January 20, 2022 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

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Candidates square off

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Gay Captain Del Gandio makes SFPD history

by Matthew S. Bajko Courtesy Vitalant

Brian Custer, Ph.D., of Vitalant

Blood study seeks gay, bi men to challenge FDA ban

by John Ferrannini

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pilot study that could lead to changes in federal rules prohibiting sexually active men who have sex with men from donating blood is seeking 200 more participants in the Bay Area before July. The study is called the ADVANCE Study, which stands for Assessing Donor Variability And New Concepts in Eligibility.

The study comes as the American Red Cross declared a blood supply shortage January 11 and as 22 U.S. senators sent a letter to Xavier Becerra, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Janet Woodcock, the acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, asking them to scrap decades of restrictions on gay and bisexual men donating blood.

As the Bay Area Reporter has reported, in 1983 due to the AIDS epidemic, the FDA imposed a lifetime ban on blood donations by men who’d had sex with men since 1977. Under the Obama administration this was changed to a ban on men who’d had sex with a man in the past 12 months; and under the Trump administration amid a blood shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this period was reduced to three months.

Brian Custer, Ph.D., a gay man who is a vice president of research and scientific programs at Vitalant, said that the blood donation nonprofit is conducting a study in eight cities that will be presented to the FDA in early 2023. Custer said he hopes the study’s results will guide the federal agency to consider changing questions about men who have sex with men specifically to questions about sexual health and safety across all orientations.

“We are conducting a study asking gay and bisexual men to come in so we can collect a blood sample,” Custer told the B.A.R. “We are also going to ask them to complete questions that may be used on a future version of the donor history questionnaire.”

The donor history questionnaire is what prospective blood donors must fill out prior to doing so.

Custer said that the study is going to look into whether questions about the number of one’s sexual partners, for example, might be a good replacement.

“Questions like that would create an individual risk data set in the future,” he said. “The thing is one or two questions might differentiate gay and bisexual men at risk of getting HIV and those who aren’t, and if we can do that, we may be able to achieve changes in the future.”

There are two places in the Bay Area where people who want to give a blood sample for the study can go: the Vitalant Blood Center at Turk and Masonic streets in San Francisco, and American Red Cross Blood Services at 6230 Claremont Avenue in Oakland.

“We ask people to schedule an appointment online,” Custer said.

Enrollment will continue until July. Only HIVnegative men who have sex with men should sign up for the study, which is limited to people ages 18-39.

“Enrollment has been slower than we’d hoped it’d be,” Custer said. “The COVID pandemic has made people less likely to be part of research studies, for obvious reasons.”

Custer said that “people are compensated for their time and reimbursed for being part of the project.” A person can earn $10 from a screening interview, up to $25 if they are enrolled, and up to See page 7 >>

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aptain Christopher Del Gandio has made history as the first out gay man to make that rank with the San Francisco Police Department. He is also currently the highest-ranking out LGBTQ police officer in the department.

Former police commander Teresa Ewins, a lesbian who had served with SFPD for 26 years, had that distinction until she left last year to become chief of police in Lincoln, Nebraska. At the moment the highest-ranking LGBTQ person in the department is Matt Dorsey, a gay civilian who is director of strategic communications and part of SFPD Chief William Scott’s command staff.

In a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter, Del Gandio said reaching the promotional milestone in the department “feels great.”

“There may have been some gay men before me possibly who made it but didn’t feel comfortable being out and proud, so I may not be the first,” he noted. “But to be openly gay from the start, with the work I put in and representing the community and also working very hard at my job to get here, it feels like a milestone for sure.”

Rick Gerharter

San Francisco Police Captain Christopher Del Gandio stands outside the police department’s Central Station.

SFPD Lieutenant Lisa Frazer, a lesbian who at one time was a beat officer in the LGBTQ Castro district, hailed Del Gandio’s breaking through the glass ceiling at the department in an interview with the B.A.R. She and Del Gandio in 2017 were both promoted to the rank of lieutenant.

“He is a really nice guy. I am really glad he is the first,” said Frazer, who now works out of San Francisco International Airport. “It is the highest rank any gay man has been promoted to in the history of SFPD.” See page 3 >>

Hearing nears for Diamond Street family housing project

by Matthew S. Bajko

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et to take place in early February is the long-delayed hearing before the city’s planning commission about a controversial market-rate housing project proposed for the hillside at the intersection of Diamond Heights Boulevard and Diamond Street. In recent weeks an agreement was reached to allow for it to come up for review at the oversight panel between the project proponent and several neighborhood leaders who had opposed it.

Developer On Diamond LLC is seeking approval to build 24 new luxury homes and intends to pay close to $3 million to the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development so it doesn’t have to set aside some as affordable housing. Nearby residents had argued that the entire project should be affordable and voiced criticisms about its impact to the trees on site and views afforded by the hilly property.

The planning commission was initially set to weigh in on the project in August. But in light of the controversy surrounding the development, city planning staff postponed the hearing to give the developer and neighbors more time to work out a compromise. The hearing is now scheduled to take place Thursday, February 3.

One of the biggest changes made to the project is that the housing is being pushed back onto the hillside rather than fronting the sidewalk in order to preserve 10 of the existing Monterey cypress trees. There had been 16 trees of significance on the hillside but a Monterey pine toppled during a storm late last year; the five others will be removed.

The number of driveways is being reduced from 15 to eight. A staircase will run the length of the hillside from Diamond Street up to Diamond Heights Boulevard in order to provide a pedestrian connection between the Upper Noe and Diamond Heights neighborhoods. A publicly accessible deck will also be built above one of the residences to provide views spanning from downtown San Francisco and the Bay Bridge south to the San Mateo Bridge.

Courtesy On Diamond LLC

A staircase, right, leads to a publicly accessible deck in a new rendition of the proposed Diamond Street housing project.

“This public deck is going to have monster views,” said developer Marc Babsin.

The changes to the project design will result in a few less bedrooms overall but not require a reduction in the number of housing units.

Babsin also told the Bay Area Reporter he has agreed to fund various pedestrian improvements in the area, from new crosswalks and sidewalk bulbous to funds for ongoing maintenance of plantings in the street median.

“We basically, through these dozens of meetings over many months, we redesigned the project so that it delivers to the community their top priorities to preserve the Monterey cypress trees and the panoramic view and to reduce the number of driveways,” said Babsin. “Those were their three most important items.”

Signing on to the agreement not to oppose the project are Betsy Eddy, co-president of the Diamond Heights Community Association; Diamond Street resident Steve Chaffin; and Olga Milan-Howells, president of the Upper Noe Neighbors residential association. They had formed the 1900 Diamond for All group that was organizing against the project and

had formed a website with a petition for people to sign opposing it.

In a brief phone interview January 12, Eddy told the B.A.R. that due to the changes Babsin has agreed to make, the trio of community leaders will no longer oppose the development. She shared the statement they intend to email to the people who signed the petition to let them know about the compromise they have negotiated.

“Although some may be disappointed, there has been a considerable investment in time and money in this effort. After 1.5 years pushing for a better outcome; addressing environmental, neighborhood and legal concerns at a cost of +$100k in legal, architects and expert fees, significant changes have been made by the Emerald Fund to the project which benefit the neighborhood,” it reads in part.

If approved, the project will be the first sizeable family housing development to be built in that section of the city’s eighth supervisorial district in years.

See page 6 >>

<< Election 2022

2 • Bay Area Reporter • January 20-26, 2022

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SF Assembly candidates sound off at forum

by John Ferrannini

basis. You have women who are being human trafficked. They lose their ID, they are forced to essentially be raped, and we don’t do anything to help these women.”

Boudin, when asked to elaborate, told the B.A.R. that “Never did I say ‘we should not be prosecuting drug dealers.’ In fact, my administration has charged drug sales cases at higher rates than my predecessor did.”

Haney said that “there need to be effective consequences for folks arrested for dealing drugs.”

He added, “We need our attorney general, we need state law enforcement, we need federal law enforcement because the issue is not the people on the corner only but who’s putting them out there.”

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hings became testy at a virtual Assembly District 17 candidate forum January 12, with multiple candidates blaming fellow candidate Supervisor Matt Haney for the conditions in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood.

“With all due respect to the supervisor, and this is for the voters, if you want to see the kind of work the supervisor does look at what has happened to the Tenderloin under his leadership, if you can call it that,” said David Campos, a gay man who is one of the four people seeking the seat. “Thank you, Mayor [London] Breed, but that’s not the kind of leadership you need in Sacramento today.”

Haney, a straight ally who represents District 6 on the Board of Supervisors and is a Tenderloin resident himself, had been defending his record representing the neighborhood since 2019 while responding to another candidate – straight ally and former Obama administration staffer Bilal Mahmood.

“Every single day I walk this neighborhood,” Haney said. “We fought for safety, foot patrols, community ambassadors, more supportive housing. Frankly I’ve never seen Bilal [Mahmood] or David Campos here even though David’s job as [District Attorney Chesa Boudin’s] chief of staff is to keep this neighborhood safe.”

Mahmood said he lives in District 6, too.

“The onus should be on the supervisor,” Mahmood said. “Blaming me for not meeting you is an unfortunate mistake.”

The forum was hosted by the nonprofit TogetherSF and the Rescue SF coalition. The candidates (the fourth is Thea Selby, a straight ally who is a City College of San Francisco trustee) answered questions put to them by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Heather Knight. A special election will be held February 15 to fill the state Assembly seat vacated by David Chiu, a straight ally who became city attorney late last year. District 17 is concentrated on the city’s eastside.

Knight said that 80% of San Franciscans think addressing the homeless crisis is a top priority and 88% think it’s getting worse. She then asked the candidates what they thought about Breed’s declaration of a state of emergency in the Tenderloin, one of the city’s most impacted neighborhoods.

Homelessness Screengrab

Clockwise from top left: Assembly candidate Matt Haney, an unidentified person who was keeping time, moderator Heather Knight, and candidates Bilal Mahmood, Thea Selby, and David Campos participated in a virtual forum January 12.

The candidates were in broad agreement on the state of emergency.

“I do support the state of emergency,” Haney said. “We have a crisis on our streets – two people a day dying – and it’s something I’ve been screaming and yelling about since I’ve been on the board. This neighborhood and the people here are hurting.”

Haney said that city leadership has engaged in “a conspiracy against this district” by allowing it to become a de facto “containment zone” for openair drug dealing.

“We have to confront open-air drug dealing,” Haney said. “It is having a devastating impact on our neighborhoods. It is killing people. It should not be allowed. We can’t continue to allow this in this neighborhood, or any neighborhood.”

Selby said that she initially got involved in politics because of bad conditions in the Haight.

“I live in the Lower Haight and I got involved in politics because there was a double homicide across the street from my house,” Selby said.

“I know, from that experience, that there’s a way out of that and the way to get out of that is through collaboration and cooperation; you can’t do just one thing, you have to do a variety of things. And so in our case what we did was make sure the community got together rather than feel completely isolated. The Tenderloin has more families, more immigrant families, than any neighborhood of

San Francisco, and they feel isolated.”

Campos said that dealing with conditions in the Tenderloin is one reason he’s running again to become a state legislator. (He lost to Chiu in 2014.)

“We need the state of California to intervene,” Campos said. “It’s clear that jurisdictions like San Francisco dealing with it is not enough.”

The candidates were more likely to disagree when the question came to how much law enforcement should be involved, and what they should do when they are.

Mahmood said he was in favor of more police on the streets.

“As a former policy analyst for the Obama administration, I understand the need to marry science and policy together and that’s what the mayor’s emergency plan does,” Mahmood said. “Targeted increases in patrols in high risk areas does statistically reduce the incidence of crime. This isn’t about a war on drugs, it’s about making the area safer for families.”

Campos said that “I do think there has to be enforcement of criminal law,” but also that the “last thing I want” is a revival of the drug war.

On leave as chief of staff to Boudin, Campos said that the DA’s office tried to hire prosecutors to go after drug suppliers but that it was held up by the Board of Supervisors.

“If you look at the number of cases brought to the DA’s office, the prosecution rate is high – 70%-80%,” Campos said. “But there has to be a

way of cutting off the supply. I believe what should have been done is to focus on shutting off supply and that’s what we tried to do. Unfortunately we could not get the Board of Supervisors budget committee to introduce a proposal to fund that effort.”

Mahmood said that because of the potency of fentanyl, it’s misguided to only go after the big fish.

“I believe when people are dealing fentanyl illegally it’s effectively manslaughter, and we need to change the rate of prosecution, we need to change the type of conviction rate because the crime should be commensurate to what they’re being charged with,” Mahmood said. “In that context we need new types of solutions. The problem in San Francisco is we keep doing the same thing over and over again.”

Selby agreed that street drug dealing should be prosecuted.

“We all have these San Francisco values, but I have a strong belief in consequences,” Selby said. “If you are doing something wrong, if you are doing something illegal, you definitely should be prosecuted.

“One of the shocking things I learned is that the DA [Boudin] said we should not be prosecuting drug dealers because it might harm their families in Central America,” Selby said. “I have to say we have to worry about ourselves first. Think of all the immigrants in the Tenderloin dealing with these crimes on a daily

On the issue of unsheltered people living on the streets, Campos touted his record from when he was District 9 supervisor.

“I was criticized from the left as a supervisor because when tents went up in D9 I worked diligently to get rid of them,” Campos said. “I don’t think that there’s anything progressive or compassionate about allowing people to live in tents.

“The way we cleared those tents is I worked with city agencies and I went to those encampments, tent by tent, to connect those individuals with services,” Campos added.

He argued that “we need corporations and wealthy Californians to pay for those services.”

Mahmood said that the issue is not a lack of money but a lack of innovative ideas.

“I don’t think solving homelessness is a money problem, it’s an ideas problem,” Mahmood said. “If you look at the governor’s [budget], it’s $2 billion in additional funding ... so it’s really not the money that’s the issue, it’s that we keep trying the same thing over and over and over again.”

Mahmood said he is a big believer in the Built For Zero program, which is being tried in many cities nationwide. Built For Zero proposes the creation of “an integrated, command center team” connecting local government, Veterans Affairs, the housing authority and nonprofits in their efforts to combat homelessness. t [Editor’s note: The Bay Area Reporter endorsed Campos January 13.]

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DA dismisses charges against SF gay man

by John Ferrannini

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riminal charges have been dismissed against a gay San Francisco man who was allegedly beaten by police during an altercation in the Castro last year.

Sergio Lugo, 42, was severely injured during what the San Francisco Public Defender’s office called an “illegal detention” in a January 12 news release.

According to the public defender’s office, Lugo was falsely accused of assaulting a San Francisco Police Department officer when plainclothes police illegally detained him in February 2021. Police claim that the altercation resulted in superficial wounds to an officer. The defense presented evidence, including eyewitness testimony from neighbors, who described what they observed as a “beating” of Lugo.

On February 17, 2021, plainclothes officers observed Lugo walking around the Castro district in the early morning hours, the public defender office’s release states. “Although he had committed no crime, two officers detained and questioned him. When they told Mr. Lugo that they intended to search him, Mr. Lugo asserted his right not to be searched and told them that he intended to walk away. Without any verbal warning, the two officers grabbed his arm, kicked his legs out from under him, and pinned him on the ground,” the release states.

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Gay captain

From page 1

Del Gandio has been undergoing training to become a captain and his assignment overseeing one of the department’s 10 district stations will become official Saturday, January 29.

As of the B.A.R.’s press deadline January 19, he had yet to be told where he would be placed as captain.

The native of Teaneck, New Jersey, who will turn 42 on January 22, moved to San Francisco in December 2007 after being accepted into an SFPD academy class. He is the

Courtesy SF Public Defender’s office

A photo released by the San Francisco Public Defender’s office shows Sergio Lugo with severe facial injuries after an altercation with police last February.

Newly-released photos by the public defender’s office show Lugo with severe facial injuries following the altercation with San Francisco police officers.

Other photos and an internal police report obtained by the San Francisco Standard come after Police Chief William Scott expressed disappointment in District Attorney Chesa Boudin for deciding to drop the charges against Lugo.

“I’m disappointed with the district attorney’s decision in this case,” Scott stated. “Mr. Lugo resisted arrest and violently assaulted our officers, injuring one of them with an

X-Acto knife. These kinds of attacks are unacceptable and shouldn’t be tolerated by our criminal justice system. When they are, it sends a dangerous message that emboldens criminals to use violence – and not just against police officers.”

The photos obtained by the Standard show one officer with cuts to his pinky and knee, but Lugo with a fractured cheek bone and cuts and bruises to his head after having been punched 15 to 20 times, according to the Public Defender’s office, which also confirmed Lugo’s identity as a gay man in a phone call with the Bay Area Reporter.

first in his family to seek a law enforcement career.

“It sounds cliché, but I really love helping people and sort of felt in myself a fierce advocate, especially for those who needed it most,” said Del Gandio, who graduated from Rutgers University with a B.S. in administration of justice. “I just really felt like a calling, I would say, to go out there and help people, especially our most vulnerable folks.”

He had worked for a small police department in the Garden State as a dispatcher and police service aide.

After college he was employed as a

probation officer, and a friend who was hired as a paramedic in Santa Cruz invited him to visit. They came up to San Francisco, and due to Del Gandio being allergic to cats, he ended up sleeping on a rooftop patio overlooking the Castro.

“It was a magical moment for me; I really loved this place,” he recalled.

“On the East Coast the only large agency is the NYPD. I didn’t want to stay in New York for the rest of my life, so I thought, ‘Why not make a big change? If I am going to do it, might as well do it now.’”

“The police had no right to detain, search, initiate force, and escalate force against Mr. Lugo who committed no crime,” Lugo’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Alexandra Pray, stated in a news release.

“Police created this situation, and given the evidence, the prosecution finally did the right thing and dismissed these charges.”

The B.A.R. first reported on Lugo’s arrest in an article last March.

Police stated that on February 21, around 5 a.m., two officers at 21st and Castro streets were conducting a burglary surveillance operation when they detained Lugo.

In a news release at the time, the SFPD stated that Lugo had originally been cooperative.

“During the struggle, Lugo produced an edged weapon and lunged toward one of the officers,” the news release stated. “Lugo stabbed the officer in his left hand and left knee. A second officer injured his hand during the struggle. Following the assault, officers were able to place Lugo into handcuffs and restrain him. The officers and Lugo were transported to a local hospital where they were all treated for nonlife-threatening injuries.”

Lugo was later transported to San Francisco County Jail and booked on charges of assault with a deadly weapon against a police officer; resisting an executive officer and arrest; resisting arrest resulting in serious injury to an officer; brandishing

a deadly weapon; and possession of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and burglary tools.

Lugo was arraigned last February 19 and pleaded not guilty, according to the public defender’s office.

Pray told the B.A.R. at the time that “from our perspective, Mr. Lugo was acting in self-defense and it’s not even clear he was using the knife in self-defense; it was a chaotic scene where the officers were on top of him and they went too far in trying to physically subdue him.”

Pray said that “the alleged stabbing was in response to a physical altercation, but prior to [Lugo] being punched in the face.”

SFPD spokesperson Sergeant Michael Andraychak would not respond to Pray’s remarks.

Rachel Marshall, a spokesperson for Boudin, stated that the case against Lugo was not winnable.

“We carefully reviewed all the evidence in this case, including statements, surveillance, the fact that police officers were not wearing body worn cameras, inconsistencies in police officer statements, the fact that Mr. Lugo was behaving lawfully when stopped by police, and the photos of the injuries of all parties – which depicted severe injuries to Mr. Lugo, whom police badly beat during this encounter – and it was clear that this was not a provable case,” Marshall stated. t

Third promotion

munity engagement division at the station before being sent to Central Station, which covers the city’s tourist areas like Union Square and Fisherman’s Wharf. Most recently he had been its night watch commander

This is Del Gandio’s third promotion in the department. After making lieutenant he was assigned to Mission Station, which is responsible for patrolling much of the city’s LGBTQ Castro district.

He then was assigned to the com-

See page 6 >>

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E V A ’T H N O D IT! IF WE ON’T NEED YOU D Courtesy B.A.R. Archive

50 years in 50 weeks: 2012: Feinstein talks with the B.A.R.

T

he Bay Area Reporter’s October 25, 2012 issue featured an in-person interview with U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein – the first that California’s senior senator had given the paper since she was elected to the upper chamber of Congress in 1992. In the wide-ranging interview Feinstein talked about her work to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act and opened up a bit about the 1978 assassinations of gay supervisor Harvey Milk and

mayor George Moscone. Because she was president of the Board of Supervisors at the time, Feinstein became mayor, a post she held for a decade. Feinstein predicted that San Francisco will one day elect an LGBTQ mayor, but that hasn’t happened yet, though several out candidates have tried to reach Room 200 in City Hall. To read the issue, go to https://issuu.com/bayareareporter/docs/october_25_2012.

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4 • Bay Area Reporter • January 20-26, 2022

Volume 52, Number 03 January 20-26, 2022 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 & NIGHTLIFE EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • John Ferrannini CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tavo Amador • Brian Bromberger Victoria A. Brownworth • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Michael Flanagan Jim Gladstone • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • David Lamble David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith •Sari Staver • Charlie Wagner Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood

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Tech giants need to quash bogus conversion therapy disinformation T wo new reports by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism show that the giant tech and social media companies are failing to block conversion therapy disinformation. The reports “Conversion Therapy Online: The Ecosystem: Online Search Algorithms Allow Access to Anti-LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapy Providers and Other Harmful Materials, Especially in NonEnglish Languages” , and “Conversion Therapy Online: The Players: Anti-LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapy Proponents Who Wrongly Believe That Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Can and Should Be Changed Have Found A Home Online” [LINK: https://globalextremism.org/wpcontent/uploads/2022/01/Conversion-TherapyOnline-The-Players.pdf] were published by GPAHE earlier this month.

Conversion therapy attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The practice is widely debunked by the United Nations and medical associations around the world, with some organizations denouncing it as a form of “torture.”

As we reported January 13 online, the Ecosystem report found the internet is filled with disinformation, especially in languages other than English. It looked at Alphabet Inc.’s Google and YouTube; Meta’s Facebook and Instagram; Twitter; Microsoft’s Bing; and Amazon’s Silk and Alexa.

The Players report profiles 25 conversion therapy providers around the world that the researchers identified as the most prominent, but

Courtesy GPAHE

The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism has released reports on disinformation available online about conversion therapy.

it is far from exhaustive, Heidi Beirich, Ph.D., and Wendy Via cautioned. They identified three interconnected groups operating around the world within the network. The Alliance for Therapeutic Choice, Scientific Integrity is largely made up of American practitioners, but they practice their “therapy” in other countries and collaborate abroad. North-

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ern Ireland-based organization Core Issues Trust has several partners in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe.

Wayne Besen, founder of Truth Wins Out, which fights anti-LGBTQ religious extremism, also wrote about the GPAHE reports. In a January 18 Substack piece, he praised the reports but doubted that the tech companies examined would do much beyond the bare minimum.

“Sure, these corporations have taken baby steps to scrub their sites of conversion pseudoscience.

But Silicon Valley is going about protecting LGBTQ people in the same way they are promising to safeguard democracy: Half-hearted and halfassed,” he wrote.

In fact, Google was the only company that responded to our request for comment and even then the unnamed spokesperson didn’t talk about specifics. “We design our search ranking systems to prioritize high-quality information, especially for important topics like health,” a company spokesperson wrote, “which have ‘shown that our approach is effective.’”

Unfortunately, Google’s approach is not good enough. Besen is right when he wrote that the tech companies could eliminate the vast majority of conversion therapy material online very quickly. The problem in their eyes likely is the fact that they have created business models “based on keeping people engaged by keeping them enraged,” Besen wrote.

All of these companies must do more to eliminate the disinformation. Conversion therapy is bunk (one cannot engineer another person’s See page 7 >>

‘Know Our Place:’ The wrong subtext for the Transgender District

by Adriana Roberts

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s a 30-year resident of San Francisco – who is also a transgender woman – I was elated when I first saw, in 2017, that the city had designated an official and legallyrecognized Transgender District, centered at Turk and Taylor streets. That’s the site of the landmark 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria riot, which predated the Stonewall riots by three years, and is slowly being recognized as the first documented uprising of transgender and queer people in United States history.

This newly-christened district stretches along a six-block sliver of the Tenderloin, and includes two blighted blocks of Sixth Street as well. As most everyone knows, it’s not exactly the best neighborhood, plagued with poverty, drugs, and crime. But this is where an important piece of queer history took place, and it deserves to be recognized.

It’s also one of the last places in San Francisco that seems to have avoided gentrification.

For me, it’s home.

About a year ago, I started seeing sharplooking pink, pale blue, and black banners around the neighborhood, featuring young, attractive transgender models. In the Civic Center BART Station, there are billboards proclaiming this area as the Transgender District, and prominently featuring the headline, “Know Our Place.” At first I was excited, thinking “Yay! Recognition! Validation! Represent!” After all, not only was this a public awareness advertising campaign celebrating my own neighborhood, but there was also a sense of pride and recognition in seeing my fellow trans sisters and siblings featured on big public displays.

Despite the obvious good intentions of the ads though, I have to admit that something about them bugged me; however, I couldn’t quite articulate what it was.

In fact, it took me months to process why this campaign ultimately bothered me, and it was only after the repetition of multiple impressions in the BART station that I slowly realized the flaws in its messaging, which now seem misguided, or, dare I say: “problematic?”

Let’s start with the questionable tagline: “Know Our Place,” a play on the derogatory put-down, “know your place.” As in, “be

Adriana Roberts

One of the “Know Our Place” billboards is visible at the Civic Center BART Station.

aware of your class status, and don’t even bother trying to rise above your station.”

Even though the slogan is meant to encourage people to explore the Transgender District, the implied subtext of the wordplay sadly has the unintended consequence of reinforcing the stereotype that transgender people are of a lower social class and only belong in economically-depressed neighborhoods such as the Tenderloin. While I’m sure this wasn’t the intent of the copywriter, it is the unfortunate result.

Secondly, seeing as that the formation of the Transgender District was spearheaded by three Black trans women, the inclusion of POC, API, and Latinx models is not only laudable, but to be expected. However, the notable exclusion of any Caucasian trans person sadly has yet another unintended side effect: it subconsciously implies – especially to a white, cis-het audience – that this neighborhood is only a ghetto for young, nonwhite trans women (with almost no trans men, at that), perpetuating and reinforcing mainstream society’s perception of trans people’s “otherness,” rather than encouraging integration.

As a white trans woman, I understand the privilege I have that was probably not afforded to the models in the ad but worry that by only featuring young, beautiful, non-white models, an opportunity for diverse intersectionality was lost. (Also, if we’re going to feature transgender tropes, where’s the coder with colored hair, cat ears, glasses, and piercings? According to all the trans memes, that’s literally the “trans girl starter pack.” But that’s a topic for another article.)

Overall, the “Know Our Place” campaign obviously wants to build awareness for the Transgender District, but sadly misses the mark in conveying an overtly positive message to its intended audience. At first, this seems to be the result of a campaign like this being developed by an outside marketing team, without deep-rooted ties to the neighborhood. But in fact, this is not the case. The Transgender District campaign was entirely conceptualized by an all-transgender and gender-nonconforming team. It is interesting to note, however, that most, if not all, of the models are not even residents of the district itself, lending a disconnect to the following hyperbole on its website, which states: “so we invite you to our place, to see us grow beyond the ideas of what we are outlined to be.” Which is a strange thing to say when the model bios state that they’re from Oakland, or the Mission, or “the Bay Area.” Do any of these people actually even live in the Transgender District?

Overall, while I applaud the fact that an ad campaign like this even exists on such a public scale, I worry that the messaging – despite its obvious good intentions – misses its target. It continues to reinforce outdated stereotypes about the transgender community. Simply put, the negative issues of the subtext are just way too deeply-rooted in cis-het normie society, which, as progressive as San Francisco is, are still sadly alive and well in 2022. t As a performer, DJ, and producer of the long-running Bootie Mashup parties, Adriana Roberts has been helping shape nightlife culture in San Francisco since moving to the city in 1991. She is also a former art director of the Bay Area Reporter. This piece expands on a Facebook post Roberts initially wrote on the topic.

t

Politics >>

January 20-26, 2022 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Gay Senate candidate Hertzberg dismisses nepotism charge

by Matthew S. Bajko

I

n the California Legislature there have long been lawmakers succeeded by their spouses or their siblings. Last year a daughter, Dr. Akilah Weber, won the special election for a San Diego-area Assembly seat vacated by her mother, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber.

Now Daniel Hertzberg, 30, is running to succeed his father, Senator Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), who is termed out this year from his 18th Senate District seat. Should he win the race for the state’s newly drawn 20th Senate District seat in Los Angeles County, it would mark the first time a LGBTQ child succeeds their state lawmaker parent.

Hertzberg, who is gay, would also be the first out state legislator from the San Fernando Valley. He has racked up considerable support from his father’s colleagues in Sacramento and has the endorsement of the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus.

It has led his opponent, lesbian social worker Caroline Menjivar, to accuse the caucus members of “rewarding a culture of nepotism in the State Capitol.” She also faulted the caucus for not conducting a formal interview process or considering a dual endorsement of the two out candidates in the race.

“No one in the caucus has individually endorsed me and it doesn’t look like anyone will,” Menjivar told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview. “I question why Daniel got the endorsement. Was it based on his merit or was it based on his father’s position of power?”

Hertzberg told the B.A.R. he has earned the support of all of his endorsers not because of his familial ties but because of his having been raised in the district and his own life experiences, particularly his working in the local hospitality industry as it has struggled throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am not just getting support from electeds from Sacramento. I am getting a lot of local support for a reason,” said Hertzberg. “Activists here in the valley, I sat down with them many times and listened to them. They support me for a reason; I am going to be an effective voice in Sacramento.”

He added that he “is fighting to win” the race and is reaching out directly to voters in the district for their support.

“Every single vote counts,” he said.

“I am taking absolutely nothing for granted.”

Gay Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell), who chairs the LGBTQ caucus, and his office have not responded to the B.A.R.’s interview requests about its endorsement decision in the race. The caucus historically doesn’t send questionnaires to candidates in races seeking its endorsement, and its members are free to individually endorse the opponents of the candidates endorsed by the caucus.

Courtesy Hertzberg for Senate campaign

State Senate candidate Daniel Hertzberg

Low did meet individually with Menjivar, as did lesbian Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (DCorona) and gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) after launching her campaign last August.

Wiener told the B.A.R. he liked both Menjivar and Hertzberg “a lot” and that it “is good for democracy” for the voters in the district to have a choice to make in the race.

“It is a campaign; she will raise whatever issues she thinks are relevant, that is totally appropriate,” said Wiener. “I got to know Danny and talked to him about the issues that are most important to me. I am convinced he is a smart, thoughtful, progressive person who will do a good job in the Senate. It is why I endorsed him; Caroline is also terrific.”

Either of the two would return LGBTQ representation from Los Angeles County to the state Senate, as the area’s last out senator, Ricardo Lara, left in 2018 after being elected the state’s insurance commissioner.

A gay man, Lara became the first LGBTQ elected statewide officeholder and is seeking reelection this year.

Menjivar, 32, is married to Jocelyn Tapia, a marriage and family therapist. Her parents fled El Salvador’s civil war for the U.S. and raised her and her younger sister in the San Fernando Valley.

She came out in her youth and attended her first Pride in San Francisco at age 18. When she disclosed being a lesbian to her family, it strained their relationship.

“I continue to have issues,” she told the B.A.R. After she was rejected for a firefighter position with the city of Los Angeles, Menjivar enlisted with the Marine Corps and served under the homophobic “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

“They came under fire, no pun intended, for hiring family members of firefighters or giving special privilege to them over other candidates.

So my name was never chosen,” she said, “even though every billboard you would see was calling for more women to join the fire service.”

While working as an EMT she earned her bachelor’s degree from California State University, North-

ridge then a Master of Social Welfare from UCLA while working in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Gender Equity Office as a David Bohnett Fellow.

Menjivar served as a field deputy with Councilwoman Nury Martinez’s office and then as East Valley representative for Mayor Eric Garcetti, where she organized the San Fernando Valley’s first ever LGBTQ+ Pride Car Parade. She mapped out a plan to seek elective office six years ago.

“I will bring to Sacramento unique experiences and perspective on what needs to change being on the front lines so long,” she said.

In recent days the California Democratic Legislative Women’s Caucus joined state Senator Connie Leyva (DChino), who is retiring this year, in endorsing Menjivar. Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, a lesbian who formerly served in the Legislature and represents the San Fernando Valley on the county board, last week also backed Menjivar in the race.

“As a former state senator, I know that her experience as a community leader who has demonstrated a commitment to solving our mental health, homelessness, and climate crises is what is needed in our Senate now,” stated Kuehl, who is retiring this year from her supervisor seat. “I strongly support her to work for all our families and to effectively represent the San Fernando Valley and Burbank in the state Senate.”

The elder Hertzberg, now majority leader emeritus in the state Senate, this week announced he would seek the newly drawn county supervisor seat covering the Valley, leading to the prospect of seeing the two Hertzbergs campaigning together. Rather than shy away from his father’s political legacy, Daniel Hertzberg has fully embraced it as partly inspiring his own candidacy.

“I know I’ve got big shoes to fill, but I know that together, we can continue the Hertzberg tradition of fighting for the Valley’s fair share – and we can also fight for change in Sacramento,” he noted on his campaign site.

He told the B.A.R. he came out to his family within the last two years with “no drama.” His mother, Karen Moskowitz, is a Los Angeles County superior court judge now married to her wife, Kay Johnson.

“My entire family was wildly supportive,” he said. “It was an open secret in my family for a long time.”

After high school he moved to Baltimore and graduated from Goucher College in 2014 with a degree in political science. He joked that his wearing glasses “is not for show,” as he was always a policy wonk and interested in public service.

He interned for a number of local, state and federal politicians and campaigned for President Barack Obama. But disillusioned with politics Hertzberg ended up getting a job at a small hotel by the Baltimore Harbor. He earned $8 an hour scrubbing toilets and changing bed sheets.

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See page 7 >>

Letters >> Body autonomy and Senator Wiener Matthew S. Bajko’s article about the intersex bill, Senate Bill 255, [“Intersex bill, again, dies in committee,” January 6] was a sad reminder to me of the hypocritical nature of today’s politicians – even your favorite state senator, Scott Wiener.

To see him quoted as he waxed eloquent to the barbarity of “sex correcting” surgeries on intersex children and his inability to pass “a basic civil rights law” in California, I could only remember his ferocious opposition (as District 8’s supervisor) to San Francisco’s attempt to ban male genital mutilation back in 2011.

There is really little or no difference in what is going

on today. Adults are making decisions that affect their children with no regard to the child and their body autonomy.

Well, Scott, I guess you’re not going to get it both ways. Perhaps you might have given greater thought to your knee-jerk reactions in 2011. Body autonomy is full body autonomy. It’s not conditioned upon traditional ideas or belief systems. You have proved yourself a hypocrite and I hope that fact will become apparent to you at some point.

My hat is off to Mr. Bajko for a wellresearched and assembled article. The only thing missing was a bit of history.

Richard Merk Woodside, California

Let’s talk cannabis.

CASTRO • MARINA • SOMA C10-0000523-LIC; C10-0000522-LIC; C10-0000515-LIC

<< Obituaries

t Former SF professor, activist Stuart Loomis dies 6 • Bay Area Reporter • January 20-26, 2022

by Cynthia Laird

L

ongtime gay rights activist and retired San Francisco State University professor Stuart Loomis died January 17 in Oaxaca, Mexico, where he had lived for many years. He was 102.

Friends announced Mr. Loomis’ passing on Facebook.

Mr. Loomis was a prominent gay activist in San Francisco, noted his friend Tim Allen. He was a member of the early gay rights group Society for Individual Rights. He also co-founded the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic, which is now part of HealthRIGHT 360. Allen wrote in an email that Mr. Loomis was one of the people that then-mayor Dianne Feinstein considered for appointment to the Board of Supervisors in 1978 following the assassination of Harvey Milk, the first gay person elected to public office in San Francisco and California. Ultimately, Feinstein named Harry Britt to the seat. (Britt died in 2020.) Allen

<<

Diamond Street

From page 1

Family housing

“We are in desperate need of housing in San Francisco, particularly family housing,” Babsin said.

“This project is all three-bedroom homes, which is family housing.

Noe Valley, Glen Park, and Diamond Heights have produced no projects of 20 or more homes in the last four decades.”

Gay District 8 resident Jim Chappell, an urban planner and the former executive director and president of the urban planning think tank SPUR, had made a similar argument in a guest opinion piece for the B.A.R. last summer. He also pointed out that lack of housing

Courtesy Cypriano Ramos

Stuart Loomis

wrote that it was because she didn’t want anyone who had been arrested.

“Like most gay men who were out before the 1970s, Stuart had been arrested for being gay,” Allen wrote.

Feinstein’s office did not return a message seeking comment. built in the area has had a negative impact on his LGBTQ neighbors.

“As population has increased and the supply has stayed static, homes have become scarcer and prices continue to rise, forcing out many of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters,” wrote Chappell.

The agreement reached on the project is “really exciting,” he told the B.A.R., especially since it will still result in the same number of residential units.

“They were able to come up with a plan that really meets everybody’s needs and has the same number of units,” said Chappell, who expects the project to be approved next month. “This is San Francisco.

Anybody can sue and anybody can appeal and someone else might, but I am sure this will get approved by

Gay San Francisco filmmaker Peter Stein wrote in a Facebook message that Mr. Loomis appeared in his documentary, “The Hidden Cities of San Francisco – The Castro.”

“While I never had the chance to know him well personally, he provided a memorable interview for my documentary ‘The Castro,’ and also gave important on-camera testimonials in Arthur Dong’s ‘Coming Out Under Fire’ and Arthur Bresson Jr.’s ‘Gay USA,’” Stein wrote.

Mr. Loomis was a soft-spoken pioneer in the San Francisco gay community of the 1960s-1970s, Stein added.

“He had served in World War II, trained as a social psychologist, and, after moving to the Bay Area, quietly but with determination became an advocate for the mental health needs of the emerging young community he found here,” Stein wrote. “He advocated for counseling programs, founding the psychological services of Haight Ashbury Free Clinic and serving on the faculty of SF State.”

Roe Bressan, the late Arthur Bressan’s sister, wrote in an email that she knew Mr. Loomis when he lived in San Francisco.

“Stuart was Artie’s greatest benefactor and supporter,” Roe Bressan wrote. “I called him just a few weeks ago to report on Artie’s continued reintroduction in the film world, and he could not have been more thrilled.”

Among other things, she was referring to “Buddies” (1985), a film Arthur Bressan Jr. produced and directed. Allen wrote that it was “the first feature film about AIDS, with a subtext of promoting activism that was well before its time. There was no institutional support for such a film at that time, so Stuart personally provided the funding for the film.” Allen stated that Mr. Loomis was generous with his donations even though he lived on a modest teaching salary.

A fully restored print of “Buddies” premiered at the Castro Theatre in June 2018, in collaboration with the GLBT Historical Society and The

Bressan Project. The historical society also houses Mr. Loomis’ papers.

According to Allen, Mr. Loomis did his graduate studies at the University of Chicago but did not receive his Ph.D. Allen stated that Mr. Loomis, who was born in November 1919, lived in San Francisco from the early 1950s until about 1999, when he moved to Oaxaca at the age of 80. There, he served on the board of the Oaxaca Lending Library.

Cypriano Ramos, Mr. Loomis’ longtime friend and caretaker, wrote on Facebook that Mr. Loomis was the Oaxaca library’s longest-living member and was quite active in the library community.

Stein noted that Mr. Loomis’ philosophy about being out resonates today.

“His insights about the importance of LGBTQ folks being able to live fully and authentically in public, and not be forced to split off and compartmentalize their lives, remain wise to this day,” Stein wrote. t

the commission.”

On Diamond LLC, an affiliate of the San Francisco-based Emerald Fund, is purchasing the Diamond Heights site from the Cesar Chavez Foundation. It plans to construct 10 duplexes and four single-family residences for a total of 24 new homes, most likely to sell for around $2 million, Babsin estimated.

“This is the place to locate family housing,” he said. “It will also lead to the creation of 11 affordable homes in San Francisco that would not be created otherwise.”

The developer intends to pay close to $3 million to the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development to be used to build below-market-rate housing elsewhere in the city. Opponents of the project had sought last year to see the Diamond Heights land used for an affordable housing project.

They had contended since the Cesar Chavez Foundation used more

than $20 million in tax-exempt affordable housing bonds issued by the California Statewide Communities Development Authority to purchase and rehabilitate the property in 2004, including the Vista Del Monte affordable housing community, it must abide by the stipulation included in a deed restriction that requires it to maintain the property for affordable multifamily rental uses for a period of 55 years.

The Chavez foundation countered that the existing affordable housing will remain as such until at least 2061 and that it has the right to sell the vacant hillside in order to funnel the proceeds into new affordable housing developments.

It has told the Diamond Heights Community Association the money will be earmarked to build affordable housing in California.

More than a thousand people had expressed support or opposition to the project via letters to the

planning commission and a petition denouncing the development in recent months. No matter what the planning commission decides next month, its decision could be appealed to the Board of Supervisors, which would then decide its fate.

Because of that gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman has not taken a stance of support or opposition on the proposed development.

In the fall he had said there were “definitely” some “pluses and minuses” to the plans.

“It is a site, for example, of why it is hard to get more affordable development in Noe Valley, maybe because of neighbor response but also the difficulty of developing the site,” noted Mandelman, who commissioned a report last year examining how to build more housing throughout his district. “What is left to build on in District 8, developers are finding, are these very steep hillsides.” t

Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who has fought to fund police academy classes in order to replenish the department’s ranks, told the B.A.R. he was surprised to learn that Del Gandio is the first known gay officer to become a captain with the SFPD. He said he had “enjoyed working with him” in the past and looked forward to doing so again should he be assigned to a district station that covers part of his supervisorial district.

“I am honestly surprised that he is the first and am glad it has finally happened,” said Mandelman. “Wherever he goes, this is historic for the LGBTQ community and it signifies a lot of positive change at SFPD. It is overdue, but it is a pretty great moment for the San Francisco Police Department and for San Francisco.”

Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco) has long known Del Gandio, calling him “awesome” and “just a lovely person” in an interview.

“He is a hardworking officer and very community oriented. I am just thrilled for him and for the community and for the city that he has been promoted to captain,” said Wiener.

There are more than 80 out officers in the department, including transgender members, Buckley told the B.A.R., plus a few more closeted officers. Lesbians outnumber gay men, though exact numbers are not known at the moment.

“We need more representation of the LGBTQ members to be higherranking members of our department,” said Buckley, who became a sergeant in 2016 and plans at some point to seek to become a lieutenant.

Frazer noted that the department “lost a huge group of” gay men in the early years of the AIDS epidemic.

Despite SFPD’s efforts to recruit new officers within the LGBTQ community over the years, from advertising in LGBTQ publications to having booths at community events, fewer gay men have joined the ranks than that of female-identified officers.

“Women were always strong and there are a lot of openly trans officers now,” said Frazer. “But our gay men never caught up because of the AIDS crisis.”

with his beloved husband, Fred Trujillo, by his side. Born in Farmington, Massachusetts to Louis and Anna (Levine) Greenstein, Jerry moved with his family to California in his teen years and spent most of his adult life in San Francisco, most of those years partnered with Fred. Together they loved to travel, take cruises, go to gay Pride parades, hunt for bargains, and attend Openhouse and San Francisco cultural and political events. They celebrated their 44th anniversary by getting married on September 15, shortly after Jerry’s cancer diagnosis.

Jerry will be interred at the San Francisco Columbarium, a favorite historical site in the city that he so loved, in a niche right by Harvey Milk.

Jerry was predeceased by his parents, his sister, Gloria, and her husband, Ed. In addition to Fred, Jerry is survived by his niece, Karen Lash, nephew, David Lash, and their spouses, Martha Ertman and Beth Becker; great-nephew and nieces Oscar, Drew, and Ryan; and many cousins and friends. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Openhouse.

<<

Gay captain

From page 3

overseeing the swing shift.

He had passed his captain’s test in July 2020 and ended up ranked ninth in line to be promoted once a captain’s position became available.

Last January six people on the list became captain, and now Del Gandio is among the next group to advance.

“I think working with the community and the police department we can move toward a greater future,” he When you plan your life celebration and lasting remembrance in said. “I really want to be a part of that.” advance, you can design every detail of your own unique memorial Sergeant Nicholas C. Buckley, a gay and provide your loved ones with true peace of mind. Planning ahead man who has been with SFPD almost When your celebration lasting protectsyou your plan loved ones fromlife unnecessary stress and and financial burden, years and is president of its Pride AlWhen you remembrance plan your celebration and lasting in 16 allowing themlife to focus what will matter at design that remembrance time—you. in on advance, youmost can every liance for LGBTQ officers, worked with advance, you canofdesign every detail of your ownand unique memorial Del Gandio a decade ago when they detail own memorial provide Contact usyour today about theunique beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy atyour theloved San Francisco Columbarium. and provide loved ones with true peace mind.

Planning aheadwere both assigned to Mission Station. your ones with true peace ofof mind.

Planning “I know Chris has done a lot protects your loved onesProudly from unnecessary stressunnecessary and financial burden, ahead protects yourserving loved onesCommunity. from through the department. I know he the LGBT allowing them focus on whatburden, will matter most them at thattotime—you. deserves it, so we are very happy for stresstoand financial allowing him,” said Buckley, adding that “the focus on what will matter most at that time—you.

Pride Alliance is very supportive of Contact us today about the beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy him and we are very happy he made this new accomplishment and hope at the San Contact FranciscousColumbarium. today about the beautiful ways to create he can continue moving forward up a lasting legacy at the San Francisco Columbarium. the ranks.”

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See page 7 >>

My beloved Jerry, husband, and partner. You suffered so much in your final weeks of life, I hope you get the peace and tranquility you so richly deserve.

On October 19, 2021, 83-year-old Jerome (“Jerry”) Harris Greenstein passed away peacefully at his home

t <<

Community News>>

Blood study

From page 1

$50 if they get their results. Payment will be made via gift card or Zell.

The study is also being conducted in Los Angeles; Atlanta; Washington, D.C.; Miami; Orlando, Florida; New Orleans; and Memphis, Tennessee, Custer said.

Senators urge FDA to lift gay blood ban

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (DWisconsin), a lesbian, led a group of nearly two-dozen senators January 13 in asking the HHS secretary and acting FDA commissioner to make changes in the restrictions on gay and bisexual men donating blood.

“We urge the Food and Drug Ad-

<<

Gay captain

From page 6

Gay men seem to gravitate to other professions and career choices, said

<<

Editorial

From page 4

sexual orientation or gender identity).

Even a number of so-called ex-gay people have come out and said they don’t believe it works; many practitioners are LGBTQ themselves, as is shown in the Netflix documentary “Pray Away.” The companies should redouble their efforts to refine their

<<

Political Notebook

From page 5

“I loved that job, that hotel, that city,” he recalled. “I grew a lot there.”

It led to him being reassigned to a hotel the company owned on Long Island in New York. When COVID struck in March 2020, Hertzberg lost his job. He returned home to Cali-

January 20-26, 2022 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

ministration (FDA) to quickly act on the best available science and update its outdated and discriminatory blood donor deferral policies for men who have sex with men (MSM), a long overdue step that would dramatically increase the eligible donor base,” the letter states. “Any policy that continues to categorically single out the LGBTQ+ community is discriminatory and wrong. Given advances in blood screening and safety technology, a time-based policy for gay and bisexual men is not scientifically sound, continues to effectively exclude an entire group of people, and does not meet the urgent demands of the moment.”

The letter notes that other countries such as Israel and Canada have changed their screening questions regarding sexual orientation.

“In light of the nation’s urgent

blood supply crisis and to ensure that Americans have access to life-saving blood transfusions during the pandemic, we urge you to swiftly update your current blood donor deferral policies in favor of ones that are grounded in science, based on individualized risk factors, and allow all potentially eligible donors to do so free of stigma,” the letter states. “We also request a briefing in the next 30 days on the agency’s plan to update its MSM blood donation policies.”

The letter was joined by Democratic senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts; Bob Casey (Pennsylvania); Tammy Duckworth (Illinois); Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut); Sherrod Brown (Ohio); Chris Coons (Delaware); Mazie Hirono (Hawaii); Maria Cantwell (Washington); Cory Booker (New Jersey); Catherine

Cortez Masto (Nevada); Patrick Leahy (Vermont); Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota); Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley of Oregon; Michael Bennet (Colorado); Tina Smith (Minnesota); Martin Heinrich (New Mexico); and Alex Padilla (California).

Independent Senators Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and Angus King (Maine) also signed the letter.

Bisexual Senator Kyrsten Sinema (DArizona), the only other LGBTQ member of the upper congressional chamber, is not listed among the signatories.

The Human Rights Campaign stated its support for the letter and policy changes.

“Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion to survive. But right now, the FDA continues to use archaic, discriminatory criteria to determine an individual’s eligibility to donate blood based solely

on their sexual orientation – not their individual risk factors – which is not rooted in science, limits access to crucial blood products, and stigmatizes one segment of society,” David Stacy, the government affairs director of the HRC, stated in a news release.

“The FDA instead should focus its considerations for blood donor deferrals based on risky behavior by any potential donor, regardless of one’s sexual orientation. This would both best ensure a safe blood supply and maximize the pool of blood donors.

We thank Senator Baldwin and her colleagues for their leadership on this issue,” Stacy added. t

Del Gandio. Some applicants may not pass the required drug testing, he added, due to past recreational usage at a gay dance event or other gathering where such activity is accepted.

“We recruit in all sorts of different

communities; I think we are really good about that,” he said. “It is just about getting people to sign up. We can recruit all we want, but sometimes getting the buy-in is difficult.”

In his youth he doubted he could be

an openly gay man and a police officer, said Del Gandio, leading him to think about pursuing a different career.

“I just decided I was going to do it – be an openly gay man and represent my community and also do the job

that I love,” said Del Gandio, who for a year has been with his boyfriend, Billy Hackenson, who works in tech. “My experience has been really excellent in the San Francisco Police Department I have to say.” t

search algorithms in order to root out disinformation. As the Ecosystem report noted, “recommendation algorithms on Facebook and Twitter continue to lead users down a dangerous conversion therapy rabbit hole once they land on a provider. However, the initial search mechanisms generally don’t show a user to providers.”

Twenty U.S. states (including California) and the District of Columbia

have banned conversion therapy for minors. France and Canada have banned the practice too – in Canada’s case it is also prohibited for adults.

But disinformation remains rampant, especially in non-English countries and languages like Swahili in Kenya, the reports stated. African countries have also welcomed U.S. conversion therapy peddlers over the years. One of the problems now is that since the

term “conversion therapy” is often flagged, other terms have cropped up online and continue to push people toward the disinformation, especially in non-English languages.

The tech giants have been criticized for fostering disinformation about a lot of things – the 2020 election conspiracies, COVID-19 and vaccine disinformation, and much more. Like misinformation about

conversion therapy, these rabbit holes can be dangerous – even deadly. For conversion therapy, it’s often young people who are preyed upon. It’s time for the GPAHE reports to get a wider audience, particularly with the leaders of tech and social media companies, and for these executives to do more than pay lip service to rooting out the bogus, harmful claims that proliferate online. t

fornia, landed a job with a hotel in Carson, and began seriously thinking about a career in politics.

“My mind set was never running for office to be honest, I saw myself as the guy who writes a policy brief or policy memo,” said Hertzberg, adding that watching what the country has gone through because of COVID and the previous presidential administration made him conclude “if you really

want to make a substantial change or to move the needle, you have got to put your hat in the ring.”

It is believed he would be the youngest male senator ever elected in California.

Hertzberg told the B.A.R. more people his age should be running for public office.

“Why are there not more young people involved in this is my thought process. Not to throw shade on people not considered young,” he said. “I

don’t feel young. It feels weird to be considered a young gun.”

His campaign did a poll to gauge what voter reaction would be to both his age and his sexuality. The results showed neither would be a negative.

“People are excited for new ideas and that level of diversity,” he said. “I have not seen even a little bit of pushback on it. It has given me a lot of hope.”

As a third-generation resident of

the San Fernando Valley, Hertzberg said he cares “greatly” about the community and looks forward to representing its residents in the Legislature.

“I will fight for them to bring home resources for them from the state,” he said. “The current senator has done an excellent job showing that kind of values.” t

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039583200

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039587800

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039587200

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039575800

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Legals>> AMENDED ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556761 In the matter of the application of CHRISTOPHER GRANT, 1727 QUESADA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CHRISTOPHER GRANT is requesting that the name CHRISTOPHER GRANT be changed to CHRISTOPHER TYRONN GRANT GLASPIE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103N on the 1st of FEBRUARY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039583600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE REFRESHED NEPHESH, 274 MONTANA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed REGINA MCGEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/21/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039574900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as EASTBAYPRO TEAM, 891 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KEVIN RICHARD KIEFFER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/08/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/10/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039567000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE REST FACTOR, 1670 15TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LEILA BIHKAK. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/06/21.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/06/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039584300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as UNDERGROUND KING; SUSHI GENKI, 2543 NORIEGA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PAOPAO (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/21/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE NATURAL SHOP, 4101 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed F&N BROTHERS, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/21/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039585500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as EXPRESS CLEANING SERVICES, 66 CARR ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed EXPRESS CLEANING SF INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/21/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/22/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039564500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as D D SIGN COMPANY, INC., 363 LYON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed D D SIGN COMPANY, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/27/95. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/03/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039585100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as GREEN STREET MARKET, 1898 GREEN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GREEN STREET MARKET INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/21/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/21/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039577400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as OSPREY MORTGAGE, 1202 JACKSON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SUR REALTY INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/15/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039582100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ATLAS BUSINESS PARTNERS, 100 PINE ST #1250, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed OMNI CREATIVE INTELLIGENCE (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/28/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/21/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LYON-MARTIN COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES, 1735 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LYON-MARTIN COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/23/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/21.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BERETTA, 1199 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed VALENCIA 23 RESTAURANT INVESTORS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/24/13.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/21.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as POSTPARTUM DOULA SUPPORT BY KATY, 7021 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KATELYN DETRICK. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/25/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/14/21.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039587700

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039587100

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039590100

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE BIRD, 409 GOUGH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed 409 GOUGH STREET LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/03/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039587600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as STARBELLY RESTAURANT, 3583 16TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed VAL 22 RI, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/15/09. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039587500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LOLINDA, 2518 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BERNARDA LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/18/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039587400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as WILDSEED, 2000 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed 2000 BLG LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/09/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039587300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DELAROSA, 2175 CHESTNUT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CHESTNUT PARTNERS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/09. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DELAROSA, 37 YERBA BUENA LANE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed DELA DOWNTOWN LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/07/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039587000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FLORES, 2030 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed 2030 UNION STREET LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/27/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/21.

DEC 30, 2021, JAN 06, 13, 20, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556821

In the matter of the application of RENAE WILBORN, 196 MENDELL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner RENAE WILBORN is requesting that the name RENAE WILBORN be changed to RENAE ROYALE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103 on the 10th of FEBRUARY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 06, 13, 20, 27, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556825

In the matter of the application of PAUL ROBERT BYRNE, 1301 FELL ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner PAUL ROBERT BYRNE is requesting that the name PAUL ROBERT BYRNE be changed to AIDEN HUNTER BYRNE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103N on the 10th of FEBRUARY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 06, 13, 20, 27, 2022

JAN 06, 13, 20, 27, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MC AUTO RESCUE, 5550 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CARLOS MADRID. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/18/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/20/21.

JAN 06, 13, 20, 27, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039589000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SOUR CHERRY COMICS, 3438 16TH ST #C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LEAH MORRETT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/18/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/29/21.

JAN 06, 13, 20, 27, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039588100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as A LITTLE X, 1443 QUESADA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARTIN LUTHER MCCOY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/21.

JAN 06, 13, 20, 27, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039573500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LA MEXICANA BAKERY, 2804 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed JESUS JAIME VALLE APAEZ, ALEXIS ENRIQUE TRINIDAD MORENO & FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ VALLE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/20.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/09/21.

JAN 06, 13, 20, 27, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039586400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE LAUNDRY, 3359 26TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed UPLIFT VENTURES, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/04/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/22/21.

JAN 06, 13, 20, 27, 2022

<< Legals

8 • Bay Area Reporter • January 20-26, 2022

In the matter of the application of JESSE RICO WHITE, 3373 CESAR CHAVEZ ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JESSE RICO WHITE is requesting that the name JESSE RICO WHITE be changed to ANASTACIO FIORE WHITE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103N on the 22nd of FEBRUARY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO NOTICE TO RESPONDENT: HAMZA BOUDLAL, YOU ARE BEING SUED. PETITIONER’S NAME IS ELORA BELT CASE NO. FDI-22-795873

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039588400

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039593600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LITTLE ELEPHANT DAYCARE, 461 GOETTINGEN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CELIA ALMANZA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/29/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/27/21.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ONWARD AGENCY, 535 MISSION ST FL 14, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ONWARD PARTNERS (NV). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/04/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/04/22.

You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this Summons and Petition are served on you to file a Response (form FL-120 or FL-123) at the court and have a copy served on the petitioner. A letter, phone call, or court appearance will not protect you. If you do not file your Response on time, the court may JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022 make orders affecting your marriage or domestic partnerships, your property, and custody of your FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT children. You may be ordered to pay support and FILE A-039595000 attorney fees and costs. For legal advice, contact a The following person(s) is/are doing business lawyer immediately. Get help finding a lawyer at the as GROOMERS AND MORE, 1524 HAIGHT ST, SAN JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022 California Courts FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/ by an individual, and is signed MARWAN R. ZEIDAN. ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF selfhelp), at the California Legal Services website The registrant(s) commenced to transact business NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), or by contacting your under the above listed fictitious business name COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE local county bar association. or names on 01/01/22. The statement was filed CNC-22-556835 NOTICE RESTRAINING ORDERS: The restraining with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on In the matter of the application of MICHAEL SACK orders following are effective against both spouses 01/05/22. & JEONG HEE SACK, C/O KATHLEEN ABEREGG, ESQ or domestic partners until the petition is dismissed, a JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022 (SBN 182740), LAW OFFICE OF KATHLEEN ABEREGG, judgment entered, or the court makes further orders.

1034 EMERALD BAY RD #226, SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT They are enforceable anywhere in California by any 96150, for change of name having been filed in Superior FILE A-039596000 law enforcement officer who has received or seen a Court, and it appearing from said application that petiThe following person(s) is/are doing business copy of them. tioner MICHAEL SACK & JEONG HEE SACK is requesting as CAFÉ GOURMAND, 835 GEARY ST, SAN FEE WAIVER: If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask that the name JEONG HEE SACK be changed to JEONG FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted the clerk for a fee waiver form. The court may order HEE SEON, that the name NURI SAN SACK be changed by an individual, and is signed MAHER LAKHAL. The you to pay back all or part of the fees and costs that to NURI SAN SEON, and that the name AARON HANEUL registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the court waived for you or the other party.

SACK be changed to AARON HANEUL SACK. Now the above listed fictitious business name or names SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested on 01/06/22. The statement was filed with the City SAN FRANCISCO, CIVIC CENTER COURTHOUSE, 400 in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/06/22.

MCALLISTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. The Rm. 103N on the 17th of FEBRUARY 2022 at 9:00am of name, address, and telephone number of petitioner’s JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022 said day to show cause why the application for change of attorney, or the petitioner without an attorney, is: name should not be granted.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT ELORA BELT, 561 KANSAS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022 FILE A-039586000 94107; (415) 350-4644. JAN 04, 2022 The following person(s) is/are doing business Clerk of the Superior Court by DAMON CARTER, ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF as FOULADI PROJECTS, 1351 GREEN ST, SAN Deputy.

NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted WARNING: California law provides that, for the COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE by an individual, and is signed ALEXANDRA HOLLY purposes of division of property upon dissolution of CNC-22-556843 FOULADI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact a marriage or domestic partnership or upon legal In the matter of the application of ANTHONY business under the above listed fictitious business separation, property acquired by the parties during RAUL DIAZ, 537 JONES ST #3575, SAN FRANCISCO, name or names on 12/06/21. The statement was marriage or domestic partnership in joint form is CA 94102, for change of name having been filed in Supefiled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA presumed to be community property. If either party rior Court, and it appearing from said application that on 12/22/21. to this action should die before the jointly held petitioner ANTHONY RAUL DIAZ is requesting that the JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022 community property is divided, the language in the name ANTHONY RAUL DIAZ be changed to ANTHONY deed that characterizes how title is held (i.e., joint FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT PARNELL EDWARDS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, tenancy, tenants in common, or community property) FILE A-039596600 that all persons interested in said matter do appear before will be controlling, and not the community property The following person(s) is/are doing business this Court in Rm. 103N on the 22nd of FEBRUARY 2022 presumption. You should consult your attorney if you as SONNY ROOFING, 4659 MISSION ST, SAN at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application want the community property presumption to be FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted for change of name should not be granted. written into the recorded title to the property. by an individual, and is signed SONNY BIMBO. The JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022 STANDARD FAMILY LAW RESTRAINING ORDERS: registrant(s) commenced to transact business under Starting immediately, you and your spouse or FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT the above listed fictitious business name or names domestic partner are restrained from: 1. Removing FILE A-039589600 on 01/07/22. The statement was filed with the City the minor child or children of the parties, if any, The following person(s) is/are doing business as and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/07/22. from the state without the prior written consent of YOUTHGOLD, 2389 DIAMOND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022 the other party or an order of the court; 2. Cashing CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individborrowing against, canceling, transferring, disposing FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT ual, and is signed CALE ANDERSON. The registrant(s) of, or changing the beneficiaries of any insurance or FILE A-039577300 commenced to transact business under the above other coverage, including life, health, automobile, The following person(s) is/are doing business as listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The and disability, held for the benefit of the parties BLACK LABEL REAL ESTATE, 1160 BATTERY ST E statement was filed with the City and County of San and their minor child or children; 3. Transferring, #100, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is Francisco, CA on 12/29/21. encumbering, hypothecating, concealing, or in any conducted by an individual, and is signed TIMOTHY JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022 way disposing of any property, real or personal, FARNHAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact whether community, quasi-community, or separate, FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT business under the above listed fictitious business without the written consent of the other party or FILE A-039589900 name or names on 12/15/21. The statement was an order of the court, except in the usual course of The following person(s) is/are doing business as filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA business or for the necessities of life; and 4. Creating SAN FRANCISCO LOCAL REAL ESTATE; MARIN LOon 12/15/21. a nonprobate transfer or modifying a nonprobate CAL REAL ESTATE; BAY AREA LOCAL REAL ESTATE; JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022 transfer in the manner that affects the disposition of EAST BAY LOCAL REAL ESTATE; PENINSULA LOCAL property subject to the transfer, without the written FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT REAL ESTATE; NORTH BAY LOCAL REAL ESTATE; consent of the other party or an order of the court.

FILE A-039590000 LOCAL COLLECTIVE REAL ESTATE; 1160 BATTERY ST Before revocation of a nonprobate transfer can take The following person(s) is/are doing business as E #100, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. effect or a right of survivorship to property can be PASTINE PROJECTS, 360 LANGTON ST #201, SAN . This business is conducted by an individual, and is eliminated, notice ofDate:01/07/2022 the change must be filed and California Newspaper FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted signed REBECCA BROOKS. The registrant(s)Service commenced toBureau. served on the other party. by an individual, and is signed FRANCESCA PASTINE. transact business under the above listed fictitious business 915 East First Street Number:CNS-3545141# You must notifyOrder each other of any proposed The registrant(s) commenced to transact business name or names on 11/21/21. The statement was filed with extraordinary expenditures at least five business days Los CAFrancisco, 90012 Newspaper:BAY AREA REPORTER under the above listed fictitious business name the CityAngeles and County of San CA on 12/30/21. prior to incurring these extraordinary expenditures or namesBID on 09/30/21.

The statement was filed JAN 13, 20,229-5524 27, FEB 03, 2022 Phone:(213) Notice - B.A.R.T. NOTICE and account to the court for Type:GBART all extraordinary with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on expenditures made after these restraining orders are Fax:(213) 229-5481 Run Dates:1/20/22 SUMMONS (FAMILY LAW) SUPERIOR COURT 12/30/21. effective. However, you may use community property, JANTHIS 13, 20, 27,*** FEB 03, 2022 ***PLEASE VERIFY THIS AD IS FOR YOUR NEWSPAPER DO NOT RE-TYPE AD quasi-community property, or your own–separate Bay Area Rapid Transit property to pay an attorney to help you or to pay FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT Public Virtual Outreach Meetings For The court costs.

FILE A-039596100 Redistricting Of BART Election Districts JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022 The following person(s) is/are doing business The Board of Directors of the San Francisco Bay as ALICE YEE CHINESE LONGEVITY AND THERAPY Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is conducting FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT Public Meetings to provide an opportunity for the HOUSE, 731 SACRAMENTO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA FILE A-039595800 public to give input and comment regarding the 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, The following person(s) is/are doing busiredistricting of the BART election districts. and is signed RUILAN ALICE YU. The registrant(s) ness as GLEN PARK NAILS, 74 WILDER ST, SAN Following each federal census, the BART Board of commenced to transact business under the above Directors is required to adjust the boundaries of FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The the election districts so the districts shall be as by an individual, and is signed TUYEN VAN. The statement was filed with the City and County of San equal in population as practicable. Using the 2020 registrant(s) commenced to transact business under Francisco, CA on 01/06/22.

United States Census as a basis, the Board of the above listed fictitious business name or names JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022 Directors must adjust the boundaries of the on 01/01/22. The statement was filed with the City election districts. Attend one of the virtual and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/06/22.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT meetings listed below to give your input.

Saturday, January 8, 2022, at Noon Saturday, January 15, 2022, at 9 a.m.

Saturday, January 22, 2022, at 6 p.m.

Wednesday, February 2, 2022, at 6 p.m.

Translation services available if requested 3 days (72 hours) before the meeting by calling Language Assistance Services at 510-464-6752. For more information, please go to www.bart.gov/redistricting For more details about the meeting Board of Directors email: redistricting@bart.gov Or phone: 510.464.6080 Spanish Translation Reuniones públicas para la redistribución de los distritos electorales de BART La Junta Directiva del Distrito del Transporte Rápido del Área de la Bahía (BART) de San Francisco está realizando reuniones públicas para brindarle al público la oportunidad de ofrecer sugerencias y comentarios con respecto a la redistribución de los distritos electorales de BART. Luego de cada censo federal, la Junta Directiva de BART tiene la obligación de ajustar los límites de los distritos electorales para que estos tengan igualdad de población en la mayor medida posible.

La Junta Directiva debe ajustar los límites de los distritos electorales tomando como base el Censo de los Estados Unidos del 2020. Para dar su opinión, asista a una de las reuniones virtuales según se indica a continuación.

Se dispondrá de servicios de traducción si estos se solicitan 3 días (72 horas) antes de la reunión a Language Assistance Services (asistencia de servicio de idiomas) llamando al 510-464-6752.

Para obtener más información, visite www.bart.gov/redistricting Chinese Translation 重新劃分 BART 選區的公開會議 舊金山灣區捷運局 (BART) 董事會正舉行多場公開 會議，讓民眾有機會針對 BART 選區的重新劃分提 供看法和建議。 每當聯邦政府完成人口普查後，BART 董事會需按 規定調整選區邊界，在切合實際的原則下讓各區人 口盡可能均等。董事會必須以 2020 年美國人口普 查為基準，進行選區邊界調整。請參加下列一場虛 擬會議，踴躍提出您的看法。 如需翻譯服務，請於開會前 3 天 (72 小時) 致電 510-464-6752，向語言協助服務組 (Language Assistance Services) 提出申請。欲知詳情，請瀏覽 www.bart.gov/redistricting Vietnamese Translation Các Buổi Họp Công Cộng Về Việc Tái Phân Chia Địa Hạt Các Địa Hạt Bầu Cử Của BART Hội đồng Quản trị của Khu vực Giao thông Nhanh Khu vực Vịnh San Francisco (BART) đang tiến hành các Cuộc họp Công khai để cung cấp cho công chúng cơ hội đóng góp ý kiến và nhận xét về việc tái phân chia các khu vực bầu cử BART. Sau mỗi cuộc điều tra dân số liên bang, Hội đồng Quản trị của BART được yêu cầu điều chỉnh ranh giới của các khu vực bầu cử để các khu vực này có dân số tương đương nhau nhất có thể. Sử dụng kết quả Điều tra Dân số Hoa Kỳ năm 2020 làm cơ sở, Hội đồng Quản trị phải điều chỉnh ranh giới của các khu vực bầu cử. Quý vị vui lòng tham dự một trong các cuộc họp trực tuyến được liệt kê dưới đây để đưa ra ý kiến đóng góp của mình.

Có sẵn các dịch vụ phiên dịch nếu được yêu cầu 3 ngày (72 giờ) trước cuộc họp bằng cách gọi cho Ban Dịch vụ Hỗ trợ Ngôn ngữ theo số 510-4646752. Để biết thêm thông tin, vui lòng truy cậpwww.bart.gov/redistricting

JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039595300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as TOOL BOX TOMMY, 300 BADEN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TOMMY BASSO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/05/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/05/22.

JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039593000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SELECT PHYSICAL THERAPY, 402 DEWEY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PHYSIOTHERAPY ASSOCIATES, INC (MI). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/04/22.

JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039592400

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039598700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ALL SET TALENT ADVISORY, 861 FELL ST #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SELASI SETRANAH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/11/22.

JAN 20, 27, FEB 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039590700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BALLROOM COMP EXPRESS, 1221 HARRISON ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DANIEL BOMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/03/22.

JAN 20, 27, FEB 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039599500

JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MACONDRAY TAYLOR AND JONES II, 1288 COLUMBUS AVE #182, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133.

This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed STEVEN P. OKUHN & JACKSON P. OKUHN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/05/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/12/22.

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038938400

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039599000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SPARC, 1735 POLK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MADRM, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/25/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/04/22.

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as GLEN PARK NAILS, 74 WILDER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131.

This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by GLEN PARK NAILS LLC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/10/20.

JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-039452100

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as BLACK LABEL REAL ESTATE, 1160 MISSION ST #2102, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by BLACK LABEL REAL ESTATE INC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/09/21.

JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039600100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as DE LEON BEAUTY AND BARBER SHOP, 2138 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed WILMER E. DE LEON YOC. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/13/22.

JAN 20, 27, FEB 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039600200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SWIFT PLUMBING SOLUTIONS, 67 OCEANSIDE DR, DALY CITY, CA 94015. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MUKHTAR ALANSI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/13/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/13/22.

JAN 20, 27, FEB 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039595600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as TIKAL BAR, 3441 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANA LOPEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/05/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/05/22.

JAN 20, 27, FEB 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039598100

JAN 20, 27, FEB 03, 10, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DOUBLE SHOT EXPRESS, 400 PARNASSUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed EL TOMATE INC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/15/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/11/22.

JAN 20, 27, FEB 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039596400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as PEDRITOS, 3254 23RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed EL TOMATE INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/03/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/07/22.

JAN 20, 27, FEB 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039593700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as GRAND CENTRAL STATION ANTIQUES, 360 BAYSHORE BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ANTIQUES FOR SEVEN LTD (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/10/90. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/04/22.

JAN 20, 27, FEB 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039592900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE VITAMIN SHOPPE, 2300 16TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed VITAMIN SHOPPE INDUSTRIES, LLC (NY). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/13/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/04/22.

JAN 20, 27, FEB 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039600700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as POESIA CAFÉ, 4076 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ASPROMONTE LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/13/22.

JAN 20, 27, FEB 03, 10, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as VMEI VMEI, 625 LEAVENWORTH ST #302, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed VILMA ANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/11/22.

FILE A-039595900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as US-CHINA LAW COUNSEL; US-CHINA REAL ESTATE; 425 DIVISADERO ST #209, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YING (NATALIE) ZHANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/11/08. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/06/22.

JAN 20, 27, FEB 03, 10, 2022

JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022

JAN 13, 20, 27, FEB 03, 2022

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19th Street Susanna Choe, 15 protes outside their home , t about their during a talk to with her husban the mother of November pending three childre d, Philip, Ellis Act of the new n is the local evictions.

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by John Ferra e of San Franci n a two-minute statem nnini sco. ent to the e Pride Bay Area Repor In an emailed Celebrat flix aul Moon ter, she invited building on ey, a residen Net h Wit LGBTQ apartm t of a was served November 16 when with he See page ent buildin majorityMissio page 25 “A process an eviction notice himself 12 >> . community n Dolores Park, was g next to tenants and server came to the rallying the against a rally serve them,” plan to evict Bay Area Mooney, 51, to catch his entire Repor told the another tenant ter the following ic for was also served day, saying Queer Mus at that time.

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REACH CALIFORNIA’S LARGEST LGBTQ AUDIENCE. page 34

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LA Pride ces Announ n Events In-Perso 4 page

& Pronouns “PRIDE, gress” Pro page 15

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“I’ve lost so Rick Gerharte much r thinking where sleep worrying about it and I might go. leave. I love I don’t want this to Yet Mooney city.” might have to leave if the efforts

Report fl Castro, neags housing issues ighboring in commun ities

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The Bay Area Reporter will lications in be one six a Constructio pubbeing initiall new LGBTQ media venture that’s y 2238 Marke n continues on a tiative Innova funded by the Googl 44-unit condo t Street, e News Inition the site of project at Local Media Challenge. a former mortuary.

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by Matth Queer Media launch of Word nced Noew S. Bajko Is Out: The Google News Collaborative. Fundin g from the Bay today? ould Harve ing to Nancy Initiatives is $200,0 y It is a 00, accord Lane, CEO day succes the LGBTQ Milk, who organized sociation, of Local Media sor on the question his presen which will residen tgay Distric Board of ts flockin AsSan Franci serve as the t8 Supervisors, g to sco’s the 1970s managing poses at the Supervisor Rafael into a potent Castro district Mande start in helped elect politic that See page al examines of a report he comm lman, 12 >> leader, be him as the city’s first force that issioned in the variou how to construct able to afford gay elected more housin s neighborhoo to live in g “It seems the City by more likely ds he represents. snapping some photos than not that, after of the Golde n Gate

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Bridge, enjoyi Rick Gerharte r Twin Peaks ng the views from and maybe the Ferris wheel taking a ride top of on the have conclu in Golden Gate Park, ded that the they would high and set rent here off to make their to find a more affordais just too ble home and their mark,” place writes See page

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415.821.1792

by Philip Mayard

W

hen Lady Camden sashayed into the spotlight for the first time on RuPaul’s Drag Race in the Season 14 premiere, proudly proclaiming, “Hello, you sexy bitches!,” drag aficionados around the world finally got to meet one of Northern California’s most uniquely talented and popular queens. Although Lady Camden, whose name is Rex Wheeler, has only been doing drag a few years, he’s built a sizeable and passionate local following.

As a former dancer and now frequent choreographer for Smuin Ballet, Camden’s fan community draws from Bay Area dance audiences to club kids from San Francisco and Sacramento. Thanks to show-stopping brunch performances at Hamburger Mary’s, throngs of tourists and forI started experimenting with mer bridal parties are rooting drag and makeup, and it made for Camden to take home the me feel like a kid again. It really Drag Race trophy. Now Camhelped lift me out of that ‘injury den’s fan base is exploding infunk.’ Drag was a way to conternationally as a result of her nect my love of being the class splashy premiere on the show. clown in the studio with my Wheeler’s journey from the creativity.” ballet stage to the pinnacle of the After several years of jugdrag world began during a dark gling drag shows, choreography time in his life. When the Bay work, acting classes and sevArea Reporter first spoke to him eral part-time jobs just to make in December 2019, as he preends meet, Wheeler was already pared for his first performance as feeling overstretched when COLady Camden with Smuin Ballet VID-19 hit. Like all artists, the (part of the company’s annual Lady Camden pandemic has been difficult, LGBTQ Night), he said, “In my but it also gave him time to relast year or two dancing with the flect on priorities and dreams. company I had some back injuries. I was really not able to do much for large chunks of time.

Lady Camden former Smuin Ballet dancer on 'RuPaul's Drag Race'

Julian Fellowes' new New York Cynthia Nixon and Christine Baranski in The Gilded Age

by Brian Bromberger

J

ulian Fellowes, Downton Abbey’s creatorwriter-producer, debuts his new long-awaited period drama series The Gilded Age on HBO. The Gilded Age, roughly the 1870s to 1900, was an era of rapid expansion of industrialization and economic growth, creating new opportunities, which led to fabulous wealth for a few and extreme poverty for others.

Those who hope The Gilded Age will be the next Downton Abbey sensation will be gravely dismayed. Still, Fellowes has a knack for making us want to watch and give a damn

about rich people dealing with rich people’s problems.

After her retired Union general father dies and leaves her penniless, our heroine Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobsen) relocates to Manhattan where out of pity and duty, her rich aunts –proud, stubborn Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) and Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon)– take her in as a companion.

Accompanied by her new Black acquaintance Peggy Scott (Denee Benton), a budding writer, Marian becomes a pawn in a social war between her aunt’s old-money set and her new rich (as in nouveau riche) neighbors, unscrupulous railroad tycoon George Russell (Mor-

Drag umbrella

better to know I have a community of people rooting for me.”

Now that the Drag Race season has begun, Wheeler can look back at his life’s experience and see how it’s primed him for this moment as Lady Camden.

“The competitiveness of the ballet world has definitely prepared me for Drag Race,” he said. I don’t think I realized how competitive I was until I did this! But the competitive side can be so much fun… and it can turn me into a monster, so get ready!” t

“I was backed up against the wall financially, scrambling just to survive,” said Wheeler. “I couldn’t afford San Francisco, so I had to move back to Sacramento, but I was still just working a ton, giving drag maybe 20 percent of my time.

And I thought, ‘I’m totally exhausted. How is my drag, my art form, going to get better and evolve if I only give that small ration of time to it?”

Astonishingly, after 13 seasons, Camden is only the third queen to represent the Bay Area on RuPaul’s Drag Race. “I’m representing San Francisco and Sacramento; so many in this community know me personally, and have seen me do drag from day one. They know I’ve worked my ass off. I think that’s why I have so much support here. I’m so lucky, because it’s kind of scary becoming a little famous. I can’t help but think, ‘Are people going to like me?’ It makes me feel

RuPaul’s Drag Race airs on Friday nights on VH-1. | Visit @ladycamden on Instagram.

Read the full interview on www.ebar.com.

Oscar, Agnes’s gay son, who degan Spector) and his power-hunspite having a male lover, wants gry wife Bertha (Carrie Coon). to marry a rich heiress, with every Marian is courted by a Pennintention of continuing his hosylvania lawyer Tom Raikes mosexual relationship on the side.

(Thomas Concquerel), who Once again, as with Barrows in also transplanted to New York Downton, Oscar is a semi-vicious so he can pursue her by advancunlikable schemer and one is left ing himself socially. The questo wonder if straight Fellowes is tion posed by the series is, will capable of developing a positive Marian follow the established amiable gay character. As consolarules of society or create her Blake Ritson in The Gilded Age tion he gives us gay Nathan Lane’s own path? campy Ward McAllister, the ultiOnce again Fellowes has resurmate social arbiter and gatekeeper of old New rected Downton’s Upstairs Downstairs formula York decorum, looking and sounding like Colowith mini-portraits of the servants who work in nel Sanders from KFC. both the van Rhijn’s and Russell’s homes.

Agnes is the Dowager Countess imitation Fellowes also seemed to have incorporated and similarly is given Fellowes’ wittiest lines: some merciless, cold-blooded elements into “Power belongs to old New York, not the new, George and Bertha Russell, 1880’s version of never the new;” “Why don’t we just go outside MacBeth and Lady MacBeth. They will stop and roll in the gutter? It will save time.” Baranski at nothing to rule the business world and high in delivery and demeanor is a satisfying successociety, the latter determined to maintain tradisor to Downton’s formidable Maggie Smith. tion and etiquette by scorning their new money Cynthia Nixon as Ada plays good cop (kind status (except for philanthropy), politely exbut not very clever) to Agnes’s bad cop (clever communicating them socially. George is the but not very kind). She’s delicious as always but more fascinating villain, as while he’s utterly unher versatile talents seem wasted. principled in business, he’s a devoted husband As with Downton, the couture is gorgeous and father, even rejecting Turner’s enticements. and filming takes place at stunning locations.

Unlike the totally white Downton cast, with Fellowes remains superb at being able to jugblack co-writer Sonja Warfield, the Peggy Scott gle myriad plot lines so even small characters character is a multi-faceted one, acting as both are given a modest backstory. Despite the luxusecretary to Agnes and friend to Marian as she rious veneer, Gilded Age is a notch down from navigates respectability in racist white circles PBS Masterpiece and BBC high standards. Still, while pursuing her dream of becoming a writer. the series has promise and is a pleasing diverHer father, a professional Black class success sion worth your time. t story, objects to her career, but she has the grudging support of her mother Dorothy (the fabulous Audra McDonald).

Read the full review on www.ebar.com.

On the queer front, we have Blake Ritson as

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Chick lA opens -fi n r SF city liea ne

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Hall: Todrick to Oz in g Returnina County Sonom

REACH CALIFORNIA’S LARGEST LGBTQ AUDIENCE. ns on Expressio tice Social Jus page 2

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by John Ferr de of San two-minute Franc statem ann isco. ini ent to the e Pride Bay Area Repo In an emailed Celebrat tflix rter, she invite aul Mooney, building on d With Ne LGBTQ aparta resident of a majo was served November 16 when ritywith he ment 25 See e page build Miss pag “A process an eviction notice. himself ing next ion 12 >> to community Dolores Park, was tenants and server came to the rallying the against a rally to catch serve them plan to evict Bay Area ,” Mooney, his entire Reporter 51, told the the follow anoth for er tenant sic was also serve ing day, saying Queer Mu d at that time.

Pride

er TransgendDoubleary Courtesy the The Bay publications Documentader Area and the Wash Reporter, Tagg He page 35

No. 46 • Nov

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Vol. 51 •

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B.A.R.

“I’ve lost so much sleep ter thinking wher worr ying abou leave. I love e I might go. I don’t t it and this want to Yet Mooney city.” might have to leave if the efforts See page 12 >>

Report fl ags housi Castro, nei n ghboring g issues in commun ities

Rick Gerhar

<< Theater

10 • Bay Area Reporter • January 20-26, 2022

Monday 8am

Open Daily!

(last seating 9:45pm)

Tuesday 8am

(last seating 9:45pm)

t

New Adjusted Hours Sasson Gabay and Janet Dacal in The Band’s Visit

Wednesday 8am (last seating 9:45pm)

Thursday 8am

Musical moments

Open 24 Hours

Friday

Open 24 Hours

‘The Band’s Visit’ and ‘Freestyle Love Supreme’

Saturday

Open 24 Hours

Sunday 7am

by Jim Gladstone

(last seating 9:45pm)

S

an Francisco stages are now hosting two of the more unorthodox musicals to hit big on Broadway in recent years.

Eschewing musical comedy tropes, The Band’s Visit reaches out to audiences more subtly and poetically than much Broadway fare, while LinManuel Miranda’s Freestyle Love Supreme takes a nearly opposite tack, grabbing attendees by the collar.

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Band on the run

Haled, a super chill, slightly silly trumpet player in the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra, has a go-to pickup line: “Do you know Chet Baker?”

In The Band’s Visit, the young Egyptian musician, played by Joe Joseph with a swoon-inducing balance of ingenuousness and suavity, first tries his come-on with a pretty ticket seller at an Israeli bus terminal. He and his bandmates, in skyblue pseudo-military uniforms try to catch a ride to a small town where they’ve been booked to perform at the local Arab cultural center.

Flummoxed by the woman’s disinterested response to his flirtation, Haled is unable to focus on her attempt to clarify which of two similarly named towns is his group’s destination. He buys the wrong tickets. They end up in the wrong place. A night of low-jinks ensues.

The next morning they get on another bus and head out.

As in Chet Baker’s late career vocals, there’s a tender bruise pulsing beneath every note of David Yazbek’s utterly immersive score. The Band’s Visit evokes a feeling even more than it tells a story; it grants permission to feel heartache, to feel human.

The nocturnal soundscape conjured by Jamshied Sharifi’s orchestrations is fragile and romantic,

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with musical motifs evanescing then recurring, persistent tendrils of emotion interpolated through multiple songs.

Yazbek’s compositions weave elements of traditional Arabic music and frolicsome klezmer together with invocations of a romanticized silver screen Middle East. When Dina (Janet Dacal) shares her moviegoing memories of “Omar Sharif,” Yazbek and book writer Itamar Moses acknowledge the presence of pop-cultural fantasy in mundane lives even as they tone down Broadway bravado to honor delicate quotidian moments on stage.

As the citizens of this desolate village open their homes, break bread and share stories with band members over the course of a single evening’s wanderings, we are invited listen in on bittersweet snatches of their stories: Dina’s long-ago career as a dancer, young parents’ struggles with the responsibilities of adulthood, a family’s loss of a mother and wife.

Even Tewfiq, the buttoned-up band leader (Sasson Gabay, who originated the role in the film) reveals unexpected complexity with the story of a son’s suicide; the script intimates that the young man, rejected by his father, was gay.

There are no hard-won truths in The Band’s Visit, no morals to the story. And rather than showstoppers, the songs here are eavesdroppers, inviting us to listen in on these strangers and perhaps hear a bit of ourselves. The Band’s Visit sings a funny Valentine to us all.

The Band’s Visit, through Jan. 30 at the Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor St. $56-$226. www.broadwaysf.com

Hip hop poetry

“I always used to freestyle at my lunch table in high school,” says Jay C. Ellis, a featured vocalist in the

company of Freestyle Love Supreme, the improvised hip-hop poetry jam of a musical beginning its national tour at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco this week.

“But I went to a Jesuit private school,” said the queer Toledo, Ohio native in a recent phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “So I was clever, but a little inhibited.”

“Then in college I discovered beer,” Ellis jokes. “And then marijuana! I started to make really good raps.”

While attending Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory for musical theater, says Ellis, what truly enriched his rapping was a fuller embrace of his own identity as a gay Black man.

“Let me tell you something,” he says, promising San Francisco audiences an ample dose of queer in his Freestyle Love Supreme performances, “I speak what I know and I speak what I love. I don’t shy away from my truth in this show, and nobody has ever asked me to. Telling my own story is what I do best.”

Ellis says that his “toxic masculine rust-belt Dad” pushed them all towards athletics as children despite his personal preference for “watching Flowers in the Attic on Lifetime with my mom.”

After graduating conservatory with a degree in musical theater in 2015, Ellis moved to New York where he won several off-Broadway and touring roles over the next few years. He also met Kyle, his partner of six years, a train engineer. But in 2018, the same injury that had allowed him to chase his Broadway dream came back and bit hard.

“I had developed really bad arthritis and had to have a total knee replacement,” he recalled.

Among Ellis’ post-surgery pursuits was to sign up for classes at the Freestyle Love Supreme Academy.

“I went in there as a student to learn and hone a craft,” Ellis said, “I aspired to be around people who were at the apex of this craft.”

Ellis was soon invited to become an instructor and a performer in the Academy’s custom presentations for corporate clients. This past fall, he auditioned for Thomas Kail, director of Freestyle Love Supreme on Broadway (also the director of Hamilton) and made his Broadway debut as a stand-in before being selected for the national tour that begins here and runs through August 20.

“Its going to be a long time missing my man and our dog,” says Ellis. “But we’ll make time to see each other at points when there are short breaks in the tour.” t Freestyle Love Supreme, through Feb. 13 at A.C.T.’s Geary Theatre, 415 Geary Street. $10-$100. www.act-sf.org

photo

Jay C. Ellis in Freestyle Love Supreme

Read the full article on www.ebar.com.

t

Nightlife, Books >>

January 20-26, 2022 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

Fierce competition

The High Princx Pageant at Oasis

by David-Elijah Nahmod

O

n January 22 and 29 eight seasoned drag entertainers will compete in The High Princx Pageant, a drag spectacular in which one will take home the High Princx Crown. It all takes place during Princess, the Saturday night drag show at Oasis, San Francisco’s premiere LGBTQ nightclub. The first night will include the categories Creative Presentation, Question and Answer, and a series of epic lip sync battles.

The second night will feature each contestant’s dream performance, followed by a final crowning.

The first prize takes home $2022, the second prize gets $700, and the third takes $350. There will also be special prizes yet to be announced.

Serving as judges will be drag legends Peaches Christ, Glamamore, Honey Mahogany, D’Arcy Drollinger, Leigh Crow, as well as a special celebrity guest judge from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Dida Ritz, among others. Competing for the crown will be Frida Mont, Heaven on Earth, Meatflap, Papi Churro, Pearl Teese, Phoebe Cakes, Tyson Check-in and Vera.

“We had to narrow down the applications to just eight contestants,” said producer Tito Soto in an interview. “It was really challenging as there is so much excellence in our community. We were looking for well-seasoned competitors, people who have been doing drag for at least five years and are currently still performing often. We couldn’t be prouder of this cast, every single one of them is super hard working and has produced some very inspiring drag throughout their careers.”

Soto is also a drag performer, known for high-production shows

High Princx Pageant producer Tito Soto that integrate video projections, intricate lighting, and other forms of technology.

“My drag is magical, regal and very, very gay, what I like to call a drag prince,” Soto said. “It’s neither female nor male impersonation, but more of an amplified version of myself.”

Soto notes that the term Princx was created to both reference the weekly show Princess and to make the pageant inclusive to any kind of gender of drag. “We want it to represent all the amazing styles of drag that make our community so special.”

Evoking magic

The pageant promises to offer two nights of fun and excitement.

The first three categories happen

Latinx love

will be deciding who wins each lip sync. She will also be performing that night.”

Soto promises that the second night will be big.

“We asked our contestants to dream up their ideal performances and bring them to this stage,” Soto said. “Expect backup dancers, larger than life concepts, sets, background visuals, and props.

This category will be worth the most points and could change the whole ranking of the competitors.”

Soto also explained why the pageant will take place over two nights instead of doing it all in the same evening.

“Simply put, pageants are long in general and have many com-

ponents. We wanted to give the contestants a chance to fully focus on each night’s categories and not have to rush it all in one night.

They’re all working extremely hard to deliver top caliber drag these next two weekends and deserve all the time in the world on stage.”

As with all venues, Oasis requires attendees to be vaccinated and to wear masks while on the premises. For those who aren’t comfortable with gathering in crowds, the show can be watched and the contestants can be tipped on Oasis’ streaming platform.

Added Soto, “It’s gonna be a truly epic competition.”t

safety and opportunity for queer people there.

Coming out to himself and to others has been an epic endeavor for Gomez and throughout this impressive memoir he writes candidly and with great dexterity about the joys and fears that grounded his innocent childhood and continue to inform and empower his adulthood.

“In a world desperate to erase us,” Gomez writes, “queer Latinx men must find ways to hold on to pride for survival, but excessive male pride is often what we are battling, both in ourselves and in others.” t

www.sfoasis.com

Edgar Gomez’ ‘High-Risk Homosexual’

by Jim Piechota

I

author Edgar Gomez

on January 22. For the Creative Presentation category the theme Magic was chosen. Each contestant will walk the runway and model elevated looks which evoke magic.

Judges will be looking for conceptual, detailed and dynamic work.

The lip sync battle should be particularly entertaining. The eight contestants will be split into four pairs and will battle it out in what Soto refers to as “an epic Lip Sync Smackdown.” Whoever wins each lip sync wins the final points on the first night.

“A tight lip sync, fierce performance, and great impact on the audience will be key,” Soto said.

“Our special guest judge Drag Race season 4 veteran and the original lip sync assassin Dida Ritz

Guest Judge Dida Ritz

n his outstanding new coming-ofage memoir, Floridaborn queer Latinx author Edgar Gomez navigates a modest 13-year-old adolescence dominated by poverty and cultural machismo, as evidenced in the opening pages where he witnesses a crowded cockfighting ring orchestrated by his uncle.

But these scenes are balanced by other more introspective ones where, after a night of underaged drinking, he encounters and converses with a rowdy group of transgender sex workers from the balcony of his uncle’s house in Nicaragua.

Once relocated back in his Orlando homeland, teenaged Gomez prided himself in cloaking his burgeoning gayness beneath the “weird” label, or humorously calling himself “hetero-adjacent. Like Prince”. To pass the time, Gomez would gulp black coffee and watch Jennifer Lopez movies all night, then drag himself to school where he dozed off “dreaming about having a boyfriend.”

Gomez writes about his high school days with the same flowing prose and hard-won courage.

He befriended other gay students,

fumbled through episodes of clumsy attempts at sex, and attended Pride parades “surrounded by queers who seemed way more fearless than I could ever be.”

But Gomez soon blossomed, found his safe place on his own, and writes vividly about partying at gay clubs with drag queens, random sex with men, and the melodrama and bittersweet bliss of first love.

His time majoring in TV production in college is portrayed as equally gritty as the author penny-pinched his way through years of identity searching and, in a lucid sequence of descriptive brilliance, his first time bottoming which caused him to black out in a shower stall while “a sharp fire ripped through me … like someone jammed a roll of sandpaper up my asshole.”

Originally titled “Boys Club” denoting the night he’d spent in an Orlando bathhouse, the book’s strength lies in the author’s everpresent vulnerability and frank honesty about first impressions, queer perspectives, the Pulse nightclub massacre, his gradual emergence as femme, and the immediate loss of a boyfriend because of that identifier.

Raw emotions expand outward throughout the book as he takes readers through the more defining moments in his young life so far, including performing nearly naked with a traveling burlesque troupe and a trip to DragCon where he spends a bit too much time getting stoned. A closing voyage to San Francisco finds the author initially unimpressed, but eventually appreciative for the

High-Risk Homosexual by Edgar Gomez, Soft Skull Press, $16.95 www.softskull.com

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