January 31, 2019 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter

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Kaiser AIDS doc retires

PG&E donations on hold

ARTS

07

19

26

Don Quixote

Lena Hall

The

www.ebar.com

Serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities since 1971

Vol. 49 • No. 5 • January 31-February 6 , 2019

AIDS expert Colfax to lead SF DPH

by Matthew S. Bajko Ernesto Sopprani

A

Besties voting starts Thursday.

Besties voting starts

by Cynthia Laird

Harris kicks off prez race

B

alloting for the Bay Area Reporter’s ninth readers’ poll, the Besties, begins Thursday (January 31), and early birds could be in line for a special prize.

The popular contest allows readers to share their favorite LGBTQ-owned and LGBTQ-allied people, places, and things in the Bay Area.

Categories run the gamut from arts and culture to nightlife to travel destinations.

There are also nominees for community, shopping, and dining.

Arts editor Roberto Friedman said he has a scattering of new entries, some of which were See page 16

Jane Philomen Cleland

S

enator Kamala Harris got a hug from her husband, Douglas Emhoff, left, as she holds her niece, Amara, after formally launching her 2020 presidential bid at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland Sunday, January 27. A crowd estimated at 22,000

>>

packed the plaza as Harris said that the “American dream and our American democracy are under attack and on the line like never before.” She said she’s running for president “for all the people.” For more, see story on page 11.

IDS expert Dr. Grant Colfax is returning to San Francisco to lead the city’s Department of Public Health. The news maintains decadeslong LGBT leaderRick Gerharter ship of the health Dr. Grant Colfax agency.

Colfax, 54, who is gay and lives in Sausalito, has been the health and human services director for Marin County since May 2015. He plans to start as San Francisco’s health director Tuesday, February 19.

“I think San Francisco has a history of leadership in health and I think the amazing DPH workforce, the community partnerships, and the innovative approach San Francisco has the legacy of taking from HIV to health coverage for all residents to building a state-of-the-art See page 16 >>

Stonewall braces for ‘crazy’ 2019 Pride

by Matthew S. Bajko

J Courtesy SFO

Supervisor Hillary Ronen has proposed an ordinance to flip the lettering size of the Harvey B. Milk Terminal.

Ronen calls on SFO to change Milk signage

by Matthew S. Bajko

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istrict 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen will introduce an ordinance next week aimed at forcing San Francisco International Airport officials to change the planned signage on the facade of the Harvey Milk Terminal.

It calls for the exterior signage facing the airport’s roadway entrance and the domestic parking garage to state “Harvey Milk Terminal” in capital lettering at least four feet high. Below it would be smaller lettering for “Terminal 1” at about half the height.

une 27 marks the 50th anniversary of when patrons of the Stonewall Inn in the heart of New York City’s Greenwich Village rose up against homophobic and transphobic police harassment, launching the modern gay rights movement and the annual Pride celebrations held the last Sunday of June in cities across the country.

To coincide with the historic milestone this year, organizers of the 20-year-old WorldPride events are holding their celebration in the United States for the first time. Add it all up and officials are bracing for 4 million people to descend on the Big Apple to participate in likely the largest LGBT event of its kind.

For the owners of the bar where it all began, it is going to be an “all-hands-on-deck” moment for most of June, said Stacy Lentz, one of the four investors who took over the national historic site in 2006.

“I think it is going to be a crazy time for us and incredibly packed,” said Lentz, 48, a lesbian and LGBT activist, in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “We are having events at the bar itself, charity events and fundraisers, all through June.”

Lentz, a Kansas native who has lived in Manhattan since 1994, said the Stonewall Inn is “kind of like at the epicenter, or ground zero,” for this year’s Pride events.

Courtesy GGBA

Stonewall Inn co-owner Stacy Lentz

“Being at ground zero it is going to be insane for us, but we are really excited,” she said. “We hope to, our goal is to use it as a vehicle for social change.”

She and her co-owners aim to ensure the events of 1969 are remembered and that the Stonewall Inn itself “becomes a household name,” said Lentz. “We want to make sure the story doesn’t get lost and we want to let people know the Stonewall Inn is still involved in this fight.”

Lentz will be doing just that in San Francisco

See page 10 >>

Friday, February 1, as the featured guest at the Golden Gate Business Association’s fifth Power Lunch event, which it has themed “Bridges.”

Roughly 600 people are expected to attend the sold out gathering, where Lentz will take part in a “fireside chat” with Roy Hunt, a gay man who is senior vice president of international franchise and strategic alliances at Gap Inc. “She is definitely a big draw,” said Paul Pendergast, a gay man and past president of the world’s oldest LGBT chamber of commerce.

The owner of Pendergast Consulting Group, Pendergast serves on the GGBA board as its public policy chair. With it marking its own 45th anniversary this year, he said GGBA wanted to invite Lentz to highlight the historic events taking place in June around Stonewall.

“With Stonewall having its big 50th anniversary, we felt, hey, this is a perfect opportunity to tip our hats to one of the small businesses that is LGBT owned that started the whole movement,” said Pendergast.

The other co-owners of the bar are Kurt Kelly, who is bisexual, and straight allies Bill Morgan and Tony DeCicco. Morgan and DeCicco had co-owned another famous New York City nightlife haunt, the Duplex, until Morgan sold his stake in 2011.

While Lentz’s main focus had been on her recruitment firm for the financial sector, she also had an ownership stake in a bar her brother owned in Gulfport, Mississippi that was deSee page 16 >>

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Vote in our annual readers’ poll and

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<< Community News

2 • Bay Area Reporter • January 31-February 6 , 2019

t

Trial starts in gay stylist’s death

by Alex Madison

S

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ix and a half years ago, 28-yearold Steven “Eriq” Escalon, a gay San Francisco hair stylist, was hanging out in the Castro district on a Monday evening with a friend and ended the night at the bar, 440 Castro. The next day Escalon was found dead, bound and gagged in his Diamond Heights apartment.

This week, opening statements began in the trial of James Rickleffs, who is charged with murder and robbery in Escalon’s death.

Prosecutors described a brutal murder while the defense said it was a sexual encounter gone wrong.

On June 11, 2012, Escalon allegedly met, for the first time, Rickleffs at 440 Castro’s Underwear Night, and the two went back to Escalon’s apartment. The next day, Escalon’s roommate found him “unresponsive on his bed,” the medical examiner’s file says. His hands and feet had been bound, a cloth gag was in his mouth, and he’d been wrapped in a blanket. A responding police officer tried to resuscitate Escalon shortly after 6 p.m., but he was soon declared dead.

The twisted piece of cloth wrapped tightly around Escalon’s mouth “smelled strongly of apparent amyl nitrate,” according to the medical examiner’s report. It stated that his cause of death was an overdose of a mixture of amyl nitrates, commonly known as poppers, and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, commonly known as GHB. Rickleffs, 52, was arrested September 12, 2012 and pleaded not guilty to murder and firstdegree residential robbery. At the time of the arrest, Rickleffs was found with multiple items from Escalon’s apartment including a laptop, TV, checkbook, and a bank card of one of Escalon’s roommates, according to police.

Rickleffs has been in custody since his arrest.

During the January 28 opening statements, Assistant District Attorney Julia Cervantes began by showing the jury a picture of a smiling Escalon. She told the jury how the night before Escalon’s death unraveled.

“Eriq had the misfortune of meeting James Rickleffs that night,” Cervantes said. “[Rickleffs] went out that night looking for a mark, that mark was Eriq Escalon.”

She continued, saying the two had come to an agreement that night, that Escalon would take naked pictures of Rickleffs in exchange for giving him $100. They took a cab from 440 Castro and Cervantes mentioned that the cab driver, in statements to police, said Rickleffs was requesting to get drugs and Escalon said he didn’t want to.

She then described the extent Rickleffs went to tie up Escalon.

“You’ll see photos that show the length the defendant James Rickleffs went, the extreme lengths he went, to tie up Eriq Escalon. This was not consensual,” Cervantes said.

She continued, “[Rickleffs] tied him up and stole from him whatever he could. He wanted to rip him off and get whatever he could, money, electronics, anything of value to make money.”

She said zip ties and duct tape were used to tie Escalon’s wrists behind his back, then duct tape was wrapped around his arms and torso and Rickleffs tied his feet with a shirt and duct tape, along with the cloth and duct tape wrapped around his head and in his mouth.

“This was no BDSM, there was no safe word to utter to say that it’s gone too far,” Cervantes said.

Courtesy SFPD

Defendant James Rickleffs

Hairstylist Steven “Eriq” Escalon

When Deputy Public Defender Niki Solis began, she said, “This is not a case of murder. What the D.A. didn’t highlight is that Eriq Escalon died of an overdose, a mix of GHB, amyl nitrate, that’s how Eriq Escalon died.”

She continued, “This isn’t about murder, this is about the tragedy of a young man’s death.”

Solis said evidence will show that it was Escalon’s request that Rickleffs come back to the apartment so he could take naked pictures of him and that Escalon wanted to be tied up and Rickleffs was uncomfortable with it.

She claims that, on June 12, Rickleffs took a shower and came out to discover Escalon in the state he was found by police.

“James had no intent to harm Eriq whatsoever. When he came out of the shower he panicked when he saw Eriq in that state. The last thing he wanted was for people to know he was there,” Solis said, explaining that Rickleffs took items that he felt would have exposed his erotic sexual experience he had with Escalon that night like Escalon’s laptop, which contained naked pictures of Rickleffs.

“There was absolutely no murder in this case,” Solis said. “When James entered the apartment he did not have intent to take anything.

His intent was to do what he did, hang out with Eriq and take pictures for $100.”

Escalon’s mother, Esmeralda Escalon, was upset about the way her son was portrayed by the defense.

Fighting back tears, she told reporters outside court, “He was a good person. He wasn’t perfect, but he’s not what they are making him out to be like. He had a good heart, a beautiful soul. No matter what they say it won’t change how I feel about Eriq.”

She said she is relieved the trial has finally started after six years.

“I will be here, we will get justice for Eriq,” she said.

See page 13 >>

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<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Reporter • January 31-February 6 , 2019

Volume 49, Number 5 January 31-February 6 , 2019 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Alex Madison CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani • Dan Renzi Christina DiEdoardo • Richard Dodds Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone David Guarino • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • Juanita MORE! David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Sean Piverger • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Adam Sandel • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Tony Taylor • Sari Staver Jim Stewart • Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez Ronn Vigh • Charlie Wagner • Ed Walsh Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan • Fred Rowe Steven Underhil • Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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A stellar choice to lead DPH

S

an Francisco Mayor London Breed made an outstanding choice by naming Dr. Grant Colfax to lead the sprawling Department of Public Health. Many readers may recall that Colfax was the city’s HIV prevention director from 20072012. In that capacity, he was instrumental in introducing sweeping changes in the city’s approach to the epidemic. Ideas once viewed as controversial, such as rapid HIV testing and early treatment, are accepted protocols in San Francisco and many other cities. He is not afraid to stake out bold positions on health matters even if it means taking some heat.

Colfax, a gay man, will continue the health department’s succession of gay and lesbian leaders that began with Dr. Sandra Hernandez, followed by Dr. Mitch Katz, and then most recently by Barbara Garcia. Garcia resigned last summer after questions were raised about a contract granted to her wife’s employer, leading Breed to name a new DPH director. The opportunity has resulted in a highly qualified AIDS expert being selected for the post.

The LGBT community and the city as a whole can have confidence in Colfax’s appointment. He told the Bay Area Reporter that he supports establishing a safe injection site pilot project, one of Breed’s top priorities. State legislation is needed first to make that happen, but this year will likely see positive developments on that front, as gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) is expected to reintroduce a bill that was vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown last year. Governor Gavin Newsom has already indicated he’s much more supportive of the plan. However, the mayor, Colfax, and state officials will have to figure out how to work with, or around, the federal government. In the meantime, they can continue educating the public about the efficacy of such sites, which allow people to use drugs under supervision of medical staff, thus reducing the risk of overdose deaths. The sites will provide sterile needles, which prevents transmission of HIV and hepatitis B and C, and will offer clients an entry point for seeking medical care and addiction treatment. What’s important here is that Colfax doesn’t need to be convinced of the merits of such a program. As he told us, there are “years of data” that show safe injection sites save lives and can have a positive impact on the community.

Rick Gerharter

Dr. Grant Colfax

Beyond HIV/AIDS and safe injection sites, Colfax wants to work with the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to ensure that those who are homeless – and those in supportive housing – have access to the care and help they need. Any collaboration is long overdue and we’re sure that Colfax’s vision to lead the department will have positive results for patients and the city.

Breed deserves credit for making an excellent hiring decision for her first department head. It’s a hopeful signal that her choices for fire chief and city librarian will be just as stellar.

Jane Philomen Cleland

Supervisor Hillary Ronen

Ronen to the rescue

District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen may be “difficult,” as she said (and wore on a T-shirt) during her unsuccessful bid for Board of Supervisors

t

president. But we have nothing but admiration for her unending quest to ensure that the Harvey B. Milk Terminal at San Francisco International Airport has the proper signage to convey that the terminal is named for Milk. Next week, Ronen will introduce a proposed ordinance mandating that the airport flip the font sizes for “Terminal 1” and “Harvey B. Milk Terminal.” the proposal says: “The signage identifying the terminal for drivers, on the exterior of the terminal generally facing the roadway and the domestic parking garage, shall state ‘Harvey Milk Terminal’ in a sign with lettering in which capital letters are at least four feet high, and, below ‘Harvey Milk Terminal,’ shall state ‘Terminal 1’ in a sign with lettering that is approximately half the height of the lettering of the ‘Harvey Milk Terminal’ sign.”

As we have reported and editorialized in recent weeks, Ronen has not been satisfied with SFO’s proposed signage, in which the lettering for “Harvey B. Milk Terminal” was significantly smaller than the gigantic “Terminal 1.” She attempted to work with airport officials but they could not be persuaded. Airport officials previously told the B.A.R. that they had no plans to change the signage. This week, a spokesman told us that the airport would follow whatever instructions the supervisors mandate.

Ronen’s correct to point out that the Milk terminal signage will set a precedent for the other terminals when they are renamed – and make no mistake, at some point they will be. There’s already a push to rename the International Terminal after the late mayor Ed Lee. Should that occur, the signage likely will read “Ed Lee International Terminal” – and it will be large.

San Francisco’s world-class airport welcomes visitors from around the world. The exterior signage needs to communicate the importance of the people being honored and large enough for passengers to read. Ronen’s proposed ordinance will accomplish that.

Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman told us he’s on board and will co-sponsor Ronen’s proposal. We suspect that, as he does, the measure will pass, likely with a veto-proof majority.

It’s unusual that the board has to pass an ordinance for a matter like this, but, in the end, it will be better for both the Milk terminal and the terminals named in the future. Ronen has steadfastly insisted that Milk be properly honored, and for that, we thank her. t

Challenging Christians on LGBTs

by Kim O’Reilly

a case in point as to why we need to move away from damaging us versus them rhetoric and behavior.

Stereotyping is as common as the air we breathe. Engaging in critical thinking, being selfaware, and looking at why we believe what we believe about someone different than ourselves are essential to countering stereotypes. The goal is to prevent stereotypes in the first place, or at the very least, question and understand how they develop. It is also important to understand the damaging effects of stereotypes and the negative impact they have on those who are targeted.

In the book, I address popularized stereotypes and offer strategies to counter them.

I

’m seeking to build bridges with my new book, “We Love You, But You’re Going to Hell.” Expressed sincerely by conservative Christians, experienced painfully by gays and lesbians, Christianity and homosexuality are topics often not paired and seen as too taboo to discuss. The book grapples with this dilemma by addressing Scriptures, sexual orientation, stereotypes, church beliefs, same-sex marriage, and religious freedom.

Chapters on “Why It Matters” and “What We Can Do” look at real lives and loving solutions.

The book’s title is not meant to be provocative, but to reflect honestly what so many gays and lesbians have heard from their Christian families and friends. Deeply held, deeply rooted beliefs around integrity and being true to oneself as a homosexual versus deeply held, deeply rooted beliefs around homosexuality as sin. It is possible to honor the rights of each of these groups without denying the rights of the other.

My coming out process was not overnight. It was deeply personal and spiritual. In fact, I had for some time been looking at the 9th Commandment from a different perspective than most. It reads: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” I chose to focus that on myself, asking whether I was bearing false against myself and others if I was not honest about who I was. My struggle was about integrity, being true to myself, looking at Scriptures, and talking to God. As a Christian, and the daughter of a conservative evangelical minister, I’m uniquely positioned to write this book. A deep love between my father and I – the paradox he loved and respected me, but didn’t approve of “my homosexuality” and feared that I was going to hell. Walking and talking through that is what brought me to write the book. Many gays and lesbians find themselves in

Courtesy Intercultural Solutions

Kim O’Reilly, Ph.D.

a similar situation, but unfortunately, haven’t experienced that love or degree of acceptance from their parents or other family members.

Some Christians believe it is “loving” to demand denial of homosexuality, ending relationships, changing to heterosexuality, or remaining celibate – in order that the soul be saved. Others believe sexual orientation is Godgiven, cannot be changed, and that it is cruel and unloving to demand it.

The demands and condemnation placed upon gays and lesbians by well-meaning church and family members is unjust and damaging. Instead, I advocate moving away from such harsh demands to compassionate treatment – to help heal and not inflict more pain.

Church leaders and evangelists have characterized gays as evil, sinful, perverted, molesters, and recruiters. All are stereotypes no one would want to be on the receiving end of – all are polarizing labels. Labels that harm, that dehumanize, and point to a group of people as less than. It’s

Why it matters

When individuals believe, and churches preach, that homosexuality is an abomination – it matters. When an entire demographic is targeted as going to hell, in need of redemption, and required to change their sexual orientation in order to be accepted or remain in good standing – it matters. It matters to those who have lost their families, communities, and churches – to those who have been subjected to conversion therapy, required to remain celibate, or to deny their sexual orientation. It also matters to the friends, family, church members of gays and lesbians who have been condemned and rejected.

Most often, it’s in the name of God and love. t Kim O’Reilly, Ph.D., respectfully handles the topic of Christians and homosexuality non-confrontationally and without pointing fingers. She is an expert in the field of intercultural and cross-cultural understanding and communication. Her consulting and training firm, Intercultural Solutions, prepares businesses, churches, and schools with knowledge and strategies to address cultural differences. For more information about her book and services, visit her website at http:// www.interculturalsolutions.net.

Politics>>

t Laird rolls out LGBT endorsers of state Senate bid

by Matthew S. Bajko

A

number of LGBT leaders have signed on as early endorsers of gay former Assemblyman John Laird’s 2020 bid for a state Senate seat.

Among them are gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and his predecessor, Mark Leno, who with Laird became the first two out gay men elected to the state Assembly in 2002.

Wiener, in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter, called Laird “a true talent” and a “highly effective legislator” who “will be a real asset as a colleague in the Senate.”

Others lending their support to Laird’s bid for the 17th Senate District seat along the Central Coast are gay Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell), gay former Santa Clara County supervisor Ken Yeager, and transgender Cabrillo Community College Trustee Adam Spickler, who once worked for Laird.

Santa Cruz City Councilwoman Donna Meyers, elected in November as the first lesbian on the body that Laird served on in the 1980s as its first out LGBT member, has also endorsed him in the race to succeed Senator Bill Monning (D-Carmel), who is term limited from running again next year.

“I have known John for a long time, over 20 years. I supported him when he was an Assembly member,” Meyers told the B.A.R. “He has been a leader of our community in the Central Coast for decades. He has been a leader within the LGBT community and out.

He has been a really impactful, you know, public figure for such a long time that I just am very excited he wants to continue his career in public service.”

Laird officially announced his candidacy for the Senate seat, which includes Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo counties, the coastal areas of Monterey County, and southern Santa Clara County, January 17. The news was hardly a surprise, as the B.A.R.’s Political Notebook reported January 9 that Laird had filed paperwork to form a Senate campaign committee and was expected to soon formally disclose his candidacy.

Laird, 68, lost a 2010 Senate bid, leading to former Governor Jerry Brown appointing him as California’s secretary for natural resources in January 2011. He stepped down from the cabinet post January 7 hours after Governor Gavin Newsom took his oath of office.

“I really don’t want to sit around for 25 or 27 years in retirement,” Laird told the B.A.R. in a phone interview last week. “I feel like I am at the top of my game and still have a lot to contribute.”

Laird could potentially serve two four-year terms in the Senate. By declaring his candidacy more than a year before the primary, which will be held in March due to the 2020 presidential campaign, Laird is likely to clear the field in terms of other Democrats jumping into the race.

“To mount a strong campaign, you have to start early,” said Laird, who lives with his husband, John C. Flores, in Santa Cruz. “Secondly, it is to line up significant endorsements and make anybody else thinking about entering the race to think otherwise.”

Laird has reached out to several people who had been looking at the race to seek their endorsement. So far, it does not appear any prominent Democrat will run against him.

Rick Gerharter

State Senate candidate John Laird

Both Wiener and Meyers said no one else had sought out their support in the race. There is still time for someone to jump in, as the filing deadline isn’t until December 6.

“I think it is a little early, but I sense that John is very most likely positioned to be the lead candidate potentially for the seat,” said Meyers.

Due to the current boundaries of the Senate seat, it is seen as a safe Democratic district.

“If Trump is at the top of the ticket, I don’t think Republicans will be flipping anything,” said Laird of his electoral chances.

Nonetheless, he plans to blanket the district over the next two years and knock on hundreds of thousands of front doors.

His campaign will focus on three main issues.

“Housing, health care, and education are really important to the Central Coast,” Laird said.

Environmental record seeds Laird’s Senate run

Another top concern Laird intends to address is climate change and its devastating effects on California. It is a particular concern for the Senate district, as it is vulnerable to sea level rises, wildfires, agricultural degradation, and drought.

As he noted in his campaign announcement, Laird was “on the front lines in the effort to fight and adapt to climate change” as the cabinet secretary. He oversaw a state agency with 25 departments, 19,000 employees and an almost $10 billion budget.

“In regard to the challenges presented by climate change, there is some urgency to addressing it. The latest science just has driven that completely home,” said Laird, who once taught state environmental policy at UC Santa Cruz. “California is ahead of every other state in terms of addressing climate change and yet, given the tipping point that is coming, we might even over time have to accelerate some of our deadlines.”

He expects that, prior to his being sworn in as a senator, Newsom’s administration will finalize the plans for the controversial Delta water tunnel project that Brown championed. The wildfires that decimated Ventura County, Napa, Sonoma, and most recently Paradise outside Chico, presented Laird his greatest challenge while working for Brown.

“Those were just incredible challenges,” said Laird.

Another difficult point in his tenure came when the spillway for the Oroville Dam failed in February 2017. It led to the evacuation of nearly 190,000 people and prompted officials to take a closer

look at the safety of 1,500 other dams around the state.

“That was just one of the bigger crises of my time,” Laird recalled.

“California had the best dam safety programs – and that is d-a-m and not d-a-m-n – of the 50 states and yet it wasn’t enough ... Now, we are making sure in a 12-month calendar year every dam under state jurisdiction is inspected.”

Another “all-hands-on-deck moment,” recalled Laird, was President Donald Trump’s election in November 2016 due to his promise to rollback myriad environmental protections and pull the U.S. out of the global climate accord. It led Laird to work closer with his counterparts in Oregon and Washington state in forming international alliances focused on various issues, from ocean acidification to carbon gas emissions.

“In the absence of national leadership we weren’t going to stand by. We were going to do that international leadership on the climate,” said Laird.

“Things were done by the state’s air board, environmental protection agency, and agriculture department in a similar way.”

As for Trump’s call for wind turbines off the Pacific Coast, Laird said he is not opposed to the idea. But he believes it needs to first be piloted in a demonstration project to see if it is feasible.

“People do have concerns about the drop off of the ocean floor off California, which is more dramatic than off the East Coast or Denmark. That is an issue, as is what is the transmission back to the coast; how is that going to work,” said Laird. “Is it in any sea lanes and is that a genuine problem? So let’s do a pilot project.”

Another area he oversaw was the state parks, which went from having to close various sites due to a lack of funding to having a dedicated revenue stream from a voter-approved transportation tax.

The state of California’s park system, said Laird, “has improved dramatically.”

Some of the changes that occurred under his watch was the digitization of park maps, the ability for parks to accept credit or debit cards, and ending the requirement that regional park directors and superintendents be badged law enforcement officers, which had been an impediment for the advancement of women and people of color.

“We made lot of reforms to the parks department, and I feel like it is in much better shape,” said Laird.

He now wants to bring his myriad leadership experiences to bear in the state Senate.

“I have worked the last 40 years to be ready for the next eight as a senator,” said Laird. “I’ve served in public policy, as a congressional assistant, local government analyst, mayor, city councilmember, transit board member, transportation commissioner, community college trustee, community activist, state legislator and governor’s cabinet secretary. I want to bring that experience and leadership to meet our challenges.” t Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reported on Equality California’s new board president.

Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes.

Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

January 31-February 6 , 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

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<< Commentary

6 • Bay Area Reporter • January 31-February 6 , 2019

t

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by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

F

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or the last couple of years, I have spent a lot of time warning of the dangers to come. Now I no longer have to. Because, you see, the danger is here.

The U.S. Supreme Court took an unusual action recently, issuing a 5-4 decision to allow the Trump administration’s ban on transgender members of the military to go into effect, even as lower courts are still hearing arguments. This could well mean that thousands of transgender people could be discharged.

This, however, gets oh so much worse.

The New York Times reported on a meeting at the White House requested by Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The president, then still in the midst of the partial government shutdown, allowed it, and met in the Roosevelt Room with her and a number of right-wing activists.

They spoke of many things, reports noted, but the one item in particular I want to focus on is the activists’ statement to the president that transgender people – and, for that matter, non-transgender women – should not be allowed to serve in the military.

Clarence Thomas, not surprisingly, was one of the Supreme Court justices who just allowed the transgender military ban to go forward.

While this is going on, anti-transgender activists from the United Kingdom, where they have become notorious for their actions demonizing transgender people, are being flown around the United States.

They’re meeting up with the Heritage Foundation, an equally noxious antiLGBTQ organization.

These U.K. anti-trans campaigners are colloquially referred to as transgender-exclusionary radical feminists, or TERFS. I’m actually not a fan of this term for several reasons. For one, “transgender-exclusionary” is too soft a phrase for a group that doesn’t want to see just exclusion, but the elimination of transgender people overall.

What’s more, their views are regressive, not radical, and I am hardpressed to call their actions “feminist.”

As they cozy up to groups such as the Heritage Foundation and the Alliance Defending Freedom, I strongly question just how much of their actions are truly feminist in nature.

These actions are all part of a coordinated effort to attack transgender people, fueled by hate groups looking for a convenient and weak scapegoat in the post-Obergefell v.

Hodges world. (Obergefell is the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.)

They have decided that transgender people are just the patsy they’re looking for.

That these groups have the ear of the wife of a sitting Supreme Court justice who wields enough power on her own to swing a private meeting with the president of the United States, at a time when the right-leaning Supreme Court is deciding on the rights of transgender people, should

Christine Smith

terrify you: the flags can’t get much redder or much larger.

I think we find ourselves in most perilous times. The military ban is, I feel, not an end, but a beginning, the very first, tentative step toward the total exclusion of transgender people from American society – and, potentially, existence altogether.

So, if you have read this far, you may be wondering what, if anything, we can do about this, and while I worry that it may already be too late for many things, I firmly believe that we need to stand up and push back before we lose everything.

First and foremost, we need our community to come together as one.

We are comprised of a lot of different forms of trans and gender expressions and identities, but we need all hands at the table. As Benjamin Franklin put it, “We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

This means that we need to consider the basics. How can we sustain each other, what can we do to keep well, and happy, and able to be active?

What can we do to make sure that we have the resources we need to survive as a whole, and what programs can we put in place now to ensure our continued well-being at a core level? We need to stand ready to assist the most venerable among us.

What’s more, this isn’t just about transgender people.

Many of those organizations named above are anti-LGBTQ, anti-abortion, anti-sex worker, and anti-anything that isn’t their narrow view of what is acceptable.

With that in mind, we need to focus on our coalition building. We need to strengthen our ties with the true feminists out there, the sex workers, the larger LGBT-focused organizations, the anti-abortion activists, and civil rights activists of all forms.

We need their support, their knowledge, and their resources, even as we provide the same to each of them.

We also need to find political allies. With Democratic presidential contenders cropping up like weeds, it will be key to find and secure our allies now. We need to speak to the candidates and get their support on the record. Find out what they will do – now and in office – for their transgender and gender-nonconforming constituents, and hold them to it.

We also need to find our voice, and we have to take every opportunity to use it. Those who stand against us aren’t sitting idly by waiting for the phone to ring, so neither should we wait for the media to come to us. It is vital that we learn to control the narrative.

I’ve said it before, and I will assuredly say it again: these times are dire, and we need to begin to act as if they are. While we are still here and still breathing, we need to fight as if our very existence is at stake – for it may well be. t Gwen Smith is usually far more optimistic. You can find her at www.gwensmith.com.

t

Community News >>

January 31-February 6 , 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

PG&E bankruptcy hits LGBT nonprofits

by Alex Madison

E

ven before Pacific Gas & Electric Co. filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday, the utility had announced that its charitable giving program is currently on hold, leaving some LGBT nonprofits scrambling to cover the loss.

PG&E made the filing under Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy code because of the billions of dollars in damages the utility is facing due to the northern California wildfires.

“Our most important responsibility is, and must be, safety, and that remains our focus,” John R. Simon, PG&E Corporation interim CEO, said in a January 29 news release. “Throughout this process, we are fully committed to enhancing our wildfire safety efforts, as well as helping restoration and rebuilding efforts across the communities impacted by the devastating northern California wildfires.”

Reaction from state officials was swift.

“Today’s bankruptcy filing by Pacific Gas and Electric is disappointing,” lesbian state Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) said in a statement. “Bankruptcy is not the optimum solution for Californians, the company itself, and the workers who rely on their salaries to provide for their families.

“I am committed to working with my colleagues in the Senate and all stakeholders to ensure the continued and uninterrupted provision of safe, reliable electricity for our residents and businesses,” Atkins added.

Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statement saying his administration would continue working to protect the “best interests of the people of California.”

The company is facing at least $30 billion in liabilities related to northern California wildfires in 2017 and 2018. After Cal Fire issued a report last week concluding that PG&E equipment did not cause the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa, the state’s second deadliest blaze, PG&E’s liability could now be $8 billion lower, according to a financial research firm CredSights, reported the New York Times.

The company is also being investigated for last year’s deadly Camp Fire in Butte County, and other blazes.

As the company explored bankruptcy protection, which it announced earlier this month, it became clear that its long history of charitable giving would be affected.

Over the years, PG&E has been a significant contributor to local and national LGBT nonprofits. No timeline has been given for the status of the 2019 grants from California’s largest energy provider.

“Given the current financial circumstances, the utility’s community giving programs must be reevaluated and are currently on hold.

In the event of a Chapter 11 filing, PG&E’s charitable program will become subject to review in conjunction with that proceeding,” PG&E spokesman Matt Nauman wrote in an email response to the Bay Area Reporter before the company’s announcement. He declined to schedule an interview.

Since 2000, PG&E and the PG&E Corporation Foundation, a separate business entity, have together donated more than $100 million to various nonprofits, according to the company. On the foundation’s website, it says $28 million was given in charitable investments to local communities last year.

According to the foundation’s 2017 charitable contributions report, local LGBT organization recipients include the San Francisco AIDS Foundation ($1,500), Larkin Street Youth Services ($1,000), San Francisco LGBT Community Center ($20,000), AIDS Walk San Francisco Foundation ($5,000), Horizons Foundation ($12,000), Dolores Street Community Services ($1,000), the Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation ($70,000), Transgender Law Center ($10,000), and the Queer Cultural Center ($5,000).

In an interview with the B.A.R., Ken Henderson, executive director of REAF, said he is already planning for the possibility that PG&E will no longer be the sole sponsor of its largest annual fundraising event.

For the last 10 years, PG&E has funded the event, which Henderson said costs around $75,000. Last year, the June event raised about $25,000 for REAF, whose annual operating budget last fiscal year was $200,000.

“It’s a significant fundraiser for us,” Henderson, a gay man, said in an interview before the utility’s announcement. “We’re not going to go bankrupt because of it, but it is significant and we would love to see it continue.”

He said although PG&E has not contacted him, he is looking at possible replacements for the sole sponsorship.

“We are just beginning to talk about what our options are for that,”

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he said, adding that it is unlikely that he will be able to find a corporate sponsor that will be able to match the impact PG&E had.

Although Henderson hasn’t been talking with other nonprofit heads specifically about the PG&E fallout, he mentioned that many nonprofits are facing challenges in the current financial climate of funding cuts and a decline in corporate giving over the years.

LGBT groups on alert

Rebecca Rolfe, a lesbian who’s executive director of the LGBT community center, said the center will regret the loss if PG&E is unable to contribute annually as it has since the center’s inception. She said the contribution is a small percentage of the nonprofit’s annual budget of approximately $3 million.

“It’s not going to be a crisis for us as an organization, but they are a significant partner,” Rolfe said, adding that the electric company has given $10,000 annually, on average, to the center. Last year, the center received $20,000 from the utility corporation.

In late 2006, PG&E financed the installation of solar panels atop the center’s 35,000 square foot building on Market Street. The next year, the energy provider did the same for Project Open Hand, an agency that offers meals to people with HIV and other illnesses.

Rolfe said PG&E’s decision to file for bankruptcy will have a significant effect on the LGBT and broader nonprofit sector in California.

“It will have a big impact on the services available to the community,” she said. “I hope other nonprofits and other for-profits will become strong partners and that they value and see the importance of the work nonprofits do with local communities.”

Steve Malnight, PG&E’s senior vice president of energy supply and policy, told the San Francisco Chronicle earlier this month that the utility recognizes the importance of the role it plays in the local community and is proud of its philanthropic giving. However, he did not dispute the uncertainty that bankruptcy creates for those efforts.

“As we move into the Chapter 11 process, we’re going to have to determine what the implications will be for that program,” Malnight told the paper. “At this point, I just can’t really say what it will be yet.”

Another recipient of PG&E giv-

Rick Gerharter

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. installed solar panels on the roof of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center in December 2006.

ing is Horizons Foundation, which mobilizes donors and funders for LGBT nonprofits. President Roger Doughty said his organization will miss PG&E’s 20-year funding relationship, though it will not have a great impact on its budget. Although nonprofits have not reached out to him about their concern over the potential loss, he said, “Anytime any foundation or corporation who supported the community signals they will no longer be able to will be a challenge for those nonprofits.”

He added that in order to replace those funds, nonprofits may have to rally the support of other foundations or individual donors.

“Folks have to figure out how they make that up,” he said. “If it’s a big enough hit [the nonprofit] may need to make decisions, hopefully, not in a big way, to reduce their programs.”

The utility is among the few significant corporate sponsors that LGBT nonprofits in the Bay Area rely on Doughty explained, “therefore the loss of a significant supporter like PG&E is all the more acute.”

Where nonprofits suffer any financial hit the hardest is in their general operation support, as opposed to program support, Doughty added. LGBT nonprofits do all they can to raise money, Doughty said, and that there is simply a lack of sufficient resources.

Historically, PG&E has, for 15 years, been named one of the best places to work by the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT rights organization. According to PG&E, in 2012, it was the first utility company to pursue LGBT businesses for its supply chain and

Rick Gerharter

San Francisco LGBT Community Center Executive Director Rebecca Rolfe.

created one of the first LGBT employee resource groups in the nation over 30 years ago. It was also the first corporate sponsor of the San Francisco Pride parade and celebration, and had the first corporate contingent in the parade in 1988.

Other LGBT organizations that PG&E donated to last year include, the National Center for Lesbian Rights ($50,000), Gay & Lesbian Victory Institute Inc. ($90,000), Gay and Lesbian Alliance of the Central Coast ($6,000), Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center ($7,250), San Francisco Lesbian Gay Freedom Day Parade and Celebration Committee Inc. ($22,500), and the Gay Pride Celebration Committee of San Jose ($1,500).

NCLR and SFAF did not respond to requests for comment from the B.A.R. Larkin Street Youth Services declined to comment. t

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<< Travel

8 • Bay Area Reporter • January 31-February 6 , 2019

Palm Springs gearing up for busy spring

by Ed Walsh

E

arlier this month the most memorable part of my trip to Palm Springs was a night I spent in a hotel room in the gay resort InnDulge.

I was in the room for less than two hours but I felt I entered into a time machine. It wasn’t an out of body experience, it was part of the very compelling play “Electricity” (https:// www.electricitytheplay.com) that is set in a hotel room and chronicles the lives of two gay men from their 10year high school reunion in 1983 up until 2013. The two-man play is earning well-deserved accolades in the theaters where it is playing around the country, but the InnDulge show is the only place where it is set in an actual hotel room. The show runs through the summer and is a must-see for any visitor to Palm Springs.

Even without the added attraction of a play in a hotel room, the wide variety of gay resorts in Palm Springs is a big draw for gay visitors from all over the world. The city boasts 15 gay hotels, more than any other place on earth.

Starting around Valentine’s Day to May is the peak tourist season in Palm Springs when the city typically gets warm sunny days and clear starry nights.

April is the biggest month for LGBT tourism with The Dinah (https://thedinah.com) Wednesday, April 3 through Sunday, April 7. The Dinah bills itself as the “largest and most famous girl party music festival in the world.” The men take their turn later that month with the world-famous White Party (https://www.jeffreysanker.com) Friday, April 26 through Monday, April 29. If you plan on going to either event, book your hotel now.

One of the newest and gayest things

in Palm Springs is on the air. The nonprofit LGBT radio station KGAY debuted last month. “The Pride of the Valley,” as it’s known, can be heard on 106.5 FM. You can also listen online at https://www.kgay1065.qchella.com/.

The station’s operations are overseen by Brad Fuhr, a gay man who’s the owner of the Gay Desert Guide.

KGAY’s website has links to that excellent guide.

Spring is a good time of year to experience the spectacular desert landscape in Palm Springs. Most days are still comfortable for hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding. The museum trail, which starts at the parking lot of the Palm Springs Art Museum, is a good introduction to desert hiking in the heart of downtown.

Desert Adventures (https://redjeep.com/) offers a number of excellent tours that include Indian Canyons and Joshua Tree National Park.

On a visit earlier this month, I took the three-hour San Andreas Fault tour that included a short hike through a desert oasis as well as a very unique jeep ride through a narrow rock canyon that was created by shifting seismic plates. The tour includes a walk through an even narrower rock canyon where tour groups have to squeeze through in single file.

If you want to try your hand at horseback riding, Smoke Tree Stables (http://www. smoketreestables.com/) offers easy guided horseback rides through spectacular desert landscape. One of the tours goes through two of the three Indian Canyons oases as well as the surrounding hillsides.

Thanks to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway (https://www.pstramway. com/), you can sunbathe by the pool and play in the snow all in the same

afternoon. The tram takes just 10 minutes to get from the tram station to the snow-capped summit of Mt. San Jacinto. The January storms have translated into plenty of snow that will likely last well into the spring.

If you prefer a more urban experience when you travel, check out downtown Palm Springs. A new street, Museum Way, gives visitors to the city’s main drag, North Palm Canyon Drive, a view of the Palm Springs Art Museum (https://www.psmuseum.org/). Many tourists missed the world-class museum because they never knew it was there.

The biggest new downtown development, Kimpton Rowan Hotel (https://www.rowanpalmsprings. com/), is also the tallest building in Palm Springs. The 153-room sevenstory hotel features a rooftop pool and sweeping views of the city and the mountains. A 142-room, six-story Virgin Hotel is scheduled to be built across from the Kimpton, but the city announced earlier this month that its projected opening will be delayed until 2024.

Downtown Palm Springs still celebrates every Thursday evening with a street fair know as VillageFest (http:// villagefest.org/). The street is packed with food booths, local venders, and street musicians. The Palm Springs Art Museum is also free that night.

One of Palm Springs’ most talked about art exhibits is free 24/7. “Babies on the Move” is on an empty lot across from the Rowan and features 10 eight foot tall sculptures of babies.

The babies are scheduled to be there until early 2020, when a residential building will be built on the lot.

Eating out

The aforementioned Thursday evening VillageFest is a great place to graze for dinner but you will have no shortage of great restaurants from

Ed Walsh

The Santiago Resort is one of 15 gay resorts in Palm Springs and offers amenities aimed at keeping guests happy.

which to choose the other six nights.

The gay-owned Tropicale Restaurant and Coral Seas Lounge (https:// apps.thetropicale.com/) always packs a crowd in its 2,000 square foot patio for its famous 4 to 7 p.m. happy hour with live entertainment. The main dining room is a throwback to dinner clubs with elevated semi-circular booths. Tropicale specializes in Pacific Rim dishes, gourmet pizza, and tapas.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Trio (https://trio-opalmsprings.com/) is another very popular happy hour spot. It is also a restaurant where you can enjoy gourmet food on the cheap. The gay-owned eatery features a gourmet three-course prix fixe menu for just $22.99 served daily until 6 p.m.

In the heart of the gay Arenas Road area, Johannes (https://www.johannesrestaurants.com/) is an upscale restaurant that is celebrating its 20th year in business. Chef, owner, and restaurant namesake Johannes Bacher is a former San Franciscan but originally from Austria. One of the house specialties is wiener schnitzel, a breaded pan-fried veal cutlet.

Pinocchio in the Desert (http://pinocchiops.com/) is a great breakfast and lunch spot where you will never leave hungry. It is known for its delicious hearty Mexican and American comfort food and bottomless mimosas served up at bargain prices.

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Gay nightlife took hold in downtown Palm Springs in 1991 when Streetbar opened on E. Arenas Road.

At that time gay nightlife was centered in neighboring Cathedral City. The block of Arenas Road just east of Indian Canyon Drive eventually became the heart of the city’s LGBT nightlife district. That is where you will find the expansive nightspot, Hunters, along with Chill, Quadz (formerly SpurLine), Score, and the newest kids on the block, Stacy’s and BlackBook.

You will also find the gay clothing and bookstore GayMart and Bear Wear.

Just south of downtown, on the edge of the Warm Sands neighborhood on Sunny Dunes Road, is the leather/bear bar Tool Shed and just east of that the gay store Q Trading Company and Gear Leather and Fetish.

On the north end of the city, be sure to check out Toucans Tiki Lounge (http://toucanstikilounge.com/). The bar has a popular tiki-themed dance floor and live entertainment. The second, fourth (and fifth) Sundays, from 8 to 11:59 p.m. is the very popular drag revue Tommi Rose and The Playgirls.

You can find four gay nightspots in Cathedral City: Barracks, Trunks, Studio One 11, and Runway, which recently opened at Cathedral City Boys Club (https://www.ccbcresorthotel. com/). By the way, CCBC is the only gay resort in the Greater Palm Spring Area that is outside of the city of Palm Springs. Since Delilah’s closed and eventually reopened as Studio One 11, there are no full-time lesbian bars in

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“Electricity” actors Mel England, left, and Terry Ray have received great reviews for the two-man play, which Ray wrote.

Greater Palm Springs. Search “VelvetPS” and “HerShe Bar Palm Springs” on Facebook for a list of special events geared toward gay women. Velvet and HerShe Bar Palm Springs host events at various bars in Palm Springs and Cathedral City.

Accommodations

Of the city’s 15 gay resorts (16, including CCBC), all are for men and are clothing optional. The last lesbian resort, Casitas Laquita, closed two years ago. The men’s resorts all offer free continental breakfast and free Wi-Fi. Santiago (https://santiagoresort.com/), Hacienda Warm Sands (https://thehacienda.com/), and Vista Grande (https://vistagranderesort.com/) even offer a free lunch.

InnDulge (https://inndulge.com/), Vista Grande, and the Bearfoot Inn (http://bearfootinn.com/) all throw in a nice perk: free use of the WorkOut Gym (http://www.workoutgymps.com/), a great small gym that unabashedly promotes itself as a gay gym. The gym also sells day, week, and weekend passes.

Although it’s common for mainstream hotels in Palm Springs to charge a resort fee, most of the gay resorts do not, despite all the extras. In comparing prices of hotels, be sure to check the resort fee charge, which can be hefty in the mainstream hotels. Among the gay hotels that charge a resort fee are CCBC, Santiago, and Hacienda, but Hacienda’s fee is inclusive of all tips.

The Triangle Inn (http://triangleinn.com/triangle-inn-palm-springs) is a great example of why the gay resorts enjoy a big repeat business. Married couple Michael Green and Stephen Boyd have owned the property since 2000 and live on site. That personal touch shows in the quality of the resort. Triangle also has a very unique offering. You can rent the stunning house that adjoins the property with its own private pool with all the privacy you desire and you can also wander over to mingle with the hotel guests if you choose.

Santiago is kitty-corner from Triangle and has undergone extensive See page 16 >>

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Community News>>

January 31-February 6 , 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

Zhao attends LGBT API forum

by Matthew S. Bajko

I

n the audience Monday night at a forum where local LGBT leaders of Asian-American descent discussed their coming out stories to their families was controversial San Francisco school board candidate Josephine Zhao. The 90-minute discussion at the city’s LGBT community center stemmed from Zhao’s dropping out of the race last fall due to her anti-trans comments six years ago about transgender students using school bathrooms of their choice.

Zhao, who initially had won endorsements from Mayor London Breed and gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), had disavowed those remarks and said she was “wrong” on the issue. But by September, Zhao was found to be telling Chinese voters on a social messaging app that she continued to stand by her prior position. The disclosure led to her abandoning her candidacy, though her name remained on the ballot.

Ahead of the January 28 panel discussion, co-hosted by the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance and Team Q of the United Democratic Club, Zhao had been scheduled to appear last Thursday on the “Michelle Meow Show,” whose host moderated the groups’ forum. Yet Zhao did not appear on Meow’s program, which is a joint venture with the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco.

Meow, a lesbian of Laotian descent, told the Bay Area Reporter that she decided to cancel Zhao’s appearance after receiving a number of complaints about booking her on the show. Taped before a live audience at the Commonwealth Club for radio broadcast, Meow said she was concerned about people disrupting the interview to the point it could not be aired. GAPA chair Michael Nguyen appeared on the program instead.

Rick Gerharter

Panelists share a laugh during “Navigating the Queer Asian-American and Immigrant Experience,” a panel sponsored by GAPA and the United Democratic Club. Panelists, from left, included Cecilia Chung, Cynthia Wang, Phil Kim, Mandy Lee, and Michelle Meow, the moderator.

During Monday night’s discussion, Meow never mentioned Zhao by name, referring to her instead as “a candidate for school board” or “that candidate.” Just one of the four panelists, Mandy Lee, a lesbian who is the immediate past board president of statewide LGBT advocacy group Equality California, used Zhao’s first name at one point.

Asked by the B.A.R. why she wanted to attend the forum, Zhao said it was partly to learn more about the topic and also because she is friends with both Lee, who wrote an op-ed in support of Zhao for a local website, and Phil Kim, a gay man who ran for school board in November and had reached out to Zhao to talk to her when the first news stories about her past comments were published. She is also friends with, and a customer of, the parents of Cynthia Wang, who talked about coming out to her Chinese immigrant family.

“It is important to know how they think,” she said, especially about “what happened during the campaign and

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what influence it had on them.”

As for the comments she made on a social messaging app that sparked outrage from LGBT activists and led to her bowing out of the school board race, Zhao told the B.A.R. that it stemmed from a lack of understanding of how the issue of gender-neutral bathrooms are spoken about in the Chinese community. What she initially thought was being proposed was to do away with gender-specific bathrooms and locker rooms in the city’s public schools in favor of “communal bathrooms where anyone could shower.”

That was what led her to make her initial transphobic comments, said Zhao.

“It was my fault that I did not think about something I said would be fearmongering and that there could be a different thing or another side. I didn’t do more research. I was too ignorant,” said Zhao, who is a single mother.

When she wrote last year that she stood by her original stance, Zhao told the B.A.R. this week that she was referring to her opposition to “commu-

nal bathrooms,” not gender-neutral bathrooms or allowing transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice.

During the panel discussion Cecilia Chung, an immigrant from Hong Kong who is director of strategic projects at the Transgender Law Center and sits on the city’s health commission, had spoken about how conservative Chinese religious leaders had inflamed the debate around genderneutral bathrooms in schools.

“There is definitely a cultural piece and there’s also a piece that is about religious oppression because a lot of these kind of misinformation was spread by some of the Asian churches, you know,” said Chung. “Because what the community first of all wanted to call for is not co-ed bathrooms, but making single-stall bathrooms allgender. But they keep calling that coed bathroom so that boys can go to the girls’ bathroom and girls can go to the boys’ bathroom. And that’s totally not the situation. So if we don’t call out that lie first it doesn’t matter how we discuss the issue because people have a different understanding.”

Lee, the daughter of Chinese immigrants who live in Alameda, said that she saw her op-ed as “a call to action for the progressive community to allow people that want to evolve to give them the opportunity to have that journey.”

As for Zhao, who helped her come out to her family, Lee said that she “would die if my parents were in the position that Josephine was in wanting to understand more and wanting to extend herself to the Chinese immigrant community to help serve as an influencer, right? I mean, we heard earlier about the power of grandparents and what they can do, I think that our elders and folks within the immigrant community are the best vessels to create change.”

For Lee, she saw the situation as “an opportunity and seeing someone that actually wanted to learn and was open to learning and was willing to insert themselves into a community that I can’t change. I can’t go into Chinatown and say, ‘Hey, you know, like, you guys need to understand why genderneutral bathrooms are important.’

It requires us to be open to utilizing people that are willing to do the work for us in those communities.”

As the B.A.R.’s online Political Notes column previously reported, Kim spoke with Zhao privately for three hours last fall in order to help educate her about LGBT issues and hear her out. At the forum, he was critical of those who had publicly called on Zhao to apologize but didn’t bother to reach out to her directly.

“We talked about everything, and I was bawling, and they’re evolving, and it was just a big old mess,” said Kim, who is estranged from his mother, an immigrant from South Korea, and most of his family. “And what I find interesting is that in all the conversation about wanting to move a community forward, or have engaged in dialogue, engage in dialogue about all of this, no one had reached out to her, that’s a problem.”

He said it is also “a huge missed opportunity to have a conversation with someone who said some pretty terrible things. And it’s one thing to call someone out about the terrible words and the poor record that they have, historically, that’s fine, that is fair. And if you live in San Francisco, they should be aware that they’re running for office, you should know your history.

And if you’re talking about moving a community, engaging in dialogue, yet no one is willing to have that dialogue, that is a problem.”

Nguyen told the B.A.R. that the See page 16 >>

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<< Community News

10 • Bay Area Reporter • January 31-February 6 , 2019

Longtime East Bay AIDS doctor retires

by David-Elijah Nahmod

A

n East Bay AIDS physician who saw the worst of the epidemic over a career treating HIV/AIDS patients is retiring this week.

Dr. Daniel Klein is an infectious diseases specialist who has worked for Kaiser Permanente in the East Bay since 1983.

Klein, 71, is a straight ally who

worked with AIDS patients during the worst years of the HIV epidemic because, as he put it, “it was the right thing to do.” At the time of his retirement, Klein served as chief of infectious disease at Kaiser’s San Leandro and Fremont Medical Centers.

“If I can make it seven more days I’ll be ecstatic,” Klein said as he spoke to the Bay Area Reporter January 23.

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The doctor recalled his younger years as he spoke of what drew him to the medical profession.

“Growing up, I always wanted to be a doctor,” he said. “I just pursued that path without any side trips. I majored in biology in college then went right to medical school.”

Klein recalled that he first started seeing patients who were infected with HIV in the late 1970s at San Francisco General Hospital.

“No one knew that was the problem back then, but it’s clear in retrospect that the men we were often seeing in the infectious disease clinic with swollen lymph nodes and fevers were HIV infected,” he said.

“But at that point I don’t recall that we saw any AIDS cases.

“My first exposure to someone who had AIDS was in 1981, which was the time of the first reports,” Klein added. “The head of the department, Dr. Merle Sande of San Francisco General, showed me an abnormal X-ray and he asked me what I thought was the explanation.

I was positive it was common bacterial pneumonia and he said no, that it was a young gay guy with pneumocystis pneumonia, the AIDS pneumonia, and from then on the Bay Area was epicenter one or two.”

By the time Klein started at Kaiser in 1983, the epidemic was fully underway.

“We could treat the infection,” he said. “The problem was there was nothing we could do to correct the immune deficiency that predisposed these patients to often not just one, but multiple opportunistic infections.”

In 1983, the HIV virus was identified, which meant that the doctors now knew what they were treating.

The following year Klein began seeing cases outside of the gay community. These included patients who acquired HIV through tainted blood transfusions or by sharing dirty needles, though Klein said that those infected by HIV remained primarily gay men.

“There was some fear in the provider community about ‘could I get this disease just by touching a patient,’ so Kaiser tried to rally support to be able to take on the added burden of so many sick and dying patients,” Klein said.

The doctor feels that the epidemic peaked during the late 1980s.

“Death rates were just astronomical,” he recalled. “HIV may have been the number one cause of death in men at that time, certainly in men under 40. But even before the antiviral era the death rate started to decline because we had better treatments for the opportunistic infections. We were able to put patients on preventive therapies to delay the development of such, so I think the epidemic started slowing down, at least in terms of mortality, in the mid-1990s.”

The introduction of protease inhibitors, the antiviral drugs developed to combat the HIV virus, occurred in 1996. Klein said that he saw this as a turning point.

“I saw patients more figuratively, then literally, get out of their death beds,” he said. “There was actually an international lottery that you would have to enter to try to get your patient the protease inhibitors.

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SFO

From page 1

It flips what airport officials had proposed in the fall. Their intent is to name the passenger facility “Terminal 1: The Harvey B. Milk Terminal.” Based on renderings of the signage, those arriving to the terminal would see a prominent sign for Terminal 1 with Milk’s name below it in a smaller font size.

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Courtesy Kaiser Permanente

Dr. Daniel Klein holds a red ribbon that includes well wishes from patients and the names of patients lost to AIDS written by Kaiser caregivers.

You had to submit something to the drug companies and they would have some kind of drawing to determine which patients would get the drugs. Very shortly after that the protease inhibitors became commercially available.”

Medical advances

Today, there are many medical advances aimed at keeping people HIV-negative. One of those is PrEP, which, if used as prescribed, dramatically reduces the chances of HIV infection.

“PrEP is what I look at as the overall program of getting to zero,” Klein said. “Prevent infections, treat infections, and identify infections.

PrEP has been very successful but it’s not perfect – I’m hearing more about failures on PrEP.” Klein said he looks to programs like Getting to Zero, which started in San Francisco a few years ago and aims to dramatically reduce HIV infections. It relies on a three-prong strategy of expanded access to PrEP, rapid initiation of antiretroviral therapy, and retaining HIV-positive people in care. It also aims to reduce stigma.

“We’re being much more aggressive in testing and treating – I’ve adopted the San Francisco approach, once you test positive you meet, you greet, and you treat, all in the same visit,” he said. “Historically we would never start someone on that first visit, we would want more test results and then we want more assurance that they’d actually come back for treatment. With the modern treatments being so well tolerated and so effective, the vast majority of patients are open to starting therapy right away. The sooner you’re on therapy the sooner you’ll be unable to transmit the virus.”

One of the knocks, however, are barriers to PrEP access that affect communities of color. Klein spoke of how people of color might have easier access to PrEP. “It has to do with more and more advertising, more and more focused teachings, making it more affordable or completely free,” he said. “If we’re really committed to stopping the epidemic we have to be willing to pay for these treatments, which are really great, but also expensive.”

Klein wants young people, many of whom think that HIV is no longer a problem, to take the disease more seriously.

But as the Bay Area Reporter first reported in October, Ronen and others contend that the airport’s preferred sign downplays the honor the city is bestowing on the late gay supervisor by naming Terminal 1 after him. It is the first time a wing of an airport has been named after an LGBT person.

“We want the world and San Francisco to know Terminal 1 as Harvey Milk Terminal,” Ronen told

“You’re being very naive,” he said of those people. “Were you to become infected you’d be committing to lifelong therapy with very potent medications. While they are considered very safe and well tolerated, we don’t know if, after 20 years, there might be some undescribed toxicities. With HIV, there’s always the possibility that the virus will become resistant to your current treatment.”

Klein also spoke of what he found to be the most rewarding part of his medical practice over the years.

“I would say it’s the miracle I’ve seen,” he said. “I’ve been doing HIV care for over 35 years and to say that I’ve seen a medical miracle is just really rewarding. I’ve seen patients that I’ve cared for for 30 years, we’ve grown old together. They’ve lived long enough to grow old, which I don’t think they would have expected when I first started seeing them, and the vast majority are patients who are not going to get sick or die from HIV even if they live into their 80s because we do have such good and well tolerated treatments.”

Klein said that he was touched by the devotion of his patients, many of whom are sorry to see him go.

“They appreciate the approach we’ve taken here that HIV patients are best served by getting care from dedicated HIV providers,” he said.

“We created a medical home where all the people who worked with me wanted to work in their field, and the patents felt really comfortable.”

Kaiser pharmacist Kennette Yoshimura has known Klein since the 1980s and said he would be missed.

“He had a reputation as being tough. I learned though, he was an advocate for his patients,” Yoshimura wrote in an email. “He is very intelligent and knew what he wanted for them.

“His patients love him. Patients come from far away just to see him,” Yoshimura added. “I’ve worked directly with him in research for the past 13 years. Throughout that time, patients have always mentioned how caring he is, how much they love, respect, and appreciate him.

These comments didn’t appear because he announced his retirement, they always existed.”

And now that his retirement is at hand, Klein spoke of the future.

“My wife and I have six months of travel, then I have to decide what I want to be when I grow up,” he quipped. t

the B.A.R. this week. “The signage on the outside in the renderings for the terminal have Terminal 1 much bigger than the Harvey Milk Terminal designation, and that is unacceptable.”

Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman shares Ronen’s concerns about the signage and is a cosponsor of her ordinance. He told See page 11 >>

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Election 2020 >>

January 31-February 6 , 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

Harris wows Oakland in prez campaign launch

by Cynthia Laird

S

enator Kamala Harris returned to her hometown Sunday to formally kick off her 2020 presidential bid and told the thousands of people that packed Frank Ogawa Plaza outside Oakland City Hall that she would use her “fighting spirit” to work for all Americans if elected.

Under sunny skies and plenty of security, Harris, the junior senator from California, addressed a crowd estimated by her campaign at more than 20,000, as well as a television audience. She is seeking the Democratic nomination amid a crowded field that is expected to see even more candidates in the coming weeks.

“I’m running for president because I love my country,” she said.

“I’m running to be president of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

While she did not mention President Donald Trump by name, Harris, 54, came out swinging, decrying what the country has become under his administration. She also recalled her start as a prosecutor – in Alameda County and San Francisco, where she became district attorney.

“My whole life, I’ve only had one client: the people,” she said.

“For the people meant fighting transnational gangs who traffic in drugs and guns and human beings,” she said. “And I saw their sophistication, their persistence, and their ruthlessness.

“And folks, on the subject of transnational gangs, let’s be perfectly clear: the president’s medieval vanity project is not going to stop them,” she said, referring to Trump’s wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.

Harris’ 35-minute speech touched on her background, issues of importance to Democratic voters, and acknowledgments that America is in need of new leadership.

“And in this moment, we must all speak truth about what’s happening,” she said. “Seek truth, speak truth, and fight for the truth.

So let’s speak some truth, shall we?”

She mentioned record student loan and other debt many Americans are dealing with.

“The truth is our people are drowning in debt,” she said.

Harris, who is African-American and Indian, said, “And let’s speak an uncomfortable but honest truth with one another: racism, sexism,

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SFO

From page 10

the B.A.R. he expects it will have unanimous support at the board; the rules committee, which Ronen chairs, will first take up the matter sometime in March.

“It is sort of crazy we have to do this as an ordinance,” he said. “The intention was to honor Harvey Milk and have passengers coming from around the world to see that.”

SFO spokesman Doug Yakel had told the B.A.R in the fall that the sign was designed to adhere to accepted wayfinding methodology so that the airport’s 57 million annual passengers can easily navigate through it. At the time, he said SFO director Ivar C. Satero had no plans to change the exterior sign.

In a November 30 report about the airport’s Milk terminal plans sent to Mayor London Breed and the supervisors, Satero made no mention of altering the design of the exterior signage.

“SFO is committed to opening a state-of-the-art terminal of which the city can be proud, recognizing the contribution of Harvey Milk to the

Jane Philomen Cleland

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris kicked off her campaign in Oakland January 27.

anti-Semitism, homophobia, and transphobia are real in this country.

They are age-old forms of hate with new fuel. And we need to speak that truth so we can deal with it.”

She also talked about how “too many unarmed black men and women are killed in America. Too many black and brown Americans are locked up. From mass incarceration to cash bail to policing, our criminal justice system needs drastic repair. Let’s speak that truth.”

Early on in her speech Harris was briefly heckled, after she talked about “the profound impact law enforcement has on people’s lives, and its responsibility to give them safety and dignity.” But the crowd immediately started chanting, “Kamala, Kamala,” and the heckling ended.

She talked about how women don’t earn as much as men.

“Women are paid on average 80 cents on the dollar,” she said. “Black women, 63 cents. Latinas, 53 cents.

“And here’s the thing. When we lift up the women of our country, we lift up the children of our country,” Harris added. “We lift up the families of our country. And the whole of society benefits.”

She took on big pharmaceutical companies, saying they have “unleashed an opioid crisis from the California coast to the mountains of West Virginia. And people, once and for all we have got to call drug addiction for what it is: a national

public health emergency. And we don’t need another War on Drugs.”

While criticizing the Trump administration, Harris said that America’s standing in the world “has never been weaker.”

“Democratic values are under attack around the globe,” she added. “When authoritarianism is on the march. When nuclear proliferation is on the rise. We have foreign powers infecting the White House like malware.”

Harris started out her career as an Alameda County assistant district attorney, where she specialized in prosecuting child sexual assault cases. In 1998, she joined the San Francisco District Attorney’s office, where she led the Career Criminal Unit. She also served as the head of the San Francisco City Attorney’s Division on Children and Families.

She ran for San Francisco district attorney in 2003, knocking off twoterm incumbent Terence Hallinan.

She was easily re-elected in 2007.

While she was DA, she convened one of the first conferences to tackle the so-called gay panic or trans panic defense. In those defenses, defendants claim to have been driven to murder someone because they panic when they find out the victim is a transgender person or a gay man or lesbian.

Harris ran for California attorney general in 2010 and narrowly won. She was re-elected four years later.

values of San Francisco,” he wrote.

Ronen contacted Satero Tuesday to alert him to her ordinance.

“He doesn’t want to do it. He is not happy,” she said. “I don’t care.

What I care about is I believe members of the public are sophisticated enough to associate Harvey Milk Terminal with Terminal 1. As long as that lettering is there, they will be able to see it. I am just not buying the excuses.”

Yakel told the B.A.R. this week that SFO officials have yet to see the ordinance but “are obviously aware something is coming.” He added that, “Whatever guidance we are given on this, we are happy to follow it.”

With leaders in the city’s Chinese community pressing to name the airport’s International Terminal after the late mayor Ed Lee, what happens with the Milk terminal signage will likely set a precedent for how the airport approaches the signage for the other terminals should they be named in people’s honor. There are three terminals for domestic flights in addition to the one for international routes.

“For those championing names

for the airport’s other terminals, we are trailblazers here,” said Ronen.

“We are setting the precedent.”

The naming of the Milk terminal, noted Ronen, “has been a struggle from day one.”

Harris is a longtime ally to the LGBT community. As state attorney general, she refused to defend Proposition 8, the state’s same-sex marriage ban, setting up years of litigation that ultimately decided the measure was unconstitutional.

Same-sex marriage became legal in California in June 2013, and Harris was in San Francisco City Hall on June 28 to marry the plaintiff couple in the federal lawsuit, Kristin Perry and Sandra Stier.

Praise

Supporters of Harris praised the candidate, saying she has what it takes to win the Democratic nomination and the White House.

“I’ve known her for about 20 years, from when she and I were

colleagues in the city attorney’s office,” gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) told the Bay Area Reporter. “I’ve seen her grow as a leader and think she’ll be fantastic.”

Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and her husband, Markos, were on hand, though she said she has not yet endorsed in the race.

One person who did endorse Harris was Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who gave brief remarks from the stage.

“I’m so proud to endorse Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States,” Schaaf said.

Before the rally, the mayor told the B.A.R., “She is the right candidate for this moment in U.S. history.”

Addressing the crowd, Schaaf said she first met Harris 23 years ago when Harris was a young professionals representative on the board of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Schaaf was starting a program for Oakland public school students. That led to an internship program at SFMOMA for the students at Cole Middle School in West Oakland.

“I can tell you that partnership opened worlds of opportunity for our West Oakland children,” she said.

Tony Winnicker, a gay man who used to work for the late San Francisco mayor Ed Lee, was at the rally as a supporter, he told the B.A.R. “She’s an antidote to everything wrong with Trump,” he said of Harris. “I think everyone in the Bay Area is excited. It’s not everyday that a hometown woman runs for president. As a gay man, we couldn’t have a better chance for equality than Kamala Harris.” t

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It dates back to 2013, when gay former District 9 supervisor David Campos, whom Ronen worked for as his chief of staff, proposed naming the entire airport after Milk, who in November 1977 became the first out elected leader in San Francisco and California. Due to lukewarm support for the idea, Campos worked out a deal with Lee to instead name one of the airport’s four terminals in honor of Milk, who was killed by an assassin’s bullet after less than a year in office.

After years of delays, an advisory panel in 2017 selected the under renovation Terminal 1 as the best choice, leading to city leaders approving the selection in early 2018.

SFO officials in the fall detailed their plans for how they will incorporate both Milk’s name and legacy See page 13 >>

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<< Community News

12 • Bay Area Reporter • January 31-February 6 , 2019

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Oakland LGBT bar seeks to help nonprofits compiled by Cynthia Laird

emergency services, affiliated medical offices, and specialty outpatient services.

Among the day’s activities will be a teddy bear “first aid” clinic (hosted

by CPMC’s child life experts), face painting and balloon animals, silent disco, silent yoga, chair massages, photo booths, live music, and healthy cooking demonstrations by WilliamsSonoma.

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he gay-owned Port bar in Oakland is looking for nonprofits to be beneficiaries of its “Karaoke for a Cause” events this year.

Sean Sullivan and his partner, Richard Fuentes, who co-own the bar, said the karaoke benefit nights are a way for people to have fun while supporting a good cause. The next event is Saturday, February 9, from 6 to 9 p.m. and the beneficiary is Bay Area Youth Rugby. It will be hosted by drag queen Amoura Teese.

Sullivan said there are dates available in March for nonprofits.

“The Port bar sees itself as Oakland’s LGBT community center, but with alcohol,” Fuentes said in a statement.

Oakland’s LGBTQ Community Center opened in September 2017 and is a drug and alcohol-free space.

Sullivan and Fuentes said that the bar raised over $5,000 in 2018 for nonprofits and individuals raising money for nonprofits through the karaoke benefits.

“We were really pleased to raise so much money through the program and are optimistic we can raise even more in 2019,” Fuentes added.

Karaoke for a Cause raises funds through the bar’s donation of proceeds from all beer and well wine purchases at the bar during the three hours.

“Nonprofits are also encouraged to bring their own methods of fundraising to the event as well, such as raffles, auctions, or asking for a donation per song,” Sullivan said.

Fuentes and Sullivan were involved in nonprofit fundraising for many years. Sullivan is a former president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Golden Gate Chapter.

The Port bar is located at 2023 Broad-

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Courtesy Port Bar

Drag queen Amoura Teese

way, next to the Paramount Theatre.

Nonprofits that are interested in taking part in Karaoke for a Cause should contact Sullivan at sean@portbaroakland.com or through the bar’s social media.

Community open house at new hospital

Sutter Health’s new California Pacific Medical Center Van Ness hospital will host a free community open house Saturday, February 2, from 1 to 4 p.m. at 1101 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. (Event entrance is at the intersection of Post and Franklin streets.)

The 11-story hospital includes 274 acute-care beds and houses myriad inpatient services – with an emphasis on maternity care, pediatrics, transplant, orthopedics, emergency, and cardiac care. The hospital also uses first-in-the-nation seismic technology, which allows it to withstand a major earthquake, according to a news release.

When fully complete, the campus will knit together Sutter hospital and

San Francisco will observe this year’s annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day with an event Thursday, February 7, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the community space at the Sunnydale Community Wellness Program, 1654 Sunnydale Avenue. (Best public transit lines are Muni 9 and 9R.) The San Francisco HIV Community Planning Council, which is organizing the event, said that this year’s theme is “For Our Protection,” and the focus will be on black youth.

Food and refreshments will be available. There will be entertainment, health screenings, and information on available resources.

Shanti and its Pets Are Wonderful Support program are co-sponsors.

SF library celebrates black history

The San Francisco Public Library started celebrating Black History Month over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and programs continue in February.

Dubbed “More than a Month,” the library is promoting important historical events, contributions, leadership, and activism of African-Americans.

The celebration includes special music, dance, crafts, and storytelling events at every branch in the city.

Some of the upcoming events include African-American quilts Wednesday, February 6, at the Ocean View branch, 345 Randolph Street.

That same day, there will be a program,

“The Other Black Migration: Genealogy Workshop Series” at the San Francisco African American Historical and Cultural Society, 762 Fulton Street.

The always-popular drag queen story hour will include a Motown and disco family dance party with Black Benatar Saturday, February 9, at the Sunset (1305 18th Avenue) and West Portal (190 Lenox Way) branches.

Exhibits include “The Port Chicago Story: Lighting the Fuse to Civil Rights,” which runs through July 7 at the Treasure Island Museum, 1 Avenue of the Palms, Room 111, on Treasure Island. (A special program will be held February 9, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit https://www.treasureislandmuseum. org/portchicago.)

Finally, there will be “A Conversation on Blackness” Thursday, February 28, in the Koret Auditorium of the main library, 100 Larkin Street.

All programs and exhibits are free and open to the public.

For times and a full schedule of events, visit http://www.sfpl.org/morethan-a-month.

Queer ancestors exhibit at Strut Health Center

The Queer Ancestors Project will present an exhibit at Strut, the men’s health center in the Castro, Saturday, February 9, with an artist panel at 7 p.m. and a reception and print sale from 7:30 to 9:30.

The project uses history to offer queer and trans artists, ages 18-26, free interdisciplinary workshops in printmaking, writing, and queer history. Public exhibitions and readings of the artists’ work provide a window on the past.

Featured artists include Christine Abiba, Samantha Espinoza, Benny Gordon-Murer, Fernando Miguel, Sho Nakashima, Nidhi Patel, Shannon Prasad, and Queen Sen Sen. The artistic director is Katie Gilmartin.

The event is free and accessible.

Strut is located at 470 Castro Street.

Park Stop program expands to Dolores Park

The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department’s Park Stop program recently was expanded, and attendants will soon be placed at Mission Dolores Park, as well as several other parks.

Park Stop is operated in collaboration with the Human Services Agency and Hunters Point Family. It is based on the successful Pit Stop program operated by Public Works since 2014.

Park Stop will provide safe needle disposal and pet waste bags in addition to universal toilet access.

In addition to Dolores Park, other new service areas include Raymond Kimbell Playground, Portsmouth Square, Rolph Playground, Potrero del Sol, Bayview Playground, and Jackson Playground. The parks were prioritized based on the number of 311 calls and maintenance and vandalism costs.

The program builds on Mayor London Breed’s recent mandate for street cleaning programs, including funds for the Pit Stop program in JC Decaux public restrooms, a rapid response syringe cleanup team, and block sweepers.

“I am focused on making our neighborhoods cleaner and safer for everyone, and our Park Stop program is a great part of that effort,” Breed said in a news release.

Rec and Park general manager Phil Ginsburg said Hunters Point Family has already proved to be an ideal partner for the endeavor, staffing Pit Stop as well as helping transform the troubled Civic Center area into a model public space.

“Hunters Point Family employs men and women who serve as extraordinary ambassadors,” Ginsburg said in the release. “Their presence makes the public feel welcome at the same time it deters vandalism and petty crime.”

Lena Miller, executive director of Hunters Point Family, said Park Stop builds on the success of Pit Stop. t

HHS gives green light to bias in foster care

by Lisa Keen

T

he Trump administration has given foster care agencies in South Carolina a green light to discriminate based on religion, an action that LGBT legal activists say will likely harm LGBT youth and prospective parents who are in same-sex relationships.

The action came in the long-running conflict between faith-based groups and laws prohibiting discrimination. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on January 23 weighed in for the faith-based groups.

In a letter to the governor of South Carolina, an HHS official granted a waiver that significantly undermines the federal department’s existing policy against federal funds going to organizations that discriminate based on religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other characteristics.

The waiver is the latest volley in a long-standing dispute between faithbased organizations who want government funds but don’t want to abide by government rules concerning nondiscrimination. It’s also an effort by the Trump administration to undermine a pro-LGBT policy instituted under the Obama administration.

In the letter to South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, HHS Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Steven Wagner granted South Carolina the right to funnel federal grant money to foster care agencies in the state even if the groups violate an HHS regulation that prohibits discrimination based on religion. A Christian-run foster care group called Miracle Hill, which has discriminated based on religion and sexual orientation, prompted the

HHS Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Steven Wagner

request for an exemption to the regulation.

The HHS regulation at the center of the controversy states that, “It is a public policy requirement of HHS that no person otherwise eligible will be excluded from participation in ... or subjected to discrimination in the administration of HHS programs and services based on non-merit factors such as age, disability, sex, race, color, national origin, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Recipients must comply with this public policy requirement in the administration of programs supported by HHS awards.”

In granting the exemption to South Carolina, Wagner noted that the federal Foster Care Program Statute prohibits discrimination on the basis of only race, color, or national origin.

Wagner’s letter also noted that the state’s chief legal counsel agreed “the request for an exception was narrowed to the religious non-discrimi-

nation provision.”

“Please note that this exception does not relieve the S.C. Foster Care Program of its obligation to comply with any other requirements” of the HHS policy, wrote Wagner.

LGBT legal experts were critical of the decision.

“That is an important narrowing as a legal matter, but unfortunately, it probably won’t reduce the discrimination [against LGBT people] as a practical matter,” said Jenny Pizer of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. “Based on what’s happened in the past, we think it’s highly likely that Miracle Hill will continue to turn away LGBT prospective parents regardless of the parents’ religion – that is, even if they identify as born again Christians. And then Miracle Hill will argue that they are entitled to refuse any prospective parents who don’t comply with [their] condemnation of same-sex relationships and views about gender identity.”

Long-simmering conflict

The conflict between faith-based organizations providing foster care and laws and policies prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation has been going on for more than a decade. Catholic Charities in Massachusetts, Illinois, Washington, D.C., and several cities have chosen to shut down their foster care services rather than obey the state and local nondiscrimination laws. In San Francisco, Catholic Charities several years ago scaled back its adoption services, and said it would not allow same-sex parents to adopt.

In Michigan, lesbian state Attorney

General Dana Nessel announced last week that she would attempt to broker a settlement between a lesbian couple who seeks to adopt children and foster care agencies who refuse to consider their application. Michigan and nine other states have laws permitting foster care agencies to discriminate against same-sex couples.

A 2006 report by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute found that one-third of child welfare agencies in the U.S. rejected applications from prospective parents because they are lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Lorri L. Jean, executive director of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, said a study commissioned by her group found that nearly 20 percent of youth in need of foster care identify as LGBT. In 2011 under the Obama administration, HHS issued a memo encouraging child welfare agencies to better serve LGBT youth and better utilize LGBT prospective parents. But just days after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, a purported draft for an executive order was leaked that sought to prohibit the federal government from taking “any adverse action against a religious organization that provides federally-funded childwelfare services, including promoting and providing adoption, foster, or family support services for children ... on the basis that the organization declines to provide ... such services due to a conflict with the organization’s religious beliefs.”

Wagner’s letter indicated HHS was responding to a letter from the governor in February of last year asking for an exception from an HHS regulation that prohibits foster care organiza-

tions receiving federal funding from discriminating based on religion.

McMaster’s letter informed HHS that South Carolina would have “difficulty” finding homes for children in foster care unless it could rely on “certain faith-based organizations” and that the existing HHS policy forced such faith-based organizations to “abandon their religious beliefs” in order to receive federal funding. McMaster apparently argued that the HHS nondiscrimination policy violated the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. RFRA is a statute that prohibits government from imposing a “substantial burden” on the free exercise of religion without identifying a “compelling” need to do so. It also states that the federal government must not take any adverse action against an individual or religious organization because that organization has “spoken about moral or political issues from a religious perspective.”

Julie Kruse of the national Family Equality Council pointed to a May 2018 Heritage Foundation panel in which HHS official Shannon Royce openly solicited faith-based organizations to seek waivers from non-discrimination policies.

“Those of you who are faith-based foster and adoption agencies,” said Royce, a former Family Research Council official and now director of HHS’s Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives, “... and there is something that you believe substantially burdens your religious expression, we would encourage you to file a request for religious accommodation” under RFRA. t

t

Sports >>

January 31-February 6 , 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 13

Gay skater wins US pairs gold

by Roger Brigham

to others that you can do this, you can overcome, and you are worth it.

You don’t have to doubt yourself for any reason.”

T

imothy LeDuc and Ashley Cain captured the gold medal in the pairs competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit last weekend, making LeDuc the first openly gay American skater to win a national title.

“I’m very grateful, “LeDuc, 28, told Team USA. “I stand on the shoulders of many great athletes who have come before me and allowed me to be open. I believe I am the first openly queer person to win the U.S. pairs title. Rudy Galindo and Randy Gardner came before but I don’t believe they were out.”

Galindo won national and world juniors champions in pairs with Kristi Yamaguchi early in his career, and won the seniors pairs twice with Yamaguchi in 1989 and 1990. He came out in 1996.

Gardner and Tai Babilonia won five seniors pairs titles in a row, ending in 1980 – more than a quarter of a century before he came out in 2006.

Gardner’s life story is the subject of a documentary, “Go Figure: The Randy Gardner Story,” currently in post-production.

The championship hopes for LeDuc and Cain took a hit six weeks earlier when Cain suffered a concussion while they were competing in Croatia. But she healed quickly, they were eventually able to restore elements of their pro-

<<

SFO

From page 11

into the renovated terminal’s design and signage.

At the time Campos had also voiced displeasure with the proposed terminal sign. And the B.A.R. editorialized against it earlier this month, saying the design supported by SFO officials would result in “a perfunctory sign that is easily overlooked by people as they hurry to their flights.”

Stuart Milk, who is gay and heads a foundation named after his uncle, told the B.A.R. that he too felt the airport’s signage was unacceptable. He also questioned the airport’s rationale, since the Tom Bradley Terminal at Los Angeles’ airport doesn’t have a number attached to it.

“We were all shocked when we saw their mock-up really diminished Uncle Harvey,” said Milk, adding, “Supervisor Ronen’s attempt to be conciliatory and

<<

Gay stylist

From page 2

Witnesses

Witnesses began testifying Tuesday. Glen Cole, a hairdresser at Society Salon in Los Angeles, who was former work friends with Escalon, who was also a hairdresser, went out with Escalon the night he met Rickleffs. Cole flew up from the Los Angeles area to visit Escalon.

Cole and Escalon went to a few bars in the Castro before they ended up at 440 Castro. Cole was so intoxicated that he does not remember saying goodbye to Escalon at 440 Castro and does not recall how the two separated, he testified. Cole said the only memory he has after 440 Castro is waking up in his hotel. The next day, the day Escalon died, Cole tried to call and text message Escalon multiple times. The last text Escalon sent to Cole was around 9:30 a.m.

Solis emphasized that Cole had

Giants, A’s LGBT events

U.S. pairs figure skating champion Timothy LeDuc wears a trans ally T-shirt.

gram, overcame a second-place performance in the opening of the nationals, then separated themselves from the pack in the long program Saturday, January 26.

“Queer people still face a lot of challenges in this country,” LeDuc said.

“We’re still fighting for equality. I know for me personally, I spent a lot of my earlier life selfdeprecating because I didn’t understand who I was, and it’s taken years and years of work to overcome that.

I still doubt myself sometimes. To be standing here today as the first openly queer athlete – I don’t say that to honor myself, I say it to show

have Harvey as the main name of Terminal 1 is the appropriate way to go.”

Asked about the font fight in December, Breed had told the B.A.R. she needed to be briefed on the matter. She did express the need for both “appropriate acknowledgement” and information about Milk at the terminal, “and not just his name only but information to that effect, both when you come to the airport and as well as when you go on the website for the airport.”

The $2.4 billion remodel of the Milk terminal will be rolled out in stages over the next three years. A temporary exhibit about Milk is set to debut July 23, when passengers return to the terminal due to the re-opening of the first nine gates in Boarding Area B, and remain up through May 2021.

In addition to the terminal signage there will be an interior photographic display honoring said he did not know much about Escalon’s personal life, and that Escalon had begun smoking marijuana when he moved to San Francisco, which was a few months prior to his death.

San Francisco Police Lieutenant Christopher Del Gannio was next to take the stand. He was one of the first responding officers to a 911 call placed by Escalon’s roommate on the day of his death. When Del Gannio arrived, he said the apartment was in “disarray and had been ransacked.” When beginning to further search the apartment he discovered Escalon in his bedroom upstairs, and he was wrapped tightly in a blanket lying on his bed. Del Gannio then unwrapped Escalon to discover all the binding around Escalon’s hands, feet, and body. When Escalon did not respond to being touched, Del Gannio placed him on the floor to perform CPR. He explained that the cloth

The San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A’s have both scheduled their LGBT special-event games for Pride Month this year.

The A’s will hold their Pride Night on Saturday, June 1, with a 7:07 p.m. game against the Houston Astros.

Special event activities and giveaways have not yet been announced.

The Giants will host their LGBT Night on Wednesday, June 12, with a 6:45 p.m. game against the San Diego Padres. Special event tickets include a pre-game party and a Giants rainbow flag.

Ticket information is available on each team’s website.

Gender equality in the news

If you are one of those folks who still watch American football, you may notice that the Los Angeles Rams will have two male cheerleaders on the sidelines when they take on the New England Patriots Sunday in the Super Bowl. This will be the first time men have been included in any official Super Bowl cheerleading squad. (The beer-bellied guys with their shirts off, paint on their faces, and brews in their fists in the stands don’t count.)

On the other non-beer-holding

hand, United Arab Emirates recognized winners of its Gender Balance Index 2018 awards last Sunday. No, it doesn’t have anything to do with sports, but we note the winners were all men.

“We are proud of the success of Emirati women and their role is central to shaping the future of the country,” Dubai government media officials tweeted. “Gender balance has become a pillar in our governmental institutions.” #facepalm. t

DISPLAY OBITUARIES & IN MEMORIAMS

Softball registration open

Team registration for the spring season of the San Francisco Gay Softball League is open through February 19. The season begins in March, with games played mostly on Sundays, and occasionally, Saturdays.

Individual players interested in joining the league may register as free agents, and the league will help them locate teams taking on players.

An evaluation clinic for players new to the league, including those transferring in from other leagues, will be held Sunday, February 17, at Balboa Park.

For more information on the league, visit http://www.sfgsl.org.

Milk’s legacy and the fight for LGBT rights. It will be in an area the airport is calling the Harvey Milk Inglenook and utilize photos the airport asked the public to submit by last month.

The permanent exhibit, signage, and a lighting art piece in the southern portion of the arrivals level honoring Milk are to be unveiled in March 2020, according to the airport’s November report. By late 2022 an atrium art sculpture in the lobby and a lighting art piece in the north portion of the arrivals level that both honor Milk are to debut with completion of the redevelopment project.

The cost for the overall Milk architectural components is $1.5 million, according to the airport. The lighted art piece to be mounted curbside at the Milk terminal is budgeted at $850,000 and the artwork for the terminal’s three-story atrium is budgeted at $1.1 million. t

around Escalon’s mouth was wrapped so tightly he could not remove it. His partner, who had arrived on the scene with him, also could not remove the cloth.

“It was too tightly wound around his face and mouth [my partner] couldn’t get a knife to cut it without further injuring [Escalon],” Del Gannio testified.

Del Gannio began to perform chest compressions on Escalon without breathing air into his mouth. Escalon was not responsive to CPR. Del Gannio also did not report any body odor and said Escalon’s skin was warm to the touch.

When Solis began to question Del Gannio in cross examination, it was revealed that Del Gannio did not remember seeing any zip ties at the scene and that he did not check how deep the scarf wrapped around Escalon’s face was in his mouth.

The trial is expected to continue next week. t

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hank you for taking the time to complete this survey by the Bay Area Reporter. Your opinions are important to us. For this ninth annual readers’ poll we’re including nominees for each category, along with a write-in designation. This year’s nominees are a mix of previous winners, runners-up from last year, and new entries.

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Best Choral Group

 Chanticleer  East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus  Golden Gate Men’s Chorus  Lesbian/Gay Chorus of SF  Rainbow Women’s Chorus (San Jose)  SF Gay Men’s Chorus ✎

Best Art Museum

 Asian Art Museum  Contemporary Jewish Museum  Cable Car Museum  de Young Museum  GLBT Historical Society Museum  Legion of Honor  Museum of Craft and Design  Museum of the African Diaspora  Oakland Museum of California  Pacific Pinball Museum  San Jose Museum of Art  SF MOMA  Walt Disney Family Museum ✎

Best Nature or Science Museum

 California Academy of Sciences  Exploratorium  SF Botanical Gardens  SF Conservatory of Flowers ✎

Best Ballet Company  Alonzo King Lines Ballet  Ballet San Jose  Diablo Ballet  Oakland Ballet  Post:ballet  San Francisco Ballet  Smuin Ballet ✎

Best Modern Dance Company  AXIS Dance Co.  Detour Dance  Jess Curtis/Gravity  Joe Goode Performance Group  Katie Faulkner/Little Seismic  Keith Hennessy/Circo Zero  ODC Dance  Sean Dorsey Dance ✎

Best Classical Venue

 Davies Symphony Hall  Grace Cathedral  Herbst Theatre, Veteran’s Building  War Memorial Opera House  Old First Church  SF Conservatory of Music  Taube Atrium Theater ✎

Best Large Live Music Venue  The Chapel  The Fillmore  Fox Theatre (Oakland)  Great American Music Hall  Masonic Hall  Regency Center  Slim’s  The Warfield ✎

Best Small Live Music Venue  Martuni’s  The New Parish (Oakland)  Thee Parkside  Rickshaw Stop  El Rio  SF Eagle ✎

Best Theatre Company

 American Conservatory Theater  Aurora Theatre  Bay Area Musicals  Berkeley Repertory Theatre  Curran Theater  New Conservatory Theatre Center  Ray of Light Theatre  SHN  Theatre Rhinoceros ✎

Other prizes include: • Two-night accommodation at the Stanford Court hotel atop San Francisco’s Nob Hill • $500 Shopping spree at Cliff’s Variety • $250 gift certificate at the Cliff House • Pair of tickets to see Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt as Nancy and Beth at Feinstein’s at the Nikko May 4 • Pair of tickets to see Randy Rainbow at the Masonic April 20 (sponsored by Live Nation).

Best Neighborhood Bar

BARS

Best LGBT Event  Castro Street Fair  Folsom Street Fair  Oakland Pride  SF Dyke March  SF Trans March ✎

Best LGBT Fundraiser

 AIDS/LifeCycle  GLBT Historical Society Gala  Horizons Foundation Gala  Light in the Grove  NCLR Gala ✎

Best Health-Related Nonprofit

 Mission Neighborhood Health Center  HealthRight 360 (Lyon-Martin, Tenderloin Health)  PRC  Shanti  St. James Infirmary ✎

Best HIV/AIDS Nonprofit

AIDS Healthcare Foundation AIDS Legal Referral Panel Bay Area Young Positives Project Open Hand  San Francisco AIDS Foundation ✎

Best LGBT Nonprofit

Billy DeFrank LGBTQ Center Oakland LGBTQ Community Center Pacific Center for Human Growth Rainbow Community Center  SF LGBT Community Center  San Mateo Pride Center  Spahr Center ✎

Best LGBT Sports League  Golden Gate Wrestling Club  SF Fog Rugby Club  SF FrontRunners  SF Gay Basketball Association SF Pool Association  SF Tsunami Water Polo ✎

Best Bay Area Pro Sports Team  Oakland A’s  Golden State Warriors  SF 49ers SF Giants  SJ Earthquakes  SJ Sharks ✎

Best Bar/Nightclub to Meet Men  440 Castro  Club 21, Oakland  Lone Star Saloon  SF Eagle  Powerhouse ✎

Best Bar/Nightclub to Meet Transgender People  Jolene’s  Asia SF  Aunt Charlie’s Lounge  Divas  Oasis ✎

Best Bar/Nightclub to Meet Women  Qbar  Virgil’s Sea Room  Wild Side West  Club BnB, Oakland  The Uptown, Oakland ✎

Best Bar Beer Selection  Blackbird  440 Castro  Pilsner Inn  SF Eagle  Toronado ✎

Best Cabaret Venue

 Bay Area Cabaret at the Venetian Room  Feinstein’s at the Nikko  Martuni’s  Oasis ✎

Best Castro Bar/Nightclub  440 Castro  The Edge  Lookout  Midnight Sun  Twin Peaks ✎

Best Bar Dance Floor  Beaux  The Café  Club BnB, Oakland  Oasis  Space 550 ✎

Best East Bay Bar  1220 Club  Club BnB/Club 21  Port Bar  Turf Club  White Horse Bar ✎

Best Bar for Mixed Drinks  Blackbird  Driftwood  Finn Town  Martuni’s  Twin Peaks ✎

 The Cinch  Pilsner Inn  Twin Peaks  Virgil’s Sea Room  Wild Side West ✎

Best Sports Bar  440 Castro  The Edge  Lookout  Hi Tops  Pilsner Inn ✎

Best SoMa Bar/Nightclub  Club OMG  Driftwood  Hole in the Wall  Jolene’s  Lone Star Saloon  Powerhouse  SF Eagle  The Stud ✎

Best Stray (Straight/Gay) Bar  Blackbird  Driftwood  EndUp  Slate  The Willows ✎

Best Wine Bar  Blush  City Club  Press Club  Swirl ✎

NIGHTLIFE EVENTS

Best Drag Show

 Blessed at Port Bar  Daytime Realness at El Rio  The Monster Show at The Edge  Mother at Oasis  Sex, Drags & Rock n Roll at Midnight Sun  Vivvy’s Grand Opening at The Stud ✎

Best Comedy Night

 Comedy Night at Club OMG  Comedy Night at the SF Eagle  Comedy Returns at El Rio  Funny Fun at Club 21, Oakland  Hysteria Comedy at Martuni’s ✎

Best Game Night

 Bottoms Up Bingo at Hi Tops  Gaymers at Brewcade  Gaymer Night at SF Eagle  Gaymer Night at Midnight Sun  Miss Kitty’s Trivia Night at Wild Side West ✎

Best (non-contest) Leather Event at a Bar  BLUF at SF Eagle  Code at The Edge  Lick It at the Powerhouse  Onyx at Powerhouse ✎

Best Weekly Nightlife Event  Lips & Lashes at Lookout  Pan Dulce at Beaux  Sundance Saloon at Space 550  Uhaul at Jolene’s  Beer Bust at SF Eagle  Gayface at El Rio  The Monster Show at The Edge ✎

Best Monthly Nightlife Event

 Beatpig at The Powerhouse  Boy Division at Codeword  Dads And Disco at Driftwood  Disco Daddy at SF Eagle  Gameboi at Rickshaw Stop  Go Bang! at The Stud ✎

Best Non-Weekly/NonMonthly Nightlife Event

 Asheq at Slate  Bearracuda (various venues)  Comfort & Joy (various venues)  Hard French Winter Ball  ShangriLa at The EndUp ✎

Best Stage Show in a Bar Nightclub

 Baloney at Oasis  Buffy the Vampire Killer at Oasis  Dandy at Oasis  Red Hots Burlesque at The Stud ✎

Best Bar Theme Night  Cubcake at The Lone Star Saloon  Frolic at SF Eagle  Gym Class at Hi Tops  Onesie Parties at Lookout  Puff at The Stud ✎

Best Unusual Nightlife Event

 GAPA Runway  Flagging in the Park  Broadway Bares Strip SF at DNA Lounge  Project Nunway at SOMArts  Glow in the Streets at Flore ✎

Best Women’s Bar Event

 Girl Scout at Port Bar Oakland  Mango at El Rio  Vamp Mondays at Beaux  Ships in the Night at New Parish, Oakland  Uhaul at Jolene’s  Vice Tuesdays at Qbar ✎

PEOPLE

Best Bartender

 Captain Ficcardi, White Horse  Jeffrey Green, Twin Peaks Tavern  Ben Chambers, Beaux  Aaron Isaac Joshua, Qbar  Denny Lee Miller, Pilsner  Ricky Mendia, Lone Star  Justin Barrett, Midnight Sun  Oscar Pineda, The Stud  Joe Quintero, Virgil’s Sea Room ✎

Best Cabaret Performer  Leanne Borghesi  Connie Champagne  Sony Holland  Paula West  Brian Kent  Barry Lloyd  Russ Lorenson  Joe Wicht  Vanessa Bousay  Matthew Martin  Katya Smirnoff-Skyy ✎

Best Comic

 Lisa Geduldig  Natasha Muse  Marilyn Pittman  Karen Ripley  Irene Tu  Justin Lucas  Nick Leonard  Ronn Vigh  Sampson McCormick  Jesus U. Betta Work ✎

Best DJ

 Becky Knox  Bus Station John  DavOmakesbeats  Marke B  David Harness  Hawthorne  Jason Kendig  MC2  Guy Ruben  Mark O’Brien  Trever Pearson  Balthazar  Carrie on Disco  Jenna Riot  Juanita MORE!  Lady Ryan  Lady Shar  Luna  Najee Renee  Page Hodel  Olga T  Ms. Jackson  Skyler Madison  China G  Siobhan Alovalot  Tweaka Turner ✎

Best DJ Duo/Group  Adrian & Mysterious D  BAAAHS  Hard French  Honey Soundsystem  Go Bang! ✎

Best Drag King

 Leigh Crow  Clammy Faye  Madd Dogg 20/20  Mickey Finn  Arty Fishal  Fudgie Frottage  Mason Dixon Jars  Kegel Kater  Pepe Pan ✎

Best Drag Queen  Carnie Asada  D’Arcy Drollinger  Sugah Betes  Glamamore  Intensive Claire  Raya Light  Joie de Vivre  Landa Lakes  Mercedez Munro  Mutha Chucka  Rahni NothingMore  Bebe Sweetbriar  Grace Towers  Holotta Tymes ✎

Best Faux Queen  Scarlet Astrid  Alotta Boutté  Trixxie Carr  Crème Fatale  Bruja Palmiero  Miss Shugana  Black Benatar ✎

Best Gogo Guy

 Teddy Bryce  Josh Colwell  Chad Dawson  Dwayne Hibbert  James Kindle  Simon Palczynski  Chad Stewart  Colin Stack-Troost  Michael Strickland  Michael Tempesta  Paul William ✎

Best Gogo Gal

 Lucy Dorado  Jella Gogo  Chloe Rainwater  Vada Ashley ✎

Best Host/Emcee  Peaches Christ  Heklina  Lance Holman  Gina LaDivinia  Honey Mahogany  Pollo del Mar  Juanita MORE!  Donna Sachet  Sister Roma  Grace Towers ✎

Best Band/Musician

 Matt Alber  Eli Conley  Double Duchess  Suzanne ‘Kitten on the Keys’ Ramsey  The Klipptones  Maria Konner & Not From Jersey  Secret Emchy Society  Tammy Hall Trio  Tom Shaw Trio  Xavier Toscano  Vagabondage  Velvetta ✎

Best Nightlife Photographer

 Cabure Bonugli/Shot in the City  Gooch  Marques Daniels  Georg Lester  CJ Knight  Rich Stadmiller  Steven Underhill  Tom Schmidt/Dot ✎

Best Breakfast

Best Coffee Shop

Best Grocery Store (Independent)

 Blue Bottle  Dolores Park Café  Four Barrel  Peet’s  Philz ✎

 Bi-Rite Market  Golden Produce/ Golden Natural Foods  Good Life Grocery  Gus’s Market  Rainbow Grocery ✎

Best Late Night Restaurant  DNA Pizza  Orphan Andy’s  Grubstake  Nopa  Trick Dog ✎

Best Gym

Best Happy Hour Bites  Azucar Lounge  Harvey’s  Hi Tops  Jolene’s  Nopa ✎

 Apothecarium  Green Cross  Medithrive  SPARC  Vapor Room ✎

Best Bar Menu  Harvey’s  Hi Tops  Jolene’s  Lookout  Sycamore ✎

Best Place to Pamper Your Pets

 Bernal Beast  Doggie Day Spaw  Mudpuppy's Tub & Scrub  Noe Valley Pet Company  VIP Pet Grooming / VIP Scrub Club ✎

Best Pet Hotel

Best Auto Dealer

 High Tail  Pet Camp  Mission: Cats  Wag (Oakland)  Wag (San Francisco) ✎

 BMW of SF  Carlsen Subaru  Lexus of Serramonte  Mini of SF  SF Toyota ✎

Best Bank/Credit Union  Bank of America  Capital One  Chase  SF Federal Credit Union  Sterling Bank and Trust ✎

Best Brunch

 Daddy’s Barbershop  Glama-Rama  Louie’s Barbershop  Male Image  Mystic Haircutting ✎

Best Lunch

 Flore  Harvey’s  Starbelly  Super Duper  Zazie ✎

Best Dinner

Best Barbershop

Best Bicycle Shop

 Box Dog Bikes  Freewheel Bike Shop  Market Street Bikes  Mission Bicycle Company  Valencia Cyclery ✎

Best Bookstore

 Canela  Delfina  Firewood Café  Finn Town  Petit Crenn ✎

 Alley Cat Books  Books Inc. Opera Plaza  Dog Eared Books  Folio Books  Green Apple Books ✎

Best Dessert

Best Dog Park

 The Baked Bear  Genki Crepes  Sixth Course  Tartine  Tout Sweet ✎

Best Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt  Bi-Rite Creamery  Castro Fountain  Garden Creamery  Humphry Slocombe  Mitchell’s Ice Cream ✎

Best Restaurant Outdoor Patio  Americano  Fable  Foreign Cinema  Mars Bar  Zeitgeist ✎

 Code at The Edge  Junk at Powerhouse  Underwear Night at 440 Castro  Pound Puppy at SF Eagle ✎

Best Sex Shop

 Auto Erotica  Does Your Mother Know  Good Vibrations  Mr. S. Leather  Rock Hard ✎

Best Cannabis Dispensary

 Orphan Andy’s  Howard’s Café  Kate’s Kitchen  Me & Tasty  Stacks  Plow ✎

 Breakfast at Tiffany’s  Dottie’s  Hamburger Mary’s  Jones/MORE  Squat & Gobble ✎

 24-Hour Fitness  Barry’s Bootcamp  Fitness SF - Castro  LiveFit Gym  SF CrossFit ✎

Cruisiest Event

 Bernal Heights Dog Park  Corona Heights Dog Park  Duboce Park  Ocean Beach small dog run (weekly)  Point Isabel (Richmond) ✎

Best Doggie Day Care  Mr Muggles' Dogs  Wag (Oakland)  Wag (San Francisco)  Tafani & So. Dogcare ✎

Best Veterinarian

 Castro Animal Hospital  Mission Pet Hospital  San Francisco Veterinary House Calls  Seven Hills Veterinary Hospital  VCA San Francisco Vet Specialists ✎

Best Thrift Store

 Community Thrift  Goodwill  Out of the Closet (AIDS Healthcare Foundation) ✎

Best Vintage Clothing/ Consignment Shop  Buffalo Exchange  Crossroads Trading Co.  Sui Generis  Wasteland ✎

Best Variety Shop  Cliff’s Variety  Just for Fun  Local Take ✎

Best Beaches

 Black Sands  Marshall’s Beach  Muir Beach  San Gregorio Nude Beach  Stinson Beach ✎

Best Domestic Getaway  Las Vegas  Chicago  New Orleans  New York  Palm Springs  Santa Fe ✎

Best Local Getaway  Carmel/Monterey  Half Moon Bay  Sonoma  Reno-Tahoe  Russian River ✎

Best Honeymoon Destination

 Hawaii  Key West, Florida  Paris, France  Provincetown, MA  Puerto Vallarta, Mexico ✎

Best Place to Buy Rings  D&H Sustainable Jewelers  Gallery of Jewels  Love & Luxe  Shane Co.  Shreve & Co ✎

Best Wedding Photographer

 Jane Cleland  Rick Gerharter  Gooch  Georg Lester  Steven Underhill ✎

Best Wedding Reception Venue

 City Club of San Francisco  Julia Morgan Ballroom  Legion of Honor  SF City Hall  Terra Gallery ✎

Best Place to Buy Furniture  Ashley Home Store  Maker & Moss  Norden Living  Room & Board  Stag & Manor ✎

Best Sex Venue

Best Grocery Store (Chain)

 Mollie Stone’s Markets  Safeway  Trader Joe’s  Whole Foods ✎

 Blow Buddies  Eros  Steamworks Berkeley  The Watergarden ✎

Enter Your Information to Qualify for the Prize Drawings Name: City/Town:

State:

ZIP:

Country: Email Address:

MAIL IN THIS BALLOT OR VOTE ONLINE AT

www.ebar.com/besties2019 Mail to Besties, 44 Gough St. #204, San Francisco, CA 94103.

Bay Area Reporter staff are not eligible for prize drawings.

Survey results will be published in the April 6 issue.

<< Community News

16 • Bay Area Reporter • January 31-February 6 , 2019

<<

Besties

From page 1

based on readers’ responses last year.

Another new feature is that all the nominees in the best LGBT nonprofit category are LGBT community centers in the Bay Area, which should

<<

<<

<<

Palm Springs

From page 8

Colfax

From page 1

public hospital,” Colfax told the Bay Area Reporter when asked why he wanted the job. “San Francisco has always been a leader in health. It is an honor to rejoin the team.”

Between 2007 and 2012 Colfax had been San Francisco’s HIV prevention director, a position in which he instigated sweeping changes to how the city addressed the epidemic. He was an early advocate for a number of policies once viewed as controversial, such as rapid HIV testing and treatment on demand in order to lower patients’ HIV viral loads so they are less likely to transmit the virus.

Those prevention approaches are now pillars of San Francisco’s Getting to Zero strategy aimed at reducing the number of new HIV cases by 90 percent come 2020.

Colfax was also an early supporter of another part of the strategy, PrEP, the once-a-day pill that has proven effective at keeping people HIV negative when taken as prescribed. He did so at a time when many questioned its merits as an HIV prevention tool.

<<

Half Moon Bay, a $500 shopping spree at Cliff ’s Variety, a pair of tickets to see Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt as Nancy and Beth at Feinstein’s at the Nikko May 4, and a pair of tickets to see Randy Rainbow at the Masonic April 20 (sponsored by Live Nation).

Readers are encouraged to vote early and those who do so in the

Stonewall Inn

renovations in recent years, taking an already beautiful property up a notch.

The two-story resort overlooks a huge pool and spa and is reminiscent of a Mexican hacienda. The resort offers bicycles for guests. The resort is an easy half-mile walk or bicycle ride to the heart of downtown.

readers are asked what other beaches they enjoy. As in the past, there is a write-in option for every category.

Readers who complete at least 75 percent of the ballot will automatically be eligible for prizes.

(See the ballot for detailed information.)

Prizes include a three-night stay at Nantucket Whale Inn in

From page 1

stroyed by Hurricane Katrina. She also had held a number of successful fundraising events at the Duplex, which brought her to the attention of Morgan, DeCicco, and Kelly, who worked there as a bartender, when the trio was looking into buying the Stonewall Inn. “They saw that Stacy could pack a room,” said Lentz, the first lesbian investor in the iconic bar, which fronts the country’s first LGBT national monument overseen by the National Park Service.

While Kelly manages the day-today operations of the bar, Morgan oversees its legal affairs, and DeCicco handles the finances, Lentz is in charge of public relations, marketing, and heads its nonprofit arm, the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative.

“We had done thousands of charity events throughout the years for various groups. We thought we need to really take Stonewall Inn, the bar itself, and make sure it continues to have a personal stake in the fight,” said Lentz, “so that it stays on the forefront of activism and the gay rights movement.”

Since launching the initiative in 2017, the bar has raised more than $120,000 for LGBT groups and charities in more rural areas of the

inspire a friendly competition.

Other new categories include best place to buy furniture and best doggie daycare. The wedding photographer category has also returned this year.

Some repeat winners are retired to give others a chance to win. For example, Ocean Beach won many times in the best beach category, so

LGBT API forum

From page 9

forum “was a much needed conversation we don’t get to hear much of, especially from queer Asian immigrants.”

He wasn’t sure what GAPA’s next step would be to foster more discus-

Rick Gerharter

The Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village was decorated for the Stonewall 25 celebrations in June 1994.

t

first week will be entered into a special contest to win a pair of tickets to the aforementioned Randy Rainbow show.

Besties voting closes Sunday, March 3, at 11:59 p.m.; the Besties issue will be published Thursday, April 4.

To vote, mail in the ballot or visit www.ebar.com/besties2019. t

organized by the Heritage of Pride group, another group calling itself the Reclaim Pride Coalition, which includes transgender whistleblower Chelsea Manning and AIDS activist Larry Kramer, is planning a Stonewall 50 March for Human Rights and Social Justice the same day – Sunday, June 30 – kicking off from the Stonewall Inn. “We see value in both sides of this,” said Lentz, with the one group wanting to raise as much money as possible for LGBT groups and the other calling for a more politicized event without corporate sponsors.

The bar is planning its own kickoff to Pride fundraiser in early June and has partnered with the Brooklyn Brewery to again release a Stonewall Inn IPA that will be available for purchase across the country and in Europe. It relates to what Lentz plans to focus on during her talk in San Francisco, how companies have a social responsibility to support the LGBT community.

“I am super excited about it,” said Lentz, who has only been to the Bay Area once before.

For more information about the various events taking place in New York City this June, visit https://2019-worldpride-stonewall50.nycpride.org/ and https:// reclaimpridenyc.org/. t

country. Grants have been given to Proyecto Matria in Puerto Rico, the Gulf Coast Equality council, and a Mississippi LGBTQ fund.

This year, due to all the focus it expects to receive and the boost in LGBT tourism to the city, the Stonewall initiative is aiming to raise $500,000 to give to charitable causes.

“We focus on places not like New York, or San Francisco, or Los Angeles, or Miami where it is easy to be gay. We focus on areas where equality is slow to rise. Places like where I grew up in Kansas,” explained Lentz, noting that the bar helped fund a 2017 Pride event in Independence, Kansas.

Remaining neutral

The aforementioned InnDulge is another gay resort that attracts a very loyal following even in the slower summer months. It’s owned by couple Jon Jackson and Sandy Miller, who make everyone feel like family.

The nightly free happy hour is a great way to meet fellow guests. Miller has a knack for remembering names and is great at introducing guests to one another. InnDulge, like most of the Palm

Springs gay resorts, attracts guest from all over the world.

There are a couple of new options for getting to Palm Springs from the Bay Area. Sun Country Airlines began nonstop service between San Francisco International Airport and Palm Springs in November but the service runs only on Mondays and Fridays.

Sun Country joins Alaska and United with providing nonstop service between SFO and Palm Springs.

The cheapest way to get to Palm Springs from the Bay Area is by FlixBus, which offers service from San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose. The fare you pay will depend on demand and how early you book. Expect to pay in the range of $25-$50 each way, for the ride that takes about 12 hours,

including the time to transfer to another bus in Los Angeles. If you don’t mind the long drive, the car trip to Palm Springs from San Francisco takes about 7.5 hours without stops. t

“The key thing with HIV right now is the great progress made in the last decade or so. New HIV infections have been cut in half,” said Colfax. “We also see in HIV health inequities, particularly among communities of color. We can do better, clearly, from access to PrEP to linkages in care. We need to continue to figure that out.”

He succeeds lesbian former health director Barbara Garcia, who resigned last summer after questions were raised about a contract granted to her wife’s employer. For nearly three decades a gay or lesbian person has overseen the city’s public health department.

Mayor London Breed made the hiring announcement Wednesday during her State of the City address, calling Colfax “one of our own” due to his years of working at the health department.

“He knows our city and its challenges, and he is ready to get to work,” said Breed. “And he knows that we need to get to zero HIV infections in San Francisco. We need to reach our most vulnerable populations, particularly our AfricanAmerican and Latino communities who are not seeing their HIV infec-

tion rates drop as others do. This means getting everyone – and I mean everyone – access to services, treatment, and preventative medication like PrEP. And I know that Dr. Colfax will get us to that goal.”

Colfax, who grew up in Mendocino on a goat farm, left northern California in 2012 to lead the White House Office of National AIDS Policy in the Obama administration. Two years later the nonprofit Programs for Appropriate Technology in Health, or PATH, hired him to lead its HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis program in its South San Francisco office.

After that he went to work for Marin. The last four years, said Colfax, “has been a privilege” and he believes the health agency “made significant progress.” He sees room for the two county health departments to work in collaboration moving forward.

“We know health and wellness knows no borders,” he said. “There are lots of shared priorities.”

Colfax expects to move back to San Francisco at some point. In addition to ensuring the city meets its goal for reducing HIV transmissions, Colfax will be in charge of

opening a supervised injection site for intravenous drug users should state lawmakers grant San Francisco permission to pilot the program and federal officials fail in their attempts to block it.

“I have looked at the data – we have years of data – and it shows safe consumption sites save lives and have a positive effect on the community,” said Colfax. “I look forward to looking at how that possibility can potentially be realized.”

He added that he is “certainly supportive of the concept” and stressed that, “as a priority for health, it is important.” But Colfax also said there “are a number of concerns and issues” that the city will need to address in opening up such a facility, such as ensuring the “people accessing the services are safe.”

Asked about recent media reports detailing the high cost of medical services at the city-run Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Colfax said it is an issue he plans to address.

“It is something I will be looking at with the team there. Beyond that, I can’t comment,” said Colfax.

He also said he is “in alignment” with Breed’s plans for how the city addresses behavioral health, homelessness, and community health.

A main question he will grapple with, said Colfax, is “how do we ensure our care system in mental health and substance abuse treatment continues to expand and grow and meet the people most in need?”

One way, noted Colfax, is for DPH to work closely with the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing in “ensuring we are doing everything we can for people anywhere along the continuum of homelessness to permanent supportive housing so they are getting the care and support they need on the medical side to do better and improve.”

Colfax graduated from Harvard College in 1987 and from Harvard Medical School in 1993. He completed his medical residency at UCSF and then was hired by DPH in 1997 to direct its HIV clinical prevention studies.

The mayor’s office did not yet know what his salary would be as DPH director. t

sion on the matter. Monday’s forum was the first time he could recall GAPA partnering with another political group to host such an event.

“It did substantiate the need for these conversations to happen,” he said.

BART board director Janice Li, the only queer Asian woman currently in

elected office in San Francisco, agreed that the forum “was one of many conversations that need to happen.”

She was impressed that the audience was predominately Asian or Pacific Islander, which Li hadn’t expected to see.

“Within the queer API community there needs to be more conversation,” said Li.

As for if Zhao plans to run again at some point for a school board seat, she was noncommittal when pressed in the brief interview with the B.A.R. She commended Breed’s decision this month to name her education adviser, Jenny Lam, to serve out the term of Matt Haney, who resigned his seat January 8 after being sworn in as the

District 6 supervisor.

“I want to take time to build relationships and build trust, especially with the LGBT community,” said Zhao. “It is also a two-way street.

People need to make an investment to know more about the Chinese community. We don’t know each other and people make assumptions.” t

Getting there

As for the competing New York City Pride marches planned to commemorate the actions that took place at the bar five decades ago, Lentz told the B.A.R. that the bar itself is “going to play Switzerland” and support both events.

In addition to the annual march

For more information and a complete list of the gay hotels in Palm Springs, visit the city’s official travel website and click on LGBT at the top of the page: https://www. visitpalmsprings.com/.

International News>>

t Queer undocumented activists feted at S. Bay event

January 31-February 6 , 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 17

by Heather Cassell

L

GBT undocumented immigrants were part of a celebration last week in Silicon Valley.

Headlining the January 25 ceremonies was Yosimar Reyes, who was raised in the South Bay. Nearly 200 attendees, including elected officials, county employees, community organizations, and immigration supporters attended the 12th annual Beacon of Light Awards dinner in Campbell.

The event was hosted by the Santa Clara County Executive Office’s Office of Immigrant Relations under its Equity and Social Justice Division. The division is overseen by David Campos, the county’s deputy county executive who is a gay immigrant himself.

Campos, a former San Francisco supervisor, fled Guatemala’s political and economic unrest in 1985 when he was 14. Like many immigrants since the founding of the United States, he came to the country searching for the American Dream, he told the Bay Area Reporter.

He spoke about the importance of the awards and what they symbolize at a time when President Donald Trump has “declared war on immigrants,” he said, and “shut down the government because he wanted to build a wall at the US-Mexico border.” (The partial government shutdown ended just hours before the event.)

“I think in that kind of political climate the immigrant communities of

Heather Cassell

Maribel Martinez, left, director of Santa Clara County’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, joined undocumented queer poet Yosimar Reyes and David Campos, deputy county executive, at the Beacon of Light Awards ceremony in Campbell January 25.

Santa Clara County need something positive,” he said. “Tonight is a celebration of the positive contributions of immigrants.”

Campos explained that the immigrants being honored for their work come from different parts of the world.

Reyes, a 30-year-old queer Latino who was raised on the eastside of San Jose, emceed the ceremonies and entertained guests with quips such as, “I took someone’s job. I apologize.”

Jose Antonio Vargas, a gay Filipino Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Emmy-nominated filmmaker, was to attend but was ill. He recently published a book, “Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen.” A new elementary in his hometown of Mountain View is be-

ing named after him this year.

An estimated 40 percent of residents in Santa Clara County are immigrants, according to the county’s Office of Immigrant Relations.

The office’s research found immigrants in Santa Clara County contributed $77 billion to the U.S. economy in 2014, the most recent statistics available. As of 2015, the office found that immigrants founded 50 percent of the county’s 14 Fortune 500 companies. These companies had a combined $393 billion in annual revenues and employed 24,464 people in the county in 2014. The office also found that immigrants were twice as likely to be entrepreneurs than American citizens, with the highest concentration of small business owners (33 percent)

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Cindy Chavez, vice president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, presented Father Jon Pedigo of Catholic Charities with the Cindy Avitia Award for Lifetime Achievement in Activism and Advocacy for Immigrant Rights for his nearly 30 years of social justice work.

Other Beacon of Light awardees included Almaz Negash of the African Diaspora Network, Beth Chance of the county’s public defender’s office, and the Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network.

The network supports the South Bay’s immigrant community.

It monitors, responds to, and documents Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Santa Clara County. The network of 700 volunteers is a program of People Acting in Community Together.

Out LGBT immigrant

“I always thought that it was important for people like me who are LGBTQ to talk about LGBTQ issues in the immigrant community, because there is homophobia in that community,” said Campos. “Likewise, as an LGBTQ person, it’s important to talk about immigration because there is xenophobia within the LGBTQ community.

“The LGBTQ community is present in every community and I think

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that within the immigrant community, in the immigrant rights movement, members of the LGBTQ community have a long history of involvement and engagement,” Campos continued. “That’s because we have been marginalized and many of us came to this country from other parts of the world because of our sexual orientation and gender identity.”

Maribel Martinez, a queer woman of color who is the director of the county’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs under Campos’ oversight, said the communities should work in solidarity.

She noted Roxsana Hernandez’s story as an example of immigrants who need protection.

Hernandez, a transgender woman, came to the U.S. escaping persecution in Honduras and died in ICE custody.

Reyes said that his choice to be out both as an undocumented immigrant and a queer person provides undocumented and queer people a reflection of themselves.

“I say that I’m undocumented because there might be a person in the audience who might not be public about it, but to them to see a representation or a reflection that our stories are not always doom and gloom,” he said.t

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JAN 10, 17, 24, 31, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038460600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HAVEN REAL ESTATE PARTNERS, 2369 UNION ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SUSAN DOOLITTLE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/07/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/07/19.

JAN 10, 17, 24, 31, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038460000

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JAN 10, 17, 24, 31, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038453000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: IOBJX, 1587 11TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOHN B. GRAHAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/02/19.

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JAN 10, 17, 24, 31, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038453500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PUFFIN, 828 TAYLOR ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRIAN HICKEY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/02/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/02/19.

JAN 10, 17, 24, 31, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038441200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STUDIO B CUBED ARCHITECTURE, 1788 19TH AVE, 2ND FL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRANDON QUAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/19/18.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038441700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TSIMSHASUI BEAUTY CENTER, 310 8TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SAO IENG FONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/12/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/20/18.

JAN 10, 17, 24, 31, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038449000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALLEY HOUSE, 3751 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GS RIVERSIDE GRILL (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/28/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/28/18.

JAN 10, 17, 24, 31, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038445000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CANNABIS INFUSED BEAUTY, 1049 MARKET ST #403, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PVSH HOLDINGS (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/21/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/21/18.

JAN 10, 17, 24, 31, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038458100

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037618700

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: PETES LAUNDERETTE, 600 OCTAVIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by YAOGUANG TAN & WUT KHUN KYI. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/31/17.

JAN 10, 17, 24, 31, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554538

In the matter of the application of: RICHARD PETER SOMDAHL, 1550 MASONIC ST., SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner RICHARD PETER SOMDAHL, is requesting that the name RICHARD PETER SOMDAHL, be changed to RICARDO XAVIER SOMDAHL. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 5th of March 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554522

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ASAHIRU, 1325 9TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALEX TAO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/26/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/26/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROTI INDIAN BISTRO, 53 WEST PORTAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ROTI INDIAN BISTRO LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/04/19.

In the matter of the application of: THOMAS GIONET SCHMIDT C/O CHRISTINA H. LEE, (SB #230883), BECKER & LEE LLP, 1322 WEBSTER ST #300, OAKLAND, CA 94612, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner THOMAS GIONET SCHMIDT, is requesting that the name THOMAS GIONET SCHMIDT, be changed to THOMAS GIONET PETROVIC-SCHMIDT. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 12th of March 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 10, 17, 24, 31, 2019

JAN 10, 17, 24, 31, 2019

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019

JAN 10, 17, 24, 31, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038446800

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554523 In the matter of the application of: VLADIMIR PETROVIC C/O CHRISTINA H. LEE, (SB #230883), BECKER & LEE LLP, 1322 WEBSTER ST #300, OAKLAND, CA 94612, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner VLADIMIR PETROVIC, is requesting that the name VLADIMIR PETROVIC, be changed to VLADIMIR PETROVIC-SCHMIDT. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 12th of March 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554530 In the matter of the application of: KATHY SHU KHIN KYI, 336 8TH AVE #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner KATHY SHU KHIN KYI, is requesting that the name KATHY SHU KHIN KYI AKA SHU KHIN KATHY KYI AKA SHU KHIN KYI AKA KATHY S KYI, be changed to KATHY SHUKHIN KYI. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 28th of February 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038470700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 415 EYEWEAR, 3251 20TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MD RASHIDULL ALAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/10/19.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019

<< Section

18 • Bay Area Reporter • January 31-February 6 , 2019

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038447700

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038467500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROGUE SUPPLIES, 1882 33RD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CARMEN IBARRA LLANOS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/25/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/27/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE GATEWAY, 460 DAVIS COURT, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a limited partnership, and is signed GOLDEN GATEWAY CENTER (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/05/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/19.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038472300

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038444100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO MOBILE CHIROPRACTOR, 110 GOUGH ST #201A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KIM MAKOI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/11/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/11/19.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038440600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MASTERPIECE TATTOO, 614 WASHINGTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRAHIAN MARTINEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/19/18.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038471800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: YIELD, 2490 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MORENA WINE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/21/18.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038444200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PAUSE, 1666 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MORENA WINE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/11/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/21/18.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038467300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HART HABITATS, 1367 8TH AVE #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KRISTINA HAWLEY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/09/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/11/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE GATEWAY, 460 DAVIS COURT, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed GOLDEN GATEWAY CENTER SPE, LLC (DE).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/05/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/19.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038461000

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038452800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LUCKY SPOT, 1917 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LIYU KUANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/07/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUNSET SUDS, 1100 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SFR415 LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/13/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/02/19.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038465100

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038078800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DAVID ROSE HAIR, 1538 PACIFIC AVE #104, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAVID GARY YEPREMIAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/08/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/19.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038460800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BRO’S CAFE, 1184 1/2 GENEVA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FELICIANO H. YAMAT II. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/07/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/07/19.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038465900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FAR WEST SKINCARE, 1756 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SARAH CHERNESKY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/07/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/19.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038472200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MASHALLAH HALAL FOOD TRUCK INDIAN AND PAKISTANI, 1804 LIBERTY ST, EL CERRITO, CA 94530. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed RABIA WAQAR & MOHAMMAD WAQAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/11/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/11/19.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038471700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 07 STUDIOS; ZEROSEVEN STUDIOS, 1305 INDIANA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed SHELLEY FARRELL & DAVID BRENT HATCHER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/11/19.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038470400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TO BE DISCLOSED, 718 CLEMENTINA ST #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed DEREK BARROS JR. & DAVIN WENTWORTHTHRASHER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/10/19.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038444500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KAJI; SUSHI HUNTER, 1701 POWELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed H & K INVESTMENT GROUP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/21/18.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038465200

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: NAILS CARE FOR YOU, 1507 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by LAN THANH TRAN. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/03/18.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037381900

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: BRIAN TATTOOS, 614 WASHINGTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by BRAHIAN MARTINEZ. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/12/16.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554562

In the matter of the application of: ANNWEN CAROLINE HUGHES-WHITE, 4132 26TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner ANNWEN CAROLINE HUGHES-WHITE, is requesting that the name ANNWEN CAROLINE HUGHES-WHITE, be changed to GWENDOLEN ANNWEN CAROLINE WHITE HUGHES. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 7th of March 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554540

In the matter of the application of: JULIE FARRIS, 1142 FILBERT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JULIE FARRIS, is requesting that the name JULIE FARRIS AKA JULIE HANNA, be changed to JULIE HANNA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 5th of March 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554557

In the matter of the application of: BECKY DENISE WONG, 260 WAWONA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner BECKY DENISE WONG, is requesting that the name BECKY DENISE WONG, be changed to BECCA WONG. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 7th of March 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554556

In the matter of the application of: BRIAN DEREK WONG, 260 WAWONA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner BRIAN DEREK WONG, is requesting that the name BRIAN DEREK WONG, be changed to BRIAN TAK YAN WONG. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 7th of March 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 BURK CHUNG FOUNDATION

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: REVIVAL FILM, 608 ELIZABETH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PENABRAND INC. (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/19.

The Annual Report of the Burk Chung Foundation, 465 Clementina Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 is available at the Foundation’s office for inspection during regular business hours. Copies of the Annual Report have been furnished to the Attorney General of the State of California. Burk Chung, Trustee. Fiscal year ended November 30, 2018.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038473600

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038485000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COLOR ME BEAUTY SPA, 1507 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed NGUYEN CHAU & KIM NGUYEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/11/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/11/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO COUNSELING & CONSULTING, 55 NEW MONTGOMERY ST #323, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SARAH COX. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/18/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/18/19.

JAN 17, 24, 31, FEB 07, 2019

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038484300

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038460300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ENLIVEN HEALTH AND WELLNESS, 582 MARKET ST #314, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BETHANY RICHARDSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/18/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE VALENCIA ROOM, 647 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed 1750 CROCKETT LANE LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/07/19.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038483000

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038461900

t

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038487000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TYCOON KITCHEN, 425 MISSION ST #121, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MR. EAST INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/22/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/22/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038487600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JM DISCOUNT LIQUORS, 3801 NORIEGA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PAWANDEEP SINGH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/17/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BUSTER’S CHEESE STEAK, 366 COLUMBUS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PHILLIES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/07/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO ARTS HIGH SCHOOL; SAN FRANCISCO ARTS ACADEMY, 1950 PAGE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed INSTITUTE FOR ARTS & CULTURE, INC. (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/22/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/22/19.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038473800

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038479200

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038486200

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038467000

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038492700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PHO LIEN PHAT VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT, 2109 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HOA TU LAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/14/19.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038449400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EDNA SPECIAL LIGHTING EFFECTS; EDNA SLE; EDNA, 2621 BRYANT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRUCE JOHNSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/28/18.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038468800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MISSION BLUE, 1384 11TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALEXIS NAHABEDIAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/15/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/19.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038478700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MFY TALENT, 355 1ST ST #S1505, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHAEL YAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/16/19.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038474400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NOB HILL PSYCHOTHERAPY, 842 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARC ANTHONY ROMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/14/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/14/19.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038469500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VEGA PROJECT, 298 FAIR OAK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JEFFREY M. CALDWELL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/10/19.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 04, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038451000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OBLIQUE CITY, 1143 SHRADER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117.

This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed SHAUM MEHRA, DAN HOGMAN & SEPIDEH MAJIDI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/28/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/31/18.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038479500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GREAT ESCAPE FIRE ESCAPE SERVICE, 2277 MCKINNON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed TRALOCH HOLDINGS (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/16/19.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038483500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DROPBAGTOUS, 900 FOLSOM ST #153, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed STARTUPMOZO, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/17/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/17/19.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038483200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JJ O’SULLIVAN ELECTRIC, 36 AGNON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DOWNEY ELECTRIC, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/16/06. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/17/19.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038478000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 7 NAIL SPA, 4907 A MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed NEW 7 NAILS, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/15/19.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038483600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CIAO BELLA NAILS SALON, 2277 CHESTNUT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed PHONG THANH DOAN & TRANG KIEU DANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/17/19.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROY; ROY-A-HOSPITALITY DESIGN STUDIO, 3616 LAWTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HANNAH COLLINS DESIGNS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/19/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/16/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TEAMLOGIC IT #60537, 12 GEARY ST #401, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JCE SERVICES, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/22/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DOGWOOD BOTANICALS, 2442 GREAT HWY, #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed DIANA UNLIMITED LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GLOWING, 3281 20TH ST # 250J, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GLOWING INVESTMENT INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/23/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/24/19.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 07, 14, 2019 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036482700

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038491400

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: HAPPY DONUTS, 299 ELLIS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by RATHA VANN. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/14/15.

JAN 24, 31, FEB 04, 14, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-554563

In the matter of the application of: HIROKO CAROLINE WONG, 509 LINCOLN WAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner HIROKO CAROLINE WONG, is requesting that the name HIROKO CAROLINE WONG, be changed to CAROLINE HIROKO WONG. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, on the 7th of March 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038498800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHOSEN ROOTER & PLUMBING, 463 23RD AVE #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DENIS TSEYREF. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/28/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038490500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EXCELSIOR LIQUOR, 4501 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ABDO ALAWDI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/23/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038455100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALFARO CLEANING SERVICES, 358 PARIS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FANNY ALFARO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/03/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/03/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038484900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GET IT DONE; GETITDONE, 350 TURK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAPHNE JOMO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/18/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038488800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BANOGUE BUILDING SUPPLIES, 2406 42ND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NATASHA M. MCPARLAND. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/23/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/23/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038479800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BSR SHOP, 709 LARKIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed QUOC NAM LE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/16/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/16/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038480000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: A TWIN SWEET, 709 LARKIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BINH VAN NGUYEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/16/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/16/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038470000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RAMEN CITY, 1398 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed WJH ENTERPRISE INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/10/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LUXE PREMIER TRAVEL, 601 VAN NESS AVE #3145, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GREENFORCE WINDOWPRO (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/24/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038491500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FOLIOAVENUE PUBLISHING SERVICE, 601 VAN NESS AVE #3145, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GREENFORCE WINDOWPRO (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/24/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038458700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DAVE’S FOOD STORE, 1601 20TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DAVE’S FOOD INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/04/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/04/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038489300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OPUS JEWELERS, 888 BRANNAN ST #1150, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed PETER K. CHEN & FLORENCE K. CHEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/09. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/23/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038485200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OPTIONONE CARE AT HOME, 649 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed OPTIONONE HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/28/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/18/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038485900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WEST PORTAL ANTIQUES, 254 WEST PORTAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed WEST PORTAL ANTIQUES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/19/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/22/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019___ FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038482700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ERNEST GOODS COMPANY, 1468 WALLER ST, #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ERNEST GOODS COMPANY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/09/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/17/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019___ FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038490400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SMOOCH TARTSHOP, 1 HAWTHORNE ST, UNIT15A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SMOOCH BAKEHOUSE, LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/15/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/23/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019__ FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038493000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SFNEWA, 407 ELLIS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed NEWA LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/24/19.

JAN 31, FEB 07, 14, 21, 2019

21

22

Kronos calling

25

23

Sex education

Play ‘Favourite’

Drag 101

Vol. 49 • No. 5 • January 31-February 6, 2019

www.ebar.com/arts

‘Don Quixote’ & a woman’s right to choose

by Paul Parish

San Francisco Ballet dancer Mathilde Froustey in Tomasson/Possokhov’s “Don Quixote.”

S

Erik Tomasson

an Francisco Ballet, our big league troupe, is finally back in the Opera House for the real dance season.

They kicked off last Wednesday with a successful Gala, then the real opener on Friday: a boffo performance of the ultimate romantic comedy, “Don Quixote.”

See page 25 >>

Comedy & kink

Go-to galleries

by Sura Wood

by Sari Staver

T

Q

he year is off to a thought-provoking start at local galleries and nonprofit spaces, with artists zeroing in on topical issues from the environment to immigration.

See page 20 >>

Courtesy the subject

Minoosh Zomorodinia, “Sensation” (2016-17), video still (detail), Iran, from “Part and Parcel” at San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery.

SFAC

ueer artists are featured prominently in a new weekly comedy show that begins Fri., Feb. 1, in the basement of the infamous Armory Club (1799 Mission St.), the upscale cocktail lounge that was the lovechild of the city’s once-thriving BDSM film studio, Kink.com.

See page 24 >>

Step Tranovich will demonstrate rope bondage onstage in “(Sub)mission.”

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

Besties

Best of the Bay 2019

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Vote in our annual readers’ poll and

be entered to win some amazing prizes!

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<< Out There

20 • Bay Area Reporter • January 31-February 6, 2019

1,001 slights

by Roberto Friedman

W

ith a title like “1,000 Books To Read Before You Die – A Life-Changing List” by James Mustich (Workman), you know someone like Out There is going to be coming along to deflate the balloon.

Our major quibble with this list is its blind spot regarding LGBTQ literature. With 1,000 spots, surely room could have been made for one of the novels of Alan Hollinghurst? If not his latest, “The Sparsholt Affair,” perhaps the Man Booker Prize-winning “The Line of Beauty” or “The Stranger’s Child?”

Hollinghurst is our contemporary Henry James, a meticulous chronicler of social manners, mores and status quo. His “The SwimmingPool Library” is one of the great gay discovery novels of all time.

Similarly, Colm Toibin is one of our great gay men of letters, a novelist, playwright and essayist of real distinction. From a quite full oeuvre we’d choose as canonical his first novel, “The Story of the Night,” an elegant story of gay youth.

Edmund White makes the index, but for his biography of Arthur Rimbaud, not for his classic gay trilogy that begins with “A Boy’s Own Story.”

Inexcusable.

<<

Galleries

From page 19

San Francisco Arts Commission Main Gallery: “Part and Parcel” This spring marks 40 years since the Iranian revolution, whose aftermath displaced over 3 million Iranians who migrated to the West.

The largest populations put down roots in the U.S, with half settling in California. It would seem there could hardly be a more auspicious moment to invite four contemporary artists of the Iranian Diaspora to participate in an exhibition that explores the meaning of belonging and the desire to achieve it.

Interdisciplinary artist and writer Gelare Khoshgozaran, who was born and raised in Tehran and is based in L.A., contributes “Diplomatic Relations,” which consists of a slide projection, its contents culled from her family’s photography archive, and a

Unsurprisingly for a New York-based publishing house, West Coast gay authors are seriously underrepresented, including Kevin Killian, Bob Gluck and Jim Provenzano, all fiction-writers whose work will stand the test of time.

Lesbian authors are all-but-invisible. Radclyffe Hall’s “The Well of Loneliness” was a groundbreaking work in lesbian literature, but it’s missing in action here. Dorothy Allison’s “Bastard Out of Carolina,” such a big book for contemporary readers, is absent. Sarah Schulman and her social conscience go unmentioned.

Gary Indiana, Dennis Cooper, Tom Spanbauer, important bookshelf stacked with packages lit from within. The installation, she has said, was made in collaboration with her parents who shipped her home library in Iran to her California studio. She characterizes her relationship with her parents as “an intimacy under constant surveillance, state violence and the severance of diplomatic ties. The impossibility of closeness – regulated by X-ray machines, customs, and sanctions – negotiated in the silence of queer life unspoken of.” In a metaphoric two-channel video, Minoosh Zomorodinia depicts herself standing alone, almost entirely wrapped in silver foil like a Greek statue awaiting unveiling, braving headwinds in sweeping landscapes, one a cliff overlooking San Francisco Bay, another at the edge of icy mountain slopes. Sahar Khoury’s personal sculptures include games of chance and strategy, and reflect on the nature of time,

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novelists all, are ignored. Other writers any gay reader would know – Ethan Mordden, Andrew Holleran, David Sedaris – also fall through the cracks.

The lacunae extend well past the invisibility of the homosexual library for Mr. Mustich. His literary sensibility is of a particular time and place that makes all sorts of room for the canonical, but gives not so much as a glance for the offthe-beaten-trail. For example, he’s great on John Barth – represented by “The Sot-Weed Factor,” a good choice – but missing-in-action on while Tannaz Farsi looks at historic Iranian cultural objects, comparing how they’ve been interpreted, then and now. Two large photographs, “Strata of Empire (Vestige)” and “Strata of Empire (Relic),” ruminate on the vagaries of empires through a limestone fragment discovered at the ruins of Persepolis, where sculptural carvings and reliefs don’t portray women or acknowledge their existence.

In what might be a construed as a corrective, a wall work by Farsi pays tribute to notable Iranian women – writers, translators, martyrs and poets – their names spelled out in a font reminiscent of ancient Arabic calligraphy. (SFartscommission.org; through March 30.)

Taraneh Hemami, who curated the SFAC show, has also collaborated with Kevin Chen on “Once at Present: Contemporary Art of Bay Area Iranian Diaspora,” a group exhibition that will be installed in several spaces at Minnesota Street Project, March 30-April 20.

Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture: “Joan Jonas: They Come to Us Without a Word,” originally commissioned for the U.S. Pavilion at the 2015 Venice Biennale, is a multimedia installation that springs from the fertile mind of Jonas, who was combining performance, sound, sculpture, video art, drawing and assorted objects before it was hip or in vogue. For the last 50 years, the artist has harnessed multiple forms and the power of art as a storytelling medium for a variety of projects including this one, an expedition into the frailty of the natural world and the human damage inflicted on the planet. The current show, inspired by summers Jonas spent in Nova Scotia, and Halldor Laxness’ fantasy novel “Under the Glacier,” is laid out in a succession of enveloping environments, each revolving around a primary image – bees, fish, mirror, wind – and linked by audio of ghost stories passed down through the generations. (Fortmason.org; through March 10.)

SF Camerawork: “In Transit” With immigration in the news and weighing on the mind, this timely exhibition examines transience,

Donald Barthelme. His Samuel Beckett essay includes not only the play “Waiting for Godot” but also the novel “Molloy.” There’s room for Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America,” but not for Mart Crowley’s “The Boys in the Band.”

Some of the oversights just seem random. There’s mention of Alice Munro (“Selected Stories”), but not Iris Murdoch. We get Mark Twain, but not Hart Crane. E.M. Forster, but not Stephen Spender. James Thurber, but not Ann Beattie. Russell Banks, but not A.M. Homes.

Where is the determinative criterion?

t

Poetry is another whole kettle of fish. Robert Frost crosses the Mustich threshold of consciousness; John Ashbery does not. Nor does Frank O’Hara. But Margaret Wise Brown (“Goodnight Moon”), come on down!

Missing in action: William Burroughs, Andre Gide, James Purdy, Will Self, none of them 1,000aires. Look, obviously, there’s a lot of give-andtake in one’s taste in literature, and there’s room in the canon for all sorts of background assumptions.

But why does this collection include Hilary Mantel and not Sarah Waters? Why Edmund Wilson and not Robert Wilson? This way madness lies.

What did we appreciate in this 948-page monument to its own importance? Well, it’s good on the ancient classics (Aristophanes is introduced as “the world’s oldest comic”). If it dwells on the intellectual, it doesn’t totally neglect the artistic (the rather short squib on James Baldwin pays attention to his essays, but does list the novels as well). A lot of bases are touched (“The Decameron,” Roberto Bolano, Borges). “A Common Reader” cataloguist Mustich has set himself an impossible task. If he predictably fails, it’s not for lack of trying.t

Pei Ketron

Joan Jonas, “They Come to Us without a Word,” installation at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (detail).

transitions between cultures, and the no man’s land between the familiar and the foreign. The show’s photography and videoworks, created by artists from Germany, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran, testify to the humanity of displaced individuals in Europe and the Middle East, some of whom are fleeing danger and persecution in the their native countries, all trying to find safety and a new place to call home. (Sfcamerawork.org; through March 15.)

Rena Bransten Gallery: “Diane Andrews Hall: in time” With impressive technical virtuosity, Hall’s stunning paintings capture the splendor and purity of nature, from gentle Pacific waves making their relentless pilgrimage to the shore, the endless sky and horizon in the distance punctuated by enormous passing clouds, to birds spreading their wings and taking flight or landing for a split-second in her garden, proving that one need look no farther than one’s own backyard to find beauty. (Renabranstengallery. com; through Feb. 23.)

McEvoy Foundation for the Arts: “Introspections,” a 30-minute loop of short videos lampooning commercial media, television, and inescapable digital platforms that are a fact of modern life, was compiled by video-performance artist Mads Lynnerup, who selected works of parody and self-portraiture in

which the creators serve as both director and performer. Artist Nao Bustamante, for instance, pretends to be an exhibitionist to gain access to a taping of the Joan Rivers Show in 1992, surprising its notoriously caustic, mouthy host in “Rosa Does Joan,” while William Wegman’s “Deodorant” satirizes personal hygiene ads of the 1970s, which mercilessly exploited the craving for social acceptance. (Mcevoyarts.org; Feb. 8-May 4.)

Chesley Bonestell’s awe-inducing visionary paintings of the solar system and galaxies far, far away, and his highly original sci-fi fantasy imagery, are credited with inspiring the founding of the American space program and influencing the likes of Ray Bradbury, Douglas Trumbull (“2001: A Space Odyssey”) and “Star Wars” effects wizards Ben Burtt and Richard Edlund. The San Francisco native helped rebuild the city after the 1906 earthquake, and when he transplanted his talents to Hollywood, his matte paintings appeared in little films such as “Citizen Kane,” “The Fountainhead, “Destination Moon” and “The War of the Worlds.” Though Bonestell’s work may not be enshrined on the walls of a gallery this month, it, along with a recounting of his remarkable accomplishments, are on display in “A Brush with the Future,” a new documentary opening Feb. 22 at the Roxie Theater.t

t

Music>>

January 31-February 6, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 21

50 commissions go beyond borders

by Philip Campbell

F

or more than 40 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet has fused musical categories and erased borders. They are impossible to pigeonhole: classical, rock, jazz, or modern? Kronos is really a genre all its own. A recent concert for Cal Performances at Zellerbach Hall, dedicated to the group’s open access education initiative “Fifty for the Future,” proved it again.

Starting in 2015, Kronos Quartet – David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola), and Sunny Yang (cello) – has commissioned, and distributed for free, a digital learning library of contemporary repertoire by 25 women and 25 men. Cal Performances is a leading sponsor of the project, and the Berkeley concert featured a variety of new works performed by Kronos and young musicians from the surrounding area.

The ambitious event sailed through a beautifully rehearsed program, which also featured two World Premieres and the appearance of Soo Yeon Lyuh, a virtuoso haegeum (Korean two-stringed bowed instrument) player, composer, and improviser. Her exquisite performance of “Yessori” (“Sound from the Past”) (2016) was a transporting highlight.

Similarly, the ancient sound quality of the Chinese pipa colored re-

nowned player and frequent Kronos collaborator Wu Man’s (arr. Danny Clay) composition for string quartet, “Four Chinese Paintings” (2015).

Bringing traditional styles into the Western string repertoire is perfectly suited to the Kronos mission, and Berkeley High School Quartet – violinists Lev Gordon-Feierabend and Clio Petty, violist Natalie Couch, and cellist Zealin Glickrieman – played the evocative suite with remarkable understanding.

A sympathetic synthesis was also apparent in Rhiannon Giddens’ (arr.

Jacob Garchik) “At the Purchaser’s Option with variations” (2016), performed with idiomatic flair by the Oakland School for the Arts Quartet, comprised of violinists Kayla Phan and Raphaella Brown, violist Izabelle Itom, and cellist Ariadne Bashore-Walker.

Giddens is famous as a singersongwriter and founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. In a brief video she spoke of her mixedrace heritage and mixed-musicaldisciplines background. “At the Purchaser’s Option” is an instrumental version of a song from one of her albums inspired by a 19th-century advertisement for a young female slave whose nine-month-old baby was also for sale. The folk-blues accent of the piece put a lively surface on a much sadder subtext.

Other composers appearing in videos included articulate Aleksan-

Courtesy the artists

Kronos Quartet: Sunny Yang (cello), Hank Dutt (viola), John Sherba (violin), and David Harrington (violin).

dra Vrebalov, native of the former Yugoslavia now living in New York City. “My Desert, My Rose” is crafted for the unique capabilities of the performers and their mutual responsiveness. 13 out of 14 pieces Vrebalov has written for string quartet were for Kronos Quartet.

The Crowden School Quartet – violinists Annika Lin and Leila Yokoyama, violist Mali Nguyen, and cellist Meilani Huynh – sketched American composer/pianist Ken Benshoof’s “sweeter than wine” (2015) with a lovely feel for the gentle nostalgia of the folk-inflected tune.

A standout audience favorite was Montreal-based composer Nicole Lizee’s “Another Living Soul’ (2016), cleverly utilizing unconventional in-

struments (widgets) to add off-beat humor and effects. She describes it as “stop-motion animation for string quartet,” and its loopy creativity pays delightful homage to early stopmotion artists like Ray Harryhausen and Ladislas Starevich.

The World Premieres, Mario Galeano Toro’s “Tolo Midi” (2018) and Misato Mochizuki’s “Boids” (2018), impressed with the infectious rhythmic syncopation of the former and the mysterious quick turns of the latter. “Boids” evokes a flock that moves in unison, disperses and reunifies. “Tolo Midi” is an energetic Colombian encounter with indigenous American, African, and European people.

The concert closed with all of

the performers joining as a chamber ensemble for longtime Kronos collaborator Philip Glass’ “Quartet Satz” (2017). The composer described Kronos Quartet and the nature of “music of today” with characteristic wit and insight in his video segment. His contribution to “Fifty for the Future” succeeds as affirmation of a wondrously productive partnership, and sums up the beauty of his instantly recognizable and forever fresh music.

Take another trip to Zellerbach Hall this Thurs., 1/31, for the Berkeley Symphony with guest conductor Jonathon Heyward presenting two great gay composers from opposite sides of the Atlantic. Responses to the written word by Benjamin Britten and Leonard Bernstein are on a bill that includes the world premiere of “Disillusioned Dreamer” by Hannah Kendall, inspired by a phrase from Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man.” berkeleysymphony.org Cal Performances is back on our radar in March when SF Symphony Music Director Designate EsaPekka Salonen returns to Berkeley with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra. Three exciting programs include a cello concerto by the conductor himself and the world premiere of a Cal Performances co-commission about Bay Area immigrants, “Dreamers” by composer Jimmy Lopez and librettist Nilo Cruz. calperformances.orgt

Noir City fest concludes at the Castro

by Tavo Amador

E

ddie Muller’s Noir City film festival concludes at the Castro Theatre on Sun., Feb. 3. Movies revealing the widespread anxieties gurgling beneath the surface of what would be inaccurately called “The Fabulous Fifties” in America will be screened.

Innocent artist James Vanning (Aldo Ray) is threatened at “Nightfall” (1956), after a pair of vicious crooks misplaces their bank heist money, then think he has it. While on the run, Vanning meets sexy model Mary Gardner (the young Anne Bancroft), which complicates things. Very suspenseful. With Brian Keith, James Gregory, Frank Albertson, and Rudy Bond. Directed by Jacques Tourneur (1947’s “Out of the Past”). Screenplay by Sterling Silliphant from a novel by David Goodis. Jean Louis designed Bancroft’s ensembles. Nat Harbin (sleazy Dan Duryea) is “The Burglar” (1957) who, with his cronies, robs a fraudulent spiritualist.

They’re now hiding in Atlantic City.

Not only does Nat have to keep the guys away from the cash, he has to shield his seductive “ward,” Gladden (the super-buxom Jayne Mansfield) from their lascivious desires.

But what about his own lust and guilt? The psychosexual dynamics are luridly fascinating. With Mickey O’Shaugnessy and Martha Vickers. Directed by Paul Wendkos.

Screenplay by David Goodis, from his novel. (1/31) Orson Welles’ Sheriff Hank Quinlan displays more than a “Touch of Evil” (1958) when investigating murder, drug smuggling, and other sordid doings in an American town on the Mexican border. Mexican cop Mike Vargas (animated Charlton Heston) and his new Anglo bride Susan (Janet Leigh) inadvertently run afoul of Quinlan. Mike is determined to end the rampant corruption, while Quinlan is equally bent on preserving his reputation for always capturing the guilty parties. With Dennis Weaver as a shifty motel clerk; Joseph Calleia as Quinlan’s loyal assistant suffering from unrequited love; Akim Tamiroff as a drug lord; Ray Collins as a DA; an unbilled Mercedes McCaimbridge as a butch gang leader thrilled to watch her “boys” sexually torment Susan; and, unforgettably, Marlene Dietrich as Tania, a raven-haired, cigar-smoking madam who reads Quinlan’s fate in the Tarot cards.

“Your future’s all used up,” she

warns. Directed and written by Welles, from Whit Masterson’s novel. A masterpiece. Icy Claude, an alienated youth (TV’s future “Ben Casey,” Vince Edwards), commits “Murder By Contract” (1958).

Unexpectedly, while on assignment in California, he discovers his conscience, which leads to complications. Directed by Irving Lerner from a screenplay by Ben Simcoe and an uncredited Ben Maddow.

Martin Scorcese is among the film’s admirers. (2/1) Samuel Fuller pulls back “The Crimson Kimono” (1958) to reveal what it was like to be a Nisei 13 years after Japan surrendered to end WWII. Handsome James Shigeta and Glen Corbett investigate the killing of a stripper in the Japanese section of Los Angeles.

Victoria Shaw is a key witness, and both men fall for her. Racism, among other things, flares up. Excellent performances, especially by Shigeta. Rapid-fire direction from Fuller, who also wrote the original screenplay. Desperate Dave Burke (Ed Begley) faces the “Odds Against Tomorrow” (1959) when he hires bigoted ex-con Robert Ryan and black Harry Belafonte (top-billed) to rob an Upstate New York bank. Racism may ruin every-

thing. Sadly, that issue remains timely. With Shelley Winters as Ryan’s girlfriend. But he’s expertly seduced by an especially kinky Gloria Grahame, whose eyes light up when she disrobes while asking what he felt while killing a man. Brilliantly acted.

Taut direction by Robert Wise. Screenplay by blacklisted Abraham Polonsky (writing as John O. Killens) and Nelson Gidding from the novel by William R. McGivern. (Matinee, 2/2) Jean-Luc Godard and Jean-Paul Belmondo left the world “Breathless” in 1960.

Belmondo is Michel Poiccard, a petty, delusional crook who reeks of sex appeal. He meets pretty Susan (Jean Seberg), an American in Paris, a girl who can’t say “Non.” Michel steals a car, and things take a very ugly turn. Godard and Jean Pierre Melville have cameos. Original screenplay by Francois Truffault. Wonderful Paris locations.

One of the most influential movies of the era. Equally influential but very different was Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” (1960). Marion Crane (terrific Janet Leigh) steals money from her employer’s client, then hides at the Bates Motel, run by boyish Norman Bates (brilliant Anthony Perkins), who’s devoted to his mother. With impossibly

hunky John Gavin as Marion’s lover, Vera Miles as her sister, and Martin Balsam as a smart cop.

Watch for Ted Knight and Robert Osborne in uncredited bits. Joseph Stefan adapted Robert Bloch’s novel. Hitchcock’s suspenseful direction was aided immeasurably by Bernard Herrmann’s unforgettable score. (2/2) Samuel Fuller sends ex-con Toily Devlin (Cliff Robertson) on a nightmare journey into “Underworld, U.S.A. (1961). As a teenager, he witnessed four hoods murder his dad. Now he’s determined to get revenge. He begins by rescuing Cuddles (Dolores Dorn), a drug courier who leads him to the killers. The F.B.I. offers Devlin a deal if he takes them to the criminals, but he wants to administer justice himself. With the memorably villainous Robert Emhardt, creepy Larry Gates, Richard Rust, and as the young Toily, David Kent.

Original screenplay by Fuller. Allen Baron directed, wrote, and stars in “A Blast of Silence” (1961). He plays a hired killer from Cleveland who comes to New York to rub out a second-rate gangster. His plans are complicated by a former girlfriend whom he’s never forgotten (Molly McCarthy), an obese gun-dealer with a penchant for rats, and other unnerving Gotham denizens. Shot on location in a scary Manhattan. The narration was penned by blacklisted Waldo Salt using the name Mel Davenport. This early example of neonoir was made as the studio system was ending. (2/3)t

<< TV

22 • Bay Area Reporter • January 31-February 6, 2019

Sex & violence on the Lavender Tube

by Victoria A. Brownworth

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e’ve been coping with some serious health challenges lately, enduring two surgeries in the space of three weeks. Our recovery has been fueled by The Wife’s ministrations and the blessing of Netflix, which has just moved into a whole new realm with the Oscar nomination for the original film “Roma.”

We have been enjoying Netflix series we should have watched a year or more ago, like the superb British crime series “Paranoid,” “The Five” and “Happy Valley,” all of which we recommend for their taut and compelling drama. Each of these detective series delves into addiction, loss and the ways we find wholeness, as well as murder, that most unforgiving of crimes. Each series has its own strengths, but the performances are resoundingly good and mitigate any minor flaws in the telling or resolutions.

“Happy Valley” is the best of the three, but has some of the most brutal, realistic violence we have seen on TV, which stayed with us a little too long. That said, the violence was not gratuitous, confined to two episodes, and was integral to the plot.

But it did cause a furor in Britain when the series debuted, as they don’t generally have that kind of violence in their TV shows.

Created by Sally Wainwright, “Happy Valley” is set in a grim corner of the otherwise beautiful Yorkshire countryside where drugs have taken over, just as they have in the cities. Sgt. Catherine Cawood (brilliant Sarah Lancashire) has left Scotland Yard and returned to her suffocating small town after the suicide of her daughter, who left her young son for her mother to raise.

Everything about “Happy Valley” works: plot, writing, cinematography. Cawood is a driven character who wants revenge for her daughter’s death. The dramatic tension in this series is extraordinary and propels the viewer into binge mode.

You have to see what comes next.

The series won a BAFTA Award for Best Drama, rightly so. In “Happy Valley,” evil is laid out before us, and each time we are shocked anew at how quotidian it really is. Highly recommended.

Among the new Netflix series we’ve been watching is the delight-

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ful dramedy “Sex Education,” which normalizes gayness in a way that makes us wonder how different our teen years would have been had shows like this existed then.

Series featuring teenagers continue to be hot, among them the highly watchable “Stranger Things,” “Riverdale,” “13 Reasons Why,” “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” “grown-ish” and “Atypical.”

These series are written for teens, but with a lot folded in for adults so you don’t feel creepy watching them. What’s more, they are telling stories we need to see as adults, both to contextualize our own queer teen years and to learn more about what today’s queer and straight youth are experiencing.

The British Netflix original series “Sex Education,” created by Laura Nunn, is a standout. It is just brilliant and you will love, love, love it.

Where “13 Reasons Why” is everyone’s teen nightmare re-lived, “Sex Education” puts a sweet and sexy spin on teen angst. The series stars Gillian Anderson, who’s been making us swoon for 20 years from “The X-Files” through “The Fall.” In “Sex Education” she plays Dr. Jean F. Milburn, a sex therapist and divorced mother of Otis (extraordinary Asa Butterfield), the series’ teen star. The good doctor talks about sex relentlessly. At one point she says to her son, “I notice you’ve been pretending to masturbate, and I wanted to know if you wanted to talk about it.” He cringes as she launches into a discussion guaranteed to send any horny teenage boy (or girl) running for the exit.

Dr. Jean is the epitome of the Cool MILF. She has a lot of sex, mostly one-night-stands, smokes weed and seems disinterested in commitment. Otis wants commitment.

He’s attracted to Maeve (charming Emma Mackey), the school bad girl. He’d like their relationship to be more. He hangs out with his bestie, Eric (Ncuit Gatwa), who is flamboyantly gay and has a religious African family to contend with. We love Eric. Otis also has a nemesis in Adam (Connor Swindells), the headmaster’s son, who bullies Otis, then turns his sights on Eric, the way Adam’s own father bullies him.

This is a show about sex. As we are told early on: “Everybody is either thinking about shagging, about to shag, or actually shagging.” Otis and Maeve start a sex therapy clinic and give advice to their friends and fellow students, much the way Otis’ mother does. Maeve’s description of why they should do it is just phenomenal.

There is a lot to unpack here, but “Sex Education” is about how we fumble our way into sex. Some of the scenes are hilarious, like when Eric is teaching girls how to give a blowjob at a party with a bunch of bananas. Or deeply affecting, like the pushback on vagina-shaming in a school assembly where all the girls (and some boys) stand up with the girl being shamed to declare, “It’s my vagina!” Highly recommended.

We’ve told you repeatedly to watch “The Good Place.” Do it. It’s the best antidote to the current climate, and you will be infused with all good things. The Jan. 24 season finale was a gut-punch, but what isn’t these days? Now you have three seasons you can binge-watch before Ted Danson, Kristen Bell and the gang return for season four.

Tidy up

Was one of your New Year’s resolutions to de-clutter your life? We know it was on our list. “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” is a Netflix sen-

Netflix

Asa Butterfield and Gillian Anderson in “Sex Education.”

sation, and it’s easy to see why. The petite Japanese organizer cum life coach is mesmerizing as she walks into people’s homes and changes their lives. Her mantra is “Does this spark joy?” She wants you to consider your addiction to stuff as emblematic of a larger societal problem of acquisition instead of engagement. We collect things, but do they give us a feeling of well-being, or do they create still more anxiety?

The people Kondo takes on are like us. They can’t or don’t know how to get rid of things. This isn’t a voyeuristic hoarders hellscape.

There are no dead cats behind the sofa. These are people who ran out of space because they kept bringing new things in and never taking the old things out. So that chair in the bedroom that was supposed to be for reading is stacked with clothes, or the boxes that moved from your old place are still there several years later, unpacked. Why? Marie Kondo will open a door to show you what’s possible. It’s a life hack that we all need as the planet gets smaller.

How is it possible that “Queer Eye” has only been on Netflix a year, but we feel like we’ve been watching it for eons? Netflix announced on Jan. 24 that the Fab Five are headed to Japan for a four-episode extravaganza, and we can’t wait.

Sarah Paulson (“American Horror Story”) was on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” on Jan. 23, and as the two gayed it up together, she revealed that she and her partner of the past four years, actress and director Holland Taylor, got together via Twitter.

“It’s a long story. We met a very long time ago. I was with someone else [Tony winner Cherry Jones], she was too, then. Then there was, like, a Twitter thing that happened,” Paulson said.

As fellow “AHS” star and queer Billy Eichner, also on the show, described it, “So Holland Taylor slid into your Dms?” Paulson laughed and replied, “She actually did! Pretty great.”

We are followed by both actresses on Twitter, and have had several exchanges with the always witty Taylor. We watched the courtship of the two on Twitter, and it was a thing of beauty and a joy to behold. So many roses and sweet nothings.

Some have commented on the 32year age difference between the two, but as Paulson told Elle magazine, “I didn’t choose to fall in love with the person I fell in love with. But I think it’s interesting to people because it’s unconventional. For a person who might find themselves in a situation that they fear will be misperceived, maybe they could see me living my life in a way that is authentic to me.

If that inspires anybody else, that can’t be a bad thing.”

Holland Taylor is an old-school courtly butch who exudes sensuality and is funny as hell, so we have no trouble understanding the attraction. But it was fabulous to see Paulson blush as she told the story

of their flirtation.

There’s been a lot of blushing on “Grey’s Anatomy” since the show returned after holiday hiatus. Dr. Nico Kim (Alex Landi) and Dr. Levi Schmitt (Jake Borelli), the first gay male couple on the series in its 15-season history, can’t keep their hands off each other. The two have been doing it everywhere – in an ambulance, in the break room, in a deserted hallway. It’s affirming to see men really kissing each other, not that “Modern Family” neutered pecking thing, in prime time. Even better when the scrubs come off, as they have been doing.

“Grey’s Anatomy” had the longest-running lesbian storyline in TV history. It’s good to see them take the plunge into a full-fledged gay male storyline and make it hot.

You might want to Google the halfKorean, half-Italian, all-gorgeous Landi, previously a model. He’s the new McDreamy.

We write mysteries, and we’ve had a penchant for them since our first Nancy Drew mystery at 10.

“How to Get Away with Murder” is outdoing itself with drama since it returned Jan. 17. Annalise’s (Viola Davis) lesbian lover Eve (Famke Janssen) has returned, and we are so here for it. But whenever Eve blows into town, mayhem follows. Has Annalise forgiven her for their last encounter? Or the one that set both their lives spinning out of control?

In their complex dynamic, it’s revealed that Eve’s new partner is pregnant, but it’s obvious Eve still carries a torch for Annalise. Eve suggests Annalise date women, which we’ve always thought was a good idea, given her history with men.

Annalise pushes back, her internalized homophobia coming back.

She’s afraid of everything she feels with women, and we see it in the tension between her and Eve. These scenes are real and honest.

Netflix has dozens of superb crime series, and two are returning with new seasons in February. “Bordertown” is one of the best. The second season of this Finnish drama starts Feb. 2. Detective Inspector Kari Sorjonen (Ville Virtanen) is at the Finnish version of the FBI when his wife nearly dies of brain cancer. Looking for a less arduous job, he moves the family to the border between Finland and Russia, taking a position heading the Serious Crimes Unit. But the move does not come with the peace and quiet he’d expected. With his partner, Detective Lena Jaakkola (Anu Sinisalo), Sorjonen investigates crimes linked to Russia, and the two face threats to themselves and their families. It’s a stark series reminiscent of “The Killing.”

The French-Belgian crime series “The Break” begins its second Netflix season on Feb. 9. Dark and compelling, “The Break” follows Detective Yoann Peters (Yoann Blanc) as a Brussels detective and single father who investigates harrowing crimes.

This series has a lot of queerness in it, worth a look.

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We told you that the best new TV series of 2019 was going to be watching Nancy Pelosi kick Trump’s derriere with her Louboutins, and we were right. Not since Carrie Bradshaw turned heel on Mr. Big has there been such a scene. Pelosi shut down the State of the Union, and Trump blinked. Werk, girl, werk.

Meanwhile Lara Trump, wife of Eric and former producer at “Inside Edition,” gave a stunning on-camera statement that the 800,000 federal workers who were furloughed or working without pay might “feel a bit of pain,” but the Trump shutdown was “bigger than any one person.” Lara dismissed the “let them eat cake!” moment on Fox News, where she called out the “disingenuous media” for misrepresenting her actual words with actual videotape.

The amazing thing about the Trump team, though, is that there is always someone to best the last most terrible moment. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross last appeared from his crypt to defend the Trump tariffs by holding up a can of Campbell’s soup on CNN, saying there wasn’t enough steel in it for the price increase to hurt people. On Jan. 24, five weeks into the government shutdown, Ross seemed confused that people who aren’t millionaires would be having to go to food pantries. Ross told CNN, stating the obvious, “I don’t really understand this,” people should just “go to the bank” and “get a loan.” Ross said that workers’ back paychecks would work like an IOU at the bank. You cannot make this stuff up, folks.

While our fave fantasy scenario for getting our first woman president remains seeing Trump and Mike Pence dethroned and Nancy Pelosi ensconced as president, it’s more likely that one of the Democratic women running will be the nominee.

Our money is on Kamala Harris, although the two most progressive candidates running are Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. But Harris has that wow factor that none of the other nine Democrats already in the race or any of the other 10 who may get in have to offer.

It’s a year out till the first primary, so we shall see. On Jan. 24 former South Bend Indiana mayor, Afghanistan vet and Rhodes scholar Pete Buttigieg made history as the first openly gay man to run for president when he announced his candidacy. At 37, he’s the youngest person in the race.

Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders, who gets more “get off my lawn!” every day, and has yet to announce, managed to insult everyone on Jan. 24 by dismissing the Blue Wave that swept Pelosi back into the Speakership and brought a host of young progressive women, people of color and gay candidates into the House and Senate. Sanders, in a tone-deaf bid for white cis male ascendancy, proclaimed in an interview, “My opponents want black, white, gay, Latino or women candidates, regardless of what they stand for.” His “opponents” being Democrats who voted out older white male Democrats and replaced them with young progressives like Alexandria OcasioCortez, Ayanna Presley and lesbian Native American Sharice Davids.

Having several women, two of whom are women of color, and an openly gay man, as well as former Obama Labor Secretary Julian Castro, a Texas Latino, in the race is creating a counterpoint to the GOP that is thrilling to witness, no matter what Sanders thinks. While we have our favorites, we’d be happy with any of the aforementioned candidates wiping the floor with Trump.

But that won’t happen till next season. So for gay male kisses, Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor, and Netflix and chill, you really must stay tuned.t

t

Books>>

January 31-February 6, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 23

by Jim Piechota Guru by RuPaul; Dey St. Books/ William Morrow, $25.99 Alright Darling? The Contemporary Drag Scene by Greg Bailey; Laurence King Publishing, $19.99

O

ver the last decade, the art of drag in its many forms and iterations, with queens draped in every color of the spectrum, has become fully popularized, namebranded, and somewhat oversaturated. Aside from television, social media posts, conventions, makeup palettes, wig stylists, clothiers, and hip pad manufacturers, the picture books, which came early on in this evolution to greatness, thankfully still carry on.

Whether or not you appreciate “Drag Race” hostess and impresario RuPaul Andre Charles, he remains one of the pioneers of the drag queen universe after three decades as a public figure. He continues to pen books with uplifting self-help messages to navigate the big bad world as it revolves today.

His latest aptly-titled book “Guru” focuses on the mind-body connection and dispenses advice and counsel to those in search of life guidance or just a daily pick-me-up message to live by. Refreshingly free of negativity and criticism, his advice is universal and timely, applicable most to those just beginning their journey into drag.

As a longtime friend of the author, Jane Fonda provides the book’s introduction and gushes over her recent presentation of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to RuPaul in 2018. From there, the author writes frankly about his preparatory onstage regimen, akin to “preparing for battle” at a staggering six hours (though he admits he could do it in two), and about the “magic team” of multitalented professionals who assist him, all collectively embodying the “creative warrior spirit” necessary to make his onstage performance sparkle.

Further chapters form an amalgam of wisdom and superficial, indulgent drag truths, such as the immense benefits of false eyelashes coupled with smoky-eye makeup, proper dental care, wearing vinyl-strapped slide-in mules for long events, and adorning fancy outfits, “even if you’re the only one who

appreciates it.” More serious internal encouragement includes bullet points on being attentive to your body’s inner dialogue, working on overcoming your own self-imposed limitations, and also, perhaps most importantly, galvanizing motivation to unapologetically be your own true self, no matter what.

In addition to the sage truths contained on these glossy pages, RuPaul fans will find the glossy full-color imagery satisfying as well. The author graces just about every other page in photographs that beautifully celebrate his legendary legacy in drag and the colorful cornucopia of looks he has presented over the years. Though his career has had its share of controversy (Pearl’s interaction with him on the set of her “RPDR” season, his barbed comments on cis-gender women as “RPDR” contestants, etc.), the takeaway of this book is the importance of unity, positivity, and increasing one’s self-worth from the inside out.

More proof that drag is languishing in the limelight of popularity is UK photographer Greg Bailey’s collection of fashion photography featuring some of the most recognizable queens on the performance circuit today.

Based on the queer zine of the same name, “Alright Darling?” is a collector’s item coffee-table book and definite conversationstarter, showcasing royalty like Alaska Thunderfuck, who graces the cover and writes the insightful, clever introduction.

Personalities like Adore Delano, Bob the Drag Queen, Coco Peru, Detox, Jinx Monsoon, Manila Luzon, Milk, Raja Gemini, and a parade of others (including Francois Sagat!) are all exquisitely featured through dramatic photography and in commentary that directly addresses readers both involved in the wonderful world of performance and who may be contemplating dipping their toes in the lady-boy pond.

As Alaska acknowledges, for the drag queen (this reviewer included), “Drag doesn’t make much sense. It takes all our time and our money and our energy. It ruins our feet and our spines and our sheets.

It makes our roommates move out and our grandmothers shake their heads. Drag fucking hurts. But we do it anyway.” Amen, sister.t

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<< Theatre

24 • Bay Area Reporter • January 31-February 6, 2019

Knives on the table

Lois Tema

Tamara (Cheryl Smith) and Bill (Kenneth Heaton) will protect their son (Baela Tinsley) at all costs in “Late Company” at NCTC.

by Jim Gladstone

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he room is a barely dressed wound. Kate Boyd’s set for the New Conservatory Theater Centre’s sharp-toothed production of “Late Company” instantly establishes director Evren Odcikin’s tone for the evening. The matching wallpaper and carpeting in Debora and Michael Shaun-Hastings’ formal dining room are a ferocious shade of red, overlain with a pretty pattern of pale blue ribbons and abstracted flowers. This

ornamentation feels like the flimsiest of barriers, tenuously holding back the looming crimson.

Debora (Desiree Rogers) is a sculptor; her preferred medium is steel, her default demeanor steely.

Michael (Lawrence Radecker) is a conservative member of Canada’s Parliament. Their dinner guests are the more middle-class Dermot family: protective mother Tamara (Cheryl Smith), pragmatic father Bill (Kenneth Heaton) and justifiably reticent teenage son Curtis

(Baela Tinsley).

We quickly learn that a year prior to the tension-fraught gathering that plays out over these 80 real-time minutes, the Shaun-Hastings’ own son, Joel, committed suicide. Known throughout high school for posting YouTube videos of his drag lipsyncs and for his standard hallway greeting of “Hey, faggot!,” Joel was ostracized and bullied by classmates, culminating in their smearing of shit on his locker shortly before he took his life.

Among the ringleaders of Joel’s torment: Curtis Dermot.

The families’ supper-cumsummit is ostensibly an opportunity for healing. The two mothers have agreed to have Curtis and the Shaun-Hastings read each other letters laying bare their respective shame and anguish. But the pained politesse of this ceremony proves even more superficial than the decor’s ornamentation. The couples’ rage, grief and desire to lay blame come crashing through.

The hosts have cooked up a dinner of pasta in scallop cream sauce.

But doesn’t Debora remember her email, wonders Tamara, the one in which she mentioned Curtis’

extreme shellfish allergy? Did the road-warrior work of Parliament membership keep Michael away from home most of the time? queries Bill, insinuating that Joel lacked an engaged male role model. How could professionally ambitious Debora be oblivious to her depressed son’s video persona, which fluttered with red flags as much as rainbow ones?

Since Joel’s suicide, Curtis has been plagued, both by his own conscience and by the press, which has portrayed him as an irredeemable villain. He’s been unable to focus at school and is plagued by nightmares.

Yet after Curtis reads his apologetic letter, Debora insists he’s insincere.

The cold sweat that he awakens in every night, she hisses, is composed of her tears. Who’s the bully now?

“Late Company” could easily be performed, and possibly be quite satisfying, as a play about attitudes toward homophobia and bullying across generations. But director Odcikin has cunningly elevated the subtext of playwright Jordan Tannahill’s crafty script: This is also a play about the performances we all enact in everyday life, the flimsy veils of

t

sometimes hypocritical civility we hang between our gut feelings and our social interactions.

Tannahill’s choice of a traditional dinner party as the arena for psychological bloodsport is ingenious; it’s the perfect venue for a tragedy of manners. Odcikin keenly underscores the fact that not just his cast but their characters are performing roles: His production opens with all of the players filing onto stage in character, then exiting before Tannahill’s scripted action begins. When dinner is served, Odcikin conspicuously chooses not to have any food on the plates. The characters fork away at empty white dishes. There’s no nourishment in their pretense.

Among a first-rate cast, Desiree Rogers is masterful as Debora, revealing the character’s internal battles as clearly as her external arguments.

Baela Tinsley brings sly subtlety to the largely silent Curtis; as the play comes to an unexpected ending, you’ll rethink the few words he has said. “Late Company” cuts deep.t Late Company, through Feb. 24 at NCTC. Tickets from $28: (415) 861-8972. www.nctsf.org.

That’s what she said

by Jim Gladstone

O

h, the things people say! “I am lost in a hall of mirrors. It’s a maze in here, and no one ever gets out.” “I miss him so much, my heart leaps out of my chest.” “I dream I have a penis, and I’m raping people with it.”

Not really, though. You’d be hard-pressed to discover examples of such hackneyed, saccharine or wacko verbiage anywhere but a personal journal, a pulpy paperback, or alas, in “When We Were Young and Unafraid,” the distractingly uneven feminist potboiler now on stage at Custom Made Theatre Co. Every time one of these overripe gooseberries splattered out of playwright Sarah Treem’s dialogue, it caused me to cringe and disengage from what in other respects seems like an earnest attempt at social realism, circa 1972. Set on Puget Sound’s Whidbey Island in a bedand-breakfast that secretly serves as a safe house for battered women, the story orbits around the stalwart, modestly heroic Agnes (Stacy Ross), who’s been running the operation for nearly two decades after losing

<<

her nursing license for performing abortions. Ross is superb: worldweary, dry-witted, wringing echoes of a lifetime from the pauses in her reticent speech.

But she’s lucky to play the only character never required to wax ridiculous by Treem’s script. The other four cast members are also rock solid, but the effectiveness of their performances is undermined by occasional declarations all but guaranteed to have audience members actively resisting the urge to facepalm.

If the loud clunk of such lines (“Why should I have to absolve myself for having a vagina?!”; “Passivity is the minotaur”) wasn’t already enough to disconnect the audience from Treem’s storytelling, the structure of her script (slightly abetted by Tracy Ward’s direction) provides an assist: With too-long blackouts between too-short scenes, the first act of “WWWY” repeatedly generates a small degree of tension, then breaks it rather than building on it.

The primary storyline concerns the relationship between Agnes; her newest shelter-seeker, battered military wife Mary Ann (Liz Frederick);

and 16-year-old Penny (Zoë Foulks), her longtime charge, who has grown up here, witnessing the plight of the abused, but still harbors her own fairytale fantasies (she’s dating her high school’s football captain). An itinerant handywoman, Hannah (Renee Rogoff, funny and charismatic), drops in unexpectedly, primarily to offer a lesbian separatist take on things. And a sideburned, socially awkward B&B guest, Paul (Matt Hammons, a winning Prince Dork), provides an effortfully feminist male counterpoint to Mary Ann’s monstrous husband, never seen but ever-present.

All of the kitchen-sink drama takes place in the B&B’s kitchen (designer Bernadette Flynn’s woody, worn-looking set is just right).

Drama-wise, it’s dark, but lacking much arc. Treem, who wrote the tightly-plotted first season of TV’s “House of Cards,” displays a much looser grip here. There’s a bit of ginned-up conflict, but, particularly in its momentum-deficient second act, “WWWY” feels less like a wellbuilt story than a so-so colloquium on conflicting perspectives in the era of Women’s Lib.

Sub(mission)

From page 19

The new series, “(Sub)mission,” adds a twist of kink to the comedy show, said co-producer Rich Barney, a veteran local comic who recently appeared at SketchFest.

Details about the new series can be found on their website, submissioncomedy.com.

In a telephone interview with the B.A.R., Barney said the new series will feature prominent local and national comics performing their “hardest-hitting material,” as well as members of the local kink community sharing “tips and tricks” about their sex-positive lifestyle. Each show will feature six comics, including co-producers Barney and Natasha Vinik, and one person from the kink community. While the series is not being billed as an LGBT event, queer performers are prominent in the first three scheduled programs.

“I’m just a boring, cis, white man,” said Barney, “and one of the few” on the program so far. Barney said the idea for the comedykink showcase came about when,

Courtesy the subjects

“(Sub)mission” co-producers Natasha Vinik and Rich Barney.

after searching for a venue for the proposed series, he learned that the basement space at the Armory Club was available.

“I don’t have a lot of experience with kink,” said Barney, “but it seemed like it would be very cool to introduce the subject to others who are more vanilla, to let them know

about some other things going on” in San Francisco. Comedians scheduled at each show will not necessarily perform material with sexual content, and kink performers will not necessarily perform comic material, although they may.

At the series launch on Feb. 1, Step Tranovich, founder of Loud-

Jay Yamada

Liz Frederick, Zoë Foulks, Stacy Ross in “When We Were Young and Unafraid.”

In the show’s final moments, only Agnes and Hannah remain. Hannah seems to have given up on the utopianism of the womyn-only commune where she’d been planning to live.

Agnes seems to realize that by isolating herself in her shelter all these years, an eye in a gender-war storm, she may have been indulging in an even more severe form of separatism.

But this scene was less impactful than

it might have been because an earlier moment of Hannah’s was replaying itself in my mind: The one where she boasted that after she repaired a window it would be “sliding as easy as a horse’s twat.” Enough said.t

andQueer.com and the online sextoy shop cutelittlefuckers.com, will demonstrate rope bondage onstage, using one of the comics or an audience member as a prop. Tranovich, who identifies as gender queer and has produced many sex-positive events in the Bay Area, will demonstrate the tie “with enough details so that they’ll be able to go home and do one,” he said in a phone interview.

More importantly, he said, the demonstration will expose patrons to “a side of San Francisco that they may not know exists.”

Tranovich, an electrical engineer who has been active in San Francisco’s kink community since the day he arrived here from Washington, D.C. four years ago, is enthusiastic about the idea of combining “alternative sex” and comedy. When asked, Tranovich defined alternative sex as “anything other than cis people in a mission position.”

Tranovich has observed sexpositive clubs featuring comedy (as many bars do to bring people in the door) that “won’t really have any material related to sex. It’s like it’s almost too uncomfortable to

discuss,” he said. “This is the perfect opportunity to bring a fun and light-hearted approach [to kink] by mixing it with a night of comedy. I think it’s going to work very well.”

During his time in San Francisco, Tranovich found that the “sex-positive culture here is open and accessible,” very unlike Washington D.C. From his first day in San Francisco, “I realized I could just show up and be involved in a community. That’s one of the things I really love and value about living here.”

Other queer comics scheduled to appear at “(Sub)mission” include (2/1), Dominique Gelin, Anica Cihla, and Natasha Muse; (2/8), Annick Adelle, Tammy E. Clark, Everett McMahan; and (2/15), Marcus Williams and Natasha Muse.t

When We Were Young and Unafraid plays through Feb. 9.

Custom Made Theatre Co., 533 Sutter St., SF. Tickets from $30.

(415) 798-2682.

Tickets for “(Sub)mission” (50% off for BAR readers with discount code ‘LGBT’) are $11.75, available at https:// submissioncomedy.eventbrite. com. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. 90-minute show begins promptly at 7 p.m. Cocktails and wine are available.

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Film>>

January 31-February 6, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 25

Castro Theatre considers Oscar favorites

by David Lamble

F

ebruary is Oscar month, therefore a very special time at the Castro Theatre. The theatre launches the month with a selection of this award season’s most-talked-about films. A great way to complete your 2019 Oscar dance card.

“The Favourite” In early 18thcentury England, a frail Queen Anne occupies the throne, and her close friend Lady Sarah governs the country in her stead. When a new servant, Abigail, arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz. (2/4-5) “Bohemian Rhapsody” In a year with a small tidal wave of LGBTQthemed features, this outstanding bio-doc on the openly gay British rocker Freddie Mercury, lead singer for Queen, headed my picks for Best Films of 2018. We follow young Freddie (sublime Rami Malek), born in Zanzibar to Pakistani parents, as he attempts to carve out a career for himself in the volatile early-70s world of UK bands known for flamboyant dress and hairstyles.

The film is unusual for its mix of pop music history, an upbeat immi-

<<

Don Quixote

From page 19

“Don Q,” first done here in 2003, was a hit from the get-go; the first “Bravos” came within five minutes of the overture. The house was crowded, standing-room packed.

The stars had outrageous chemistry. Carlo di Lanno and Mathilde Froustey played cool, but no one was fooled. They were made for each other, and they were intriguingly matched virtuoso dancers: she glamorous, chic, the belle of the ball; he fiery, strong, astonishingly articulate in mid-air. They had the sort of relationship where he’d lift her arms-length overhead, hold her there, and she’d love it and rattle her tambourine. Then the marvelous comic mechanisms fell into place, for they’ve got opposition. Her father’s against it, he’s got her engaged to a rich fop, and she won’t have it.

Froustey had big success dancing this role with the Paris Opera Ballet.

Quixote’s story was first put onstage 200 years ago. It embodies revolutionary ideals that underlie the American, French, and Russian revolutions. It’s about the right to happiness, and it still grabs you. Kitri (Froustey), as she’s called in Russian, is legally blonde, OK? She is the

Fox Searchlight

Emma Stone in director Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite.”

grant story, a high-wire coming out tale, and the 1985 Live Aid concert, where Queen was a huge hit.

An early scene between Freddie, his bandmates and a scornful producer captures the bond between the band and its fans. John Reid: “So tell me: What makes Queen any different from all the other wannabe rock stars I meet?” Freddie Mercury: “We’re four misfits who don’t be-

long together, we’re playing for the other misfits. They’re the outcasts, right at the back of the room. We’re pretty sure they don’t belong either.

We belong to them.” (2/6-8) “Bohemian Rhapsody SingAlong” The same great film with sing-along subtitles and higher ticket prices. (2/8-10) “Walt Disney’s Fantasia” (1940) This magical combination of high

daughter of an innkeeper, and she’s got a mind of her own. This story is about her right to choose for herself whom she wants to marry. When Don Quixote (Jim Sohm, the former principal dancer, now a wizard in character roles that call for nobility) hears about her, he goes to put his lance at her service. She doesn’t really need his help, or that of his “squire” Sancho Panza (Pascal Molat, who created the role in 2003, and is astoundingly funny all night long), but the complications are hilarious.

The conflict is richly played out, with brilliant performances from the mime-roles: her father (Val Caniparoli, outstanding in the role), who treats her like his princess but wants her to marry someone who can support her; the Don; his squire, whom kids like to tease, and end up tossing him in a blanket, each big heave throwing him up in a position twice as funny as the last; and of course, the rich fop Gamache (hilariously played

by Alexandre Cagnat).

It’s a complex comic contraption, as full of sight gags as a Keystone Kops routine, a total barrel of monkeys. Throughout the first two acts, the play of actual dance moves against mime sequences among the comic side characters is itself a source of dazzle and delight. Since

this is a comedy, and Kitri gets what she wants, the last act is a wedding, with lots of dancing. But up until then, each act builds to a crisis where the lovers have to go on the lam, and the father and suitors follow in hot pursuit.

Since it’s a comedy, the incidentals are very important. The best performances in the whole show were in fact the dances of the toreadors and the gypsies, with truly astounding outings for Daniel Deivison-Oliveira, who strides forward like Holotta Tymes with a cape in her hand, and stares us down with tragic intensity.

Everything he did was magnificent.

In 2003, when the staging was new, the ballerina Lorena Feijoo danced with this level of outrageous energy.

Last week the dancers who turned it up to 11 were Deivison-Oliveira; his counterpart as Esmeralda, the street dancer, Jennifer Stahl, a commanding presence; and Kimberly Marie Olivier, the Gypsy Queen, who outdanced anyone I’ve ever seen in this role, even at the Kirov or the Bolshoi.

It’s SFB’s 86th season, and the 34th since Helgi Tomasson took over the company as artistic director, which was a shaky, just-rescuedfrom-bankruptcy thing. He led out with a revival of the best single production he ever made. Probably his best decision there was to let Yuri Possokhov help him, since the then-principal dancer, who’d come from the Bolshoi, knew the ballet from his childhood, in the Soviet productions, and could coach every performer, down to the children in the puppet show, in roles he himself had danced.

Style matters. Even if the themes are strong, the performers have to be believable in their parts. “Don Quixote” is widely regarded as a silly crowd-pleaser, but our production is the best-thought-out version anywhere in the world, rivaled only by the Kirov’s of St Petersburg. All versions have balanced the theme of a woman’s right to choose with the deeper symbolisms Kitri’s rights stand for: the rights of all the downtrodden. The ballet needs to embody these issues in the story of people we care and would go to bat for.

Everyone deserves praise; the horse and the donkey were perfect.

Special praise to Val Caniparoli, who’s played mime roles here for years but rarely found the depth of character he brought to this role. He sometimes plays the role of the au-

Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet dancer Jim Sohm in Tomasson/Possokhov’s “Don Quixote.”

culture (classical music) with pop culture (the Disney Studio’s pioneering animation, including Walt’s biggest star, Mickey Mouse) remains fresh. The classical compositions include “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” (Mickey as the master of ceremonies), “The Dance of the Hours” (dancing hippos and alligators), “Rite of Spring” (dinosaurs) and “A Night on Bald Mountain.” (2/9-10) “Detour” (1945) Director Edgar G. Ulmer took less than a week to film this still-thrilling noir. A young man (Tom Neal) catches a wild ride with a dangerous young woman (Ann Savage).

“The Hitch-Hiker” (1953) A special treat for fans of bold female directors is this Ida Lupino treatment of a male hunting trip that goes dangerously awry when a homicidal fugitive steals their car.

With Edmund O’Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Tallman and Jose Tovay. (both 2/14) “Roma” Fans of the Mexican gay-themed teen road-comedyromance “Y Tu Mama Tambien” should be thrilled that its creator, Alfonso Cuaron, is back with a melancholy film memoir. A Mexico City clan, unsettled by a cheating dad, is nurtured by an angelic servant, all

against the backdrop of a bloody political uprising. A genius at weaving tales where hopes for love and freedom are thwarted by a bleak, chaotic landscape, Cuaron here provides a love letter to the country of his youth. (2/15-18) “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2018) Director Barry Jenkins follows his sensitive coming-of-age tale “Moonlight” with an evocative African American romance adapted from the book by openly gay novelist James Baldwin. (2/19) Peaches Christ Productions Presents “Mean Gays” The San Francisco producer offers a live stage show send-up of the 2004 film. (2/23) “Moana Sing-Along” Charming full-length animation from the Disney Studio. (2/24) “All About Eve” (1950) Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s satire on the battle between an aging stage star (Bette Davis) and her aggressive young rival (Anne Baxter). This six-Oscar winner (including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Supporting Actor: George Sanders) comes with a to-die-for ensemble: Davis, Baxter, Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Marilyn Monroe, Thelma Ritter, Hugh Marlowe and Gregory Ratoff. (plus co-feature, 2/24)t

dience’s friend, “explaining” his feelings. Here he was a really anxious father, afraid his daughter was going to ruin her future, and he would not be around to help. I was moved by his performance.

The principals danced well, without being inspired. Angelo Greco seemed to flag in the last act, as if maybe Basilio had enjoyed sparring with Kitri in flirtations but didn’t really want to be her husband. Or maybe he was just tired. His role is spectacularly athletic: maybe it was just pacing. Froustey was not always

on her leg; from the first, it seemed the conductor, Martin West, was out of sympathy with her and gave her tempos that were a hair too slow.

The Gala was a wonderful night on the town for the donors, with dancing after. The big news was a pas de deux by Danielle Rowe for Sofiane Sylve (magnificent) and Aaron Robison (heartbreaking), about a grown woman who’s had it with a guy of whom she was fond, but he just didn’t get it. Everybody in the house got it. We all want to see it again.t

28

Leather

29

31

Nightlife Events

www.ebar.com

Shining Stars Vol. 49 • No. 5 • January 31-February 6, 2019

Lena Hall looks forward, and back

Broadway star ‘Auditions’ at Feinstein’s

by Jim Gladstone

W

hile starring in the Broadway production and national tour of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, San Francisco native Lena Hall had an amazing six-pack of leading men: Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Rannells, Michael C. Hall, John Cameron Mitchell and Darren Criss.

See page 31 >>

Lena Hall

Arts Events Juliana Huxtable. Courtesy the artist and American Federation of Arts

Jan. 31Feb. 7, 2019

Stunning visuals, transcendant sounds, terrific theatrics and more await you at arts events around the Bay.

Wed 6

Listings on page 27 >

Black Refractions @ MOAD

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

Besties

Best of the Bay 2019

BESTIES STRIP.indd 1

Vote in our annual readers’ poll and

be entered to win some amazing prizes!

www.ebar.com/besties2019 1/30/19 11:08 AM

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Arts Events>>

January 31-February 6, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

Sun 3

Mon 4

Choreographies of Disclosure @ Pro Arts Oakland

Jason Brock @ Martuni’s

Choreographies of Disclosure: What the Mind Forgets, an LGBT-artist group exhibit about sexual violence, thru Feb 15. 150 Frank H Ogowa Plaza, Oakland. https://proartsgallery.org

The powerhouse singer performs at the intimate martini bar, with accompanist Dee Spencer. $5.

6pm. 4 Valencia St. www.jasonbrockvocals.com

Immigrant Girl, Radical Woman @ SF Public Library

Fri 1

Mitambo Festival @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley

Thu 31 Border People @ The Marsh Dan Hoyle’s new solo show embodies multiple characters based around the U.S./Mexico border wall controversies; thru Feb 23. $25$100. Thu & Fri 8pm, Sat 5pm. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarsh.org

Candlestick @ A.C.T. Costume Shop Campo Santos presented Ben Fisher’s new drama about about 49ers fans at the last tailgate party at the stadium. $15-$30. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 3pm. Thru Feb 3. 1117 Market St. www.facebook.com/ pg/camposantosf/

How I Learned What I Learned @ Marin Theatre Company August Wilson’s autobiographical solo play gets a local production, performed by Steven Anthony Jones. $10-$52. Wed-Sat 7:30pm, Sat & Sun 2pm, thru Feb 3. 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley. www.marintheatre.org

Metamorphosis @ Berkeley Rep

Fri 1 Creditors @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley August Stringdberg’s drama (powerful psychodrama about a sexual triangle taken to destructive extremes) is performed in a new version by David Greig. $35-$70.

Thru Feb 24. 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. www.auroratheatre.org

King of the Yees @ SF Playhouse Lauren Yee’s comic play about a Chinese American family, a missing father, and a 150-year-old men’s club. $25-$125. Tue-Thu & Sun 7pm.

Fri & Sat 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru March 2. 450 Post St. 2nd floor. www.sfplayhouse.org

Late Company @ NCTC Jordan Tannahill’s gripping family drama about antigay bullies, redemption and anger, gets its West Coast-premiere in the gay theatre company’s new production. $20-$50. Wed-Sat 8pm Sun 2pm.

Thru Feb 24. 25 Van Ness Ave, lower level. www.nctcsf.org

Mitambo Festival @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley

Mary Zimmerman’s award-winning modern adaptation of Ovid’s iconic mythological story collection returns in a new co-production with The Guthrie Theatre. $28-$115. Thru Mar 10. 2015 Addison St., Berkeley. www.berkeleyrep.org

Chinayakare Ensemble and Zimbabwean musicians and dancers celebrate the music of the people - Chimurenga music - and its roots in traditional mbira music played by the ancestral Shona people in Zimbabwe. $20 and up. Also Feb 2. 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. www.ashkenaz.com

Paradise Square @ Berkeley Repertory

Sweeney Todd @ Hillbarn Theatre, Foster City

New musical about the 1860s Black and Irish-populated Five Points district of New York. $40-$115. Thru Feb 17. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. www.berkeleyrep.org

Stephen Sondheim’s awardwinning gruesomely dramatic musical, based on the penny dreadfuls about the ‘demon barber of Fleet Street’ and his pie-making accomplice, gets an East Bay production. $20-$40; thru Feb 10.

1285 Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City. www.hillbarntheatre.org

Solo Performance Festival @ Potrero Stage PlayGound’s annual showcase of two dozen-plus performers’ shows, including Marga Gomez, Matthew Martin, Nina Wise, Michael Phillis and more. $31-$93 (full pass). Thru Feb 10. 1695 18th St. playground-sf.org

Tosh Berman @ City Lights Bookstore The author of the fascinating memoir Tosh: Growing up in Wallace Berman’s World, about his assemblage-artist Beat-era father, in a talk with Natalia Mount and Roman Coppola. 7pm. 261 Columbus Ave. www.citylights.com Also Feb 1, 7pm at Moe’s Books, 2470 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley. https://www.moesbooks.com/

Two-Spirit Voices: Returning to the Circle @ GLBT History Museum Opening reception for the Native American queer exhibit of the Bay Area organization on its 20th anniversary, including the annual Two-Spirit Powwow organized by BAAITS, indigenous medicine and responses to HIV/AIDS, and TwoSpirit meaning within indigenous communities. $5. 7pm-9pm. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

LGBTQ Histories from the WWII Home Front @ Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center, Richmond Park indoor exhibit that showcases the lives of historic LGBT people.

Open daily 10am-5pm. 1414 Harbour Way South, Suite 3000, Richmond. www.nps.gov/rori/index.htm

Night of Ideas @ SF Public Library Local edition of a new five-city event, with thinkers, artists, musicians and performers exchanging ideas in a variety of ways at dozens of events around the library. 7pm-2am. 100 Larkin St. Register at www.nightofideassf.com

Seascape @ Geary Theatre Edward Albee’s prize-winning satirical comedy about a retired couple’s beachside encounter with a pair of talking lizards. $15-$110. Thru Feb 17. 415 Geary St. www.act-sf.org

SF Hiking Club @ Marin Headlands Join GLBT hikers of the SF Hiking Club for an 8-mile hike from Tennessee Valley to Muir Beach in the Marin Headlands. Carpool meets at 9:00 at Safeway sign, Market & Dolores. 415-845-4940. www.sfhiking.com

Then They Came For Me @ Futures Without Violence Incarceration of Japanese Americans During WWII and the Demise of Civil Liberties, a touring multimedia exhibit. Free. Wed-Sun 10am-6pm.

100 Montgomery St. www.thentheycame.org

Various Exhibits @ SF Public Library Portal: Group Show of Speculative Fiction, thru Feb; Shaped: Sharing HIV/AIDS Photos Essentially Deaf, thru Feb 1; Art/Work: Art Created by the Staff at SFPL, thru Mar. 8; SF Wildlife: Photography by Jouko van der Kruijssen, thru Mar. 28. 100 Larkin St. www.sfpl.org

Lew the Jew and His Circle @ Contemporary Jewish Museum Lew the Jew and His Circle: Origins of American Tattoo, an exhibit of the prolific tattoo artist’s work, tools and life; thru June 9. Also, Show Me as I Want to Be Seen, the work of Claude Cahun and her lifelong lover and collaborator Marcel Moore, thru July 7. 736 Mission St. www.thecjm.org

Life of Pi @ Brava Theater Dance concert of Ganesh Vasudeva’s dance interpretation of Yann Martel’s best-selling novel. $25-$35.

3pm. 2781 24th St. www.brava.org

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

Readings @ City Lights Bookstore Feb 3, 5pm: SF Poet Laureate Kim Shuck with E.K. Keith.

Feb 5, 7pm: Don’t Hide the Madness: William S. Burroughs in Conversation with Allen Ginsberg, with Steven Taylor, Peter Hale, Erik Drooker, Peter Carlaftes.

Feb 7, 7pm: contributors to A People’s Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers. 261 Columbus Ave. www.citylights.com

Various Exhibits @ Asian Art Museum Contemporary works by Kim Heecheon and Liu Jianhua; also, exhibits of sculpture and antiquities. Sunday café specialties from $7-$16. Free-$20. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. 200 Larkin St. www.asianart.org

Sat 2 Body Taboo Defiance @ Shelton Theatre

Wayne Thiebaud, Etel Adnan, Alexander Calder, Donald Judd, Louise Bourgeois and many classic Modern works. The Sea Ranch: Architecture, Envioronment and Idealism (thru April 28). Vija Celmins: To Fix the Image in Memory, thru March 31. Free/$25.

Fri-Tue 10am-6pm. 151 3rd St. www.sfmoma.org

Tue 5 East Meets West @ Legion of Honor Jewels of the Maharajas from the Al Thani Collection, thru Feb 24.

Also, Séraphin Soudbinine, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Framing the Body, Mummies and Medicine and other exhibits of classical and modern art. Free/$30. Lincoln Park, 100 34th Ave. https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/

Friendly Fire @ Wessling Gallery Group exhibit of vibrant works in various media by 14 artists. 440 Brannan St. wesslinggallery.com

Wed 6 Black Refractions @ MOAD Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem, a new traveling exhibition showcasing a century of artworks. Thru April 14.

Free/$10. Museum of the african Diaspora, 685 Mission St. www.moadsf.org

Various Events @ Oakland LGBTQ Center Social events and meetings at the new LGBTQ center include film screenings and workshops. 3207 Lakeshore Ave. Oakland. www.oaklandlgbtqcenter.org

Thu 7 Exclusion @ Presidio Officers Club Exhibit documenting the Presidio’s Japanese-American incarceration during World War II; other exhibits show the history of the former military base and the SF peninsula.

Free, Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. Thru Spring 2019. 50 Maraga Ave. www.presidio.gov/ officers-club/exhibitions/

Little Village Foundation Benefit Show @ Freight & Salvage, Berkeley

Festive variety show with comics, vaudeville, dancers, burlesque, Carla Tutu and others. $20-$100.

11pm, 12am show. 533 Sutter St. www.sheltontheater.org

Come From Away @ Golden Gate Theatre

Dorothea Lange

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

Art exhibition of historical resreach and ephemera about early 20thcentury immigrant and activist Matilda Rabinowitz; thru May 19. Feb. 3, 1 pm: Opening Event: Meet artist Robbin Henderson as she discusses the life of Matilda Rabinowitz and shows her artwork.

Music by the San Francisco Rockin Solidarity Labor Chorus. Main Library, Koret Auditorium. 100 Larkin St. www.sfpl.org

Modern Art @ SF MOMA

Touring production of Irene Sankoff & David Hein’s Tonywinning Broadway musical about stranded passengers who landed in Newfoundland. $56-$256. Tue-Thu 7:30pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Wed, Sat & Sun 2pm, thru Feb 3. 1 Taylor St at Market. www.shnsf.com

Magnificent Magnolias @ SF Botanical Garden

A History of World War II @ The Marsh Prolific playwright and director John Fisher’s new solo show’s subtitled The D-Day Invasion to the Fall of Berlin. $20-$100. Thu 8pm, Sat 8:30pm. Extended thru Feb 2. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarshsf.com

Kevin Burt, Members of Mariachi Mestizo, Marina Crouse, Maurice Tani, Sean Wheeler, The Sons of the Soul Revivers w/Marcel Smith, Raise Your Voice The Sound of Student Protest. $20-$24. 8pm. 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. www.thefreight.org

Sat 2

Then They Came For Me @ Futures Without Violence

Visit the lush gardens with displays of trees, flowers and shrubs from around the world, including the annual Magnolia bloom. Free entry with SF proof of residency. $5-$10 for others. 7:30am-closing. 9th Ave at Lincoln Way. https:// sfbotanicalgarden.org/ t

<< Leather

28 • Bay Area Reporter • January 31-February 6, 2019

Pass it on Leather gear and personal legacy

Rich Stadtmiller

What we don’t often think about when we see a bunch of sexy leathered men standing around, like these men at last year’s BLUF dinner, is the thousands of dollars’ worth of leather they’re wearing.

So why not pass on some leather you don’t wear to others?

by Race Bannon

T

his past week anyone who even casually scanned social media would have seen a flurry of memes and commentary about Marie Kondo and her “tidying” message now being made widely accessible through her Netflix show.

In true American consumerism fashion, masses of people piled on Kondo’s tidying message with piranha frenzy, especially when they misinterpreted her suggestion about reducing one’s book collection. You would have thought she had directed us all to cut off a leg.

What people did was superficially snap judgment her message with barely an iota of understanding of her method’s true core values and principles. Falling prey to such group-think is easy.

Thankfully, a friend pointed me to a beautiful article by author Margaret Dilloway in the Huffington

Post. Dilloway drills through the veneer of the more obvious traits of Ms. Kondo’s tidying strategies and offers us their roots in the lovely Japanese Shinto religion.

Part of Shinto’s culture is to imbue objects with their own dignity and specialness. Flowing naturally from the honoring of objects this way is also respecting where we live and work, and therefore the people therein, with a similar type of specialness.

Rather than Kondo’s method being one of simply discarding an unwanted item, she suggests giving sincere thanks to the object and passing it on to others if possible, to be put to better use elsewhere, perhaps bringing joy to a new owner.

Halfway through reading Dilloway’s article it struck me that the leather communities have had a longstanding practice of passing down leathers, gear and treasured objects to others as a way of letting

a valued possession experience new life with a new caretaker.

While I sometimes bristle at any sort of magical spirituality, the Shinto notion that spirits (kami) inhabit everyone and everything resonates nicely with how I’ve felt when I’ve worn or used something passed down to me from someone else.

Years ago, my second partner bestowed upon me a small piece of black cowhide that I still own, cherish and use to this day. When I hold it in my hand or use it during play, I think not only of my expartner but also of our happy erotic life and the many men with whom he previously used that same piece of hide. The joy and pleasure it has brought to me and others in the past trickle into the scene in which I’m using it and accentuates the pleasure for me, and I hope the other person.

Even just seeing it rolled up in my toy bag elicits loving memories.

Similar feelings emerge when I wear the vest of my late submissive.

When I don it, he’s with me, close to my skin, hugging me with a leather embrace that makes me smile.

Objects can serve as remembrances that allow our memories to live on more robustly and vividly.

I’ve passed down things to scene newcomers and they’ve reported that it’s helped them feel they truly belong to the kinship of kinksters, territory that’s tricky to navigate for those new to our style of sex and socialization.

Perhaps such objects are indeed populated by spirits – spirits of leathermen, some long gone and some still with us. Or perhaps they just conjure such imaginary spirits in my own mind. Ultimately, I don’t know and don’t really care. The result is still an experience elevated by the veneration for the history of the object itself and that’s fine by me.

In leather and kink culture we use various constructs to best position and manipulate our sexualities and

erotic identities; roles, personal protocols, symbols, signals. There is no reason to not include the specialness of the objects we use and wear as part of those useful constructs. If we accept that what we hold special and dear need not be considered special and dear to others, there’s no need to not revel in whatever makes our sexualities more fulfilling.

Our leather scene is replete with ceremonies, contests and awards at which people are publicly recognized. All communities have such things. However, I think they all pale in comparison to the private passing down of something to another in the hopes that it will make them a bit happier, a bit more

t

turned on, or a bit more confident.

So, if you have some special article of fetish clothing, BDSM gear, erotic toy, or anything that has special meaning to you that no longer fits within your wants or needs, consider passing it on to someone else. Giving it to another is special, but even if you sell a treasured something, consider telling the buyer the object’s story so that it might mean a bit more to them as they wear or use it. Maybe include a short note about the object’s history and personal meaning.

Pass it on.t Race Bannon is a local author, blogger and activist. www.bannon.com

Rich Stadtmiller

The kink scene tends to think of handing down leathers mostly, but why not rubber too (or anything really) as worn by these sexy men at a recent Mr. SF Rubber Meet and Greet event at The Edge.

Leather Events, February 1-15 Fri 1

Mon 4

Beards & Booze @ The Edge

Ride Mondays @ Eros

This weekly happy hour event is for bearded guys and the beard fetishists who like them. 4149 18th St., 5pm. www.edgesf.com

SF Queer/Leather Happy Hour @ SF Eagle Join queers for drinks at the happy hour event that happens every first Friday of the month. Please visit the voter registration table. 398 12th St., 6-9pm. www.sf-eagle.com

Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club Officially a CMA meeting, but open to all Anonymous 12-step Fellowship members, 4058 18th St., 9:30pm. www.castrocountryclub.org

Gear Party @ 442 Natoma Gear play party (leather, rubber, harnesses, etc.) for gay men.

442 Natoma St., $15 (requires $5 membership), 10pm. www.442parties.com

Sat 2 Mr. Right Now Contest @ Powerhouse Want a title? Afraid of commitment? Willing to give it your all for one night? A fan of instant gratification? This contest might be for you. Interested in competing?

Contact MrSFLeather2018@gmail. com. $5 at door, 1347 Folsom St., 10pm-2am. powerhousebar.com

A motorcycle rider and leathermen night at Eros, bring your helmet, AMA card, MC club card or club colors and get $3 off entry or massage. 2051 Market St. www.erossf.com

Fri 8 Beards & Booze @ The Edge Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club Gear Party @ 442 Natoma See Fri 1

Sun 10 Friendly – A Mr. Friendly Beer Bust @ SF Eagle Join the Friendly team as they break new ground, have conversations, and enjoy a drink or two. 398 12th St., 3-6pm. www.sf-eagle.com

Mon 11 Ride Mondays @ Eros See Mon 4

Thu 14 Poly Happy Hour @ SF Eagle

Come out and dance and play.

Featuring DJ Blackstone. $5 at door, 1347 Folsom St., 10pm-2am. www.powerhousebar.com

An LGBTQ+ kinky poly people social happy hour Hosted by Mr. San Francisco Leather 2018, every second Thursdays. Meet on the upper patio. 398 12th St., 6-8pm. www.sf-eagle.com

Sat 9

Rope Burn SF: Valentine’s Day @ SF Catalyst

Lick It @ Powerhouse

Ms. SF Leather Contest @ 934 Brannan St. See who will become the next Ms. San Francisco Leather. More information soon. 934 Brannan St., 6:30-11pm. www.mssfleather.org

Leather Lounge @ SF Eagle BLUF SF hosts this monthly gathering of men so leathermen can gear up, grab a cigar, and socialize every 2nd Saturday of the month.

398 12th St., 9pm-2am. facebook. com/groups/BLUFsf/

Rope Burn is a group dedicated to creating a safe space for learning the art of rope restraint. Open to all skill levels and sizes. $20 suggested donation, 1060 Folsom St., 7-10pm.

Tickets at https://goo.gl/jmwcqD.

Fri 15 Beards & Booze @ The Edge Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club Gear Party @ 442 Natoma See Fri 1 t

Nightlife Events>>

t Nightlife Events

January 31-February 6, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 29

Fantasy Friday @ Divas

Steven Underhill

Jan 31Feb 7, 2019

What’s happening in bar, clubs and cabarets? Look here for the most LGBT-inclusive listings in town.

The popular Latin club with gogo guys galore and Latin music. $10-$20.

9pm-3am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

The genre-blending band performs at the upscale restaurant-nightclub. $46.

8pm & 10pm. Also Feb 2, 7:30pm & 9:30pm. 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. www.yoshis.com

Mitambo Festival @ Ashkenaz, Berkeley

Gameboi SF @ Rickshaw Stop

Thu 31

Fri 1

Friends Live @ Oasis

Bear Happy Hour @ Midnight Sun

The popular ‘90s sitcom gets a double drag (king/queen) parody performance of a few episode scripts, with Nancy French, Sue Casa Steven LeMay and other talents. $27-$50.

Thu 8pm, Fri & Sat 7pm. Thru Mar. 2.

298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Hairy men and their pals enjoy 2-for-1 drinks and no cover. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Gayface @ El Rio Queer weekly night out with DJed and live music, at the popular Mission bar.

10pm-2am. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Junk @ Powerhouse MrPam and Dulce de Leche cohost the weekly underwear strip night and contest, with sexy prizes. $5. 10pm2am. 1347 Folsom St. powerhousebar.com

Beards & Booze @ The Edge Beers, bears, cubs, snacks and grooves. $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. www.edgesf.com

DTF Fridays @ Port Bar, Oakland Various DJs play house music, and a few hotties gogo dance at the new gay bar’s weekly event. 9pm-2am.

2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com

Daddy’s Boy @ Atlas

Hard French Winter Ball @ Grand Theater/Gray Area

Sexy cruisy night with a date auction; win a date with a cutie; proceeds benefit Larkin Street Youth. $10-$20.

10pm-3am. 415 10th St. at Harrison. www.facebook.com/daddysboySF/

9th annual festive dance night with CeCe Peniston, Solar, DJed R&B grooves with Brown Amy and Carnita. $22-$27. 9pm-2am. 2665 Mission St. https://hardfrench.com

Frolic @ SF Eagle

Mother @ Oasis

Fursuit fun starts at 8pm, til 2am, with DJed animal grooves.$5-$10. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Heklina’s popular weekly drag show, with special guests and great music themes. Feb 2: Gay Icons, woith Latrice Royale. $15-$20. 10pm-3am (11:30pm show). 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

GAMeBoi SF @ Rickshaw Stop The popular gay-Asians and pals dance party plays K-pop and more. $8-$15. 9:30pm-3am. 155 Fell St. www.rickshawstop.com

Go Bang! @ The Stud Groovy dance party with DJs Steve Fabus, Sergio Fedasz, Prince Wolf and guest Sir Joq. $5-$10. 9pm-3am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Chinayakare Ensemble and Zimbabwean musicians and dancers to celebrate the music of the people Chimurenga music - and to celebrate its roots in traditional mbira music played by the ancestral Shona people in Zimbabwe. $20 and up. Also Feb 2.

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. www.ashkenaz.com/

Safada @ Oasis Brazilian carnaval-themed night, with samba, Brazilian and Latin music, costumes, drag and special cocktails. $8-$10. 10pm-2am. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Juanita MORE!’s monthly drag newbie makeover night. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

See page 30 >>

Playmates and soul mates...

Rorshok @ SF Eagle Dance grooves and shock drag shows. $5-$10. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

PowerBlouse @ Powerhouse

San Francisco:

1-415-692-5774

18+ MegaMates.com

Stank @ Powerhouse Smelly armpits win prizes at the raunchy night with sweaty gogos. $5.

10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

(Sub)mission Comedy @ Armory Bar Mostly-weekly comedy night, with a bit of kink demos, in the basement of the upscale whiskey/cocktail bar, with hosts Natasha Vinik and Rich Barney.

7pm. 1799 Mission S.t www.submissioncomedy.com

Lena Hall @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The Tony-winning Broadway and touring costar of Hedwig and the Angry Inch performs her new cabaret concert, Art of the Audition: From Falling Apart to Nailing the Part to Feinstein’s at the Nikko. $55-$85 ($20 food/drink min.) 8pm.

Also Feb 1 & 2. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. feinsteinsatthenikko.com

James J. Siegel’s monthly author, poet, music night, this time with Keith Donnell, Laurie Ann Doyle, Elizabeth Gonzalez James, Miah Jeffra, and Emily Pinkerton. 7pm. 4 Valencia St.

Latin Explosion @ Club 21

Lisa Fischer, Grand Baton @ Yoshi’s Oakland

Sat 2

Literary Speakeasy @ Martuni’s

Weekly drag shows at the last transgender-friendly bar in the Polk; with hosts Victoria Secret, Alexis Miranda and several performers. Also Thursdays and Saturdays; Thursday karaoke night. $10. 10pm. 1081 Polk St. www.divassf.com

Uhaul @ Jolene’s The popular roving women’s dance party returns at the new nightclub, now weekly. 10pm2am. 2700 16th St. at Harrison. http://jolenessf.com/

Sat 2 Aaron Carter, Xavier Toscano @ Brick & Mortar

Sat 2 CeCe Peniston at Hard French Winter Ball @ Grand Theater/Gray Area

The two pop singers perform; Shawn Jermaine, Taylor Grey open. $18-$60. 8pm. 1710 Mission St. brickandmortarmusic.com

Amateur Strippers @ Lone Star Saloon DJ Spazatron, newbies getting’ down to next to nothing. $5.

9pm-12am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

The Monster Show @ The Edge The weekly drag show with host Sue Casa, DJ MC2, themed nights and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Rice Rockettes @ Lookout Local and visiting Asian drag queens’ weekly show with DJ Philip Grasso. $5. 10:30pm show. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle Rock bands play at the famed leather bar. $8. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Thursdays Rock @ Lone Star Saloon Grooves with DJ BRD. 8pm-12am.

1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Untitled-3 1

1/30/19 12:17 PM

<< Nightlife Events

Ashlynn Danielsen

30 • Bay Area Reporter • January 31-February 6, 2019

Karaoke Night @ Club 1220, Walnut Creek

Girlfriend @ The Stud

Sing along at the East Bar gay bar; dance nights on weekends, and drag shows, too. 9pm-1am. 1220 Pine St., Walnut Creek. www.club1220.com/

DJ Miss Universe, happy hour gals and pals fun. 5pm-9pm. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Kosmetik @ The Stud

Enjoy whiskey shots from jockstrapped hotties and sexy sports videos at the popular sports bar.

10pm-2am. 2247 Market St. 5512500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Russell E.L. Butler plays DJed new grooves. $5. 9pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Pan Dulce @ Beaux Drag divas, gogo studs, DJed Latin grooves and drinks. 9pm-2am (free before 10:30pm). 2344 Market St. www.clubpapi.com

Shevil @ Powerhouse Midweek drag fun. $5. 10pm-2am.

1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Mon 4

Thu 7

Jason Brock @ Martuni’s

<<

Nightlife Events

From page 29

Saturgay @ Qbar Stanley Frank spins house dance remixes at the intimate Castro dance bar. $3. 9pm-2am (weekly beer bust 2pm-9pm). 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Stallion @ Midnight Sun DJ Bill Dupp, intimate dance floor, gogo cuties. 8pm-2am. 4067 18th St. www.midnightsunsf.com

Turkuaz @ The Fillmore Rousing multi-instrumental and vocal R&B-pop band performs, with paris_ monster. $25. 9pm. 1805 Geary St. at Fillmore. http://thefillmore.com

Sun 3 Beer Bust @ SF Eagle The popular daytime party, where $10-$15 gets you all the beer you can drink, supporting worthy causes.

3pm-6pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Beer Bust @ Lone Star Saloon Beer, bears, food and DJed beats at the weekly fundraiser for various local charities. $15. 4pm-8pm. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Beverage Benefit @ The Edge Fundraiser and fun, with proceeds going to local nonprofits. $10. 4pm7pm. 4149 18th St. www.edgesf.com

Domingo De Escandal @ Club OMG Weekly Latin night with drag shows hosted by Vicky Jimenez and DJ Carlitos. (Comedy Open Mic 5:30pm). 7pm-2am. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

After Dark @ Exploratorium Jock @ The Lookout Enjoy the weekly jock-ular fun, with DJed dance music at sports team fundraisers. 12pm-1am. NY DJ Sharon White from 3pm-6pm. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Juanita’s Drag Brunch @ MORE/Jones Juanita MORE’s new daytime drag show on the restaurant’s scenic courtyard terrace, with a tasty revamped menu by chef Cory Armenta and food stylist Cole Church. Entrees $14-$21. 11am-3pm.

Wednesday Fried Chicken nights, too. 620 Jones St. www.juanitamore. com http://620-jones.com/

PoleSexual @ Powerhouse Variety burlesque show $5.

10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Queer Tango @ Finnish Hall, Berkeley Same-sex partner tango dancing, including lessons for newbies, food and drinks. $5-$10. 3:30pm-6:30pm.

1970 Chestnut St, Berkeley. www.finnishhall.org

Renegade @ Atlas The popular new weekly super-cruisy party; BYO, clothes check and DJed grooves. $10. 5pm-8pm. 415 10th St. https://www.facebook.com/ groups/2094886877491354/

Sue Per Bowl @ Oasis Sue Casa’s annual wacky day of football-watchingm with plenty of chips and dip. No cover., 2:30-6pm.

298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Super Bowl Viewing Party @ Lone Star Saloon $15 beer bust, DJ Jim Hopkins. 4pm8pm. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Mon 4 Gaymer Meetup @ Brewcade The weekly LGBT video game enthusiast night includes big-screen games and signature beers, with a new remodeled layout, including an outdoor patio. No cover. 7pm-11pm.

2200 Market St. www.brewcadesf.com

Enjoy cocktails and science demo sat the hands-on museum; Feb 7 is all about human-made crafts; Feb 14: Chocolate! $15-$20. 6pm-10pm. Pier 15 (Embarcadero at Green St). www.exploratorium.edu/

Awooga @ The Stud DJs John Fucking Cartwright and Creatrix play at an Anarchist dance party. $7. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Little Village Foundation Benefit Show @ Freight & Salvage, Berkeley Kevin Burt, Members of Mariachi Mestizo, Marina Crouse, Maurice Tani, Sean Wheeler, The Sons of the Soul Revivers w/Marcel Smith, Raise Your Voice - The Sound of Student Protest. $20-$24. 8pm. 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. www.thefreight.org

Nightlife @ California Academy of Sciences Parties at the fascinating spacious nature and science exhibits; Feb 7: SF Beer Week event. $12-$15. 6pm-10pm.

55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden gate Park. www.calacademy.org

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle Rock bands play at the famed leather bar. $8. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com t

The powerhouse singer performs at the intimate martini bar, with accompanist Dee Spencer. $5. 6pm. 4 Valencia St. www.jasonbrockvocals.com

Opulence @ Beaux Weekly dance night, with Jocques, DJs Tori, Twistmix and Andre. 9pm-2am.

2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Pillows @ Powerhouse Glamamore’s crafts and drag night.

9pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www. powerhousebar.com

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

Sat 2

Xavier Toscano @ Brick & Mortar

Tue 5 Cock Shot @ Beaux The weeknight party gets with DJ Chad Bays. No cover. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Hysteria Comedy @ Martuni’s Laugh out loud comics at the open mic night, with host Wonder Dave.

6pm-8pm. 4 Valencia St.

Truck Tuesdays @ Atlas The weekly super-cruisy night, with clothes check. $5. 415 10th St. Queer femmes and friends dance party with hip hop, Top 40 and throwbacks at the stylish intimate bar, with DJs Val G and Iris Triska. 9pm2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Wed 6

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B.P.M. @ Club BnB, Oakland Olga T and Shugga Shay’s weekly queer women and men’s R&B hip hop and soul night, at the club’s new location. 8pm-2am. 2120 Broadway, Oakland. www.bench-and-bar.com

Castro Karaoke @ Midnight Sun

Latrice Royale at Mother @ Oasis

Gym Class @ Hi Tops

Jason Brock @ Martuni’s

Vice Tuesdays @ Q Bar

Sat 2

t

Sing out with host Bebe Sweetbriar; 2 for 1 well drinks. 8pm-2am. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Gigante @ Port Bar, Oakland Juanita MORE! and DJ Frisco Robbie’s weekly event, with Latin, Hip Hop and House music, gogo gals and guys, and a drag show. $5. 9pm-2am. 2023 Broadway, Oakland. www.portoakland.com

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Cabaret>>

January 31-February 6, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 31

Joan Marcus

Lena Hall (center) in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Lena Hall in a recent cabaret performance.

<<

Lena Hall

From page 26

But champagne arrived in the form of real estate agent Jonathan Stein, who proposed to her this past Christmas, just two days before she spoke with the Bay Area Reporter about another upcoming engagement. Her three-show run at Feinstein’s at the Nikko opens tonight (It’s almost sold out, so act fast if you hope to attend).

“We’re on vacation in Bermuda,” a slightly distracted Hall said by telephone, explaining that she hadn’t been expecting the proposal, which is clear to anyone who watches the surreptitious sunset video Stein shot and Hall later shared with her Instagram followers (http://bit. ly/HallStein).

In addition to her impending nuptials, old friends and well-wishers at Hall’s shows this week will have Hall’s first regular role in a television series to celebrate. Along with Jennifer Connelly and fellow Bay Area native Daveed Diggs, she stars in Snowpiercer, a massively-scaled TNT television adaptation of the graphic sci-fi novel and Tilda Swinton/Chris Evans film it inspired.

“After the pilot was filmed,” Hall says, “There was a big overhaul of the show [The original director and showrunner were replaced]. I ended up in a different role than I’d been originally cast for, a new role that was specifically written for me to play.

“I’m not allowed to say much,” she explains, given the show’s high profile and surprising plot turns,

“but I love playing this character.

She’s awesome and I feel like I’m the luckiest person on the show.”

(Filming was just completed, and the show will premiere at a still undetermined date later this year).

Hall says that the jump from auditioning for Snowpiercer to working on the show was radically different from her early efforts to break into Broadway.

“Because the casting was being done in L.A. and I’m based in New York, I auditioned on video. My agent sent me script pages and I set up the lights and a tripod in my apartment. There’s no director sitting there, no casting director. I just self-taped what was written down and uploaded it.”

She got the role, and was off to long days on the soundstage.

Hall’s first years in New York were another story.

“When you’re starting out in musical theater, the auditions are the work. You spend far more time auditioning and preparing to audition than you spend as a hired actor.”

Those years are the inspiration for the new cabaret act Hall will perform at Feinstein’s: The Art of the Audition.

“I take everyone through the auditions that I did, and my huge fails.

I have more fails than I have wins.

There are so many stories of ridiculous things that I had to do to get a job.”

Among the hardest things to do as a newcomer, says Hall, is the hit and miss process of choosing audition songs that will help capture your uniqueness as a performer.

“Why was I singing Phantom of the Opera?” she wonders in retrospect, having since established herself as one of Broadway’s preeminent purveyors of grit.

Feinstein’s audiences will also get to hear Hall’s rendition of another unlikely selection: “Tits and Ass” from A Chorus Line.

“The show’s a crowd-pleaser,” says Hall, who has previously performed it in New York and Vancouver, but is excited about bringing it to her hometown crowd.

“Everyone can relate to the anxiety of applying for a job.”t Lena Hall’s ‘The Art of the Audition,’ Jan. 31- Feb, 2. $55-$85 ($20 food/drink min.) at Feinstein’s at the Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Shining Stars Steven Underhill Photos by

Junk @ Powerhouse T

he naughty Thursday night at The Powerhouse, hosted weekly by Dulce de Leche and mrPam, includes an underwear contest and gear night sponsored by 9×6 and Steamworks Berkeley. Things do get saucy! Stand back or prepare to be spritzed! 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com See plenty more photos on BARtab’s Facebook page, facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at StevenUnderhill.com.

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