July 23, 2020 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

Bathhouse law OK'd

Buttar accused of harassment

Gays lead Jewish agencies

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Vol. 50 • No. 30 • July 23-29, 2020

Rent a struggle for workers impacted by coronavirus by Matthew S. Bajko

Jose Ruiz-Wilbert

A shareholder of The Mix sued his business associates in 2019, and last month they filed a cross-complaint in court against him.

Mix responds to lawsuit by John Ferrannini

he corporation that does business as The Mix, a Castro neighborhood bar, filed a cross-complaint last month against Lawrence “Larry” Metzger, who sued the corporation and two of its shareholders in October 2019. The cross-complaint, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, alleges that Metzger issued unauthorized checks of The Mix’s assets to himself, exercised personal control over its property, breached his fiduciary duty to the corporation by accepting a position at a rival business, and even sold The Mix’s alcohol there. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, Metzger is one of four owners of The Mix, located at 4086 18th Street, along with Ross Crum, Virginia Crum-Ross, and Linda Holl. Last September, Crum fired Metzger from his duties as a manager of the bar, in what the latter claimed was a breach of contract in an October lawsuit against The Mix, Crum, and Crum-Ross that alleged five other causes of action. These included that Crum removed an obligation of $175,000 owed to Metzger by The Mix (referred to as TDG Inc.) between 2016 and 2017 “at his sole discretion, without any information or consent of plaintiff or approval of the board of directors,” according to the initial court filing from Metzger’s attorney. On June 22, The Mix filed a cross-complaint alleging five of its own causes of action. “TDG will offer testimony and documentary evidence at the time of trial in support of its claims against Cross-Defendant Metzger and will seek an equitable set off of its damages as against those alleged or required to be proven by Cross-Defendant Metzger,” the court filing states. The court filing states that before 2015, Metzger attempted “to use an unauthorized rubber stamp of Crum’s signature to forge documents and transfer additional ownership properties in TDG to himself.” This matter was resolved with an agreement that assigned percentages of the ownership shares to the four owners and made Crum the president and Metzger the vice president of The Mix. Subsequently, “TDG discovered that CrossDefendant Metzger continued a pattern or practice of improperly using TDG assets for his personal benefit.” Specifically, Metzger issued three checks to himself from The Mix in the amount of $18,000 “without the knowledge or consent of other TDG shareholders or directors,” the filing states. At least one of those checks had been intended to pay The Mix’s “routine vendor bills.”

Association with arsonist was detrimental to bar, filing states

The court filing goes on to state that Metzger “engaged in numerous instances of conduct detrimental to TDG,” including his association with convicted arsonist David Munoz Diaz. Diaz, 29, was sentenced to four years and four months of incarceration in May on charges stemming from a 2018 incident when he allegedly lit a homeless person on fire. See page 8 >>

n March, Dino Medardo Rosso was employed as a foreign language teacher at the San Francisco Waldorf School. He was also running a successful business tutoring adults who wanted to speak French or Spanish and overseas students in China looking to learn English. Then the coronavirus outbreak upended his life. The private school informed him it was ending his teaching contract as it prepared for a drop in enrollment due to the health crisis. His local private clients, whether restaurants offering language classes to their staffs or vacationers prepping for trips abroad, also dried up in light of people canceling their international travel and eateries being forced to close due to the virus. “My business tanked. As soon as they closed, I lost 90% of my business,” said Rosso, 42, a gay man who lives alone in an apartment in San Francisco’s LGBTQ Castro district. To stretch what income he is making, Rosso informed his landlord in April he would not be paying rent, which is more than $2,000 a month. He is taking advantage of an eviction moratorium city leaders imposed to assist those who have lost income due to the coronavirus.

Rick Gerharter

For rent signs are evident in the Castro as properties become available during the COVID crisis.

It was recently extended until September 30, and it allows renters to defer their rent payments until January 31, 2021. In a recent interview, Rosso told the Bay Area Reporter he doesn’t foresee being able to pay his rent through the rest of the year and is preparing to move out of his apartment early next year. His goal is to refurbish a vehicle into a mobile classroom he has dubbed the Little Blue

School Bus and drive it to vineyards, farms, and other businesses throughout California that want to hire him as a language tutor for their non-English speaking staff. He launched an online fundraiser in late May at https://www.gofundme.com/f/20rjwcnws0 and has netted close to $9,300 toward a goal of $50,000. See page 6 >>

Queer SOMA challenged by COVID by John Ferrannini

an Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood – home of one of the city’s three cultural districts geared toward protecting LGBTQ heritage – has experienced an epidemic before, when AIDS ravaged the area. But the shutdown orders and other restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic are presenting new challenges to a neighborhood that was already experiencing a decline in the number of queer spaces.

A virtual Up Your Alley

In spite of the disappearance of much of the “Miracle Mile” – the strip of SOMA bars and bathhouses that drew queers from around the world – the neighborhood is still known internationally for its street fairs. The Up Your Alley street fair Sunday, July 26, and the Folsom Street Fair in the fall normally draw thousands of members of the leather and kink community of all sexual orientations; but unlike bars, this year they have the option to continue in virtual space. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, it was announced the events would go virtual April 27 by Angel Adeyoha, the executive director of Folsom Street Events, which puts on both street fairs. The virtual Up Your Alley takes place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with an after party scheduled from 7 to 10 p.m. Adeyoha told the B.A.R. July 21 that Folsom Street Events will provide as participatory an experience as possible. “The main thing in planning this is we want to feel connected,” Adeyoha said. “A lot of people with virtual events feel like they’re watching a show but we wanted to replicate the experience of seeing and being seen that we all love about the fairs.” Part of that connectivity will be several spaces people can engage in explicit chats with each other – some in groups, others in “private rooms.” “It’s going to be a few specific areas folks can

Rick Gerharter

Last year’s Up Your Alley street fair was a sea of men; this year will be a virtual affair.

experience – the main stage, which will have our DJs and dancers – a cruising and play area, and some of our partners are building areas for folks as well,” Adeyoha said. One of those areas is going to be the Queer Naked Dance Party, which is going to be hosted on a relatively new media platform called Joie de Vivre. “Think of it as Zoom, but nudity-friendly and sex-positive,” Adeyoha said. “People are welcome to wear whatever amount of clothing they want, or none at all, if they so wish.” Organizers are planning even more events for the virtual Folsom Street Fair, which is scheduled for September 27. These will include areas for storytelling. “It will be similar but much expanded,” Adeyoha said, adding that Up Your Alley “will be a great way to get a taste of what we have planned for Folsom.”

Blow Buddies shutters as other businesses struggle

As the B.A.R. previously reported at least

one bar – The Stud – already announced the permanent closure of its physical location, citing COVID-19. The B.A.R. reached out to 13 South of Market businesses that cater to the LGBTQ community to ask about the state of their businesses, of which three responded. The sex club Blow Buddies at 933 Harrison Street announced this week that it has permanently closed due to COVID. The move came just days before the Board of Supervisors voted to lift restrictions on gay bathhouse operations that the city had placed on adult sex venues in the mid-1980s during the height of the AIDS epidemic. [See story, page 2.] Rakesh Modi, a queer man who owns Club OMG at 43 Sixth Street (between Market and Mission streets), stated that the location of his bar presents particular challenges. While many Castro neighborhood bars have been able to reopen outside by partnering with area restaurants, that solution wouldn’t work as well for OMG, he said. See page 8 >>

<< Community News

2 • Bay Area Reporter • July 23-29, 2020

Bison cams now live at Golden Gate Park

compiled by Cynthia Laird

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or the first time, fans of Golden Gate Park’s resident bison can connect with the animals from home, thanks to two new live webcams in their paddock. The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department noted in a news release that the bison cams offer a rare opportunity to observe the all-female herd as five longtime residents – Betsy, Bailey, Bellatrix, Buttercup, and Bambi – get to know their five young roommates, 1-year-olds acquired in March in honor of the park’s 150th anniversary. The bison cams can be viewed on the park’s anniversary website – www. goldengatepark150.com/bison – where visitors of all ages can also explore the history of bison in the park and enjoy learning activities, listen to podcasts, and watch videos. People can also enjoy the park’s other webcams, including penguins, stingrays, coral reef, and other sea life at the California Academy of Sciences. “The bison paddock is one of the favorite destinations in the park and now we can open this amazing experience up to animal lovers regardless of location,” Rec and Park general manager Phil Ginsburg stated. The social herbivores can be seen grazing together, wallowing in the dirt, or, like many park visitors, simply resting on the grass. Staff from the San Francisco Zoo cares for the bison herd, while Rec and Park gardeners maintain the enclosure. An emblem of the American west, bison had been driven nearly to extinction by the time the park’s herd was established.

Courtesy SF Rec & Park

The bison at Golden Gate Park can now be viewed through live webcams.

“Bison have been part of Golden Gate Park for more than a century and they help connect us to our storied past and represent our exciting future,” Drew Becher, a gay man who is CEO of San Francisco Parks Alliance, stated in the release.

Changes coming to Church Street

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will hold a virtual community meeting Saturday, July 25, at 11 a.m. to discuss proposed transfer improvements for the J-Church Muni line between 15th Street and Duboce Avenue. According to an email, Muni rail service is scheduled to resume in August to coincide with the likely reopening of more businesses and

schools. As rail service is restored, SFMTA is planning to increase capacity on the subway by adjusting which train lines enter the tunnels. The J-Church, along with the K-Ingleside and L-Taraval lines, will be taken out of the subway. These changes will get people through the subway more reliably and reduce delays that could increase risk of exposure to COVID-19. SFMTA said that the J-Church transfer improvements project will keep the line out of the tunnel, allowing it to circulate more frequently. Among the changes are that inbound and outbound boarding will occur on the existing Church Street See page 3 >>

Gay bathhouse restrictions lifted as SF sex club closes by Matthew S. Bajko

an Francisco supervisors voted to lift restrictions on gay bathhouse operations Tuesday, days after one of the city’s two adult gay sex clubs announced it was closing for good due to the coronavirus outbreak. In a post on its website Blow Buddies announced that “sadly” it would not reopen its South of Market location when the coronavirus outbreak subsides. Like other adult sex venues in the city, it was forced to close in mid-March when city officials ordered non-essential businesses to cease their operations in response to the virus. “We tried many ways to figure out a path to return and were unsuccessful. We appreciate the willingness of the LEATHER & LGBTQ cultural district and our landlord to explore options with us,” read the business’s note. “It was a good run ... August 8, 1988 to March 15, 2020. We are sad to see this chapter close. We thank our many members for their support over all those years. The club was created in response to one virus and done in by another.” The decision followed the news that The Watergarden in San Jose, one of the two remaining gay bathhouses operating in the Bay Area, had also decided to permanently close its doors. It had been in operation for 43 years but also saw no way to survive the current health crisis. Steamworks Baths in Berkeley, which is in Alameda County, is now the lone gay bathhouse left in the Bay Area. It too was forced to close its doors in mid-March due to the virus response and continues to state on its website that it hopes “to

Blow Buddies, at 933 Harrison Street, has closed for good.

have you back once the worst of this Outbreak is over.” Eros in the Castro district, the last gay sex club now remaining in San Francisco, states on its website it is likely to remain closed until August “with the possibility of an extension.” With a recent spike in both coronavirus cases and hospitalizations across California, it is uncertain when adult sex venues would be allowed to reopen. Their doing so this year looks extremely unlikely as the virus has been shown to easily spread within indoor spaces.

SF bathhouse vote

In the meantime, the city’s Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously voted to remove restrictions that the city had placed on adult sex venues in the mid-1980s during the height of the AIDS epidemic. The rules required such establishments not to have private rooms with locked doors and to monitor the sex of patrons. In recent decades, as new prevention tools and medications helped slow the spread of HIV, gay men have argued the restrictions were homophobic remnants from a different time that no longer made sense. Yet

city health officials remained resolute in the need to keep the rules in place. Their stance changed this year, when for the first time the city’s public health department told the Bay Area Reporter it would not object to seeing gay bathhouses reopen with private rooms patrons could lock. Officials pointed to such advancements in HIV prevention like PrEP, the once-a-day pill that prevents the transmission of HIV if taken as prescribed, and people living with HIV with undetectable HIV viral loads unlikely to transmit the virus to their sexual partners, as behind their change in stance. It opened the door for gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman to introduce an ordinance to update the city’s health codes regarding adult sex venues. The Department of Public Health will have until January 1, once the ordinance is officially adopted. The supervisors have to vote a second time to pass it before it is sent to Mayor London Breed to sign. As Mandelman stressed when the ordinance was taken up in committee earlier this month, the new rules “will not require or allow the reopening of adult sex venues in San Francisco before it is safe to do so as part of our COVID-19 reopening.” What it does do, he explained, “is allow for adult sex venues to be part of our economic and cultural recovery when it is safe to do so.” The San Francisco AIDS Foundation strongly backed the ordinance, as it saw it as helping to facilitate its work to empower and educate men who have sex with men and provide them services in “community centered spaces,” explained Joshua O’Neal, the See page 9 >>

Community News>>

t Man who allegedly attacked family remains in jail

July 23-29, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 3

by Sari Staver

man who stands before you today is not one of them. “I can’t speak to other neighborhoods, but we have a lot of unhoused people in the Castro. Most live peacefully with the community,” he wrote. “Yes, there are challenges, but we are all just trying to get by, and most people understand that. But some communities are plagued with a bad actor or two. He is one of our bad actors.” In his letter, Karlsson told the judge that Zero has “terrorized an entire community for months.” “His violent and typically random outbursts are only unusual in that it’s astonishing he hasn’t killed someone yet,” he wrote. “Since the article in the B.A.R. ran, I’ve been contacted by multiple victims who also have been assaulted by this man; information we have now passed to the district attorney’s office. “He is a danger to himself and a repeated and demonstrated danger to the community,” Karlsson wrote. The incident involving Karlsson occurred as he walked down 18th and arrived at the Castro rainbow crosswalks on a busy afternoon February 8. Seemingly out of nowhere, Karlsson felt “a searing pain” on the side of his head.

“It felt like I was hit by a two-byfour,” he said in a recent interview. His head spinning, Karlsson pulled himself together and asked the handful of people at the bus stop if any of them saw what had just happened to him. Half a dozen people nodded yes (“But not a single one asked me if I needed help,” he said), while two men continued to walk away, screaming and swearing at Karlsson. Karlsson followed them and pulled out his cellphone to capture images of his alleged attackers. Karlsson called 911 and police “showed up almost immediately,” he said. Much to Karlsson’s surprise, one of the men, whom Karlsson identified as Zero, seemed to confess to the cops immediately. “I’m the one you’re looking for. Just give me the battery citation and fuck off,” Karlsson said the suspect told police. The man identified himself, according to the police, listing his address and phone as unknown. Police explained that in order for them to issue a citation, Karlsson would have to fill out the paperwork to make a citizen’s arrest, which he did. As he walked the few blocks back to his home, Karlsson said to himself, “That was too easy. Cops show up immediately, guy confesses, fill out paperwork, done.” After a number of back and forth phone conversations while the case sat on the desk of an assistant district attorney, Karlsson learned in June that the district attorney’s office dropped the charge. Bastian previously told the B.A.R. that he was not at liberty to discuss Karlsson’s case. “I can only tell you that in order to charge,” the district attorney must believe that a San Francisco jury would be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the suspect was guilty, he said. Mia Simmans, the manager of the Castro Farmers Market, also sent a letter to the judge. “Triball has consistently disrupted the Farmers’ Market, terrorizing customers (and children), as well as the

vendors and the local shops along Noe Street,” she wrote, according to a statement she emailed to the B.A.R. “He has come after me several times, blocking my way, screaming into my face at close range (without a face covering), and feinting blows at my face (without connecting).” Simmans wrote that she recently was granted a temporary restraining order against Zero. “He has also waited for the market to close after dark and for everyone to leave, and then come to aggressively harass me,” Simmans wrote. “He has harassed the vendors, handled and destroyed produce, and broken all of our health and safety protocols, as well as prevented vendors from driving through the market after unloading.” As Karlsson told the B.A.R. in its earlier story, he wrote in his letter that Zero needs wraparound services and “needs to be compelled to get them with follow-up to make sure he sticks with it.” In June, Mandelman held a hearing about getting help for mentally ill people in his district. Karlsson was one of those who testified. At the hearing, Mandelman also voiced his frustration that the conservatorship program – a program under a new state law – had gotten off to such a slow start. Senate Bill 1045 by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) creates a five-year pilot program for San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego counties, allowing for strengthened conservatorship laws that focus on providing housing and wraparound services for people suffering from mental health and substance use issues. Then-governor Jerry Brown signed it in 2018. Two other alleged victims also submitted letters to the court but could not be reached at press time for comments. The next court hearing is scheduled for July 29. t

supervisor. Incumbent Sandra Lee Fewer is not seeking reelection, so the Richmond district seat is wide open. Participating candidates will be Connie Chan, David Lee, Marjan Philhour, and Veronica Shinzato. Next up will be District 11 on Thursday, July 30. There, incumbent Supervisor Ahsha Safai will face off against challenger John Avalos, a former D 11 supervisor. Finally, candidates for District 7 will square off Thursday, August 6. Current supervisor and board Presi-

dent Norman Yee is termed out of office. Candidates vying to represent Parkmerced, Sunnyside, Westwood Park, and the surrounding areas who are scheduled to appear are Joel Engardio, a gay man; Myrna Melgar; Emily Murase; and Vilaska Nguyen. All of the events begin at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast over Zoom. A donation of $25 is suggested to watch all three forums. Registration is required for the Zoom links. To sign up, go to https://bit. ly/2CRzV3g.

SF mayor marks disability month

man who repeatedly slipped through the system and has been accused of attacking people in the Castro remains in custody in San Francisco County jail, following a preliminary hearing July 15 in connection with unrelated charges stemming from an alleged attack on a family. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Rita F. Lin concluded that there was probable cause to believe the crime was committed by the defendant, Triball Zero. He is being held without bond. Zero, 37, did not list an address but is believed to have lived on the streets in the Castro, according to several people who know him. San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Adam Lipson on July 16 asked that Zero be released to assisted case management but the judge declined, spokeswoman Valerie Ibarra told the Bay Area Reporter. The San Francisco District Attorney’s office said it was pleased with the judge’s decision. “The district attorney filed very serious charges and the judge found that there was sufficient evidence to hold him to answer on those charges at the preliminary hearing,” DA spokesman Alex Bastian stated. “We also filed a motion to detain Mr. Zero without bail and the judge granted that motion as well.” During the preliminary hearing, Zero pleaded not guilty to charges of robbery, battery, assault with a deadly weapon, and child endangerment stemming from an attack on a family in a park in San Francisco on June 28. The hearing was held to determine if there is enough evidence to hold the defendant over for trial. As the B.A.R. previously reported, Zero had been accused of assaulting and harassing people in the Castro. He has not been charged in those cases. “I am relieved for the neighborhood and hopeful [the defendant]

News Briefs

From page 2

boarding island between Market and 15th streets; Church Street between Market and 15th streets will be reserved for transit, taxis, local access, and commercial loading; the 22-Fillmore route will continue to run through this segment of Church Street with no changes. For meeting details, go to https:// www.sfmta.com/calendar/j-church-

YouTube

Sari Staver

Triball Zero, as seen in a video he posted to YouTube, remains in custody in San Francisco County jail.

Castro resident Zack Karlsson

will get the care he needs,” gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman told the B.A.R. in a telephone interview following the preliminary hearing. Mandelman and his aide, Tom Temprano, helped get four people to write letters to the court about alleged harassment they endured from Zero. “I hope we can play a helpful role in making sure people are heard so that the court understands the overall impact a defendant has made on people within our community,” Mandelman said. One of those alleged victims, Zack Karlsson, said that he was attacked in broad daylight in February. He expressed relief at Lin’s decision. “This is the right first step for everyone involved,” he wrote in an email to the B.A.R. following the hearing. “It’s just a shame more people had to suffer before someone was injured severely enough to spur intervention.”

Letters to judge

In a letter he submitted to Lin, Karlsson, a five-year Castro resident, wrote: “There are many people who pass before you that I am sure deserve mercy in the pursuit of justice; the transfer-improvements-projectpublic-hearing-0. For more on the J-Church project, go to https://www. sfmta.com/projects/j-church-transfer-improvements.

Alice club holds SF supe debates

The Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club will hold three virtual debates between candidates for San Francisco supervisor. The series begins Thursday (July 23) with candidates for District 1

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has declared July as Disability Pride Month. It is also the 30th anniversary of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. “Disability Pride enables people with disabilities to redefine their identity with self-worth, serves as a tool to tackle ableism, bias, and discrimination, and reshapes false negative See page 8 >>

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4 • Bay Area Reporter • July 23-29, 2020

Volume 50, Number 30 July 23-29, 2020 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 CULTURE EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • John Ferrannini CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tavo Amador • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Philip Campbell • Heather Cassell Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone Liz Highleyman • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • David Lamble David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith •Sari Staver • Charlie Wagner Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood

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t SF’s mental health crisis needs fixing R

ecently we published articles about a man likely suffering from mental illness or substance abuse who has allegedly harassed – and in some cases caused injury to – numerous people in the Castro. The man, Triball Zero, has not been charged in those cases, but he is facing assault and other counts in an unrelated case involving a San Francisco family and remains in jail after a judge last week declined to release him as he awaits trial. While it’s clear to policy makers and area residents that he is a danger to himself and others, it is unlikely that he would meet the stringent criteria to be conserved, either under the state’s traditional program or the newer state pilot program that San Francisco opted into more than a year ago as a result of Senate Bill 1050, which was authored by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and signed by former Governor Jerry Brown. That’s because SB 1050 requires an individual to be on a psychiatric hold at least eight times in a year to be considered to be conserved. As gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman told us this week, while many people in apparent mental health duress have contact with police, there are usually no next steps like having them placed on a 72-hour hold (known as a 5150 hold). Since the arrival of COVID-19, Mandelman said that he has seen a lot more people in crisis. “It’s frustrating,” he told us. Right now, the city has a critical lack of locked subacute beds, which is where conserved people would go, which means that judges are unlikely to have someone conserved because there would be no place for them. Mandelman held a hearing last month to discuss SB 1050 – and he will hold another one Thursday (July 23). He wants to find money in the budget – $10 million over the two-year budget – for an expansion of these locked critical beds. Dr. Anton Nigusse Bland, who is Mayor London Breed’s director of mental health reform, presented a report at Mandelman’s June hearing; in it, he recommends adding 31 locked subacute beds. Nigusse Bland also noted that COVID-19 will have an enduring impact on the city’s mentally ill, including limits on outpatient care and reduced capacity in residential treatment.

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A slide from Dr. Anton Nigusse Bland’s presentation to a Board of Supervisors committee last month shows how mental health reform is linked to the overall system of mental health care.

It’s unclear why San Francisco has not yet begun implementing SB 1050, which would apply to a small number of people and is a modest expansion of the conservatorship law. Mandelman said that in June, he told those who testified that he would call them back for this week’s hearing. “It’s just taking too long,” he said. “It’s a small, small piece and it’s so hard.” It’s Mandelman’s goal to shape this year’s budget process to include more locked subacute beds, even as the city is forced to cut $1.5 billion because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. “You’d think we could find $10 million for additional beds.” The Board of Supervisors should invest $10 million to increase capacity for those most severely affected by mental illness who cannot take care of themselves. The mental health reform package that Breed and Supervisors Hillary Ronen, Mandelman, and others are working on needs to go forward, even in these times. Mandelman said that if the gross receipts tax passes in November, it would unlock Proposition C money from the June and November 2018 ballots, which is key to getting these reforms started and is currently tied up in litigation. In fact, this

Serving under the radar during DADT by Geri Spieler and Rick Kaplowitz

News Editor • news@ebar.com Arts Editor • arts@ebar.com Out & About listings • jim@ebar.com Advertising • scott@ebar.com Letters • letters@ebar.com Published weekly. Bay Area Reporter reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement which the publisher believes is in poor taste or which advertises illegal items which might result in legal action against Bay Area Reporter. Ads will not be rejected solely on the basis of politics, philosophy, religion, race, age, or sexual orientation. Advertising rates available upon request. Our list of subscribers and advertisers is confidential and is not sold. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, and writers published herein is neither inferred nor implied. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

week Breed and Board of Supervisors President Norman Yee announced the unified business tax measure for November’s ballot. If passed by voters, it would free up the Prop C money by triggering a backstop tax to replace those taxes should the city lose lawsuits currently in the courts. It will complete the phase out of the payroll tax in 2021 and replace it with a revenue-neutral gross receipts tax. In the meantime, Mandelman commended people who came forward and wrote letters to the judge regarding Zero’s case. At least four people sent letters to the court, describing their interactions with him and why they felt he should remain in jail, even as many of them told us that they really wanted him to get help from mental health caseworkers and other social services. Mandelman praised those whom his office assisted in drafting the letters. “I think it made a difference for the judge and the district attorney,” he said. There are lots of services that likely will be cut because of the economic impact that the shelter in place order has had on the city. But mental health services, especially for those deemed a danger to themselves or others, have long been sorely lacking resources to be effective. The city must start to address these serious issues, and find the political will to begin fixing them. t

he United States is home to more than one million gay veterans, most of whom served under the radar. In the middle of his 1992 presidential campaign, candidate Bill Clinton pledged to follow the model of Harry Truman’s historic executive order in 1948 ending racial segregation in the armed services with an end to the ban on gays in the military. After his election, Clinton tried to move forward to fulfill that pledge, but he ran into a sizable military and congressional group expressing fears that having openly gay troops would hurt morale and cause problems in the ranks. General Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Senator Sam Nunn, chair of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee; and President Clinton struck the compromise, which ended up as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Homosexuals in service were effectively moved from banned to silenced. The irony of the 1993 legislation known as DADT was not lost on the many lesbians and gays who served, and continue to serve, honorably in our nation’s military. Officially, the military did not exclude or discharge homosexuals from its ranks, although sodomy (usually defined as anal and sometimes oral sex between men) was considered a criminal offense as early as Revolutionary War times. DADT was legislation that was rooted in the attempt to remove bans on homosexuals in military service. It ended up as a failed compromise – theoretically, allowing gays to serve so long as they didn’t admit it. Some 14,000 men and women were discharged from service for homosexuality in the ensuing 17 years. Zoe Dunning of San Francisco, a retired navy commander, waited and advocated for change in the system for 17 years. She came out as a lesbian in 1993, and was one of the

Teri Vershel

Co-authors Rick Kaplowitz and his wife, Geri Spieler

first people to challenge DADT. She won, but her case was deemed “unacceptable by military leaders” – meaning she remained in the service, but others were unable to use the same defense. She retired in 2007, perhaps the only openly gay person serving in the U.S. military during those years. She joined the board of the Service Members Legal Defense Network in 1993, and became board co-chair in October 2006. SLDN, a national nonprofit, offered legal services to military personnel affected by DADT. Commander Steve Clark Hall’s story is more typical of those who flew, walked, and sailed under the radar. Before his retirement, Hall served in the navy for 20 years, as commanding officer of the nuclear submarines USS Greenling and USS Drum. Hall says he is typical of the gays in the military. His service, he says, was not better – or worse – than any other soldier, sailor, or grunt, gay or straight. He is very proud of his years in the navy.

Discrimination exists in many organizations, but the military institutionalized it far longer than most. Although it seems reasonable to many that people asked to serve their country and make “the ultimate sacrifice” should have at least some equality within their unit, such had not been the case for hundreds of years. Lieutenant Colonel Victor J. Fehrenbach followed the example of his parents. His father was an air force lieutenant colonel; his mother was an air force nurse and captain. In the 18 years he served his country as an F-15E pilot, also known as a fighter weapons systems officer, Lieutenant Colonel Fehrenbach received nine air medals. On September 11, Fehrenbach was picked to be part of the initial alert crew immediately after the 9/11 attacks. A war hero, Fehrenbach flew numerous missions against Taliban and alQaeda targets, including the longest combat mission in his squadron’s history. With only two years left until his retirement, Lieutenant Colonel Fehrenbach was thrown out of the air force in 2009 because he was outed by a third party as being gay. Being discharged after 18 years of service to his country meant he lost his retirement pension of $46,000 per year and all his military benefits, including health insurance. There was public outcry from the gay community as well as civil liberties organizations. Fehrenbach fought the discharge, and he was allowed to finish his last two years to retirement at a desk job. In reporting on his story, Rachel Maddow observed: “Just once, I wanted to hear someone explain why the United States is stronger, safer, and more secure with Lieutenant Colonel Fehrenbach out of the military.” SLDN, quoting the Government Accounting Office, noted that it cost more than $200 See page 8 >>

Politics >>

July 23-29, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Pelosi challenger Buttar accused of sexual harassment, misogyny

by Matthew S. Bajko

Wiener (D-San Francisco), tweeted her support for the local DSA chapter rescinding its endorsement of Buttar, whom she noted she had not endorsed. “May all the women Mr. Buttar has mistreated find healing,” she wrote.

rogressive Shahid Buttar, an attorney and deejay who is challenging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) for her seat on the November ballot, is facing charges of sexual harassment by a woman he knew in Washington, D.C. and of fostering a misogynistic atmosphere on his campaign that led roughly a dozen staffers to resign this spring. The dual allegations have led the Democratic Socialists of America to consider rescinding its endorsement of Buttar, the Bay Area Reporter has learned. In an interview Tuesday, Buttar denied both of the accusations from the fellow activist and poet as well as from his former campaign personnel. “I am as disturbed about the allegations as anyone. In particular the charges of toxic masculinity gravely concerns me. It bears no relationship to who I am or how I have conducted myself,” said Buttar, 45, who placed second in the March 3 primary to advance to the fall ballot and run to the left of Pelosi. In a July 12 tweet Elizabeth Croydon first accused Buttar of sexually harassing her more than a dozen years ago. She also wrote that he was friends with a former “gang banger” who had thrown her “into a wall disabling me for years. I think the left should find someone else to run against Pelosi.” In a fuller statement sent to the media and publicly released July 21 on the website Medium, Croydon said she first met Buttar in 2003 at the communal home he lived in where she would go to meet other artists and activists. A comic and actor, Croydon claims Buttar “repeatedly pursued me for sex” and one time in the kitchen of his home “cornered me with his body and got so close and brushed up against my breasts.” About a decade later she claims Buttar made fun of her when she disclosed to a group of mutual friends that she had been celibate for several years and later that night shared her disclosure with other people at his communal home and offered to recruit men to have sex with her. “I felt degraded, nauseated, and revolted that he would mock me in front of friends who looked to me as an outspoken voice for women,” stated Croydon. In a phone interview with the B.A.R. from Maryland, where she lives, Croydon said she decided to come forward as she is concerned Buttar will continue to harass other women should he be elected to Congress. “I couldn’t be quiet anymore because I felt there could be other people out there he did this to,” she said. “Shahid is applying for a very high government position. He could continue to do this as a congress member.” She did not file any police reports or complaints regarding the incident in the kitchen, she said. Asked why she didn’t come forward prior to the March election or when Buttar first ran for the House seat in 2018, Croydon said it was due to the “terror” of sharing her story publicly and knowing what other survivors of sexual harassment have been subjected to. “As an experienced comedian I know stepping in front of the spotlight makes you a target for someone, let alone calling out a powerful name,” she said. A person close to Croydon, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of being targeted themselves, told the B.A.R. that Croydon had disclosed to them her encounters with Buttar about seven years ago. Online, some commenters have suggested Croydon is speaking out in order to help Pelosi, as this is the first time she has faced a progressive op-

Campaign staff air grievances

Courtesy Shahid Buttar campaign

Congressional candidate Shahid Buttar has been accused of sexual harassment and misogyny.

ponent since first running more than three decades ago. Croydon declined to talk about Pelosi, saying her focus was on her interactions with Buttar. “Clearly, look at my Twitter feed and you will see I am of the left. I love Bernie Sanders,” said Croydon, who backed the progressive Vermont senator’s presidential bid this year. Buttar insisted neither incidents Croydon claims occurred “are grounded in fact.” Having been vocal in the past that victims of sexual harassment deserve to be taken seriously, Buttar told the B.A.R. that “all survivors should be heard, including my accuser. I am eager for the facts to come out and am confident they will vindicate me.” Two women who knew Buttar in the 2000s told the B.A.R. there was no credibility to what Croydon alleges occurred. Martine Zundmanis, who met Buttar in 2004 while working together on civil rights issues, said there is “absolutely no merit” to Croydon’s claims. “I think in context of the progress victims and survivors have made as a result of the #MeToo movement, to have someone as ethical and with so much integrity as Shahid to be attacked with lies like this is just disgusting,” she said. Dr. Margaret Flowers, on Twitter and in a phone interview with the B.A.R., said Croydon had falsely accused her partner, attorney Kevin Zeese, of sexual assault in 2006. “It is really sad she is given any credibility,” said Flowers. “I have known Shahid at least a decade; I have a lot of respect for him.” Asked about Flowers’ tweet, Croydon said she doesn’t recall making such an accusation against Zeese. She said she had sought a temporary restraining order against him after he left a threatening voicemail on her home phone. It stemmed from a dispute, she said, over Zeese not providing her a tape of an hourlong comedy performance she had done for free at a fundraiser during his bid as a Green Party candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in Maryland. Late Tuesday, the executive board of San Francisco Berniecrats, which has endorsed Buttar, issued a statement regarding Croydon’s accusations saying it takes “sexual harassment very seriously and will approach every case of sexual harassment with a survivor-first mentality.” It asked people not to insult or attack her and pledged to be “a safe space for other witnesses and survivors” who come forward as it reviews the matter and decides what steps it will take in “a fair and democratic process.” And that evening Jackie Fielder, a queer progressive and educator running against gay state Senator Scott

Croydon’s accusations come as several former Buttar campaign staffers speak out about what they say was a misogynistic work environment that led them to quit this spring. Among those who left were campaign manager Jasper Wilde, volunteer coordinator Patrick Cochran, and finance director Emily Jones. Jones and Wilde declined the B.A.R.’s interview requests, citing their having signed nondisclosure agreements that prevent them from talking about their work experiences. Cochran told the B.A.R. that he observed Buttar treat male staffers with more deference than female staffers, several of whom he said were treated “like crap.” He said Buttar would discount Wilde’s advice, to the point she would ask male colleagues to relay suggestions to him so they would not be discounted. “He talked down to them all the time. He was really unpleasant to them,” said Cochran, adding that he is a “completely left-wing person who would love to see Pelosi go. But I came to believe Shahid is not capable of doing that. He would be an embarrassment for our left-wing cause if elected.” Campaign field organizer Raya Steier, who is nonbinary and uses neutral pronouns, told the B.A.R. they observed a culture of misogyny within the campaign that emanated from Buttar and it led them to resign within two months of being hired. “I saw a pattern of disregard for women in Shahid’s behavior personally. It was one of the reasons why I left the campaign,” said Steier, adding that they also felt Buttar had so mismanaged his campaign they felt it “had no future. The totality of these circumstances made me leave.” In response, Buttar denied he had created a hostile work environment or engaged in gender-based discrimination. He said the comments were made by former campaign personnel who were “not terribly loyal” to him and had been hostile to the campaign’s volunteers. “The departure of my earlier staff was driven particularly by my concerns centered around their inability to promote the vision of the campaign,” said Buttar, a cisgender heterosexual man who also identifies as queer due to his gender expression being fluid. He added that his concerns about one of the former staffers were “in no way was gender based. It was performance based” and that “the other people reportedly left out of solidarity with that person.” The heart of the disagreements, claimed Buttar, was his hiring professional campaign people who wanted him to run as a politician and not as an activist. “Ultimately, it wasn’t their campaign, it was my campaign,” he said. He insisted none of the allegations he is facing are supported by the facts. “As an immigrant entering the political arena to challenge a wealthy oligarch, it does surprise me some people think of me as an institution wielding privilege,” said Buttar. “It is surprising, it is unfortunate, and I dare say it is confused.” t

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<< From the Cover

6 • Bay Area Reporter • July 23-29, 2020

‘Holding pattern’

Rent

From page 1

“I don’t have an extra $12,000 lying around to throw at this apartment I don’t even own. I am not interested in spending thousands of dollars on bricks and sticks I don’t own,” said Rosso, who is in the process of applying for rental assistance as well as unemployment benefits. Rosso is not alone in missing rent payments. According to survey data collected by Apartment List, 32% of Americans were unable to make a full on-time housing payment in July, up from 24% in April. And survey results found the share of renters who are either “very” or “extremely” concerned about being evicted rose from 18% in June to more than 21% in July. “People on the margins are the ones being impacted the most,” said Q Foundation Executive Director Brian Basinger, a gay man whose nonprofit assists San Francisco residents who are struggling to make their housing payments. Most of the nonprofit’s funding comes from its annual allocation from the city’s general fund and direct donations. In June alone the agency awarded more than $1 million in emergency rent assistance to clients, breaking its previous one-month record last May when it handed out $340,000 in rental subsidies. “We have subsidies that are still in the neighborhood of $500 on average,” Basinger said of the typical grant amounts awarded to renters. It is one of five agencies in the city working with the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development to provide housing assistance to people who have lost income due to the health crisis through the city’s Give2SF COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund. As of June 30 $28.4 million had been donated to the fund, with close to $6.3 million devoted to keeping people housed. Eligible households can receive up to $3,000 for rent, mortgage, utility, and other housing costs per application period, with an assistance cap of $10,000 per household. The five agencies so far have each been allotted $1,257,000 to distribute. According to the most recent report about the fund, dated July 13, 5,825 applications had been received requesting financial assistance for housing payments totaling $20.7 million. To date, the city is in the process of processing 1,000 of those applications for a combined $3 million in assistance.

People can still apply for rent or mortgage payment assistance through the Give2SF fund. But the Q Foundation is not taking any new clients at the moment for its other subsidy programs, said Basinger, since the city has yet to finalize a budget for the new fiscal year that began July 1. (The process has been delayed due to the health crisis.) “Nobody knows what the budget is going to be like, so we are in a holding pattern,” he said. “We are hopeful that we can continue to expand and help more people. But for our subsidy programs, they are full until we hear otherwise.” The agency’s financial assistance pays about 80% of Eli “Slyde” Kind’s $1,800 monthly rent for a studio apartment on the boundary of the city’s Hayes Valley and Mission neighborhoods. After couch surfing and sleeping in the city’s Mission Dolores Park some nights after moving back to town in August 2017, Kind applied with the Q Foundation and moved into their unit in November 2018. “Thanks to Brian and the Q Foundation I haven’t had to skip any rent payments. The challenge right now is the power bills that are adding up,” said Kind. Normally able to pick up various nightlife gigs and occasional food prep jobs to pay his bills, Kind told the B.A.R. they have worked just 12 hours since the coronavirus outbreak led to the closure of bars, nightclubs, and restaurants in March. Kind, 43, who is transgender and nonbinary, receives weekly groceries via a program at LGBTQ senior services provider Openhouse that is also open to people with disabilities. At times Kind uses a cane when walking after being severely injured in 2001 when they were living in Sacramento and attacked by an assailant armed with a baseball bat. The two agencies “are huge saviors,” said Kind, who lives with their service dog Scribble, a Labrador mix. They have yet to apply for financial help via a special fund set up for nightlife workers in the city impacted by the health crisis. Instead, Kind is hopeful upcoming virtual work will be enough to make ends meet until venues can reopen. “I am really crossing my fingers and hoping the digital nightlife and gogoing gigs will pay the rest of it,” said Kind of his various bills not covered by the subsidies they receive.

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“We must act to prevent a wave of mass evictions and increased homelessness in California,” stated Chiu earlier this month. “This is a commonsense proposal to keep tenants in their homes, while still giving landlords the certainty and ability to collect rent that is owed.”

National action needed

Rick Gerharter

State Senate candidate Jackie Fielder

State Senator Scott Wiener

New wave of renters

lay their obligation to pay rent because of a job loss, that is the time when we expect to see more evictions. As well as closer to December when this delay in the obligation to pay back rent is also set to expire.”

Housing activists and elected leaders are bracing to see a new wave of renters and homeowners in need of support as their unemployment benefits, including an additional $600 a week from the federal government, begin running out next week. Congress, which returned to work Monday, has yet to strike a deal to extend the emergency assistance for those who have lost income during the health crisis. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 47% of households in the San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley metro region reported a loss of income 10 weeks into the health crisis. Various counties and cities in the Bay Area have adopted rent hike and eviction moratoriums to deal with the pending problem, and myriad funds have been created to keep people housed. For instance, residents in the nine Bay Area counties at risk of losing their homes can apply for help via the United Way Bay Area Rental Relief Fund, which was seeded with a $750,000 donation from Wells Fargo and expected to assist 300 families. The agency is aiming to raise an additional $2.5 million through the end of the year and created a special website for the program at http://www.uwba.org/ rentalrelief. “The COVID-19 health crisis has further revealed the housing challenges and disparities across our region,” stated Kevin Zwick, the agency’s chief executive officer. People living with HIV or AIDS who have lost income during the pandemic and are unable to pay their rent can seek legal assistance from the AIDS Legal Referral Panel. The agency provides legal representation to tenants facing eviction if they are HIV-positive and living in San Francisco. “We are specifically helping tenants who are seeking financial support for back rent from various organizations,” said Jeff Dulgar, a supervising attorney with the nonprofit. “We are also drafting letters and communicating with landlords when a tenant has had a change in income due to COVID.” The amount of calls from people seeking help has decreased since the first business closure instructions were implemented in March, said Dulgar. At the same time, landlords seem to be more willing to work out rent reductions for their tenants the longer the health crisis goes on, he said. “I would say with landlords, they are still aggressive in their demands for rent. But when we have asserted our clients’ rights, some landlords are more understanding,” said Dulgar. “They are fearful of losing rental income altogether because people are leaving the city. For the first time, it feels like a renters’ market.” Despite the softening of landlords’ stances over rent prices, Dulgar said ALRP and other legal service organizations are expecting to see “a flood of evictions” in the coming months stemming from COVID-related job losses as the courts began to process eviction proceedings again in mid-June. “We are hoping the city provides more rental assistance. We don’t think this is the end of income losses or job losses for tenants,” he said. “In particular, when the mayor’s guidance expires and tenants don’t have the right to de-

‘Cancel rent’

Landlord and real estate industry groups are suing San Francisco to overturn its COVID-19 Tenant Protection Ordinance, as they oppose its prohibition on evicting tenants for nonpayment of rent due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, tenants advocates want elected officials to “cancel rent” in order to assist tenants who have had to defer their rental payments. Jackie Fielder, a queer educator running against gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), has made mortgage and rent cancellation for commercial and residential properties a part of her COVID Recovery Platform. Doing so, she argues, could be paid for by increasing taxes on the state’s wealthiest individuals and corporations. “This is the time we need to be hitting the reset button on the big elephant in the state: income inequality,” said Fielder. It is unreasonable for state leaders to demand people to shelter in place and not work in order to halt the spread of the virus and not compensate them for their lost wages, contends Fielder. “The state has unreasonably expected these people to continue paying for their home and shelter in place,” she said. “People shouldn’t have to go into bankruptcy or face eviction or foreclosure for simply responding to the needs of public health.” As for Wiener, he called for a federal response to assist renters during a virtual news conference he held in May to discuss a bill he co-authored that would have placed a moratorium on commercial and nonprofit evictions and allow small businesses impacted by the pandemic to seek rent reductions. “All of us would like to see Congress step forward to help people make rent so renters will be stable and not fall behind on rent,” said Wiener, whose legislation died in committee last month. He also signed on as a principal coauthor to Assembly Bill 828, introduced in March by Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), that would impose a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures on residents whose incomes have been diminished because of the coronavirus. It is awaiting action by the Senate Judiciary Committee. A similar bill that would provide help to tenants is AB 1436, co-authored by Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco). It would prevent the eviction of renters unable to pay rent during the COVID-19 emergency period, defined as ending on either April 1, 2021 or the length of a state or local state of emergency order plus 90 days, whichever happens first. Renters would be given an additional 12 months from the COVID period before a landlord could seek a civil action to collect rent owed from the COVID period, but those civil remedies would not include eviction under the legislation. Any government subsidies that a landlord receives from a rental assistance program would be deducted from the amount the tenant owes the landlord.

While state remedies are welcome, a national solution will be needed, argued the Q Foundation’s Basinger. “What absolutely must happen is there has to be a massive federal investment in housing stabilization,” said Basinger. “The federal government has got to step in. This is way too big for cities, counties, and states even to do on their own because they can’t print money.” Senator Kamala Harris (D-California) last week introduced the Rent Emergencies Leave Impacts on Evicted Families (RELIEF) Act in the Senate. It would ban evictions and foreclosures for a year and allow tenants up to 18 months to pay the rent they owe. It also would prohibit landlords from raising tenants’ rents and prevents landlords and mortgage servicers from reporting unpaid rent to credit reporting agencies. “Too many families were already fighting to keep a roof over their heads before the COVID-19 pandemic. We are now on the brink of a housing and homelessness crisis, but this administration has failed to address the financial hardship Americans are facing,” stated Harris. “Housing is a human right, and that’s why we need this comprehensive plan to help keep Americans safe and in their homes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.” The bill’s chances of passage are questionable, however, in the Republican-held Senate. Negotiations are underway between GOP and Democratic leaders in Congress and the Trump administration, but the parties are at odds on what the next round of stimulus funding to deal with the impacts from the health crisis should contain. Basinger expressed support for a federal program aimed at landlords who would use the fiscal help to cover the rent their tenants have been unable to pay. But he stressed such a program needed to have strict oversight so that property owners didn’t misuse it. There should also be benefits to taxpayers, he added, so the government gains an equity stake in the properties owned by the landlords receiving federal help. “There can be an administrative argument to also include a bailout for landlords. There are fewer landlords than tenants, so it is easier to manage,” he said. “But we don’t want a situation where their bookkeeping isn’t sufficient and they are collecting the rents and also applying for assistance saying the rent hasn’t been paid when it has.”

Queers disproportionately impacted

If something isn’t done to address the amount of back rent people are going to owe and it leads to mass evictions, the economic consequences will be “at a scale almost unfathomable,” predicted Basinger. He fears it could lead to a “hollowing out” of the LGBTQ community in San Francisco. “The queer community is disproportionately impacted. Everything fabulous in this town our community created,” he said. “So all of the industries we are over represented in are the ones that had the biggest hit and the wound is going to take the longest to heal. Then what happens to the queer people in San Francisco when our jobs are going to take the longest to recover?” No matter what governmental assistance he qualifies for in the coming months, Rosso told the B.A.R. that he is 100% certain he will be moving out of San Francisco next year. “COVID-19 helped me reframe and refocus,” he said. “I already knew I was tired of paying exorbitant rent and working seven days a week to pay that exorbitant rent.”t

Community News>>

July 23-29, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

2 gay men tapped to lead Bay Area Jewish orgs by Heather Cassell

he San Francisco Bay Area’s two largest Jewish organizations recently made historic moves by tapping two gay Jewish men to lead their work in the community. For the first time ever the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund of San Francisco, the Peninsula, and Marin and Sonoma Counties, appointed a gay man, Arthur Slepian, as chair of its board. At the same time, Tyler “Tye” Gregory, also a gay man, was tapped as executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council. JCRC’s work centers on strengthening Jewish communities in the United States and Israel as well as collaborations with other communities, according to the organization’s website. Both organizations are based in SF. The two men come from A Wider Bridge, an organization centered on connecting LGBT Jewish American and LGBT Israeli communities. Slepian, 65, founded AWB in 2010 and ran the organization in San Francisco until 2017, when Gregory took the helm and moved the organization’s operations to New York. Slepian took a seat on the organization’s board in 2017, which he still holds. He also serves as vice president of Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, San Francisco’s LGBT synagogue. Slepian assumed his new position July 1. The federation announced his appointment to his two-year term January 28. He has served on the federation’s board since 2011. Gregory, 32, started his position as JCRC’s fifth and youngest executive director in the organization’s 75-year history April 1, he told the Bay Area Reporter. Gregory was in the Bay Area for a JCRC gala and to meet community members and staff when the novel coronavirus pandemic broke out and stay-at-home orders were mandated both in the Bay Area and New York. The order forced him to step into his new role two months ahead of schedule. He was initially set to take over as head of JCRC June 1. Last week, AWB announced that Ethan Felson, 54, started at its new executive director. Felson, a gay man, will be based in New York, said board Chair Alan Schwartz, who had led the organization in the interim. Gregory said he loved AWB and believes it’s going to continue to grow and thrive even through the pandemic, but the California native missed the West Coast and working on policy, which brought him back to the Bay Area. “What I love about JCRC is that it’s not only building bridges with their communities, it’s working with them hand-in-hand to work on policy change,” he said. Plus, it was one of the first organizations of its kind in the country to support LGBT rights, he added. JCRC is in a good place, coming out of one of its best fundraising years for the $4.5 million organization and the hiring committee wanted to maintain the momentum, said the organization’s board chair, Paul Resnick. Gregory succeeds Abigail Michelson Porth, who departed JCRC after 20 years, three of which she served as executive director. She now heads the Lisa Stone Pritzker Family Foundation, Resnick said. “We felt that we were looking at the future and positioning the organization to address what the community, the Jewish community, and the broader community would be in the future,” said Resnick, an ally who cochaired the search committee. “I’m extremely pleased about all of the things that attracted us to him,” Resnick said about Gregory’s understanding of today’s culture as well as his experience building up AWB. “He has more than evidenced his ability to deliver.”

Courtesy Arthur Slepian

Jewish Community Relations Council’s new executive director Tyler Gregory, left, and Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund board chair Arthur Slepian, right, with civil rights activist the Reverend Jesse Jackson, center, at the Creating Change Conference in Chicago.

Gregory grew AWB into a wellrespected internationally known $1.7 million organization and strengthened its fundraising and financial framework during his tenure, Schwartz, a gay man, said. He also created new and innovate programs that reflected the Israel and North American LGBTQ experience.

Historic moment

Many Jewish leaders and LGBT Jewish people see Gregory and Slepian’s appointments to the Bay Area’s powerful Jewish organizations as a historic moment. “It’s a major statement, not only for the LGBTQ community, but it is also a major statement for the wider Jewish world as well about the acceptance of LGBTQ people,” Schwartz said. Gregory and Slepian, “together are extraordinary leaders for [an] extraordinary time,” he added, noting the turbulent times in American history and the two men’s ability to steer the organizations into the future. “We are really excited about his arrival in this role,” Federation CEO Danny Grossman, an ally, said of Slepian. “He’s not only able to build bridges with other communities, but he’s able to widen the bridge for our own communities within this organization. That’s powerful work.” The federation, which has operated for more than 150 years, serves San Francisco, the East Bay, North Bay, and the Peninsula. The organization operates on an annual budget of $35 million and manages $2 billion in philanthropic funds, Grossman and Slepian said, including the $136 million in assets transferred from the former Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay, according to a news release. The federation grants an estimated $200 million annually to support community organizations. The Jewish Federation of the East Bay and the Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay joined the federation in 2019, creating a single organization serving both sides of the Bay. Slepian believes he and Gregory’s LGBT experience bring a unique perspective and an ability to build bridges throughout the Bay Area’s diverse Jewish community. Slepian came to San Francisco from the East Coast more than 40 years ago spoke about living through history at a time when it wasn’t as easy being an openly gay Jewish man. However, he created a life in the city with his husband, Gerry Llamado, who converted to Judaism in 2007, and their dog, Dexter. Together for 25 years, Llamado is active in the Jewish community. He joined the federation as a member of the organization’s LGBTQ Alliance, the first in the federation system, many years ago. “[There has been] a lot of progress during that time, but I can remember a time when life was really different. I think that perspective of remembering what it feels like to be an outsider,

to feel marginalized, I think is really important today,” said Slepian. He is all too aware that there are many Jews of color, transgender Jews, and Jews in interfaith relationships who don’t feel “fully welcomed or accepted inside the tent,” he said. He made it clear diversifying the federation and bringing people into the tent was one of his top priorities. For Millennial queer Jews, Gregory’s appointment is “really only the first step,” he said, noting the bar has been raised beyond simply raising the rainbow flag or having a special mixer for young professional Jews. “They are going to expect a lot from us,” he said, noting that a majority of people under the age of 30 voted for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primaries. “We need to understand what that means for the Jewish community’s future,” Gregory continued, stating it’s not only about current political issues. “It’s also about change inside of our Jewish community. We have a lot of systematic change to do inside in addition to advancing the issues that younger people care about.”

Leading in turbulent times

Gregory and Slepian are committed to making that change happen within the Jewish community. The two men are embracing their roles at their respective organizations to meet the needs of the times for the Bay Area’s Jewish community. They both have quickly responded to the rapid changes brought about by the pandemic and the renewed protests against racism and police brutality. The men want to open the door to people who haven’t felt as welcomed by their respective organizations in the past and renew the community’s history of battling anti-Semitism, along with racial and social justice causes. Grossman, Slepian, and Gregory are well aware of the federation and JCRC’s own diversity issues. Grossman acknowledged that only one of the federation’s 91 employees identifies as a person of color. The federation’s board and committee members are majority Ashkenazi, white Jews, mostly descended from Central and Eastern Europe. Grossman said they’ve been “looking to build those bridges.” Grossman noted that since the civil rights movement the Jewish community and other minority groups have evolved and “drifted somewhat apart.” He said perspectives of Israel are also a “complicating factor.” “One of the things that I really love about Arthur’s arrival at this time is he understands how to build that ‘wider bridge,’” said Grossman.

Rising to the moment

Slepian and Gregory expressed their plans for beginning to solve the issue. “We want to proceed in a very

thoughtful, careful way,” said Slepian. “Not in a symbolic way. “The onus is on us” to do some “soul searching” on why the federation and broader Jewish community is so white and to listen to Jewish communities of color, he continued, stating that it wasn’t simply filling a board seat, but “a matter of how we address our own internal culture.” Said Gregory, “You have to put young people at the core of your work and make sure that they are represented. They should be present at every level of leadership. “I think that engagement is just an important of a tool as education and we can’t do one effectively without the other,” he added. The two organizations are “in the process of committing ourselves to a very strong agenda around issues of racial justice and equity,” Slepian said in response to the pandemic and recent racial unrest in the U.S. Gregory, Grossman, and Slepian referenced the pandemic, COVID19-related anti-Asian attacks, and the Black Lives Matter movement following the May 25 killing of George Floyd in police custody that sparked national and global protests. “This is our moment in time, this challenge that we are facing is really unprecedented. We still don’t know the scope and the scale of the depth of it,” said Slepian, who is focused on raising more money to fund grants and research and to bring thought leaders together in preparation to rebuild the Jewish community and other communities. In April, the federation set up $15 million for COVID-19 relief funds that were awarded to Bay Area Jewish organizations. In June, the federation added $50,000 specifically to aid Jews of color suffering during the pandemic and another $25,000

for a Jews of color leadership development, he said. “We have a rebuilding project ahead of us,” Slepian said. “We want to build something better.” Gregory added that he’s working with “civic partners to formulate a legislative agenda for the Jewish community to advocate for police accountability, racial justice, [and] criminal justice reform” through the organization’s Advancing Democracy Initiative. Both organizations have urged Jewish donors to support racial justice organizations, such as Be’chol Lashon, a Black Jewish organization, as well as the NAACP among others. The two organizations have brought legislative leaders from the Asian, Black, Latinx, and Jewish caucuses together to discuss the rise in hate crimes and recently spearheaded the #KneelAtHome campaign. Gregory added that JCRC has “a great track record at advancing social justice” and influencing other organizations across the U.S. but needed to do more regarding combatting anti-Semitic attacks. “We have not done a good job explaining the uniqueness of antiSemitism,” said Gregory. “We need to have a much more sophisticated discourse about these issues and demonstrate anti-Semitism is a systemic form of bigotry and not an ideological one. “We need to educate people where criticism of Israel is okay and where it crosses the line into antiSemitism,” he continued. “It’s very important to me that our neighbors understand Jewish identity and both what our needs are and also how discrimination affects us.” t To learn more about the JCF and JCRC, visit https://jewishfed.org and https://jcrc.org.

Essentially Wear a mask Maintain social distancing Wash your hands Shop at Cliff’s

T.... I E V ’T HA N O D IT! E D E W E F I N’T N O D U YO

Proud to support the community

479 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA 94114

www.cliffsvariety.com

<< Community News

8 • Bay Area Reporter • July 23-29, 2020

Mix responds

From page 1

In November 2019, Diaz pleaded guilty to arson, possession of an incendiary device, and vandalism. Diaz has served his time, since he got credit for time served, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s office. Diaz has been prosecuted for arson and other charges in recent years. In 2014, Diaz stood trial for the June 2011 death of Freddy Canul-Arguello, 23, in Buena Vista Park. During the trial, Diaz testified that Canul-Arguello had asked to be choked during a sexual encounter and that he’d accidentally killed him. Jurors acquitted Diaz of seconddegree murder but convicted him of involuntary manslaughter and arson, among other charges. He was released from jail in September 2014. Prosecutors said that Diaz lit the body of Canul-Arguello on fire. The judge dismissed the arson count during sentencing so that Diaz wouldn’t have to spend the rest of his life as a registered arsonist. But after his release in the CanulArguello case, Diaz was again arrested in 2015 after he was alleged to have started a series of fires in the Castro district, including at the Up Hair salon

The Castro LGBTQ Cultural Dis-

Guest Opinion

million to replace service members fired under DADT. As senator and former U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and helicopter pilot Tammy Duckworth pointed

Response

Neither side of the suit commented on the record for the November 2019 story in the B.A.R., but attorneys for both sides sent emailed statements to the paper following this cross-complaint. Metzger’s attorney Mahsa Hakimi wrote to the B.A.R. late July 14 that their next steps will depend upon the discovery process.

SF LGBT center seeks items for youth

“At the moment we don’t have any comment or update as we are still in discovery phase of this case. Due to COVID-19 the process has been delayed and defendants have just recently filed their responses to our lawsuit. At the moment everything about this case is included in our filings and our next steps will depend on the outcome of the pending motion and discovery,” Hakimi stated. “Thank you again for following up on this and hopefully we have more to share after discovery is completed.” John Hendricks, an attorney for The Mix, wrote July 13 that its case “dovetails with its reputation as the Castro’s favorite neighborhood bar.” “California’s compulsory crosscomplaint statute requires The Mix to assert its claims now, when it is answering Mr. Metzger’s complaint. The Mix has been dealing with persistent issues with Mr. Metzger’s conduct for years. By running to court, he inevitably caused his own wrongful pattern and practice to be revealed,” Hendricks wrote. “The Mix’s case is straightforward and dovetails with its reputation as the Castro’s favorite neighborhood bar. We stand by the allegations in the cross-complaint and look forward to vindicating The Mix in court.” t

rently closed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.) Donated items will go to LGBTQ youth served by the center and by its partner agencies, the email stated.

Rainbow masks available

The Rainbow Community Center of Contra Costa County is making rainbow masks available for a donation. According to its newsletter, people can email laura@rainbowcc. org with their request and a local mailing address. The suggested donation is $25, inclusive of shipping costs. The center will also accept larger donations “in this time of much-needed affirmation and visibility,” the email noted. People can make their donations directly to PayPal at www. paypal.me/rainbowcc. Write in “Rainbow Mask” in the PayPal message for your donation. (You don’t need PayPal to process payment.)t

der District in the Tenderloin and the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District in the South of Market area. In the Castro, the district has been electing board members this year and is now ready to hire a leader. Ac-

The San Francisco LGBT Community center is seeking donations for queer youth. According to an email sent to supporters, the most-needed items are: face masks, hand sanitizer, packaged snacks, and backpacks. Those who can help out are asked to complete a form at https:// bit.ly/32Bn3Jn. (The center is cur-

it be non-white or nonbinary or non-vanilla,” Modi said. “A lot of the trans Latinas and drag performers are out of work and without any income ever since OMG has been closed. The supervisors and mayor need to intervene and help small businesses that need a lifeline to stay alive.”

The mayor’s office and District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney did not respond to requests for comment by press time. Modi has started a GoFundMe to help support the bar through the closure. The effort, which began in May, has raised $1,911 out of a $10,000 goal as of press time. Carissa Hatchel, co-producer of “Hot Trash” and programming coordinator for Oasis at 298 11th Street, stated that the drag nightclub is open for to-go service and socially distant activities. “Oasis, while closed, is working hard to maintain our place in the community with a very robust social media presence, especially our YouTube channel, featuring archival footage of past shows, as well as brand new original content like ‘Hot Trash,’” Hatchel wrote in an emailed statement to the B.A.R. July 21. “We have also created Meals on Heels, a dinner, drinks, and drag delivery service, with curbside socially distant drag shows. It has been really popular and powerful in bringing joy into people’s lives and helping support local drag performers.”

A representative of Folsom Gulch, at 947 Folsom Street, stated that it is likely the adult entertainment store can weather the storm of the pandemic. “We are open, but with modified hours and doing about a quarter of business we used to,” a July 17 email to the B.A.R. stated. Powerhouse, Hole in the Wall, Lone Star Saloon, The Eagle, Wicked Grounds, Mr. S Leather, Monarch, 1015 Folsom, and The EndUp did not respond to requests for comment by press time. The EndUp, at 401 Sixth Street, did do a soft reopening with a limited-capacity party on its patio July 18. A similar limited capacity event is being planned for July 25. The Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District, which encompasses some of the South of Market neighborhood, was established in 2018 to help offset some of the effects of gentrification in the area, which many large tech companies and their employees have made their home in the past decade. The district’s website contains a list of a number of COVID-related resourc-

es (https://sfleatherdistrict.org/ covid-19-links/) for businesses and individuals as well as a list (https:// sfleatherdistrict.org/businesses/) of current business operations in the district. “If you look at a majority of the businesses that serve our community, most of those businesses are bars or other venues that are completely closed,” Robert Goldfarb, president of the cultural district, said in a July 16 interview with the B.A.R. “It is really rough to maintain a business when you don’t have customers. All in all, I’d say they’ve been doing very badly.” Goldfarb said that the district was “trying to reach out to all the relevant businesses in the district” to see what help they may need. “Some have landlords amenable to negotiating and some don’t,” Goldfarb said. “We’ve already seen The Stud close and we wouldn’t be surprised to see other businesses close during this period.” t

out: “When I was bleeding to death in my Black Hawk helicopter after I was shot down, I didn’t care if the American troops risking their lives to help save me were gay, straight, transgender, black, white or brown. All that mattered was they didn’t leave me behind.” t

[Editor’s note: DADT was repealed by Congress in 2010; it was implemented in September 2011. Dunning was a major force in fighting for repeal with SLDN and other groups and political leaders. SLDN merged with other groups and is now part of Modern Military

Association of America. President Donald Trump called for a ban on transgender military personnel in July 2017; it was implemented by the administration in 2019.

Ground for Getting America Back on Track” by Geri Spieler and Rick Kaplowitz, to be published August 11 by Palmetto Publishing Group. Used with permission.

Devlin Shand

Mark Rhodes, left, Mayor London Breed, and the artist fnnch stood in front of the Pride mural that fnnch painted outside the LGBT Community Center July 20

trict is preparing to hire its first manager and applications are now being accepted. The district is one of three in San Francisco dedicated to the queer community; the others are the Transgen-

Queer SOMA

From page 4

is not licensed as a distilled spirits wholesaler nor was it reimbursed for the expense of lost alcohol believed to be at least several hundred dollars.” According to the filing, Metzger bought table linens for the competitor through The Mix’s business account. The filing also accuses Metzger of submitting an inaccurate invoice to The Mix’s insurance company, of installing a carbon dioxide enrichment system for beverage dispensing without a permit, “order[ing] various plumbing and sewer upgrades to SF Mix or to benefit Cross-Defendant Metzger’s personal residence,” establishing an Aflac supplemental insurance policy with premiums paid from a Mix bank account, and not allowing the co-owners to see the video surveillance system and certain business accounts, among other allegations.

cording to an email, an experienced person is sought to help set the direction of the storied neighborhood. It is committed to leaving no one behind, particularly elders, youth, LGBTQ Black and Brown people, trans and nonbinary people, and queer women. According to the job description posted on the San Francisco LGBT Community Center’s workforce page, the salary for the full-time job is between $75,000 and $79,000. For more information and to apply, visit https://bit.ly/3fQYhc4.

From page 1

“Even if we were to consider collaborating with a restaurant to serve food, Sixth Street isn’t a neighborhood that anyone wants to sit on the sidewalk to eat lunch,” Modi wrote in a Facebook message to the B.A.R., adding that restaurants in the area offering take-out and delivery are doing badly because of the lack of foot traffic from downtown workers. “Bars that aren’t in ‘party zone’ areas such as the Castro or Valencia have been specifically affected,” Modi stated. “We do not wish to reopen under unsafe conditions and put our staff and patrons at risk.” Modi stated that “the government needs to consider some kind of stimulus to bail out these businesses that aren’t allowed to reopen for months,” and touched upon some of the issues more unique to South of Market businesses. “The gay bars in SOMA have always been the ‘outsiders’ within the gay nightlife, catering largely to a minority demographic, whether

Metzger accepted a position as general manager of Hamburger Mary’s, a restaurant at 531 Castro Street, in 2017, according to SFist. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, the Hamburger Mary’s chain had originated in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood in the 1970s but that original location closed in 2001, leaving the franchise without a location in its birthplace until 2018 when it opened again on Castro Street. Metzger has no ownership stakes in the franchise. The filing does not mention Hamburger Mary’s by name. “Metzger escalated his conduct detrimental to TDG and began working for an unrelated business and competitor, a bar and restaurant located fewer than two blocks from SF Mix, as the competitor’s on-site manager,” the filing states. “At the time of this competitor’s ‘grand opening,’ on or about March 10, 2018, Cross-Defendant Metzger unilaterally and without the knowledge or consent of other TDG shareholders, caused SF Mix employees to transfer several cases of distilled spirits from SF Mix’s alcohol inventory to the competitor, for sale to the general public and consumption at the competitor’s premises. SF Mix

News Briefs

District manager sought for Castro cultural district

Hamburger Mary’s

From page 3

perceptions of individuals with disabilities as people with value, talents, and significance,” the mayor’s proclamation states. On Sunday, July 26, City Hall will be lit up in blue to celebrate the ADA milestone anniversary. “San Francisco is a key location in the history of the Disability Rights Movement, as the occupation of the Federal Building in San Francisco by disability rights activists in 1977 directly led to enactment of the groundbreaking Section 504 regulations that the ADA is based on,” the Mayor’s Office on Disability stated in an email. Several events are scheduled as the month winds down, including a Disability Unite livestream and a webinar, both July 26. For more information, go to https://sf.gov/ada-30.

on 18th Street, adjacent to The Mix. Diaz pleaded guilty to possessing an incendiary device in 2016 and was then made to register as an arsonist. Two months later, Diaz was again arrested for assault, battery, and false imprisonment after allegedly biting off a chunk of a man’s scalp and handcuffing another man while impersonating a police officer outside of a South of Market nightclub. He pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and was released on probation in March 2017. The Mix’s court filing states that Diaz and Metzger lived together in 2015 when Diaz allegedly set fire to the hair salon, which led to The Mix having a criminal protective order to keep Diaz away. “Metzger’s association with Diaz caused TDG to pursue additional safety measures, such as security personnel to protect TDG’s facilities, TDG employees, and the general public,” the filing states. “Local print and internet media, including the Bay Area Reporter, Hoodline, and SFist, reported on the situation. Upon information and belief, this caused harm to TDG’s reputation, including public calls to boycott the bar, as well as a diminution of bar traffic and sales, thereby causing economic injury.’”

Courtesy Facebook

Oasis is closed but is doing online performances such as “Hot Trash.”

The above is an excerpt from “San Francisco Values: Common

For more information on Up Your Alley, go to http://www.folsomstreetevents.org.

t <<

Community News>>

Gay bathhouse

From page 2

agency’s director of sexual health. “Clearly, that is what the bathhouses are all about,” he told the B.A.R. in a recent phone interview. “A bathhouse is a community-centered place that

July 23-29, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

allows for the sexual education that none of us as queer people get.” O’Neal added that the city should not be requiring staff of adult sex venues to serve as sex police of the businesses’ patrons. “Community members can make their own decisions that make sense for them,” he argued. “The policing

is the opposite of empowerment. If we provide tools and information to the community members to make their own decisions it is a harm reduction approach that works best for everyone.” Not everyone agrees. Colin Gallagher, a gay resident of the city, sent the supervisors a letter objecting to the

rule changes for sex venues. “I find it incomprehensible that the board would consider proposed changes would facilitate the transmission of COVID-19, let alone HIV, through sex venues in the city. There is an epidemic of crystal meth use in the lgbt community,” he wrote. “Facilitating the use of meth and other con-

trolled substances inside sex venues by curtailing the ability of public health authorities to mandate reasonable limits on locked doors within those venues is simply unwise.” t

the 18th of August 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/25/20.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039091000

cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

Legals>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555758 In the matter of the application of: ETERI VLADIMIROVNA ELIASHVILI, 237 KEARNY ST #212, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108 for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner ETERI VLADIMIROVNA ELIASHVILI, is requesting that the name ETERI VLADIMIROVNA ELIASHVILI AKA ETERI V. ELIASHVILI, be changed to ETERI VLADIMIROVNA DOBRICH. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103, Room 103 on the 6th of August 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUL 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555761 In the matter of the application of: JENNY WU, 780 DELTA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JENNY WU, is requesting that the name JENNY WU AKA JENNY WU-ZHEN, be changed to JENNY WU ZHEN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103, Room 103 on the 11th of August 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUL 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039077900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AMERICARE SAN FRANCISCO, 120 DIVISADERO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HOME CARE SF LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/10/20.

JUL 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039090200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KINGZ AND QUEENZ CLEANING, 1225 4TH ST #228, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94158. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ELITE 8 ENTERPRISES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/23/20.

JUL 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039077100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EUROPEAN WAX CENTER, 2675 GEARY BLVD #E-102, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TCTSF VENTURES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/20/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/08/20.

JUL 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555769 In the matter of the application of: HO NAM CHAK, 691 KEITH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner HO NAM CHAK, is requesting that the name HO NAM CHAK, be changed to JACK H.N. CHAK. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103N, Room 103N on

JUL 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555768 In the matter of the application of: MEI FUNG YVETTE WUN, HO HEI CHAK, HO YIN CHAK, 691 KEITH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MEI FUNG YVETTE WUN, is requesting that the name MEI FUNG YVETTE WUN be changed to YVETTE M.F. CHAK; HO HEI CHAK be changed to MAX H.H. CHAK; HO YIN CHAK be changed to CHRIS H.Y. CHAK. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103N, Room 103N on the 18th of August 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUL 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555772 In the matter of the application of: NICHOLAS JAMES CHEUNG DOMBROWSKI, 625 COLE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner NICHOLAS JAMES CHEUNG DOMBROWSKI is requesting that the name NICHOLAS JAMES CHEUNG DOMBROWSKI be changed to NIK JEDREK VALLEN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103N, Room 103N on the 18th of August 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUL 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039091800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MAIDEN, MOTHER, CRONE, 3150 18TH ST #260, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JANAYA CASEY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/15/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/23/20.

JUL 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039088200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SEYMOURS FASHIONS, 211 SUTTER ST #700, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed KAVITA L. BULCHANDANI & LAL V. BULCHANDANI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/10/75. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/19/20.

JUL 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039091200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE CANTELLUS GROUP, 52 CLARENDON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed KES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/23/20.

JUL 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-329092800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOLDEN GATE CANNABIS COMPANY, 500 JONES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed INFINITY WELLNESS TLC INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names

JUL 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039095800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as FOUR DEUCES, 2319 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed TDMULL PROPERTIES, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/22/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/30/20.

JUL 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 SUMMONS MARIN COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: SERGIO MELLO, AN INDIVIDUAL, SENTIS SYSTEMS INC., A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION, AND DOES 1-10, YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: MARCELO MELLO, AN INDIVIDUAL. CASE NO. CW1904254 NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below. You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo. ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for for waived fees and costs of on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. The name and address of the court is: Marin County Superior Court, 35021 Civic Center Dr., San Rafael, CA 94903. The name, address, and telephone number of the plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is: Brett L. Gibbs, Esq., 28 Altamont Ave., Mill Valley, CA 94941; (415) 341-5318. Nov. 19, 2019, James M. Kim, Clerk; Q. Roary, Deputy.

JUL 16, 23, 30, AUG 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039099800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as GROOM DAY SPAW, 938 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GREEN PAWZ, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/15/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/07/20.

JUL 16, 23, 30, AUG 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039100000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ONJUNO, 1390 MARKET ST #200, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CAPITALJ INC. (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/07/20.

JUL 16, 23, 30, AUG 06, 2020

Jobs Offered>> FULL-STACK ENGINEER Focus on connecting clients running on new platforms like bots & messaging apps to Kings data center. Req. Bach in Comp. Engineering or rel field or foreign equiv. & 1 yr exp in job or 1 yr exp in Software Development or as Full-Stack Engr. or rel. occup. Any suitable combo of educ, training &/or exp is acceptable. Jobsite: San Francisco, CA. Send resume ref#19160 to: K. Jones, Activision Blizzard Media, LLC, 405 Howard St, #400, San Francisco, CA 94105.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as RENAISSANCE SALON, 2600 SACRAMENTO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed RSSF INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/23/20.

JUL 16, 23, 30, AUG 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039097100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LEICA STORE SF, 463 BUSH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CAMERA WEST INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/26/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/01/20.

JUL 16, 23, 30, AUG 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039094100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as WEALTH VISION ADVISORS®, 582 MARKET ST #407, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed WEALTH VISION ASSOCIATES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/29/20.

JUL 16, 23, 30, AUG 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039100800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MUY LOCO ONVESTMENTS, 385 CASTANADA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a joint venture, and is signed ALEXANDRA CASTAILLAC SAINE & JUDITH EUPHRAT CASTAILLAC. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/08/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/08/20.

JUL 16, 23, 30, AUG 06, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555779 In the matter of the application of HOK-JIEN GERHARD CHOI, C/O ROGER S. KUBEIN (SBN 197360) 2171 JUNIPERO SERRA BLVD #530, DALY CIY, CA 94014, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner HOKJIEN GERHARD CHOI is requesting that the name HOKJIEN GERHARD CHOI be changed to HOWARD HOK-YIEN CHOI. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103N, Rm. 103N on the 27th of August 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUL 23, 30, AUG 06, 13, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC- 20-555783 In the matter of the application of YOSEF HABTEAB HADGU, 735 GOUGH ST #G, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner YOSEF HABTEAB HADGU is requesting that the name YOSEF HABTEAB HADGU be changed to YOSEPH GEBREMEDHN EMBAYE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103N, Rm. 103N on the 27th of August 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show

JUL 23, 30, AUG 06, 13, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555785 In the matter of the application of JENNIELYN DINO ROSSI, 5 ELSIE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JENNIELYN DINO ROSSI is requesting that the name JENNIELYN DINO ROSSI be changed to JENNIELYN DINO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103N, Rm. 103N on the 27th of August 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUL 23, 30, AUG 06, 13, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039098800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as VIDEOAMP, 350 OCEAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SKOT KUIPER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/00. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/06/20.

JUL 23, 30, AUG 06, 13, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039103900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SLEEPWELL BOOKS, 3740 25TH ST #405, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANDREA FABIAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/08/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/13/20.

JUL 23, 30, AUG 06, 13, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039095500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as TOWER LAUNDROMAT, 1800 STOCKTON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KHIM S. LIM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/22/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/30/20.

JUL 23, 30, AUG 06, 13, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039103600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ORBITLINE CORPORATION, 241 LIBERTY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ORBITLINE CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/13/20.

JUL 23, 30, AUG 06, 13, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039099600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BAR PART TIME, 145 CARMEL ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed WINES FOR A BEAUTIFUL WORLD 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 07/07/20.

JUL 23, 30, AUG 06, 13, 2020

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Education>> NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS Bais Menachem Yeshiva Day School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

by Brian Bromberger

ortrait of a Lady on Fire, just released on Blu-ray DVD by Criterion, is one of the best lesbian films ever made, nominated for nine Cesar Awards, the French Oscar. A sensual dreamy romance about forbidden love and the healing potentiality of art, it also analyzes how desire works. The story revolves around a five-day affair between two women played out through a series of conversation, walks, and most particularly enduring longing looks they give each other, first secretly, then consensually, and finally mutually with the drama brimming as much in the sizzling dialogue as in the quiet moments. French feminist writer/director Celine Sciamma, already a major talent with her previous efforts (Water Lilies, Girlhood, Tomboy) reaches new vistas and establishes herself in the upper echelons of world filmmakers. Portrait is a stripped down, contemporary sounding, voluptuous period piece (a la The Favourite), set in 1770 on a remote island off the Brittany coast. The movie begins when one of painter Marianne’s (Noemie Merlant) students discovers her picture, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” and asks about its history. In a flashback, Marianne, the daughter of a well-known artist (rendering her financially semi-independent so she doesn’t need to marry) is commissioned by a French countess (Valeria Golino) to paint a dignified portrait of her daughter Heloise (Adele Haenel), bethrothed to a wealthy Milanese nobleman. This artwork was a traditional way of getting to see a bride before the arranged wedding. Marianne’s father accomplished the same for the countess.

Burning love

‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’s voluptuous affair Heloise, living happily at a Benedictine convent, was brought home after her sister engaged to the same man, apparently committed suicide. Heloise had declined to sit for a previous portraitist (which meant refusing the marriage). In a duplicitous move, the Countess tells Marianne she will accompany Heloise on her daily walks as a companion, but is to meticulously observe her features and physical details, so she can covertly paint her at night from memory. Marianne finishes the painting, but having become friendly with the angry and griefstricken Heloise, confesses the real purpose for her visit. Heloise is critical of the image as not revealing her true self and Marianne destroys it. The Countess leaves for a few days on business, allowing Marianne to paint another picture, as Heloise has agreed to sit for it. Meanwhile, at various times in the house, Marianne

sees visions of Heloise in a wedding dress. The maid Sophie (Luaa Bajrami), treated as a member of the family, accompanies the two women on their outings, becoming a confidante. Sophie discloses she is expecting an unwanted baby, with Marianne and Heloise arranging to end her pregnancy, later pictorially depicting the abortion. That night they attend a bonfire gathering with some local women singing (a haunting a capella Latin round translated as “We cannot escape”) and dancing. During the festivities, the bottom of Heloise’s dress accidentally catches on fire. The next day, Marianne and Heloise kiss for the first time in a cave, then have intimate relations that night. The chemistry between Haenel and Merlant is literally combustible, a dress on fire symbolizing unspoken explosive passion where their desires are both acknowledged and returned,

Chicano Batman

Adele Haenel and Noemie Merlant in ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’

highlighted by a stunning use of the “Summer” section of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in the climactic final sequence. These performances could well be career zeniths for both actresses. Every discreet glance, stare, smile, and touch matters, hypnotically advancing the plot, as do the candid sex scenes, though not as explicit as the lesser French lesbian-themed Blue Is the Warmest Color. Portrait is never boring throughout its twohour run time, and while ostensibly an homage to the transformative power of art, this intoxicating visual poetry, aided by Thomas Grezaud’s sets, Dorothee Guiraud’s costumes, and Claire Mathon’s dazzling cinematography, morphs into a timeless aesthetic masterpiece in it own right.t

Read the full review on www.ebar.com us Honus), is indebted to Tom Waits. Even more out there than Waits, Man Man’s aptly titled new album Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In-Between is like a fever dream. Daringly experimental yet surprisingly accessible, the 17 songs on the album veer from gorgeous (“If Only” and “Animal Attraction”) to downright bizarre (“Goat” and “Oyster Point”), with the songs “On The Mend,” “Future Peg,” “Sheela” and “Cloud Nein,” landing somewhere in between. Has there even been a better time to exercise your body and brain than now? The message music on Invisible People (ATO) by Chicano Batman gives listeners the opportunity to do both. Who says that politics and dancing don’t mix? Just try to keep still while paying close attention to the lyrics of the title cut, “The Prophet,” “Manuel’s Story,” “The Way” and “Pink Elephant.” A veritable modern punk supergroup, Fake Names boasts a line-up made up of members of the bands Bad Religion (Brian Baker), Girls Against Boys (Johnny Temple), Refused (Dennis Lyxzén), and S.O.A. (Michael Hampton). With its eponymous Epitaph Records debut, Fake Names makes the kind of protest music you’d expect from these men. “All For Sale,” for example, features the line “trickle down economy/ we all become commodities.” “Dark Days” is about the “epidemic of stupidity” in which we currently find ourselves and “Lost Cause” asks listeners to “hold on to this lost cause,” while “Driver” declares that we’re all casualties. Class of 98 (Let’s Break Records) is singer/ songwriter Eric Hutchinson’s attempt to come to terms with his suburban Maryland high school experience. Influenced by the ‘90s music of his youth, the 10 songs on the album invite listeners join Hutchinson on his nostalgic trip, no matter when they graduated from high school. Recommended tunes include “Drunk At Lunch,” “Cooler Than You,” “If They Don’t Care (We Don’t Either)” and “Good Things Come.”t

Q-Music: Testosterock

Bar bands and guy tunes with flair by Gregg Shapiro

ooking for musical friends with whom you can pass the time while the country shuts down (again!) as the pandemic continues to rage? The following albums are worth hearing while being in lockdown. I’ve always thought of Steve Earle as the Bruce Springsteen of modern country. With his similar vocal style and his songs about the common man, Earle makes music that could be described as Springstwang. This has never been truer than on Ghosts of West Virginia (New West) by Steve Earle and the Dukes. The songs are intended to be a musical companion piece for playwrights

Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen’s theater project Coal Country, about the 2010 coalmine tragedy in West Virginia. They are so packed with emotion that it might be difficult to listen to straight through the first time. This is certainly the case for songs such as “Time Is Never On Our Side,” “Union, God and Country,” “Devil Put The Coal in the Ground,” “The Mine,” “Black Lung,” and “If I Could See Your Face Again” (with lead vocals by Eleanor Whitmore). Speaking of Springsteen, by the late 1970s there were countless guys angling to be the next Boss. Joe Grushecky, leader of Pittsburgh’s Iron City Houserockers was one such contender. Newly reissued in a 40th anniversary expanded double CD set and single

LP (with download card), Have A Good Time But…Get Out Alive! (Cleveland International), the second full-length album proves the point. Horrid album title and cover aside (and you should have seen the one from its 1979 predecessor!), …Get Out Alive! is the sound of a bar band coming into its own, and features the outstanding numbers “Old Man Bar” (the best track on the album), “Junior’s Bar” (do you detect a theme?), “Angela,” and “Rock Ola.” The bonus material features 16 tracks, mostly demos, as well as a cover of “Do Wah Diddy.” If Steve Earle and Joe Grushecky owe a debt to Bruce Springsteen, then Ryan Kattner, front-person of Man Man (who goes by Hon-

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Hearing our stories Queercore Podcasts share LGBT history

Bambi Lake, Jewel Thais-Williams, and Rev. Troy Perry, just three of QueerCore Podcast’s subjects.

by Jim Provenzano

isten up to hear true LGBT history with The QueerCore Podcast, hosted by archivist August Bernadicou. Self-described as “a spotlight on the catalysts who fought in the front-lines, in the back-lines and in the trenches of civil rights,” The QueerCore Podcast, with a small series of programs, offers several interviews many more to come. August Bernadicou, a 26-year-old interviewer and archivist, discussed his podcasts and almost obsessive interest in finding and sharing queer history from elders in a recent phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. When Bernadicou was 13 years old, he started recording interviews with LGBTQ activists from the 1950s through the AIDS Crisis. To date, he has done more 500 interviews. “It kicked in at around 18,” said Bernadicou. “I was writing for various online and print magazines. My format was consistently, questions and answer interviews.” He also put out a self-published zine with multiple interviews. In 2019, he founded the LGBTQ History Project. In 2020, he launched the QueerCore Podcast. His website, https://www.au-

gustnation.com, includes even more interviews. Interviewees include Rumi Missabu, an original Cockette. From his work with the Gay Liberation Front to co-founding the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the Radical Faeries, Dr. Donald Kilhefner is a true pioneer in LGBTQ liberation. Bernadicou said he’s re-

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corded many hours of interviews with Kilhefner. Another of his interview subjects is Jewel Thais-Williams, who, in 1973, opened The Catch One, the longest-running Black queer discotheque in America. Bernadicou also has the distinction of conducting the last recorded interview with lesbian activist Phyllis Lyon.

August Bernadicou

“I had all these interviews and started a nonprofit,” said Bernadicou. “I was doing intergenerational podcasts with Chris Coats. From there, it ballooned into what has happened. The first season focuses on people who have made a significant impact in my life. Some are prominent activists or more obscure.” All of the interviews are archival recordings Bernadicou has brought to audio for the first time, each with their own perspective. “When I was 18, I interviewed Rumi. He answered the door in a nurse’s gown, and I thought, ‘What did I just get myself into?’ We did more phone interviews, which I recorded. With all of them, I’m digging into my archives I have 400 hours with Rumi. Between me and the editor, we push the narrative to more clarity, or if it’s more emotional and they don’t want to discuss something, I bring the narration forward.” Bernadicou said he has hundreds of interviews to go through for his programs. While listening, he marks time codes for his editor, and the podcast is pieced together. For still living interviewees, Bernadicou has conducted weekly interviews with Kilhefner for the past year and a half. “I want this to get out in the most digestible way before it becomes a book,” said Bernadicou of another future project. “We have all these stories that have never been documented, so let’s get it out there. Let’s get people to listen to it. The book will come when it comes.” Bernadicou seems poised at a perfect time between generations. While fascinated by elder stories, he’s connecting to multimedia to store, produce and present them. “I want people to tell their stories in their own words,” said Bernadicou. “I’m very protective of these people’s legacies, which are being erased in their lifetimes.” Bernadicou shared a few personal perspectives, such as how humble Kilhefner is, despite his numerous contributions. He also touched on some of his older interview subjects, who “maintained a child-like curiosity and attitude.” And local Tenderloin singer Bambi Lake, when asked about her greatest talent as an artist, replied, “Making people cry.” Bernadicou maintains his interest in elder interviewees as crucial to cultural documentation.

“The concept of accepting elders has been erased by youth culture, by my generation. Assimilation has played a big part of it, but also a loss of a sense of purpose.” Asked who he has yet to interview, Bernadicou said, “The list is never-ending. The podcast is more time-consuming than I’d imagined. Every night, I research and read. Most of these people are so thrilled to tell their stories. They recognize that their legacies have been erased, or they never got the credit they deserved.”t www.queercorepod.com

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…and one for Mahler Timothy Pfaff reviews Jonas Kaufmann’s performance in a new recording of Otello, with the Royal Opera, and conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin’s performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Read it now on www.ebar.com.

Sat 25 Mark I. Chester’s Hot Draw. See www.markichester.com and listings on www.ebar.com.

Up your I.P. Sorry, but nearly every event is online, including the otherwise very public kinkfest, the Up Your Alley Street Fair. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, as long as your router’s rooting and your Internet Provider’s percolating.

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