January 2, 2025 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

City Hall gets new supes

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Vol. 55 • No. 01 • January 2-8, 2025

Mayor-elect Lurie quiet on policy details ahead of inauguration

by John Ferrannini

Courtesy the subject

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman

Nonprofits could redact info under proposal

by John Ferrannini

G

ay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman introduced legislation December 17 that, if passed, would amend the administrative code to permit the redaction of information required to be released by the city about certain nonprofits.

Nonprofits receiving over $100,000 from the city to provide direct services must provide information about the structure, leadership, and finances to the city as part of the Annual Economic Statement of City-Funded Organizations.

Mandelman’s legislation would allow the redaction of information “that may compromise personal safety,” according to a draft of the legislation shared with the Bay Area Reporter.

According to the legislative digest, “nonprofits were concerned that disclosure of individual information could lead to harm to such individuals, as employees working in family planning services and LGBT rights groups have been targeted in the past. To ameliorate this potential harm, the personal privacy redaction justification has been expanded to include redaction to protect personal safety.”

Information could only be redacted “if the release of information could lead to endangering personal safety,” the legislative digest states.

A personal privacy redaction justification had been introduced in 2023, stating that redactions were possible when disclosure would violate laws about personal privacy, which came at the same time the reports started to be published online. Reporting requirements were first introduced in 1981.

Other than Planned Parenthood, Mandelman’s office was not forthcoming about which nonprofits had expressed support or would be affected by this legislation; the B.A.R. reached out to Planned Parenthood of Northern California, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, PRC, and HealthRIGHT 360 but has not heard back.

The B.A.R. also reached out to LYRIC, a Castro neighborhood nonprofit that serves LGBTQ youth and reported in 2022 it had experienced bomb threats.

See page 8 >>

A

fter Daniel Lurie is sworn in as the 46th mayor of San Francisco January 8, he’ll have to focus on delivering for the communities that helped propel the political novice to Room 200 of City Hall. With a looming budget deficit, and the city’s seemingly intractable issues like housing, homelessness and public safety, he will face myriad challenges on day one of his freshman term.

For District 8, where Lurie won a number of precincts in Noe Valley and Diamond Heights, as well as in the Castro neighborhood proper, that looks like working with Supervisor Rafael Mandelman on the new LGBTQ history museum, the Harvey Milk Plaza project, and adding more subacute behavioral health beds, the longtime gay civic leader told the Bay Area Reporter. Mandelman supported outgoing Mayor London Breed in the election.

As the B.A.R. previously reported, the city in late November officially purchased the Market & Noe Center at 2280 Market Street (at Noe Street) for $11.6 million to become the country’s first freestanding LGBTQ history museum and archival center. Lurie’s administration now needs to reach a lease agreement with the nonprofit GLBT Historical Society and another arts nonprofit that will help it manage the property, expected to be voted on by the Board of Supervisors before the summer.

John Ferrannini

San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie spoke to reporters November 8.

“On the museum, we have acquired the building,” Mandelman said in a phone interview. “The city now is the owner of the building, but we have to figure everything else out – the relationship between the Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST), the [GLBT] Historical Society, and the city, how that relationship will work going forward, what the documents will be, lease

options to purchase rights of first refusal terms, all of the maintenance obligations, how the property will be maintained and the portions that are not going to be in the short-term part of the museum, how those will be operated and managed – basically everything beyond the acquisition itself.”

See page 7 >>

New health, paid leave benefits 2017 0 residents Media akick Kitin for CA LGBTQ

by Matthew S. Bajko

W

ith the calendar turning over to 2025, a number of LGBTQ-related bills are becoming law this year. It means the state’s LGBTQ households will see a slew of benefits kick in as of January 1 and the months toThe come.Los Angeles Blade covers Los Angeles and California news, politics, opinion, arts and entertainment and features national and One major change for low- to middle-income international workers who are queer or transgender is a sizable coverage from the Blade’s award-winning reporting Be part increase in their paid familyteam. leave (PFL) and state of this exciting publication serving LGBT Los Angeles fromSince the team disability insurance (SDI) benefits.

2023, LG- behind the Washington Blade, the nation’s first LGBT newspaper.

From the freeway to the Beltway we’ve got you covered.

BTQ workers and others have been able to take leave to care for their chosen family members, such as a roommate or friend, in addition to their biological relatives, spouses, and children.

Now, such individuals who earn up to roughly $62,000 per year will see their PFL and SDI benefits increase to 90% of their regular wages. It is an Courtesy the lawmakers increase from up to 60%-70%.

State Senators María Elena Durazo, left, and Caroline Menjivar will see their bills The change took effect on January 1 and is due benefiting LGBTQ residents go into effect January 1. to Senate Bill 951 authored by Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) and signed into law three it really matters.” stated Durazo, noting that the infor the adoption of Durazo’s bill. Among them was years ago by Governor Gavin Newsom. (That fall, crease in benefits “will allow millions of workers, the San Francisco-based Our Family Coalition. he also signed into law Assembly Bill 1041 by Asespecially those paid lower wages, to finally afford to As its executive director, Mimi Demissew, who semblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, expanduse the family and medical leave insurance benefits identifies as queer, had argued in a guest opinion ing the family leave provisions to include chosen they have been contributing to for all these years.” piece about the issue for the Bay Area Reporter, families.)

LGBTQ family advocates were part of the coali“Our families are less likely than our heterosexual “As a mother, a sister and a grandmother, I know tion of more than 450 organizations that had called how important it is to be there for your family when See page 8 >>

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<< National News

2 • Bay Area Repor ter • January 2-8, 2025

t

Nonbinary hairstylist gives clients the cuts they want

by JL Odom

E

very nonbinary and trans person’s gender-affirming care is specific to them. It might include certain personal identity changes, such as one’s pronouns, name, and gender markers on legal documents; weekly injections of testosterone or estrogen (i.e. hormone therapy); surgeries; and mental health support.

Another way for a person to feel more comfortable with who they are and how they present themselves to others is via a gender-affirming haircut. Stylists such as Kitt Spata, owner of Youphoria Studios in Richmond, Virginia, are committed to meeting clients’ needs in that regard.

“I find it boils down to autonomy and being willing to give that to the client. … I think that’s the biggest thing: being a considerate hairstylist and doing what your clients want, [particularly] with queer hair,” said Spata in a video interview with the Bay Area Reporter.

Spata, who identifies as queer and nonbinary, opened their salon, located in Richmond’s Carytown district, in October 2023 and has been steadfast in their client-centered approach ever since.

“I’m only one person – I don’t want to assume for anyone. My whole thing is letting people tell me who they are and what they need,” they said.

Transitions

Spata’s been in the hair business for the past six and a half years, and their own experiences in education, others’ work spaces, and with gender-affirming care have contributed not only to their personhood but also to the thoughtfulness they’ve put into their client offerings and studio space.

Prior to embarking on a career as a hairstylist, they spent a couple of years pursuing an undergraduate degree at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, a city in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. During their freshman year, they majored in interpersonal communications and minored in media studies, with an interest in content creation and wanting to work for BuzzFeed. They decided to pursue other disciplines during their second year at CNU. “I switched at year two to study sculpture and art history with a minor in museum studies because I loved working with my hands,” Spata explained.

It was also around that time that a significant personal experience transpired: Spata walked into a salon chain in proximity to their campus and walked out, post-cut, with a much shorter style.

“I did it at a Supercuts across from

From Instagram

Kitt Spata owns Youphoria Studios in Richmond, Virginia.

Christopher Newport, and he [i.e. the stylist] didn’t question shit. He was like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ To have that happen, I understand, is rare, but I think it inspired me to be that kind of provider,” said Spata.

“I realized I could combine talking to people all day, working with my hands, not working at a desk – all of that. I also saw how affirming it was for me to have my hair cut off and to have the experience go well,” they added.

They rerouted to the career direction they felt was a good fit for them, leaving the CNU art classes and lecture halls behind in December 2017 to gain handson experience with sheers and razors in salons. The two apprenticeships they did achieved that objective, but Spata’s time in those spaces was less than queerfriendly, they said.

“Neither of them were affirming, and neither of them liked me being trans. …

Even though they had a trans flag on their front door, they were not willing to do anything to meet me where I was at,” Spata said.

Spata had been out for about a year at the time and was in therapy; they hadn’t started T (testosterone) yet.

[T]hey just didn’t care, ” they added, conveying the lack of support they felt as an openly queer person in the salons.

With those not-so-great industry experiences under their belt, Spata decided to get in some additional formal education, spending a year and a half at Paul Mitchell The School, a beauty school and salon space in Tysons Corner Center. (The school has closed, as of May 2024.) Post-graduation, they found work in a barbershop located near the Fort Belvoir Army Base; at the time, they had also started hormone therapy.

“I was getting asked if I was a boy or girl by walk-ins multiple times a week

because I was two months on T and very androgynous. I was handed pamphlets a few times by clients. They were Christian, ‘Seek Jesus’ type things. And I was like, ‘Holy shit. All I did was cut your hair. We didn’t talk about me.’ It was wild,” Spata commented.

One pamphlet-distributing client sitting in Spata’s chair shared with Spata that he was pursuing a degree in religious studies.

“I was like, ‘Cool. My brother did, too.

I was raised Catholic.’ We literally talked about it, but he still handed me the pamphlet. I was like, ‘Dude, I did nothing but acknowledge and respect you,’” said Spata about the incident.

The client, though, was undeterred, insisting that Spata needed the religious brochure.

“I was like, ‘Trust me, I’m going to throw it out.’ It was crazy,” Spata recalled.

Add the issue of an unsupportive barbershop owner to the “what binary gender are you” continual line of questioning and homophobia, and Spata was more than ready to head elsewhere – not necessarily out of the state “for lovers,” but at least to a different hub within it: Richmond.

New city, new perspective

In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris claimed Virginia, winning its 13 electoral votes (with 51.8%, or 2,227,756 votes as of press time) compared to Republican candidate and President-elect Donald Trump (with 46.6%, or 2,003,384 votes as of press time), according to the Associated Press. Notably, Virginia has been a blue state for the past four presidential elections (Joe Biden, 2020; Hilary Clinton, 2016; Barack Obama, 2012, 2008).

“If you told high school Kitt that I would still be here at 27, I’d 100% be like, ‘What is wrong?’ Because I never really liked Virginia,” they said.

Richmond, though, works just fine for them.

“I moved here three years ago, when I was about eight to 10 months on T, and I found better hair and better people,” they said.

In the Human Rights Campaign’s 2024 Municipal Equality Index, Richmond attained 100 out of a possible 100 points on its scorecard. The report, published annually in November, is a nationwide evaluation of municipal law that considers aspects such as a city’s non-discrimination laws, the city leadership’s commitment to the LGBTQ+ community; LGBTQ+ employee protections, municipal services, and fair enforcement of the law, including the

“responsible reporting of hate crimes and [law enforcement’s] engaging with the LGBTQ+ community in a thoughtful and respectful way.”

The city is home to queer spaces such as Babes of Carytown, a longstanding LGBTQ+ bar, and Diversity Richmond, the nonprofit organization behind the annual VA Pridefest, held in September.

There’s also the website, OutRVA, an online resource for the Richmond queer community and visitors.

“It’s really interesting, because Richmond has a horrible history of Confederacy, slavery, all of it, but the city is now very much acknowledging [its history] and progressing,” Spata commented.

“For queer people, we feel safer, because you see people expressing [themselves] in any way they want to. You see corporate people with mullets, stuff like that. People aren’t afraid to be a little funkier here,” they added.

Once situated in Richmond, Spata initially set up shop in a couple of salons, including a booth rental in the queerowned Body Politic Hair Studios. After about two years of working in others’ spaces, Spata made the official move of their brand Youphoria and their services into a physical location of their own.

Spata’s Youphoria Studios, located in a multi-room building housing other small businesses, is now among the many boutiques, eateries, and bars located along the Carytown neighborhood’s West Cary Street.

“It’s been so much better because it’s the same amount of rent and I have privacy, and my people can talk to me, and I can talk to my people. And now I’m completely under my own name,” they shared.

A gender-affirming salon network

Type in something along the lines of “gender-affirming hair places” in Google and a top result, other than Reddit discussion forums, will be Strands for Trans (https://strandsfortrans.org/), a global registry of 7,500-plus gender-affirming salons and barbershops, founded by Xavier Cruz and JP Gomez. Gay cisgender men, Cruz and Gomez are also the owners of Barba, a gender-inclusive grooming boutique in New York City.

Spata takes part in Strands for Trans, both as a gender-affirming salon owner, with Youphoria Studios listed on the website via a state, city, or ZIP code search, and as a board member.

“I call them [i.e., Cruz and Gomez] my ‘hair dads.’ They’re lovely people. …

They reached out to me through seeing me tag them [on social media] and stuff, and they asked me to be on their board,” said Spata.

In an email to the B.A.R., Cruz praised Spata and described working with them as being “an absolute privilege.”

“From the moment we connected through our S4T instagram account where Kitt started tagging us in their posts, it was clear they were someone special. During our first Zoom meeting, we quickly realized Kitt is much more than a talented barber—they’re a passionate, intelligent, and deeply involved leader in the community. Kitt’s outspoken dedication and drive made them the perfect choice to become one of our very first board members at Strands For Trans,” Cruz wrote.

The board is primarily made up of trans people, with Spata, who’s worked with the organization for about two years, contributing to the registry’s development.

“Strands for Trans is definitely a needed resource. It’s just hard to have something so new and so needed at the same time, because you can’t work out the kinks. So that’s what we’re working on: making sure people are as vetted as we want them to be,” they said.

The aim is to have a standard in place for the salons and barbershops to ensure all places listed are safe, inclusive spaces for those seeking gender-affirming services. Those interested in registering on Strands for Trans have to first go through a training, which Spata helped create.

Post-successful training completion, they will be added to the website. It might sound straightforward enough, but there are some complexities to consider.

“It’s really hard because there are salons and there are booth rentals, and someone who’s booth rental in a salon could be affirming, but the salon might not be affirming. There’s a lot of nuance and a lot of new situations with how the hair industry is evolving into more salon rental and booth rental situations where the person may not be under that name, business-wise,” explained Spata.

Once a person finds their local list of gender-affirming salons on Strands for Trans, Spata suggests further researching each listing, whether pulling up official websites or checking out their social media profiles and posts.

Meticulous considerations

When it comes to Youphoria Studios, the research process involves a simple step: heading to Spata’s Instagram profile, with over 27,000 followers, for confirmation of their artistry and preciseness when it comes to gender-affirming cuts.

See page 9 >>

OKELL’S FIREPLACE

415-626-1110

130 Russ Street, SF

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Editorial – 1st Place Michael Yamashita, Cynthia Laird, ‘Editorial: Oakland NAACP should cut ties with Scott’

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t Four other bad US health nominees

4 • Bay Area Repor ter • January 2-8, 2025

Volume 55, Number 01 January 2-8, 2025 www.ebar.com

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W

ith only weeks until President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated, his nominees for cabinet secretaries and other top posts have been making the rounds meeting with senators who will decide their fate. Confirmation hearings are expected to begin soon. One of the nominees we’re most concerned about is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom we editorialized against in November.

To reiterate, we believe that RFK Jr. could have a devastating impact on vaccines, HIV/AIDS, and gender-affirming health care for trans youth, resulting in lethal consequences. In recent weeks, Kennedy has been making courtesy calls with senators, and it seems like many are warming to him. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman (D) even popped out of his office to shake RFK Jr.’s hand. This does not bode well.

But there are four others of Trump’s nominees to health-related positions that could also be dangerous for the LGBTQ community. All require Senate confirmation.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, a longtime television personality with a history of peddling dubious supplements and other “miracle” cures, was nominated to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This federal agency has a budget of over $1 trillion and influence over drug price negotiations, medication coverage, the Affordable Care Act, and more, as the New York Times reported.

The paper noted that Oz has also promoted ineffective COVID treatments, such as hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, which were found not only not to work, but also came with considerable risks.

In fact, Oz, who has long advocated a healthy diet and exercise, seems to go against science in other areas, like promoting untested supplements. On vaccines, he said he got a COVID shot right away, but was then critical of boosters for young people.

The Times noted that during his unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate in 2022, he said he’d taken on “Big Pharma.” “But his own history and financial disclosures from that run show that he has had financial ties to a number of medical companies,” the paper reported.

Someone without all of Oz’s potential conflicts of interest should be leading Medicare. Millions of people depend on these programs, and the federal government should enter into drug negotiations

Oz, Facebook; Bhattacharya, Stanford; Makary, Johns Hopkins; Nesheiwat, AP

Drs. Mehmet Oz, left, Jay Bhattacharya, Martin Makary, and Janette Nesheiwat have been nominated to top health positions in the Trump administration.

from a stronger position, not with someone who has financial ties to companies.

Jay Bhattacharya, a physician-scientist at Stanford University, has been nominated by Trump to head the National Institutes of Health. This is the nation’s medical research agency and, unfortunately, Bhattacharya is not the person who should be leading it.

Like RFK Jr., Bhattacharya is a critic of the agency he would run. As Politico reported, he was an author of the Great Barrington Declaration, which advocated against lockdown measures during COVID, relying on letting low-risk people build up herd immunity.

As we now know, the U.S. never really achieved herd immunity – when so many people are immune a virus can’t easily spread – and, in fact, there are still plenty of COVID cases today.

Thanks to vaccines, however, the death rate is much lower than it was almost five years ago.

The country needs an NIH leader who will base decisions on science, not a contrarian who could cripple the agency.

Meanwhile, Trump nominated another doctor, Martin Makary, to head the Food and Drug Administration. “The British American physician, who at-

tracted attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for his opposition to vaccine mandates and other public health measures, has long been an outspoken critic of the agency he is now expected to lead,” reported Science.

This pick is especially worrisome, as the FDA approves drugs, including those used to fight HIV/ AIDS. As we recently reported online, Gilead Sciences is hoping for FDA approval in 2025 for its twice-yearly lenacapavir PrEP, which is not yet allowed for HIV prevention. It is currently only approved as part of a combination treatment regimen for people with multidrug-resistant virus.

Makary was a frequent guest on Fox News, which tells you all you need to know. Like Bhattacharya, he, too, was a proponent of herd immunity during COVID. If Makary is confirmed, RFK Jr. could put pressure on him not to approve certain drugs, which could result in unnecessary deaths. (We wrote previously about RFK Jr.’s dabbling in AIDS denialism, which could adversely affect approval of PrEP drugs and other treatments.)

See page 9 >>

World Pride brings global movement to DC

by Marquia Parnell

W

orldPride Washington, D.C. 2025 arrives at a pivotal moment in our history, set against the backdrop of a political and social landscape marked by growing legislative challenges to LGBTQ+ rights. As the global LGBTQ+ community continues its fight for equality, visibility, and justice, the event serves as a powerful rallying cry, uniting voices worldwide in support of the movement.

WorldPride, taking place May 17-June 8, is more than a celebration of identity and community; it is a powerful testament to resilience and defiance. In 2025, we celebrate milestones like the 10th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage equality and 50 years of Pride celebrations in Washington, D.C. We will leverage the city’s historic civil rights legacy to champion LGBTQ+ rights, celebrate hard-won progress, and demand justice where oppression endures. Hosting WorldPride in the U.S. capital – a global symbol of power and policy – is a deliberate act of protest and hope. It serves as a reminder to the world that the fight for LGBTQ+ equality is far from over, especially in the face of political forces seeking to roll back decades of progress. As we celebrate milestones and the hardfought progress we have made, we acknowledge that the fight is far from over.

The current political climate casts a troubling shadow over this moment. In recent years, protections for LGBTQ+ individuals – particularly in areas like trans rights, health care, education, and youth protections – have been systematically rolled back. These policy changes have fueled a surge in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation across the U.S., fostering an environment where discrimination thrives. This underscores the urgent need to challenge these narratives and reaffirm the humanity of LGBTQ+ people. Events like the WorldPride Human Rights Conference will unite activists, allies, and advocates from around the globe to strategize and strengthen connections, emphasizing that an attack on LGBTQ+ rights in one nation is an assault on human rights everywhere.

Washington, D.C. is more than the seat of the federal government, a destination for global lead-

Courtesy WorldPride

WorldPride will be coming to Washington, D.C. in May.

ers, and a center for policymaking – it is a vibrant hub for advocacy and change. As one of the most progressive cities in the U.S., it boasts the highest per capita population of individuals identifying as LGBTQ+. Pride flags adorn homes, businesses, and government buildings throughout the city, reflecting its inclusive spirit. Additionally, Washington, D.C. is home to 36 national and international LGBTQ+ organizations, underscoring its role as a cornerstone of the global fight for equality and justice.

WorldPride 2025 will go beyond symbolism, providing meaningful opportunities to mobilize and organize. Community members, allies, and advocates will celebrate Pride during the WorldPride Parade, transforming Pennsylvania Avenue – America’s Main Street – into a vibrant corridor of joy, framed by the iconic backdrop of the U.S. Capitol. The International March on Washington and Rally will honor the legacy of leaders like the late Bayard Rustin, the late Harvey Milk, and television personality Laverne Cox, following in the footsteps of countless advocates who have demanded justice and freedom on this historic stage.

These events, along with many others, will amplify the voices of marginalized communities within the LGBTQ+ spectrum, including transgender individuals, queer people of color, and those living in countries where being openly LGBTQ+ remains a crime. These stories are essential to galvanizing an inclusive and intersec-

tional movement for equality.

Furthermore, the global nature of WorldPride provides a platform to hold the U.S. accountable on the world stage. Allies from countries with more progressive LGBTQ+ policies can exert pressure on American leaders to align with international human rights standards. Conversely, activists from nations with fewer protections can find solidarity and support in a shared struggle, reminding everyone that the fight for equality is a collective effort.

It’s important to acknowledge that the celebration aspect of Pride is equally vital. Joy is an act of resistance, especially in times of adversity. The parades, performances, and cultural events of WorldPride will affirm the vibrancy and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community. These moments of unity and celebration are not trivial; they are the fuel that sustains a movement through its darkest hours.

The theme for WorldPride 2025, “The Fabric of Freedom,” celebrates the rich tapestry of cultures, identities, and backgrounds that weave together to create the freedoms everyone deserves. It highlights the beauty of diversity while emphasizing the urgency of the moment – to redefine the narrative of LGBTQ+ rights as unapologetically global and forward-looking. This theme invites us to envision and advocate for a world where equality is not just an aspiration but also a tangible reality for all.

WorldPride 2025 must be a call to action for individuals, communities, and organizations. Whether by marching, educating, or volunteering, everyone has a role in turning this moment into lasting progress. Together, our community will send a powerful message: the fight for equality, dignity, and justice is far from over, and it is one we are determined to win. Serving as both a beacon of hope and defiance, WorldPride 2025 reminds us that the LGBTQ+ community has weathered adversity before and emerged stronger. This event is more than a celebration; it is a movement demanding visibility, respect, and change worldwide, and our fabric will not be torn apart.

Be a part of the Fabric of Freedom for World Pride Washington, D.C. May 17-June 8, 2025. For more information, go to worldpridedc.org. t Marquia Parnell is director of marketing and communications for the Capital Pride Alliance.

t

Politics >>

January 2-8, 2025 • Bay Area Repor ter • 5

San Francisco City Hall to welcome new leaders

by Matthew S. Bajko

M

onumental political change is set to sweep through San Francisco City Hall come January 8 when the city’s new mayor is sworn in and close to half of the Board of Supervisors will be newcomers.

Plus, in a historic first for the 11-member board, it will have a four-person LGBTQ bloc, with one of the members possibly being elected the new board president.

Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman is seeking the powerful position with a two-year term, as is District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, a straight ally. District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton is also expected to once again have his name be put into contention.

Termed out in 2026 like Mandelman, Walton served as board president from 2021 through early 2023 and had sought a second term. But like Mandelman, Walton was unable to secure the backing of a majority of the 11 supervisors and passed the president’s gavel to District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin, whose board tenure officially ends next week due to being termed out for a second time.

Joining Mandelman and gay Supervisors Matt Dorsey of District 6 and Joel Engardio of District 4 will be queer District 9 Supervisor-elect Jackie Fielder.

The first Native American elected to serve on the board, she is returning out Latina leadership to the governing body since the start of 2013.

That January saw the departure of bisexual appointed District 5 supervisor Christina Olague, as she was defeated in the November 2012 election by nowMayor London Breed. Due to Breed’s loss in last year’s election, her mayoral tenure will come to an end at noon on Wednesday, January 8.

At that point Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie will have been sworn in as the city’s 46th mayor. The political newcomer, an heir of the Levi Strauss fortune who ran an anti-poverty nonprofit focused on the Bay Area, has pledged to overhaul how the city is managed and run under his administration.

A moderate in the vein of Breed, Lurie will be working with a moderate-dominated Board of Supervisors. With the additions of Supervisors-elect Danny Sauter in District 3 and Bilal Mahmood in District 5, plus new District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, there is expected to be a six-person moderate majority on the board.

Freshman Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco) resigned from the Marina-based supervisor seat in early December, giving Breed a parting gift of naming her successor to the District 2 seat. Sherrill has served as director of the Mayor’s Office of Innovation, with homelessness being one of the main issues he focused on.

“I am confident that Stephen will bring the experience and skills necessary to represent the residents of District Two and to build a stronger, more resilient city,” Breed stated in naming Sherrill to the vacancy on December 18. “He is dedicated to making San Francisco safer and more affordable for everyone, including supporting the housing, transit, and infrastructure we need, and committed to the transparency and accountability our residents deserve. With his experience in both the public and private sectors, I know he will be a strong addition to the Board of Supervisors and a committed neighborhood advocate.”

A member of the pro-housing group Northern Neighbors, an affiliate of YIMBY Action, Sherrill, 38, lives in Presidio Heights with his wife and children. A graduate of Yale, where he earned a B.A. in political science, he had worked as a policy adviser for former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, an ally of Breed who had donated $1.5 million to her reelection campaign.

Sherrill then worked in private equity,

Courtesy the subjects

Supervisors-elect Jackie Fielder, left, Danny Sauter, and Chyanne Chen will be sworn into office January 8.

focused on infrastructure investments, before moving to San Francisco to work with outdoor brand Royal Robbins.

He later became COO at the volunteer management software platform Golden before joining Breed’s administration in 2022 at the office funded by a charity tied to Bloomberg.

“We must build on the foundation that Mayor Breed has left and to continue to make housing more affordable, our streets safer and cleaner, and prioritize recovery and treatment to fight the scourge of overdose deaths,” stated Sherrill. “Yet we also face looming budget deficits, and I look forward to working with leaders both inside of and outside City Hall to embrace bold, innovative solutions that will allow small businesses to thrive, our downtown to recover, and our incredible city workforce to continue to deliver the high-quality services we deserve.”

Mandelman told the Bay Area Reporter he doesn’t know Sherrill well but welcomes having another Yalie on the board, as he earned a B.A. in history from the university.

“We had a coffee, and I have seen him around City Hall and talked to him a few times. I am looking forward to getting to know him better,” said Mandelman. “I have been impressed with his work at the Office of Innovation.”

Fielder and District 11 Supervisorelect Chyanne Chen will account for a five-member progressive bloc with Walton, Melgar, and District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan. As she has aligned with her moderate colleagues on past votes depending on the issue, Melgar is likely to become a swing vote on the newly constituted board.

The elections of Sauter, Mahmood, Fielder, and Chen, plus the appointment of Sherrill, also represent generational change in the board chambers. As the SF Standard pointed out, (https://sfstandard. com/2024/11/18/sf-board-of-supervisors-2024) the four newly elected supervisors are 40 or younger, with Chen the oldest. Mahmood is 37, Sauter is 36, and Fielder is 30, making her the youngest LGBTQ community leader to win a seat on the Board of Supervisors.

(Gay former District 9 supervisor David Campos was 39 when he won election in 2008 to the seat centered in the Mission district. The previous youngest out supervisor was Leslie Katz, a lesbian who was 34 when she was appointed to fill a board vacancy in 1996.)

Like Fielder, several of the incoming class of supervisors are breaking through political glass ceilings. Chen, who emigrated at age 15 from Guangzhou, China to San Francisco, will be the first supervisor of Asian descent to represent District 11, an Asian and Pacific Islander majority district (56.55%) carved out of the city’s central southern neighborhoods. Mahmood, whose parents emigrated from Pakistan in the 1980s, is the first person of South Asian descent and Muslim to serve on the board.

At 5 p.m. Friday, January 17, Fielder will hold a community swearing-in ceremony at Mission High School, 3750 18th

Street. She has yet to announce who will administer her oath of office.

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In what could be a positive omen for his board presidency bid, Mandelman ahead of the new year moved into Peskin’s corner office on the second floor of City Hall, as it is the largest and he has the most seniority among the new class of supervisors due to his winning a special election in the summer of 2018. One previous occupant of the coveted suite was the late gay supervisor Harry Britt, the first gay board president, serving from 1989-1991. (The only other gay board president to date was Tom Ammiano, who held the gavel from 1999 through January 2003.)

Mandelman interned in the summer of 1989 ahead of his sophomore year in high school for then-supervisor Doris Ward. (At the time, supervisors were elected citywide. Ward died in 2018, while Britt passed away in 2020.)

“I remember being both intrigued and frightened by Harry Britt’s office. I was worried it might turn me gay,” Mandelman recalled of his 14-year-old self who was struggling with internalized homophobia and being bullied by classmates who called him “faggot.” “He was known as the gay supervisor and lots of gay people were around his office because there were a lot of gay issues of the time. Later in life, I became friendly with Harry.”

As for his bid to become board president, Mandelman acknowledged to the B.A.R. that headed into the holiday break, he was short the six votes needed to secure the position.

“I am still having conversations with my colleagues,” he said.

As they did two years ago, Dorsey and Engardio are backing him to lead the board through early January 2027. In the 2023 vote, after multiple rounds of voting, the three out supervisors ended up throwing their support to Peskin.

“He was a great choice then and still is,” Engardio told the B.A.R., adding that Mandelman “brings a perfect blend of experience and perspective to the job, which is especially needed with a largely new board charged with addressing critical issues to move San Francisco forward.”

Dorsey told the B.A.R. he believes Mandelman will not only “do a great job” as board president but is the right person to serve in the role due to what could be in store for the city under the second Trump administration.

“I feel blessed to be able to work with somebody I actually consider a friend,” said Dorsey, who credited Mandelman with helping mentor him along with Peskin during his first two years as a supervisor. “In terms of knowledge, values, tenure and expertise, I think it is an easy vote for him to be board president.”

Fielder, who went on vacation ahead of the holidays, did not respond to a request for comment about her decision regarding the board presidency vote by the B.A.R.’s print deadline on December 23. She is believed to be leaning toward Walton for the leadership position. t

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6 • Bay Area Repor ter • January 2-8, 2025

Shilts bio reveals complicated trailblazer

by Brian Bromberger

T

hirty years after his death, gay journalist Randy Shilts is still controversial. But with the publication of a second biography in five years, Shilts’ significance as a groundbreaker is being appreciated in “When the Band Played On: The Life of Randy Shilts, America’s Trailblazing Gay Journalist” (Chicago Review Press, $30). The author is Michael G. Lee, who worked for several years in communitybased HIV services before pursuing a Ph.D. in social work from the University of Minnesota.

Lee, a gay man, starts his book with an incident in the 1970s with Shilts meeting a trick at a leather bar in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood and, after their encounter, he says to the guy, “I’m one of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet.” Lee comments for all his limitations, Shilts was making history at the same time he was reporting it and concluding yes, he was all he said he was.

Lee appeared at the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center at the San Francisco Public Library in October to discuss his book. That appearance is now available to listen to online at https://tinyurl. com/5e5kywkt.

Shilts’ achievements are now wellknown. He became managing editor of the Oregon Daily Emerald, the student newspaper at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He was a staff writer for The Advocate, a reporter for KQED-TV for three years as well as Oakland’s KTVUTV for a year. He became the first openly gay reporter for a mainstream newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the first to cover the queer community full time.

He published “The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk,” in 1982, as much about the cultural and political rise of the LGBTQ community in San Francisco as a biography of Milk, the first gay man elected to office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Milk was assassinated, along with then-mayor George Moscone, in November 1978.

Shilts began covering AIDS from the very start of the pandemic at the Chronicle, eventually penning his 1987 bestseller, “And the Band Played On,” which reported its origins in the U.S., indicting the federal government on its inaction, the medical establishment on its slow embrace of the disease, and gay organizations for ignoring and/or denying the pandemic in its first five years.

The book was nominated for a National Book Award and was made into an HBO movie in 1993.

Shilts’ third and final book, “Conduct Unbecoming: Lesbians and Gays in the U.S. Military,” which he considered his definitive work on homophobia, detailed the history of the persecution of gay and

lesbian soldiers. Then-President Bill Clinton read the book, and it was central to the 1993 debate on the issue that led to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” compromise, which prevented gays and lesbians from serving openly in the armed forces. DADT was repealed by Congress in 2010.

Shilts learned he was HIV-positive on the day he finished the “Band” manuscript, though Lee suggests he might have known earlier. Worried that his illness would overshadow his reporting, and not wanting to be labeled an AIDS activist, he didn’t publicly reveal his illness till February 1993, dying of the disease a year later at age 42.

Lee interviewed 73 people for his book, adopting an open-ended, oral history style to encourage long-form conversations, remembering, and feeling.

Lee, 47, was interviewed by the Bay Area Reporter via email.

Lee was asked what it was about Shilts that inspired him to write the biography.

“From my years in the field, I gained a fascination with AIDS organizations, their unique cultures, and their origins in post-Stonewall gay activist communities,” Lee stated. “Midway through my doctoral program, I had the chance to conduct historical research and chose to look at the challenges faced by early gay community service organizations from Stonewall through the mid-1970s. Reviewing back issues of The Advocate from that era, I was impressed with how Randy, who was freelancing for that publication, was detailing pandemic-level conditions that were later associated with co-morbidities around HIV in urban gay communities, namely alcoholism, drug abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, social isolation, and so on. I thought it was interesting that he was picking up on these concerns half a decade before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first reported on the mysterious illnesses that were killing gay men, and I wondered what his biography said about it.”

Lee continued, “When I couldn’t find one, I decided to make this book my next project after graduating. I had the idea in 2012, took my first (limited) research trip to San Francisco in 2014, and made the project my main focus the following year after defending my dissertation.”

The first biography of Shilts, “The Journalist of Castro Street: The Life of Randy Shilts,” by the late Andrew Stoner, Ph.D., was published in 2019. “Dr. Stoner reached out to me at the very beginning of my research, over 10 years ago, and offered his encouragement. We had a small number of friendly emails but that was the only contact. I was aware of the book but waited to read it until the week before I finished my first draft because I didn’t want it to unduly influence my writing,” Lee stated.

t

Courtesy Michael Lee

Michael Lee has written a new biography of the late San Francisco Chronicle reporter and author Randy Shilts.

Early criticism

Shilts was severely criticized within San Francisco’s gay community for advocating closing gay bathhouses as a way of containing the spread of AIDS. Many gay men felt at the time this was a betrayal of the sexual freedom for which they had fought so hard, and Shilts said he was spat upon as he walked down Castro Street.

“This is why I thought it was important to detail the summer of 1974, in which Randy spent working in a Portland bathhouse, and how, even as he felt a sympathy for its customers, he cringed at many of the exploitative and exclusionary practices he witnessed from that establishment’s manager,” Lee stated. “Undoubtedly, it influenced his later reporting on the bathhouses, as I believe he felt protective of its patrons and skeptical of the owners’ resistance to change, or even having conversations about adopting more protective measures in response to the early warnings coming from public health.”

Initially, Shilts said the queer community saw AIDS more as a civil rights issue than a public health crisis, a public relations problem rather than an actual threat. Lee was asked if these charges were fair.

“I think we must distinguish here between the community, and the community’s political and business leaders,” Lee stated. “As a community at large, we queer folks don’t often get a chance to elect the leaders of the movement, unless they run for public office. Randy felt very strongly that certain leaders were slow-footing efforts to sound a warning in 1983, when Drs. Andrew Moss and Michael Gorman were beginning to share the first epidemiological data about the prevalence of AIDS cases in gay San Francisco neighborhoods. Printing that story provoked a backlash.”

Shilts was concerned that a quarter million people would be coming to that year’s Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day in June (now called the Pride parade) and had hardly any knowledge of this new public health threat.

“I would posit that he was absolutely

From Amazon.com

“When the Band Played On: The Life of Randy Shilts, America’s Trailblazing Gay Journalist,” was published October 8.

concerned with the safety of the community and wanted gay political and business leaders to act more quickly,” stated Lee. “And keep in mind, some – like Bill Kraus and leaders of the Harvey Milk [LGBTQ Democratic] Club – were trying to do just that. As for Randy’s portrayal of gay men, I found multiple examples in his stories of people who weren’t acting out of selfishness or amorality, but who admitted to struggling with the new reality they faced. It was really difficult for many men to change long-standing behaviors, and I include Randy in that grouping as well.”

Shilts wasn’t liked very much in or out of the gay community due to his tremendous ego (even at the end when he thought he should have been given a public memorial in the rotunda of San Francisco City Hall). In Lee’s book, Shilts came across as ambitious, self-righteous, and nasty/angry (i.e. after a fight, puncturing his father’s condom, which may have led to an unwanted pregnancy of his mother, his younger autistic brother).

Lee was asked how challenging it was to craft an empathetic portrait of Shilts.

“It wasn’t hard at all. I didn’t start with any sort of premise over who or how many people liked Randy,” Lee stated. “And in fact, many of the 70-plus people I interviewed still expressed fondness for him, even in their criticism. The further out I went from people who knew him directly, the stronger I found the animosity.”

There were charges within the LGBTQ community that Shilts was a hypocrite, for example complaining how dehumanizing gay bars were yet patronizing them,

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or wanting to close down bathhouses after working in one and using them personally for his own pleasures, or attacking outing when he engaged in the practice.

Others called him self-hating and assimilationist. Lee was asked why Shilts was such an open target of criticism.

“In nearly every instance this question mentions, I uncovered a more complicated personal side of Randy that experienced real trauma – terror even – at the prospect of his community’s ‘biological extinction,’ to use one of his phrases, and that he struggled to cope with the emerging reality of AIDS in some very painful ways,” stated Lee. “His alcohol and drug use increased substantially, to the point where he told friends that on his worst nights of blackout drinking, he couldn’t remember what he had done. Lots of people struggled during this period, and I don’t think he had the self-awareness or coping skills at that stage of his life to handle the trauma. To many, that could lead to the conclusion that he was hypocritical. I see a person who struggled with overwhelming circumstances and needed more help than he was receiving at the time.”

Lee stressed the importance of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction as key to Shilts producing his best work, but also the way he covered those subjects in his writings.

Lee claims joining 12-step groups gave Shilts an LGBTQ+ community where he could self-reflect but also share his struggles without worrying about being attacked. “He had an AA sponsor, who I never was able to locate, but I did correspond with someone who was sponsored in AA by Randy Shilts. I think that he needed social spaces where he could be vulnerable, anonymous, and service-oriented. Readers of A ‘ nd the Band Played On’ and ‘Conduct Unbecoming’ may notice that in his acknowledgements, Randy thanked the ‘Friends of Bill W. (Wilson),’ a bit of in-speak acknowledging his membership in the 12-step community. He also tried to leave a substantial donation to 18th Street Services in his will, but unfortunately the estate was unable to honor those wishes.” (18th Street Services was an old HIV/AIDS nonprofit.)

In his early chapters, Lee paints an in-depth and graphic portrait of Shilts’ sexual life. Shilts wrote about his sexual escapades for porno magazines. Lee believes this is critical in understanding who Shilts was and why he chose the subjects on which he reported.

“I thought it was important to be true to the life Randy led, and in his 20s, he kept journals that extensively detailed See page 8 >>

t <<

From the Cover>>

January 2-8, 2025 • Bay Area Repor ter • 7

Lurie

From page 1

Mandelman is in the running to be board president next week, and he added that “it’ll be important for there to be alignment between the mayor and the Board of Supervisors in figuring out what the city’s options are going to be in negotiating those terms.”

The Harvey Milk Plaza renovation project got a boost when voters approved Proposition B, a $390 million general obligation bond for infrastructure in the November election. Of that, $25 million is earmarked for the plaza redesign that sits above the Castro Muni stop at Castro and Market streets. However, Mandelman said that will not be enough to completely fund the project.

“I’ve heard a number for the project costs in the high 30s, $30 million, and there’s some question of where that number – I think [San Francisco] Public Works came up with that figure – it’s much more than the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza anticipated it would be,” Mandelman said December 16. “We’re having a meeting with [Public Works] this week.”

As the B.A.R. reported in its December 26 issue, the total cost for the plaza project is expected to be $35 million, with the friends group looking to raise more than $7 million to cover historical installations about Milk’s legacy and other ornamental aspects of the design. It is hoped the city will cover the rest of the outstanding price tag for the remodel.

The $25 million specified in the bond may be enough to get the project started, as it will take several years to build, but “we need more clarity about what amounts are needed, where, what for and how we will close any gaps,” Mandelman said.

The bond also set aside funds to relocate City Clinic, the public health center South of Market where many LGBTQ people have sought sexual health services for decades, out of its dilapidated building on Seventh Street. It will be up to the Department of Public Health under Lurie’s administration to deliver on the new site for it.

Finally, Mandelman is trying to build the city’s shelter bed capacity. On this he aligns with a Lurie campaign promise to add both shelter and treatment beds.

“In my first six months, we’re going to set up 1,500 emergency shelter beds to make sure they’re safe, they’re dignified,” Lurie said at a September debate.

Asked how he’d pay for it, Lurie responded, “We spend $700 million a year on our behavioral health system right now. There are savings that we can make.”

Mandelman said that there’s 140 subacute behavioral health beds and that adding 50-100 additional beds would represent “a significant expansion of bed capacity.”

Mandelman explained to the Castro Merchants Association December 5 that “an additional hundred beds could impact thousands of people over the course of a year, freeing up the flow in the system” because the city’s psychiatric beds are often full “because there’s nowhere to take people in the psychiatric beds to.”

“I think everyone in the Castro knows there’s a lot of people in the Castro who need a long-term bed, and some people might need a lock on the door for their time in those beds,” Mandelman continued.

John Ferrannini

San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie, left, shook hands with LGBTQ community leader Vince Crisostomo during a stop at Openhouse November 8

December 12, including Staci Slaughter, the previous longtime executive vice president for the San Francisco Giants, as his chief of staff, and Matthew Goudeau, a gay man who was a senior adviser to Lurie’s campaign and is currently director of the office of the mayorelect, as his deputy chief of staff.

Tung referred comment for this report to a Lurie spokesperson. Altman spokespeople did not return a request for comment.

Lurie also announced a restructuring of the mayor’s office. The current situation has 56 agencies reporting to the mayor through a policy director who reports to the chief of staff, currently former supervisor Sean Elsbernd, who has

largely fulfilled his promise of being an unseen partner in the administration of the city to Breed.

Under Lurie’s new structure, there’ll be one chief of staff and four separate policy chiefs, covering housing and economic development; infrastructure, climate, and mobility; public health and wellbeing; and public safety.

On December 17, Lurie named Ned Segal – the former chief financial officer of Twitter, axed by Elon Musk after his 2022 takeover of the company prior to its transformation into X – as the chief of housing and economic development.

(Segal is currently suing Musk, a top adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, for unpaid severance.)

A news release states Segal’s main tasks will be “revitalizing downtown, with a strong focus on arts, culture, and businesses of all sizes” and “accelerating the development of new housing to meet the city’s pressing needs.”

To achieve this, Segal will be working with the departments of building inspection, city planning, economic and workforce development, and housing and community development, as well as with the arts, library, and airport commissions.

“As a city known for its innovation and boundless potential, San Francisco has long been a beacon of creativity and growth. Under the bold leadership of Mayor-elect Lurie, we have a mandate to reimagine what’s possible and I feel great urgency to deliver,” Segal stated in the release. “Together, we’ll create a San Francisco that is not only safe and welcoming, but also full of opportunity and hope – a city where every resident and business can thrive, dream, and help shape the future. The city faces a budget crisis, and returning to meaningful economic growth will be critical to helping San Francisco and San Franciscans thrive.”

During the campaign, Lurie had promised to create a downtown police district to cover the Moscone Center, Yerba Buena, and Union Square and to get the downtown office vacancy rate to 10% in eight years in office (it was 36.9% in the third quarter of 2024, Global Commercial Real Estate Services reports).

“Ned embodies the kind of innovative leadership San Francisco desper-

ately needs to tackle our most pressing challenges,” Lurie stated. “With his strong background in the private sector, a deep love for San Francisco backed by extensive civic engagement, and a track record of delivering results, Ned is uniquely positioned to lead the revitalization of downtown, accelerate housing production, and drive economic growth in our city.”

Some pushback

Not everyone is pleased with Lurie’s restructuring idea. Retired San Mateo County Superior Court judge and former state senator Quentin Kopp, who led a successful ballot campaign in 1991 to ban “deputy mayors” in the city, threatened to sue over the proposal, Mission Local reported .

Lurie also promised to declare a fentanyl state of emergency on day one, recruit 425 police officers in his first three years, and create an online permit and entitlement approval tracker.

Politicos sound off

Some of Tung’s colleagues on the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee shared their hopes for Lurie’s forthcoming tenure. Joe Sangirardi, a gay man who was elected along with a slate of moderate Democrats to the DCCC earlier this year, stated that LGBTQ people should have confidence in him.

See page 9 >>

“We now live in a community that offers a unique place where we feel welcome, can be ourselves, live among friends and experience new adventures, with the peace of mind for our future.”

- Brian H., resident

Lurie picks ex-Twitter exec for downtown revitalization

The B.A.R. tried to arrange an interview with Lurie prior to this report, but a spokesperson stated that he would not be answering policy questions prior to his inauguration. The B.A.R. submitted written questions to Lurie about the museum, the plaza, and the behavioral health beds, among other topics.

Lurie responded only that, “I’m building a team rooted in accountability, service, and change to tackle San Francisco’s historic challenges.”

Indeed, the last several weeks have seen several personnel announcements.

After announcing a transition team November 18 that includes gay OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and San Francisco Democratic Party Chair Nancy Tung, Lurie rolled out his first appointments

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<< State News

8 • Bay Area Repor ter • January 2-8, 2025

LGBTQ trainings for CA educators to kick in

by Matthew S. Bajko

for educators. While Governor Gavin Newsom signed it into law, it wasn’t until 2021 that he allocated $2.4 million to build out the online LGBTQ-focused course.

To address the fact that AB 493 didn’t include a mandate that teachers take the training, gay Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood) pushed through his AB 5 two years ago to create one. It was amended from the original requirement of educators taking a fourhour course every three years on LGBTQ cultural competency to a one-hour annual class with a sunset at the completion of the 2029-30 school year.

Meanwhile, the California Department of Education contracted with the Los Angeles County Office of Education to develop the training course. It has been dubbed PRISM, the Providing Relevant, Inclusive Support That Matters for LGBTQ+ Students program.

It initially was to debut during Pride Month last June. But issues in finalizing the necessary contracts for the development of PRISM led the state agency to be granted an extension until this June 30, as the Bay Area Reporter had reported in May 2023.

According to the state education office, PRISM consists of a six-course online training. The content has been tailored to provide certificated educators with resources that bolster support for the Golden State’s LGBTQ+ youth.

As a spokesperson for Thurmond, who is running for governor in 2026, told the B.A.R. in December, “PRISM aims to support LGBTQ+ students facing bullying, harassment, discrimination, or lack of acceptance at home or school. PRISM courses will be available for free, and hosted in a learning management system beginning July 2025.”

LGBTQ advocates have long argued

that when school staff are supportive of LGBTQ+ students, it results in the youth having “significantly lower rates of depression and suicidality,” as Equality California noted in its 2024 Safe and Supportive Schools Report Card. Of the 146 of the state’s 343 unified school districts that responded to EQCA’s questionnaire, 67 of the districts with K-12 schools (46%) noted they already require their staff to take at least one hour of LGBTQ+ specific training every 24 months.

“The presence of supportive staff and LGBTQ+ affirming policies is associated with better academic performance and overall well-being. This underscores the need for schools to adopt and effectively implement protective laws and policies to ensure all students learn and thrive in safe and inclusive environments,” noted EQCA in the report it released last fall on the findings of the biennial survey of California’s unified school districts. t

As of January 1, health plans and insurers in the Golden State are required to cover preventive care such as PrEP, the HIV prevention medication, and screenings for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. It is due to the enactment of Zbur’s AB 2258.

Due to SB 339 authored by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), health plans also are now required to reimburse pharmacists for their PrEP services, such as testing people to see if they are HIV-negative and having blood work done, things pharmacists can order without the need for patients to see their primary care physician. They can now also prescribe people a 90-day supply of PrEP to people without their first needing to speak with their doctor.

Also now covered is an ongoing supply of the HIV prevention medication if the patient is ensured follow-up care and testing consistent with federal guidelines for the usage of PrEP. The medicine is an effective intervention for keeping people HIV-negative, and Wiener’s legislation addressed problems with an earlier bill he carried that didn’t result in easy access to PrEP via pharmacies.

“People are really excited about the prospect of being able to obtain PrEP and PEP in a pharmacy without the need to get a prescription,” said Wiener, referring to post-exposure prophylaxis that a person can take within 72 hours of their potentially being exposed to contracting HIV. “With the original version of the law we passed, due to political compromises we had to make, it just made the law unimplementable, and we have now fixed it.”

It also comes at a time when HIV advocates and care providers are concerned about what actions Presidentelect Donald Trump and his admin-

istration may take this year. Wiener warned that the Republican leader and “his cronies” will try to take a “wrecking ball” to various federal health programs and want to curtail medical access in the name of cost-cutting or for ideological reasons.

“They are going to severely undermine our ability to get people living with HIV into care and also for HIV-negative people to access prevention tools. It is hard to overstate how bad it could get if Trump succeeds in his goal of gutting health care access,” said Wiener. “We need to do everything we can at the state level to make it easier for people to access treatment and prevention.”

State and local health department employees and contractors must now annually sign confidentiality agreements prior to accessing confidential HIV-related public health records. It is due to the enactment of SB 1333 authored last year by lesbian then-state senator Susan Talamantes Eggman; the Democrat from Stockton was termed out of the Legislature in December.

Her bill also allows for better coordination of care for people living with HIV at risk from other diseases and pandemics that emerge. Eggman’s legislation was sparked by issues that cropped up during the 2022 mpox outbreak among men who have sex with men.

And due to Wiener’s SB 957, the California Department of Public Health must implement all of the recommendations from a scathing 2023 audit that found its collection of sexual orientation and gender identity data was woefully inadequate and not meeting the requirements laid out in legislation adopted years ago by state lawmakers. The health information, known as SOGI data for short, is vital to ensuring that the health and wellness needs of LGBTQ Californians are being addressed.

Wiener told the B.A.R. that he and his staff continue to “periodically” check in with the statewide health agency on its progress addressing the issues raised by the state auditor. As the B.A.R. has previously reported, the state health depart-

ment has been working to implement the audit’s various recommendations and updating its forms to include the SOGI questions.

Its SOGI workgroup drafted updated SOGI data collection recommendations and new SOGI data display recommendations that it has been getting feedback on from local health officials. According to an update released by the state auditor last October, it listed a completion date for it as of December 31, 2026.

Under that same timeline, CDPH also is developing an annual exercise to evaluate the efforts of its branches to record and report SOGI data. And the agency is seeing what resources it needs to publish an annual report on SOGI data as required under Wiener’s law.

“This annual exercise will require branches to submit a report detailing the outcomes of their data analyses, in addition to any actionable measures taken to improve services or program outcomes for underserved populations in the LGBTQ+ community,” CDPH reported to the state auditor last fall.

With the enactment of SB 957, Wiener told the B.A.R. that his “hope and expectation is they will fully comply with it and we will have much better data.”

City or county run libraries that get state funding now must adopt a written and publicly accessible collection development policy by January 1, 2026.

As laid out by AB 1825, the policies are to guide the selection and deselection of library materials. They must also establish a process for community members to share their concerns regarding library materials and request materials be reconsidered for inclusion in the library’s collection.

from or through the city and county to provide direct public services to file with the City Administrator an annual economic statement that includes the following personally identifying information: the name of the chief executive officer, employee, or other person possessing daily managerial responsibilities; and the names of all officers and directors and the names of all other boards of directors on which they serve,” Mandelman said.

“These new disclosure requirements, however, have raised security concerns for reproductive health and LGBTQ organizations regarding potential impacts

to their officers and staff,” Mandelman continued. “The requirement to make publicly available in one place the names of these organizational leaders and the other organizations with which they are associated jeopardizes the privacy and security of these individuals at a time when the rights of reproductive health and our LGBTQ community are under attack from far right groups across the country and the incoming federal administration.

“Especially at this time, San Francisco must remain vigilant and proactively work to protect our most vulnerable communities from right-wing hate

groups and those who intend to harm, harass, and bully our people,” he added.

The names of executive employees, boards of directors, and budget information, including top salaries, for organizations are already available to the public in IRS Form 990 disclosures that all tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofits file.

However, sometimes those reports are delayed by a year or more.

A spokesperson for the San Francisco City Administrator’s office stated December 17, “This small legislative change allows us to respond to security concerns brought to us by organizations

engaged in important work in the transgender and gender-nonconforming communities, as well as nonprofits focused on the protection of reproductive rights and providing services to victims of domestic violence.

“Transparency at the cost of personal safety was never the intent of our policy,” the spokesperson continued.

“We remain committed to ensuring that our city funded-community partners adhere to state and local requirements, and appreciate Supervisor Mandelman’s support as we improve our procedures through this legislative update.” t

and I found valuable information about the ways he gained experience, how he felt about himself, and how he wished to find a longer lasting, fulfilling relationship even as he played the scene. Moreover, I wanted to reinforce how the early AIDS

crisis affected him privately as someone who had, both for better and for worse, been an active participant in the scene.”

marred the reputation of “And the Band Played On.” Shilts’ friend and source, Dr. Selma Dritz, who worked at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, told him about a study of gay men, which placed Gaetan Dugas, a gay flight atten-

dant, as the primary sexual transmitter of the disease, claiming Dugas intentionally infected others with the virus, becoming the prime agent of the epidemic in the

A

fter years of delays in its development, a training course on LGBTQ issues for California teachers is set to begin this summer. The one-hour cultural competency sessions will be required for all teachers and all other certificated employees serving pupils in grades seven to twelve over the next five academic years beginning with the 2025-26 school year.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond had authored a bill in 2018 when he served in the Assembly calling for the creation of such a training course. But it fell to the veto pen of then-governor Jerry Brown due to its cost.

After being elected to his statewide position, Thurmond worked with gay Democratic former Assemblymember Todd Gloria, now the mayor of San Diego, in 2019 to pass Assembly Bill 493,

<<

Benefits

From page 1

counterparts to have a family network to offer alternate child care or back up economic support during leave, due to social stigma and family rejection.” The result, added Demissew, is often “LGBTQ+ families are being denied the ability to properly bond with our newborns or newly placed adopted children.”

Another bill that Our Family Coalition and other LGBTQ advocates had supported in 2024 will see insurance plans as of July 1 be required to cover in vitro fertilization and other fertility and infertility treatments used by LGBTQ people who want to become parents, except if they work for a religious employer. SB 729 authored by lesbian state Senator Caroline Menjivar (D-San Fernando Valley) is bringing about the change in the policies.

It requires the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, also known as the Knox-Keene Act, be updated so that IVF is added to the list of infertility treatments most health insurance policies in California are required to cover. When it was enacted, IVF was not included.

The expansion in coverage will benefit “approximately 9 million Californians, including LGBTQ+ folks who were previously withheld equal opportunity to become parents under an archaic law that erased their rights,” noted Menjivar in praising Newsom for signing her bill last fall.

Youth in the state’s foster care system, many of whom identify as LGBTQ, can now accumulate upward of $10,000 in cash savings without losing their existing benefits or triggering redetermination of eligibility. It is due to the enactment of AB 2477 by gay Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood) and is aimed at providing foster youth a fiscal cushion when they age out of the system.

Due to AB 2906 going into effect, California’s 58 counties can no longer secretly intercept foster youth’s Social

<<

Mandelman

From page 1

LYRIC Executive Director Gael LalaChavez declined to comment December 17, other than stating, “This is different to what LYRIC experienced.”

At the board meeting, Mandelman said that he was “introducing an ordinance to safeguard LGBTQ and reproductive health organizations from right-wing hate groups with a history of threats, harassment, and bullying.”

The current law requires “every nonprofit receiving over $100,000 annually

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Shilts

From page 6

many of his sexual adventures,” Lee stated.

“Obviously, they were important enough for him to write about and to preserve,

t

Courtesy the subject

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond

also known as the Safe and Supportive Schools Act, in support of the training Security survivor benefits. Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) authored it last year after seeing Newsom veto a similar bill in 2023 that included both Social Security survivor and disability benefits.

Other health bills

Patient Zero controversy

The Patient Zero controversy has

Laws impacting LGBTQ youth take effect

Because of Newsom signing last summer AB 1955 by gay state Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego), school districts across California are now banned from outing trans youth without their permission to their parents unless doing so is needed to protect their mental health. And under AB 1825

by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), known as the California Freedom to Read Act, public libraries not connected to schools in the state can’t remove books from their collections or ban the purchase of new books related to subject matters like LGBTQ and race.

Books also can’t be banned “because of the views, ideas, or opinions contained in materials,” per the legislation.

Changes in the law come online

People who are victims of doxing, where their private information like a home address and phone number are made public, can now seek upward of $30,000 in damages for pain and suffering via a civil action with Ward’s AB 1979 taking effect. Known as the Doxing Victims Recourse Act, it aims to provide some legal relief to people who come under attack by online trolls, in particular trans individuals and their advocates.

And California is now the first state in the nation to codify the concept of intersectionality into its anti-discrimination laws. It is due to the enactment of SB 1137 authored by state Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles).

It amends state anti-discrimination laws covering employment, housing, public accommodations, and education to clarify that they protect against discrimination based on not just one protected characteristic, but as Equal Rights Advocates noted, also the intersection or combination of two or more protected bases (e.g., gender and race, or gender and age, or race and LGBTQ+ status).

“By codifying the framework of intersectionality under California’s antidiscrimination laws, SB 1137 will provide guidance to the courts, juries, and other decision-makers to ensure that plaintiffs’ full experience and harm is recognized,” explained the gender justice organization, which had co-sponsored SB 1137.t

See page 9 >>

t <<

Community News>>

January 2-8, 2025 • Bay Area Repor ter • 9

of experience and a lot of understanding about many complex problems running a city, and so my hope is that he does a good job because the city is important, and it shouldn’t rise and fall with whoever is in charge.

“This office is bigger than a person, and my desire is to see any person in this role successful, and it’s hard to say for someone coming in without really any experience what that might be,” she added. “But I hope that, at least, he will surround himself with people who can help govern, because running a race, spending a lot of money to run a race, is not a hard thing to do, to hire a bunch of people – and I don’t mean that in any way, look, the campaign is over – but that’s different from when you have to come in and actually govern.” t

tion played off the term bi-curious for people looking to explore their romantic options, similar to the largely unknown Lurie asking LGBTQ voters to be open to electing him as mayor.)

Michael Nguyen, a gay man, is one of several progressives elected to the DCCC. “My hope is Lurie creates a signature LGBTQ program that addresses a huge need that intersects with his background doing anti-poverty work,” he stated.

(Lurie, an heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, is the founder and former CEO of Tipping Point Community, a grantmaking, anti-poverty nonprofit.)

“Nearly half of San Francisco’s homeless youth identify as LGBTQ, and Mayor-elect Lurie can make a huge impact on the LGBTQ community by committing to ending youth homelessness in

San Francisco,” Nguyen stated.

Nguyen revealed that he met with Lurie and his staff about this issue during the campaign “and he seemed receptive at the time.”

“My worry is that LGBTQ issues could get drowned out by the very real threat of Trump’s mass deportation plans,” Nguyen stated, referring to the president-elect, who will take office January 20 and has pledged to round up undocumented immigrants and deport them. “Yet, Lurie has surrounded himself with very knowledgeable and capable people, so I remain optimistic.”

Nguyen is “also hopeful that social housing development will actually happen under this new administration.”

“I had an idea for LGBTQ intergenerational social housing that got integrated into the official recommendations for

spending Prop I funds, but the previous administration blocked the use of those funds for social housing,” Nguyen stated, referring to the 2022 transfer tax ballot measure. “I am hopeful that the Lurie administration will take a new look at social housing and the recent study that was released showing mixed income social housing could be financially feasible in San Francisco.”

they’re not going to get something. …

And I’m so grateful people see that I did what they asked and not that I did what I wanted, because they would not come back,” they said, with a laugh.

Spata’s considerations of their clients also include texting them pre-appointment pertinent information, such as Youphoria’s address and parking options, and providing a Google formbased questionnaire in which clients can include their chosen name, pronouns, and accommodation requests, such as no talking or music, facing away from the mirror, and the availability of fidget (i.e. sensory) toys.

Their own neurodivergences (ADHD, autism) contribute to their interest in, and ability to meet, clients where they’re at and be open to others’ experiences, Spata noted.

“A lot of what I do is sensory work, and hair is one of the biggest sensory

icks for people. Definitely gender-wise, I know it can make things so hard,” they said.

Spata did not disclose details about annual revenue or their number of clients, but online Google reviews attest to clients’ satisfaction with their genderaffirming cuts and feeling of comfort.

“Kitt is an amazing person who has been cutting my hair for over a year now. I appreciate how attentive they are to your particular needs, and my favorite thing is that they are always double checking with you about what you want, if something is okay, and ensuring you feel listened to,” wrote Melody de Castro Bohannan, who identifies as queer, in their review.

“Getting my haircut used to be anxiety inducing because I would have to justify my haircut to a stylist, with Kitt there are no assumptions made regarding what my hair ‘should’ look like and

all that matters is what haircut affirms who I am!,” they also commented.

Another client, Unmai Arokiasamy, shared why they continue to book appointments at Youphoria Studios.

“I’ve gotten my hair cut about three times by Kitt in the last five months and every experience has been so wonderful!

Kitt is so open, curious, and creative, and I always feel cared for and taken care of when sitting in their salon. Their space [is] full of beautiful queer art and energy, and we have had lots of fun throughout each haircut. I always feel like a badass when I leave their space and I appreciate the work and engagement they always so willingly give!!” wrote Arokiasamy, who told the B.A.R. they identify as Two-Spirit and queer.

Caden Martz echoed others’ sentiments about Spata’s client-centering approach.

“Kitt is an excellent stylist/barber and

a genuinely amazing person. I’ve been thrilled with all of the haircuts I’ve had from them, and have found the entire experience with Kitt relaxing, affirming, and enjoyable. Can’t recommend them enough! Really appreciate how they check in to make sure they’re understanding what I’m saying,” wrote Martz, who is nonbinary, in their review.

For Spata, it has been – and will continue to be – about their clients’ autonomy and open communication.

“Hairstylists frequently kind of get wrapped up in the sense that we give people their appearance, but we need to be facilitators, not doing what we want,” they said. t

York-area urgent care clinic network, Nesheiwat prescribed hydroxychloroquine to patients during the early days of COVID after Trump began taking it, HuffPost reported.

At the time, there hadn’t been any testing on whether the drug was effective against COVID. After six trials were done, the World Health Organization later said it was not effective to prevent or treat COVID, the outlet reported.

She’s also spoken out against treatments for transgender youth, HuffPost reported, which is out of step with major medical organizations.

We see a pattern here of Trump intentionally selecting people to run agencies with which they disagree. While there certainly is a place for criticism, and valid medical research may end up coming to different conclusions on issues, we don’t believe the country should

have these health officials in charge of Medicare, research, and serving as the public face of health policy. There are just too many warning signs that they will instead seek to decimate these federal agencies, which is just what Trump wants. That could lead to resurgences in diseases like polio, COVID, and other illnesses. But it’s the harm to those living with HIV/AIDS that could be most deadly. There isn’t a vaccine for HIV,

and getting people who test positive on treatment as soon as possible has already been shown to greatly reduce transmission of the virus.

The Senate should reject all of these nominees, but we’re realistic enough to know that that’s unlikely to happen. We hope that in the case of the FDA, at least, more medically knowledgeable minds will prevail when it comes to the commission approving lifesaving drugs. t

times when Dugas did intentionally not tell his partners he was HIV-positive.

“For people who hold this particular opinion, I don’t expect that my book will change their minds. I saw it as my job to try to understand the context and chronology surrounding Randy’s interest in and pursuit of the Gaetan Dugas story.

For people interested in a more singularly focused, scholarly appraisal of the controversy, Dr. Richard McKay has done some important work that deserves the positive recognition it has received.”

As a journalist, Shilts’ prodigious amount of research and dogged running down of facts was undeniable.

“He was a quick thinker and a prolific

cultivator of sources, who saw it as his role to hold people in power accountable. He liked longform journalism (especially writing books) more [than writing] brief pieces, and I think he cultivated a writing style that was evocative, even though it could sometimes mask a number of the flaws in the conclusions he drew.” Shilts was criticized for his use of literary techniques to recreate dialogue as well as his final copy in terms of how he interpreted the research he accumulated.

With all this criticism, Lee was asked if “And the Band Played On” holds up in 2024. Shilts believed “Unbecoming Conduct” was his best work and would stand the test of time better than “Band.”

“I agree with Randy that ‘Conduct’ was his strongest work,” Lee stated. “It was also the first book where he had the resources to pay his business manager, Linda Alband, and a small team of researchers and field investigators. The source notes supporting his conclusions are far better organized. I do think he was learning and improving from book to book, and I think that refinement would have continued if he had lived.”

Lee knew going into this project that many people held strong feelings about Shilts, both for negative and positive reasons.

“My aim wasn’t to change anyone’s mind, but to situate his work in the

context of his lived experiences, developmental milestones, and influential relationships,” stated Lee. “A great deal has been written about his work. I wanted to understand his essential character and give him space to be fully human.”

It is worth noting that in spite of all the controversy he engendered, both personally and due to his work, Shilts’ image was among the first 20 installed on the Rainbow Honor Walk (honoring queer individuals who made a significant impact in global history) memorialized near the corner of 19th and Castro Streets. t

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559364 In the matter of the application of DONALD ALLAN GOODWIN, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner DONALD ALLAN GOODWIN is requesting that the name DONALD ALLAN GOODWIN be changed to DONALD MICHAEL PARRISH. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 21st of JANUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559380 In the matter of the application of CAMPBELL VANPLANTINGA, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner CAMPBELL VANPLANTINGA is requesting that the name CAMPBELL VANPLANTINGA be changed to CAMPBELL ANGUS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 21st of JANUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025

Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner JARED SAMUEL PAREDES SOJO is requesting that the name JARED SAMUEL PAREDES SOJO be changed to ZALAI CASSIAN PAREDES SOJO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 23rd of JANUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405092 The following person(s) is/are doing business as VIBRANT BAY PAINT & CONSULTING, 250 KING ST #616, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARTY SKYLER GUILLEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/27/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/03/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405091 The following person(s) is/are doing business as D&F MOBILE TRUCK REPAIR, 200 TOLAND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DIMAS DOMINGUEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/03/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/03/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025

AMENDED ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559155 In the matter of the amended application of ASHLEY ROSE PINTO CANTO, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said amended application that petitioner ASHLEY ROSE PINTO CANTO is requesting that the name ASHLEY ROSE PINTO CANTO be changed to ASHLEY ROSE CANTO-AGUILAR. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 4th of FEBRUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559379 In the matter of the application of CAITLIN VOEGELE, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner CAITLIN VOEGELE is requesting that the name CAITLIN VOEGELE be changed to CAITLIN ANGUS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 21st of JANUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405086 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CAFE LA JOIE, 189 6TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AZIZ A. BENARAFA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/02/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/02/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405105 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ABALONE ACUPUNCTURE, 3900 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KAITLIN SHANER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/02/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/05/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025

Lurie

From page 7

“Lurie was one of the only major candidates that doesn’t have baggage with the LGBTQ community,” said Sangirardi, who unsuccessfully ran for a BART board seat in November. “But actions speak louder than words. Many of Lurie’s top advisers were LGBTQ. And we know the mayor-elect courted LGBTQ voters hard, even with (the fairly cutesy) LGBTQ-centered campaign signs. And now he’s named a gay man [Goudeau] as his deputy chief of staff. This all gives me a lot of confidence.”

(In one ad Lurie ran in the B.A.R. during Pride Month in June, it asked “Daniel curious?” with the lettering in the colors of the rainbow flag. The ques-

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Hairstylist

From page 2

“Sometimes I have new clients coming in, giving me the textbook definition of a haircut and being like, ‘I want a drop skin fade from this guard to this guard.’

And I’m like, ‘Word. Let’s do it,’ and I do it,” they said.

When it’s time to reveal Spata’s work in the mirror, the clients convey their joy and gratitude, but they’re also surprised that Spata cut their hair exactly how they had asked.

“The next time they come to me, they ask for something a little different. We talk about it, and they’re like, ‘Last time, you gave me exactly what I asked for, and that’s amazing. I just didn’t expect to get it,’” Spata shared.

“It comes down to them not getting the autonomy [from other stylists]. It’s really interesting to see people assume

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Editorial

From page 4

Finally, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, another former frequent Fox News guest, was nominated by Trump to be surgeon general, one of the leading voices on public health matters. Nesheiwat also sells her own brand of supplements, so there’s a potential conflict of interest right there. A medical director of a New

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Shilts

From page 8

U.S. Shilts and others misinterpreted the letter “O” for Outside Los Angeles for the number 0, calling him Patient Zero. Shilts’ editor, Michael Denneny, was worried the media was going to ignore his book. He convinced Shilts to promote Patient Zero so it would drum up headlines and sell copies of the book. (Dugas died in 1984.)

Subsequent research after Shilts died showed the HIV pandemic could be traced back to strains spread from Zaire in Africa to Haiti around 1967, years before Dugas was of age. This evidence exonerated Dugas, though Lee reports there were

Breed weighs in

Speaking of the last administration, the B.A.R. asked Breed during an exit interview in December what she thinks Lurie could learn either from things she thinks she did well, or things she thinks she could have done better.

“I don’t know how to answer that question,” Breed said. “That’s a hard one to answer because, you know, I have a lot

This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab through News is Out. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBCUniversal.

A longer version of this article is online at ebar.com.

Legals>>

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559389 In the matter of the application of CHRISTINE MICHELLE STROHL, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner CHRISTINE MICHELLE STROHL is requesting that the name CHRISTINE MICHELLE STROHL AKA CHRISTINE STROHL AKA CHRISTINE MICHELLE CELIC be changed to CHRISTINE CELIC STROHL. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 23rd of JANUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559370 In the matter of the application of SAMY LARNEY, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner SAMY LARNEY is requesting that the name SAMY LARNEY be changed to SAMY HERNANDEZ. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 21st of JANUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559387 In the matter of the application of JARED SAMUEL PAREDES SOJO, for change of name having been filed in

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559386 In the matter of the application of JESSICA DENISE JONES, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner JESSICA DENISE JONES is requesting that the name JESSICA DENISE JONES be changed to J.J. JONES. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 23rd of JANUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405058 The following person(s) is/are doing business as JOY VARIETY SHOP, 1975 34TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed XINMEI XIE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/26/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405087 The following person(s) is/are doing business as EQUITY ONE, 2269 CHESTNUT ST #967, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRENDA M. OBRA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/12/2015. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/03/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0404975 The following person(s) is/are doing business as TUMIZI SKIN, 1538 PACIFIC AVE #110, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SABRINA ALI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/13/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/13/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0404984 The following person(s) is/are doing business as GAA AUTO REPAIR AND BODY SHOP, 135 HYDE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GUSTAVO ENCISO M. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/14/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405109 The following person(s) is/are doing business as TOGETHER FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION, 68 ARNOLD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NORA ROMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/05/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/05/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405072 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LETTY PROPERTY AND PERSONAL CARE, 3186 23RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94130. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LETICIA SERRANO JUAREZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/18/2013. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/27/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025

<< Classifieds

10 • Bay Area Repor ter • January 2-8, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405054 The following person(s) is/are doing business as EVENTS CONSULTING, 925 SUTTER ST #304, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LAUREN VANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/25/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405127 The following person(s) is/are doing business as JAKGI CAPITAL, 181 IDORA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JESUS ALEJANDRO ARCE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/09/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/09/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405027 The following person(s) is/are doing business as TBT TAX SERVICES, 600 ELLIS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed TBT TAX SERVICES INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/21/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/21/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405119 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN FRANCISCO HEALTH PLAN, 50 BEALE ST, 12TH FLOOR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO HEALTH AUTHORITY (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/1997. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/06/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405078 The following person(s) is/are doing business as FIRE DIGITAL, 275 8TH ST, FL 3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed XEDERIF INC. (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/27/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405104 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CIAORIGATO, 111 MASON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MDE HOSPITALITY GROUP 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 12/05/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405081 The following person(s) is/are doing business as STAY SWEET SF, 8400 OCEANVIEW TERRACE #320, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed STAY SWEET SF LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/02/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/02/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405071 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ETRE CAPITAL, 373 28TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SAGE OAK REAL ESTATE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/27/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405115 The following person(s) is/are doing business as DOPPIO CAFE, 1551 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SF 1551 LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/06/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405111 The following person(s) is/are doing business as GLO RITUALS AESTHETICS, 1304 CASTRO ST SUITE C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TORI MILA MANAGEMENT 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 12/06/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as GREEN TWIG SALON, 1299 CHURCH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FREEDOM THREADS (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/04/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/04/2024.

DEC 12, 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559378 In the matter of the application of RIC FAJARDO RODRIGO AKA RICHARD F. RODRIGO, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner RIC FAJARDO RODRIGO AKA RICHARD F. RODRIGO is requesting that the name RIC FAJARDO RODRIGO AKA RICHARD F. RODRIGO be changed to RICHARD FAJARDO RODRIGO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 21st of JANUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559390 In the matter of the application of KEREN SEGAL & JOE SEGAL, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioners KEREN SEGAL & JOE SEGAL are requesting that the name MICAH ELIJAH SEGAL be changed to MICAH ELI SEGAL. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.

103N, Rm. 103N on the 23rd of JANUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559392 In the matter of the application of MOHAMED SHAIEA, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner MOHAMED SHAIEA is requesting that the name MOHAMED SHAIEA be changed to MOHAMED ALI HASAN SHAIEA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 28th of JANUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559401 In the matter of the application of KATHERINE MEI NEUPAUER, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner KATHERINE MEI NEUPAUER is requesting that the name KATHERINE MEI NEUPAUER be changed to KATHERINE MEI GEATING. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 28th of JANUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559409 In the matter of the application of SHAFIQUR RAHMAN KHAN, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner SHAFIQUR RAHMAN KHAN is requesting that the name SHAFIQUR RAHMAN KHAN be changed to NEAL KING. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 30th of JANUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559402 In the matter of the application of EMILY ELIZABETH RYAN, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner EMILY ELIZABETH RYAN is requesting that the name EMILY ELIZABETH RYAN be changed to EMILY RYAN ROSENZWEIG. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.

103N, Rm. 103N on the 28th of JANUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559406 In the matter of the application of JOSHUA ANTHONY JORDAN, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner JOSHUA ANTHONY JORDAN is requesting that the name JOSHUA ANTHONY JORDAN be changed to YESHUA JORDAN NAVO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 28th of JANUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 AMENDED ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559193 In the matter of the amended application of GUSTAVO ADOLFO MANZANARES III, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said amended application that petitioner GUSTAVO ADOLFO MANZANARES III, is requesting that the name GUSTAVO ADOLFO MANZANARES III, be changed to GUSTAVO ANTONIO MANZANARES. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 28th of JANUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405145 The following person(s) is/are doing business as PHUC HUYNH, 434 LEAVENWORTH ST #210, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HUE PHUC NGOC HUYNH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/10/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/10/2024.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405149 The following person(s) is/are doing business as GENE’S LIQUOR, 2201 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HAMIK MINAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/30/2007. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/11/2024.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405153 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SJC CONSULTING SERVICE, 325 BERRY ST #408, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94158. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed STACI SOOJIN CHANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/11/2024.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405123 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ON THE GO TRUCKN, 94 TEDDY AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YEURRA BLAYLOCK JR.. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/09/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/09/2024.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405176 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LUTRA TERRA, 1443 ALABAMA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LAURA CULLENWARD. 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 12/13/2024.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405009 The following person(s) is/are doing business as STILL POINT CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY SF, 414 JACKSON ST #204, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed KATHLEEN GEISSE 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 11/19/2024.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405142 The following person(s) is/are doing business as HAPPY POKE, 2760 OCTAVIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed AZM GROUP, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/15/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/10/2024.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405144 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE ROLL, 921 FOLSOM ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed 921 FOLSOM, 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 12/10/2024.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405083 The following person(s) is/are doing business as PROJECT D, 2740 36TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed DREAMFEVAS (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 12/02/2024.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405165 The following person(s) is/are doing business as UHANDY LLC, 800 EMBARCADERO #237, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed UHANDY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/03/2014. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/12/2024.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405173 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SPLASH AT THRIVE CITY, 191 WARRIORS WAY #102, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94158. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TC BEVCO LLC (DE).

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 12/13/2024.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405136 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE COMMUNITY CODE; CUSTOM LIVING SOLUTIONS, 310 TOWNSEND ST #412, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CUSTOM LIVING SOLUTIONS LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/25/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/09/2024.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE 2023-0400435 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as HOTEL GARRETT, 112 7TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by SF GOOD LLC (DE). The fictitious business name statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/25/2023. The abandonment of fictitious business name statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/10/2024.

DEC 19, 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 2025 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF ROBERT EDWARD HAYWOOD IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: CASE NUMBER PES-24-307992 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of ROBERT EDWARD HAYWOOD AKA ROBERT HAYWOOD. A Petition for Probate has been filed

by KELLY D. HAYWOOD in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that KELLY D. HAYWOOD be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: JANUARY 14, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: JUSTIN PAIK (SBN 292684), FERRIS & BRITTON, APC, 501 W. BROADWAY, SUITE 1450, SAN DIEGO, CA 92101; Ph. (619) 233-3131.

DEC 26, 2024, JAN 02, 09, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405184 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CITY TRAVEL AND TOUR, 1039 GRANT AVE #203, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by general partnership, and is signed WENG SIO & CHAW SU WIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/17/2024.

DEC 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 16, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405195 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BALLROOM BLITZ SF, 280 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed J. CHANDLER/A. HALBERT/R. JENKINS/P. PISHIARAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/16/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/17/2024.

DEC 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 16, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405170 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LANDS END DENTAL, 6332 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ROSA MATHAI, DMD 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 12/13/2024.

DEC 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 16, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405177 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BISMARK AUTO BODY & PAINT INC, 1670 15TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BISMARK AUTO BODY & PAINT INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/31/2019. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/13/2024.

DEC 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 16, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405189 The following person(s) is/are doing business as KZV ASPTA, 825 BROTHERHOOD WAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH OF ST. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/08/1980. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/17/2024.

DEC 26, 2024; JAN 02, 09, 16, 2025 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF KEVIN T. WILDER IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: CASE NUMBER PES-24-307992 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of KEVIN T. WILDER. A Petition for Probate has been filed by MARILYN BARRETT in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that MARILYN BARRETT be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: JANUARY 22, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 204, RM. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for petitioner: MATTHEW R. MILLER (SBN 324537), CAROLYN W. MILLER, P.C., 6915 S MACADAM AVE. STE 250, PORTLAND, OR 97219; Ph. (503) 241-2801.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559422 In the matter of the application of HENRY HERRERA LOPEZ AKA HENRY H. LOPEZ AKA HENRY L. HERRERA, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner HENRY HERRERA LOPEZ AKA HENRY H. LOPEZ AKA HENRY L. HERRERA is requesting that the name HENRY HERRERA LOPEZ AKA HENRY H. LOPEZ AKA HENRY L. HERRERA be changed to HENRY HERRERA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 4th of FEBRUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559421 In the matter of the application of AUSTIN RHEY NABORS, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner AUSTIN RHEY NABORS is requesting that the name AUSTIN RHEY NABORS be changed to AUSTI RHEY NABORS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 4th of FEBRUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559426 In the matter of the application of BRANDI MARIE AEA CHANG, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner BRANDI MARIE AEA CHANG is requesting that the name BRANDI MARIE AEA CHANG be changed to BRANDI MARIE AEA ROY. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 4th of FEBRUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559431 In the matter of the application of HALEY SIERRA BURGESS, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner HALEY SIERRA BURGESS is requesting that the name HALEY SIERRA BURGESS be changed to HALEY SIERRAEARLY. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.

103N, Rm. 103N on the 6th of FEBRUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559420 In the matter of the application of JORDAN FRANK RAMOS, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner JORDAN FRANK RAMOS is requesting that the name JORDAN FRANK RAMOS be changed to NICOLAS RAMON TAIJERON. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 4th of FEBRUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559439 In the matter of the application of MICHEL CHEUK NING LAU, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner MICHEL CHEUK NING LAU is requesting that the name MICHEL CHEUK NING LAU AKA CHEUK NING MICHEL LAU be changed to MICHEL CHEUK NING LAU. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 13th of FEBRUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-24-559443 In the matter of the application of MOHAMED SHAIEA & GULJIMILAM AMAT, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioners MOHAMED SHAIEA & GULJIMILAM AMAT are requesting that the name SHAIMA MUAAMAR ALI HASAN SHAIEA be changed to SHAIMA MOHAMED ALI HASAN SHAIEA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 18th of FEBRUARY 2025 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405226 The following person(s) is/are doing business as K&M IMPORT AND EXPORT INTERNATIONAL TRADING COMPANY, 837 BROADWAY #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KEN K. CHUNG. 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 12/23/2024.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405211 The following person(s) is/are doing business as NURTURE WITH THERAPY, 207A SANCHEZ ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HELEN CHUONG BRODY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/02/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/20/2024.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405138 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MOON CHILD PRODUCTIONS; DIGITAL DOCUMENTATION; AMENDMENT ONE NETWORKS, 319 24TH AVE #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TIM FONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/08/2008. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/10/2024.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405245 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CAN CAN STUDIOS, 200 WARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NATALIA PODOGOVA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/27/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/26/2024.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405196 The following person(s) is/are doing business as KANSAS FOOD MARKET, 2250 23RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed KANSAS BROS. LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/17/2024.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405186 The following person(s) is/are doing business as DENTAL ANGELS ON A MISSION, 2172 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ISSA GEORGE KARKAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/14/2017. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/17/2024.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405217 The following person(s) is/are doing business as PALOMINO WHOLESALE FLORIST, 644 BRANNAN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PEDRO PALOMINO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/09/2009. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/10/2024.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405230 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SMILES SPEECH-LANGUAGE SERVICES, 2261 MARKET ST #22877, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JENNIFER MALDONADO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/23/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/2024.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405234 The following person(s) is/are doing business as JT EVERGREENS, 901 16TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSE LUIS TORRES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/24/2011. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/24/2024.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405236 The following person(s) is/are doing business as POI DOG WALKING CO., 2826 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRANDON MAKAMAE GONZALES JAQUES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/12/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/24/2024.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405220 The following person(s) is/are doing business as WYLDE HEART, 1300 LA PLAYA ST UNIT 7, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TANISHA GUPTA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/17/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/20/2024.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2024-0405038 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BAKERY LA MEJOR, 3329 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CARMEN ELIAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/17/1993. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/22/2024.

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Brooke Anderson, Irene Young, Beatriz Escobar, Tina Silano

‘A Woman’s Song for Peace’ Upcoming Dance Brigade tour centers on peace, belonging during tumultuous time

by JL Odom

O

n Monday, January 19, 2025, in stark contrast to the presidential inauguration ceremony the day after, a group of unapologetic feminists will take the stage for “A Woman’s Song for Peace” in the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.

The show, featuring Krissy Keefer’s all-women, multi-racial dance company Dance Brigade and live performances and music from Holly Near, Ferron, Christelle Durandy and others, is a protest of ongoing conflicts and social injustices in the U.S. and beyond.

“The main inspiration for A ‘ Woman’s Song for Peace’ happened, actually, in July [2024], before

Kamala Harris was replacing Joe Biden. No matter who was running for president, war — nuclear war, international war - looms and is present, and so it was an effort to have a voice against that, regardless of who was going to win the election,” Keefer shared with the Bay Area Reporter.

Keefer, 71, is the artistic director of “A Woman’s Song for Peace” and co-founder of the San Francisco-based, social change-centered Dance Brigade (fellow founder: Nina Fichter). The performance troupe is headquartered at Dance Mission Theater, a Mission neighborhood dance center offering youth and adult programs, of which Keefer is the executive director.

[clockwise] Dance Brigade, Holly Near, Krissy Keefer, Christelle Durandy

Touring

Near on tour throughout California, performances at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival (19762015), and various collaborations.

Their work, past and present, is also a testament to their mutual interest and advocacy revolving around social change and an opposition to war in all its forms.

“When we talk about ‘women against war,’ some people are really talking about the traditional identification of war. We’re talking about the biggest identification you can make about war and violence.

It can be the fact that we have more Black men in prison in this country than anywhere else in the world, or it can be the poverty in the Appalachians.

See page 12 >>

Keefer, the Dance Brigade et al. will embark on a West Coast seven-city “A Woman’s Song for Peace” tour once the new year gets underway, with the tour itself an ode to Dance Brigade’s fiftieth anniversary season.

“For the last 50 years, we’ve been doing this work.

And the idea was to go back to those cities which we all spent a lot of time in and try to see who of us was still alive and ready to come together to remind ourselves, if necessary, what our original instincts were and who we are today,” said Keefer, who is bisexual.

In terms of “coming together,” Keefer, Near, Ferron and Durandy have a long herstory of shared experiences, such as the Wallflower Order joining

by Michael Flanagan

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Sexuality and sexual culture from “Hunky Dory” to “Let’s Dance”

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RCA and met both Warhol and Lou Reed.

Four months later, Bowie had transformed himself into Ziggy, with short red hair and looking for all the world like the glam rocker who fell to earth. In an article in “Melody Maker” on January 22, 1972 entitled “Oh You Pretty Thing” he said: “I’m gay. And always have been, even when I was David Jones.”

See page 14 >>

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avid Bowie exploded on the scene in 1972 and it caught the world off guard.

Although “Hunky Dory” is a very good record it also is dominated by an acoustic sound. It’s less straight forward rock than either “Man Who Sold the World” or “Ziggy Stardust.”

But from “Hunky Dory” there was the transition in his look as well. The groundbreaking transgender rock musician Jayne County, in her autobiography “Man Enough to be a Woman,” accurately describes Bowie at the time of that record as “looking a bit like Lauren Bacall.”

Ziggy Stardust had yet to be born.

What caused the change? In part it was exposure to Freddi Burretti and the crowd at the Sombrero, the gay bar that he and his wife Angie frequented in Kensington High Street. But it was also due to exposure to County, Tony Zanetta, Leee Black Childers and Cherry Vanilla.

They were all in Andy Warhol’s “Pork” which Bowie saw in London in August 1971. “Pork” was full of scatological and sexual content and crossed the line of propriety in about every way you could imagine. Bowie was so impressed with it that he wanted to put it on television. He told William Burroughs in a 1974 co-interview in Rolling Stone that it “could become the next ‘I Love Lucy.’”

Bowie was smitten. He signed County to his nascent management company MainMan and hired Zanetta and Childers as president and vicepresident of the company and Cherry Vanilla as his publicist. A month after meeting the cast of “Pork,” Bowie was in New York to sign a deal with

15

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<< Theater

12 • Bay Area Repor ter • January 2-8, 2025

Kordell stars ‘Some Like It Hot’ at the Orpheum Tavis as a newfangled ingénue

By Jim Gladstone

I

n this era of calculated personal branding and TikTok careerism, it’s delightful to meet an honest-to-goodness ingénue.

Then again, it’s only in a time of online virality and open gender fluidity that one could meet an ingénue quite like Tavis (pronounced tAY-vis) Kordell, 23, who first came to national attention on “America’s Got Talent” and is now playing the nonbinary lead role of Jerry/Daphne in the first national tour of “Some Like It Hot.” The hit Broadway musical will play the Orpheum Theatre from Jan. 7 to 26.

Very loosely adapted from the 1959 movie starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe, the stage version of “Some Like It Hot” has queer songwriters, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (“Hairspray”) and book writers, Matthew Lopez (“The Inheritance,” the screenplay of “Red, White, and Royal Blue”) and Amber Ruffin (“Late Night with Seth Myers”).

All of them were Tony-nominated, and J. Harrison Ghee, who originated Kordell’s role, took home the 2023 Tony for Best Leading Actor.

Kordell, who like his character, identifies as non-binary, grew up in Raeford, North Carolina (pop. 4,559), the child of a pastor and church choir director.

“Everyone on my mother’s side of the family either sings or plays an instru-

<<

ment, so music was kind of in my genetics. I remember singing from when I was five,” said Kordell in a recent phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter from a tour stop in Orlando, Florida.

It was during Kordell’s years at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he graduated just last spring, that he feels he came into his own, not only as a performer but as a member of the queer community.

“I felt freer,” he said. “Not only did I wear whatever I want, I made a lot of my own clothes. I created this denim kilt-like maxi skirt kind of vibe thing.

“I really loved playing with different elements when it came to levels of femininity and masculinity and androgyny once I got to college. That was when I really bloomed.”

“It definitely has been hard, because growing up in the religious background, I’ve been taught against who I am. But I when I began to acknowledge and accept who I am, and walk in who I was meant to be, that’s when I received all the blessings and the things that I’ve aspired to life.”

Thinking back on his smalltown childhood, Kordell said, “I didn’t feel unhappy, it’s just like you have little things at the back of your head. You do things to keep peace and just not cause any friction.”

“That’s how I got along. I knew how I needed to conduct myself in the space where I was growing up. I would say I

There are all kinds of war,” Near said in a Zoom call with the B.A.R.

Setlist-wise, “A Woman’s Song for Peace” will include a couple of covers and a repertoire of Near’s songs and Canadian singer-songwriter and poet Ferron’s.

Solutions

Inside

A Song for Peace

From page 11

Near, 75, is a singer-songwriter, social change activist, actress, and teacher.

The prolific musician’s discography includes “Hang in There” (1973), her first album; “Early Warnings” (2011); and most recently, “2018,” released in the same year.

“I think that everybody in this quartet would agree that each of us thinks about war as something much different than just a battle between one nation and another — that it’s a whole way in which our society is built around the concept of war, power over, and the patriarchy and the idea that killing each other is the only solution to conflict.

And I think we’re all committed to supporting other forms of conflict resolution,” she said.

“Our war starts inside. And so some of the songs that I will sing have to do with my questioning, my needs or struggles, or the things that hurt me, or how I decided to handle things that hurt me.

And I think of war on a really small level of day-by-day, moment-by-moment, and I hope we can bring some of that to the show,” Ferron, an out lesbian, said during a Zoom call with the B.A.R. Ferron, 72, has released a multitude of albums, spanning from her 1977 self-titled “Ferron” to “Thunder & Lightening” in 2013. She shared that she’ll be performing “It Won’t Take Long,” from her album, “Shadows on a Dime” (1984).

For Ferron, the Dance Brigade tour is a means to be among community:

Proudly Celebrating our 47th Year!

1977 – 2024

had a happy childhood within those parameters.”

It wasn’t until this past April, as he was about to finish college, that Kordell came out to his parents.

“Of course it was hard for them to hear at first, coming from their Christian background. But they’ve reassured me that they love me no matter what and they support me 100%.” t Read the full interview on www.ebar.com.

‘Some Like It Hot,’ Jan. 7-26. $55.50-$239.50. Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St. www.broadwaysf.com

Matthew Murphy

Holly Near (center) with several performers at a recent concert.

“I just want to go out with Krissy and Holly and Christelle and all the dancers to remind us that we need to belong — I think it’s a beautiful word [i.e. ‘belong’], and it’s a verb, really, and it needs to have action to it. I also want to go because it’s, for me, probably my last hurrah to try to move around with a bunch of like-minded women.”

The music director of “A Woman’s Song for Peace,” Afro-Caribbean jazz artist and composer Christelle Durandy, echoed her colleague’s sentiments about past songs resonating with the

(last seating 9:45pm)

Tuesday 8am

(last seating 9:45pm)

Matthew Murphy

Tavis Kordell and Matt Loehr in ‘Some Like It Hot’

Matt Loehr (Joe), Leandra Ellis-Gaston (Sugar), Tavis Kordell (Jerry) and cast in ‘Some Like It Hot’

Enraged

Monday 8am

current political climate, and of history not only repeating itself but also of circumstances remaining unchanged.

“Krissy used the word ‘overwhelmed.’

I’m enraged. I’m angry. I’m very angry.

So putting the songs together was, certainly for me, not bringing new composition. There’s not a part of me that thought for a second, ‘Oh, let’s write new music for ‘Gracias a la Vida,’” she said in a Zoom call with the B. A.R. Durandy, 50, fronts the Afro-Caribbean ensemble Sanktet and the Grammy-winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra. A Bay Area resident, she also contributes to the all-female music col-

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lective Cocomama as a writer, arranger and performer.

“Using the anthems that were played before, for me, that’s what’s important.

It’s [a way of saying], ‘Your story mattered, and we’re going to keep it alive.

We’re going to keep sharing your words because your words mattered at the time and they matter now, and people need to know,’” said Durandy.

“I’m Black, androgynous, and I am conditioned to hide. I’m conditioned to be careful. I feel that going into the cities like this, [we’ll be connecting] with the people in the audience and showing them that there’s a way that we can be together, in that instant. … When we say we’re not alone, we are alone. I feel alone. But when I’m with Holly, Krissy, Ferron, and all the dancers, I won’t be,” she said.

Ferron, for one, is hopeful: “What I’m banking on for all of us—through dance, through talks, through singing, through the music—is that we’re going to create a resonance, a vibration that is going to be stronger than the negativity of war.”

Keefer added, “We ride at midnight.” t ‘A Woman’s Song for Peace’ on tour and January 19, 6pm at the Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave. $30-$50, including all fees. www. cityboxoffice.com

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Holly Near

Irene Young

Ferron

Jeanne Mayer Freebody

Read the full article, with music videos, on ebar.com.

t

Books & Film >>

January 2-8, 2025 • Bay Area Repor ter • 13

Ben Fink’s ‘Noble Deeds’ photo book of ‘Mythic Portraits of the Imperial Court’

by Michele Karlsberg

ronments that enhance the narrative depth of the artwork. This process can take as much as 20 hours per piece, reflecting a total commitment for Noble Deeds to be over 7,000 hours of artistic work over the course of seven years.

I

n 2017, veteran photographer Ben Fink embarked on a journey to illuminate the legacy of the Imperial Court. Over a period of seven years and thousands of miles of travel, the award-winning artist captured scores of iconic Imperial Court personalities in dreamlike and distinctive tableaus.

The result of Fink’s artistic labors is the elegant hardbound coffee table book, “Noble Deeds: Mythic Portraits of the Imperial Court.” It’s an epic tribute to the activists and shape-shifters of the Imperial Court and their unwavering dedication to community service, queer activism and philanthropy.

“Noble Deeds” opens with a comprehensive essay tracing the historic origins of the Imperial Court up to the present day, while also connecting their costumed drag gatherings to a tradition that goes back to the Roman Empire.

This unique book is a captivating salute to an enduring cultural phenomenon and its pivotal role in LGBTQ+ history.

Artist Ben Fink blends photography with digital art to explore themes of otherness and the struggle for acceptance. In 1990s New York City, Ben began photographing corporate brands and iconic food personalities, including Bobby Flay, Trisha Yearwood, and Eva Longoria. Ben’s personal artistic projects have appeared in exhibitions around the world.

Ben will launch “Noble Deeds” in San Francisco during the 60th Imperial Court Coronation celebrations in February, themed “Neon Tropical: A Radiant Legacy.” Fink discussed his inspiration for the portrait series.

Michele Karlsberg: How did you develop the style and concept for “Noble Deeds?”

My artistic style has evolved significantly since I began this genre of art, and I applied this changing approach to creating “Noble Deeds.” Rooted in traditional portraiture, this project blends re-

What chief narrative is your collection meant to convey?

While each image in Noble Deeds tells its own collective story, the series narration is the the tale of a community united by a common cause: advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community. It celebrates individuals from the Imperial Court who, through their regal presence and philanthropic efforts, created transformative change in society.

folktales and personal histories, and it truly informs the direction and growth of my personal artistic expression.

Empress Nichole, Terrill Grimes, Danielle Logan; Ben Fink’s self-portrait

al-life subjects with imaginative fantasy backdrops. These backgrounds serve as personal narratives; the grandiose stories we live and tell ourselves. It’s a fusion that transforms ordinary portraiture into a visual tapestry of collective mythologies.

How did you become fascinated by mythology? What drew you to it?

My fascination with mythology stems from a lifelong love of storytelling.

It was further nurtured by my Southern roots and enriched by academic studies in art history. While traditional myths influence my work, I’m more drawn to the personal mythologies we construct about ourselves and our communities.

This narrative exploration is rooted in

‘Much Ado About Dying’

by David-Elijah Nahmod

S

imon Chambers’ documentary “Much Ado About Dying” has some funny moments, but mostly it’s a gutwrenching portrait of a gay man’s final days. The subject of the film is Chambers’ uncle David Gale, a long-retired actor and teacher in his eighties who hasn’t left his home in years. And what a home it is. It’s cluttered, filthy and infested with mice and mice droppings. The house is also not properly heated, David’s legs are scarred and scaly because he keeps them near portable heaters all day long.

Chambers points his camera at his uncle for most of the film’s 82-minute running time. Though David is the main subject of the film, Chambers, who offers a grim narration throughout, becomes a secondary character. Like David, Chambers is a single gay man who sometimes wonders if he’ll end up like his uncle as

he attempts to navigate Britain’s woefully inadequate senior care system.

Gale, who calls Chambers daily, may be a bit of a pain, but he also reveals himself to be a funny and cantankerous old man. He sprinkles his conversations with quotes from Shakespeare and argues every time Chambers offers any advice.

He also turns out to be a foolish old man, giving away hordes of cash to a young straight man that he’s in love with.

He also allows his neighbors and their six dogs to move in with him after they have a falling out with their landlord.

When David’s firetrap of a house burns down, these neighbors move with him to his new apartment.

Personal struggles

Through it all, Chambers struggles with his own emotions as he attempts to provide adequate care for his uncle, sometimes wondering if things might be better had his uncle died months earlier.

But Chambers is no villain. Caring for his uncle is both emotionally and physically draining, and Chambers just wants

When it comes to photo editing, your style is truly distinctive. How much time do you spend editing a single photo?

My approach to editing is deeply influenced by my wide-reaching artistic background, spanning painting, graphic design, filmmaking, photography, and art history.

This eclectic educational Ben Fink foundation shapes my distinctive multimedia style. For Noble Deeds, I set up temporary studios at coronation sites, capturing subjects against a neutral backdrop.

During editing back in my studio, I meticulously select and add images that capture the regal and theatrical essence of each subject, often guided by personal anecdotes as well as intuition. I then remove backgrounds and construct envi-

Why did you select Joe E. Jeffreys to write the introduction?

Choosing Joe E Jeffreys to write the foreword was intentional, given his deep expertise in drag culture, his skill as a visual artist and historian, and his role as a professor at New York University.

His contribution added a nuanced layer of context to Noble Deeds, perfectly aligning with the project’s mythological themes and goals. Joe’s perspective uniquely resonated with the narrative of the project.

In ten years, where do you envision yourself and your photography?

Looking ahead, I envision myself continuing to expand my artistic horizons. Ideally, I’ll have authored several illustrated books, as well as a novel, and be engaged in autobiographical writing. Teaching, particularly sharing insights on creativity and artistic processes globally, is another aspiration. Living in Europe would be a dream come true, providing an inspiring backdrop for this next chapter of my artistic journey.t www.benfinkart.com 60th Imperial Court Coronation, ‘Neon Tropical: A Radiant Legacy’ events, February 19-23. www.sfimperialcouncil.org

unflinching look at a gay elder’s final days

to get back to his own life.

Uncle David and Chambers finally reach their breaking point as David obviously needs a level of care that Chambers cannot provide. He puts his uncle into a nursing home, where doctors discover that David is suffering from kidney dysfunction and advanced prostate cancer.

His days are numbered, yet he remains as jolly and as cantankerous as ever, singing along to the Hot Chocolate song “You Sexy Thing” in his hospital bed.

Gale may be difficult to handle, yet he still comes across as enormously likable, even though viewers’ sympathies like with the henpecked and exhausted Chambers. The film is unflinching in its honesty as Chambers lets his camera expose Uncle David, warts and all, all the while not holding back his own feelings.

“Much Ado About Dying” raises some very serious issues that older single gay men must face. What happens to LGBTQ people who are out of touch with most of their family and have no spouse to turn to? Who will care for them when the healthcare system in

Britain, and the USA, offer so little in the way of support? These are things the community needs to think about, and while the film offers no solutions, it does raise some very important questions that need to be talked about.

Besides provoking discussion, “Much Ado About Dying” introduces viewers to one of the most colorful and unforgettable characters they will ever

encounter. Even as he lay dying, David lived his life on his own terms. t ‘Much Ado About Dying’ on Apple TV and Amazon Prime; also on DVD www.muchadoaboutdying.com

Professional headshots / profile pics Weddings / Events Tiffin Films, Soilsiú Films

David Gale in ‘Much Ado About Dying’

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Simon Chambers and David Gale in ‘Much Ado About Dying’

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<< TV

14 • Bay Area Repor ter • January 2-8, 2025

Tubular bells

by Victoria A. Brownworth

I

t was the best of years, it was the worst of years. Actually, we don’t recall any bests in 2024, except perhaps that brief flurry when we thought Kamala Harris could be president. It was also a bad year for queer TV and yet we managed to find joy and delight, pathos and provocation on the tube.

There were also some stellar performances, some of which were groundbreaking. So here is our best of 2024, in no particular order because each of these shows stands alone in its exceptional and unique qualities, with a hat tip to some of the LGBTQ stars whose performances were provocative and poignant, and worthy of special note.

While we weren’t a particular fan of “The Traitors,” queer host Alan Cumming stood alone (well, next to RuPaul) as the best host ever of a reality TV series. It’s worth watching some episodes to catch Cumming in his full brogue and tartan kilt taunting contestants. He’s just fabulous.

“Baby Reindeer” was one of the most acclaimed series of the year. Trans actress Nava Mau’s performance stood out for us. Mau received an Emmy nomination for supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie, making her the first openly trans woman to be nominated for that category of the Primetime Emmys.

On her role as Teri in “Baby Reindeer,” Mau commented, “It seemed really important to show people that trans women exist in real life and in relationships with real people.”

Bite

“Interview with the Vampire,” season 2, continues the story of Anne Rice’s immortal novel.

In the year 2022, the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) lives in Dubai and seeks to tell the story of his life or afterlife to renowned journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian).

Molloy is deeply cynical.

Now in his 70s with Parkinson’s disease and a long history of drug and alcohol abuse, he’s intrigued

by Louis calling him back as he has his own demons to reveal.

“Interview with the Vampire” centers on the life story of Louis as told to Molloy, to whom he previously gave an unpublished interview in 1973. In 1910, Louis is a 33-year-old closeted Creole man and successful brothel owner in New Orleans. He is haunted by guilt and seethes at the racism directed at him.

Louis is romanced and later turned out by the charismatic French vampire, Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid). Lestat is still in thrall to his maker and former lover, Armand (Assad Zaman).

Louis struggles with his humanity, and

<<

David Bowie

From page 11

Gay glam

Bowie was not the first popular musician to comment about his sexuality. Marc Bolan told ZigZag he was bisexual in March 1970.

Bowie wasn’t even second. Dusty Springfield said she was bisexual in The Evening Standard in September 1970. But what Bowie did had an impact. In “Shock and Awe:

t

The best of 2024’s TV shows

the introduction of Lestat’s newest fledgling, the teenage vampire Claudia (Delainey Hayles), only strains their relationship further. In the present, Molloy begins to doubt the veracity of Louis’ story, noting differences from the earlier version.

This series is incredibly provocative and has absolutely mind-blowing sensuality and sexuality. This is the gayest series of 2024, in our opinion. Reid and Anderson have superb chemistry and Reid is the vampire to die for. The acting in this series is stellar. We used to live in New Orleans and the essence of the city shines through; an AMC original.

Night

“True Detective: Night Country” is the fourth season of “True Detective,” HBO’s anthology crime drama series.

This season is set in the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska.

Eight scientists working at the Tsalal Research Station disappear, with a woman’s severed tongue left at the scene. Local police Chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) deduces that the tongue belonged to an Indigenous woman.

Alaskan Native trooper Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) believes the victim to be Annie Kowtok, an Iñupiaq woman who was stabbed to death and her tongue cut out after protesting against the construction of a local mine; the case remains unsolved after six years, which Navarro blames on Danvers.

“Night Country” was created by Issa López, who serves as showrunner, writer, and director. Night Country received widespread acclaim from critics and was ranked amongst the top 10 television programs of the year by the American Film Institute. “Night Country” received 19 Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

Foster won for Outstanding Lead Actress. Other nominations included Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor (for John Hawkes as Captain Hank Prior), Outstanding Supporting Actress (for Reis) and Outstanding Directing and Writing (for Lopez).

Foster is incredible here and she and Reis have amazing chemistry. The great Fiona Shaw (Rose Aguineau, a woman living on the edge of town, who discovered the naked bodies of the researchers, frozen in a solid mass, with their clothes carefully folded on the snow) is also in the cast. This is a dark and deep exposé of racism, misogyny, who matters to society and who does not. Absolutely searing commentary as well as a gripping and edge-of-your-seat thriller. Just extraordinary viewing.

Light

“English Teacher” is a fabulous sitcom created by Brian Jordan Alvarez, who Glam Rock and Its Legacy from the Seventies to the Twenty First Century” Simon Reynolds tells us why: “From the late sixties through the end of 1973, ‘Melody Maker’ was Britain’s leading music magazine.

By 1972 it was also the best-selling, having outstripped the pop-oriented ‘New Musical Express’ and achieving a weekly circulation that hovered just above 200,000.”

Bowie put his sexuality front and center for the British rock world

AMC

Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid in ‘Interview with the Vampire’

stars as the main character, high school English teacher Evan Marquez. Marquez finds himself at the intersection of professional, political, and personal aspects of working at Morrison-Hensley High School as a gay man. He’s under investigation for being gay and he’s trying to teach and bring his students to the best place.

Alvarez is charming and wry and funny. There are many life lessons posed in this series, which has some of the same delights as “Abbott Elementary.” With Stephanie Koenig as Gwen Sanders, a fellow teacher and Evan’s best friend, Enrico Colantoni as Grant Moretti, the principal of the high school, Sean Patton as Markie Hillridge, the gym teacher and athletic director at the high school and Jordan Firstman as Malcolm, Evan’s ex-boyfriend and a former teacher at the high school. Trixie Mattel does a hilarious turn as Shazam, a drag queen and friend of Evan’s; an FX original.

Fright

Based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), “Agatha All Along” is a Disney+ original series that became the hit of the season.

Three years after being trapped under a magical spell in the town of Westview, New Jersey, at the end of the miniseries “WandaVision” (2021), the witch Agatha Harkness escapes with the help of a mysterious teenager who wishes to face the trials of the legendary Witches’ Road.

Without her magical powers, Agatha and the teen form a new coven of witches to face the trials while contending with some of Agatha’s old enemies.

Hahn received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance. With Joe Locke, Debra Jo Rupp, Aubrey Plaza, Sasheer Zamata, Patti LuPone and Evan Peters.

in their best-selling magazine in a cover story. It was a brilliant move.

His career exploded following the article.

The sexuality had been there for all to see in his lyrics all the way back to “The Man Who Sold the World” in 1970 and through songs like “Queen Bitch” on “Hunky Dory.” And interviews and lyrics were not the only way Bowie was playing with notions of sexuality. In the 2008 online article, “He Swallowed His Pride and Puckered His Lips,” journalist Michael Fremer, who was on the Ziggy Stardust tour in America, notes that the record release party for Ziggy Stardust in America was held at The Other Side, a gay bar in Boston.

Gay guides

The Other Side is not the only gay bar which figures in Bowie’s American tour history. I had heard of Bowie going to Gagen’s in Detroit during the ’70s, and it is mentioned in comments on a

Katherine Hahn and Aubrey Plaza in ‘Agatha All Along’

Insight

“There’s danger everywhere, but danger’s never looked quite like this before.” So begins “Under the Bridge,” a true-crime drama based on the book

by Rebecca Godfrey. It’s the tragic and true story of 14-year-old Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta), who went to a party with friends but never came home. The show delves into the secret world of the young girls accused of the murder and reveals shocking facts about the improbable killer via the eyes of Godfrey (Riley Keough) and local police officer Cam Bentland (Lily Gladstone).

This series is such a deep and perilous ride, asking so many questions about what inspires people to skirt the edge of the humanity we presume is innate, but isn’t. Gladstone is amazing, yet again. A Hulu original.

Quite

Award-winning comedian Hannah Gadsby hosts an extraordinary global comedy special, “Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda.” Curated by Gadsby, the show brings together a line-up of the world’s absolute funniest genderqueer

Disney/Marvel

comedians. Recorded at London’s iconic Alexandra Palace Theatre, the special features Alok, Chloe Petts, DeAnne Smith, Ashley Ward, Jes Tom, Mx. Dahlia Belle and Krishna Istha.

Gadsby is an Australian comedian, writer and actor, best known for their 2018 comedy special “Nanette,” which is a stunning piece about violence and family, homophobia and transphobia, and the role our personal trauma plays in comedy.

The backstory here is that Gadsby, who had done previous pieces for Netflix–this is a Netflix original–was enraged by Dave Chappelle’s homophobic and transphobic screed, “The Dreamer” and basically demanded redress for how Netflix had promoted that and paid millions for it.

This is that payback and it’s pretty amazing that Gadsby fought for and got a special that trashes Netflix for what they allowed to happen to queer and trans people by Chappelle. Bravo, Gadsby.

Wishing everyone all the blessings of the New Year. Don’t forget to stay tuned.t

Detroit Gay History post online. I put this off as rumor until I read this quote from Leee Black Childers in “David Bowie: A Life” by Dylan Jones.

He is talking about the backlash against Bowie on his first tour and how they entertained themselves while on the road: “I was the road manager for the tour, and when we get to a town that no one had been to before, David would say, ‘Well, Leee, get out your guide. Where are we going?’ And you Melody Maker would look at the list Bowie in Melody Maker, 1972 of gay bars and go to a gay bar, because even did then, as Ziggy Stardust. So that’s though it wasn’t necessarily for how we did the whole tour.” any gay purpose, a gay bar is just somewhere you can be more comSee page 15 >> fortable, if you’re acting like David

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Style >>

January 2-8, 2025 • Bay Area Repor ter • 15

Steve’s Grand designs

pivoting from songs to thongs

by Gregg Shapiro

W

hat’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of gay singer/songwriter turned fashion designer Steve Grand? Some folks will undoubtedly answer his breakout hit single, “All American Boy,” and the accompanying video. Both were significant in that the song was an unabashedly queer country tune with visuals to match.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that Grand was model-handsome and had a flawless body on display. So far, we have his singing voice, songwriting chops, and impressive looks and physique. It’s that gym body, and his own personal interest in the kinds of garments that show them off, that has led him to create his Grand Axis clothing line, featuring men’s underwear and swimwear. Steve was kind enough to make time for an interview, and after you finish reading it, you’ll want to follow him on his socials. You won’t be disappointed.

Gregg Shapiro: Since the release of your debut single in 2013, the country-oriented “All American Boy,” several other male country artists, including Ty Herndon, Billy Gilman, Orville Peck, and TJ Osborne have come out as gay. Do you feel that your being an out musician had anything to do with that?

Steve Grand: I think, more than anything, it had to do with the major cultural shift that was happening across this country. According to the Gallup polls, public support for gay marriage went from 40% approval in May 2009, to 60% approval in May 2015. Gay marriage was a big topic of discussion in the early 2010s for a lot of reasons.

You had artists like (Lady) Gaga frequently talking about her gay fans, you had gay characters coming out in TV shows; you had the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” in 2011, and then Obergefell in 2015. I think the internet, and the rise of social media had more to do with it than anything.

Before social media, corporate press

<<

Steve Grand

and big movie and TV studios drove the narrative on these sorts of things.

And because they are beholden to advertisers which are more conservative and risk-averse, they would often avoid even acknowledging LGBTQ+ people for fear it would upset large sections of the country.

Almost 10 years ago, in 2015, you released your full-length debut album “All American Boy.” When you look back on that time, how would you describe it?

It was a whirlwind. I remember being cognizant of the fact that it was all moving fast and that I needed to make a conscious effort to stop and take in all the cool, special, unique experiences I was having.

Looking back, I don’t think I listened to that voice inside me enough. I always felt like my best days were ahead; that my moment had yet to come, and that I just needed to hunker down and keep working. And, unfortunately, that often kept me from embracing the present moment.

It’s funny, my best memories of that time end up being all the times in between, like the road trips with my tour manager and whatever members of the band I was traveling with. I was always

Antony Kozz

Steve Grand swimsuit shots

thinking about what I needed to be doing better or focused on the show, but it is those conversations on the road when we were tired, hungover, and stressing about where we needed to be, traveling from one venue to the next, that I remember most fondly.

In 2019, you launched Grand Axis, a clothing line designed by you that includes underwear, swimwear, shorts, socks, t-shirts, and hats.

Was designing this kind of clothing a lifelong passion of yours, or was it something you stumbled upon and decided to run with it?

Like a lot of gay men, I had my sexual awakening in the men’s underwear aisle at our local department store [laughs]. And personally, I’ve always found an attractive guy in a speedo, briefs, or jockstrap even more sexy than seeing him naked.

Even when I was a college student working a $10 an hour job and didn’t even have many regular clothes, I was buying more of this attire for myself than anything else. I started to get very fixated

David Bowie

From page 14

Bowie added to the legends of Warhol’s world by producing Lou Reed’s 1972 album “Transformer.”

“Walk on the Wild Side” reached number 16 on Billboard’s single charts and introduced several Warhol legends to the unaware. It was perhaps the gayest thing on AM radio since the Kinks “Lola.”

Bowie and Reed also shared one other aspect of queer life. They both frequented Club 82, a club in New York which featured drag acts and where County, among other rock acts, performed. It was at Club 82 that Reed met his lover Rachel Humphreys, a transgender woman featured on the back cover of Reed’s “Sally Can’t Dance” album.

Throughout the ’70s, Bowie continued to transgress boundaries including the “David Bowie is enough

on the design and fit. I didn’t know how to sew, but I learned enough to make basic alterations to design and fit. Then I found some sites that made custom pieces. I began drawing my own patterns and having them sewn up.

When I posted them on Instagram, I’d get lots of guys asking where they could buy them. And at that point I decided I should just produce them en masse. I thought it would be a side gig. I had no idea all that was involved. I think if I knew how hard it would be I may not have started it [laughs]! So, my ignorance kind of worked out to my benefit, because now I am deep in it and I’m happy I made it all work. So far at least.

Your second album, “Not the End of Me” was released in 2018. Because most people came to know you as a singer/songwriter first, I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask if there was more music from you in the works.

I still will write music, but most songs are incomplete. I wish I could say I had another record ready to go, but when the pandemic happened and I wasn’t able to perform and lost 90% of my income that year, I had to make Grand-Axis my fulltime job to pay the bills. And now that it has, I struggle to find the time and creative energy to make that happen. But I am still hopeful I will get back to it one of these days. t

What’s the most rewarding part of Grand Axis?

Going to the beach and seeing guys I don’t even know wearing my brand!

It is so rewarding to see guys enjoying and looking great in something I spent hundreds of hours obsessing over every detail. That makes it all so worth it.

Read the full article on www.ebar.com.

Bowie in a net outfit with strategically placed mannequin hands (the hand on the crotch was censored

by NBC). And on the “Diamond Dogs” tour (the first one I saw) he performed “Cracked Actor” while singing to a skull…which he then French-kissed.

Perhaps the last word on Bowie’s sexuality should come from Tony Zanetta (and according to Jayne County he should know).

“Bowie was bisexual, but what he was really was a narcissist – boys or girls, it was all the same. He was attracted to the gay culture because he loved its flamboyance.” t

www.shopGrandAxis.com www.instagram.com/stevegrandmusic

Read the full feature, with music videos, on www.ebar.com.

Melody Maker

Bowie in Melody Maker, 1972

to drive Aladdin Sane” campaign for “Aladdin Sane.” The “1980 Floor Show” was broadcast by NBC on

“The Midnight Special” and included performances by Marianne Faithfull (dressed as a nun) and

“A wrenching love story that delves deep into the experience of growing up gay in heartland America during the late 1970s.”

- SF Examiner

‘Shock and Awe: Glam Rock and Its Legacy, from the Seventies to the Twenty-First Century’; ‘David Bowie: A Life’ by Dylan Jones; ‘David Bowie: Starman’ by Paul Trynka

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