersch unpacked them all, his book would have been less, not more, than it is. Instead he just lays you out with his personal story, told with arresting candor. He can’t seem to say often enough how much he hated practicing piano as a kid, and how much he still hates it. And the picture he paints of inserting himself into the jazz scene is both unsparing and unapologetic in its account of his pushiness. His gay coming-of-age story is all his own, but most gay readers will immediately relate. It’s the way he links it with the portrait of

the artist as a young man turning into a singularly mature one that makes his book so compelling. It’s starting point is this: “So I plowed ahead at fulfilling both sides of my identity – but separately, toggling between the two. I saw [them] as mutually exclusive and elementally incompatible. I had no role models for an integrated life, and was aware of how difficult reconciling the jazz cat Fred and the gay man Fred would be.” So he writes it all with narrative verve and ever-expanding emotional and personal integrity. You get, unﬂinching and devoid of self-pity, the musical explorations and the drugs (his and others, prescribed and not), the Village Vanguard and the Pendulum, the partners musical and otherwise (including an ongo-

ing relationship with Scott Morgan that provides one of the book’s most moving, honest chapters), the rising professional recognition and the falling T-cells, the AIDS and the AIDS activism. The chapters you read barely breathing describe the “Madness” of AIDS and Hersch’s six-week “Coma.” At the end, there’s a light-fingered (an in-joke) vignette of his impromptu decision to play, publicly, Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.” “When I play it today, I not only feel the music, I connect to the words, having lived a life that I’ve often seen as having two sides. At this point, though, I’ve learned that there are many, many sides to most things and most people, myself included.” If you really want your socks knocked off, take the 20-minute stroll “Through the Forest” on “Open Book.” t

her selfishness. Yet we sympathize with her because her own dreams remain unfulfilled. Forever in Rose’s shadow, actress Lara Pulver gives a compelling performance as Louise, moving from deferring to her mother to discovering her own voice. She becomes a hardedged diva who takes control of her career and expands it beyond being a striptease artist. Pulver deservedly won an Olivier award for her Louise. Also outstanding is Peter Davison as Herbie, the troupe’s manager who loves Rose, wants to marry her, but realizes her ambition leaves no room for a relationship. The clever use of reel cameras and video suggests movement and

the passage of time. The closeups of Staunton are effective, conveying her rage and disappointment, reaching their zenith in the final song “Rose’s Turn.” It’s probably the most difficult number in the musical theater canon because of all its negative emotions. It’s not a stretch to suggest that the openly gay Laurents, Sondheim, and Robbins use Louise as a metaphor for gay actualization, a decade before Stonewall. She’s abused, overlooked, criticized, but discovers her talents and becomes her own person. This is a stunning production. Staunton’s epic performance is certain to be talked about for decades. t

Coming up ‘Gypsy’ by Brian Bromberger

he character of Mama Rose in “Gypsy” has been called the King Lear of musical theater, generally considered the greatest female role in musicals. Broadway icon Ethel Merman originated the part, and with her forceful personality laid down its template, followed by Rosalind Russell on film, Bette Midler on television, and Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, and Patti LuPone in revivals. Despite all these legendary stars, it is probably not an overstatement to say the role has now been definitively performed by British actress Imelda Staunton in a new DVD and BluRay. Staunton’s Mama Rose is so

electrifying and brilliant, she gets a standing ovation after her first musical number, “Some People.” This “Gypsy” played on PBS last December, a filming of the West End Savoy Theater production. It was the first British revival of this musical in over 40 years, since Lansbury brought it to London after her Broadway triumph. Staunton, best known for her Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies, but also for her Oscar-nominated Vera Drake in Mike Leigh’s film of the same name, would seem an odd choice as Mama Rose, barely standing five-feet-tall, and not having a belting voice. But Staunton has made a mini-career of playing Stephen Sondheim musicals, winning Oliviers (British equivalent of the Tony Award) for “Into the Wo o d s ,” “Sweeney Todd” and “ G y p s y.” The diff e r e n c e between Staunton and the previous Mama Roses is that she acts the songs as well as sings them, per for ming them less as set numbers, more as soliloquys into the character’s private thoughts. B a s e d

on on stripper Gypsy Rose Lee’s memoirs, written by Arthur Laurents, lyrics by Sondheim, and choreography by Jerome Robbins, “Gypsy” was a modest success in 1959. It won no Tony Awards. The show is primarily about Lee’s mother, Rose Hovick, by the end shifting its focus to Lee. Staunton makes us realize what a terrifying monster this stage mother from hell really is. Audiences today will zero in on how emotionally abusive Mama Rose is, a devious manipulator, pugnacious and furious, using her two daughters Louise (Lara Pulver) and Jane (Scarlet Roche) to fulfill her own frustrated ambitions to be a star. Rose comments, “I was born too soon, and started too late,” lacking the voice and looks to make it on vaudeville. She’s so madly determined to further the careers of her children, mostly Jane at first, that she doesn’t realize that vaudeville is dying during the Depression years. She sacrifices everything, including three marriages, to achieve her ambitions, eating dog food to save money to buy costumes for her troupe. Jane eventually runs away. In the show’s most famous song, “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” Rose switches her attention to the gawky Louise. She’s in a chilling trance, vowing to do anything to make her a star, when all Louise wants is a stable home life. In Staunton’s version the song becomes a raving manifesto to success at whatever cost. The musical strongly suggests that without Rose pushing her, Louise would never have become Gypsy Rose Lee, and asks, Was it all worthwhile? Rose is a delusional con artist, terrifying in

<< Film

24 • Bay area reporter • January 18-24, 2018

2018 Oscar picks by David Lamble

t’s time once again to play that favorite LGBTQ parlor game: name this year’s batch of Best Picture Academy Award nominations. The annual Oscar Derby office or affinity-group pool has become a joyous substitute for the pleasures of picking the Super Bowl winner. We all remember that moment when, at the conclusion of last year’s Oscar telecast, a confused Warren Beatty announced that “La La Land” had won Best Picture, only for the chagrined “winners” to almost immediately pass the trophy over to its rightful recipients, the producers of “Moonlight.” The Oscar folks have probably taken great steps to see that nothing this embarrassing happens again. But the key to Oscar-night predictions is the list of Best Picture nominations. Here are my choices, an even dozen Best Picture candidates. The Academy will not agree in toto, but it’s unlikely any other candidate will break into this magic circle. Call Me by Your Name My 2017 Top Film pick is hands-down the best LGBTQ-content nominee to emerge this year. I think it will do what “Brokeback Mountain” fell just short of doing, nab the big prize. Ernest Borgnine is dead. I doubt the film’s romantic Italian director Luca

Guadagnino will the Nixon White receive the top House, in what director prize, but would prove a he’s at least a safe dress rehearsal for bet for a nominaWatergate. Will tion. More likely certainly land Best the film’s co-stars: Picture, Director, as the 17-year-old, Actress (Meryl skinny, curly-haired Streep) and Actor piano-playing imp (Tom Hanks) Elio, Timothée noms. The film Chalamet; and as raises profound, the older boyfriend pertinent issues Oliver, Armie of whether the Hammer. Will they government can go head-to-head impose prior for Best Actor, or restraint on the will one (Hammer, press for revealing likely) be slotted in Timothée Chalamet (Elio) and Armie Hammer (Oliver) in director secrets that govthe Best Support- Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me by Your Name.” ernment officials ing category? A may find embar(Woody Harrelson, a reasonable man slightly longer shot rassing, but which trapped in unreasonable times) into is a Best Supporting Actor nod for do not necessarily pose a risk to the finding the person who raped and the stunning monologue by Elio’s dad nation’s security. In the present Trump killed her daughter. Things come to (Michael Stuhlbarg), who steals the climate, “The Post” could make a big a boil when the chief’s deputy (Sam film’s third act with a heartfelt talk to statement, including Michael MooreRockwell), an emotionally retarded Elio, missing Oliver. style acceptance speeches. bully, egged on by his vengeful invalid Three Billboards Outside EbbThe Big Sick Hetero love and a mother, is drawn into the case. “Three ing, Missouri In this darkly comic sudden medical crisis are powerfully Billboards” features a ferocious battle drama from the irreverent playwright/ addressed. of wills between two Oscar-worthy filmmaker Martin McDonagh, The Shape of Water Mexican characters. McDormand and HarrelMildred, a grieving mother (an infantasy/horror master Guillermo son have never been better. cendiary performance from Frances del Toro strikes again, with a shockThe Post In Steven Spielberg’s film, McDormand) leases three message er that’s both hard to watch and a newly widowed newspaper owner boards outside her small town aimed impossible to ignore. In the brilliant and an emancipated editor take on at provoking police chief Willoughby tradition of del Toro’s career mas-

Insider view

by David Lamble

s I watched the Magnolia Pictures doc “The Final Year” (opening Friday), I marveled at how director Greg Barker sliced and diced a tumultuous period when President Barack Obama’s foreign policy team was racing to finish one of the postWWII American presidency’s most ambitious to-do lists in their last year in office. The film is an excursion through the real “West Wing” where big foreign-policy issues are hammered out and sometimes shot down. From footage gathered over a year, director Barker finds his stars in obvious players: Pres. “No-Drama” Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, and the UN Ambassador, one-time Irish immigrant Samantha Power, so comfortable in the West Wing that we observe her seven-year-old son sprawled asleep on a governmentissued sofa. The filmmakers also delight in the occasional funny aside, such as when an Obama aide points to the ﬂoor where, he says, “There’s

Hollywood

From page 19

“Myra Breckenridge” (1970), an outrageous satire starring Raquel Welch as a transgender woman who’s out to teach men in Hollywood a lesson. Van Buskirk spoke to the B.A.R. about why he feels it’s important to have discussions about our queer past. “Because our history has been hidden, lost, burned, mistranslated and otherwise obfuscated, it is important to continue to uncover it to remind ourselves that we’ve always been here,” he said. “As the likely gay philosopher George Santayana said, those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Van Buskirk spoke of why he was drawn to the Hollywood topic. “Having grown up at the movies, I’m fascinated to see how films depict the world, shape our identities, and show how we might fit into society. How we are represented in the media, and film is one of the most important, helps us to see who we are and

this massive dead cockroach right under the chair.” “The Final Year” presents the Obama team as a closely bonded group, unlike the impressions emanating from the Trump White House. Missing from the scene is Hillary Clinton, although a late chapter has Obama’s team shocked and saddened by the 2016 election returns. You see little of Trump, other than as a kind of storm cloud on the horizon. Russian President V. Putin and his United Nations minions get far more attention, particularly when the war over Syria heats up. In this year when films have devoted enormous attention to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the battle to save the UK and its allies from the Nazi blitz (“Darkest Hour,” “Dunkirk”), it’s refreshing to see American leaders given their due, especially Kerry, who begins the film on a slightly slapdash note, rushing back into his DC home with the aside, “I’ve forgotten my phone!” Kerry is seen throughout, who we might become.” He recalls two films that he saw during his youth. “The Killing of Sister George” (1968) and “The Boys in the Band” (1970) were dramas about lesbians and gay men, respectively, who dealt with issues such as self-hate. “These are films I watched when I was coming out, so they made an indelible stamp,” Van Buskirk recalled. “The neighborhood moviehouse where I worked was showing ‘The Killing of Sister George.’ After I finished tearing tickets and making sure everyone was over 18, I went in and watched the X-rated movie, feeling quite special since I was only 16. ‘The Boys in the Band,’ one of the first films I saw in San Francisco, at the Times Theatre on Stockton Street, probably scarred me for life.” Van Buskirk feels that homophobia is the reason there have been so many negative portrayals of LGBT people in the cinema. “Studios are

challenging the Russians and other world leaders to get serious about preventing a humanitarian meltdown in Syria. A moving moment arrives in the reﬂections of Ben Rhodes, a softspoken, balding Obama aide. “I remember walking home on 9/11. I was 23. My life had worked out for me: I was going to live in New York and try to write novels. I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to do something different, I don’t know what, but it’s going to be about this.’” This moment is contrasted with a thin-skinned moment when Rhodes, stung by attacks on the Obama-brokered Iran nuclear deal, is quoted in The New York Times Magazine asserting that “most of the reporters covering the White House were 27-yearolds who knew literally nothing about world affairs.” The best thing that can said for Barker’s beautifully edited flashback through Obama’s final year is that it should compel us to weigh

afraid of losing box office if a film treats queers too sympathetically,” he said. “Hollywood

terwork “Pan’s Labyrinth.” Mudbound Black and white soldier buddies return to a racially inﬂamed Mississippi. Possible Screenplay or Best Supporting Actor nods. Darkest Hour Gary Oldman disappears into a galvanizing Winston Churchill. Best Actor potential. Phantom Thread A career swansong for the great Anglo/Irish actor Daniel Day-Lewis. Molly’s Game A remarkable tale of a female gambler. Lady Bird Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut about the identity struggles of a Sacramento-raised teen is well-crafted, especially with respect to her battles with a strongwilled mom and an odd assortment of boyfriends, including a closeted gay guy. Beach Rats This controversial Brooklyn-based drama finds a handsome stud strutting for the gals in the daytime, but having a strong attachment to older men online. Many hated the strong dollop of queer bashing in the film’s third act. Honest but off-putting portrayal. Detroit Controversial docdrama on the 50th anniversary of the Motor City police/race riots is courageous, with some unsettling performances, especially from a British actor giving an incendiary turn as a racist white bully cop.t

Magnolia Pictures

Director Greg Barker’s “The Final Year” is a flashback through President Obama’s last year in oﬀice.

the stakes for life on this shrinking planet with a current president who can casually oppose immigration from “shithole countries.” But the film is further evidence that even the best of intentions and minds at work in a hot box like the White House can only

accomplish so much. I recall that great Robert Redford line from the film “All the President’s Men” as Watergate-era Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward. Asking in the Post newsroom, “Can you dial the White House directly?,” he was told yes, it’s (202) 456-1111.t

films are often framed as a question: How should ‘we,’ meaning mainstream society, react to ‘them,’ meaning queers. The representation didn’t really change until queers started telling their own stories, by making their own films.” In Van Buskirk’s opinion, the worst films are “The Detective” (1968) and “Cruising” (1980), both of which feature violent murders of gay men. “I retain a soft spot for ‘A Very Natural Thing’ and ‘That Certain Summer,’ among the first films I saw while coming out.” “A Very Natural Thing” is about a young gay man looking for love, while “That Certain Summer” tells the story of a teenage boy who learns that his father’s roommate is actually his lover. Both films were considered groundbreaking when they were made in the early 1970s. Depth, nuance, accuracy, sym-

pathy, and authenticity are what Van Buskirk looks for in positive portrayals of queer life. “Having given many talks, I’m delighted with this more participatory format of conversation,” he said of the upcoming event. “The conversation is always stimulating and revealing, and depending on the demographics of the audience, always different.” t “How Has Hollywood (Mis) Represented Homosexuality?” Thurs., 1/8, 7 p.m., GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th St., SF. ($5, free for members)

Linda Eder

Arts events

Leather Vol. 48 • No. 3 • January 18-24, 2018

www.ebar.com ✶ www.bartabsf.com

Michael Greer Honorary San Franciscan Remembering the talents of a local favorite by Michael Flanagan

hen you consider entertainers associated with gay San Francisco you could be excused for thinking there are two tiers of performers. Those like Phyllis Diller, Sylvester and Johnny Mathis were discovered here and went on to international fame, while others were famous in the city but little known elsewhere. However, there is a third kind of performer who is somewhat well known by the world at large, but held a special place in the heart of San Franciscans. The actor, comic and writer Michael Greer was one of these performers. San Francisco wasn’t the first stop in Greer’s search for fame. Originally from Illinois, in the 1960s he moved to New York, where in a talent competition at the Coronet Lounge he came in third behind Barbara Streisand and Tiny Tim. See page 26 >>

Michael Greer (standing) with Kevin Coughlin and Larry Casey in a lobby card poster for the 1969 film The Gay Deceivers.

On the

Tab January

18-25

hink pink and sidle up to the rink. It's time to party and have a drink; soft if preferred, for those on wheels. Enjoy these nightlife feels & deals!

page 26 >> Listings start on

Fri 19

Joe Posa as Joan Rivers @ Oasis

Fri 19

Cupcakke! @ Oasis

Mon 22

St. Vincent @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

@LGBTSF

@eBARnews @eBARnews

<< BARchive

26 • Bay Area Reporter • January 18-24, 2018

A promotional composite of poses with Michael Greer.

Michael Greer as Queenie in the first San Francisco production of Fortune and Men’s Eyes, from the July 1, 1971 B.A.R.

A photo of Michael Greer signed for B.A.R. founding Publisher Bob Ross in 1972.

Michel Greer

From page 25

In 1965 he was off to L.A., where he formed the troupe “Jack and the Giants” with Jim Bailey. Bailey’s impersonation of Judy Garland got the attention of Garland herself, who attended the show five times. Buzz from her attendance resulted in a 16-month engagement of sold out shows. Since most performances in gay clubs were lip-synched at the time, Greer liked to say said that he brought the Talkies to the gay world. In 1967 Greer moved to San Francisco and began performing at the Purple Onion Two (435 Broadway) in “Discoveries ‘67.” It was here that he introduced a character he performed throughout his career – the Mona Lisa. “The way I play her,” he told John Stanley in the Examiner, “she’s like everyone’s favorite aunt. You know, the one everyone is afraid to invite to the party because she always says the wrong thing. Still, everyone loves her.” It didn’t hurt Greer’s showbiz buzz that he was involved in a scandal with A-list dancers. On July 12, 1967, under the headline “Dancers’ Hippie Spree” it was reported Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev had been arrested at a wild party and booked for “being in a place where marijuana was kept” after trying to escape to the rooftops of adjacent apartments, according to the Chronicle. The party was at Greer’s apartment (42 Belvedere), although Greer was booked under his birth name (James Malley). Aside from Greer and the dancers, a performer from the Gilded Cage was arrested as well, making the party a pretty gay affair. All charges were dropped, but later that month Chronicle entertainment writer John Wasserman referred to Greer as being part of the “Fontaine (sic)-Nureyev Rooftop Ballet Company.” If your party got the attention of police in the middle of The Summer of Love, it must have been a pretty good party indeed. Greer’s run at the Purple Onion Two coincided with performances at two gay clubs in the city: the 524 Club (524 Union) and the Fantasy Club (330 Mason) where he had an 18-month run (April 1967 – Sept. 1968) at with a troupe called “Jiants.”

Chronicle writer Wasserman labeled Greer, “someone to watch” and indeed people were watching. Sal Mineo caught Greer’s performance and offered him the role of Queenie in John Herbert’s Fortune and Men’s Eyes. The jailhouse drama (premiered in New York in 1967 to great controversy) opened its West Coast premiere January 9, 1969 at the Coronet Theater (366 North La Cienega) in Los Angeles. Greer went on to perform in New York and San Francisco casts of Fortune and was cast in the film adaptation as well. Performing as Queenie, he caught the eye of director Bruce Kessler, who cast him as Malcolm in the film The Gay Deceivers. To say Greer met with positive film reviews would be something of an understatement. In the Chronicle review of The Gay Deceivers Wasserman reported, “It is not quite accurate to say that he steals it, because the nature of the role provided the potential and director Bruce Kessler let him have his head. But it is Greer’s picture – whether you are straight, gay or AC-DC.” The Gay Deceivers was picketed in San Francisco due to the camp and effeminate nature of the gay characters in the film. But when referring to the role in The Celluloid Closet Vito Russo said: “The saving grace of the film is Michael Greer as Malcolm, the landlord. Greer not only wrote his own role as a flamboyant queen (complete with Bette Davis imitations) but apparently rewrote the screenplay in places, making it ‘funnier and less homophobic than was intended’ wherever he could.” Greer’s openness about his sexuality had a direct impact on his career. In 1980, The Advocate subtitled an article, “What has coming out cost his career?” The actor Michael Kearns wrote an obituary entitled “The Legendary Michael Greer” for gaytoday.com in 2002 discussing this: “I remember him telling me that his management wanted him to get married so they could make more money off of him. ‘I was gay at the wrong time,’ he joked. And that’s the truth. Because Greer refused to play the game, his film career was tragically truncated.” Though Greer’s career was impacted, he did appear in The Rose (1979) and worked on television and as a voice actor. His work as

a stand-up work continued as well. Though he moved to Southern California in the early ‘70s, he performed at the *PS (1121 Polk), Gold Street (56 Gold), Chez Jacques (1390 California), Hotel York (940 Sutter) and Chaps (1225 Folsom) and was emcee for the Cabaret Gold Awards in 1980 at Bimbos and for Men Behind Bars in 1994 (he performed in San Francisco practically every year till his death). In an interview with QQ Magazine (Nov/Dec 1971) he said, “If I could be a combination of Cary Grant, Alain Delon and Michael Greer and have everything else going for me, I would like to top it all by saying that I had been born in San Francisco… I’ve worked straight clubs and gay clubs there, and clubs that weren’t sure, and the people just dug me and threw back all the love I thrown out to them… I’ve got fan clubs there and even good press.” It appears the feeling was mutual. Every time he performed in town, Sweet Lips would mention it in his column (often with an accompanying picture). A heartfelt obituary written by Bob Ross appeared in the B.A.R. when he died of lung cancer in 2002. He was a true entertainer and a wellloved San Franciscan at heart.t (The author would like to thank (and recommend) J.D. Doyle’s Queer Music Heritage website www.queermusicheritage.com).

Michael on a bill at Chaps with other local talents in a show produced by Mark Abramson.

A 1972 ad in the B.A.R. for Michael Greer’s Gold Street show.

Michael Greer in The Gay Deceivers with Sebastian Brook.

Michael Greer as the Mona Lisa.

Nightlife Events>>

January 18-24, 2018 • Bay area reporter • 27

Imagine: Wildﬂowers in Winter @ Oakland Metro Operahouse

Mother @ Oasis

White garb/winter-themed rave with house, Trance, Dub etc. DJs Dyloot, Anthony Mad, B33son, Ant, Hakeen and others. Face-painting, snow cones, outdoor areas, breakfast snacks served, too. $5-$25. 8pm-2am. 522 2nd St., Oakland. wildﬂowersinwinter2018

Joe Posa as Joan Rivers @ Oasis The Bitch is Back, Rosa's affectionate impersonation show about the crass comic. $25-$35 and VIP champagne tables ($225). 7pm. Also Jan 20, 7pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Wuhfff @ Powerhouse Pedal Pups’ sexy fundraiser for the LifeCycle, with lube wrestling, prizes and rafﬂes. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Tue 23

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

Thu 18 Comedy Returns @ El Rio Yayne Abeba, Sid Singh, Nick Leonard, Abhay Nadkarni, and host Lisa Geduldig share smart stand-up wit and wisdom. $7-$20. 7pm (new time). 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

D'Arcy's Birthday, At the Hop @ Oasis Oasis co-owner, playwright, musician and drag performer D'Arcy Drollinger celebrates a birthday. 7:30pm. Then, Mutha Chucka and Crafty Dough's new monthly party, At the Hop, with '50s and '60s classics, and performances by Rahni NothingMore and BeBe Sweetbriar. $5. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Gayface @ El Rio Queer weekly night out at the popular Mission bar. 9pm-2am. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

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

Well-Strung @ Feinstein's at the Nikko The popular men's string/vocal quartet returns to the intimate elegant nightclub. $33.75-$65 ($20 food/ drink minimum). Jan 18-20. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

New monthly circuit party from Gus Presents, at a new venue with three ﬂoors, four bars Las Vegas style. VIP reception (9pm-10:30) benefits REAF; DJs Nando and Dawna Montell. $10$30. 10pm-4am. 1538 Fillmore St. www.arcadedance.com

Beatpig @ Powerhouse Juanita MORE! and her monthly MOREboys' eclectic night, where butch and drag mix it up. $5. 10pm2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Fri 19 Club Papi @ Club 21, Oakland

The weekly drag show with host Sue Casa, DJ MC2, themed nights and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. edgesf.com

Carry Nation DJs Carry On: Your Political PTSD Cure @ Gray Area Art + Technology

Dudes And Disco @ Driftwood

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

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

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

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle Rock bands play at the famed leather bar. Jan. 18: Love Songs, Hammer Bombs, Tear of the Fist and Cape Fury. $8. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Beer Bust @ SF Eagle The popular weekly event packs in the fans, with proceeds going to local charities. $10. Beer bust 3pm-5pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Big Top @ Beaux

The Brony Mitchell Show @ The Stud It's Dryads vs. Naiads at the mythical drag night with performers Laundra Tyme, Scarlett Letters, Crème Fatale, Hexate and others. Nymphs and woodland creatures welcome. $7. 10pm-3am. 399 9th St. at Harrison. www.studsf.com

Katya Smirnoff-Skky performs cabaret ditties with stylish wit, plus special guests, and the brilliant Joe Wicht at the piano. $12 7pm-8:30pm. 4 Valencia St. russianoperadiva.com

Creature @ The Stud Mozhgan, Adra and Gossip Cat DJ the drag/creepy crawly-themed night, with Nicki Jizz, Voodonna Black, Yves Saint Croissant and others. $5-$10. 10pm-4am. 399 9th St. at Harrison. www.studsf.com

Cupcakke! @ Oasis The Chicago rapper known for openly sexual and queer-positive songs, performs live, and DavOmakesBeats DJs the hip hop night. $20-$25. 10pm2am. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

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

Growlr @ SF Eagle Bears and cubs and lions, oh my! $5. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

The SoMa stray bar welcomes DAD, the monthly gay guy cruise and dance party, with DJ Jesse Frank. $5. 9pm-2am. 1225 Folsom St. www.driftwoodbarsf.com/

Underwear Party @ Lone Star Saloon Strip down to your skivvies at the undy night, with DJ Collin Bass. 9pm-2am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Mon 22 Epic Karaoke @ White Horse, Oakland Mondays and Tuesdays popular weekly sing-along night. No cover. 8:30pm-1am. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. whitehorsebar.com

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

Peter Murphy @ The Chapel The legendary Bauhaus singer and solist performs a series of concerts spanning his musical career. $45-$50. 9pm. Also Jan. 24, 26, 27, 31, Feb. 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14 & 15. 777 Valencia St. petermurphy.info / thechapelsf.com

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

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

Katya Presents @ Martuni's

The mesmerizing Portland alt-rockpop singer performs; also, Hawai, with DJ Aaron Axelson. $14-$16. 8pm. 155 Fell St. gracemitchell.com www.rickshawstop.com

Wed 24

Dirty Musical Sundays @ The Edge

Grace Mitchell @ Rickshaw Stop

Sat 20

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

Grace Mitchell @ Rickshaw Stop

Studio 57th birthday bash and disco T-dance with DJ Bus Station John. $5. 7pm-12am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. sf-eagle.com

Juanita MORE! hosts a party of art, resistance and dancing, with proceeds benefitting the GLBT Historical Society. Carry Nation DJs and Leo Herrera curates the art and performances. $14-$50 9pm-2am. 2665 Mission St. www.glbthistory. org/historyisresistance/

Underwear Night @ 440

Tue 23

Disco Daddy @ SF Eagle

Carry On: Your Political PTSD Cure @ Gray Area

The popular singer performs new and favorite songs. $45 and up. 7pm. 99 Grove St. www.ilovestvincent.com

Beer, bears, beats at the weekly fundraiser for various local charities. $15. 4pm-8pm. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Tue 23

Drag, vogue, sissy style night with Nicki Jizz, Fiera, Jocquese Whitfield, Sissy Slays, God's Lil Princess and DJs Spiider and De'Shawn Boyce. $5-$7. 399 9th St. at Harrison. www.studsf.com

St. Vincent @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

Beer Bust @ Lone Star Saloon

Hip Hop and Latin grooves event, with 3 dance ﬂoors, gogo studs and drag acts. $10-$20. 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

Haus of Hoe @ The Stud

The Monster Show @ The Edge

Sun 21

Enjoy an extra weekend night at the fun Castro nightclub, plus hot local DJs and sexy gogo guys and gals. $8. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.Beauxsf.com

Sat 20

Peter Murphy @ The Chapel

Heklina's popular drag show, with special guests and great music themes (No bachelorette parties admitted!) Jan. 20 is the Third Anniversary show. $10. 10pm-3am (11:30pm show). 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Movie Night @ SF Eagle Enjoy drinks and a ﬂick, with trivia games and prizes. 8pm-2am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Pan Dulce @ Beaux The hot weekly Latin dance night with sexy gogo guys, drag divas and more, hosted by Amaya Blac and Delilah Befierce. $6. 9pm-2am (free before 10:30pm). 2344 Market St. clubpapi. com / beauxsf.com

Thu 25 Boob Tube @ The Stud Alt-queer drag night pays homage to anime show Sailor Moon, with Diego Gomez, Punky Pebbles, KaiKai Bee Michaels Gem N'Aye and more. $5$10. 10pm cosplay contest, drag show 11pm. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Linda Eder @ Feinstein's at the Nikko The stellar vocalist and musical theatre star performs her new cabaret show An Evening With Linda Eder. $90-$130 ($20 food/drink min). 8pm. Also Jan 26 & 27, 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. feinsteinsatthenikko.com Best Wedding Photographer

as voted by BAR readers Literary Speakeasy @ Martuni's James J. Siegel hosts the cocktailauthor night, with Matt Carney, Alison Luterman, Donald Curries, Danny Thanh Nguyen and musicians PostCapitalism. 7pm. 4 Valencia St. Want your nightlife event listed? Email events@ebar.com, 2 weeks before your event.

Gameboi SF @ Rickshaw Stop The monthly dance party for Gaysians and their pals. $8-$15. 10pm-3am. 155 Fell St. www.rickshawstop.com

Heroes for Asylum @ Halcyon Imperial Court of SF hosts a superhero-themed benefit for the LGBT Asylum Project, with Emperor Nic Hunter, empress Mercedez Munro, Cameron Steihl, Terrill Grimes, rafﬂes, nibblies, live shows, a costume contest $30-$75 (VIP +2 drinks). 314 11th St. http://bit.ly/2mKZIiH

Make Out Party @ SF Eagle Nark Magazine's smoochfest party. $5, 8pm-2am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

WINNER Best Wedding Photographer

Steven Underhill

PHOTOGRAPHY

415 370 7152

WEDDINGS, HEADSHOTS, PORTRAITS

stevenunderhill.com · stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com

<< Arts Events

28 • Bay area reporter • January 18-24, 2018

Thu 18 The Birthday Party @ Geary Theatre Artistic Director Carey Perloff directs the classic Harold Pinter drama, starring Tony Award winner Judith Ivey. $15-$110. Tue-Sat 8pm. Wed, Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru Feb. 4. Out With A.C.T. LGBT night with an after-party Jan. 24. 415 Geary St. www.act-sf.org

Black Rider @ Ashby Stage Shotgun Players’ production of the Williams S. Burroughs, Tom Waits and Robert Wilson adult fairy tale musical about a lowly clerk who must prove himself to his fianceé’s father by riding through a mysterious forest. $25-$40. Extended thru Jan. 21. 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. www.shotgunplayers.org

Harriet’s Spirit @ Buriel Clay Theater Opera Parallele presents the world premiere of jazz composer Marcu Shelby and librettist Roma Olvera’s opera about abolitionist and humanitarian Harriet Tubman. $5-$15. 6pm. Jan 20, 1pm & 4pm. African American Art & Culture Complex, 762 Fulton St. http:// operaparallele.org/harriets-spirit/

Candide @ Davies Symphony Hall

Latin Standards @ Brava Theater Center

Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the SF Symphony in Leonard Bernstein’s satiric comic operetta. $35-$159. 8pm. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru Jan 21. 201 Van Ness Ave. www.sfsymphony.org

Marga Gomez performs her new solo show about her inspiring performing Cuban father, Esta Noche and other aspects of her life. $20-$30. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 5pm. Thru Jan. 28. 2781 24th St. margagomez.com www.brava.org

Classic & New Films @ Castro Theatre

Jan 17 & 18: To Catch a Thief (2:45, 7pm) and The Man Who Knew Too Much (4:45, 9pm). Jan 19: They Live (7:30) and Videodrome (9:20). Jan 20: SF Sketchfest events, Jawbreaker with Peaches Christ (8pm); Jan 21, Animal House (4pm), Danny McBride & Jody Hill tribute (8pm). Jan 22: The Shape of Water (4:30, 7pm, 9:20). Jan 23: SF Sketchfest tribute to Ricky Gervais with Christopher Guest (7:30). Jan 24 & 25: Dunkirk (4:45, 7pm, 9:15). $11-$16. 429 Castro St. www.castrotheatre.com

Hollywood, Homosexuality @ GLBT History Museum Jan. 18: How Has Hollywood (Mis) Represented Homosexuality?, a panel discussion with trailers from historic films presented by Jim Van Buskirk; 7pm. Also, Jan. 24: Fighting Back: Disability and the LGBTQ Community, with a panel of historians, veteran organizers and younger activists; $5. 7pm. Exhibits as well. $5. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Mugwumpin @ Z Space

Tue 23

The innovative theatre ensemble premieres In Event of Moon Disaster, a multimedia adventure into science fiction and future, with a mystical lunar soul versus colonizing forces. $15-$25. Thru Jan. 28. Wed & Thu 7pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 5pm. 470 Florida St. www.zspace.org

L.A. Dance Project @ Strand Theatre

Queer Ancestors Project @ Strut

Arts Events January 18-25

Opening reception for a queer youth exhibition of art about LGBTQ pioneers. 7:30pm-10pm. 4709 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

Well-Strung @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The popular men’s string/vocal quartet returns to the intimate elegant nightclub. $33.75-$65 ($20 food/drink minimum). Jan 18-20. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Fri 19 Avenue Q @ New Conservatory Theatre The puppets return! The Tonywinning musical about a New York neighborhood of puppets and people is restaged. $35-$60. WedSat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Extended thru Jan. 21. 25 Van Ness Ave., lower level. www.nctcsf.org

Danielle Aubert @ SFAC Main Gallery Marking the Dispossessed, the artist’s exhibit and participatory reading project showcasing her obsessive collection of used marked editions of Ursula K. Le Guin’s bestselling scifi novel. 6pm-8pm. Also Jan. 20, 12pm-2pm with a taping of a group reading of excerpts from the book. 401 Van Ness Ave., #126. www.sfartscommission.org

Kambara & Dancers @ ODC Theater Inaugural home season of Yayoi Kambara’s new company in premiere works, including Near and Dear, with audience circled seating on stage. $10-$35. 8pm. Also Jan 20. 3153 17th St. kambaraplus.org www.odcdance.org

Megabytes the Musical @ Shelton Theater

hort and sweet, the best arts events are listed here, with more online, but who are we to judge? For nightlife events, visit www.ebar.com/bartab

Still at Risk @ New Conservatory Theatre

ShadowLight Theatre @ St. Cyprian’s

Tim Pinckley’s new play explores the hazards of rewriting an AIDS activists past, while trying to move forward. Pre- and post-show panels and events. $35-$45. Previews: opens Jan. 27. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru Feb 25. 25 Van Ness Ave, lower level. www.nctcsf.org

Balinese shadow puppet play with Gamelan accompaniment. $20-$25. 8pm. 2097 Turk St. sﬂivearts.org

Sat 20 Carry On: Your Political PTSD Cure @ Gray Area

Sun 21

Dolls @ Potrero Stage Michael Phillis (Baloney and countless drag shows) revives his hit 2008 solo show about a boy’s love of dolls; part of the PlayGround Solo Performance Festival. $21-$36. Jan 20, 6pm. Jan 25, 8:30pm, and Jan. 28 at 7pm. Seven other performers thru Jan 28. 1695 18th St. www.michaelphillis.com www.playground-sf.org/solofest

Ida Lupino Films @ Berkeley Art Museum/ Paciﬁc Film Archive

Morris Bobrow’s comedy song revue about the frustrations of technology. $25-$30. Fri & Sat 8pm thru Mar. 3. 533 Sutter St. megabytesthemusical.com

SF Sketchfest @ Various Venues

Jawbreaker @ Castro Theatre

Solo Performance Festival @ Potrero Stage Playground SF presents eight writer-performers in solo works: Lisa Evans, Malcolm Grissom, Marjorie Hazeltine, Michael Phillis, Katie Rubin, Thomas Robert Simpson, Nina Wise, and Dan Wolf. $21-$124 (full pass). Various dates/times. 1695 18th St. playground-sf.org

Sondheim on Sondheim @ 3Below Theater & Lounge Live and video musical performance of some of Stephen Sondheim’s best songs, with video comments by the composer/lyricist. $41-$58. Thru Feb 4. 288 S. 2nd St., San Jose. 3belowtheaters.com

Vijay Iyer Sextet @ SF Jazz The jazz band plays music from their new album, Far From Over. Part of a four-day residency with Iyer (Jan 18-21). $33-$95. 7:30pm. Miner Auditorium, 201 Franklin St. www.sfjazz.org

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

Annual large-scale multi-event celebration of comedy and performance, with Jane Lynch, Rhea Butler, Dan Savage, Peaches Christ and hundreds of performers in improv, panels, films, workshops and parties. $15-$50. Thru Jan 28. sfsketchfest.com

Peaches Christ hosts another film/ drag experience, with a screening of the camp film, plus star Julie Benz and writer/director Darren Stein. Part of SF Sketchfest. $ 8pm. 429 Castro St. www.peacheschrist.com www.castrotheatre.com

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

Donde Esta Mi Comedy? @ Strut Barruch Porras-Hernandez hosts a night of rousing queer Latino comedy, with Eloisa Bravo, Jesus U. BettaWerk, Jennifer Dronsky, Molly Sanchez, Veronica Porras, Kay Nilsson and Grace Towers. 7pm. Free. 470 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

Klimt & Rodin: An Artistic Encounter @ Legion of Honor Dual exhibition of works by the painter and sculptor. Free/$30. Thru Jan. 28. Lincoln Park, 100 34th Ave. https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/

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

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

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

Object Action: The ‘F’ Word in a Post-Truth Era @ State Collect for Change’s politicallythemed multimedia group feminist response to the current political climate. Panels and other events, too. Thru Feb 16. 1295 Alabama St. www.akart.com/collect-for-change

/lgbtsf

Cabaret >>

January 18-24, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 29

Linda Eder

Playmates or soul mates, you’ll find them on MegaMates

Broadway star returns to Feinstein’s at the Nikko

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by David-Elijah Nahmod

n January 25 Broadway and cabaret superstar Linda Eder begins a three-night return engagement at Feinstein’s at the Nikko, where she’ll be performing songs from her diverse repertoire, from Broadway to concert stages. Eder has performed almost continuously since she won Star Search, a forerunner of American Idol, in 1988. “That’s what gave me my first national exposure,” Eder recalled in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “It was fun and exciting, but it can be demoralizing when you lose. I always fear for the kids on Idol. It’s vicious in a nasty way and can damage someone’s psyche.” Eder was a seasoned performer prior to her Star Search appearances; she had been performing in clubs in the Minneapolis area, where she grew up, and in Atlantic City. But it was Star Search that led her to Broadway. Her television performances caught the attention of producer and future husband Frank Wildhorn, who offered her the role of Lucy in the musical adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde. It would take nearly ten years before J & H finally made it to Broadway, during which time Eder recorded several CDs and costarred in the musical Svengali. She also married Wildhorn. “It was a struggle to get Jekyll and Hyde to Broadway,” Eder said. “I had already done the workshop and the pre-cast album. By the time opening night came, I burst into tears. It was worth it in the end. I’m now identified with it. I didn’t have to act in Jekyll and Hyde, it wasn’t until I did the musical Camille Claudel that I had to act; that was a heavy book show. She said that she enjoys acting. “It was rewarding,” she noted. “I like acting but I never pursued it.” For the past two decades Eder’s career has primarily been on the concert stage. In addition to playing smaller clubs such as Feinstein’s, she has appeared in venues like Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall and the Kennedy Center. Some of her concerts have aired on PBS and

Mon 22 Fantasy Life @ SF City Hall Tabitha Soren’s 15-year project photographing Oakland A’s players through their careers. Extended thru March 23. Ground Floor & North Light Court. sfartscommission.org

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

Tue 23 Joyce Carol Oates @ SF Public Library The prolific author discusses the new anthology It Occurs to Me That I Am America, a repsonse to Trumpian fascism, with Jonathan Santlofer. 6:30pm. Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin St. www.sfpl.org

Pivot Festival @ Strand Theatre L.A. Dance Project performs Benjamin Millepied’s Closer (music: Philip Glass), Hearts & Arrows, and Sarabande (music: J.S. Bach). Jan

San Francisco:

Linda Eder

Bravo. In addition to her performing career, Eder has taught master classes and has also offered private lessons. “I don’t do a lot of teaching,” she said. “I started doing private lessons six years ago, then took a hiatus from it. I had so much fun that I will go back to it. Because I’m not trained, I have a very naturalistic way of teaching. I enjoy seeing the light bulb that goes off when a student has a breakthrough.” Eder says that she misses the camaraderie of Broadway, but keeps busy with recording. Eder recently released Retro, her sixteenth CD. The disc is a collection of songs from the past twenty years which were written for projects that never happened in spite of their beauty. Eder said that she was grateful to composers, lyricists, arrangers, orchestrators and musicians that helped finally bring this music to life, but would not say whether or not Retro would be part of her new show at Feinstein’s.

24: Sarah Cahill & Friends. Jan 26: pianist Timo Andres. Jan 27: Joe Goode Performance Group. $25$40. 8:30pm. 1127 Market St. www.sfperformances.org

Rent @ San Jose Center for the Performing Arts 20th anniversary tour of the musical about East Village people effected by gentrification and AIDS. $48$128. Tue-Thu 7:30pm. Fri Sat 8pm. Sat 1pm. Sun 2pm, 6:30pm. Thru Jan 28. 255 Almaden Blvd., San Jose. www.broadwaysanjose.com

The Rose That Grew From Concrete @ LGBT Center Exhibit of multimedia art by members of the Center’s Youth Program. 1800 Market St. www.sfcenter.org

Voice of the Central City @ Tenderloin Museum New exhibit about the history of The Tenderloin Times. Thru Mar. 30. Reg hours Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. Free$10. 398 Eddy St. www.tenderloinmuseum.org

Wed 24 Bernadette Bohan @ Paxton Gate All That Glitters is Gold, a new exhibit of the Bay Area sculptor’s amazing whimsical toyassemblages. Thru mid-Feb. 766 Valencia St. paxtongate.com

“I always change my show a little bit,” she said. “I work to please as many people as possible, and to please myself, so it’s usually a mix of things. I don’t like to give it away.” Eder cites Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand as among her biggest musical influences, but does not feel that being associated with their songs has kept her from maintaining her own onstage persona. She added that she’s perfectly happy to be less famous than her idols. “I want to enjoy my life,” Eder said. “I caught a glimpse of what it would be like to be famous on that upper level. Divorce and having a kid teaches you to be yourself. Life makes you think about the work a bit differently.”t Linda Eder performs her new cabaret show, ‘An Evening With Linda Eder.’ $90-$130 ($20 food/ drink min). 8pm. Also Jan 26 & 27, 8pm. Feinstein’s at the Nikko, Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.lindaeder.com www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Sarah Cahill & Friends @ Strand Theatre The acclaimed pianist performs a concert celebrating gay composer Lou Harrison, with violinist Kate Stenberg, the Alexander String Quartet and the William Winant Percussion Group (performing on instruments built by Harrison). $25$40. 8:30pm. 1127 Market St. www.sfperformances.org

Thu 25 Creating S-Town @ Curran Theater In their talk, S-Town co-creators Brian Reed & Julie Snyder walk their audience through the process of how they developed an entirely new kind of storytelling, taking techniques from literature and merging them with journalism. $29$85. 7pm. 445 Geary St. www.sfcurran.com

The Third Muslim @ SOMArts Cultural Center Queer and Trans Muslim Narratives of Resistance and Resilience, a group exhibition with performances, curated by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Yas Ahmed. Opening reception and performaances Jan 25, 6pm-9pm. Reg hours Tue-Fri 12pm-7pm; Sat 12pm-5pm. Thru Feb 22. 934 Brannan St. www.somarts.org

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<< Leather

30 • Bay Area Reporter • January 18-24, 2018

New Ms. San Francisco Leather chosen by Race Bannon

ne of the wonderful things about the San Francisco Bay Area leather and kink communities is that women are generally better represented than in many other areas of the country. One of the biggest events of the year for local leather women is the Ms. San Francisco Leather contest, held on Saturday, January 13, 2018, at SOMArts Cultural Center. Sadly, I was out of town, but thanks to Val Langmuir, Ms. SF Leather 2013, and my other proxy scouts, I’m able to do adequate justice to reporting on this event. Before discussing the contest though, I asked a few past Ms. SF Leather titleholders for their thoughts about the state of the local and national women’s leather and kink communities, what issues are currently at the forefront, what successes they have seen lately, and what might these communities do to continue to grow and thrive. Here are some of their responses. Queen Cougar, Ms. SF Leather 1993, mentioned that many of the issues plaguing society, such as financial stresses, rising suicide rates, homelessness, and the downsides of social media overexposure that sometimes diminishes civility, manners and respect, are also impacting the women’s communities. On the upside, Cougar feels that today young women are increasingly empowered to position themselves in various leather environments to pursue what interests them, and trans women are also being taken more seriously. Stela Furtado, Ms. SF Leather 2016, feels these communities are growing and looking for ways to be recognized. She would like to see more men genuinely embracing their leather sisters. Echoing Cougar’s comment on financial challenges, Furtado agrees that economic hardship is still a top issue facing women Nerine Mechanique, Ms. San Francisco Leather 2012, offered this about where the women’s scene is

Rod Wood

Rich Stadtmiller

Haley, the new Ms. SF Leather 2018 (left) and Teena.

at these days. “In the Bay Area, I am glad to see groups – especially femme-led ones – continue to have meet-ups and play parties that thrive in a city that has much of its conversation and otherwise positive energy clouded by some of the stressful hot topics of today.” For the record, what Mechanique alludes to is something I’m hearing increasingly across the leather gender spectrum, not just in the women’s communities. So often someone will extol some wonderful aspect of our scene, only to immediately feel obligated to counter with their frustrations and anger at the increasing levels of drama and disagreement. I’m not sure what’s the answer to this trend, but I sure hope we can figure something out. Langmuir, Ms. SF Leather 2013, brought up something I also hear a lot, especially from non-gay male sectors. “One of the most important issues facing the women’s kink and leather communities is what is the definition of ‘women’s space’ today in a world that goes beyond the gender binary, and how does the changing definition affect us? We are clear that trans women are women. That part finally seems easy. But what about the inclusion of non-binary folks?” Again, this is also something I

Celebrating at the recent Mr. Powerhouse Leather contest (left to right): Stephan Ferris, Mr. Friendly Leather 2018; Austin James, Mr. Daddy’s Barbershop Leather 2018; Spencer Adam, Mr. Powerhouse Leather 2018 (contest winner); Matt Welch, Mr. Bay Area Cub 2017; and Colton Long, Mr. SF Eagle Leather 2018.

hear often, especially from non-gay male sectors of the scene, but as with the drama and disagreement issue, I don’t have a good answer for it except to continue to bang the drum for striking a balance between inclusion and giving each group their own space. This appears to be one of the trickier problems our scene now faces. Before the contest itself took place, there was a casual meet and greet gathering emceed by Langmuir at the SF Eagle on Friday, January 12. This gave people a chance to meet the contestants and judges while mingling with other leatherfolk and kinksters in a relaxed social atmosphere. Contestants also sold raffle tickets. The following Saturday night was the main event, the Ms. SF Leather contest. The glamorous and sexy Mechanique emceed as two great contestants, Haley and Teena, vied for the title. Judges for the contest this year were: Vick Germany, SF Dyke Daddy 2002 (Head Judge); Leigh Ann, Ms. Santa Clara County Leather 2018; Geoff Millard, Mr. San Francisco Leather 2017; Tracy Wolf, Women’s International Leather Legacy 2011;

Ms. V, International Ms. Bootblack 2007; Queen Cougar; and girl kim, SF Dyke Grrl 2002. Earlier that day each contestant faced an interview with the judging panel. During the evening event, each contestant performed a threeminute fantasy, gave a 90-second speech in formal wear, and answered a pop question wearing bar wear. Mechanique made answering the pop question task more difficult by asking the questions dressed as a plush robot. Additional entertainment was provided by Peppermint Furiosa who performed a hot opening dance number, and Mya Byrne & the Something Extra, a three-piece band who rocked the house with an original song after intermission. While the audience waited for the scores to be tallied, Daddy Sal Hopkins, the new executive producer, thanked outgoing producers Liza, Jody and Ms. Cat for their service and hard work, and outgoing titleholder Azalea gave a heartfelt and moving speech, taking us through some highlights from her year. During Azalea’s speech she called on us to do the work, to be part of the resistance, and to remember to lift each

other up. Other highlights of the evening included a live auction of contestants’ baskets by auctioneer Langmuir, ably assisted by the contestants who brandished their basket items and encouraged the audience to bid up. There was a presentation of colors with “America the Beautiful” sung by Rio Spooner, accompanied by the audience. The color guard walked in to bagpipe music, and departed to an instrumental version of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” At the end of the evening, Haley was declared the winner, Ms. SF Leather 2018. The contest was well-attended by a great cross-section of the community. Many contestants for Mr. SF Leather 2018 (including Stephan Ferris, Mr. Friendly Leather 2018; Colton Long, Mr. SF Eagle Leather 2018; Spencer Adam, Mr. Powerhouse Leather 2018; Austin James, Mr. Daddy’s Barbershop Leather 2018; and Ken Berard, Mr. SF Sober Leather 2018) were in attendance, and were among the first to congratulate Haley on her new title. The Friday meet and greet raffle, the Saturday live basket auction, and a silent auction on Saturday combined to raise more than $2000 for the titleholder travel fund. The beneficiaries of the contest net proceeds were The Carter Johnson Library and The Women’s Leather History Project. The Ms. San Francisco Leather production organization made it a point to tell me they thank their sponsors including the SF Bay Area Leather Alliance (fiscal sponsor), Folsom Street Events (platinum sponsor), Northwest Leather Celebration (gold sponsor), SOMArts (venue sponsor), Mr. S Leather, The Exiles, and Wicked Grounds. Congratulations, Haley. May your title year be a fun one. Race Bannon is a local author, blogger and activist. You can reach him at: www.bannon.com Leather Events are at www.ebar.com.bartab

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Nerine Mechanique, Ms. San Francisco Leather 2012 (left), and Val Langmuir, Ms. SF Leather 2013.

Shining Stars >>

January 18-24, 2018 • Bay area reporter • 31

Photos by

Steven Underhill

lamour and grand camp ruled at the annual California Gold Pageant, held at El Toro nightclub (2470 San Bruno Ave.), presented on January 14 by the Grand Ducal Council of SF and the House of Glitter. With MCs Landa Lakes and Pollo Del Mar, the judges included photographer Jose A. Guzman-Colon and notable reality show celebs. Categories included Creative Dress, Unconventional Material, Evening Gown and Talent portions. The talented contestants included Lady Phoenix, Brenda Buttons, Alpha, Donny Mirassou, KaiKai Bee Michaels, and Frida K-hole, but Dusty Pörn took the crown. www.sfducal.org See plenty more photos on BARtab’s Facebook page, www. facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at www.StevenUnderhill.com.